What was America's finest Passenger Train?

[lvt1000]

Reading Crusader both the Budd Train and the RDC Set, D&H Adirondack, Broadway Ltd and for AMTRAK the first iteration of the Montrealer/Washingtonian complete with the ex C&O Diner-Lounges and the Army Hospital cars turned into "Le Pub"

[Anonymous]

Every now and then, someone will make the remark that the Interstate system put the railroad out of business. I don't want to debate this issue but I would like to point out that General/President Eisenhower wanted the Interstate system for national defense reasons. He was so impressed by the way Hitler could move his troops from one front to another on the German Autoban that he wanted a super highway in the United States. I am like y ou. I miss traveling on the railroads like I did as a child but I don't miss being stuck behind some 18 wheeler going up on some steep Smokey Mountain road about 35 mph. I did that with dad in his old black Buick with no AC in August. Progress is terrible isn't it? Oh by the way, those National Guards trucks in camouflage paint--they have the right of way on the Interstate.

[Anonymous]

#1- The Santa Fe Super Chief.
#2- The Southern Pacific Day Light Special.
#3- The Norfolk & Western Pohatton Arrow pulled by the 4-8-4 J class.
#4- The California Zypher.

[leonardbrand]

Southern Crescent back when she had a high steping steamer on the point.

[Anonymous]

NYC: James Wittcomb Riley
C&O: George Washington
N&W: Powhatan Arrow
B&O: National Limited
PRR: Cincinnati Limited
SouthernRR: Royal Palm
L&N: Humming Bird
I'm prejudice, I'm from Cincinnati! [:D]

[siberianmo]

This is a great topic and obviously one that brings out all kinds of commentary - including my own!

I recall that while in the military, a high ranking officer once said at a staff meeting, "I encourage open discussions based on facts and experience. Otherwise, opinions are like (let's say - noses), everyone has one! " So, my vote would be for only those trains that I have had the pleasure of being a passenger in.

VIA Rail's Canadian tops my list. I love that train and the trip between Toronto and Vancouver is something special to behold. I think it is North America's finest passenger train of today.

Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited. What a great train and although the scenery surely couldn't compare with that of a cross-continent journey, the amenities were there to be enjoyed. This would be my choice for what "was" the finest.

New York Central's 20th Century Limited. Same commentary as for the PRR's Broadway Limited. This is my second choice for what "was" the finest.

Those are my top three.

When I was a youngster - age 9 - my father put me on a train in Los Angeles bound for New York City. Now that train could have been the Super Chief or one of the Chiefs - changing in Chicago to the PRR. So perhaps, I should say that in the recesses of my aging memory, "One of the Chiefs" surely has to be recognized as a great train too! The more I think about it, the more I recognize that while on board, they all have been and are the finest (to me)!

My final thoughts are about some comments regarding the demise of the American Passenger train. From what I have been able to put together, it was surely not one thing nor one person that did them in. Change is and has been a dynamic force throughout all of time. Sometimes we embrance it fully, other times not. Think about the acceptance of the cell phone, for example. Now think about the current battle over Social Security. Change, as with the changing of the tides, will occur, no matter what the subject. So, where am I going with this? This country's passenger trains simply folded their respective tents much in the manner of the typewriter manufacturers. Other technologies caught up and surpassed the practicality of riding the rails. Yes, the process was accelerated by government subsidies to highways, airports and airlines. Nevertheless, the sand was running out of the hour glass for the passenger trains as we knew them. It was only a matter of time.

Were it not for those of us who dearly love long distance train trips, I wonder whether we would even have Amtrak's version of the famous names of years ago - California Zephyr and Empire Builder immediately come to mind? Long live those trains and long live those of us who continue to support them!

Siberianmo

[MidlandPacific]

Nowadays, the American Orient Express has to be a contender: saw it at East Glacier a few years ago.

As a ride, though, the forty minutes over Marias Pass is worth the whole lengthy trip across North Dakota and the flat part of Montana: so I'd add the Empire Builder.

And to someone who was just old enough to see it in Southern livery, the old Southern Crescent was the best-looking of my lifetime.

