I'm a huge Cards fan and they were talking about this and showing some pictures on the broadcast last night.
I thought it was pretty cool. I'm not sure if they really added 3 private cars to the standard train that goes from WAS to PHI like the article said. The game they were playing in Washington before they left lasted like 5-6 hours because of a rain delays. I doubt they would have made any train that was scheduled to leave Washington. I think it was just a charter train.
Also, the Cardinals newly acquired leftfielder, Matt Holliday, was playing against the Yankees in New York and he took the train to Philadelphia to meet up with the Cards.
Train travel is becoming a hit in Major League Baseball.
-------------------- Heros get remembered, but Legends never die. Follow your heart and you'll never go wrong. Posts: 547 | From: St. Louis, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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Once upon a time, it was the rule rather than the exception. Of course, that was when there were only 16 teams, and none further west than where you are. I'll never forget watching the Brooklyn Dodgers board a NYC train (Ohio Limited?) at GCT in NY back in 1954 to go on the road vs. the Cincinnati Reds.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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NYC Trains 15-16 Ohio State Limited
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Several years ago I met former Yankees all-star second baseman at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes dinner. He told me how in his early years the players found ways to pass the time during train trips by playing cards, discussing strategy, etc. as that was THE mode of travel in those days. He seemed to enjoy train travel. Of course before long the league expanded to the west coast and air travel became the standard.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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train lady, you lost me on that one. NY to Cinncinati on the Ohio State Limited was a direct run. Left GCT 4:00 pm and arrived in the Queen City at 8:40 the next morning.
Why on earth would they go to Chicago???
My point was that up until the mid-50's, most major league ball clubs were still using the railroads as their primary travel method. The advent of major league expansion to the west coast and the more or less simultaneous beginning of the jet age put an end to that.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Mike, I meant why did they go from St. Louis to Philly to Washington . Why not go St. Louis to Chicago and Chicago to DC. Why did they go to Philly at all?
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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train lady, this is like an Abbott and Costello routine! OK, we're not talking about the old Brooklyn Dodgers, just the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals.
Stay with me on this. The Cardinals found themselves in Washington on Thurs., 7/23 to play a game with the Nationals of that city (a make-up game from an earlier rainout). Now, they have to travel to Philadelphia from Washington to play a weekend series with the Phillies beginning on Fri., 7/24.
THE BIG NEWS IS THAT THEY RODE THE NEC FROM DC TO PHILLY INSTEAD OF MAYBE TAKING A BUS OR EVEN FLYING. CHICAGO DOESN'T ENTER INTO THE DISCUSSION (AT LEAST NOT UNTIL THE CARDS HAVE TO PLAY THEM THERE).
No, I don't know how the Cards got to Washingon to play their makeup game; I assume they flew.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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The model railroad my brother and I are creating will carry baseball teams on occasion. I have been unable to find anything that gives me an idea what accommodations teams might have had in the early 50's.
Based on a 25 man roster plus manager, coaches, etc. we'll probably use a couple 12sec-1Dr cars and an 8sec-lge. This assumes that even in those days players would not have been in a upper berth. Ocala Mike / Silver Star, do you recall what cars were involved?
In addition we'll operate occasional baseball specials - a topic I believe covered here before. Ours will be based on the ones we rode from Wilmington to Philadelphia for Phillies games.
More on topic, as a Braves fan I was pleased to see them also use Acela WAS-PHL last year. The first time many of them had been on a train.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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You know, Palmland, that is a great question. Maybe GBN could weigh in on whether extra cars were assigned to trains when a team was traveling, and who got what type of accommodation.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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The Red Sox have taken the Acela. There was a News story on one of the Boston tv stations about 2 years ago. Along with a couple of interior shots of the Acela Coach, it showed a catered spread Amtrak provided. The piece also featured comments from team members. (Much nicer spread than any I have ever seen on Amtrak.) I have heard mention of other such trips by the TV broadcast team that covers them.
I would suspect that other teams located on the Northeast corrider also make use of the Acela from time to time.
Dee
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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yes it was getting rather "whooze on first" The explanation is simple..I misread the article. I read it as the team going from Philly to DC instead of visa vesa. so now the subject is put to rest. I can see why you were so confused Mike.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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That's ok, trainlady; I was born confused, and there's no reason to change at this late date!
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Here is an excerpt from the July 25,2009 St. Louis Post Dispatch
CARDS RIDE TRAIN
La Russa said all that was missing from the Cardinals' train trip back in time late Thursday night was "Red Schoendienst and Stan Musial ad-libbing some stories."
The Cards took a charter train from Washington to Philadelphia, a mode of transportation that organization hasn't used in four decades.
The train the Cardinals took Thursday night had areas with first-class seating, a food bar and a car with tables and chairs for cards.
