Page:Brunswick 100 Years of Memories.pdf/50

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"The Columbia n" (Numbers 25 and 26), all-coach

streamlin ed counterpa rt to "The Capitol Limited," and the "Shenand oah" (Numbers 7 and 8). Between Washingt on and St. Louis the deluxe train was the streamline d "National Limited" (Numbers 1 and 2), and "The Diplomat" (Numbers 3 and 4). Trains 19 and 20, "The Ambassad or," worked between Washingt on and Detroit and the Cleveland run saw two trains each way - "The Cleveland Night Express" (Numbers 17 and 18), and "The Washingtonian" (Numbers 21 and 22). Also carried on that 1948 timetable were trains 75 and 76, "The Cincinnatian." Trainsets of five streamlin ed coaches were matched with streamlined President-class Pacific-type engines, all painted B&O royal blue with chrome trim. Introduce d in January 1947, the train drew a large Brunswick crowd for its maiden run. It was moved to the Detroit-Cincinnati corridor in1950 after the expected traffic between Baltimore /Washing ton and Cincinnati did not materialize, but during the time it did run through our town, it was just about the prettiest thing on any railroad, anywhere . Despite aU the efforts to attract passenger s with new services and equipmen t, the number of passenger trains in America steadily declined, and the railroads themselves generally regarded passenger service as a money-losing proposition. American 's love affair with their automobile, enhanced even further by the Interstate highway system, finally put an end to most passenger service offered by individua l railroads. In 1970 Congress created the National Railroad Passenger Corporati on to provide inter-city passenger service on a skeletonized network under the operating name of Amtrak. The only Amtrak operation through Brunswick is a run between Washington and Chicago. While still carrying the name "Capitol Limited," it uses former B&O trackage only east of Pittsburgh . It is combined with "The Broadway " on the old PRR and uses Conrail between Pittsburgh and Chicago. That may change, however, as alternate routes west of Pittsburgh , some including old B&O trackage, are being considered.Commuter service has become the province of state and local jurisdictions, and on that score Brunswick comes out okay. Now operated by MARC Train Service, there are six morning and one mid-aftern oon departure s to Washington, coupled with one morning and six afternoon-early evening westboun d returns. This excellent service is a valuable asset to our communit y.

SNUFF TRAIN AND DOODL EBUG Brunswick people developed a pattern of shopping in Hagerstow n, most availing themselves of the free transporta tion offered to railroad employees and their families. Relatively lightweig ht power was used on the single-track rural branch line from Weverton , with early trains of one to three cars pulled by smaU Atlantic or Ten-Wheeler engines. One of the trains was a "Mixed," handling both freight and passenger cars on the same run. At some point long past, one of the trains was dubbed "The Snuff Train." In trying to learn the origin of that name, Harry Allgire, long-time conductor who had once worked the job, said it was because the engineer (name no longer recalled) used a lot of snuff and expectora ted abundantl y. Any crewman or passenger unlucky enough to have a hand or arm outside a window while the train was in motion was likely to get bespattere d. Whatever its roots, the name stuck among local people.Always looking for ways to cut costs, the B&O assigned a self-propelled gas-electric car to the run. The unit was about the size of an ordinary passenger coach with its front area devoted to a gasoline engine which powered electric traction motors, and a place for the engineer. It seated about fifty and produced sufficient tractive effort to pull itself and one car. For many years an old swayback wooden baggage car handled the mail, express, and baggage chores while clanking along behind. Black and white zebra stripes adorning the front end and a distinctive air horn made it easy to identify the train which gathered a flock of nicknames, such as- "Motor Bus," "Jitney," "Toonerville," and "Doodleb ug." Passenger service had long been reduced to one-a-day, and that April 1948 timetable had the remaining train departing Brunswick as Number 73 at 9:10 AM and arriving Hagerstow n 10:10 AMthat is 26.9 miles in one hour! The train left Hagerstown as Number 74 at 12:45 PM, returning to Brunswick at 1:45; then departed for Frederick at 2:10, arriving at 2:45-tha t is 45 minutes for 21 rail miles. On its final leg as Number 71, the train left Frederick at 3:55 PM, arriving Brunswick at 4:45. B&O passenger service to Hagerstow n and Frederick ended in Novembe r 1949. The Hagerstown Branch was abandone d in the late 1970's and was then torn up. S - Harry Allgire, Fred Wegenroth W-BRH

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