Pelican, et al.

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

June 22, 2006

Hello, Bill:

Thanks for the helpful information.  Where in East
Tennessee were you when watching the Pelican,
Birmingham Special, and Tennessean?

I didn't see the Pelican passing through Alexandria
until after 1967 following removal of the RPO.  Trains
41 and 29 --the Peach Queen-- were combined to Monroe
after 1968, then split there into two separate trains.
 I think they only went as far as Bristol and had
little head-end traffic by then.

Best wishes,

Frank Scheer
f_scheer at yahoo.com


Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 20:38:46 -0500
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: Any sample N&W passenger train consists?
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

Hello -

This one is definitely from memory but from the late
1950's/early 1960's:

N&W/SOU Trains #41/#42 "The Pelican" - New York - New
Orleans - N&W operated from Monroe - Bristol VA:

Express Reefers/Box Cars - 2 or more Railway Express,
Pennsylvania or whatever!?!?
Baggage Cars (Mail Storage) - one or more, Southern,
N&W, Pennsylvania or whatever going that way?!?
Railway Post Office (Southern)
Combine - SOUTHERN (usually rebuilt heavyweight)
Coach - SOUTHERN (usually rebuilt heavyweight)
Coaches - one or More N&W
Dining Car - Roanoke - Birmingham (New Orleans arrival
was about 7:30 
AM - Train departed New Orleans 9:00-10:00 PM)
Sleeping Car - 10-6 Pullman (either N&W or
Pennsylvania) New Orleans - New York
Sleeping Car - 10-6 Pullman (N&W, Pennsylvania or ??)
Bristol - New York
Office Cars - Southern (use your imagination)

This train usually ran 14-16 cars and made most
stations in daylight running, it was a "maid of all
work* train from Bristol - Chattanooga where most
stations were open during its pass through. Motive
power could be E6's, E7's, and FP7's. I don't recall
seeing E8's on any of those trains.

Southern's 6 PA-3's by that time I think were mostly
working out Cincinnati on the Royal Palm, etc. Until
about 10 years ago I never realized the Southern had
any PA's. However, they were among the last built and 
the first to be decommissioned.

The other two trains - Birmingham Special and
Tennessean pretty much used an all Southern equipment
consist of both heavyweight and streamlined stainless
steel rolling stock. Also, they operated through the 
Bristol - Chattanooga corridor during the night.

I am sure there will be additions and footnotes. As I
say this is from memory when I was in high school in
east Tennessee.

BILL PALMER
LUBBOCK TX USA