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(erielack) Phrom our postcard collection



Lynn and List, I apologize if this has already been covered, but "Phoebe
Snow" was also the name of DL&W's pair of flagship passenger trains between
New York and Buffalo (with connection to Cleveland and Chicago via the
Nickel Plate, IIRC). It ran until the EL merger in 1960, but the name was
briefly revived by the Wm White administration for one pair of
Hoboken-Chicago trains from
(?)1963-1968 which was routed over the former Erie west of Binghamton. Of
note on the pc is the obs car carrying green flags which indicated "section
following". These were generally placed on the locomotive (or indicated by
green class lights); did some RR's also place them on the last car (not just
on pc's)? It would certainly have been helpful (and reassuring) to someone
who arrived late at the station and saw their train pulling away!

Paul B

> 1) If I understand this all correctly, the Phoebe Snow was
> the name of ... an engine? Lots of engines? When did the
> Phoebe Snow first appear?


Phoebe Snow was a mythical character that the DL&W used in the early 20th
century to extol the virtues of their use of anthracite (or "hard") coal in
their locomotives. Anthracite tended to burn very cleanly, emitting little
ash or cinder out of the locomotive's smoke stack.

The idea here was that Phoebe had a bright white dress on, showing how
confident she was of the Lackawanna to get her to where she was going
without soiling her dress with coal soot.





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