Excerpt from Speeches of Benjamin Harrison
As the train neared Washington - on the homestretch of its great run of 9,232 miles - the President gathered all the members of his party about him in the observation car, including the train employees and servants, and made a short speech, in which he thanked all who accompanied him for their courtesy and attention. He referred to the long journey - without accident of any kind and without a minute's variance from the prearranged schedule - as a most remarakble achievement, and paid a high compliment to Mr. George W. Boyd, the General Assistant Passenger Agent of the Pennslyvania Railroad for his successful management of the trip, adding that it was a superb exhibition of what energy and training could do for a man. He then returned his thanks individually to the engineer, conductor, and every employee.
Excerpt from Colliery Engineer
Mr. George W. Boyd, general passenger agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., has been honored by the Emperor of Germany with the decoration of the Order of the Crown. This decoration was awarded Mr. Boyd as a token of the Emperor's appreciation of Mr. Boyd's courtesies and assistance rendered Prince Henry of Prussia during his visit to the United States. The Order of the Crown was instituted by Emperor William I, in 1861, to commemorate his coronation as King of Prussia. The badge is a white enameled Maltese cross with gold edges having in the center the royal crown on a gold field. Mr. Boyd has been the recipient of more decorations and evidences of appreciation from foreign rulers and dignitaries than any other American. His position as general passenger agent of the greatest railroad system in the world, has thrown him in personal contact with many notables, and his courtesy and ability have been invariably noticed and commended.
Excerpt from International Railway Journal
No railroad man in the world has arranged and personally conducted more railroad tours for distinguished personages than George W. Boyd, the assistant general passenger agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He has won a reputation in this line which has just been again confirmed by the marked success of the flying railway trip made by Prince Henry of Prussia in the most elegant train ever gotten up in the world. When the Department of State asked the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to manage this tour, the matter was put in charge of Mr. Boyd, who personally saw that every detail was properly arranged to insure against a hitch or an accident at any point. The success and dispatch of the tour, from beginning to end, bear witness to the care and intelligent forethought with which the arrangements were made.
What railroads to what cities did Prince Henry ride in 1902?
Mike
narig01 at the risk of being right The Merchants Express or Limited? Rgds IGN
at the risk of being right
The Merchants Express or Limited?
Rgds IGN
Nope - see above...
wanswheel Trans-Atlantic Limited? Thanks Canada Southern. http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/timetables.htm
Trans-Atlantic Limited?
Thanks Canada Southern.
http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/timetables.htm
DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!
We have a winner!!!
The Trans-Atlantic Limited was the train I was looking for. There were two incarnations of this train:
The first version was a Chicago-New York run that was renamed from the Michigan Central Limited during the first half of 1924. With the renaming came an all-Pullman, extra-fare status, which remained more-or-less so on the Michigan Central, but eventually coaches were added east of Buffalo. The train operated overnight from Chicago to Buffalo and operated on a daytime schedule east of Buffalo, arriving New York in the evening, allowing for a comfortable time cushion between it and the midnight departures of various Trans-Atlantic liners leaving New York. I assume that this train was named the Trans-Atlantic Limited to appeal to those passengers who were planning to make an ocean crossing, but I've never seen any ad or reference indicating so.
This version of the Trans-Atlantic Limited existed until mid-1927, when the train was renamed to the North Shore Limited, initially keeping its All-Pullman, extra-fare status.
The Trans-Atlantic Limited name returned in late 1932, but as a daytime Chicago-Buffalo train previously named the De Luxe Special with through New York cars being transferred to the New York Special at Buffalo. This train also was merged with the Chicago-Toronto Dominion-Overseas from Chicago to Detroit. There were only one or two Chicago-New York Pullmans what were on this version, but there were also additional through cars from Detroit and other Michigan points. This version lasted until February, 1942, when it was renamed the New York Special, still connecting with the NYC version of that train.
Thanks to all who replied and congrats to Wanswheel, the next question is yours!
Change at Buffalo for LV or DL&W.
wanswheel The Overseas? Or the Dominion-Overseas-De Luxe Special, Michigan Central train(s) No. 44.
The Overseas? Or the Dominion-Overseas-De Luxe Special, Michigan Central train(s) No. 44.
Great try, but again I'm looking for a train that ran between Chicago and New York for part of its existence.
