James Whitcomb Riley Through Sleepers

Hello!

I followed the link on the NYCTHS website here, hoping you guys could answer a question for me. I've been assembling a 50s era consist of the James Whitcomb Riley in HO. Seeing as it passed through my home-state, is named for a local icon, and I'm in an Indiana Model Railroad Club, it seemed right to me, and its really an easy job considering Walthers does all the equipment but the ACF combine, and I've got a Penn Line car waiting for decals for that. Little short but it'll do.

I've done a bit of research, I have talked to Mike Kmetz on Trainboard, his post also shows up on Atlas' Forums archives as well and he's done quite a lot of work himself. And somehwere I have a copy of Great Steel Fleet alluding me. The problem I've ultimately run into is that the research information mentions that in 53 the Riley picked up a 14-4 Sleeper from the Southern. I don't remember what train exactly off my head, but its there. And then in 56, the 14-4 is subbed for an SOU 10-6 and one from the C&O. Which is all well and good, but of the half-dozen photos I have of the Riley and two videos, I only have one photo showing a Sleeper. Its in black-and white, andits a 1958 photo taken in Lafeyette of the train from a Vestibule. One Sleeper is visible, and going by shading, its Stainless Steel, not the slab side tri-color of the C&O. That's the only documentation I have of it. The videos I've seen on Youtube are both Steam and either pre-53 or the videographer manged to catch the Riley naked both times, because it doesn't show a 10-6 OR a 14-4, it goes straight to the ACF combine and the coaches. So where are these supposed sleepers hiding? They aren't on the back of train, I'm sure of that. Are they Seasonal? Weekend Only? Did only one guy with a camera in the entire time the train was railfanned or ridden by families with cameras manage to catch it with its sleepers? Or should I shove the cars off and stick with a more NYC-pure consist? I'd really rather do the train right, but the photographs aren't equaling what the papers say.

Thanks guys!

IIRC, the Riley did not carry any sleepers until the mid-1950's. There was another train #415 "Chicago Special" which followed the Riley by about 30" out of CIN and which carried the connecting sleepers from the C&O and SOU. Likewise, the "Carolina Special" preceeded the Riley out of Chicago and handled the through sleepers eastbound.

Even when the 1956 Riley was shown as handling a through sleeper, the train would not be held if the C&O or SOU was late into Cincinnati, and the through cars would go to #415.

You can check the equipment assignments on the Canada Southern website hosted by Terry Link.

NYC Form 1001, June 20, 1954. #3, the westbound Riley had a 10/6 off the Southern's Carolina Special; the car ran Asheville-Chicago. Another car off the Carolina Spl. and two C & O cars from Virginia were on #415, Chicago Special, which departed Cincinnati 30 minutes after the Riley. Since both cars off the Southern came from the same train at Cincinnati, it looks like the NYC was catering to the Asheville trade. Return of these cars was on #406, the NYC, CHI-CIN, Carolina Special. In 1958, the NYC began to really prune schedules everywhere and the CHI-CIN corridor was hit hard. That's probably when the JWR got additional sleepers going west.

edbear wrote:NYC Form 1001, June 20, 1954. #3, the westbound Riley had a 10/6 off the Southern's Carolina Special; the car ran Asheville-Chicago. Another car off the Carolina Spl. and two C & O cars from Virginia were on #415, Chicago Special, which departed Cincinnati 30 minutes after the Riley. Since both cars off the Southern came from the same train at Cincinnati, it looks like the NYC was catering to the Asheville trade. Return of these cars was on #406, the NYC, CHI-CIN, Carolina Special. In 1958, the NYC began to really prune schedules everywhere and the CHI-CIN corridor was hit hard. That's probably when the JWR got additional sleepers going west.

That's interesting, I wonder why the Riley got one and the 415 got the other SOU car, unless one was terminating in CHI? Doesn't make sense to me though.

Okay, so it sounds like I can leave the sleepers off when not running them with the Hudson then, or at least the C&O car. Good to know. It does make sense to merge the 415 and the 3, them running so close. So I'll keep them in the box I have the Riley in, just in case...

The Riley got the Asheville car, probably because the clientele were one percenters. The Charleston car went on to the Chicago Special because the riders were 99 percenters and just plain folk. It was probably snobism.