Hello! I’m wondering if B&O ran commuter trains on what is now the MARC Brunswick line? If so, what kind of locomotives would have pulled those trains in the 1960s? Thanks, Jake Buxton
Yes they did, right up until Amtrak, is the answer to your first question. The answer to your second question is, generally none at all. They preferred not to attach locomotives to their Budd RDCs, if they could help it.
I see, thanks! So then what sort of B&O passenger trains would an E7a have pulled? And would there have been any that E7a locomotives pulled alone without another A or B unit? I’m hoping to model something realistic with my B&O E7a in HO scale.
I'm away from my B&O books, but that's exactly what I was thinking acptulsa. Did the same in Pittsburgh too I believe.
It seems like an E7 would be able to pull five or six cars over the shorter intercity routes? Especially over relatively flat ground?
It has more to do with the passenger services fielded by the B&O, which saw mostly long distance trains such as the Capital Limited, National Limited, Shenandoah, etc. These were longer length trains, so required multiple locomotives. The B&O didn't have much short haul. The Cincinnatian might be your salvation. Here it is in Toledo, but with only two cars.
Patrick C Doran's book "Commuter Trains" has a copyright date of 1967, describes B&O commuter passenger operations in the present tense, and has 8 pages on the B&O. It was running routes from Martinsburg-to-DC, Baltimore-to-DC, and Versailles-Pittsburgh. All 3 routes used RDC-1 and RDC-2 cars. Some of the stations on these routes also got some service from B&O's National Limited. There is a picture of B&O E8 number 1449 at the front of the National Limited (no year specified), while stopped at the Harpers Ferry station. Frailey's "Twilight of the Great Trains" shows a picture of a B&O E7A 1423 a the first of 4 E units pulling The Capitol train in July 1965. It also shows a single B&O E7A 1426 pulling a short 3-car consist of The National during 1966. It says some change took place in September 1965 which caused The National to run which shorter consists after that. The 3 car consist on The National in 1966 has what looks to me to be a combination baggage/coach, followed by a coach, followed by a (non-dome) sleeper-observation car.
Great post CarlH -- this gives Jake at least two B&O trains to choose from. I kinda like short "vest pocket" passenger trains. They look much more at home on my modest N Scale pike. [Not my photo]
Wow. Great info. Thanks so much! I have a B&O combo car, a coach, and an observation car. All heavyweight but at least a good starting point.
I found a book by Joe Welsh on the Capitol Limited and the National Limited. He lists a 1923 Capitol Limited consist and a 1926 National Limited consist with heavyweight cars like the ones I have pulled by a 4-6-2. I might have to break down and get a B&O 4-6-2 in HO scale.
As a B&O fan, you might want to keep an eye out for several excellent full color books by Ori, Salamon and Oroszi. I have the first two and want the third. These include good maps and operational details that you'll find of interest. Baltimore & Ohio 1 - Reflections of the Capitol dome - New York to Cumberland (c. 1993) Baltimore & Ohio 2 - Sunburst Trail to Chicago - Cumberland to Chicago (c. 1993) Baltimore & Ohio 3 - Rails Across the Heartland - Toledo-Cincinnati (c. 2012)
