Pic of Old(1968) IC City of N.O. Passenger train

Thanks for that grand photo, Pops.  Those beautiful matched engines and cars, the majestic buildings, '58 Chevy, VW, looks like maybe a big ole Buick Electra in front - it's got everything.

Is that a F7B unit sandwiched between the two EA's?

 

Great shot

It's an E8B.  IC had no F-units of their own.

 

Rusty

Thanks Rusty - I can't see well enough to tell if the trucks were B's or C's. The grille threw me off too!

Thanks Popsrr,

 

The city I was raised in, and sadly the city I knew is disappearing. The IC double track is down to one main line north and south of the city. In the downtown area the second track is now part of the downtown trolley loop. Not far to the left of the engine there once stood a tower for controlling the grade crossing. It was burned down by vandals.

 

The cars you see parked on the other side of the grade crossing are on Court Street. The building above the parked cars is the old US Customs building and Post office. The building is now the University Of Memphis Law School. The high ground above and to the right of the lead engine is Confederate Park, which lost is name over a year ago, a victim of political correctness.

 

Richard 

TrainsRMe ,

I liked the looks of this old picture with the "old" cars and the Beauty of the IC POWER AND PASSENGER CARS. They all remind me of my youth and love for these GREAT OLD GAS GUSSLERS LOL . tHANKS FOR YOUR POSTING.

Rusty,

Thanks for answering C, SAMS question. I am like C. Sam  and hard to see a lot of details.

Richard,

Lots of things changing in the "Bluff City" I don't jear it called that much any longer. Also to the right of the picture  is where the Tug boat's get their supplies as they pass up and down the river. They radio in the grocery list and a smaller boat runs it out to meet the Tug and it's string of bargers are moving up or down the Mississippi .

Also the old cobble stone river bank parking area where the rising waters could catch cars parked too close to the rivers edge. Little further south was/is Tom Lee park. Tom Lee was a Black man who had a very small old flat bottom boat. One night when the Circus boats were going up and down the river one caught fire and Tom Lee paddled his boat out into the swift river current and saved people and animals from the burning boat. My grandfather also saved a bmall bear cub that night and raised the bear to be a fukk grown bear. He worked for the IC. The land where the Tom Lee park is has been filled to make it larger than it was before being made into a park. I think the real reason they expanded west into the river was that the river ran too close to riverside drive and would under cut the road way as the water reached Very High spring levels. Some time Riverside drive would cave in due to the water erosion under the road and would have to be shut down. I don't know if the signs that told the boat Pilots river levels and weather it was "R" Rising or "F" falling. These signs were located high up on the bluff about where riverside drive started to incline up on it's south end where it would bend back east a little with the old Hotel High Rise on the river side of the street. I think also the later entrance to the zero lot line condo's was on the East side of the road about at the top of the hill.

i THINK THE old RAIL YARDS of the late 1800's and early 1900's were located just to the east of the IC Line in the area near where these Condos were built and to the east of the condo'swhere the old train stations were/are located.

That was wat wat before E.H.Crump blvd or any of the Memphis and Ark bridge was built. The old Harrhand bridge was the path across the river for trains. I think later the auto roadway was hung off the sides of the old Harrhand bridge. My folks use to take me across those Cantaleaver road ways over to Ark and back. It would scare me to death to look at how bad the road surface was with holes through the bridge decking.  Sorry I got carried away but was thinking about that area where the two old bridges were and how the river makes its big bend and I can remember watching those Tub boat Pilots struggle with the barges and fast water and hit the piers of the bridges as they were trying to turn the string of barges. 

Popsrr,
You know your Memphis history very well indeed. Those of us who have moved east and out of the city use the Bluff City name in a different way- Memphis is a city built on a Bluff and the city is ran on a "Bluff also"

The F and R signs are gone. The sugar and corn syrup company has the only remaining sign of rails in the south bluff area. The CN (IC) main and the tracks used by the BNSF and UP are the only major rail facilities in the area.

There is actually an effort to re install the cantilever road bridge on the Harrand Bridge and use it as a part of a walking /Bike path from Memphis to West Memphis Arkansas. The cantilever arms are still on the bridge, but the cost of restoring them to support a walkway is turning out to be much more expensive than originally estimated.

I am not sure if the store for the tug boats is still at the foot of the river and the coble stones. Cars can no longer park on the cobble stones unless they are there in order to take a ride on the Memphis Queen line

Yes, Tom Lee Park has been expanded and the hook in the river bank is gone. On the north end of Tom Lee Park Beal Street Landing has been built. It is a dock for the big river boats that go up and down the Mississippi. It is also a $27million product that ended up costing around $60 million. There's that Bluff again!

My Grandfather also worked for the IC. He retired in 1961 as Yard Master at Johnson Yard.

Take care


Richard

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the ipdate on things in Memphis. I never knew my grandfater because he died before I was born. But I would guess that he worked there in the Teens and twentys. Could have been right at the turn of the century also. Anyways I will have to trake a drive down town and see what has changed along the river front. Need to see if the Cotton Exchange is still there also. Thanks again.

Popsrr,

 

The Cotton Exchange is still there, at 65 Union. The room where the trading floor was is still there, but it is a museum now.

 

Richard

Hi "Pops", your photo is a stunning example of why I love southern rail roads.

The trains are up front and personal with the community. Not like in the North East where the view is basically a series of old factories.

 

Even today when I am lucky enough to be on an Amtrak train running south of DC you get to look at nice homes and business sections when you blow through a town.

Now I can't say what the people who live there think, having a train doing fifty miles per hour and blowing it's horn may not be the high point of their day, but I sure love it.

Another picture of an old IC Observation car.

 

rRICHARD, THANK YOU FOR THE INFO.

 

Mario E, tHANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS. i THINK PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR TRACKS GET USED TO THE TRAINS SOUNDS AS "WHITE NOISE" and probably don't give it much thought after awhile.

 

 

Did IC have domes, or leased them from another road for the winter season?  That obs picture looks like it has a dome in its train.

Popsrr - thanks for posting the picture.  It certainly jolted memories from those who were familiar.  Just looking at the photo and reading everyone's comments made for an enjoyable few minutes here on the 'ol forum.  Thanks again, all.

Dominic , I am not sure about the dome question. I can see something above a can down the line. If you learn anything about that please post it so we can all learn about it. Thank you.

MdMikey, You are very welcome. Had you visited the area along the river in Memphis where these pictures were made?

It is my understanding that the IC would lease dome cars from the NP when these cars were not in use, I assume during the winter months. I was told today while at the Memphis Railroad and Trolley Museum (in the old IC Central Station) that the IC actually would paint the NP dome cars in the orange and brown livery while in use. I think the dome cars were used on the Panama Limited.

 

 

Richard

Dominic I think I found your answer below.

Bill - Is that a Budd car?  sure is a good looking car.  Love the IC color scheme.

 

Art

Yep.  It's a Budd, leased from the N.P. 

 

Rusty

Has that characteristic dome.  After so much discussion on the Atlas California Zephyr cars, I think I can recognize them.

 

Art

Hi Art,

Rusty is right, The IC would lease this car from the NOrthern Pacific. I think that the Dome car ran on the City of Miami run that IC did as a joint ventyre with ACL.

I don't believe the City of New Orleans had any domes?  Do you know if that is correct?

 

Art

Art, That is right the dome was not on the City of New Orleans run. It was on the City of Mimia I think. Also look at the name on the second picture below.

Bill - The oranges sure look like different colors but it may just be due to fading?  I am listening to the "City of New Orleans" by Arlo Guthrie as I am doing this.  My all time favorite RR song.

 

Art

Art that is funny that you mention the song. Last night my wife had on a station that plays old music and they were playing that song on it. I don't know who it was doing the music but I had heard it before back in the day.

City of NO leaving Chicago's IC Station

 

Unbelievable that they had to block out the upper dome windows due to kids in Chicago throwing rocks!  Of course parts of Chicago are more dangerous than Afghanistan, but still. 

 

Thanks for the info, it was very interesting.

 

Art   

The story I heard was the car's AC couldn't handle the radiant heat from southern summer sun.

 

Rusty

Rusty - Your version makes a lot more sense to me. 

 

Art