Greetings All,
Another IHC passenger car project has been completed and today I proudly present;
Passenger Train Spotlight 2-2022
IHC Long Island Railroad Heavyweights
Prototype Information:
The Long Island RR was chartered in 1834 and is now the nation's busiest commuter railroad running to and from Penn Station in Manhattan and Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn to Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The Pennsylvania RR bought a controlling interest in the Long Island RR in 1910 as part of it's expansion plans to enter Manhattan via a tunnel under the Hudson River and a second tunnel under the East River to Queens NY for turning and servicing their passenger trains. They would become Pennsylvania Station and Sunnyside Yard.
The Long Island or LIRR was later sold by the PRR to the State of New York in 1965 for sixty five million dollars. The LIRR of the late 1960s and early 1970s was far different from the LIRR of today.
Commuters on the LIRR of the late 60 s and early 70s were mostly a disgruntled lot as the LIRR started out on January 1st, 1968 by eliminating all checked baggage. 1968 and 1969 would be two years of labor unrest, equipment failures and shortages and commuter revolts.
In June of 1968 as RRs sought to get out of money losing passenger service the LIRR started purchasing lightweight Pullman and lounge cars from the PC (ex NYC, PRR), NH, B&O, KCS and others to replace heavyweight cars in East End Parlor Service.
Model Information:
This heavyweight eight car set is from International Hobby Corp and includes the following; Railway Post Office Car #743, Baggage Car #621
The eight car set underwent upgrades that included the adding of weight (they had none), Intermountain 33" metal wheelsets and Kadee couplers as described in the working with AHM / IHC passenger cars post. Here is a sample photo of the metal wheels and Kadee coupler install.
An Atlas RS1 and RS2 get the call to power the train which would have been prototypical. The paint on the LIRR Alcos matches the passenger cars giving the train a nice uniform look.
The HWs make their first revenue run.
The Alco RS units bring the train into Terminal Yard to be turned and serviced.
The train is one track #1 and the engines are being cut off.
After the passengers have left the train the Alcos couple up to the observation car.
The train is pulled from Track #1 to be spotted on track #2.
Three passenger cars are shoved toward the engine terminal wye. I was pleasantly surprised that my coupler system allowed these cars to be shoved without derailing.
The cars are shoved thru one leg of the wye.
The three cars are pulled out of the other leg of the wye.
After pulling the three turned cars into track #1 the engines use the escape track to get back in front of the remaining five cars and shove it out of track #2.
Back at the engine terminal wye the baggage and RPO wait on a yard lead for their turn to go thru the wye. Being shoved into the wye are the combo, coach and diner.
The combo, coach and diner are reunited with the sleepers and observation car on track #1.
The baggage car and RPO get turned thru the wye.
The Alcos bring the head end cars back thru Terminal Yard.
The eight car train has been turned and is back together ready for it's next run. It might have been boring to follow the turning of the train but it was an enjoyable challenge for me as engine terminal wye was designed for locomotives. Getting the train turned with as few moves a possible wasn't as easy as it looked!
Getting the call for the run is leased PRR K-4 4-6-2 #3750! If it's Friday this must be the Cannonball!!! Or maybe a steam special? For the record the PRR 3750 was in fact leased to the LIRR!
The Cannonball makes its run to Empire City Station and beyond.
The Cannonball heads for the Montauk Line.
The locomotive is uncoupled from the passenger cars and senior engineer Sir Neal eases the 4-6-2 forward.
The "Steam Special" heads upgrade towards Terminal Yard as the Empire City Fire Department battles a blaze below.
Sir Neal and Alco Joe have the throttles wide open as they come up "the slide". The engineer in the 6102 got quite the surprise seeing the 3750 leading the passenger train.
The "Steam Special" comes into Terminal Yard. For the record the 4-6-2 was unable to get the eight car train up the grade to Terminal Yard and the RS-2s were in actual helper service.
On another day a "Steam Special" from Empire City to Montauk and back has stopped on the return to the big city. Senior Engineer Sir Neal who is steam qualified runs the train with LIRR engineer Jimmy Alco as pilot engineer and PC Ralph firing the locomotive. Alco Joe and conductor Murray have brought a set of helper engines for the trip to Terminal Yard.
Sir Neal, Jimmy Alco and PC Ralph confirm with Alco Joe and conductor Murray that they are ready to depart. Would it have been faster and easier to couple the diesels to the front of the steamer? Absolutely! But senior engineer Sir Neal wasn't having it!
The Steam Special in Action!
Additional Comments
While the Long Island RR did not have sleeper cars they did have HW parlor cars so I am imagining the observation and two sleepers are in fact HW parlor cars which the LIRR did have. One that caught my eye is ex EL HW "Virginia Dare" still in EL paint but lettered for the Long Island. The Montauk Cannonball did run with an observation car.
The discontinuance of checked baggage on January 1st 1968 did not mean the end of baggage cars on the LIRR. These cars were now used as bar cars and for bicycle extras.
