Nostalgia & History > Baseball Season, yet ?

Well, it's a balmy 67 in NW Pennsylvania, but
not quite baseball season yet. My first train ride
was in 1955, when my Dad took me to Cleveland to see
the Indians. A local businessman would sponsor several
baseball specials out of Erie, and they were always
sellouts.

You could usually count on one when the Yankees were
playing on a Sunday. Such was the case this day in July
of 1956, as NKP Hudson 175 waits to depart. I'll always
recall the anticipation as the train arrived from Conneaut,
the locomotive (would be either the 174 or 175), tender
leading. She'd run around the cars, and pause to top off
the tank at the plug across from the depot.

Some times, there'd be multiple trains - on one occasion,
there were three, from Buffalo, Erie and Ft. Wayne. Power
was both of the active Hudsons, plus a Berkshire.

That's HOW to travel to a game !

Spring training will be here before we know it, and maybe this
year, the Royals will win the Series !

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Ah yes, the ONLY way to travel. I've never seen photos or accounts of baseball teams traveling by train. I'm thinking how cool it would be to be a kid on a train, and be seated across from your baseball hero in the dining car. AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

My REA dad and I often took the New York Central from upstate NY to NY City for a Dodger-Giant series. Stayed in some second grade hotel near Grand Central and travelled by subway to the games. Dad played minor league ball with Hal Schumacher (of King Carl and Prince Hal) who pitched for the Giants, so he was a Giant fan. I was a Dodger fan. Neither of us were American League fans, and never went to a game at Yankee Stadium. Years later I followed the Giants and Dodger to California when they moved (not because they moved, but to start my career in aviation). It was great to be able to take Dad to a Dodger Giant game in Dodger Stadium before he passed away.

agentatascadero Wrote:
> ... how cool it would be to be a kid on a train, and be
> seated across from your baseball hero in the dining car...

That's certainly a fun scenario, but I'm thinking that most such "baseball trains" were special charters. I believe the teams routinely travelled with their entire support personnel, including their regular press corps...

NKP715 Wrote: > ... maybe this year, the Royals will win the Series!
Thanks, my friend. You just plastered a smile onto my face that will likely last clear up to Spring Training!

;^)

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> agentatascadero Wrote:
> > ... how cool it would be to be a kid on a train,
> and be
> > seated across from your baseball hero in the
> dining car...
>
> That's certainly a fun scenario, but I'm thinking
> that most such "baseball trains" were special
> charters. I believe the teams routinely travelled
> with their entire support personnel, including
> their regular press corps...
>
> NKP715 Wrote: > ... maybe this year, the Royals
> will win the Series!
> Thanks, my friend. You just plastered a smile onto
> my face that will likely last clear up to Spring
> Training!
>
> ;^)
Santa, I'm having trouble with your premise that baseball teams travelled by special train. A team is comprised of 25 players, easily accomodated in a 12-1 Pullman. Entourages were far smaller in those days, and I think one more Pullman could handle the Manager, Coaches and press. Two Pullmans are easily handled in a regularly scheduled train....and, in those days, there were a LOT of passenger trains going to all the Major League cities. That being said, I've never seen any documented information about Major League baseball train travel. Does anyone out there know for sure how it worked? AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

I've tried to google baseball train travel before, with zero results. In my search today, I did find one documented account of the St Louis Cardinals taking a train between Pittsburgh and NYC, on #60, the all-Pullman Pittsburgher, in 1954. The team occupied the rear two sleepers, a 10-5, and a 21 roomette car. I tried to attach the train consist card....or whatever it is called, but could not find a way to do so. Oh, by the way, that train carried one dining car, so, at least on this one occasion, my wish/fantasy of meeting a baseball hero in the diner could come true in reality. Also confirmed is my hunch that two Pullmans would accomodate a baseball team and entourage. That train had 15 cars that night, 13 Pullmans, a diner and a baggage car. Hope this helps. AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA