Lake Shore Limited (New York Central Railroad train)

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Lake Shore Limited
Lake Shore Limited, Toledo, Ohio - DPLA - 463646ec864ab201c9dbbc557e40caf8 (page 1).jpg
The Lake Shore Limited depicted on a postcard.
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
Locale Northeastern United States
First service1897
Last serviceOctober 28, 1956
Former operator(s) New York Central Railroad
Route
Termini New York City and Boston
Chicago
Distance travelled961.2 miles (1,546.9 km) (New York - Chicago)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)Westbound: 19
Eastbound: 22
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)

The Lake Shore Limited was a passenger train service operated by the New York Central Railroad between New York City and Chicago, Illinois, from 1897 to 1956. Separate sections linked to Boston and St. Louis. The Lake Shore Limited was the New York Central's first luxury passenger train, and paved the way for its more famous cousin the 20th Century Limited . [1] :30 The 1897 name is now used by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited , which follows much the same route. [2] :22

Contents

History

The Lake Shore Limited's immediate predecessor was the Exposition Flyer (not to be confused with a train of the same name operated between Chicago & Oakland, California, between 1939 and 1949), which the New York Central operated between New York and Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago. [1] :30

The Lake Shore Limited began on May 30, 1897, with an advertised 24-hour schedule from New York to Chicago. A Boston section which connected at Albany, New York had a 26-hour schedule. [3] :74 The Lake Shore Limited's chief competitor was the Pennsylvania Railroad's Pennsylvania Limited , which began in 1887. [4] :31–32 The Lake Shore Limited carried the train numbers 19 (westbound) and 22 (eastbound). [5] :224,226

The New York Central truncated the westbound Lake Shore Limited to Buffalo on July 15, 1956, and substituted the Great Lakes Aerotrain over the Chicago-Cleveland portion of the route. The eastbound Lake Shore Limited ended on October 28, 1956, as part of a system-wide reorganization. [3] :79

Route and equipment used

Sample consist
September 1954 Official Guide of the Railways
TrainWestbound
[6]

The original Lake Shore Limited was the last New York Central train featuring Wagner Palace Car Company equipment before the latter's merger with the Pullman Car Company in 1899. The original consist was as follows: buffet/library/smoking car, parlor car, dining car, three sleepers and an observation lounge. Electric power came from a dynamo in the baggage car. [1] :31–35

The westbound Lake Shore Limited originated at Grand Central Station in New York and traveled along the Hudson River to Albany, where it joined with a section from Boston. From there it traveled west to Rochester, New York, then southwest to Buffalo, New York. From Buffalo it ran over the tracks of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway (LS&MS) through Cleveland, Ohio, to Chicago's LaSalle Street Station. Another section separated at Cleveland and ran over the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway to Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Louis, Missouri. [5] :224–225

1940 crash

Memorial plaque for 1940 derailment in Little Falls, New York. 1940 Lakeshore Limited Train Crash Memorial.jpg
Memorial plaque for 1940 derailment in Little Falls, New York.

On April 19, 1940 the westbound Lake Shore Limited derailed due to excessive speed on a curve killing 31 and injuring nearly 140. The train had left Albany 21 minutes behind schedule and the engineer was trying to make up time. [7]

Legacy

Before the coming of the 20th Century Limited, the Lake Shore Limited was the New York Central's premier long-distance train. [8] :266 Amtrak now operates the Lake Shore Limited between Chicago and New York, with a Boston section, over the same route. [2] :22 Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited operates a 20½-hour schedule to New York and a 23-hour schedule to Boston. [9]

Related Research Articles

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The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midwest, along with the intermediate cities of Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Rochester and Syracuse. New York Central was headquartered in New York City's New York Central Building, adjacent to its largest station, Grand Central Terminal.

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The Empire Service is an Inter-city rail service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. The brand name originated with the New York Central Railroad in 1967. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service along the 460-mile (740 km) Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls via Albany, the state capital.

<i>Lake Shore Limited</i> American intercity passenger train service

The Lake Shore Limited is an overnight passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and the Northeastern United States, with sections to New York City and Boston. The central segment of the route runs along the southern shore of Lake Erie.

<i>20th Century Limited</i> American named passenger train (1902–1967)

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<i>Cardinal</i> (train) Amtrak service from Chicago, IL to New York, NY

The Cardinal is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York Penn Station and Chicago Union Station via Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlottesville, Charleston, Huntington, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. Along with the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, it is one of three trains linking the Northeast and Chicago. Its 1,146-mile (1,844 km) trip between New York and Chicago takes 2814 hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Albany Railroad</span> American railroad line (1867-1961)

The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. Passenger service is provided on the line by Amtrak, as part of their Lake Shore Limited service, and by the MBTA Commuter Rail system, which owns the section east of Worcester and operates it as its Framingham/Worcester Line.

<i>Capitol Limited</i> (B&O train) Former B&O train between New York and Chicago

The Capitol Limited was an American passenger train run by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, originally between New York City and Grand Central Station in Chicago, Illinois, via Union Station, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Pittsburgh. For almost 48 years, it was the B&O's flagship passenger train, noted for personalized service and innovation. At the time of its discontinuation on May 1, 1971, when Amtrak took over most rail passenger service in the U.S., the Capitol Limited operated between Washington and Chicago.

