Prototype Consists Southern Railway - The Tennessean The Tennessean was a secondary streamliner run jointly by the Southern Railway and Norfolk & Western between Washington, DC, and Memphis, Tennessee. This was Southern’s third entry into the Washington-Memphis market, and was quite clearly a secondary train when compared to the likes of the Crescent or the Southerner. The Southern shepherded the train from Washington to Lynchburg, Virginia, where the N&W took over to Consist Bristol, Tennessee. There, the Southern took over the The consist, when inaugurated, was all-lightweight train again and brought it into Memphis. The train was except for the heavyweight sleepers at the rear. first run in 1941 and continued up until 1968, though Car Type Number Assignment service had steeply declined by then, similarly to all Baggage-Mail (60’ Rolling 1700-1701 Washington- streamliners. Post Office (RPO) Section) Chattanooga The Tennessean was never a particularly fast Baggage-Mail Storage 1750-1751 Ditto train – it only averaged a little less than forty miles per Baggage-Mail (30’ RPO 1725-1726 Chattanooga- hour either way – but, for many years, it provided a Section) Memphis direct link between Memphis, Washington, and points Baggage/Dormitory/22- 703-705 Washington- to the north. Because it was operated by both the N&W seat Coach Memphis and Southern, this train can provide modeling 52-seat partitioned Coach 903-905 Ditto opportunities for modelers of both railways. 56-seat Coach 806-814 Ditto Livery The cars of the Tennessean were painted a plain 48-seat Diner 3303-3304 Washington- silver color, with Southern lettering. The power was Chattanooga 56-seat Coach 806-814 Washington- Memphis A Note on Sleeper Designations 56-seat Coach 806-814 Ditto Sleeper designations are one of the least Tavern/Lounge/ 1150-1152 Ditto understood topics in model railroading, if only for their Observation (flat rear end) great variety. In general, the sleeper type was 10-3 Sleeper (Pullman- New York- differentiated by its floor plan, which was itself Owned) Memphis designated by two-four numbers. The first number 12-1 Sleeper (Pullman- Bristol- generally designated the least expensive Owned) Nashville accommodation, generally a section or a roomette. A 12-1 Sleeper (Pullman- Chattanooga- section was basically a folding bunk bed, with the only privacy being a curtain. A roomette was similar, but at Owned) Memphis least was enclosed. Following that was a median According to Wayner, the 10-3 (10 Section, 3 Double accommodation (if present) such as a compartment, Bedroom) Sleepers assigned to the Tennessean were which was larger than a roomette, followed by the most Villa Heights, Villa Nova and Villa Verde. The 12-1 (12 expensive accommodation, such as a drawing room, Section, 1 Drawing Room) Sleepers so assigned were which had easy chairs and a larger bed. Some cars had Brentwood, Dahlonega, Knickerbocker and Puritan. only one type of accommodation, such as 14-section tourist sleepers. Not all types of sleepers were only for sleeping, as well; some sleepers also had lounge, restaurant, or observation space. painted more elaborately; Southern diesels which handled this service had an attractive green and white scheme with yellow stripes, as can be seen in the postcard above. Consist Notes Like many Southeastern roads, the Tennessean featured a partitioned coach in order to comply with Jim Crow segregation laws. As these laws were phased out in the late ‘50’s, so were the partitioned coaches. The heavyweight sleepers included in the consist were all painted an aluminum color in order to match the rest of the sleek train. They were also ‘shadowlined’: a Tavern/Observation/Lounge #1150, a flat-end observation car used treatment was applied to the side of the car to replicate on the Tennessean. the fluted sides of the streamlined cars. After World War Flat-End Observations; a Solution to a Common II, the heavyweight sleepers were replaced with Problem Like many things, Observation Cars were more popular lightweight cars, with configurations such as 10 with railfans than with the railroads themselves. It was difficult Roomette-6 Double Bedroom, 14 Roomette-4 Double to provide facilities for turning the cars at each end of the line, Bedroom and 10 Section-1 Drawing Room-2 and it was naturally impossible to run traditional open-ended or Compartment. A Budd 34-seat Coach/Bar/Lounge boat-tailed observations in the middle of a train; not many replaced the original observation car in the late ‘40’s. passengers wished to jump from the swaying platform of one car After May 1944, a third Baggage-Mail car with a 60’ to the vestibule of another while rattling along at seventy miles RPO Section was provided for expanded RPO service to per hour! Memphis and Chattanooga. It is unknown if this