I recently came across this photo in the online collection of the late Fred M. Springer.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/railphotoart/15500347518/
The date is listed as June 1963. The photo tags note Sunset Limited. I am wondering if this is accurate?
Here is what I see and think. UP sleeper 1443 PACIFIC SUNSET is the car in the middle. To the left is Southern Railway sleeper 2005 FLINT RIVER, which is displaying line number 0134 in the window of the porter's area. The sleeper to the right looks like the bedroom end of another Southern Railway sleeping car.
I think this is Southern Railway train # 1 (The Southern Crescent). The location is somewhere south of Washington Union Station, maybe as far south as New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal. I can't verify the exact location from the few details visible in the photo. PACIFIC SUNSET is operating as Amtrak's transcontinental sleeper between New York and Los Angeles, which was handled in Southern Railway train # 1 (The Southern Crescent) from New York to New Orleans, parked occupied overnight at NOUPT, then in Amtrak train # 1 (The Sunset Limited) from New Orleans to Los Angeles. It is early in the Amtrak era and PACIFIC SUNSET has not yet been repainted from UP colors into Amtrak colors. Therefore, I tend to think June 1973 would be a more accurate time than June 1963 for this photo.
I can't think of why a UP sleeper would be operating in the consist of Southern Railway's train # 1 back in 1963. Likewise, I can't think why a UP sleeper accompanied by Southern sleepers would be operating in the consist of Southern Pacific's "Sunset Limited" back in 1963.
Your thoughts?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/railphotoart/15500347518/
The date is listed as June 1963. The photo tags note Sunset Limited. I am wondering if this is accurate?
Here is what I see and think. UP sleeper 1443 PACIFIC SUNSET is the car in the middle. To the left is Southern Railway sleeper 2005 FLINT RIVER, which is displaying line number 0134 in the window of the porter's area. The sleeper to the right looks like the bedroom end of another Southern Railway sleeping car.
I think this is Southern Railway train # 1 (The Southern Crescent). The location is somewhere south of Washington Union Station, maybe as far south as New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal. I can't verify the exact location from the few details visible in the photo. PACIFIC SUNSET is operating as Amtrak's transcontinental sleeper between New York and Los Angeles, which was handled in Southern Railway train # 1 (The Southern Crescent) from New York to New Orleans, parked occupied overnight at NOUPT, then in Amtrak train # 1 (The Sunset Limited) from New Orleans to Los Angeles. It is early in the Amtrak era and PACIFIC SUNSET has not yet been repainted from UP colors into Amtrak colors. Therefore, I tend to think June 1973 would be a more accurate time than June 1963 for this photo.
I can't think of why a UP sleeper would be operating in the consist of Southern Railway's train # 1 back in 1963. Likewise, I can't think why a UP sleeper accompanied by Southern sleepers would be operating in the consist of Southern Pacific's "Sunset Limited" back in 1963.
Your thoughts?
