Rail - Steamer Cruise

Sam, in 1999 and/or 2000 Taulk Tours offered a few Steamboat-Rail combined tours through the Antebellum South utilizing the Mississippi Queen. Not a clue about how it worked, but if I remember the tour was like 9 days with 4 or 5 of those on the MQ. It was our interest in this tour that started Deb's and my steamboat affliction...These Taulk tours were sold out, and we decided to work directly with DQSC skipping the rail part, and in 2000, took our first on the Ohio, on the MQ.

I suspect that these cruises would have been a bear for the crew as, I believe, they envolved embarkation/disembarkation for the "Taulkers" other than the normal turnover days.

Oooh, Sam, I would have loved to do that too! Whenever I think of the HUMMINGBIRD, I think of Roddy: he always said the Camellia Grill at Carrollton & St. Charles was just like the diner car on the HUMMINGBIRD.

I remember these combined tours from the late 70's as well, back when the Mississippi Queen was running seven night RT cruises out of New Orleans. The Tauck groups would switch out in Vicksburg mid-cruise and it was always interesting to have a partial turnover just when everyone was "getting into it." I would hear more than a few of the travelers occasionally remark about how much they were enjoying the river, hated to get off the boat, much as they were looking forward to the rail segment of their trip, and that they'd be sure to return sometime to take an entire cruise.

Actually, a rail-sail option on the rivers today would have somewhat limited opportunities due to Amtrak serving so few cities with direct trains. You could do such between St. Louis and St. Paul, NOLA and St. Paul, and Pittsburgh to St. Louis but the rail portion requires a change of trains in Chicago. Memphis to NOLA is a direct train.

The easiest St.L-St.P is to go by rail from St. Louis departing at 8:30 AM, Ar Chicago 2:14 PM on the Texas Eagle. Change to the Empire Builder departing at 2:15 PM and arriving at St. Paul at 10:15 PM. This would require Amtrak holding the train for your connection at Chicago, taking a different train from St. Louis to Chicago (Lv 6:35 AM, Ar Chicago 12:15 PM with no dining car) or staying a night in Chicago. Southbound, the Empire Builder leaves St. Paul at 7:50 AM so you'd have to be off the boat early if you want to make the train connection the same day. You would arrive Chicago at 3:55 PM with connecting train to St. Louis leaving at 5:15 PM and arriving St. Louis at 10:45 PM.

Pittsburgh to St. Louis is also possible with changing trains in Chicago. Lv. Pittsburgh at 11:43 PM, Ar Chicago 8:40 AM on the Capitol Ltd. Change to one of several St. Louis trains. Eastbound, the Capitol Ltd. leaves Chicago at 7:05 PM and arrives Pittsburgh at 5:30 AM. You'd probably want a sleeper on the Capitol Ltd. but it wouldn't be necessary on the Chicago-St. Louis trains.

There is no through sleeper service but the Chicago change of trains would be in the daytime.

New Orleans to Memphis is served by the City of New Orleans so that might be the most logical boat connection. However, the City of N.O. departs Memphis southbound at 6:50 AM so an overnight stay in Memphis would be required. If you go via rail from NOLA to Memphis and return via steamboat, your train would depart NOLA at 1:45 PM and arrive at Memphis at 10:40 PM so a hotel stay is also needed.

Cincinnati to St. Louis rail also runs via Chicago and the train departs Cincinnati at 1:10 AM. Mon, Thurs, Sat only. Sleeper available. Ar. Chicago at 10:35 AM. Change to St. Louis train.

Cincinnati to Pittsburgh rail is via Washington, DC. Pretty much unreasonable in my opinion.

Amtrak does not serve most other cruise boarding points such as Chattanooga, Nashville, Louisville, etc. Also, Amtrak frequently runs late and many trains have only one sleeper so large groups might be able to travel via rail unless you don't mind sittiing in a coach. Food service has declined except for the Empire Builder.

The Humming Bird was one of two good trains on the L&N, the other being the Pan American. When L&N received permission to drop the HB in 1967, they stoped the train mid-run at Birmingham and put the passengers on a bus to complete their trips.
Both were good trains in their day.

Steamboating colleagues:
'Rail/Cruise' discussion initiatied by Shipyard Sam, with 'follows' by others, is not only interesting but relatively new in steamboat talk. CARTAN Co. was another tour operator to began such way back with the Str. GORDON C. GREENE when acquired by the old GREENE LINE. Don't know if they linked to the Strs. CHRIS or TOM GREENE earlier but possible. Now and then I run into old timers around who recalled those days of the train/steamboat link and combination. Keith and Judy may recall if the Str. GOLDEN EAGLE also had such arrangements out of St. Louis. The L&C LINE's then new Str. CINCINNATI had rail ties for tours beginning in 1924. 'Travel Agencies' as we know now didn't exist with travelers booking through their respective banking institutions in cities. Banks then had an office--or desks off the lobby--to handle travel with links to the Atlantic steamships out of New York or other coastal cities. They worked on % commission then like now with the bank profiting. The famed THOMAS COOK CO/WAGON LITS were 'agencies' but most people just used the term "steamship office." Bob McCann, late great purser with the GREENE LINE, was astute in train schedules for passengers and could quote all in minute details. When air travel came into vogue Bob was just as good with air schedules using books kept on the shelf in the DQ's Purser Office.

