Hi: I believe that when the 20th Century quit running it was no longer a deluxe first class room only train. Before Amtrak, did the Broadway Limited ever get coaches or did it stay an all room train? Thanks for any info anyone can provide me.
The Broadway got coaches (usually two per train) at the end of 1967, just before the PC merger. PRR bought some 44 seat long distance coaches from Union Pacific specifically for the Broadway. Technically the Broadway was combined with the General, and was even listed that way in timetables for a while.
pajrrI believe that when the 20th Century quit running it was no longer a deluxe first class room only train.
Just for the record: I believe the Century got coaches during the summer season of 1957 (consolidated with the Commodore Vanderbilt) and this became permanent in April 1958.
I was lead to believe that Penn Station was a dark dirty dank unkept nasty place going downhill during the fifties but these pictures must be post war and the place looks pretty darn bright and clean.
I visit the OLD Penn Station many times a year. The NJ Meadowlands Sports Complex is built on top of it. All of the rubble was used as landfill in the Meadowlands. There is a trucking company there that uses pieces of the marble columns as bumpers along the edge of their property! They have a flea market there year round on Saturdays. It is great to find railroad items there, especially PRR items. To all of you submitting responses to my question I thank all of you. I knew that the Century didn't stay coachless and didn't make it to PC. I was never sure of the Broadway.
http://digital.shsmo.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/twa/id/8056/rv/singleitem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ9f206YnyU
A little further digging on the coaches assigned to the Broadway: PRR bought about 16 New York Central 64-seat long-distance coaches, along with eight CRI&P 72-seat coaches and D&RGW's two lunch counter-lounges originally built for the giant C&O order, all of them arriving in 1967. The NYC coaches were all fluted-side, though built by Pullman-Standard. Penn Central bought the 6 UP 44-seat coaches in 1970 for the Broadway.
Thanks Rob, that almost explains why a Rock Island car was in Penn Station in 1958.
http://www.gettyimages.com/license/133943586
Looks like a "pool" car borrowed through Pullman, since it was coming from Miami, a place not served by CRI&P even on its most circuitous route. The CRI&P coaches weren't bought until 1967.
wanswheel http://digital.shsmo.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/twa/id/8056/rv/singleitem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ9f206YnyU
Air-Rail was an interesting concept. Facilitated by the airlines inability to fly safely at night in the early stages of the development of air transportation.
Given the current state of air travel, perhaps a modern variation of this should be revisited.
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