BUT....if I had to include rides I'll never be able to take, I think I would've loved dearly to hop on the CS&CCD at Colorado Springs for the "ride that bankrupt the English language," transferring to the Midland Terminal at Cripple Creek, and then to the Colorado Midland at Divide; stick with the Midland to Grand Junction, than the Grande across Utah to Salt Lake, and then another Grande train BACK to Leadville, and the C&S from Leadville to Como to Gunnison, back to the Grande for the run from Marshall Pass to Salida, on to Alamosa via the Valley Line, and then from Alamosa to Colorado Springs via La Veta Pass and Walsenburg.

But I think there was probably only a nine year window for that trip!

[Anonymous]

The only long distance train I've riden is Amtrak's Southwest Chief from Kansas City to Flagstaff and return to Chicago. I'd sure have enjoyed riding all the famous trains, but I just wasn't old enough before they really went downhill.

I've also riden the Rock Island from LaSalle to Joliet--not really enough to count, and the GM&O between St. Louis and Chicago and points in between. One enjoyable trip on the Abe Lincoln was spent in the club car with my uncle. What 17 year old wouldn't like that? Another trip on the Midnight Special got me a visit into the cab while the mail was being unloaded and loaded. Thoroughly enjoyed every second of it--too bad I couldn't have stayed there for the full trip. Watched the Green Diamond (IC) several times when my Grandfather took me in back yard to see it, but I was pretty young then (he died when I was 4).

[jaswar]

TOPS: The Lark - SP
2ND PLACE: The Colorado Eagle MP - DRGW
3RD PLACE: The Panama Limited - IC
4TH PLACE: The Blue Bird - WABASH
Hon. Mention: Florida Special PRR-RFP-ACL

[Anonymous]

Just two come to the mind of this railfan who was born decades too late to enjoy riding 'em (sniffs).

Best passenger train of all time:

The Twentieth Century Limited.

In the midwest:

The Hiawatha.

Richard Krebes
Livin' by the BNSF (but MNDOT, tear down that retaining wall!) in Long Lake, MN

[Anonymous]

Okay, Okay, Okay, everyone has their opinion and I’m sure that they are valid opinions. Being too young to have actually written many of the trains that have been talked about if I had a time machine I would like to sample some day trains. It’s great to talk about exclusive luxury trains but they were primarily for well-to-do people, not the average person. If I could, I would like to sample the CB&Q’s Morning Zephyr, westbound out of Chicago. Judging from the old timetables it was on quite a hot schedule! I would also like to have tried the IC’s City of New Orleans, southbound out of Chicago. Another good one would be Wabash’s bluebird northbound from St. Louis, complete with vista domes. Of course there would always be the N&W’s Powhatan arrow between Norfolk and Cincinnati, behind steam would be best. Another good one would be the Southern / N&W’s Tennessean, westbound out of Washington. I actually did manage a ride on the D&RGW’s Yampa Valley Mail when I was a kid. Too bad we only went part of the way, just up the Front Range from Denver to Rollinsville and back in one day. And of course we could not forget that SP’s Coast Daylight. For multitrack, urban railroading Pennsylvania’s Congressional would have been great. As you can see I prefer day trains, I like to look at what is going on. I had better sign off now as the more I think about this the more trains I think about. I have to remember Edna St. Vincent-Millay who said: “and yet there isn’t a train that I wouldn’t take, no matter where it was going.”

[Anonymous]

SP's Coast Dalight. It may not be a diesel but it was considerd the most beautiful
train in the world. Their menus also sounded good.

[underworld]

The Lake Shore Limited!!!! Well, that's the only one I've ever been on in the States.
[:P][:P][:P][:P][:P]

underworld

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

In 1959 at the age of 8, I rode the Milwaukee from South Dakota to Seattle. It was a trip I have never forgotten. If I had known then what they were going to do with the railroads today, I would have tried to even enjoy it more. And perhaps, borrow a cup, saucer, plate and silver setting from the dining car!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

short run chicago/st louis wabash blue bird hard to beat when new

[Anonymous]

well it was not ameriacs most favorit but mine was the wabash banner blue to and from st louis out of decatur ill i rode at age 10 buy myself to and from st louis with conductor watching me close . for dinner i had a roll of candy mints nothing else and i was on a hig of my life remember it as it was yesyerday them were the days of passenger trains

[jimrice4449]

