That’s generally what happened - adding/subtracting cars for locals to use on the NEC between Washington and New York - to the secondary trains from the south, mentioned by Michael Young. You

The Florida Sunbeam, and all other “seasonal and excursion” trains were prohibited by the Office of Defense Transportation (ODT) about the time of the memos. As an upcoming TIES article on the

As the “Southerner” began service, the Southern asked the PRR to run it as a separate train from DC to NYC. The PRR responded with (to paraphrase) “are you nuts? It’s 1941with a war in Europe,

Ike, you are correct in that most of today's airfields in the South were built as AAF training fields, mainly due to the newly year-round good flying weather. Also, in south Ga. as well as Fla. in my

Fascinating reading, Ike. I had no idea Southern axed so many passenger locals just to free up equipment for the pending war effort. Thanks for digging out and sharing such jewels from the archive,

I should add that due to the preponderance of posts, camps and stations in and around Alabama, Birmingham Terminal Station was a hub for troop movements during World War II. I have records showing

In case anyone is not aware, Marvin and Lyle Key were authors of THE two books on the railroads of Birmingham. “Birmingham Rails” covers the freight and passenger services of the Class 1 railroads

It's very kind of you to recommend the books, Ike. Thanks! As I think you know, "Birmingham Rails" sold out in 10 months and remains out of print. Copies sell for a ridiculously high premium, and

The SRHA Southern Presidents' files include proposals for new interurban lines, branch lines and passenger trains. There are multiple items through 1966 that discuss operating the ex NYC "Explorer"

Here is a photo that I took in the winter of 1965 as the X-plorer departed Augusta, GA. I don’t remember why is was there but know that it’s destination was Atlanta. You can see the small crowd

Here it is in 1965 on the SAL. Evidently, the motive power wasn't too reliable.

While I never rode the train, I was told by those who did that the X-Plorer did not cover itself with glory on any of the few trips on which it was used. Most unreliable. Bob Hanson Loganville, GA

Ed, Did it run Georgia Road to Atlanta? Jason Greene

My latest NRHS Bulletin arrived a couple of days ago. It had a very interesting article on the new Southern beltway and station in Lynchburg, circa 1911. -- John Ryan

The assessment seems reasonable and well thought out, though I am reminded of one done by the US Highway Department in the late-1930's when the Pennsylvania Turnpike folks, unable to raise enough

I was curious if anyone had a list of industries between Morristown and Asheville. That line intrigued me ( oldest kid lived near it for a few years ) and I would like to know more about it. thanks in

Might anyone on the Southern Railway io group be able to assist John? Ike Begin forwarded message: From: John Dietrichs <jdietrichs@...> Subject: To Mr. Eichelberger - Old Rail Date: February 12, 2020

All: Looking at the images of the 6 types of rail, I am familiar (not an expert) on 5 of the 6 types shows, plus at least one other not shown: strap rail. That was essentially just a piece of iron

A good place to start is a Tennessee Division employee timetable (ETT) for the period you're interested in. Look for the "Business Tracks and Stations Not Shown ..." table near the back of the ETT.

Another would be an Industrial Directory, of you can find one. It would list the businesses in each town, what they shipped/received, and, if the town was served by more than one railroad, the road on