Even in 1950 - Problems with the Freight Lines

[MrFSS]

I ran across this 1950 postmarked post card in an antique store. The writer is telling someone they are delayed at LAX for 2 hours from a freight wreck up ahead. I guess the passenger trains have always had this problem.

 

[yarrow]

does union station in la still exist and does it still resemble the picture on the card? i wonder when the freight railroads owned the passenger railroads what sort of compensation was given for late trains if any? i have read that they liked to keep their passenger operation in good shape if only for public relations.

 

[MrFSS]

I ran across this 1950 postmarked post card in an antique store. The writer is telling someone they are delayed at LAX for 2 hours from a freight wreck up ahead. I guess the passenger trains have always had this problem.

LAX is the same as it was in the 50's. The building may have been updated, but it is the Amtrak station today.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

does union station in la still exist and does it still resemble the picture on the card? i wonder when the freight railroads owned the passenger railroads what sort of compensation was given for late trains if any? i have read that they liked to keep their passenger operation in good shape if only for public relations.

Actually, the "freight railroads" did not "own the passenger railroads". Some railroads operated only freight. Many operated both freight and passenger. A few may have operated only passenger but I suspect that would be confined to commuter operations. The Pennsylvania RR, for example, operated both freight and passenger, all the same company. It was not a "freight railroad with ran passengers"-------it was just a "railroad".

I think the point of the postcard is the word "wreck" not the word "freight". If a passenger train had wrecked, they would still be in the station (which does still resemble that---just a small part of it) delayed.

 

[AlanB]

does union station in la still exist and does it still resemble the picture on the card? i wonder when the freight railroads owned the passenger railroads what sort of compensation was given for late trains if any? i have read that they liked to keep their passenger operation in good shape if only for public relations.

I had posted this picture in my trip report from last month, but I'll repost it over here since you asked.

 

[MichiganFoamer]

Being dealyed by a freight derailment is one thing, but I can tell you this much...if a circa 1950 dispatcher were to have considerably delayed a passenger train by putting in the hole a buncha times to let freight traffic go by, he would have had some explaining to do by the time his shift was over!

 

[Anthony]

Those chairs are getting a bit worn :lol:

 

[yarrow]

Actually, the "freight railroads" did not "own the passenger railroads". Some railroads operated only freight. Many operated both freight and passenger. A few may have operated only passenger but I suspect that would be confined to commuter operations. The Pennsylvania RR, for example, operated both freight and passenger, all the same company. It was not a "freight railroad with ran passengers"-------it was just a "railroad".

i had read, i think in one of carlos schwante's books, that except for the early 20th century and maybe right after wwII that railroads with both freight and passenger divisions lost money or just broke even on passenger operations but felt it necessary to maintain them for public relations purposes. this, of course, changed when most all the railroads decided they wanted out of the passenger business in the 1960s.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

i had read, i think in one of carlos schwante's books, that except for the early 20th century and maybe right after wwII that railroads with both freight and passenger divisions lost money or just broke even on passenger operations but felt it necessary to maintain them for public relations purposes. this, of course, changed when most all the railroads decided they wanted out of the passenger business in the 1960s.

I think that is about right. It happens that the railroads were on the verge of a revolution, with diesel power and lightweight high speed streamlined trains just beginning to be placed in operation at a small scale before WW11. The war interupted that.

After the war, most railroads dived head first into desparately buying new streamlined trains, etc. But with everybody ordering new equipment at once, it was a long time before the new cars could be delivered

It all became "too little, too late". Not to mention that the soldiers had ridden so much in old dilapidated equipment,much of it not even air conditioned, to and from war. When the war was over the last thing they wanted was more train travel. . Many probably never experienced the new equipment.

Will all the aid to the highways and the airlines, most companies started giving up about the mid-50's. Some held out longer, like Santa Fe and even, yes, Union pacific.

 

[frychikn]

Back in the "good old days" railroads offset some of their passenger service losses with the government revenue they received for transporting railway post office cars and other mail cars with stamp stock, parcel post, etc. Starting in maybe the late 50's or early 60's the government eliminated the RPO's and sent the mail (even non-airmail) by plane instead. This slowed the mail down since it was no longer sorted while in transit. Most railroads were OK with providing passenger service as long as they kept getting government "mail money", but once this source of revenue was gone there was really no incentive to keep running passenger trains. When the passenger trains were carrying mail there was no way the railroads would give freight trains higher priority as the government would fine them for delaying the mail.

 

[Guest_TransAtlantic_*]

Also, for some of the larger railroads like ATSF, passenger service was a "loss leader", essentially an advertisement for the freight services; freight being much more profitable, people sent large and small quantities of goods via rail because the railroads could demonstrate how timely and efficient they were...emphasis on WERE!

 

[RailFanNebraska]

I want a postcard like that, seriously lol.

 

[Guest]

To the original poster:

What is the letter/number combo in the lower right hand corner? FYI, cards like these are referred to as "linens" because of the stock they are printed on. It looks textured up close.

While this isn't likely to be valuable, this particular card was printed by the Curt Teich factory out of Chicago.

Just wanted to know the print date of the image on the card.

A= 1930's

B= 1940's

C= 1950's

Examples

6A-XXXXX= 1936

5C=1955

4B=1944

Nice card by the way.

 

[MrFSS]

To the original poster:
What is the letter/number combo in the lower right hand corner? FYI, cards like these are referred to as "linens" because of the stock they are printed on. It looks textured up close.

While this isn't likely to be valuable, this particular card was printed by the Curt Teich factory out of Chicago.

Just wanted to know the print date of the image on the card.

A= 1930's

B= 1940's

C= 1950's

Examples

6A-XXXXX= 1936

5C=1955

4B=1944

Nice card by the way.

The numbers on the right bottom of the front are: 9A-H918.

I have just sold this card on eBay and the buyer is sending me my $'s.

Thanks!!

 

[x-press]

Of course, note the mere TWO HOUR delay due to the derailment.

Granted, we don't know the exact circumstances of this incident, but compare this to the 24-hr plus delay to the Meteor last winter due to a derailment.

Still, a good find!

JPS