So many choices, so little space.
I've got two standouts both from the middle forties. The first is the Milw Afternoon Hiawatha. From many saturdays of train watching at the Canal St crossing I knew that the assigned power for that train was one of those new DIESELS. Imagine my disapointment as I settled into the rear seat of the Beaver Tail observation car and saw as we passed under the CNW that smoke and steam was billowing out from under the overpass. We had one of the Hiawatha Hudsons on the point. God, we're dumb when young. At that time the Milw had, in the public timetable, a picture of a milepost and a chart showing the number of seconds between milposts and the corresponding speed. We passed 100MPH on three occasions and, just west of Tunnel City passed a CNW psgr train like it was standing still. From the way the side rods were going it was probably doing about 60.
A year or two later my father had to go to St Louis for a family funeral and took me along on the IC Green Diamond. This was in the narrow time slot between the IC sending the original 4 car articulated train Down South and the arrival of post-WWII lightwieght cars and the train was a mix of some pre-war lightwieghts and a refurbished Harriman parlor observation. They gave it the welded, big window, brown and orange streamlined look, but, since it was only a temporary expedient, didn't bother walling up the open platform. I rode it all the dusty way to the Eades Bridge in St Louis.

[Anonymous]

-The Norfolk & Western J class pulling the Powhaton Arrow.
-The Santa Fe Super Chief.
-The Southern Pacific Day Light Special.
-All the others I can't think of at the moment...

[BaltACD]

The IC's Panama Limted....Choclate Brown and Orange....flying over the Southern Illinois flat lands at 100+.....Steady as a rock! All Pullman, All Class.

[Anonymous]

Sentimental favorite: Capitol Limited
I would sit on my front porch every time I could and watch it's stop at 63rd street in Chicago all through the 60's.
Best looking: a Burlington Zephyr with back to back E's, domes and a round end dome car.
Most Famous: Super Chief ( and gorgeous too!)
Most impressive: a twenty something car "City of Everywhere" with 5 or 6 E units on the point.
Catching Santa Fe PA's running out of Dearborn Street and pacing them riding in a CTA bus is something I'll never forget!
And standing on the platform at Central Station, watching the City Of Miami blast off for Florida with my Grandmother aboard, waving out the window, is indelibly etched!!!
Jimmy

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wallyworld

The Super Chief

[#ditto]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Doggy

What do you think was America's finest Passenger Train?

DOGGY
GO CUBS

[Anonymous]

in my humble opinion in the east the 20th century ltd ,powhatan arrow,broadway ltd were the finest in the west empire builder,super chief,texas special

[traintownofcowee]

What about the Daylight Limited, Coast Daylight? What about the beautiful Daylight trains???

[Anonymous]

Super Chief. I've never heard a single word against it.

[jlampke]

A little off the topic, but I tought this might be of interest to some of you; A couple weeks ago a friend of mine called Amtrac to make a reservation from Portland, OR, to Tacoma, WA. The ticket salesman working for Amtrac advised my friend to take the bus not the train due to the inability of Amtrac to stay on schedule. With employees like that, who needs enemies?
I have ridden passenger trains in England, Italy, Japan, Korea and the States. The foreign trains were fast and kept a good schedule. Sadly, that was not always the case with the American trains. The only trains I have ridden in the States was Amtrac's Coast Starlight and Coast Daylight during the 70's and 80's a few times. As an example, to take the train from Oakland to Eugene takes about 16 hours. A plane takes less than an hour and a half for the same trip. The drive by car can easily be done in 9 hours. That is primarily why I rarely take the train. I've always loved trains, but usually when I take a trip I'm in a hurry to get where I'm going.
Another bit of a disappointment (for me) was that some of the best scenery of the trip, going through the Shasta area, is done in the middle of the night when you can't see anything.
I don't like to fly anymore. I deeply resent the security measures that the Muslims have caused to be necessary. (Long lines, belts off, shoes off, pat-downs, etc..) Maybe that and high fuel prices will bring about a change in the railroads' fortunes.

[Anonymous]

I like New England railroads. How about the New Haven Merchants Ltd. or the B&M's flying Yankee or Pine Tree Ltd.?

[cnw4001]

Any answer is higly subjective, especially in light of the broad question.

B & O's Cincinnatian would certainly be worth mention including numerous other trains. There just is no single answer which will fall on common ground.

Dale

[Anonymous]

North-Empire Builder
South-City of New Orleans
East-The Congressional
West-California Zephyr
Midwest-Electroliner

[BNSF4ever]

1. California Zephyr--no question.
2. Hi-level El Capitan
3. North Coast Limited
4. Mid-century Empire Builder
5. Super Chief