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Xplorer (New York Central Railroad train)

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Xplorer
The New York Central Railroad's Xplorer on June 4, 1956
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMidwestern United States
First service1956
Last service1957
Former operator(s)New York Central Railroad
Route
TerminiCincinnati, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Distance travelled290.0 miles (466.7 km)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)421: southwest-bound; 422: northeast-bound
On-board services
Seating arrangementsReclining seat coaches
Catering facilitiesFood service
Observation facilitiesLounge coach
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

The Xplorer, or Ohio Xplorer, was a named train of the New York Central Railroad (NYC) that traveled between Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio. Although the railroad first announced the train in its April 29, 1956, timetable, that timetable did not contain its schedule.[1] The train entered revenue service on June 3, 1956.[2]

Equipment

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The Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company constructed the train's streamlined coaches to its lightweight Train-X design. A Baldwin RP-210 diesel-hydraulic locomotive pulled the train's consist.[2]

The train contained the locomotive and nine short all-aluminum coaches that were articulated together. The center car had two axles (one at each end), with the remaining cars having a single axle each, being supported by adjacent cars at the end opposite the axle.[2] The ride was rough, as with most of the other lightweight trains of the period, and the train was not a success.[3]

Operations

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The NYC's July 15, 1956, timetable was the first to contain the train's schedule.[4] The train, numbered 421 southwest-bound and 422 northeast-bound on the timetable,[4] was an attempt by the New York Central to modernize intrastate rail travel in Ohio and lure people out of their cars.

The train made its last run on August 17, 1957, after less than 15 months of operations.[2] As a result, the train's name (Ohio-Xplorer or Xplorer) did not appear on the railroad's October 27, 1957, timetable.[5]

The equipment was retired in 1960, and was sold to Jones Tours for excursion service. After a long period of storage in South Carolina, the train and locomotive were scrapped around 1970.[6]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Cover; Table No. 23: Cincinnati to Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland / Cleveland to Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati (see Ohio Xplorer)" (PDF). Timetable: New York Central Railroad. New York Central Railroad. April 29, 1956. pp. cover, 33. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021 – via canadasouthern.com.
  2. ^ a b c d Train Lover (March 4, 2013). "Dan'l Webster and the Xplorer". Streamliner Memories. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Doughty, Geoffrey H. (July 1997). New York Central and the Trains of the Future. Motorbooks International. ISBN 1-883089-28-X. LCCN 97060352. OCLC 37728618.
  4. ^ a b "Cover; Table No. 23: Cincinnati to Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland / Cleveland to Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati (see Ohio Xplorer)" (PDF). Timetable: New York Central Railroad. New York Central Railroad. July 15, 1956. pp. cover, 33. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021 – via canadasouthern.com.
  5. ^ "Timetable: New York Central Railroad" (PDF). New York Central Railroad. October 27, 1957. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021 – via canadasouthern.com.
  6. ^ "The Baldwin Diesel Zone - RP-210". railfan.net. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2021.

References

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  • Kirkland, John F. (November 1994). The Diesel Builders Volume 3: Baldwin Locomotive Works. Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-93-9.
  • Dolzall, Gary W.; Dolzall, Stephen F. (1984). Diesels From Eddystone: The story of Baldwin Diesel Locomotives. Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-052-3.
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