If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 332

 Pioneer Zephyr, ca 1934

Another train for train lovers.  This postcard, purchased from the museum gift shop in 2000, has a photograph of the first streamlined passenger train, called the Pioneer Zephyr.  The picture is credited to B. Quinn and appears on a card published by Sunburst Souvenirs, Ltd.  Today the train is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois where it has been since its retirement in 1960.   Several model railroad manufacturers, such as American Flyer, Challenger Imports, Fine N-Scale, Con-Cor, River Raisin Models, MTH Electric Trains, and Fisher Price, include versions of the Zephyr as kits or ready-to-run models.
The Pioneer Zephyr, a corrugated stainless steel, diesel-powered passenger train, was built in the early 1930s.  The extensive use of stainless steel made the train lighter than the traditional wooden cars and regular hardened steel.  In addition to being lighter it also was corrosion resistant and did not need to be painted for weather protection. The cars shared the trucks and their wheels, called Jacobs bogies. The cars could not be uncoupled but were permanently articulated together.  This meant that the cars could be closer together and offer a smoother ride.  The type of welding used, called shotwelding, plus the articulation also helped reduce the overall weight and therefore allowed for an increase in the speed.  As part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Zephyr set a speed record for travel between Denver, Colorado and Chicago in 1934.  It was a non-stop dawn to dusk dash of 13 hours and 5 minutes to cover a distance of 1,015 miles.  The normal time on the other Burlington trains for the same distance took approximately 25 hours.  The Zephyr’s average speed was 77 mph with one section at a top speed of 112 mph.  This historic event inspired a 1934 film that resulted in the train receiving the nickname “The Silver Streak.” 

Passengers on that first record setting run included Ralph Budd, the president of Burlington, H.L. Hamilton, president of Winton Motor Company (part of General Motors at that time), reporters, some Burlington employees, a few members of the public and Zeph, a burro contributed by the Rocky Mountain News as mascot for the train.  After arriving in Chicago the train was on public display at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair, called the Century of Progress.  Following the end of the fair the train completed a 31-state, 222-city publicity tour where more than 2 million people saw it before it entered service as a passenger train.  The design proved so popular that it started the Zephyr series.


For more information including photographs, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Zephyr

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 295

 Oriental Limited, Great Northern Railway, 1912

This week’s postcard is the American version of the Canadian railway postcard previously shared.  Part of the “See America First” promotion by Great Northern Railway, the line went between Chicago, Illinois and Seattle, Washington then could connect with trans-Pacific Great Northern steamships headed to the Far East.  It was called “Oriental Limited.”  Great Northern produced the card with the photograph dated as 1912.  The stamp is a green George Washington profile, one cent, postmarked April 4, 1914 with the handwritten message in Norwegian.  This card like last week’s two from the Canadian Pacific Railway were found at the Washington State [model] Train show.

Reverse, showing logo, stamp & date

The Oriental Limited began in 1905 going from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle with Chicago added in 1909 the year of the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition held in Seattle.  My grandmother and a few of her nieces traveled from the east, Boston and New York, to Seattle in 1909 by train to see the Fair. They all ended up staying in the Pacific Northwest and not returning east.  Now I am wondering if they may have traveled on this train at least from Chicago the rest of the way west but it is impossible to tell.  There were other trains going west that were not as luxurious as this one.   The “See America First” route was advertised as the National Park Route although it did not go through the parks but was next to them.  It was possible to get off the train at various points, such as stations at Glacier and Yellowstone, and take some form of transport to visit the parks.  By 1926 the train was advertised as being able to make the journey in 70 hours. 

In 1929 the Empire Builder was introduced and by 1931 the Oriental Limited disappeared a causality of the Great Depression when Great Northern operated only one train on this route.  The Oriental Limited name returned in 1946 when a second train was added but became the Western Star in 1951.  Among the amenities offered on the train were services such as, passenger telephone access, afternoon tea, maid service in the Lounge car, a parlor car, and showers for passengers, as well a dining car with table linens and full service meals. 

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Limited

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 294

 Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Station, Glacier, Canadian Rockies, ca 1912

 Imperial Limited, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), leaving Glacier, Canadian Rockies ca. 1912

A few weeks ago we went the Washington State [model] Train Show held at the Monroe fair grounds where I found these two postcards plus a couple of other cards.  The top card has a picture of the Canadian Pacific Railway Station at Glacier in the Canadian Rockies; the bottom card shows passengers on the rear car of the Imperial Limited.  Both cards are from Valentine Publishing Co., Ltd. of Montreal and Toronto printed in Great Britain.   The top card has the number 108999 (JV) the lower card has 109,871 (JV) both in the lower right front corner.  The double globe logo on the reverse says V&Sons Famous Throughout the World.

