Nostalgia & History > Last Mixed Train by State?

The last mixed train in Indiana was on the Wabash Fourth District btw Gary, Indiana and Montpelier, Ohio in the fall of 1962 as was documented in my book. It may have not been the last one in Ohio, however.

Does anyone know of the last mixeds in regular service in other states? I wonder if the Wabash ones btw Centralia and Columbia, Missouri under N&W were the last in that state?

It seems one in the 70's on the SP&S in the Pacific Northwest might be a candidate in Oregon. Soo ran some mixed trains late in the Dakotas I believe. And Frisco ran at least one in the 60's.

To narrow things down, lets not include freights that carried passengers in a caboose as most of us don't consider those mixed trains by definition. A freight with passenger equipment would follow the technical definition and narrow things down better.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/14 17:59 by wabash2800.

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Victor,

The Georgia Railroad was more than likely the last railroad in the USA operating traditional mixed trains. The mainline between Augusta and Atlanta hosted a daily(except Sunday in the later years) super mixed each way up to May 1983. The coaches these trains, 103 and 108, regularly carried were former West Point Route streamlined coaches used as part of the WPR contribution to the Crescent train sets. When one of the coaches was in the shop, a West Point Route Pullman, Alabama River, was the sub. The coaches lacked the former shine seen in their glory years and were definitely well coated with a heavy layer of Georgia red clay dust. The Alabama River was kept in better shape as it would sometimes accompany the Georgia 300 business car in hosting quests for the Masters Golf Tourney.

The Macon Branch of the Georgia Railroad more than likely hosted the last heavy weight coaches in mixed train service in the USA. I do not know the exact date, but it had to be fairly close to 1980 or a little later before they were removed from regular service on the regular run between Macon and Camak. I will do some digging to see if I have an exact date for the last run of the heavyweight coaches, 169 and 170.

Jay

Thanks Jay. So it sounds like we've got Georgia and Indiana marked off.

For what it's worth, mixed trains still run in Canada. I am thinking particularly of the Keewatin Railway's (former CN/VIA Lynne Lake Mixed) service between The Pas and Pukatawagan, Manitoba. There may be others.

In the late 1970's there was a mixed train between Ft Worth and Mineral Wells Tx. This actually came as a big surprise to the MP since they had cancelled all passenger trains years earlier.

The T&P (later merged into the MP), was not using any passenger cars on the Weatherford, Mineral Wells, and Northwestern (owned by the T&P) and decided long ago that if anyone bought a ticket they would have to ride in a caboose which saved the need and care of a coach. When the T&P and MP ended all passenger service, this service was overlooked since no one had bought a ticket to Mineral Wells since the early 1950's and no one remembered it was listed as a "mixed". To the railroad, they simply ran a "local freight" on the W,MW,& NW a couple of times a week. One day a fella showed up at Centennial Yard office and asked to buy a ticket for this "rare mileage". He was informed there was no passenger service where upon he produced an up to date Official Guide and pointed out the train. They had to sell him a round trip ticket (there weren't any tickets) and he rode the caboose armed with a hand written letter from the Superintendent. The MP immediately filed to abandon the service.

Such was life!

I know you didn't want caboose "mixed" trains but I thought the story was really funny and worth telling.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/14 20:32 by tomstp.

Tom, it was worth it even if it doesn't fit the criteria here. Thanks.

Incidentally, when I wrote "The Last Mixed Train in Indiana" for the Wabash Railroad Historical Society and hadn't finished researching my book, I had not got the whole story. It seems the first train on the Fourth in 1892 was a mixed btw Montpelier, Ohio and Wolcottville and that there were two mixed trains btw Montpelier and North Liberty, Indiana the day before the Gary-Montpelier service started April 2, 1933. It appears that mixeds were common on the Wabash.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/14 19:38 by wabash2800.

The SP&S/BN ran one right up to the start of Amtrak. I know it ran up the trunk to Bend but am not sure if it started in Wishram or Portland.

Cal Western ran mixed scheduled service on the late afternoon eastbound train from Ft. Bragg to Willits with loads from Georgia Pacific to the NWP until the early 1990's.

Victor,
Not that it was regular service but when we made some break in runs with our steam locomotives we would take passenger support cars on the head end followed by freight equipment and a caboose. Also on our early ferry moves we would take freight along for braking efforts too.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

In Colorado it was the other way around, between Durango and Silverton there was a mixed freight up until 1969 or so when they quit moving freight and went full time passenger. I think the Great Western provided some service with a combine (later two cabooses) for passengers and freight in the early 1980s.

Pacific5th Wrote:
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> The SP&S/BN ran one right up to the start of
> Amtrak. I know it ran up the trunk to Bend but am
> not sure if it started in Wishram or Portland.


Wishram to Bend. It was popular among fisherman who knew of it's existence. It paralleled the Deschutes river and would make unscheduled stops to drop and pick up along this pristine river.

Earlier than TomSTP's post about a caboose ride one could take, but in East Texas the Mocsow, Camden, and Saint Augustine
ran a mixed train with a vintage1898 wooden combine up until 1973, between Moscow ( on the SP) and the paper mill town of Camden.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/14 05:04 by WrongWayMurphy.

I think you also have to exclude from the definition of "mixed train" the passenger trains that carried intermodal freight. Southern's Piedmont operated in the 1970s in that way. No caboose, of course.

I'm guessing that in most southern states except Georgia, the last true mixed train was gone by 1960.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/14 06:10 by ctillnc.

How about Amtrak. Seems about 10-15 years ago some Eastern trains had more freight cars than passenger cars.

I agree with ctillnc. I think we should exclude those.

nedzarp Wrote:
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> How about Amtrak. Seems about 10-15 years ago some
> Eastern trains had more freight cars than
> passenger cars.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/14 07:07 by wabash2800.

I remember seeing that covered in one of the magazines. I believe the MC&St.A ran steam rather late too. I seem to recall that one of their steam locos is on display down there. That operation was what a model railroader would model.

WrongWayMurphy Wrote:
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> Earlier than TomSTP's post about a caboose ride
> one could take, but in East Texas the Mocsow,
> Camden, and Saint Augustine
> ran a mixed train with a vintage1898 wooden
> combine up until 1973, between Moscow ( on the SP)
> and the paper mill town of Camden.

Soo Line ran a pair mixed trains in Wisconsin from Rhinelander and Neennah to Sault St. Marie. until 83-84 sometime. I rode the Neenah St. Marie mixed in 82,Asst Supt told me that only railfans showed up to ride and they usually tried to talk fans out of riding them , due to the length and duration of the trip. He tried to talk me out of riding too; until he found I worked for the railroad.

I wonder if this counts as a mixed....the CPR Atlantic Limited handled mail and express in containers. This was taken in 1967.

JBWX

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Of course the Strasburg RR has recently been offering mixed train service due to their active freight business.

Tim

BA&P ran a heavy weight coach or combine behind a freight daily between Anaconda and Butte. This probably ended late 50s or early 60s.

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