According to the old timers I worked with in the 1970s the Boy Scout White Pines Specials operated Chicago to White Pines State Park and return. Looking at the track alignment charts in my collection and going from memory there was a sand platform just west of what we called the Pines crossing at about MP 105.65. It was on the west side of the main which we referred to as the south side as we were running TT east\west. This would be between Oregon and Stratford. I don't know how the trains were handled between unloading the scouts and the return trip to Chicago. Some of these trains were powered with one E unit and some with two. So I’m thinking those with two probably went up to Stratford and ran around the train on the pass and waited for the move back to White Pines crossing. Those with a single unit most likely went to Flag Center and wyed the train before going back to White Pines.
Each train would have 3-4 double decks in the 700 series, a power car and sometimes a diner and a business car. These trains were summer and early fall moves. Also note they predate control cars.
There were also numerous other specials to Ottawa, Denrock and Savanna that had double decks in their consists.
I did find one consist of 2/22 that had double decks and a power car during a holiday period. Along with a club car that was the entire consist.
All of these trains operated between 1960-64.
Disclaimer because this has been raised as an issue recently.
I am being somewhat vague as to stay in compliance with the fair use doctrine of copyright law which allows use of copyrighted material as long as it is for educational purposes and use is only of small segments of information.
Range Research was the publisher of the loose ring binder booklet that was the source of this information.I Recommend anyone wanting a copy of the booklet contact that entity.
Leo Phillipp
On Oct 4, 2022, at 1:33 PM, Tom Mack via groups.io <thommack=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
Leo,
Would that have been White Pines Ranch in Oregon, IL? (
http://www.whitepinesranch.com/) If so, did the Boy Scout specials just run to Oregon and then back, push-pull with a cab car? I'd be really interested in what years they ran and what the train consists were. They sound interesting.
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Tom Mack
Cincinnati, OH