car A solution found in the lightweight car era was the flat- end observation car. Rather than the traditional boat-tail featured operated between Memphis and Chattanooga alone, or th if the car was added to the train to allow through service on many popular streamliners, such as the 20 Century Limited from Washington to Memphis. In any event, if you are and the Broadway Limited, the flat-end observation car could be switched into the train at any location. This was also a boon for modeling the Tennessean after 1944, consider having at observation cars which featured a tavern, since passengers were least two Baggage-Mail cars with 60’ RPO Sections more likely to purchase a drink if the tavern was next to the between Washington and Memphis, if you have the dining car. The dining car was usually in the middle of the train, space. More information on car assignments is available meaning a traditional observation car could not fulfill this niche. from Mike Condren’s Tennessean web page. See below. Flat-end observations still often maintained their role at Power the end of the train, though, providing a place to look out the The Southern Railway had one of their attractive window as the scenery rolled past. Their much-increased Ps-4 4-6-2 Pacific locomotives streamlined for service convenience compared to boat-tailed observation cars meant that with the Tennessean they were used by many roads. On the Tennessean, the flat-end between Washington observation car was used to allow sleepers to be switched in and and Monroe, Virginia. out of the consist en-route. Some cars, like those for the Tennessean, were purpose- However, Southern was built to be flat-ended. Other cars were converted from boat-tailed an early adopter of observations by squaring off the corners. Some roads, like the diesel power so this Denver & Rio Grande Western, simply added a housing to a locomotive, #1380, was traditional observation car that allowed a diaphragm to be run to not on the Tennessean the next car in the train, thus fulfilling the role – if not the for very long. It went to appearance – of a flat-ended observation car. the Washington-Atlanta Adding a flat-ended observation car is a good kitbashing pool after being retired project and adds interest to your passenger trains. It also allows from Tennessean you to run an observation car in a feeder train that doesn’t have service; it retained its to be switched onto the end of the train, thus allowing you to get streamlining to the end away with having both a flat-ended and boat-tailed observation in the same train. For tips on kitbashing a flat-ended observation of its service life. The DRG&W added a housing to car, see George Drury’s April 1979 Model Railroader article on Over Norfolk & a traditional observation car to Page 84. Western rails, the allow it to be run anywhere in the famous class J train. streamlined 4-8-4 locomotives handled the Car Model Directory – HO Scale Tennessean to Bristol, where a Southern USP (Union Station Products): unionstationproducts.com diesel would take over. This could be an E- NKP Car Co.: nkpcarco.com unit, an ALCo DL-109 or an ALCo PA unit. Walther’s: walthers.com When the entire service was dieselized, these Atlas Branchline: atlasrr.com/HOFreight/hobranchlinepassenger.htm locomotives could be Car RtR Mfr Kit/Sides Mfr seen anywhere on the #1700-1701 Baggage-Mail n/a NKP Car Co. ‘Southern Southern portion of Baggage/Mail 85’ the route, though it USP #7462 #1750-1751 Baggage-Mail n/a USP #7463 seems that the E-unit Storage was the most common #1725-1726 Baggage-Mail n/a USP #7461 (or at least the most #703-705 n/a USP #7455 advertised) power for Baggage/Dormitory/22-seat the train. In fact, an Coach EMD brochure #903-905 52-seat n/a USP #7456 describing the E-unit Partitioned Coach specifically touted its #806-814 56-seat Coach n/a USP #7457 (incorrectly use on the Tennessean. listed as 52-seat) #3303-3304 48-seat Diner n/a USP #7458 Modeling the Tennessean #1150-1152 n/a USP #7460 Tavern/Lounge/Observation The Tennessean would be an 10-3 Sleeper n/a NKP Car Co. ‘Pullman excellent subject for any modeler of the 10/3 Villa Series’ Southern or Norfolk & Western in Tennessee 12-1 Sleeper Walther’s Atlas Branchline or Virginia. One idea would be to model #932- #B5300* Lynchburg, Virginia – a town which had three 10001* NKP Car Co. ’Pullman major railroads running through downtown: 12 section / 1 DWG RM’ the Norfolk & Western, the Chesapeake & *Discontinued Ohio, and the Southern. This was where the Tennessean was handed off to Norfolk & Western Green of the Southern. The same idea could be used to power, so it would provide an opportunity to showcase model Bristol, Tennessee, if you are pressed for space, both the Tuscan and Gold of the N&W and the Virginia or uninterested in the C&O.