For all of You Train Lovers
- Thread starter khryslerkid
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E 3/3 with electric boiler heating.
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Sometimes you need a bigger crane.
- Local time
- 9:41 PM
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2012
- Messages
- 18,658
- Reaction score
- 37,311
- Location
- Surrey, B.C. Canada
The Silk Trains...
Running from the late 1890s to the 1930s, special high speed express trains were developed with one duty - hauling bales of raw silk, fresh off the ships from the Orient. From the Vancouver docks to the garment district of New York, these trains had express priority over any other train on the tracks and went flat out the entire trip, reaching 90 mph. on the straight runs.
Complete with police escort, these highly insured trains often carried millions of dollars worth of silk with one particular CN train in Oct. 1927 loaded with 7200 bales, $7,000,000 worth which was a pretty good sum in those days.
The priority for silk was so high that customs brokers would often board the ship at the previous stop (usually Victoria) before landing in Vancouver to get the paperwork moving. There wasn't a duty charged on raw silk (it entered the continent under “immediate transportation entry goods" criteria), but the bales were still inspected to make sure they weren't concealing or smuggling anything else. Once docked, the race was on; insurance timing started at this point (about $600 per hour for each million dollars of silk), the crews started getting the bales of silk unloaded even before passengers disembarked, and they were loaded into a waiting train consisting of special watertight cars with smooth paper lined walls for this purpose. As soon as loading was finished, the doors were sealed and the engineer took off, often on the move in less than two hours after the ship docked.
Part of the high speed run included planning ahead. When pulling into the next station, while the rail cars were quickly inspected and oiled, the smoking hot locomotive was uncoupled and a fresh one with new crew was added, all ready to continue in about six or seven minutes from arrival to departure.
Knowing ahead of time when the ship would arrive, the railroads would prep the special trains with a thorough inspection of all running gear to ensure smooth operations. While enroute, the trains would cover 1,000 miles each day (running non stop day and night) so each 1,000 mile section of track was inspected a day ahead to check for rocks and debris, and locking and spiking any troublesome switches to make sure they were fixed in the correct position. Telegraph agents and station masters were on high alert.
At just over 2400 miles, the travel time from Vancouver to New York was about three and a half days.
As well as CN and CP, American trains made similar runs, often leaving ports in Seattle, Los Angeles or San Francisco for their destination in Chicago.
These special trains came to an end in the 1930s for a few reasons. It was the depression and demand for silk decreased as people switched to cheaper fabrics and synthetics, plus air travel was becoming reliable enough and much faster so it started to take over.
But for awhile, about twenty times a month from all these ports these special steamers gave people a thrill across the country as the mighty engines flew past farms, towns, bridges and roads as fast as conditions would allow.
A 1930 article in Railroad Man's Magazine said in part:
Way for a silk train! Hottest hot shot of them all. Lord of high iron. Eighty hours
from the Pacific Coast to New York. Faster than the fastest all rail passenger
service!
Twenty-five armed guards protecting the precious million–dollar cargo. No
schedule other than the greatest possible speed consistent with safety. Clear board
for the silk. You drags!
As a topic of general conversation silk trains are taboo, banned, forbidden,
disallowed, barred, excluded, unsanctioned.” for railroad officials. Silk traffic was
very subject to theft. Utmost precautions were taken to keep information on the
routing of silk trains from unauthorized hands. Unexpected rerouting at the last
minute was one device used to avert potential holdups. Train times were
constantly changed
Running from the late 1890s to the 1930s, special high speed express trains were developed with one duty - hauling bales of raw silk, fresh off the ships from the Orient. From the Vancouver docks to the garment district of New York, these trains had express priority over any other train on the tracks and went flat out the entire trip, reaching 90 mph. on the straight runs.
Complete with police escort, these highly insured trains often carried millions of dollars worth of silk with one particular CN train in Oct. 1927 loaded with 7200 bales, $7,000,000 worth which was a pretty good sum in those days.
The priority for silk was so high that customs brokers would often board the ship at the previous stop (usually Victoria) before landing in Vancouver to get the paperwork moving. There wasn't a duty charged on raw silk (it entered the continent under “immediate transportation entry goods" criteria), but the bales were still inspected to make sure they weren't concealing or smuggling anything else. Once docked, the race was on; insurance timing started at this point (about $600 per hour for each million dollars of silk), the crews started getting the bales of silk unloaded even before passengers disembarked, and they were loaded into a waiting train consisting of special watertight cars with smooth paper lined walls for this purpose. As soon as loading was finished, the doors were sealed and the engineer took off, often on the move in less than two hours after the ship docked.
Part of the high speed run included planning ahead. When pulling into the next station, while the rail cars were quickly inspected and oiled, the smoking hot locomotive was uncoupled and a fresh one with new crew was added, all ready to continue in about six or seven minutes from arrival to departure.
Knowing ahead of time when the ship would arrive, the railroads would prep the special trains with a thorough inspection of all running gear to ensure smooth operations. While enroute, the trains would cover 1,000 miles each day (running non stop day and night) so each 1,000 mile section of track was inspected a day ahead to check for rocks and debris, and locking and spiking any troublesome switches to make sure they were fixed in the correct position. Telegraph agents and station masters were on high alert.
At just over 2400 miles, the travel time from Vancouver to New York was about three and a half days.
As well as CN and CP, American trains made similar runs, often leaving ports in Seattle, Los Angeles or San Francisco for their destination in Chicago.
These special trains came to an end in the 1930s for a few reasons. It was the depression and demand for silk decreased as people switched to cheaper fabrics and synthetics, plus air travel was becoming reliable enough and much faster so it started to take over.
But for awhile, about twenty times a month from all these ports these special steamers gave people a thrill across the country as the mighty engines flew past farms, towns, bridges and roads as fast as conditions would allow.
A 1930 article in Railroad Man's Magazine said in part:
Way for a silk train! Hottest hot shot of them all. Lord of high iron. Eighty hours
from the Pacific Coast to New York. Faster than the fastest all rail passenger
service!
Twenty-five armed guards protecting the precious million–dollar cargo. No
schedule other than the greatest possible speed consistent with safety. Clear board
for the silk. You drags!
As a topic of general conversation silk trains are taboo, banned, forbidden,
disallowed, barred, excluded, unsanctioned.” for railroad officials. Silk traffic was
very subject to theft. Utmost precautions were taken to keep information on the
routing of silk trains from unauthorized hands. Unexpected rerouting at the last
minute was one device used to avert potential holdups. Train times were
constantly changed
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