Another old timetable question

[charlesriverbranch]

This one concerns an L&N timetable dated April 29, 1951. Among the trains listed therein is #1/4, The Azalean. In table A, the timetable appears to show it going from New York to New Orleans via Pittsburgh and Cincinnati; but in table B, a train with the same name and numbers is scheduled to go New York to New Orleans via Washington, Charlotte, and Atlanta. The two identically designated trains appear to combine between Montgomery and New Orleans. The Pittsburgh/Cincinnati version of the train also served Memphis, it would seem.

Moreover, it seems that not a single car of this train actually went the whole way; some are listed as New Orleans - Cincinnati, others Cincinnati - Pittsburgh, others Pittsburgh - New York, and still others Memphis - Cincinnati. These sound like at least four different trains, but they all have the same name and numbers. Was this sort of thing peculiar to the L&N?

[edbear]

Azelean was a Cincinnati-New Orleans train of the L & N. Whatever schedules are shown north/east of Cincinnati are through cars only from the Pennsylvania RR. I do not have that timetable in front of me, but the Pennsylvania and L & N operated through cars on a variety of each one's trains from New York to Memphis and Nashville and Pittsburgh to Birmingham (steel mill related travel). This was through the Cincinnati gateway but a whole train did not run through, just a car or two. The connection at Montgomery was probably just that, a connection. The Southern Railway has two through trains from Washington to New Orleans via Atlanta then the A&WP-WRyofAla to Montgomery, L & N the rest of the way. The Crescent was the top train and the other one was the Piedmont Ltd. If the Azelean picked up a car at Montgomery it was just a car. Back in the great days of passenger trains one could also travel from NY to Memphis via Washington, usually just through cars from the Pennsylvania RR to the Southern and Southern participated on two other New Orleans routes with through cars from New York to Washington via the Pennsylvania RR. They were Southern, all the way Washington-New Orleans and Southern-Lynchburg-N&W Bristol-Southern via Birmingham to Meridian and through to New Orleans. Both these routes had through trains from Washington south, through cars from New York.

[charlesriverbranch]

The listing on table B ("New York and New Orleans") reads:

No. 1 - The Azalean
Lounge (Parlor) New York - Washington
Sleeper S74 Washington - New Orleans (12 Sections, 1 Drawing Room)
Dining Cars:
New York - Washington
Monroe (5:40PM) - Greensboro
Montgomery - New Orleans
Coaches:
New York - Washington
Washington - Atlanta (Sou. Ry. 35) (Reclining Seats)
Atlanta - Montgomery (Reclining Seats)
Montgomery - New Orleans (Reclining Seats)

... and in table A ("Cincinnati to Memphis and New Orleans), I read:

No 1 - The Azalean
Sleepers K374 Pittsburgh - Birmingham (10 Sections 2 Compartments 1 Drawing Room)
Parlor Cars 818 Birmingham - Montgomery (12 Sections 1 Drawing Room)
Parlor Cars S74 Montgomery - New Orleans (12 Sections 1 Drawing Room)
Dining Cars:
Pittsburgh - Columbus
Cincinnati - Louisville
Birmingham - New Orleans
Coaches:
New York - Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh - Cincinnati (Reclining Seats)
Cincinnati - New Orleans (Reclining Seats)
Flomaton - Pensacola

Well, at least you had a one-seat ride in coach Cincinnati - New Orleans, but the train you got off was almost completely different from the one you boarded in Cincinnati.

Of the trains in this timetable, only The Hummingbird and The New Crescent are labeled as "diesel-powered"; presumably all the others were still steam.

[edbear]

Most L & N passenger trains probably had diesel power by the early 1950s. L & N bought its first E6 passenger diesels in 1942. While big steam lasted on freights until about 1956, passenger trains passenger service was entrusted to diesels, early.