DL&W Passenger train consists with foreign road equipmen

Until late 1950s there was a Hoboken-Detroit sleeper forwarded from Buffalo via the NYC's Canada Southern-Michigan Central route. Don't know who provided the cars; probably both roads or maybe the road that wanted to provide the service the most. Don't know the manuever at Buffalo.
Also there was a Philadelphia-Syracuse routing until about same time on the INTERSTATE EXPRESS. Reading-CNJ-DL & W. Probably these were DL & W cars because the other two roads most likely didn't own any sleepers.

The Detroit sleeper was always Lackawanna, don't remember ever seeing the gray stripes of NYC. And the Philadelphia-Syracuse INTERSTATE EXPRESS cars were also always DL&W cars Poplar Bluff and Poplar Ridge, I believe.(?)

Was there ever any equipment from the New York Central spliced into Lackawanna trains?

Dieter.

Oh, yeh. ..but I can remember seeing it only once....except for troop movements and Herald American Fresh Air trains to upstate NY. But, being in school most of the time (yes, I was a good boy) and rarely seeing #15 or #19 or #8 or #10, I can't say. I did have a freind who used to "log" or "OS" trains and note oddities but he's long gone and I don't have a connection to his records.

***Also there was a Philadelphia-Syracuse routing until about same time on the INTERSTATE EXPRESS. Reading-CNJ-DL & W. Probably these were DL & W cars because the other two roads most likely didn't own any sleepers.***

The Interstate Express, I think, might have been a Washington-Syracuse train and would've involved the B&O as well. Although this train was a multiple joint operation, it was more or less officially a CNJ/DL&W train. A number of us train-weenies(most of us in our 40s/50s) have been trying to figure out forever just how this train moved from the CNJ to the DL&W in Scranton. CNJ's passenger station was downtown, and the only interchange between the two roads was in Taylor Yard, so if you were traveling SCR-SYR, just how the heck did you board this train, and where? Anyone have any thoughts on this? If so, great. FWIW, and so you don't think me nuts, DL&W operated all sorts of odd-ball passenger routings in the 30s/40s and even 50s. For instance, DL&W once ran a through sleeper Syracuse-Piittsburgh via Williamsport.

One more thought. There is at least anecdotal evidence that what was left of the Interstate Express operated into the 60s, maybe 63/64/65. But, but, the train itself didn't roster on any timetable or schedule. In typical railroad fashion, they continued to run this train but didn't want anyone knowing it was there, because it might've spoiled their plans to kill the American passenger train. Which raises the question, just who did kill the American passenger train? Did lack of passengers bring about bad service? Or did bad service drive away passengers? Maybe a combination of the two? Thinking out loud here, thanks...

There was a lot of bad-service-by-design done by many roads. For example, Pennsy's Washington - Buffalo day train in the last years would make everyone get off in Harrisburg, they'd pull the train a couple of hundred feet down off the platform for about a half hour, then bring it back and reload again. There was no operational reason: it was by design by the legal and finance departments who wanted to show drops in ridership so they could file with the ICC to drop the trains.

The bad service on the Philadelphia - Scranton train reached its nadir when they took off all passenger equipement and only handled mail. That was the case in 1958, and I don't know when it ended. That's why it didn't show in the public timetables. It was more than a simple lack of advertising.

The Interstate Express moved over CNJ trackage rights on the D&H from Hudson to Minooka Jct., where it went back onto the CNJ. The public timetables (when it carried passengers) show it stopping at the CNJ station in Scranton, not the DL&W. It would have run to Taylor and up the Bloom to Bridge 60, then west as best as I can tell. I don't have a DL&W Scranton Division timetable from that era.

In 1953, it followed DL&W 15 from Scranton, arriving Binghamton 17 minutes later. Eastward, it departed Binghamton 21 minutes after DL&W 10. So it was a separate train to Binghamton. Trains 10 and 15 show a passenger connection with it at Binghamton for Syracuse.

After the pasenger equipment came off, it connected with 10 and 15 for mail at Scranton. D&H 205 and 208 also connected with 10 and 15, at Binghamton.

In 1930, the through cars originated at Reading Terminal, Philadelphia. The train connected with B&O New York - Washington trains at Wayne Jct. but did not exchange equipment. Also, in 1930 Train 301 arrived Binghamton 10 minutes behind No. 15, and Train 306 departed Binghamton 15 minutes ahead of No. 10. Coincidental??

January 1947 Official Guide shows a B&O train from Washington to Phila (Chestnut St. stagion). Then Train 301 (Interstate Express) appears to start from Reading Terminal almost three hours later. Equipment is a sleeper from Phila - Syracuse; coaches from Phila - Binghamton, and other coaches from there to Syracuse.

Lv. Phila 11:45 pm
Wayne Jnct 12:02 am
Lansdale 12:32
Bethlemen 1:23
Allentown 1:48
Munch Chunk 2:40
Wilkes-Barre 4:24
Scranton is shown as ..... (no routing nor stops there)
Binghamton arr 6:42 am
Lv Binghamton 7:45 with stops at Whitney Point, Marathon, Cortland, Homer, and Tully
Arr. Syracuse 10:00 am

The return is a duplicate except the Reading had a Dining Clug car from Bethlehem to Phila.

Apologies on last post: It was the January 1952 Official Guide.

Looking over on the CNJ timetables, Train 301 made a stop in Scranton at 5:33am. The returning train #306 also did at 1:35 am.

on the Interstate Express was actually on the Hyde Park Wye west leg and at neither the DL or CNJ stas. Crew and engine change were facilitated there. So were the passengers driven to eithre station?