Since anything to do with the St. Louis Cardinals is fair game for this site, you might enjoy seeing how the Cards actually travelled. See this link: http://pennsyrr.com/kc/passops/1954/540625_60.PDF It will take you to a Pennsylvania Railroad conductor's wheel report of train No 60, the Pittsburger, of June 25,1954, operating from Pittsburgh to New York City. Note the last two sleeping cars and the conductor's note at the bottom. Cascade Timber was a 10 roomette- 5 double bedroom car, while Xenia Inn was a 21 roomette. PRR 4468 in the middle of the train was the diner. This was posted on the pennsyrr.com website and kind permission was given to reproduce it here.
Gordon, I don't know that anything to do with the St Louis Cardinals is fair game on this site. But, I'll entertain the latitude if it starts the posting and discussion of Frisco information about the Cardinals' railroad travel.
Anything about the St Louis Cardinals traveling by rail would seem to be fair game on this site or any other. I'm sure Cardinal players who didn't make the big league team during the season prior to the mid-1960's, enjoyed a ride on Nos 9 & 10, The Meteor, or on Nos 3 & 4, the Will Rogers, back down to the 'bird's farm team in Tulsa. Ken
Thanks for the post Gordon! St. Louis Cardinals' Radio Network with Harry Caray, Jack Buck, et. al. blanketed the "5000 Miles, Nine States" of the Frisco! There was also a TRRA Historical Society issue featuring an article of how the St. Louis Cardinals, Browns and other teams travel in and out of St. Louis. The Cardinals and the Frisco were/are midwestern institutions. Tom
Is there any record the Cardinals traveled East on the red and silver cars lettered for Pennsylvania, but colored to match the streamlined Texas Special or Meteor? George "who finds the Pennsy train's engine number electrifying" Nelson
In 1994 (it helps to have some seniority and be a packrat) TRRA Historical Society produced an issue of their publication celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Cardinals-Browns World Series, including an article called "Baseball on the Rails." According to one story, written by former Post-Dispatch sportswriter Bob Broeg, much of the travel for both teams was via the New York Central. Recall that until 1958, St. Louis was the southernmost and westernmost outpost for MLB, so there would be few instances where the teams would travel further south or west. It does mention that for a few years in the 1940s the Browns held their spring training in San Antonio, although it appears they traveled on the MoPac. In 1958 the Cardinals took a barnstorming trip to the south and southwest that included segments to Tulsa and Oklahoma City via the Frisco. Possibly this publication is still available from TRRAH&TS for those interested. GS
Gordon, As much of a Cardinals' fan as I am, I echo Keith's sentiments. Whenever my Venn diagram of the Frisco and the Cardinals' overlap, it's fair game here. I should note that they do so in my work office, with a nice photo of 4305 at Southeastern Jct. on one wall, among other Frisco memorabilia, and photos of Stan the Man, Lou Brock, Ozzie and Sportsman's Park on the other. Admittedly I've succumbed to digressing into baseball alone, without a Frisco connection. That said, 1954 seems a rather late date for a Major League team to travel by train. I thought I recalled a mid-50s airline strike causing a bump in passenger rail travel, but I can't find any archived news for this date that would help corroborate. Maybe others can give more background and insight. Or, perhaps it still makes more sense to travel by train between eastern cities, since St. Louis was still the westernmost MLB town in 1954. Thanks also for including the details on the sleepers upon which they traveled. Best Regards,
Chris, I recall hearing the radio broadcast of the Sunday double-header at old Busch Stadium in 1954 (I think) against the Giants when Stan Musial hit five homers in the two games, and had a possible sixth caught at the wall. I recall Harry saying they were going to have to fly to the next city, Philadelphia as I recall, because they had a make-up game on Monday, and the train would take too long. Usually Mondays were open dates after Sunday double-headers, and most of their travel between cities was then still by rail. So if it was Philly, maybe they did have a chance of riding in one of the red & silver sleepers that ran on the PRR for through service on the Frisco. Another way to date rail travel - I don't recall what year it was that Stan got his 3000th hit against the Cubs in Chicago, but I remember reading one of the sports writers' column in either the Globe Democrat or the Post Dispatch about what a festive train ride back to St Louis that was. I wonder if they used the GM&O, Wabash, IC or C&EI? We had four St. Louis - Chicago rail services back in the good old days! Ken
I checked on the Musial 3000th hit. It was on May 13, 1958, against the Cubbies at Wrigley field, a double. So, they were still using rail transport then, at least between Chicago and St Louis. Ken
First, I was being facetious when I said "anything to do with the St. Louis Cardinals . . ." But I do know there are quite a number of people on this list, and the responses confirm it, who have serious overlapping Cardinal/Frisco interests. Anyway, I stand slightly admonished though I think this has turned into an interesting thread. As a final note, PRR Train No 60, the Pittsburgher, left Pittsburgh at 11 pm. The Cardinals had beaten the Pirates 5-1 that evening, so they had to make a pretty fast dash through the dressing room after the game! The train arrived New York Penn Station at 8 am, in plenty of time for the Cards to get ready for their game against Brooklyn which, unfortunately, they lost 3-1. It makes perfect sense to me that they took the train in this case. Probably time to wrap this up and get back to the Frisco. Best wishes to everyone out there for the Holidays. Gordon
Gordon, my comment was somewhat tongue in cheek. My philosophy regarding posts is much like that of Mike Corley. After all life is too short to be splitting hairs - besides, they are capable of splitting on their own. It's been an interesting read and having grown up on the River Division, Cardinals baseball is nearly sacrosanct.
If your vision permits reading the fine, grainy print of the "local" columns of news from the 1920s-era Frisco Employee Magazines, there are often snippets describing how "Bob and Joe from the Chaffee freight house crew took 'Sunnyland' to St. Louis for a Cardinals-Pirates Double-header on Saturday" and what-not. Best Regards,
There were, in days past, Frisco excursions to St. Louis for baseball games. My mother went on one of those when she was a young girl in the 1920's to see the Cardinals play the New York Giants. I don't know if the excursion originated in Springfield or further back on the line. She had been the only one in the family to see a major league game until she and my dad took my brother and me to see games in St. Louis and Kansas City in the 1950's. Tom
In the 1920's, they offered trips from Salem to St. Louis for Cardinal baseball games. I once seen a newspaper clipping advertising the excursion. The price per ticket was two dollars and some change. Would have loved to have got on the train in my home town of Wesco and rode it to St. Louis to see Rogers Hornsby and the rest of the Cardinals take on Babe Ruth and the Yankees in the '26 World Series! The things I've missed.... Pat Moreland, Union MO
Ah yes, "Sunny Jim" Bottomley, my dad's favorite ball player when he was a kid. After he retired, he moved to Sullivan, MO (he must have enjoyed his ride on #5!), where he lived next-door to some friends of ours. Before Sunny Jim passed away, my dad got to meet him when we were down in Sullivan visiting, which was quite a thrill. Thanks Chris - neat photo! That's as clean a looking Pepper Martin as I have ever seen! Ken
Good recall, sir. Club, NL and MLB record which was tied by the Cardinals' Mark Whitten in '94 thanks to his 4-HR game. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_rbi1.shtml Best Regards,
