Boxcab, I just looked up the photo in question. It is certainly a fantastic action shot at Easton. One thing makes me wonder about date on your print, however. On the far left of the photo as printed in "Electric Way..." the steam-powered Milwaukee train consist includes what appears to be one of the specialized troop-sleeper cars. Were these built and in use before Pearl harbor? By the way, the Museum of the Rockies website has a very nicely organized collection of the Ron Nixon photos online. Bruce
Bruce- It does look like one of those cars. I believe 1943 and later. The date I noted, was what Ron gave me. I still have that accompanying letter somewhere. His notes were usually quite accurate. Boxcab E50
Boxcab, I would not have noticed the WWII car if I had not recently developed an interest in troop trains of the period. There does not seem to be a lot of info on the subject out there, particularly the hospital cars I plan to model. From the photos it looks like most of the troop trains moved as extras on the regular schedule, as may be depicted in the Ron Nixon Easton photo. Do you know if these trains were all headed to Ft. Lewis, or were some run into Union Station? Bi-Polar Bruce
Bruce- I believe these were known as "Main Trains." At least some would have been run as sections of the regular schedules. But I can't say all. Just don't know. Can't even try to guess. Hard to say what the end destination of this train might have been. Where were the troops heading? In those days, there were military installations galore in the Pacific NW. I know when my dad shipped out, it was from Camp Murray, to California. Then headed for Australia. That was the famous "diverted convoy." My mother talked about her trip, in early 1942. When she came back home from the east coast. I should look at timetables, to guess what train. She spoke of it being packed with troops. Eating lunch at Three Forks, and coming down into Avery in starlight. It would certainly have been an interesting time on the Milw! Boxcab E50
BoxCab, Getting back to Union Station, I found a brief description and (small) floor plan in Passenger Terminals and Trains, by John A. Droege (copyright 1916, reprinted by Kalmbach in 1969). The author apparently picked Seattle's station as a good design, noting that it was one of the few "head" stations (as opposed to one where the tracks pass through) in the country with its tracks "depressed". I assume this means below street level. Although not in the same class as Grand Central in NYC, Union Station was obviously considered both attractive and efficient for its time. The Introduction to the second edition of Droege's book,written by noted railroad historian George Hilton, has some interesting things to say about rail passenger service in America. I was shocked, as was Hilton, that Droege pronounced railroad passenger travel as unprofitable in 1916! If true, it is something of a minor miracle that unsubsidized passenger service survived until relatively recent times. Bi-Polar Bruce
Bruce- I've seen a fair number of old litho post cards, depicting US. Especially interesting with the street cars. Wish it was as important now, as it was back then. Passenger travel was a money loser going way back. While some routes may have been in the black, many others, and overall for many companies, no. Probably the major factor was the mass production auto, allowing people to keep their own schedules. Something railroads could not do. And still cannot in most instances. I have official Milw documentation going back to 1930. From that point, forward, they only made money two years. Those were during WWII. Prior to 1930? Wish I knew for certain. That would be interesting reading. Boxcab E50
