Nostalgia & History > Southern Crescent Arriving Alexandria

Southern Railway's flagship, train No. 1, the New York-Washington-Atlanta-New Orleans Southern Crescent, rounds the long curve approaching its station stop in Alexandria, Va. It's a summer evening in 1977. Up front are four E-8A locomotives dressed in Southern's apple green, imitation aluminum and gold. In the diner, regional specialties (including perfectly seasoned and prepared fried chicken) are on the menu; drinks are being served in the sleeper-lounge; in the sleeping cars, beds will soon be turned down; God is in His heaven and all is right with the world.

Art House
Gettysburg, Pa.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/15 09:58 by aehouse.

---

Nice Art.  We could have bumped into to each other taking photos of that train in Alexandria.  Also, I just posted one of Roger Puta's shots from the same spot the other day.
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3857085,3857400#msg-3857400.

Marty Bernard
 

I rode it in 1978 right near the end. Remember waiters standing at attention in the diner upon entering at Washington, D.C. Excellent food and service. Something sadly lacking today.

MartyBernard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice Art.  We could have bumped into to each
> other taking photos of that train in Alexandria.
>  Also, I just posted one of Roger Puta's shots
> from the same spot the other day.
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,
> 3857085,3857400#msg-3857400.
>
> Marty Bernard
>  

Roger's shot of the George Washington was just great, Marty.  Thanks for sharing it.

Art

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I rode it in 1978 right near the end. Remember
> waiters standing at attention in the diner upon
> entering at Washington, D.C. Excellent food and
> service. Something sadly lacking today.

When I first hired out with Amtrak in '84 I had the good fortune to work alongside some of those men made to "stand at attention' back in the day.  Their desciption of this ritual lacked the glow you've given it.
SR

Wonderful photo.  God, indeed, was in his Heaven.....

And, a few hundred yards ahead, no doubt local residents were sitting on the grass embankment on the west end of Alexandria station, either on blankets or on lawn chairs, watching the evening parade of trains.

Interesting to see the lead engine as 2913.  I thought they'd all been changed to 6900-series engines by then.  Also, unusual to see a single engine facing south and the trailing 3 engines facing north.  The Southern Crescent almost always operated with 2 engines facing south and 2 engines facing north.  Southern started that practice after a crossing accident which damaged the lead engine and the trailing unit was set up facing the opposite way and couldn't lead the train.

I always liked the prime rib better than the chicken.  Wonderful photo.  Thanks for taking and posting it. 

Can't get that shot today.Not only are the trains gone,but the hill is covered with weeds,trees and trash.


Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.

And so is North Alex interlocking, the reason for the signal installation.

knotch8 Wrote:

> Interesting to see the lead engine as 2913.  I
> thought they'd all been changed to 6900-series
> engines by then.  Also, unusual to see a single
> engine facing south and the trailing 3 engines
> facing north.  The Southern Crescent almost
> always operated with 2 engines facing south and 2
> engines facing north.

Adding to this, the heavyweight baggage car is not something you would have seen in 1977.

The 'Southern Crescent' lettering began to appear shortly after the formation of Amtrak, and the 29xx E8s were renumbered to the 69xx series by 1972.

johnacraft Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> knotch8 Wrote:
>
> > Interesting to see the lead engine as 2913.  I
> > thought they'd all been changed to 6900-series
> > engines by then.  Also, unusual to see a
> single
> > engine facing south and the trailing 3 engines
> > facing north.  The Southern Crescent almost
> > always operated with 2 engines facing south and
> 2
> > engines facing north.
>
> Adding to this, the heavyweight baggage car is not
> something you would have seen in 1977.
>
> The 'Southern Crescent' lettering began to appear
> shortly after the formation of Amtrak, and the
> 29xx E8s were renumbered to the 69xx series by
> 1972.

The print has 1977 on it, but I was shooting there in 1972, so perhaps that second "7" is in fact a "2."

Art House
 

aehouse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The print has 1977 on it, but I was shooting there in 1972, so perhaps that second "7" is in fact a "2."

That sounds reasonable.

The 'Southerner' and the 'Crescent' were combined into the 'Southern Crescent' in 1970, so it can't be before that. 

Southern managed to discontinue most of its trains before Amtrak Day, so it had a lot of surplus passenger power on the roster.  In 1971 they retired the CofG E8s and all boiler-equipped Fs except for the 20 FP7s. The E8s were dedicated to the Southern Crescent, and the FP7s (combined with freight power) protected the three other trains (Asheville - Greensboro, 'Piedmont' DC - Atlanta, unnamed DC-Lynchburg day train). 

Most of the Southern E8s had been sublettered CNOTP or NONE and were already in the 6901-6910(?), so the SOU 29xx E8s were renumbered 6900 and 6911()?-6915 in late 1971 and early 1972. The renumbering proceeded in parallel with repainting the power green, so can find photos of the SOU E8s (a) renumbered but still black, (b) green with nose lettering still numbered 29xx, or (c) renumbered and green with nose lettering. 

I seem to recall reading that by June 1972 all E8s were green 6900s with SC nose lettering, but it might have been a bit later.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------


> I rode it in 1978 right near the end. Remember
> waiters standing at attention in the diner upon
> entering at Washington, D.C. Excellent food and
> service. Something sadly lacking today.
You are oh so right !

Well, this shot was in 1977.  Quick grab shot of the diner when they were switching cars in Atlanta.
Real flower, glass salt & pepper shakers, cloth napkins, & look at that nice heavy pitcher!

---

The Mercury pattern. That's the "winged foot of Mercury" on top of the pitcher.

Pretty funny, since Southern trains were rarely known for their fleetness of foot. 

mp51w Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, this shot was in 1977.  Quick grab shot of
> the diner when they were switching cars in
> Atlanta.
> Real flower, glass salt & pepper shakers, cloth
> napkins, & look at that nice heavy pitcher!

AND CHAIRS!!!

Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.