05-08-2014, 08:23 PM
jwb Wrote:.... a train ID with end points as letters, like KM, would tend to be a manifest. I believe the union agreements with manifests tend to limit local-style pickups, and for general efficiency, you don't want a train that has to get between end points within 12 hours to spend a lot of time switching. Locals tend to have different identifiers. I don't know what local iDs were like on Penn Central. On the UP, they have an "L" prefix and a yard ID, plus a number. Someone else may be able to help with what local IDs look like on other railroads -- I think they had a "W" and a yard ID on Conrail.
I received a quick reply to my query on the Penn Central Forum on Railroad.net. I was given the example of the train designation for a local from Kingston, NY to Bloomville on the Catskill Mountain Branch. The job was called KB-1 from Kingston to Bloomville, while the Bloomville to Kingston run was BK-2. Seems like the PC used the their standard letter/number system for locals in this case. I'll try to learn more.
Ralph