prr used position lights, then some color-position lights in some places
Today is the 40th anniversary of the LAKE SHORE LIMITED.
bill613a: Thank you for remembering the Lake Shore Limited on its 40th anniversary. I well recall the the first eastbound train as I had a roomette aboard. The train's arrival into Cleveland that evening around 11:30 or midnight was cheered and welcomed by some, but also met by about 20 or more vocal and sign-carrying protestors who were employees of Greyhound, sure that Amtrak would kill their service to points east, but maybe they feared that there would be a big rail passenger renaissance, not such a fanciful idea in 1975.
This maid-of-all-work passenger train was never glamorous. It began, naturally, with an assortment of cars from different railroads in various liveries. The Lake Shore Limited never got the refurbished equipment the Broadway Limited did (remember its double diner?) nor did it have a domecar like the Capitol Limited had for years. It did carry a slumbercoach for some years but it was never promoted as a sexy train.
Other memories of that memorable first train include the delicious breakfast in a former NYC diner with NYC marked creamers on the table. I recall the hungry, bedraggled dog in Albany to whom the chef threw a number of bones & half-eaten steaks (bravo, chef!). The same dog got the same leftovers when I rode the train again about a year later.
There was a real sense of pride and adventure on the train that night because it had taken the efforts of many people and grass roots organizations to make the train a reality. For Clevelanders, this train re-established us as a place on the Amtrak map. Now we could get to both NYC and Chicago without a 60 mile drive south to Canton.
The station is another story. It's a shock to realize the lakefront Amshak has now been our station as long or longer (depending on how one counts it) than the sacred Cleveland Union Terminal, one of the best-designed stations ever built in the United States. Amtrak & others talk about giving us a new intermodal station someday. They'd better hurry because this one is in bad shape.
Bravo the Lake Shore Limited, named after its eponymous railroad headquartered in Cleveland so long ago. Long may the LSL travel in safety and peace.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.