Re: (erielack) "Human Remains" in Consist

["Walter Smith" <wsmith5957_@_hotmail.com>]

  Someone on the ERIE-LACKAWANNA list asked about how 'remains' (human ) 
were shipped on the EL RR. As posted by some others, it was usually in a 
coffin in the baggage car. Does anyone remember the old sheet music song 
from the 19th century "IN THE BAGGAGE CAR AHEAD"???
I saw the sheet music somewhere & it showed a little girl & her father in a 
coach & the song went on about the mother being "In the baggage car ahead".
      While on this subject, I was reminded of one night when I was working 
the passenger drill (switcher) at the Binghamton station. This engine 
switched a few meatpackers downtown but never strayed too far from the 
station since there were still several passenger trains each way & unlike 
nowadays, you had to get headend cars on or off and get out of the way so 
the road power could couple up & go. After this brisk work, there'd be a 
respite and we'd go into the station restaurant for coffee or whatever in 
the wee hours of the morning. This gave me some time to expand my knowledge 
of railroad affairs & instead of getting coffee, I sat in the baggage room 
with the old irishman who transacted the Company's business there. I'd 
noticed one baggage cart that was a little different from the others and the 
oldtimer told me that was the 'corpsewagon'. It had the regular 4 wheels 
with the front axle rotating, but this cart had a doublebed with the upper 
raising or lowering in order to slide a coffin from the door of the baggage 
car. Please don't ask me for details since I can't remember them at this 
point, but I'll bet some of the other guys on this list have seen them too. 
Speaking of baggage carts, when I worked at the original Auto-Train, they 
had 4 or 5 they'd gotten from the SCL and decided to get rid of them. I 
talked the track crew into using their backhoe to hoist one into my pickup. 
I had no idea how heavy they were and the truck was sitting down in the back 
like a speedboat as I drove home from Sanford. I finally gave the cart to 
Fred Rose who had a model train shop in Rockledge at the time.
Regards to all.
Walter E. Smith

>From: Mike Oravec <MOEL_@_paonline.com>
>Reply-To: Mike Oravec <MOEL_@_paonline.com>
>To: Smtimko_@_aol.com
>CC: erielack_@_lists.railfan.net
>Subject: Re: (erielack) "Human Remains" in Consist Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 
>21:09:06 -0500
>
>Can someone tell about how "remains" were moved in EL trains.  Forgive
>the naive questions, but was a ticket required for the deceased or is
>this considered an express shipment. Did someone have to be on the train
>accompanying the body.  Did the casket have to be crated.  Was it
>positioned in the express car by itself in a certain place (I guess they
>wouldn't pile other freight on top of it). Were most stations equipped
>to handle human remains.  Just wondering!
>
>Mike Oravec
>
>
>Smtimko_@_aol.com wrote:
>
> > #2    823-810
> >
> > Erie 543    Mail and  Baggage    Hoboken
> > Erie    400    Mail    Hoboken
> > EL    1325    Coach    Hoboken
> > EL    1320    Coach    Hoboken
> > EL    746    Diner    Hoboken
> > Tobyhanna    Hoboken
> > Rock Island    Golden  Horizon    DH    Elmira
> >
> > Remains for Corry, PA
> >
> > 7 cars
> >
> >
> >
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