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Re: (erielack) Silk Train Expresses (fwd)

Hello Friends of Phoebe and Smiley
   
  Did any of these Silk Trains go to Paterson NJ on the ERIE Main Line? Paterson was known as the "Silk City."
   
  Keep Smilin'
  Len Allman
   
  
"J. Henry Priebe Jr." <root_@_bluemoon.net> wrote:
  
Info on old questions from a non-list member.

Henry

J. Henry Priebe Jr. Blue Moon Internet Corp Network Administrator
www.bluemoon.net Internet Access & Web Hosting
www.railfan.net Railfan Network Services

- ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 13:43:12 -0600
From: Alan Vanterpool 
Subject: Silk Train Expresses

Hello:

This e-mail addresses some of the questions posed by Messrs Schuyler and Haines in an e-mail dated 2005-12-28.

Baled silk was shipped from the Orient to North American west coast ports between ca 1870 and 1941. Between 1895 and 1935 ship loads were large enough to warrent unit trains of between ca five and 14 cars. These trains usually had rights over all other trains. The silk was shipped in baggage cars, box baggage cars and reefers, usually of the originating western railway. Thus when they were interchanged with mid-western and/or eastern roads, the cars on the accepting railways were "foreign". Outside 1895 and 1935 the silk-laden cars were attached to passenger express trains.

The CNR operated 100 silk cars between ca.1924 and ca. 1935. They interchanged at Buffalo with the NYC, PRR, Erie and DL&W. In 1927 there were 12 such interchanges shared equally amongst the four eastern railways. The CNR, CPR and GNR publicized their silk train operations, but most other roads did not. I suspect the UP and NYC operated more silk trains than all other roads combined but there is very little information in the literature on this.

As far as I have been able to find out , in addition to the roads already noted, two subsidiaries of the UP, the D&RGW, SP, AT&SF, NP, Wabash, Reading, CB&Q, CNW, MStP&P and NJC also transported silk.

Regards,

Alan Vanterpool,
Edmonton, AB.



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