Re: SECRET NG RR- CASE Cold still

Typos happen, and I would guess that's really the issue here. So far, there is no reason to believe the secret operation of any portion of the Santa Fe branch occurred. The prosaic reality is as John notes - why add freight and passenger transfers, since there was going to be one from rail to highway at some point anyway? Using the narrow gauge in that way actually would have added to the cost and delay of the war effort, due to eh added manpower to transfer freight twice, and the men tied up with the train, which applies equally to passenger service.
A different situation would be where the railroad served an existing or developing industry, and could provide added passenger service to meet the needs of workers who were having a hard time obtaining gasoline and rubber for their autos. The ET&WNC trains for the rayon plants are a good example here - the railroad had suspended passenger service before the war, but this new service was introduced. The OR&L had seen a huge reduction in passenger business before 1941, but when the war broke out, it had to increase passenger business to some military bases. this resulted in some in teresting passenger equipment - coaches which had been converted to can cars, used to carry empty tin cans to the pinapple packing plants, complete with side doors like box cars, were re-converted to coaches.
Thanks for reading.
Charlie Mutschler
-30-
Charlie Mutschler
-30-