LD Train Travel Then vs now

[George Harris]

Otherwise.....a good sponge bath if you were in sleeper.

Of even if not or at home. That is how you used to make it though the week without stinking. Haven't seen them in years, but in the past there was a somewhat expensive deodorant produce called Five Day Deodorant Pads. They worked. Speaking of: Remember the Dial soap TV add with the line, "Aren't you glad you use Dial?", then showing the person stepping into an elevator followed by the next line, "Don't you wish everybody did?"

 

[Green Maned Lion]

My office is a small paradise to Mus Domesticus, Mus Musculus, Peromyscus leucopus, and Meriones unguiculatus, and as a result I have become pretty inured to the smell of rodent urine. I can notice it sometimes, just after entering the room, but in general I don't even notice its presence.

Not sure if I should congratulate you, fear you, or hire you an exterminator?

My girlfriend and I study rodents. As I said, we're attempting to teach a permyscus leucopus English. With surprising success, the only limitation being that she happens to be a stubborn little animal, and she was initially convinced we were just trying to get her to do tricks like the other rodents. Once she figured out we were trying to improve communication between us, progress has been more rapid.

The assumption that humans and a select few aquatic mammals are the only higly intelligent life forms on this planet is inaccurate.

 

[railiner]

Well remember the Scenicruiser. They were a little top heavy. Rode one several times as a child with Mother or just self and sister between Memphis and Jackson Tenn. My mother was subject to motion sickness and the extra swaying did not do her any good. Also rode one several times myself during college days. Generally preferred Trailways where there was a choice. One of the drivers commented that one big push behind the design was to allow more space for package freight. Greyhound, and also Trailways, were the road based equivalents to the Railway Express Agency. At one time, maybe still they make more profit off the freight than the passengers.

You are correct. The Scenicruiser's and Eagles, and later on the 4107's, 4903's, et al., were developed in the "hi-level" layout to dramatically increase the capacity for carrying bus package express. As a matter of fact, in their twilight years in the early '70's, when new MC-6's and MC-7's were displacing the ageing Scenicruiser's from their flagship roles on long-distance routes, many were converted to "combo" coaches in either an 18 or 33 seat configuration. They cut in a roll-up side door on the right rear side, and used belt-loaders at major terminals to load express. A bulkhead separated the cargo compartment from the seating area. The Scenicruiser was ideal as its lower-level restroom did not have to be relocated, and the Scenicruiser was the only mass-produced coach with dual wheels on its tag axle to help support the extra weight.

Bus package express began to decline with the advent of Federal Express and others that took most of the business away. Some advantages that the bus has over them is in some cases there is same-day service between some stations, and service on weekends and holidays.

Bus package express is still vital on some routes in Canada that have long once-a-day trips out to remote locations. They actually pull trailers behind the buses for additional capacity.

 

[sunchaser]

My office is a small paradise to Mus Domesticus, Mus Musculus, Peromyscus leucopus, and Meriones unguiculatus, and as a result I have become pretty inured to the smell of rodent urine. I can notice it sometimes, just after entering the room, but in general I don't even notice its presence.

Not sure if I should congratulate you, fear you, or hire you an exterminator?

My girlfriend and I study rodents. As I said, we're attempting to teach a permyscus leucopus English. With surprising success, the only limitation being that she happens to be a stubborn little animal, and she was initially convinced we were just trying to get her to do tricks like the other rodents. Once she figured out we were trying to improve communication between us, progress has been more rapid.

The assumption that humans and a select few aquatic mammals are the only higly intelligent life forms on this planet is inaccurate.

Many people believe that parrots just repeat & do tricks, but ours understands & even makes up his own sentences. I don't 'teach' him words, he just picks up what we say. It can be pretty funny.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Well, GML, you and your 'woodmice' can enjoy studying English, it takes all sorts.

 

[rrdude]

Having grown up in New York City, I used to ride subways all the time. My family all lived fairly close back then, so we had no need for extensive travel for visiting.

Vacations were all motor trips within a hundred mile or so radius usually. So I had little exposure to 'real' railway travel.

I did get a brief glimpse when meeting family visiting from Massachusetts at Grand Central Terminal. And when taking our grandfather to Penn Station, on his winter vacation in Florida. What wonderful temples of transportation those were.

My first solo long distance travel was by bus when I was 8 and then 12 years old (those were different times). Main reason was that it was a one-seat ride between New York and Worcester, Ma. Train would have required a change in either Springfield or New London.

