....just learned the Q did pull Heavyweight Passengers with Es.
Was this a common thing,...
Most people don't realize that the railroads, even the Mighty Stainless
Steel Burlington, never had enough money or reason to convert their
passenger fleets 100% to lightweight cars. I was on a B&OCT fantrip in
1956-7? which went over the St.Charles Air Line viaduct and took a picture
down over 14th Street which had one silver trainset in it....the rest of the
yard (other than a GN trainset) was Pullman green heavyweight equipment (not
counting the dinky coaches out of view to the north in the commuter
coachyard).
When you start looking at pictures of real trains operating in the 50's (not
publicity stills) you see what I mean......ratty head end equipment, foreign
line cars, heavyweights, pool equipment. I remember riding the American
Royal (at least I think that's what it was, I was in 7th grade) to Mendota
and I swear the Q coach had the gas light fixtures still in it (electrified,
of course, it was around 1956-7!). I think the CZ was one of the few pure
trainsets that ran as God and Mr. Budd intended it to (with the occasional
foreign lightweight Pullman). Even the DZ had Lancaster Club, etc. as a
dormitory car regularly.
Charlie Vlk
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