|
DateTime |
Author |
Posting |
|
1/6/03 9:38 |
David
<durkoop@yahoo.com> |
Do any pictures exist of helpers behind round end observation
cars. Did it ever happen? It would seem to me it probably happened, but no photographer was around at the time to see it. Dave |
|
1/6/03 9:52 |
John Moore |
Thanks to either McGee or Nixon one does exist although right now I
can't remember which book it is in.
The caption in the photo does mention the
prohibition of pusher on the round end obs but mentions that it did
happen. My old memory seems to want
to credit this photo to Warren McGee.
I also have had the opportunity to witness said event happening. I
believe it was back in the mid 50s
and the location was Whitehall Montana. I believe that is where the helper was cut on at for the shove up to
Butte. The NCL had a fairly big
consist and I believe it may have been around Thanksgiving. Only three diesels on the headend. |
|
1/6/03 17:16 |
Jim Woodward |
The Nixon photo mentioned below is on page 46 of the first book
- "The Northern Pacific Railway
of McGee and Nixon". Nixon's
caption states: 'NP 2245 helping Train No. 2 out of Arlee, Montana on 7-30-41. "Steamers were
prohibited from pushing on the swanky
observation cars, but I caught them doing it a couple of times." The observation car is on loan from the Pennsylvania Railroad and was used by the NP while
theirs was in the shops. Although
this was a fairly common practice, this is the only picture I have seen of another railroad's
observation car on an NP train.' I
don't know if Dick Green planned it that way, but the opposing page 47 has two McGee photos of Train 1
leaving Livingston on 9-21- 47.
Trailing Q-5s 2240 and 2235 are some of the new lightweight passenger cars. Since NP's round-end observation cars were not delivered until the end of 1948, this
train has a heavyweight obs on the
rear, with W-5 1858 pushing. Page
13 shows Second #1 approaching Muir on 11-14-40, with W-3 1757 pushing on the observation to assist 2651
in moving the 15 car train up the
1.5% grade. |
|
1/6/03 19:28 |
Jim Fredrickson |
On the Tacoma Division the round end obs cars before 1952 ran mostly
at night making photographs difficult. I was working third trick at Stampede
1949-1950 and Number 2 came by just after midnight, often with a W-3 helper
on the rear. I well remember the first time Number 2 had a diesel helper (on
the head end). Normal running time from Lester to Stampede had been about 32
to 35 minutes with at W-3 helper, but with a diesel Number 2 came flying by
in 21 minutes. The dispatcher had issued wait orders based on the old running
time and had to hurriedly take them down. It was a little exciting hooping up
the staff to a train unexpectedly going that fast. |