Re: PC: PC\CR frieght symbols

[anderson <andersoncn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

o 
> 
> To all:
> 
> The "LS" symbol stands for "Less-than-carload freight" I am told.  The
> trains eventually died off due to the lack of LCL freight and the
> increase of "Super Van" (SV) service as it was known on the NYC of just
> plain Trailer Train.  Your choice depending on ones preference.
> 
> One other symobl through Marion I remember quite well was the "SLX" or
> "Silex" as we called it.  I believe it ran from St. Louis to Selkirk,
> but could be wrong.
> 
> I have train sheets from the Pennsy Ft. Wayne line from PC days, but it
> will take some time to dig those out.  When I do, I'll pass along the
> info.
> 
> Often times, BF-7 would be followed closely by a BF-7a through Findlay,
> Ohio on the T&OC.  Two other trains that ran this way were DSL-1 and
> DSL-1a (Detroit to St. Louis). DSL-1a was not a regular, but often times
> ran towards weeks end and on Saturday. Watching trains living by the
> T&OC (Toledo to Columbus Western Branch) would keep one on their toes as
> one train would be fifteen minutes behind the other when they ran.
> Although  the locals often wondered why they never ran them 12 hours
> apart in order to get all the traffic.  May explain why PC floundered.
> 
> So how many of you folks remember the remote control units on PC?  They
> ran out of the coal fields in West Virginia and up to Toledo/Detroit
> area.  Three SD-40/45's on the head end and three more in the middle on
> some huge 200+ car coal trains.  The power would stay this way all the
> way to Toledo due to the heavy grades north of Dunkirk, OH and on
> Findlay, Ohio's north side (Where I lived).  Can tell you that some days
> it worked and some days it didn't!  Have seen a train go by with the
> head end in run eight and barely moving while the mid-train power
> (unmanned) would be on idle.  Eventually, the mid-train units became
> manned, but this didn't last as it defeated the purpose of the long
> trains.  End of experiment.
> 
> Dale A. DeVene Jr.
> ddevene -AT- udata.com

Dale:

Thanks for the info...you might have cleared up the mystery of the 
"LS"-series trains, among other things (at least we know that "LS" didn't 
stand for "Lousy Schedule", or something like that...).

Speaking of the remote control units on PC coal trains (which I never 
saw, myself), does anyone remember hearing about Conrail trying the same 
thing with long drags a few years back on the Water Level Route?  I 
caught one MONSTER of a manifest train in Waterloo, Indiana one 
afternoon, which must have been around 200-250 cars or so, with two 
SD-60's up front and two more mid-train.  A guy in Bryan, Ohio said he 
thought Conrail was testing remote-control mid-train operation, but 
didn't know any particulars.  I never saw another drag like that, and 
never heard what was up.

Uncle E