1929 Two Railroads and a Airline. T.A.T

[Coaltrain1]

On July 7th 1929, Charles A Lindberg, pressed a button in the LA Off. of the Gov. of Calf. Instantly a light flashed 3000,miles away @ Penn.Station in NYC, on track 15. It was (6:05Pm) The Conductor of the PRR newest train The Airway Limited called "All Aboard" and a historic journey began. The Band from LIRR. began playing Calf.here I Come, While the crowds cheered. The passengers that day started a record breaking journey NYC to LA in 48 hours. The best time was 100 hours. The Service being offered by the PRR, The ATSF, and the Transcontinental Air Transport (T.A.T.) was what many believed to be the future of Coast to coast travel in the US. Aboard the train were only 20 passengers, limited to the capacity of the Ford tri-motor airplanes, of T.A.T. Amoung them Amelia Earhaet. The Passengers traveled the first night on PRR Pullman sleepers and on the 2nd Night aboard the ATSF Pullmans. The daylight portions were done in the air aboard 2, 10 pass. Ford tri-Motors. Night flying in 1929 was to say the least not very safe. Nevertheless The newspapers and radio reporters compared this to the epic last spike in Utah in 1869.
The route used the PRR from NYC to Port Columbus Ohio where a brand new air- rail terminal, 7 miles East of Columbus had been constructed. That morn. 7/8/29 5000 people waited in the rain to watch the 20 pass. transfer from the PRR to the Tri Motors. The Planes would take them to "Air Port" Okla. 4.1/2 miles from the ATSF main line in Waynoka. Where they Boarded there ATSF Train 21 "The Missionary "Pullmans for an overnight ride to Clovis NM. Again they boarded the Tri-Motors and arrived in LA in late afternoon.
During the Flights there were 8, 5 min. service stops between Columbus, & Waynoka the planes set down in Indy. StLouis, Kansas Cty, & Withita Kans. During the Clovis leg they stopped @ Albuquerque, Winslow,
Kingman & Barstow. Over the sparsley settled west they followed the ATSF Main line where stations were equipped with special lights to aid the pilots if need be. Transfers between Waynoka & Clovis air fields to the ATSF Stations were done on Public Highways the pass. rode in specially built "Aero-cars" short streamlined trailers pulled by high powered Automobiles, (Now Hook me up for one of them rides will ya) sounds pretty Cool to me.

[Coaltrain1]

Well I thought the story was interesting anyhow.

[dejoh]

Could make an intresting movie.