Fast forward to 1966. After having flown in to Chanute AFB at Rantoul, Il, and spent a couple of weeks at Tech School, it was time for first weekend pass. Since I was familiar with bus travel, I selected Greyhound as my ride to Chicago. I boarded the old Scenicruiser, and it was a local, taking 4 hours and 20 minutes to reach the underground Loop terminal. The next time I went with some buddies, who insisted we ride the train. The Illinois Central Louisiane, an all day local picked us up on time at 4:12 PM. I settled into my seat. I was reading some literature, and turned to my companion asking when we were leaving. He looked at me quizzically and pointed toward the window. I looked out and couldn't believe what I was seeing--we were rolling along at about 30mph and accelerating. The start was so smooth and imperceptible as compared to the subway trains I was used to that I didn't even feel it. We were soon rolling along the Mainline of Mid-America at about 90mph. Just as smooth as the starts, were the station stops at Paxton, Kankakee, and Homewood. We rolled into the lakefront Central Station in a bit over two hours. Train was used from then on.

Around four years later, a friend introduced me to railfanning and luxury rail travel. We had flown to Chicago on a TWA 707, and boarded the combined Burlington Afternoon Twin Cities Zephyr/Great Northern Empire Builder/Northern Pacific North Coast Limited. What an impressive train with leg-rest chair cars, Pullman sleepers, slumbercoaches, dining cars, coffee shops, lounge cars, and domes, domes, domes galore. Vista Domes, Great Domes, Lounge in the Sky.....everything! We took that train to Minneapolis, took a Jefferson PD4903 bus down to Osceola, and caught the California Zephyr back to Chicago. We then flew home on a UAL DC-8-61.

That trip really got me hooked.

Fascinating consist you describe. You mention the sceniccruiser. A lot of people probably do not know about that, it was a bus with about the last two thirds of it were on a higher level. I always thought it was the bus attempting to compete with railroad dome cars.

Fascinating consist you describe. You mention the sceniccruiser. A lot of people probably do not know about that, it was a bus with about the last two thirds of it were on a higher level. I always thought it was the bus attempting to compete with railroad dome cars.

Initially when introduced they were branded Scenicruisers. They had significant structural problems, which were fixed, and the fixed upgraded ones were rebranded as "Super Scenicruiser".

I remember riding one of these from Boston to Niagara Falls and back in 1965.

The Scenicruiser was designed by Greyhound engineers and styled by famous industrial designer Raymond Loewey, long associated with the PRR. It was built by General Motors Truck and Coach Division at Pontiac, Mi. in 1954,55, and 56. One Thousand and One were built. Originally powered by two Detroit Diesel 4-71 engines, until 1962 when they were all rebuilt with the new Detroit Diesel 8v-71. They were designed to compete with the new vista-dome streamliners of the era, so it is no surprise that they bear a strong resemblance to them. Indeed, if you got the first row window seats on the upper level, the view was very similar to that enjoyed in a dome car.

Ha! Just picked up the 50th anniversary Blue-Ray CD of North By Northwest, and there is Cary Grant, stepping off of a Scenicruiser, in the middle of nowhere!

 

[railiner]

Having grown up in New York City, I used to ride subways all the time. My family all lived fairly close back then, so we had no need for extensive travel for visiting.

Vacations were all motor trips within a hundred mile or so radius usually. So I had little exposure to 'real' railway travel.

I did get a brief glimpse when meeting family visiting from Massachusetts at Grand Central Terminal. And when taking our grandfather to Penn Station, on his winter vacation in Florida. What wonderful temples of transportation those were.

My first solo long distance travel was by bus when I was 8 and then 12 years old (those were different times). Main reason was that it was a one-seat ride between New York and Worcester, Ma. Train would have required a change in either Springfield or New London.

Fast forward to 1966. After having flown in to Chanute AFB at Rantoul, Il, and spent a couple of weeks at Tech School, it was time for first weekend pass. Since I was familiar with bus travel, I selected Greyhound as my ride to Chicago. I boarded the old Scenicruiser, and it was a local, taking 4 hours and 20 minutes to reach the underground Loop terminal. The next time I went with some buddies, who insisted we ride the train. The Illinois Central Louisiane, an all day local picked us up on time at 4:12 PM. I settled into my seat. I was reading some literature, and turned to my companion asking when we were leaving. He looked at me quizzically and pointed toward the window. I looked out and couldn't believe what I was seeing--we were rolling along at about 30mph and accelerating. The start was so smooth and imperceptible as compared to the subway trains I was used to that I didn't even feel it. We were soon rolling along the Mainline of Mid-America at about 90mph. Just as smooth as the starts, were the station stops at Paxton, Kankakee, and Homewood. We rolled into the lakefront Central Station in a bit over two hours. Train was used from then on.

