Summer 1955 consists [was passenger trains on the Lyndonville Sub (Vermont)]
- From: "jshorvath10583" <jshorvath10583@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 17:22:58 -0000
Dan Mahoney <stj_lc@...> wrote:
Is consist info as above available for summer 1955?...I would take
whatever comes along.
Actually you're in luck, Dan, as I happen to have a copy of a
document titled "Boston and Maine Railroad; Normal Consists of
Passenger Trains" that was issued as being effective April 24, 1955
(presumably coincident with an ETT change). So there is very
specific information as to what the normal, generic consists of
the "Alouette" (which had been rerouted to operate via WRJ by then)
and "Red Wing" were in Summer 1955. That having been said, as you'll
see below even within this single document there were conflicts and
inconsistencies in information. In my experience with both B&M and
NH consist documents such errors are not uncommon.
I'll limit things to what would have been in the consists between
WRJ and Newport although I'll indicate the end points for all cars.
Also, all cars operated daily unless noted otherwise:
northbound
==========
"Alouette" (B&M #5/CPR #211)
----------------------------
* CPR RPO - WRJ-Montreal (ex. Sun.) [Photos show a baggage/express-
mail combine with 30' mail apartment. LW cars begin to show up by
this time frame.]
* B&M baggage/express-coach (smoker) - Boston-Montreal [Both two-
and four-door HW types indicated as normally assigned.]
* B&M coach - Boston-Montreal ['American Flyer'-type car normally
assigned.]
* parlor-buffet - Boston-Montreal [B&M and CPR cars were to
alternate in this assignment which was a notable deviation from what
existed for some time prior when only CPR cars were assigned. The
B&M's car was to be one of their "restaurant-parlor" cars, ONWARD
and PROGRESS. I'm not sure what the CPR normally assigned as their
contribution but I'm sure someone on the list can tell us. It was
likely a car without an open observation as the return Montreal-
Boston side of the "Alouette" was combined with the "Ambassador"
between WRJ and Boston with several cars tacked on behind the parlor-
buffet. So a closed-end parlor-buffet car would have been
operationally desirable.]
"Red Wing" (B&M #79/CPR #209)
-----------------------------
Note that all the milk cars listed would have been empties:
* milk - Boston-East Hardwick(VT) [This was a Whiting-leased GPEX
tank car that had been moved Boston-WRJ on B&M #351-X and would be
moved from St.J to its final destination by the StJ&LC.]
* milk - Boston-Morrisville(VT) [This was a United Farmers of New
England-leased GPEX tank car that had been moved Boston-WRJ on B&M
#351-X and would be moved from St.J to its final destination by the
StJ&LC.]
* milk - Boston-Hardwick(VT) (irregular) [This was a Hood-leased
GPEX tank car that had been moved Boston-WRJ on B&M #351-X and would
be moved from St.J to its final destination by the StJ&LC. Note that
this was not a daily move.]
* storage mail - Springfield(MA)?-St.J [Presumably this was normally
a B&M car although conductor's records in other years show a CPR car
at times. The B&M document is unclear if this car orginated in
Springfield or WRJ. The former is the more likely from what is
indicated. Also, no return of this car is indicated for either
southbound passenger train although it could have moved in a
freight, at least as far as WRJ (any photo indications of such?).
Note that in earlier years this was a Springfield-Newport car.]
* RPO - Springfield(MA)-Newport [A B&M baggage/express-mail combine
with 30' mail apartment was assigned. The B&M document
indicates "Should be a car equipped with enlarged letter cases".
Although there have been some good articles written about B&M RPOs
over the years I don't recall any mention of which cars may have
been so equipped or modified.]
* CP baggage car - Boston-Montreal
* coach - Boston-Montreal [A B&M 'American Flyer'-type car and CPR
car were to alternate in this assignment.]
* CPR coach - Boston-Montreal [A "DeLuxe" (sic) car is indicated in
the B&M document, whatever that is supposed to mean.]
* sleeper (10-5) - Boston-Montreal [Loading number "CP-7". This
would have been a CPR LW 10rmt-5dbr car from the GROVE class that
replaced the B&M HW section sleepers long assigned to this car line.]
* sleeper (4-1-L) - Boston-Montreal [Loading number "CP-6". This
would have been a CPR HW MOUNT-class sleeper-buffet-lounge that had
been assigned to this car line beginning in 1951.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
southbound
==========
"Alouette" (CPR #212/B&M #20)
-----------------------------
This had the same consist and days of operation as its northbound
counterpart described above.
"Red Wing" (CPR #210/B&M #78)
-----------------------------
This was largely the same consist as its northbound counterpart
described above except for the milk cars, which would have been
loads in this case, and the previously noted fact that no return of
the storage mail car presumably dropped at St.J was indicated:
* milk - Newport-Hartford(CT) (irregular) [This is believed to have
been a B&M-owned can-type car that would have been handled by the NH
between Springfield and Hartford. It is variously indicated as
moving three times per week or "as required".]
* milk - Newport-Boston ("as required") [This is believed to have
been a Hood-leased GPEX tank car. It is hypothesized by me as being
an 'overflow' car used as necessary to handle excess fluid milk (due
to seasonal production variations or whatever) that couldn't fit on
the daily GPEX tank car that Hood sent from Newport to Boston. There
is some conflict within the B&M document as to whether this extra
Hood car actually moved on the "Red Wing" or on CPR #906 which was
one of the through freights and had become the de facto Lyndonville
Sub 'milk train' by this time frame (the daily Hood car from Newport
moved on 906). Perhaps this extra car moved on either the "Red Wing"
or 906 depending on when it was ready, keeping in mind that 906 ran
about 12 hours earlier/later than the "Red Wing". One tantalizing
piece of information that suggests that this extra Hood car was 'out
of sync' with the other milk movements is that the empty return of
this extra car was indicated as being on CPR #915, not CPR #901 as
the normal, daily Hood car to Newport. These two freights operated
about 12 hours apart so it's quite possible that this extra Hood car
did indeed get put on the "Red Wing" since it was about 12 hours out
of sync with the rest of the Lyndonville Sub milk movements. If
nothing else, it provides 'modeler's license' to throw one of those
nice Intermountain Hood milk tank cars on one's model of the "Wing".]
* RPO - Newport-Springfield(MA)
* CP baggage car - Montreal-Boston
* B&M/CPR coach - Montreal-Boston
* CPR "DeLuxe" coach - Montreal-Boston
* CPR sleeper - Montreal-Boston [Loading number "210-A".]
* CPR sleeper-buffet-lounge - Montreal-Boston [Loading number "210-
B".]
=====================================================================
Have fun with this. Perhaps others can fill in some of the blanks or
other uncertainties noted.
JSH
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