"Outstanding," La Russa said. "We expected something special and it was so good that it was even better than we expected. In fact, I told (travel secretary C.J. Cherre) to book a train from Philadelphia to St. Louis."
Andy
Posts: 120 | From: Arizona | Registered: Mar 2007
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Unless they bring the National Limited back, the travel secretary is going to have a hard time filling that request without going through (you guessed it) Chicago!
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Move over Mike the confusion place is crowded. You see..I told you they should go through Chicago.Oh no, not again!!!
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Hopefully other teams might start doing this to, you could easily do it for east coast teams playing the east coast, same with the midwest, and the pacific coast, seeing Amtrak has fairly frequent service in the areas where the teams are. Now some teams are a little out of the way but it could work for them too, if they travel thru the night. If they charted a train they probably could go without passing thru Chicago.
Posts: 465 | From: elgin (s-line) | Registered: Dec 2008
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amtrak92, how do you charter a train today without going through Amtrak and over rails that currently see passenger service?
Sure, the freight railroads could (and probably do) route freight from Philly to St. Louis without going through Chicago, but even if a baseball team owned a private car(s), they would still have to tack it onto an Amtrak train, unless they had a travel operation similar in scale to the RBBB circus.
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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i know for a fact that the new york football giants use the train when playing washington and baltimore. the hockey rangers and the capitals also use amtak. the boston bruins play their games above north station and probably utilize amtrak on the east coast also.
-------------------- The Copper Country Limited [Milwaukee Road-Soo Line] and the Peninsula 400 [CNW} still my favorites Posts: 175 | From: FENCE WI USA | Registered: Oct 2000
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wow I work the cardinals charter flights ....i know how much they drink and the catering and food service is incredible with HUGE amounts of waste.
For the most part the players are quite nice...but I dont really miss working those charters. THey are just too much work compared to a regular trip and only occassionaly pick them up.
Posts: 54 | From: Saint Louis | Registered: Jan 2008
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birdchops, that must be like cleaning up after a frat boys party, especially after a tough loss or tough series. Any food fights? Harassment of the crew?
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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birdchops, you sure called that correctly! I have worked a few of the train charters for the sports teams, and you are talking about food for 150 people and only 50-60 people on the train. I have not worded one in 3-4 years, either. The "newer employees" always want to work them to get a chance to "meet" the sports figures, but quickly find out they just want to be left alone...
Posts: 332 | From: Long Island, NY USA | Registered: Jan 2004
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Hey Birdchops, if you still work the Cardinal's flights I bet you're happy that Chris Duncan was traded. I've heard he's quite a party animal.
And I agree with Ocala Mike, lets hear some stories.
-------------------- Heros get remembered, but Legends never die. Follow your heart and you'll never go wrong. Posts: 547 | From: St. Louis, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 2002
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I'm sure those great old train stations along the NYC and Pennsylvania lines could field a "Field of Dreams" of great old teams from the 3 NY teams, 2 Boston teams 2 Philadelphia teams and poor old Washington, First in War, First in Peace and last in the American League. venturing across the continent to the industrial mid-west and off to the two western teams of St. Louis, and the southern team in Cincinatti.
Posts: 516 | From: New Haven, CT USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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no, no food fights per se. I dont really care how pujols pokes me on the hip when he wants something instead of stating it...which I have subsuquently learned is possibly a D.R. thing and really nothing else.
I have found that though most of the guys are nice enough, there are some really REALLY stupid men on baseball teams. Seriously. Once I was asked (mind you im an R.N. as well) if the Tums should be "chewed or swallowed hole??". The players are always well dressed for the most part and usually well behaved.
By the way Ocala Mike, I dont get harrassed. NEVER. I would have no reservations about telling anyone off, not even the CEO of my own rinky dink airline if he questioned my authority. Just this week I had an unaccompanied minor walk off the plane after i specifically told them "I WILL COME GET YOU". I called his mother at home and read her the riot act...and I dont care if she got pissed off or not.
Regardless, the food waste is incredible. I really REALLY liked Jimmy Edmunds. I miss him, he was the most mannered, personable, "yes ma'am, no ma'am, please, thank you" guy out there and always meticulously dressed.
Posts: 54 | From: Saint Louis | Registered: Jan 2008
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I remember a story my dad told me about my traveling salesman grandfather riding a midwest passenger train in the 1930s. He was in his roomette at night, and could hear the wheels clacking. He had read a sports page headline that day that said "Heinie Manush to play today."
That headline verbiage to the cadence of the Pullman's clickety clack stuck in his head, repeating over and over: "Hei-nie Man-ush to-play to-day...Hei-nie Man-ush to-play to-day..."
On another trip that season he actually met Heinie, who was traveling by train with the St. Louis Browns to a road game.
p.s. Heinie was a lefty, career BA .330, who hit a league-leading .378 one year with Detroit.
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