Nostalgia & History > Switching the Capitol Limited: April, 1964

I'm standing near the H Street Bridge in Washington on a morning in April, 1964, as a Washington Terminal RS-1 switches B&O intercity passenger cars, most of them off B&O train 6, the Capitol Limited.

Photo 1. It's a fuzzy shot, but the cars in the cut are worth seeing. Included is one of the Cap's 5 double-bedroom/buffet/obs cars, a second-hand (from the C&O) 10 roomette/6 double bedroom sleeper, a B&O 16 roomette/4 double bedroom "bird" series sleeper, a former C&O dome sleeper, and a twin-unit diner, also former C&O (though originally painted and lettered for the C&O, the twin diners went directly to the New York Central, which sold them some years later to the B&O).

Photo 2. The head end of the cut now moves past, showing the 10 roomette/6 double bedroom sleeper Muscatatuck, a B&O modernized heavyweight coach (probably not off the Capitol), and the dorm-kitchen unit of the Cap's twin-unit diner.

Photo 3. Just then, Washington Terminal RS-1 no. 57 shows up with a cut, blocking my view of the B&O switch move. Those N&W hoppers on the far right are spotted at the large retail coal dealer that has several elevated docks along the Washington Terminal right of way, just across the main tracks.

Art House



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/09 10:34 by aehouse.

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As always, excellent and fascinating photos. I never saw an all-stainless Capitol Limited. Does anyone know if one ever ran?

B&OB

bandob Wrote:
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> As always, excellent and fascinating photos. I
> never saw an all-stainless Capitol Limited. Does
> anyone know if one ever ran?
>
> B&OB


Bob,

I'd have to guess that there was never an all-stainless Capitol Limited. The train carried, from 1950 on, a mix of fluted- and smooth-sided cars, among them a group of 10/6 sleepers that were diverted from the big C&O Pullman-Standard order, but finished for the B&O without the C&O-specified stainless steel fluting. (The Illinois Central also got some 10/6 cars off that order, delivered without the fluting.)

B&O later acquired some second-hand C&O 10/6 sleepers that retained the fluting (there's one in my first photo), but the smooth-side 10/6 cars--such as the Muscatatuck as shown in my second photo--were almost always in the consist as well. And, after the Capitol and Columbian were combined in the late 1950s, the Columbian's smooth-side coaches, domes, combines (and occasionally diners) were regularly part of the Capitol's consist.

Art