Was there a real Track 29?
Phillip Hopkins
been wondering about the old Glenn Miller tune, "Chattanooga Choo Choo".
I am curious as to what was the real name of this train referred to as
the "Choo Choo" in this song during the WWII time period.
Was there really a Track 29 at Terminal Station in Chattanooga? If so,
what about tracks 1 - 28? Seems like a lot of tracks for a mid-size
city.
If this was a real train, what was the route of this train during the
1940s? The lyrics of the song ("ham and eggs in Carolina") suggest a
NYC, Washington, Greensboro (NC), Chattanooga route. I wonder what was
the exact route from NC through the mountains and into Tennessee. Was
this via Asheville and Knoxville?
Trivia buffs help me out! Thanks.
Phillip Hopkins
James Robinson
>
> I am curious as to what was the real name of this train referred to as
> the "Choo Choo" in this song during the WWII time period.
It was a fictitious train on a fictitious route.
> Was there really a Track 29 at Terminal Station in Chattanooga?
The track 29 referred to in the song was in Pennsylvania Station,
presumably the one in New York City.
"Pardon me boys, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
Yes, Yes, Track 29,
boy you can give me a shine...
You leave the Pennsylvania station 'bout a quarter to four
Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore..."
Bob Cannon
Carolinas. The route was through Washington, DC, Lynchburg, Roanoke, and
Bristol, VA, Knoxville, TN and then Chattanooga. Trains from the Northeast
through Chattanooga included the Birmingham Special to Birmingham, Pelican
to New Orleans, and Tennessean to Memphis. Chattanooga was a major junction
for Southern Railway, with lines diverging to Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis,
Cincinnati, and Knoxville.
An interesting note is that trains from NYC and DC thru Chattanooga used N&W
from Monroe, VA to Bristol, VA. A SR timetable from the early 50s points
out that such trains are diesel-powered from Washington to Monroe and from
Bristol to their ultimate destination on SR. N&W was still a steam road, of
course.
A trip from Asheville to Chattanooga would have required a change of train
in Knoxville.
Somewhere in the Chattanooga Choo Choo complex is a model of the track
infrastructure when it was a busy passenger station. I think you'll find it
interesting.
Bob
Jerry Chase
Oscar winning lyrics by Mack Gordon in 1941
Music by Harry Warren
(Gordon also wrote the lyrics for "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" and
over 100 pop songs of the era)
First performed in "Sun Valley Serenade" with Sonja Henie
The song was performed in the movie as a latin flavored production
number by Tex Beneke and the Modernaires, featuring the dancing and
singing talents of the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge.
While The Glenn Miller Band was in the movie, technically CCC is a
Modernaires song.
Gordon was a professional lyricist, and the song, like many Hollywood
songs, did not have any folk roots to anchor it in reality.
Robert Coe
: There were no through passenger trains from NYC to Chattanooga via the
: Carolinas. The route was through Washington, DC, Lynchburg, Roanoke, and
: Bristol, VA, Knoxville, TN and then Chattanooga. Trains from the Northeast
: through Chattanooga included the Birmingham Special to Birmingham, Pelican
: to New Orleans, and Tennessean to Memphis. Chattanooga was a major junction
: for Southern Railway, with lines diverging to Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis,
: Cincinnati, and Knoxville.
:
: An interesting note is that trains from NYC and DC thru Chattanooga used N&W
: from Monroe, VA to Bristol, VA. A SR timetable from the early 50s points
: out that such trains are diesel-powered from Washington to Monroe and from
: Bristol to their ultimate destination on SR. N&W was still a steam road, of
: course.
The last time I rode the Pelican was in 1956. I *think* the N&W portion was
diesel by then. (It certainly wasn't when I rode the Pelican in 1948. But at
that time even SR still had steam passenger locos. They were green and quite
attractive.)
: A trip from Asheville to Chattanooga would have required a change of train
: in Knoxville.
:
: Somewhere in the Chattanooga Choo Choo complex is a model of the track
: infrastructure when it was a busy passenger station. I think you'll find it
: interesting.
As I recall, Chattanooga was one of those stations the Pelican had to back
into. Or was that Knoxville? It may have been both.
--
___ _ - Bob
/__) _ / / ) _ _
(_/__) (_)_(_) (___(_)_(/_____________________________________ b...@1776.COM
Robert K. Coe ** 14 Churchill St, Sudbury, MA 01776-2120 USA ** 978-443-3265
Rhmorrison
John Albert
<< Did NYC Penn Station have a track 29 at the time? >>
Nope. If you find "track 29" at Penn, let me know.
Only 21 tracks in the station....
- John
Dave Snowden
wrote:
> Did NYC Penn Station have a track 29 at the time?
The highest numbered platform track was and still is 21.
All of the yard tracks are numbered so there is a track 29, but
not at a platform for receiving passengers.
===================
Seasons Greetings
Southern California
USA
John Albert
<< All of the yard tracks are numbered so there is a track 29, but not
at a platform for receiving passengers. >>
Dave, could you please tell me where this "Track 29" is?
