Joeker
Service Attendant
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2010
- Messages
- 125
It was the first saturday of September 1971 and I just finished a 3 month stint with the Forest Service in Montana. I boarded the train home from Billings MT to Minneapolis where I visited a friend for a day. I remember the old Great Northern Station in MSP which was still used at the time. The next day I continued on to Chicago and then to Newark, NJ.
The train was the 3 day a week # 32-26 on the old NP routing. I guess the NP called it the "North Coast Limited". I had a slumbercoach.
The MSP to Chicago train was the Empire Builder, which combined with #26 in MSP. The cars wrer a mixture of BN Sky Blue and some stainless steel NP coaches and sleepers with a full dome coach which I sat in for many miles watching the signals go from green to red.
From Chicago I took the The Broadway Limited which at that time was train #48 via Fort Wayne, Lima, Canton, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg. I also had a slumbercoach. This was still in the old pre amtrak PRR Tucan Red livery of the time.
From my notes of the trip I remarked about the beauty of the Rockies in MT and the imagined the pioneers following the Yellowstone River in MT.
I also noted how pristine WI looked but noted that railbed was extremely rough.
Finally I stood in awe in at the the window in the vestibule as we rounded Horsehoe Curve in PA for my very first time and I saw the Locomotive in front rounding the bend.
Also we switched engines in Harrisburg for a beutifyul GG1 pulling a 14 car train. How good can that get!
Finally I reached "home turf" in PHL as we sped north passing the commuters on my way to Newark. from there it was a short commuter trip on the Raritan line train to raritan and a reunion with the family.2533 miles.!
Not a bad trip for a 21 year old back then! and one that I was glad I took when I did considering what has happened to these same routes today!!
The train was the 3 day a week # 32-26 on the old NP routing. I guess the NP called it the "North Coast Limited". I had a slumbercoach.
The MSP to Chicago train was the Empire Builder, which combined with #26 in MSP. The cars wrer a mixture of BN Sky Blue and some stainless steel NP coaches and sleepers with a full dome coach which I sat in for many miles watching the signals go from green to red.
From Chicago I took the The Broadway Limited which at that time was train #48 via Fort Wayne, Lima, Canton, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg. I also had a slumbercoach. This was still in the old pre amtrak PRR Tucan Red livery of the time.
From my notes of the trip I remarked about the beauty of the Rockies in MT and the imagined the pioneers following the Yellowstone River in MT.
I also noted how pristine WI looked but noted that railbed was extremely rough.
Finally I stood in awe in at the the window in the vestibule as we rounded Horsehoe Curve in PA for my very first time and I saw the Locomotive in front rounding the bend.
Also we switched engines in Harrisburg for a beutifyul GG1 pulling a 14 car train. How good can that get!
Finally I reached "home turf" in PHL as we sped north passing the commuters on my way to Newark. from there it was a short commuter trip on the Raritan line train to raritan and a reunion with the family.2533 miles.!
Not a bad trip for a 21 year old back then! and one that I was glad I took when I did considering what has happened to these same routes today!!