<i>Empire State Express</i> American named passenger train (1892–1967)

The Empire State Express was one of the named passenger trains and onetime flagship of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. On September 14, 1891, it covered the 436 miles (702 kilometers) between New York City and Buffalo in 7 hours and 6 minutes, averaging 61.4 miles-per-hour (98.8 km/h), with a top speed of 82 mph (132 km/h).

<i>George Washington</i> (train) Cincinnati-DC passenger rail service

The George Washington was a named passenger train of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway running between Cincinnati, Ohio and Washington, D.C. that operated from 1932, the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington, to 1974. A section divided from the main train at Gordonsville, Virginia and operated through Richmond to Phoebus, Virginia. From the west, a section originated in Louisville and joined at Ashland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Erie, Pennsylvania)</span> Railroad station in Erie, Pennsylvania

Union Station is an Amtrak railroad station and mixed-use commercial building in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. It is served by the Lake Shore Limited route, which provides daily passenger service between Chicago and New York City or Boston; Erie is the train's only stop in Pennsylvania. The station's ground floor has been redeveloped into commercial spaces, including The Brewerie at Union Station, a brewpub. The building itself is privately owned by the global logistics and freight management company Logistics Plus and serves as its headquarters.

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<i>James Whitcomb Riley</i> (train) American named passenger train (1941–1977)

The James Whitcomb Riley was a passenger train that operated between Chicago, Illinois, and Cincinnati, Ohio, via Indianapolis, Indiana. Originally operated by the New York Central Railroad, it was taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Under Amtrak, it merged with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's George Washington to become a Chicago-Washington/Newport News train. In 1977, it was renamed the Cardinal, which remains in operation.

<i>New England States</i> American named passenger train (1938–1967)

The New England States was a passenger train operated by the New York Central Railroad and its successor Penn Central over the Water Level Route between Chicago and Boston. It was launched in 1938, in tandem with the relaunch of the newly-streamlined 20th Century Limited, and assumed responsibility for that train's Boston sleepers. In 1949 it became the first Chicago–Boston streamliner. The New York Central dropped the name in 1967; an unnamed remnant continued running until 1971. Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited now serves the route.

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.

<i>Niagara Rainbow</i> Amtrak passenger train from New York to Detroit

The Niagara Rainbow, known as the Empire State Express before 1976, was an American passenger train service operated by Amtrak between New York City and Detroit via Buffalo and Southwestern Ontario in Canada. The service ran between October 31, 1974, and January 31, 1979.

<i>Nickel Plate Limited</i>

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<i>Ohio State Limited</i> American named passenger train (1924–1967)

The Ohio State Limited was a named passenger train operated by the New York Central Railroad (NYC) between New York City and Cincinnati, Ohio, via Buffalo and Cleveland, Ohio. Service began in 1924 and continued until 1967, with some vestiges remaining until 1971.

<i>Merchants Limited</i>

The Merchants Limited, sometimes shortened to Merchants, was a New York, New Haven and Hartford passenger train on the Shore Line between Boston and New York City. It was the New Haven's premier passenger train and the last all-parlor car train in the United States. The train entered service in 1903, and survived the turbulent Penn Central merger to become one of Amtrak's Boston–Washington, D.C. services. The name disappeared from Amtrak's timetables in 1995 when most Northeast trains were rebranded "NortheastDirect".

<i>Southwestern Limited</i> (New York Central train) American named passenger train (1889–1966)

The Southwestern Limited was a passenger train service operated by the New York Central Railroad between New York City and St. Louis, from 1889 to 1966. The Southwestern Limited was one of the New York Central's luxury passenger trains. This passenger train competed with the other major railroad in the northeast, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and its Blue Ribbon named passenger trains the St. Louisan, the Jeffersonian, the Penn Texas and the Spirit of St. Louis.

The Canadian and later, Canadian-Niagara, was the longest running named international train from Chicago to Upper Canada via Detroit, for its first two decades running to Montreal. This overnight train was operated by the Michigan Central Railroad from Chicago to Detroit, and in a pool arrangement, it operated over Canadian Pacific Railway tracks and used the same train number from Detroit eastward. The train would carry a second section, bound, variously for Buffalo or New York City via Buffalo.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Zimmermann, Karl R. (2002). 20th Century Limited. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN   0760314225. OCLC   55042088.
  2. 1 2 Schafer, Mike; Welsh, Joe; Holland, Kevin J. (2001). The American Passenger Train. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN   0-7603-0896-9.
  3. 1 2 Sanders, Craig (2003). Limiteds, Locals, and Expresses in Indiana, 1838–1971. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN   978-0-253-34216-4.
  4. Welsh, Joe; Bill Howes (2004). Travel by Pullman: a century of service. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN   0760318573. OCLC   56634363.
  5. 1 2 Official Guide of the Railways . New York: National Railway Publication Co. January 1908. OCLC   6340864.
  6. New York Central Railroad (September 1954). "Pullman, Coach and Dining Car Service" . Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  7. Grohdahl, Paul (May 14, 2015). "Haunting echoes of horrific 1940 Little Falls train wreck". Albany Times Union.
  8. Adams, Arthur G. (1996). The Hudson through the years . Fordham University Press. ISBN   0-8232-1677-2. OCLC   44961690.
  9. Amtrak (October 26, 2009). "Lake Shore Limited" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-12-13.