Nostalgia & History > Southern Railway's Piedmont, 1962

Southern Railway E7A 2910 southbound with Train 33, the Piedmont Limited, near Berryhill Road in Charlotte, NC on September 2, 1962.Roger Puta photo

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First-class photo - Great power..
Bob

I knew this one would be nice before I even looked act it.

Southern had only four E b-units , from E6 a-b pairs. The coaches would be modernized heavyweight's which were really nice. It should have a stainless steel diner-lounge and sleeper on the rear.

Old school passenger train. Fine photo. Favourite Southern scheme.

No. 33 was still a pretty good train at this time.  The coach-bar-lounge and the diner should still be on the rear.  33 is passing a signal called North Advance, named for the Advance Track - the adjacent long siding/industrial lead connecting the northbound mainline and the new Columbia mainline called the Berryhill Cutoff back then.  In Oct. 62, 33 would be the last train to stop at the old uptown passenger station on Trade Street.  The last ticket clerk at the old station was my longtime friend Bobbie Detter.  His wife Iris was the first ticket clerk at the new and current station adjacent to Airline Yard off North Tryon Street.  The first train to stop at the new Airline station that afternoon was the northbound Piedmont Limited no. 34.  Charlotte's future station is being built on Trade Street at the site of the previous station.  Back then, Southern Railway's Eastern Lines was headquarted in a office building across the tracks from the old station on Trade Street.  Back then I was a 10 year old railfan riding into the old station on 32 - the Augusta Special and 38 - the Crescent.

Notch7 Wrote:
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> No. 33 was still a pretty good train at this
> time.  The coach-bar-lounge and the diner should
> still be on the rear.  33 is passing a signal
> called North Advance, named for the Advance Track
> - the adjacent long siding/industrial lead
> connecting the northbound mainline and the new
> Columbia mainline called the Berryhill Cutoff back
> then. 

So the train had already departed the Charlotte station?

At the start of 1960, the Piedmont Limited was still carrying a New York - New Orleans sleeper. By the time of the April 28, 1963 PTT, the sleeper had been cut back to New York - Charlotte. No mention of a Coach-Lounge. That might have come later.

The color in the photo is interesting to me; the train itself would appear to be in black-and-white save for the headlight, and without the red signal and the greenery at left it almost does look like a b&w image. Cool shot.

it was a black and white diesel scheme

yorknl wrote:

>>> without the red signal and the greenery at left it almost does look like a b&w image. Cool shot.

Agreed!  It does look like a northbound is lined up as the top signal head appears to show a green light.  Also barely able to discern the gold-colored "Southern" lettering (smaller than in later years) on the units' carbodies.  

ts1457 Wrote:
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> So the train had already departed the Charlotte
> station?
Yes,  33 is pictured roughly 2 miles out of old Trade Street station.

> No
> mention of a Coach-Lounge. That might have come
> later.
The SOU 950 series coach-lounges had been used on 33-34 since the early 50's.  SOU usually didn't mention the cars being on there.  Oddly PRR would mention them.  Maybe the 950's were put on 33-34 when the 10 section lounges were pulled off.  In earlier days the coach lounge would be the only stainless car on the train.  I know by 1966, the coach lounges would show up on 27-28 the Carolina Special with no mention.  Prior to that, 33 had been discontinued Salisbury NC - Atlanta.
 

Marty,

  unusual to see a Southern Railway shot from you and it is a GREAT one!  Thanks

Notch7 Wrote:
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> The SOU 950 series coach-lounges had been used on
> 33-34 since the early 50's.  SOU usually didn't
> mention the cars being on there.  Oddly PRR would
> mention them.  Maybe the 950's were put on 33-34
> when the 10 section lounges were pulled off.  In
> earlier days the coach lounge would be the only
> stainless car on the train.  I know by 1966, the
> coach lounges would show up on 27-28 the Carolina
> Special with no mention.  Prior to that, 33 had
> been discontinued Salisbury NC - Atlanta.

Did the cars have an attendant that sold food and beverages or was it just lounge space? I see in a December 20 1953 PTT that the car was listed with the Piedmont Limited. The coach-lounge's were also used on the Royal Palm, so I was familiar with them. In the same timetable mentioned, the cars were listed for Cincinnati-Jacksonville on the upcoming seasonal New Royal Palm. 

ts1457 Wrote:
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> Did the cars have an attendant that sold food and
> beverages or was it just lounge space? 
In the 60's I never rode 33 or 34, only 38, 32, 29, 28, and 27.  I guess it is possible that someone from the diner or later diner-lounge may have manned the bar in the coach lounge when the diner was closed.  A SOU passenger train blocking book from that time frame might provide details.  When I worked with all those oldheads from SOU passenger service, I never thought to ask.  I don't know of any still living from the days of 33 & 34.

Notch7 Wrote:
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> In the 60's I never rode 33 or 34, only 38, 32,
> 29, 28, and 27.  I guess it is possible that
> someone from the diner or later diner-lounge may
> have manned the bar in the coach lounge when the
> diner was closed.  A SOU passenger train blocking
> book from that time frame might provide details. 
> When I worked with all those oldheads from SOU
> passenger service, I never thought to ask.  I
> don't know of any still living from the days of 33
> & 34.

Appreciate it!

In the 1960s, I never saw the coach-lounge cars on the Royal Palm manned.