Head End traffic would have been cut off at Council Bluffs
(Transfer)- or continued to Lincoln/Hastings (etc.) In terms of
disturbing passengers, the CZ was regularly added to and had cars
dropped at Hastings & Denver after the Coloradoan trainoff. As many
as 5 baggage cars would be added to the train at Hastings and dropped
at Denver - the Denver drop was somewhat easier as the cars just were
cut off with the power (as the power changed there from CB&Q to
D&RGW). But Hastings was in the dead of night, and there was little
to tell that something was happening - usually. Even when you were
looking for it, it was not always easy to tell when cars were removed
or added. I remember being in Wyoming on the UP - in the domes,
watching them sort cars (they split the City of Everywhere to
LA/SF/Portland there). When done right, there might be a slight
nudge, but nothing much. I can tell you with certainty that trying
to stay upright on Amtrak today through Nebraska is a LOT more
difficult and disturbing than adding cars even into the '60s. If
anyone remembers the trip from Chicago to Denver on the Q and took
the same trip today on Amtrak, you'd swear the same rail was being
used (after 10,000 plus coal trains took the route). They don't dare
fill a water glass more than halfway.
The Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr was made up of cars that would otherwise be
over-nighting in the yards in Chicago. You'd find anything from CZ
dome obs, 10-6s and the 16 section/coaches to NP dome sleepers, and
NYC sleepers (and head end cars). The NP cars were typically in
Chicago pending the next NCL leaving, and the Q made arrangements to
utilize cars during the night for the AZ run (similar to the
arrangements with the CZ pool). The NYC cars were NOT through cars
(unless a special movement/tour). They were merely available. The
NYC at the time had a LOT of "extra" cars available, many would soon
be sold to Canadian or Mexican roads. NYC pulled out of all
trans-con pools by Oct. 1958. Coaches came from the pool. Note that
some of this is era specific - and time of year-specific. As with
any question on passenger train operations, you have to specific era
and season (and sometimes day) to get a good answer. For instance,
some through cars were carried in the early years of the AZ - but the
above represents general information more than anything else.
I haven't seen any instances of cars being cut off at Galesburg - it
could have happened, but that wasn't typical (for the
AZ). Burlington was one place cars were dropped - but for repair (or
company business).
The AZ should be held up as an example of what a resourceful road
could do. Turning cars from Chicago to Lincoln and back from 6pm to
before 3pm on a consistent basis (consistent enough to make it
typical) was deemed undoable by other roads. If you looked at
passenger loadings and car use, the Q would be like Southwest today
- their numbers were always better than average, and usually increasing.
At 05:15 PM 10/15/2008, you wrote:
>As I develop my plan for my layout based roughly on Omaha/Council
>Bluffs, I have some thoughts on the AkSarBen Zephyr. I noticed in
>some of the consists, head end cars would come from any number of
>eastern and western RRs. Also, sleepers from the NYC and NP seemed
>to show up regularly. That got me wondering...
>
>Since Omaha (Council Bluffs) had the UP mail transfer, would most of
>the foreign road head end cars end up there? Or would some be cut
>off at Galesburg? It seems like most would make it to Omaha since I
>can't figure why an L&N or NYC would stop at Galesburg
>(westbound). Also, since the Ak had sleepers, would they cut the
>headend cars off in Council Bluffs before crossing to Omaha Union
>Station to drop passengers or cut them off in Omaha and transfer
>them back accross. I know extra movements cost money.
>
>The sleepers have me more perplexed, why would NYC and NP sleepers
>be regular haunts of the Ak. I can't see that many folks from the
>east (NYC) wanting to go to Omaha or Lincoln, not that they are bad
>places to visit! Or would those cars find their way onto other
>westbound trains to Denver?
>
>Sorry for the meandering thoughts but as I dig into operations, I
>find this train to be pretty fascinating. It even had Flexivans in
>the consist (I've seen them listed in other passenger trains too).
>
>Rick Keil
>Wichita, KS
>_________________________________________________________________
>Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live.
>http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>------------------------------------
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
Bob Webber
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