Although the cancellation date is difficult to read it is possible to see that the cards were mailed a day apart from Vancouver, British Columbia to the same address in Duluth, Minnesota.  When I picked them up I did not read the handwritten messages on the cards immediately only to be delighted when I got them home to see that one was sent to a sister and the other to a nephew. 

A quick check of the census records revealed the names—Mrs. H. Nesbitt was Victoria “Dora” Henrietta, Dodo on the note, and her sister was Amelia Kugler.  Amelia signs herself as Amineked on the card to her nephew Garven, addressed in the note as Gagon.  Since Garven was born in 1907 and his brother Trevanion was born 1911, these cards must have been sent between 1911 and probably no later than 1914 as the boys are referred to as “Babies” on the card to Victoria.   Also, the stamp is a King George V, one cent, dark green, was first issued in 1911 . 

In the note to her nephew, Amelia writes:  “My dear little Gagon, this is where I sat all the way through the loveliest mountains—some day you will come and see them too.   Are you “Good to your Brother” & Mother?  Yes, I know you are!  Amineked sends you a kiss.”

The Imperial Limited was the premier passenger trail of the Canadian Pacific Railway and went across Canada between Montreal, Quebec and Vancouver, British Columbia beginning in 1899 until 1933.  Rail travel across Canada had been offered since 1886 but in 1911 new cars replaced the older ones and year round service was introduced.  This was a luxury train with sleeping and dining cars catering to travelers wanting to see the scenic Rocky Mountains and stay in Canadian Pacific chalets like the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise.  William Cornelius Van Horne, the renowned railway executive, was quoted as saying:  “Since we can’t export the scenery, we will have to import the tourists.”

For more information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Limited
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Pacific_Railway

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 292

Long Key Viaduct, Key West, Florida, ca. early 1930s

This Linen-Type postcard has a color tinted picture of the Over-sea extension bridge between the Florida mainland and Kay West.  It has the number F245 on the front and on the reverse is 13622 N.  It is an unused card made in the U.S.A. by E. C. Kropp Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The blurb on the reverse of the card states in part “this viaduct consists of 100 semi-circular arches, each 50 feet wide.  It was one of the first great bridges to be built of concrete.”  Linen-Type cards were produced and popular between 1931 and 1959.  I unexpectedly found this card and a few others at a model train show recently.

Henry Flagler (1830-1913) a wealthy businessman was seeking a warmer climate for his first wife who was ill.  He took an interest in Florida and began developing resort hotels and railroads along its eastern coast.  Prior to this time he had been part of Rockefeller, Andrews and Flagler and also a founder of Standard Oil.   The idea for the bridge was dubbed “Flagler’s Folly” in the beginning.  Construction for this viaduct was announced in 1905 and the bridge operated between 1912 and 1935.   At one point over 4,000 men were employed to work on the project with the total cost than $50 million. 

This project took 7 years to complete and was threatened in 1906, 1909, and 1910 by hurricanes then mostly destroyed by a hurricane in 1935.   The rail service was discontinued after the hurricane in 1935.  Later the bridge was redesigned for use by the as an auto traffic highway.  The current bridge opened in 1982 and was built from precast, pre-stressed concrete sections.  

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Railroad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Key_Bridge

Model Railroad Show

Once a year the Pacific Science Center in Seattle hosts a model railroad exhibit for just a few days.  This year the exhibit was held this past weekend so we decided to go and see what it was like.  Since Monday was a holiday and the last day of the show there were many, many children as well as adults resulting in very crowded conditions.  The trains were spread out in four different buildings with plenty of hands-on stations for children to play with the wooden trains and also places to operate the controls for the electric trains.  Paper conductor hats were being handed out to any and all guests not just the children. 

Some of the trains had head and taillights, made puffing and clacking rail sounds as they whizzed around the elaborate track systems.  Tiny little villages, bridges, lakes, tunnels, trees, people, cars and trucks all to scale added to the magic.  The trains had official logos such as Union Pacific, Burlington Northern and Amtrak.  The scales went from T (very large) to N (very small).  The O scale is the size most people begin with when they start collecting model trains and is the size of the Lionel train sets that are well known.  A large board with examples of track size was displayed by one of the N scale train layouts.

Display board showing the various scale sizes

One display was made of Playmobile parts, a popular plastic children’s toy, and used the largest scale except for the small train outside that was big enough for people to ride in.

Outdoor train that children could take for a ride

Another display was a real working area and allowed the visitor to see all the tools, controls, and paints etc. It was a smaller scale with very detailed rail cars and engines. 

One large room contained a huge display with several trains that passed each other; places to stack waiting cars while another train went by, buildings and tiny people to scale.  Some children were lucky enough to get to use the controls for the trains on this set.

This set even had the local Sounder light rail train with the Seahawk emblem on the engine.