The last steamboat/train link I had was years ago as a teen when the late river artist Dorothea Frye, son Mickey my age, and his dad Roscoe took the N&W from Union Terminal here to meet the DELTA QUEEN at Portsmouth, OH. The N&W was still a great rail line and the food in the dining car was excellent along with crisp linen, fine china, cutlery, flowers and waiters in uniform. Dorthea Frye had never been on a passenger train before and it was an exciting experience for her. We reached the station in Portsmouth, de-trained, walked down to the river and within 30 minutes or so we saw the DQ coming up river. Those were the days when the DQ's Cincinnati - Pittsburg trips were all round trip affairs for ten days. Hard to believe now in 2008.

Not "pure steamboats" but I've experienced the 'boat train' system in England and France connecting London and Paris with ships of the CUNARD & FRENCH LINE at Southampton and LeHavre. The trains pulled in the pier, or nearby, for passengers to disembark, clear customs, gather luggage, board and you were on your way and BOY! could those babies roll. Frank Prudent may recall when the last true 'boat trains' operated over there. Trains also connected to the steamships on the English Channel before the new CHUNNEL was built. Train travel in Russia between St. Petersburg

Thanks Jim for your rail knowledge. Yes, what this country needs is a good inner-city system. At this late date I'll probably never see it return. Yet with increasing oil/energy prices who knows?

Cheers,
R. Dale Flick

They were not exactly tours, but the Interstate Interurban and the Louisville & Cincinnati Packet Company offered joint one-day excursions on Sundays for many years. Indiana Railroad and the Greene Line continued them until about 1935. The trips started at Seymour at 6:00 AM. At Louisville there was a four-block walk to the river where the boat left at 9:00 AM. The boat from Louisville met the boat from Cincinnati in the Vevay-Carrollton area, swapped excursionists and continued on their way. Arrival at Louisville was around 8-9 PM and arrival at Seymour at midnight. The boats involved included: City of Louisville, City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, America, John W. Hubbard, Queen City, Tom Greene and Chris Greene. The round-trip fare for this eighteen-hour day of interurbans and steamboats was $1.75 in 1916. That four-block walk back to the interurban station at 9 PM must have tried the kids, but I'll bet they were quiet in the electric cars!

Hi, Alan:
Those 'meet the boat' trips you mentioned were pretty popular in those days. I assumed the boats landed at the shore to make the transfer, right? I thought 'somebody' years ago either told me or showed an old photo of two boats landed together in the river to make the passenger swap. Am I dreaming or what?

Cheers,
R. Dale Flick

Hey, Alan, here's a brochure for that...

Here's a Meet the Boat brochure from the L&C Packet Company. I can't find a date. But the centerfold features the Meet the Boat Trip. Its too hard to read in the scan, so here's part of their ad:

"Thousands find in this trip their needed Sunday rest coupled with healthy recreation. The management have planned these excursions with the purpose of catering to the patronage of those who enjoy a pleasant day upon the cool, breeze-swept Ohio, but who want their enjoyment unmarred by incidents foreign to the pleasure of the Daylight Trips.

Dancing is not allowed upon these excursions, and the officers are instructed not to permit undesirable persons to board the boats. Boisterous or objectionable conduct shall not be allowed. The trip is for the pure enjoyment of its patrons and anything tending to detract therefrom will not be permitted."

The price of the Meet the Boat Trip is 50 cents. Meals are served at popular prices.

Chicago/St.Louis by train, new CAPE GIRARDEAU

Here's a brochure by Lauders's Tours of Chicago advertising a rail trip from Chicago to St. Louis and then a round trip on the "flagship of the Mississippi, the bearutiful new steel-hull steamer CAPE GIRARDEAU" from St. Louis to Helena and back. The trip concludes with a train ride from St. Louis back to Chicago's Dearborn Station. Cost is $65 for this weeklong trip. No date, but since the steamer is new, it must be around 1924. That would cost $784.18 in today's dollars!
Part of the trip blurb: "The great bell on the hurricane deck booms its warning; the pilot jangles a signal to the engineer; in a moment the whole steamer pulses with awakened energy. The first mate, alert on the bow of the boat, cries: Cast off! to the waiting roustabouts upon the shore. The rousters cast off with a will and scramble to regain the boat...."