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Re: (erielack) Flying Saucer

According to my father-in-law, an operator at WR tower in Huntington, the
nickname "Flying Saucer" was applied to the trains by Wade Brodbeck who was
the Assistant Chief Dispatcher at Huntington [IN]. Brodbeck referred to the
"Flying Saucer" in reports to Youngstown or Cleveland and the name stuck.

- ----- Original Message -----
From: RICHARD WISNESKI <"CPLNRCW_@_njtransit.state.nj.us">
To: erielack <"erielack_@_internexus.net">
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 1999 6:20 AM
Subject: (erielack) Flying Saucer


> Hi Listers
>
> Below is AJ Erdman's response to this question.
>
> Rich Wisneski
>
> > The Erie ran a hot shot called the Flying Saucer in the 1950's.
> >
> > Can anyone give me some history on this fast freight?
> >
> > Was the name used in the steam era?
> >
> > Did it survive into Erie Lackawanna?
> >
> > Thx!
> >
> >  Jack Grasso
>
>
>
> As I had been told back in the 1960's, the Erie Railroad called NY100 and
NY99
> the "Flying Saucers" after an employee at Croxton Yard remarked that the
> departing Hot Shot merchandise train left Croxton Yard like a "Flying
Saucer".
> This occurred in the mid-1950's and the trains had been diesel operated
for a
> number of years. We still used the term "Flying Saucer" to describe the 99
and
> 100 service well into the EL years. The term was not used when steam power
was
> used for those trains. When the term was first used, the 99 and 100
service was
> not exclusively TOFC, as it later developed. Most of the traffic was
freight
> forwarding between New York and Chicago. Up until the early 1970's, there
were
> always several boxcars just ahead of NY99's caboose, which were Acme Fast
> Freight Company cars for the west. These cars were pulled out of Orange
Street
> Yard by the 2nd Shift Pusher at about 800PM and run out to Croxton to add
to
> the rear end of the predominentley piggyback NY99.
>
>
> A J Erdman
>
>
>  ------------------------------------------------------------
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