Phoebe Snow-Erie Limited Info

ErieLimited2914 wrote:What was the average consist for the Phoebe Snow and Erie Limited? I'm planning on creating the entire set of both trains in 1.5" scale eventually...

What year? That will help narrow down the consist.

I was looking for roughly/around the 1930's, when trains were at their peak (or atleast in my mind).

I'm going to start with building the Erie Limited first with a baggage car. If you've seen 1.5" scale live steam before, you'll notice the coaches have no roofs on them. Mine are going to have removable roofs, and some cars with foot pegs on the side so you just sit right on the top of the car.

H.F.Malone wrote:No, the Erie Limted of 1929 carried a Pullman solarium-lounge-sleeper obs car; that's the type with the deep end windows and no open platform. One of the cars was named "Ridgewood Country Club", as I recall. The car that runs as occasional part of the M&E fleet, "Kitchi Gammi Club", is similar to what was used on the Erie Ltd.

http://www.dominionrailvoyages.com/jhd/DSC01262.JPG

That's the kind of car I was trying to describe, I think there's a photo of the one Erie had. I just thought it was a regular coach that they put windows on the back.

Anyone have the number or naming system they used for passenger equipment? I can't find it, only for locomotives.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/el.html

I found on a fallen flag website drawings and the consist from the 50's.

Erie Train 2 Consist - 1949
Would a consist of August 1949 be of interest? Back then I picked up a discarded consist list along the tracks at the Meadville station. I'll copy it here in its entirety.

CD 571-2 XD 300-2 UK 55 GN MARION O 9PM 8-21-49

EJS CD FILE D
RBR CD
HVB XD FILE NC
VJM XD
JPA UK

NO. 2 ENGINE 800 HAS:

ERIE 577 EXP BINGHAMTON WKG
ERIE 531 EXP SALAMANCA WKG
ERIE 589 MSGR J CITY
ERIE 501 STG MAIL J CITY
ERIE 608 RPO J CITY
ERIE 1002 COACH J CITY
ERIE 1007 COACH J CITY
ERIE 1009 COACH J CITY
ERIE 941 DINER J CITY
WILLIAM REYNOLDS J CITY

TOTAL 10 CARS

R H L 9PM

Any baggage cars ahead of the RPO would be "storage mail" cars - i.e., they would not be worked en route but were actually sealed. They might also be carload REA, but would also be sealed. For security reasons, no cars were worked (i.e., doors opened, stuff taken out or put in) between the RPO and the engine. Railway Postal Service rules stated so.

At least that's the way it was supposed to happen.

The cars behind the RPO were used in the route with dropping off and picking up mail?

And to clarify, when did the two-tone green scheme pick up?

**BUMP**

I am also interested in when the Erie 2-tone green scheme caught on and what the average "Erie Limited" of the 1950s would have looked like. Any help would be appreciated.

I'm just going on memory here, but our family moved out of North Jersey in the summer of 1947, and I don't recall seeing the 2-tone green up to that time. I also seem to remember reading that the diesels were just about to come in (on long-haul passenger) about then. I know that EMD devised paint schemes for railroads purchasing their diesels (which, being steam roads, had not needed to consider what color a locomotive should be); I wonder whether EMD came up with the 2-tone green and the Erie decided to adopt it and use it on passenger cars as well. Maybe someone reading this knows.

I read up on this in one of my books lately......I will try to have an answer on this query later this evening.

Charlie

Okay, I just looked in my copy of "Trackside Erie with Robert F. Collins" and a photo on
page 98 states that Erie took delivery of their E8 locomotives with this scheme in January
of 1951. It does not say whether or not Erie or EMD made up this paint scheme. There are
some good shots of motive power in this book and their are also some good photos in "Trackside
along the Erie RR and their Connections" with Jim Kostibos, also by Morning Sun Books.

This particular scheme is by far my favorite from the Erie. I'm glad NS used this on their Erie Heritage Unit!

Charlie

1951 consist
WESTBOUND.

THE ERIE LIMITED. Train No. 1—Daily.
NEW YORK-JAMESTOWN-AKRON-CHICAGO.

Diesel Powered.
EQUIPMENT.
Air-Conditioned Sleeping Cars—
New York to Chicago—10 Roomette, 6 Double Bedroom.
Youngstown to Chicago—6 Roomette, 6 Section, 4 Double Bedroom. (Sleeper open Youngstown 9:30 p.m.)
Akron to Chicago—10 Roomette, 6 Double Bedroom. (Sleeper open Akron 9:30 p.m.)
Air-Conditioned Diner-Lounge Car—
New York to Chicago.
Air-Conditioned Individual Reclining Seat Coaches—
New York to Chicago.

See also: http://www.trainweb.org/fredatsf/erie-limited.htm