Ashland interlude: A routine night at the Ashland Passenger Station

A Routine Night at the Ashland Passenger Station

Ashland, Kentucky, was the busiest station on the C&O. By the mid-fifties the hectic days of World War II were gone, however the 6:45 P.M. arrival of No. 39 - the Big Sandy - would start twelve hours of arrivals and departures.

The station master and first group of the platform team would report for work at 8:00 P.M. While the station master, yard master, and car foreman discussed the evening's work, their teams joined the Railway Express team, dining car commissary man, and yard crew preparing for arrival of No. 22, the Louisville section of the George Washington. Soon the unique horns of the BL2 locomotives sent down from Michigan to power these trains could be heard approaching the station. When the train stopped, the yard engine quickly detached the cars to be added to No. 2 in a few minutes. As passengers were leaving the train, engines were detached and moved to the roundhouse. The dining car was supplied. Railway Express and platform teams were unloading mail, express, and baggage. They prioritized baggage that was to be transferred to No. 2, along with certain mail dispatches. I particularly remember one such dispatch, a pouch of priority mail that I would run out to the parking lot to meet a Greyhound bus. Often this connection was so close the bus would enter the parking lot, open the door, and I would throw the pouch under the driver's seat and away the bus would go.

In a few minutes everything was ready and all eyes were on track No. 3 looking for Train No. 2, the K-4 No. 2775 pauses beside a pLatform fuLl of baggage trucks waiting to work baggage, express, and postal cars at AshLand, Kentucky. The eastbound train was photographed in December 1947, a few years before the period described in this article. C&O's Kanawhas .were used regularly on passenger trains up to 1948, when the number of heavy mainline trains was reduced and the new J-3A Greenbriers arrived. (C&O Photo CSPR 2227; C&OHS Collection)

eastbound George Washington, whose arrival started a flurry of activity. As passengers left and boarded the train, coaches were added, inspected, and serviced, baggage loaded, the diner and club car supplied, and engines fueled. Soon the Conductor cried out "All Aboard," gave his "highball," and the George left us in a style befitting its status as the flagship of the line.

Night activity at Ashland in 1956. E8A No. 4029 and mate are being fueLed. The cars at left are ready to be added to this or other trains. A brakeman has walked in front of the train with his lantern during this time exposure, leaving an interesting trail of light. Platforms to the right await other arrivals. (C&O Photo CSPR 10393-93; C&OHS Collection)

The platform team finished unloading No. 22, then the yard engine moved the equipment to the coach yard for cleaning and maintenance.

The arrival of No. 47, the Sportsman bound for Detroit, again created a rush of activity. As passengers left and boarded the train, engines were fueled, cars were inspected and serviced, and mail, express, and baggage was loaded along with a large number of cream cans destined for a creamery in Columbus, Ohio. No. 47's departure found the station master, yard master, and car foreman discussing the remainder of the night's work, while their teams used this time for clean-up activities.

At midnight the second team of platform workers came on duty, allowing the first team time for a bite to eat at the YMCA diner. Soon the yard crew returned part of No. 21 and No. 36's equipment to track No. 4. The platform and express teams were classifying mail and express, placing it in various locations on the platforms for later loading.

Arrival of No. 46, the eastbound Sportsman from Detroit, initiated activity that would continue for several hours. Passengers left the train, and cars to be transferred were separated and positioned for addition to No. 4. Baggage, mail, and express to be transloaded to No. 4 was promptly moved to track No. 3's platform. Mail destined for Train Nos. 21 and 36 was taken to their respective Railway Post Office cars, where clerks were waiting to start their day's work. This mail had consignments to local banks from the Cleveland Federal Reserve bank. A Railway Postal Clerk armed with a standard issue "snub nose pistol" always escorted this transfer. Arrival of No. 4 from Cincinnati intensified the work, fueling engines, adding cars from No. 46, inspecting and servicing cars. While passengers were leaving and boarding the train, mail, express, and baggage was loaded. Several cars of mail and express destined for communities in central and eastern Kentucky were removed from the train. As these chores were being accomplished, local mail and express Train No. 5 bound from Huntington to Cincinnati quietly arrived on track No. 1. Shortly thereafter, No. 4 departed with No. 6 following in a few minutes.

Part of the platform team went to work No. 5, with the remainder boarding a newly arrived mail car attached to the yard engine. Proceeding to spots adjacent to other mail cars, they classified and transloaded mail, ensuring delivery to its proper destination. With this task completed, the yard engine relocated Train No. 21's equipment to track No. 2. Engines came up from the roundhouse while the yard engine moved No. 5's train to a storage track west of the depot. The express and platform teams were busy loading mail and express previously "spotted" at locations for loading. The yard engine moved to a position east of the depot. Due to the many switching moves made east of the depot, flashing light signals and gates protecting street crossings were manually controlled by a crossing watchman located in the unique little tower at 13th Street.

A headlight was soon observed approaching the depot and the ticket agent announced, "No. 1 The George Washington arriving on track 1". As passengers left and boarded the train, cars were inspected and serviced, the Louisville cars were detached, and No. 1 departed for Cincinnati.

After this departure, the yard engine returned No. S's train to track No. 1, added some mail cars and within minutes No. 5 departed as quietly as she had arrived.

Soon the final call for passengers to board No. 21 was heard and that train departed for Louisville.

At 5:00 A.M., the eight-to-- five teams ended their day. The midnight team usually found time to eat a breakfast of biscuits and gravy with coffee at the YMCA diner for a cost of thirty-five cents.

Loading baggage and company mail preceeded the announcement, "No. 36 - The Big Sandy," for Louisa, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, Allen, Pikeville, and Elkhorn City, now loading passengers on No. 4 track." Its 6:45 A.M. departure ended another night's work at Ashland.

Often the routine was intensified by additional trains. For example, in mid-April No. 39 might have eight or ten extra coaches to accommodate high school class excursion trips to Washington, D.C. These were known as Cherry Blossom Specials. The Kentucky Derby usually always brought on some extra trains as did major holidays.

Frequently the platform team would be advised to have the special raised platform trucks in position to move a corpse from one train to another or to the hearse of a local funeral director.

These tasks were all done in open view of the public but were so routine they went virtually unnoticed. The "do the right thing - at the right time" attitude that prevailed not only at Ashland but at every C&O station, shop, interlocking tower, and dispatcher's office resulted in safe and efficient transportation of passengers, mail, and express in a system that except for the speed and convenience of the private automobile - rivals the efficiency of transportation modes providing service today.

Copyright Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Inc. May 1999
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