Admiral (train)

Last updated
Admiral
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
Locale Midwestern United States/Northeastern United States
First serviceJune 30, 1940
Last serviceApril 30, 1971
Former operator(s) Pennsylvania Railroad
From 1968: Penn Central
Route
Start New York City, New York
End Chicago, Illinois
Distance travelled907.7 miles (1,460.8 km) (1955)
Service frequencyDaily (1955)
Train number(s)Eastbound: 70
Westbound: 71
On-board services
Seating arrangements Reclining seat coaches
Sleeping arrangements Roomettes, double bedrooms and duplex rooms (1955)
Catering facilities Dining car
Entertainment facilities Lounge car
Technical
Rolling stock Streamlined passenger cars by Pullman Standard
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)

The Admiral was a named passenger train of the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successor Penn Central which operated between Chicago, Illinois and New York City. The Admiral began on April 27, 1941, when the Pennsylvania renamed the eastbound Advance General .

Contents

Advance General

The Advance General was a train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). It was inaugurated in 1940, and was a second section of the PRRs popular General , and was meant to take the coaches, then only being carried eastbound, and make that train an all-Pullman train. In 1941, it was renamed the Admiral.

Admiral

The new train was eastbound-only until a year later on April 26, 1942, when the Pennsylvania added a westbound counterpart. The Admiral carried both sleepers and coaches plus a diner. [1] :127 After World War II the Pennsylvania put the Admiral on a 17-hour schedule between Chicago and New York along with the Broadway Limited , Trail Blazer , General and Pennsylvanian . [2] At the time the Admiral carried transcontinental sleeping cars which it exchanged in Chicago with the California Zephyr and other California-bound trains. Mounting losses on its passenger operations led the Pennsylvania to reduce service on the Admiral. From April 29, 1956, onwards the Admiral operated as a local, making more intermediate stops with a longer overall running time. The westbound train ended altogether in 1958. The remaining eastbound Admiral lost its dining car in 1966 and the last of its sleeping cars in 1967, leaving it with mail and express cars, coaches and a snack bar. The eastbound Admiral remained after the merger of the Pennsylvania with the New York Central Railroad as the Penn Central and the train was discontinued on the formation of Amtrak on May 1, 1971. [1] :127–129

Sample Consists

November 14, 1943.

PB70 Baggage coach

P70 Coach

P70KR Coach

P82 Lightweight coach

Diner

12-1 Heavyweight sleeper

12-5 Lightweight sleeper

6-DBR Lightweight sleeper-lounge

18 Roomette Lightweight sleeper

12-1 Heavyweight sleeper

12-1 Heavyweight sleeper

3-1 Lightweight sleeper-lounge

10-3 Heavyweight sleeper


November 16, 1943. Sampled at Chicago, IL [3]

K4 Pacific 5377

P70R Coach 830

B60b Baggage-express car 9175

PB70FR Coach 3845

P70GSR Coach 4340

P70R Coach 1841

D78R Diner 8018

12-1 Heavyweight sleeper Tabor

12-5 Lightweight sleeper Maple Brook

12-1 Heavyweight sleeper Sabula

18 Roomette Lightweight sleeper City of Youngstown

6-DBR Lightweight sleeper-lounge Juniper Falls

12-1 Heavyweight Sleeper William Bainbridge


Train 70, 1952 General Equipment Assignments [4]

MS60 (Harrisburg - New York (Sunday))

MS60 (Chicago - Harrisburg (Sunday))

MS60 (Chicago - Harrisburg, handoff to train 526 (602 on Sunday))

MS60 (Chicago - Harrisburg, handoff to train 526 (602 on Sunday))

BM70M (Chicago - Pittsburgh)

MS60 (Chicago - Pittsburgh)

MS60 (Chicago - Pittsburgh)

MS60 (Chicago - Pittsburgh)

MS60 (Chicago - Pittsburgh)

R50B (Pittsburgh - Harrisburg)

MS60 (Pittsburgh - Harrisburg)

MS60 (Pittsburgh - Harrisburg, handoff to RDG)

MS60 (Pittsburgh - New York)

MS60 (Pittsburgh - New York)

M70 (Pittsburgh - New York)

B60 (Pittsburgh - New York)

B60 (Chicago - New York)

PB70 (Chicago - New York)

P70KR (Chicago - New York)

P70KR (Chicago - New York)

Diner (Chicago - New York)

3-1 Bar Lounge (Chicago - New York)

21 Rmt Sleeper (Chicago - New York)

12-5 Sleeper (Chicago - New York)

12-1 Sleeper (Chicago - New York)

10-6 Sleeper (San Francisco - New York (via C&NW/UP/SP train 28, alternating with CB&Q/D&RGW/WP sleeper))

10-6 Sleeper (San Francisco - New York (via CB&Q/D&RGW/WP train 18, alternating with C&NW/UP/SP sleeper))

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References

  1. 1 2 Welsh, Joe (2006). Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited. Saint Paul, MN: Voyageur Press. ISBN   978-0-7603-2302-1.
  2. Pennsylvania Railroad (April 22, 1946). "5 Great Trains Chicago-New York". Milwaukee Journal . Retrieved 2010-08-01.
  3. Welsh, Joe (1999). Pennsy Streamliners: The Blue Ribbon Fleet. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. p. 51. ISBN   0890242933.
  4. Stegmaier, Jr., Harry (2003). Passenger Trains, Consists and Cars - 1952 - Vol 1: East-West Trains. Lynchburg, VA: TLC Publishing. p. 36. ISBN   1883089816.