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Just by happenstance, I rode the last eastbound run of the Broadway Ltd. It was around Christmas of 1968. I was a student at the University of Minnesota at the time and was returning to my home in Philadelphia for the holiday. I first took a Milwaukee Road train (either the Hiawatha or Pioneer Ltd.) from the Twin Cities to Chicago's Union Station. As I boarded the Broadway there I noticed TV cameras on the platform. At first I thought a celebrity must be on board but a porter told me that they were covering the Broadway's run. At many of the small stations in Indiana and Ohio, small knots of people had gathered on the platforms just to see the train for the last time. This went on well into the early morning hours. I particularly remember this at Crestline where the train stopped for refueling. The Broadway was by far the smoothest and quietest ride I'd had in a train up to that time. Since then I've had the pleasure of riding trains in France and Germany and they far surpass anything over here sad to say. The Pennsy's tracks were in far better shape than the Milwaukee's, although the Pullman cars on the Broadway probably gave a smoother, quieter ride than the Milwaukee's coaches. Inside, it was all beige with a double unit diner, a midtrain lounge and a rear observation car. At dinner, I had the Duck L'Orange which, I believe, was the signature item on the Broadway's menu for many years. It was excellent as was the service. The Pennsy used to advertise that menu item in The New Yorker magazine. Unlike today, you dressed for dinner in the diner. Men wore suits and women dresses. It seemed very elegant to me. After dinner, I went to the observation car and had a very nice conversation with a fellow who was a superintendent from the Pittsburg division. He regaled me with stories of his RR career and his love for the Pennsy. He was heartsick at the the loss of the Broadway. Unfortunately, I slept through the Horseshoe Curve but woke up in time for Harrisburg where a GG-1 was substituted for the diesels (three E-7s or E-8s). I seem to recall that a newspaper (either the NY Times or the Phila. Bulletin) was left at the door of each compartment in the morning. Leaving Harrisburg it was impossible not to notice how much more quickly the GG-1 accelerated the train than did the diesels. The difference was very noticable. Then came the ride through the Philly Mainline suburbs (lots of ancient MUs on the local tracks) and on into North Philadelphia Station (very dirty and decepit by then). It was a great ride but sad too as it would never be duplicated. Of course, the Pennsy and, later, Amtrak ran a train called the Broadway after this but it was never the same after they added coaches and ran it on a different schedule (It was really The General with a different name). I've ridden the Empire Builder, North Coast Ltd.and the CP's Canadian as well as some of the TGV and ICE trains in Europe but that ride on the Broadway is still the most memorable train trip of them all. Charlie Swope
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