Monthly Archives: April 2014

North Coast Limited: springtime in the Rockies?

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

Second to the California Zephyr, the NCL was probably the most photographed train in the late 50s and 60s. In this Bill Duvall photo, from the 1985 NRHS Potomac Chapter calendar, the train is in Jefferson Canyon, Montana. It looks … Continue reading →

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Rock Island 1961 timetable

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

Click to enlarge, and click on the enlargement to enlarge further. I only reproduced the condensed schedules here. All schedules fpr all railroads are available in the Official Guide of the Railways, limited hardcopy and electronic reprints available from the Cape Ann … Continue reading →

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Rock Island parlor observation car, interior, late 30s, early 40s

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

Pullman-Standard photo, Phil Weibler collection, reproduced her from Greg Stout, Route of the Rockets: Rock Island in the Streamlined Era. In the book’s foreward Stout says, “Rock Island… died from too many agricultural branches, overdependence on trackage rights, and a route map that … Continue reading →

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Rock Island Twin Star Rocket brochure

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

Click to enlarge, and click again to enlarge further. I have little promotional material for Rock Island trains, except for the Golden State, which I’ll post at a later date. Above is one page about the Twin Star Rocket from … Continue reading →

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Rock Island Twin Star Rocket in Dallas and Houston

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

The three photos above, of the Twin Star Rocket, are from “Down South” on the Rock Island, Steve Allen Goen. In the top two pictures (from the same shot by Dr. Tom Hughes, Steve Goen collection) the train is leaving Dallas Union Station … Continue reading →

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Rock Island Jet Rocket

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

“To increase the ‘gee-whiz’ factor of the Jet Rocket [inaugurated between Chicago and Peoria in 1956] the train was delivered with a closed-circuit TV camera installed in the nose. The camera fed a television set in the lounge area. The idea … Continue reading →

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Pennsylvania Railroad Horseshoe Curve

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

This photo is reproduced from an envelope in which Pennsylvania mailed me the typically American Railroad Association booklets a railroad might send to a kid writing to ask about their trains. They didn’t understand that I wanted a timetable and … Continue reading →

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Pennsylvania diesels in green and in tuscan color schemes

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

I believe Pennsylvania’s passenger engines (diesels and GG1s) were first green with gold pin strips and the cars were tuscan, as pictured below. Later, after the war I think, the engines received the tuscan paint that matched the cars. Photo above and below from Don Ball, … Continue reading →

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Posted on April 18, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

To see all posts for the current month, you may need to click on “older posts,” after the last visible post. To see prior months’ posts, click on the month, under archives, and then also remember to click on “older posts” when you … Continue reading →

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Santa Fe Super Chief dining car, sleeping car rooms

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Gary Garth McCann

Two photos above and two below from Santa Fe’s brochure, “Travel the Chief Way.” The Turquoise Room, second below, a dining room for private parties, was located on the lower level of the “pleasure dome” lounge car, which always ran … Continue reading →

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