Model Car Number comparison to Prototype
LIRR RPO 743: Model and Prototype.
LIRR Baggage 621: Prototype is a baggage coach.
LIRR Combination Car 630: Number not found for prototype.
LIRR Coach 462: Number not found for prototype.
Diner 826: Number not found for prototype.
Sleeper 126: Number not found for prototype.
Sleeper 138: Number not found for prototype.
Observation 2038: Prototype HW observation car "Setauket". Photographed on Long Island RR trains Cannonball, Sundowner
Paint Color Comparison to Prototype
It appears so far that the Long Island RR Heavyweight parlor cars wore a dark blue with a light blue window band like this LIRR #2047, the "Teckaitha".
Additional Reading and Information:
1968 PRR Reports includes LIRR info
1969 PRR Reports includes LIRR info.
PRR leased steam engines showing #3750.
Additional viewing:
Thanks for reading and watching!!!
See you soon!!!
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The LIRR is looking good rolling across the NYCTL! I like your various versions of the train. Hard working commuter during the week, fun start to the weekend with the Cannonball. Railfan delight with the steam excursion. Your switching and wye operations, plus the trips on the “slide” were a good way to validate your upgrades to the passenger cars. A fun and informative project 👍🚂
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian!!! This was not an easy project to get the cars rolling reliably but it has definitely paid off.
DeleteWorking the "Y" I can see it took some moves to get the train right.You were successful. The Pennsy Steamer "Cannon Ball" it would have been cool to ride it. Very nice info here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jimmy! The turning of the train was fun challenge and I surprised myself by actually getting it done without the 0-5-0 coming into play.
DeleteYou have working the "Y" down to a Science now John. Again , well done.
DeleteAs railroads work as cheap as they can from what I here if thats true. I guess it was cheaper to build a "Y" instead of having a Turn Table. However you cant turn a long train on a Turn Table. Montauk could have had one years ago in the Steam era. I know Sag Harbor had a Turntable back then and removed it after the Automobile came.
DeleteI added the wye to turn the cab units like the E8As that need to be turned before they head back out. I didn't plan to turn too many passenger cars but the wye can handle three at a time. A Turntable is definitely cool but didn't enhance my operations so I opted to not install one.
DeleteAnother eye catching passenger train on the N.Y.C.T.L.! Great work getting the cars to roll well and stay coupled even during the turn on the wye! The Long Island RS units sure look good at the head end but PRR #3750 sure was a nice surprise in the photos and videos!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Ralph!!! The grateful passengers on the steam special awarded 1:87 PC Ralph the "Silver Shovel Award" for doing such a fine job keeping the fire hot in the 3750.
DeleteAnother great passenger car update. The LIRR passenger cars area fine addition to your railroad. Running them with the RS units and the second engine with the 'swoosh' just makes for a fine looking train. Many may say the LIRR did not have a train with those types of cars. However, in our modeling world, they do! Great job Sir John!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Sir Neal!!!! They do look good with those RS units!
DeleteWow! Another great looking train! You're good at surprising me with your roster. 1st big surprise was your GG1 and now that awesome K4. Am I correct that diners,sleepers, lounge cars are 'modelers license'? I thought LIRR was strictly a commuter line. This might be a redictulous question but then again I had no idea LIRR hauled freight until started following your blog. Plus it is 4 am and I'm probably not hitting on all my cylinders!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Mark! The GG1s and K4 belong to my oldest son. When he moved out he foolishly left me in charge of the large collection of PRR equipment I had bought for him over the years.
DeleteThe LIRR did not have sleepers but they did have parlor cars assigned to the Cannonball and another train or two. As RRs sought to divest from passenger service the LIRR picked up many parlor cars from different roads. This was a kind of rainbow years of passenger equipment. Imagine Kansas City Southern parlor cars mixed in with ex NYC, NH etc.
The LIRR also hosted troop movements from the city to Yaphank NY where there was an army base. Nothing but sleepers and diners from various railroads to get the troops out and back.
I recommend checking out the Alcos on the Island video link in the blog. A wealth of LIRR information with World's Fair cars, freight and the commuter operations.
John
Thanks John! I mentioned I wasn't hitting on 'all cylinders'. Most of the my curiosities we're actually answered in your blog. However the new info is fascinating. There is way more to the LIRR. than I would have ever thought. BTW: I'm sure you heard about KCS's merger with CP (CN?). I find it sad to see that KCS awesome paint scheme fade away.
DeleteHi Mark, The LIRR did have some interesting operations over the years. Living in Brooklyn and on Long Island I rode their trains many times. A large amount of their freight base eroded over the years but has come back pretty strong since they leased the freight operations to the New York & Atlantic RR.
DeleteLooks like the CP purchase of the KCS is a done deal. I wonder what President Teddy Roosevelt would make of al of these monopolies?