Nostalgia & History > Passenger trains picking up frt cars

Have read of Atlantic Coast Line secondary trains in FL (37/38) picking up perishible cars from citrus grower sidings when necessary to expedite a move. Does anyone fr the pre-Amtrak era recall any other instances where a passenger train would pick up a freight car to "protect the service?"

Andy

Occasionally a local would put an older passenger car on the rear of a freight local. Called a mixed local. My great grandmother talked about a local that used to leave Barstow headed for San Bernardino and possibly on in to L.A. You could ride the train in and spend the day shopping and ride it home in the afternoon. Occasionally it would move freight from San Bernardino to Barstow...perishables for Santa Fe employees.

This didn't last long as hwy 66 arrived and later four lane hwy's allowed for the excitement of driving your own car. We may wish for the days trains operated mixed locals...considering the price of gas.

RickH

The Southern's "secondary" Washington-Atlanta passenger train, the "Piedmont", carried piggyback cars. The train would stop after the Alexandria station stop and add the cars. This went on even after the Amtrak era started until the Piedmont was discontinued.

On the Coast, we used to have 90 & 91. It had a sub on the rear and baggage and express cars. They would pick up and set out from SF to LA. They would leave a car of mail at Surf, set out an express car at Goleta, that sort of thing.

I know that the old "Zipper" was stopped at King City to switch the carrot shed one night. It was the overnight fast freight between SF & LA. You did not delay it. The peddler died on the law before they could get that done. The owner was pissed so he called the City and talked to the GM. The message was given to the crew out of Wat Jct and signed under the GMs name.

Nudge

Gee, Amtrak did that for years! Oh wait, those were "express" cars, not "freight."

I think he meant reg sched pass trains that were instructed here and there to pick up frt cars for out of the ordinary circumstances; not reg scheduled mix trains, not regular lane express traffic, and so on. Correct me if I'm wrong.

There is an article on the current Reading Company T&HS "Beeline" about just that on the RDG Newtown Branch in suburban Philadelphia.

They had a passenger train deliver at George's School, on two occasions, carloads of bricks for a construction project.

The article touted the great relationship between the school and the
railroad

Genevasub: You are correct, he asked about regular passenger trains being roped into emergency freight expediter service on very rare occassions.

Nearly on the subject.I remember putting a loaded covered hopper of sand on the rear of the Seaboard Air Line,Venice "Meteor" connection at Yeoman Yard in Tampa.Train consisted of "doodlebug" 2028,a sleeper and a coach.The sand was needed for glass making at the Tropicana plant in Bradenton.HOT!HOT!

Uncle Joe

I believe you are correct.Where did you read this?

Uncle Joe

Genevasub: You are correct, he asked about regular passenger trains being roped into emergency freight expediter service from outlying stations or sidings on very rare occassions.

One of the times I got a cab ride on the Santa Fe out of Pasadena, was in the short period after they moved the Santa Anita station building and before the 210 rerouting was completed. And I'm pretty sure it was the Grand Canyon. The fireman was down disconnecting some of the hoses, and the engineer was fussing. My dad asked what was up. They had to pick up a horse car at Santa Anita and take it on east. The engineer was pretty irate about having to stop a passenger train to pick up a horse car. Having a local pick it up and taking it to LA for inclusion in a consist was ok, but stopping to pick it up??? Heresy and a hell of a way to run a railroad. One of the old heads, my Dad had known him for years and he invited my brother and I to take the short ride. Sorry Dad, you get to drive out and pick the boys up.

Based on his general demeanor, it was a very rare occurrence on a Santa Fe name train.

Rode the Georgia RR mixed (103/108) as late as the early 1980s when we picked up or set off freight all the time along the way! Of course the train could be 140 freight cars, 1 passenger car, and 1 cab.

I seem to recall pictures of IC's Land O'Corn (Chicago-Waterloo?)regularly handling TOFC on the rear of the train.

Mexrail

Within the last few years my daughter and a friend were riding the Santa Fe Southern excursion train in New Mexico. When the train stopped to picked up a boxcar, some of the passengers were annoyed, but my daughter thought, "This is cool! We're riding a mixed train now."