Hickory Creek Observation

According to Ray and Scott of Star Trak in Boonton, NJ, they are not aware that it has EVER operated behind steam since it left the Pullman plant in 1948!  The Twentieth Century Limited always ran behind E-units until after the last of steam on the NYC.  Can anybody document otherwise? 

I know that I have seen photos of Hudsons and Niagaras pulling name trains with post war equipment. I think it would be almost impossible for anything during the transition era to not be pulled by both types of motive power at some point in their service lives. 

The '48 train never operated with steam....not even a second section.  IIRC, the train was ordered with electro-pneumatic brakes, at least on some cars.  Seems this was incompatible with Diesel power, let alone steam.  Now all that being said, there are rumors that many trains operated with steam on rare occasions during the winter of '49, due to extreme cold, which would normally never see steam.  Interesting, but never seen any real proof.....possible urban legend, like the PRR T1 commuter trains to Derry.

I'm pretty sure that that former NYC observation was on the 4449 trip from Portland, OR to Chicago, back in 2009, enroute to Train Festival in Owosso, MI.

The NYC observation on the 4449 trip was the Portland. Formerly NYC 3 it was the private car of Harold Sterling Vanderbilt. It is a heavyweight.

Just so everyone's on the same page:

Rusty

Thanks Rusty. That, of course, was NOT the NYC office car we had in the train, back in 2009.

Put that Creek car on the back of some other NYCS light weights, and you'd have yourself a real piece of chooch !

The Sandy Creek will be coupled to the NYC 43 Lounge so this will be a 16 car lightweight train (if you count the 1953 former Army Kitchen Car at the head end used as a tool car).

OK,,,,,now just what is "a real piece of chooch!"????

The "chooch" will be be on the headend, i.e. NKP 765!

That beautiful car will be the rear car on the trains out of Fort Wayne on 10/26 and 27. There will be another ex-NYC car right in front of it!

Oh yes...one more thing...no diesel in the consist either. 

Hickory Creek is prettier on the inside than outside, and I have always liked the lightening strip scheme. 

Bob

It sure is one gorgeous car, but the Island cars in '38 or '40 paint take a back seat to nobody !

Steam was used on premier passenger trains for a few years after WWII during severe winter weather. The reason was that a two unit set of "E" units did not have the steam generator/water capacity to keep the train adequately heated. (Some of the later deliveries of "E" units to the NYC were equipped with two steam generators to rectify the heating problem.) There were a few NYC trains that were regularly assigned an "A-B-A" combination of diesels, including the 20TC Century Limited and the Commodore Vanderbilt, and one conclusion is that these two trains never saw steam, at least for heating the train. The Century had "first call" on motive power so it was probable that no steam was ever used on this train after the war. "Never" is probably too strong a word though....as "things happen".....

I do not know if 2nd sections were commonly run, but steam was certainly more likely on a 2nd section due to motive power cycling which was established to attain high diesel monthly mileage.

Bottom line...the jury is still out.....

Well, we'll have a definite sighting of the Hickory Creek behind steam at the end of October!

The Hickory Creek and New York Central #43 will be traveling from New York City to Albany, New York and return this Saturday, October 19th. Trip is sponsored by  the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey. See http:urhs.org/HC-Albany-Fall.html  or Google: Fall Foliage Excursion.