Around four years later, a friend introduced me to railfanning and luxury rail travel. We had flown to Chicago on a TWA 707, and boarded the combined Burlington Afternoon Twin Cities Zephyr/Great Northern Empire Builder/Northern Pacific North Coast Limited. What an impressive train with leg-rest chair cars, Pullman sleepers, slumbercoaches, dining cars, coffee shops, lounge cars, and domes, domes, domes galore. Vista Domes, Great Domes, Lounge in the Sky.....everything! We took that train to Minneapolis, took a Jefferson PD4903 bus down to Osceola, and caught the California Zephyr back to Chicago. We then flew home on a UAL DC-8-61.

That trip really got me hooked.

Fascinating consist you describe. You mention the sceniccruiser. A lot of people probably do not know about that, it was a bus with about the last two thirds of it were on a higher level. I always thought it was the bus attempting to compete with railroad dome cars.

Fascinating consist you describe. You mention the sceniccruiser. A lot of people probably do not know about that, it was a bus with about the last two thirds of it were on a higher level. I always thought it was the bus attempting to compete with railroad dome cars.

Initially when introduced they were branded Scenicruisers. They had significant structural problems, which were fixed, and the fixed upgraded ones were rebranded as "Super Scenicruiser".

I remember riding one of these from Boston to Niagara Falls and back in 1965.

The Scenicruiser was designed by Greyhound engineers and styled by famous industrial designer Raymond Loewey, long associated with the PRR. It was built by General Motors Truck and Coach Division at Pontiac, Mi. in 1954,55, and 56. One Thousand and One were built. Originally powered by two Detroit Diesel 4-71 engines, until 1962 when they were all rebuilt with the new Detroit Diesel 8v-71. They were designed to compete with the new vista-dome streamliners of the era, so it is no surprise that they bear a strong resemblance to them. Indeed, if you got the first row window seats on the upper level, the view was very similar to that enjoyed in a dome car.

Ha! Just picked up the 50th anniversary Blue-Ray CD of North By Northwest, and there is Cary Grant, stepping off of a Scenicruiser, in the middle of nowhere!

My favorite movie of all time. I have seen it at least once a year since its 1959 release. Talk about "planes, trains, and automobiles'....this movie has it all!!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Many people believe that parrots just repeat & do tricks, but ours understands & even makes up his own sentences. I don't 'teach' him words, he just picks up what we say. It can be pretty funny.

They absolutely do. Certain kinds of parrots (Greys especially) have a very high degree of intellect. Parrots are easier to teach, since they can make noises on a level people can hear. Humans have a hard time grasping they aren't the only intelligent life on this planet and try to deny all evidence so indicating.

 

[Anderson]

This is a random but relevant aside:

Though I didn't get to talk with him as much as I might have liked, when I was talking with my grandfather for our birthday celebration (our B-days are two days apart, so we get together on the day in between), it turns out that when he lived in Cleveland, he worked as a corporate consultant of some sort. Given where Cleveland is located, at the time instead of getting "dropped" in the late night portion of the NEC-Chicago routes, it had overnight trains heading all of those places (and beyond)...and he was high enough up in the company (which did consultation work for the NY Central and the Pennsy to boot) that they sent him in the sleepers everywhere...which usually meant that he was doing a round trip each week.

 

[George Harris]

Many people believe that parrots just repeat & do tricks, but ours understands & even makes up his own sentences. I don't 'teach' him words, he just picks up what we say. It can be pretty funny.

They absolutely do. Certain kinds of parrots (Greys especially) have a very high degree of intellect. Parrots are easier to teach, since they can make noises on a level people can hear. Humans have a hard time grasping they aren't the only intelligent life on this planet and try to deny all evidence so indicating.

While we are off topic here: GML: These are probably the same people that believe that humans are born as blank slates and it is all about nurture, not nature. Anybody that has ever had two or more kids knows better, whatever they thought before. Personality differences begin before birth. As to animals: I was at least twice outsmarted by one dog we had. I'll skip the details, but on one she sure looked like she was laughing at me. She also had very good people judgment. If she did not like somebody, that was all I needed to know. Another who was a house dog would lie on the floor acting like she had no interest at all in any nibbles we might have on the coffee table. However, if the room was empty for more that a couple seconds, count that food gone.