Train Numbers on RID - Jesse James Cars

I think most of us know the Harriman-style prewar coaches used by CRI&P were called Jesse James cars. I ran across this really neat pic by my new favorite photographer, Marty Bernard. It appears La Salle carmen would chalk the train number onto the back of the last car for ease of identification by commuters. Not quite the flat-screen plasma TV's one finds in most stations today to show track assignments.



Fantastic pic, thanks to Marty for posting this treasure.

Interesting that 516 is an inbound train... hmmm. And it looks like that same signal is still in use at Blue Island today.

I always heard those cars referred to as the "Capone cars." I guess very blandly, they're the "criminal cars."

I've also heard that during the Rock Island - RTA transition years those cars would be pulled by F40s during off-peak afternoon runs, when HVAC was less of an issue and they could get by without providing it.

PLEASE... POST... PICTURES!!!

That would be the neatest F40 picture I've ever seen. I have never heard that story, but it would be on the Rock Island that it comes true. Thanks for the awesome xmas present, byte.

Similar concept on NJT: F40PH and GP7P pulling ex-CNJ coaches of similar vintage.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=447219

Try this Tadman, this photo is dated 1978. Sorry if the pic comes out weird, this is my first time posting a pic on this site.

I believe that CalTrain did the same thing with Espee's Harriman cars briefly before the Sumitomo bilevels arrived (ca. 1985/86)

Everyone: Yes-that is a good pic near Blue Island by Marty Bernard - is it dated? Those cars remind me of similar ones that the LIRR had until the mid 70s. Did those "Jesse James" cars have traps in their vestibules? I do not remember.
As for the chalked-on train number - I recall that signs were placed on the last car with the departure time on it - I do not recall if they had destinations like "Joliet" or "Blue Island" but for some reason I recall "Suburban Line" though.

Back a few months ago I mentioned an article in the June 1986 issue of Trains Magazine by Ed W. King about his memories working as Manager-Suburban Services in the late 70s - there were color pics of a brand-new RTA F40 pulling old equipment as mentioned here as a good example. The RI cars that interested me were those single-level cars with the large low-level platform doors-how many of those did the RI have and were they Pullman-Standard built as I believe?

The Rock Island Suburban Service was indeed an operating railroad museum of sorts in the 70s-the likes of which we may never see again! Thoughts and insight from MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:As for the chalked-on train number - I recall that signs were placed on the last car with the departure time on it - I do not recall if they had destinations like "Joliet" or "Blue Island" but for some reason I recall "Suburban Line" though.

Makes more sense, as there was a 5:16 departure which was an express train to Midlothian which continued on to Joliet.

MACTRAXX wrote:The RI cars that interested me were those single-level cars with the large low-level platform doors-how many of those did the RI have and were they Pullman-Standard built as I believe?

There were 20 of them, and they were indeed built by Pullman-Standard.

that picture brings back at lot of memories for me. i lived on carpenter street at 89 street which was at the foot of the enbankment for the Rock Island commuter tracks. i can just barely recall those cars going by throughout the day. what i fondly remember are the "doubledecks" or "bilevels" and in particular the "square or boxy " red engine that used to pull/push some of the trains. i believe that engine was one of a kind, formerly used on the "Rocket". i have been told that the neighborhood is now nothing but a ghetto-thanks to "blockjumping".

The lightweight single-levels used on RID were "Cattle Cars", and were at one time painted green like Jesse James cars, and then painted red like the red P-S bilevels. I really enjoy pics of the red suburban equipment.

And that Ed King article about 1970's RI suburban service was a favorite of mine as a kid. Great stories.

wintower wrote:what i fondly remember are the "doubledecks" or "bilevels" and in particular the "square or boxy " red engine that used to pull/push some of the trains. i believe that engine was one of a kind, formerly used on the "Rocket".

That was an AB6, and only two of them were ever built, both for the Rock Island. They were basically E6Bs with cabs, and were originally built for the Rocky Mountain Rocket. The idea was to split the train up at Limon, CO, with the AB6 taking some of the cars to Colorado Springs while the rest of the train went to Denver. In that era, maintaining the streamlined appearance of the train was important - coupling up E-units "elephant style" would have been a no-no.

Eventually they were equipped with HEP and used for commuter service. I remember seeing them in Mokena when I was a kid; it was much later that I found that they were built that way and not just "hacked" B-units.