Steam & Excursion > Merry Christmas to all B&O Style

Riding the B&O Commuter Trains with Santa Claus and the late conductor, Carl Grocie, back in the good-ole-days in the 1970's.  Merry Christmas to everyone here on Trainorders.  Stay healthy and stay well.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

---

Same to you, John.  Enjoy your posts of the good ol' days.

-John

Note the speedometer and air brake guage above the left window.
Is this a B&O Business Car?   
SR2

SR2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Note the speedometer and air brake gauge above the
> left window.
> Is this a B&O Business Car?   
> SR2
No, this is a former B&O R.R. lounge/observation car #3302, called the "Edward G. Hooper."  The car was retired from the B&O in 1969, but was leased each of the next two years, prior to Amtrak, to the B&O during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Seasons for regular service with B&O Passenger Trains.  At this point of time, the car is the last remaining paired narrow window heavy weight B&O Observation car which operated with many famous trains including the "Royal Blue" from time to time.  Anyhow, the car is now parked in the front yard of the B&O R.R. Museum in Baltimore in sad shape, now rusting away for the lack of the museum doing any maintenance on the car and despite the fact that when it was donated to the museum, a size able amount of money was also donated to properly maintain it.  This car has tons of history, including the fact that as a private car it did also operate with special Chessie System Trains, and with their office cars.  It was the rear observation car when Chessie operated the ex-C&O 614 as the Chessie Steam Safety Express train.  There is a lot more history for this car, but too long to write on this blog.  Here is a photo of the car now rusting away at the B&O R.R. Museum in Baltimore and a photo from when it was running with the Steam Safety Express in 1980 & 81.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

---

---

Great human interest memory.
Bob

Carl Grocie and the late Joe Piraro always disputed between themselves who was the senor conductor out of Baltimore. I gather one had seniority by date of hire, the other by date of promotion to conductor, but they never elaborated on which one owned which distinction. Both were regulars in the Balitmore-Washington commuter service in the 1970s and 1980s, both had worked the original B&O Capitol Limted, and both had come up in steam.

On a Baltimore-Point of Rocks-Balitmore triangle trip for employyes and afmilies about 1980, I teased Joe that he was "braking for Carl," on the train. "Hell," he replied, "he's braking for me."

Two great railroaders and fine gentlemen long remembered and dearly missed.

Art House

aehouse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Carl Grocie and the late Joe Piraro always
> disputed between themselves who was the senor
> conductor out of Baltimore. I gather one had
> seniority by date of hire, the other by date of
> promotion to conductor, but they never elaborated
> on which one owned which distinction. Both were
> regulars in the Baltimore-Washington commuter
> service in the 1970s and 1980s, both had worked
> the original B&O Capitol Limited, and both had come
> up in steam.
>
> On a Baltimore-Point of Rocks-Baltimore triangle
> trip for employees and families about 1980, I
> teased Joe that he was "braking for Carl," on the
> train. "Hell," he replied, "he's braking for me."
>
> Two great railroaders and fine gentlemen long
> remembered and dearly missed.
>
> Art House
Yes, you are correct Art, they were both great conductors as we knew them both very well and we could count on Carl to be on all of the NRHS and RRP train trips.  Carl was a real character who could tell so many stories about his years on the B&O, and he was a friend of the excursions as he truly was a people person who told the RRP Officers and Directors how glad he was that RRP was keeping the B&O memories alive.  Merry Christmas to you Art.
John in White Marsh, Maryland