The Hogwarts Express train from Harry Potter

 

The room was dark and this train had headlights = night train.  The engine is a Great Northern 4-8-4 Mountain steam locomotive.  The 4-8-4 was one of the largest locomotives of the steam era.

Someone asked if the engines were weighted to prevent derailments.  The answer, all the cars and engines are weighted to prevent accidents as the trains go around the corners. 

This is a Shay engine on a round table or engine terminal.  Shays were used for logging and were designed to take sharp curves and go up steep grades.  

Last but not least is a pink castle with toys trains from the Thomas the Tank Engine TV series.

It was great fun and an event we may try to see next year, on a less crowded day

A few Setesdal railway stations

Vennesla station as it was when the train was running, 1916
[photo: http://www.venneslafrimerke.no/postkort/bilde.php?seksjon=vikeland]

This old postcard photograph above is part of the collection of the Vennesla postcard club and shows the train station, as it was when it was in operation.  The station name has been written on the side of the building.  The photographer’s name and the date are handwritten on the train. 

Vennesla Railway Station as it is today, 2012
[photo:  courtesy of Rune Jensen]

I love these old train stations in Norway.  There are a number of them all along the route of the narrow gauge steam train than used to run in southern Norway.  The railway operated from 1895 until 1962 but has since been decommissioned, the tracks removed from part of the line and only a short section still exists with a train that runs in the summer as a heritage and tourist attraction.  Rune Jensen was kind enough to send me photos of several of the stations and I did notice that they seem to have been built from the same or similar plans.  Some are fairly large like the station at Vennesla, shown above, while others appear to be much smaller like the one at Røyknes seen further below.

Vennesla Station Pizzeria

The old stations have not been torn down but have been put to use in different ways.  Here we see another view of the Vennesla station that houses a Pizzeria today.  One of the other stations is being used as a library.

Røyknes station
[photo:  courtesy of Rune Jensen]

In the very early years there was only a shed at Røyknes then a station such as this one.  It is an example of one of the smaller stations.  The original structure was removed when the line closed in 1962 but an identical building was later moved here as part of the heritage project.

Today the station at Hægeland, seen below, is used as a souvenir and mineral shop.  The area around Hægeland, Hornnes, Iveland, and Evje had much mining.  Although no longer active at one time the area was known as the largest nickel producing area in northern Europe and had over 600 mines.*  The mining industry was one of the primary reasons the railroad was built.  But, of course, the train moved passengers and lumber as well as raw mineral ore.  Several of our ancestors worked either full or part time in the mining industry or for the railway.

Hægeland station
[photo:  courtesy of Rune Jensen]

Evje station, 1901
[photo:  courtesy of Alf Georg Kjetså]

 

Hornnes station 

Grovane station

When the train runs during the summer it goes between Grovane and  Røyknes.

The reason the stations look so similar is because they are all built from plans made by the same man, Paul Due.  Paul Due (1835-1919) was an architect who was born in Kristiansand and who had a long and varied career working in Norway and the United States.  Between 1890 and 1912, he worked for the Norwegian State Railways and designed more than 150 stations.  Most of the stations were wooden but a few like the one at Kristiansand were built of brick.

Kristiansand station
[photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristiansand_Station]

As befitting the size of the community, the station at Kristiansand is much larger than the others along the route.  The design of the two toned coloration on this much larger and more elaborate structure is carried through on the smaller wooden buildings.  While this brick building is red and white the wooden stations are red and yellow.  Usually passenger waiting areas and services were located on the lower floor while offices and storage rooms occupied the upper floor or floors.

Many thanks to Rune for sending the photos, information and links to information about the stations.

For more about Paul Due, see:  
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Due 
 http://snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Paul_Due/utdypning
 
Additional links: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setesdal_Line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristiansand_Station


………………………………………………………….

Note: 

I have mentioned this before--a few years ago Alf Georg Kjetså and Kåre Hodne put together a documentary DVD about the railroad titled:  Jubileumsfilm Setesdalsbanen 100 År with  Olav Arne Kleveland as the commentator.  At one time it could be viewed on the Internet but I could not find it currently listed and don’t know if it is still available online.  The film is about 50 minutes in length, recalls the history, shows the stations, has many clips of the steam train, and all the beautiful scenery along the route.  An approximately 12 minute film by Hans Peters lets us experience a shorter ride complete with whistle, steam and accompanied by the clicks and clacks as the cars go along the tracks. 

To see the 12 min video and vicariously experience the train ride see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwWoTxd_xf8&feature=related


*  The Flaat Nickelmine was once the largest nickelmine in northern Europe employing 350 men at one time in the mine and/or refinery.  The mine was more than 440m deep and reached below sea-level.  Today parts of the mine have been restored and it is open for public tours.