I've been working into and out of Penn Station for 22 years now, and
am supposed to be qualified there, but guess I'm not, since to my
knowledge, no such track exists at Penn... <g>
There *is* probably a Track 29 over at Sunnyside (can't remember,
haven't been into there in a while).... but at Penn Station, NY, no....
- John
Ben Fairbank
sections of photos. One of those sections, following page 257, shows the exit
from the lobby to Track 29 in Grand Central. That was the departure track for
the Twentieth Century Limited. The caption notes that "The great Twentieth
Century Limited left from track 29 for many years." The photo is from the
twenties and shows that the exit to the track has above the door an ornate
decorative sign announcing the "20th Century Limited." I wonder if that track
was well enough known to find its way into the song lyrics. Certainly it is a
pretty good bet that Glenn Miller would have traveled it. Just for fun I went
and looked at the scene in North by Northwest (on a DVD) where Cary Grant
boarded the 20th Century to see what track it was on. No luck -- you cannot
tell from the picture.
BAF
In article <3A43C5...@deltacomm.com>, phop...@deltacomm.com says...
Jerry Chase
in the Harry Potter books. Only wizards can see them, and I guess it
means that there are wizards in the U.S. as well as England, and they
ride trains. Bummer that you aren't a wizard, John (or are you just
shining us on to keep us from looking harder?...)
>Dave wrote (regarding Penn Station):
><< All of the yard tracks are numbered so there is a track 29, but not
>at a platform for receiving passengers. >>
Don Forsling
"Ben Fairbank" <b...@texas.net> wrote in message
news:Ut146.134453$Yd.10...@news5.aus1.giganews.com...
: George Douglas's book "All Aboard! The Railroad in Americn Life"
The station associated with track #29 in the _song_ is Pennsylvania
Station--not the station in Chattanooga or, for that matter, Grand
Central Terminal in New York City (which did have a track #29). Most
likely, the "Track 29" in the song wasn't an actual track _anywhere_
that happened to be in the lyric writer's mind. The writer probably
came up with the "twenty-nine" so he could use the "boy, you can give
me a shine" in the next line to make up a little rhyme.
--
Don Forsling - ddfor...@qwest.net
==============================================
From IOWA -- Gateway to Those Large Rectangular States
:
Silas Warner
Indeed there was a Track 29 in Grand Central. But the original
poster was referring to Glenn Miller's famous song, "Chattanooga
Choo-Choo", the lyrics of which in part read:
"Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?
"Track 29....
"You leave the Pennsylvania Station 'bout a quarter to four,
"Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore,"
So the question was specifically about New York's Penn Station.
Silas Warner
>
> George Douglas's book "All Aboard! The Railroad in Americn Life" has several
> sections of photos. One of those sections, following page 257, shows the exit
> from the lobby to Track 29 in Grand Central.
<snip>
John Albert
<< George Douglas's book "All Aboard! The Railroad in Americn Life" has
several sections of photos. One of those sections, following page 257,
shows the exit from the lobby to Track 29 in Grand Central. That was
the departure track for the Twentieth Century Limited. The caption
notes that "The great Twentieth Century Limited left from track 29 for
many years." >>
That may have been the case in earlier times, but in later years (the
sixties) it left from Track 34 (which had one of the longest platforms
in GCT).
When I was younger, I would go there and watch the red carpet roll out
for it... a 6.00pm departure (or thereabouts), as I recall...
- John
Andrew C. Eisenberg
Robert Coe wrote:
I don't know about Knoxville, but the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum still runs
trains to there and they have to back in on a wye.
Dave Snowden
Oops. I typed before I researched my memory. To much warm weather
out here. I found a book by John A. Droege which included a
diagram of Penn. Station tracks which was originally published in
1916. I also checked some PRR employee timetables from the 60's.
I remember reading that the New Haven laid up their engines on
what I thought was track 35 when in actuality it was on
track 5 A yard. I used a little fuzzy math and thought it
said 35 track. Which would have give me reason to believe there
was a track 29.
Upon closer inspection of the track diagram, the Pennsy named
their storage yard by letters from A to E but not in any
particular order. The tracks were numbered from south to north in
each yard starting at 1 and going as high as 10.
The highest track at a passenger platform was # 21. There were 3
short connecting tracks used for switching at the west side of
the passenger platforms designated # 22, 23 & 24. There were also
some mail and/or baggage platforms I think in the D yard area. I
am not quite sure about track # 17. Tracks 16 & 18 are both on
wide platforms and I don't know if the track which runs between
them (17 track) has platforms on one or both sides and or was
only used by LIRR mail & baggage unloading.
Perhaps someone else can clear this up.
===================
Southern California
USA
Dave Snowden
I have a New York Central employees Timetable # 61A dated June
16, 1946 and also # 13 dated April 28, 1963. They both show NYC
Train # 25, The 20th Century Limited departing from track 34 at
5:01 PM, EST. Both showed the train arriving at Harmon at
5:46 PM EST. In 1946 it passed Croton-On-Hudson at 5:52 PM and in
1963 the time was 5:55 PM meaning it took longer to change to
diesel engines than it did for steam engines.
===================
Southern California
USA