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Re: (erielack) Interesting DL&W "Telegrams"

This was the standard method for an agent at an outlying station to 
reserve sleeper space.  Some railroads, probably the DL&W and from my 
own experience certainly the New York Central, would pre-apportion 
certain accommodations to larger agencies, but most of the individual 
accommodations were held by a central agency.

In this case, apparently, C. W. Radcliffe asked the V Arnts, Bangor 
agent, for a reservation, and the agent wired New York Ticket Agent W. 
F. Griffith to get the space.  Griffith wired back a confirmation to 
Arnts, who then sold the ticket for Lower 4 Car 20 Train 9..  The 
railroads usually issued the reservation schemes to all the ticket 
agents so they had a standard office to get their space.  Buffalo 
probably held most of the space on eastbound sleepers.

It is possible that the agents at Newark, Dover and Scranton might have 
a few spaces pre-apportioned to them so they did not have to wire New 
York, but that is conjecture.  If so, and New York was sold out for that 
day on No. 9, then Bangor could try wiring one of them to see if they 
had one available

I used that trick on the NYC.  Usually Boston held most of the space on 
28, the New England States, and several times they told me they were 
sold out.  Then a call to Schenectady usually produced results.  They 
didn't search for space for employees traveling on a pass, so we had to 
use our own devices.

Gordon


EL List Daily wrote:

>http://lists.railfan.net/listthumb.cgi?erielack-07-03-05
>
>telegram1.jpg (image/pjpeg, 741x477 98656 bytes, BF: 3.58 ppb)
>telegram2.jpg (image/pjpeg, 744x454 90134 bytes, BF: 3.75 ppb)
>
>Take a look at these documents.  Train number 9 was the Buffalo Limited, it went through East Stroudsburg at 11:35 pm.  What were these documents for?  Was this the standard way that sleeper space was reserved?
>
>Tim
>  
>


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