Reading's Only Pullman- The Ottawa

In 1948 the Reading bought a 12-1 Pullman named Ottawa which operated on the Interstate Express. Anyone have further information, or better yet, photos of this car?

Many thanks,

Joshua

Interesting - all the info I could find is shown below from the 1945 list of cars off the RTHS site, not information of what happened to it or present status

PS Sleeper, 12-1 1 Ottawa 53 – – 72'10" 82'5" .191 35.15 1

We discussed the Ottawa in detail a few times on the Reading-Talk list and a search of the list's archives will bring you much info. If you aren't a list member, I can send you a link on hos to get subscribed. The only photo I have ever seen of the Ottawa is on a "break in" run on the Newtown Branch after it recieved new wheels. The photo is a 3/4 and not very good. It was published in the anniversary book Larry Eastwood did for the branch. I can't find my copy right now, but I do know that's where I saw the photo.

Drew

Thanks Drew, I'm very interested.

Joshhua

I understand that the photo of the Ottawa is from the Penna State Archives at Strasburg. I've seen the photo.

I also understand that the Ottawa ran on the Interstate Express that ran overnight from Philly to Syracuse and just about NOBODY took pictures of the train, and nobody really rode it! Must have been an interesting ride nonetheless.

Back in the late 40's, my aunt, whose husband was a field rep for Western Union, and assigned to Syracuse, would take it to Syracuse fairly regularly. My Dad worked at the old Atlantic refinery, and would "beat feet" to get from Passyunk and the river to 61st and Buist and then to Reading Terminal by 11:30-she said the train left just before midnight.. no doubt 4 years of dodging "nips" in the Pacific helped his agility dodging traffic! She'd wake up once in Scranton and then in Binghamton when they'd cut her Syracuse sleeper out. I believe other sections went thru to Buffalo or Niagara Falls with a Canadian connection as well. Though I'd share an old family story as she never shot it but got to ride it for a few years!

Here's a link to the "Reading-Talk" e-mail list:

http://lists.dsop.com/reading/

There is a link to the archives on this page, I did a dearch on the Ottawa and a bunch of information was returned.

Drew

I made that sleeper run to Buffalo several times when I was going to school in Silver Creek, NY in 1951.

[quote="geep39"]I understand that the photo of the Ottawa is from the Penna State Archives at Strasburg. I've seen the photo.

I also understand that the Ottawa ran on the Interstate Express that ran overnight from Philly to Syracuse and just about NOBODY took pictures of the train, and nobody really rode it! Must have been an interesting ride nonetheless.[/quote] :-) Nobody rode it? Well it was a mail train, in the days of cheap gas. There were only coaches to Scranton, it was all pullman Scranton to Binghamton. It stopped at the Union Station Scranton...can I call it that? The NYO&W-CNJ Station on Lackawanna Avenue. There's a bank there today that look's like a train station! With the air service disappearing to small cities and $3.00 gas and $6-10 gas coming. I think this train today might be as popular as other Amtrak long distance trains are. Amtrak is breaking ridership records. Just think what a daylight service could do! This ran in the days of the 15% ticket tax on train tickets. Which was spent on roads and airports.