BUT
You stumbled on my next hint - the Michigan Central was involved.
ALSO
The De Luxe Special was renamed to the train I'm looking for in its second reincarnation.
daveklepper Were there ever PRR or NYC trains named The Voyager or The Seafarer?
Were there ever PRR or NYC trains named The Voyager or The Seafarer?
No there was not......
daveklepper Was there an Internaitonal Limited that operated via Canada between NY and Chicago at one time? Later, possibly the Chicago - Toronton International Limited handled through cars to NY via the Lehigh Valley, running through Hamilton instead of Toronto. Just a guess..
Was there an Internaitonal Limited that operated via Canada between NY and Chicago at one time? Later, possibly the Chicago - Toronton International Limited handled through cars to NY via the Lehigh Valley, running through Hamilton instead of Toronto. Just a guess..
There was never a Chicago-New York International Limited. It always was a Chicago-Toronto-Montreal train. Yes, there way have been Chicago-New York Pullmans via LV, but the train I'm looking for was a Chicago-New York train for a time. (HINT- I said New York, not Jersey City or Hoboken)
I have a final clue which I'll give tomorrow to hurry this on.
Here are some more hints:
This name was used in two time frames.
In the first time frame-
this train was operated as an all-Pullman, extra fare run
In the second time frame-
it was neither all-Pullman nor extra-fare
it transported New York cars via connecting trains
the name really didn't make sense in light of its consist
narig01 More WAG's to keep things going . Something with "Voyager" in it? Or should we be looking at "Atlantic"? Thx IGN
More WAG's to keep things going . Something with "Voyager" in it?
Or should we be looking at "Atlantic"?
Thx IGN
The latter....
wanswheel Commodore Vanderbilt?
Commodore Vanderbilt?
Nope.....
A fragment of the name has already been mentioned in previous posts....
More food for thought - Once upon a time there was a train called the Airliner. On the surface, it sounds weird for a train to be named after another form of transportation but in reality the name refers to a railroad concept of a straight line. The train name I'm looking for is somewhat similar in that you would not normally associate part of this name with rail travel, but unlike the Airliner, there is no rail industry reference to this name.
Excerpt from The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review (1865)
About the time Vanderbilt sold out his interest in the Nicaragua-California line he had laid the keel of a new steam-ship, to be called the North Star. She was built, as all his vessels have been, under his own supervision, in a very complete manner, and splendidly fitted up with all that could tend to gratify or please. He had now become a man of great wealth. From the little boy of sixteen with his hundred-dollar sail-boat, he had gradually but surely crept up, accumulating and so using his accumulations that now his vessels plowed almost every sea, and his enterprising spirit was felt in every part of our country. It has never been his plan to put away his money in a chest, nor yet to simply invest it, but rather, in the fullest sense of the word, to use it. Consequently, it is said that to-day he employs more men, directly and indirectly, than any other person in the land. Having, then, from so small a beginning, worked out such great results, he proposed in May, 1853, to make the tour of Europe, with his family, in the North Star. The undertaking was a novel one, and yet, as has been said, in some respects a grand one. By means of this excursion a display of American enterprise and skill was made which was of essential service to the country. But besides that, for a single individual, without rank, without prestige, without national authority, to build, equip, and man such a noble specimen of naval architecture, and to mantain it before all the courts of Europe with dignity and style, was an extremely happy and suggestive illustration to the Old World of what the energies of man may accomplish in this new land, where they are allowed to have full play, uncramped by oppressive social institutions or absurd social traditions. Cornelius Vanderbilt is a natural, legitimate product of America. With us, all citizens have full permission to run the race in which he has gained such large prizes, while in other countries they are trammeled by a thousand restrictions.
For the purposes, then, of this excursion, the North Star was built and furnished. This was the first steamer fitted with a beam engine that ever attempted to cross the Atlantic. Many steamship men considered engines thus built impracticable for ocean steamers; but Vanderbilt, by his experiments on this and many other vessels, has, we think, established the fact that they are eminently suited for sea purposes, as well as river navigation. But we shall not attempt any description of the capabilities or of the beauty and elegance of this vessel as it then was. It is enough to say, it was perfect in all departments. Thursday, the 19th of May, 1853, was the time fixed for sailing; but as she was leaving her berth the strong current of the ebb-tide caught her on the quarter, and swung her upon a reef of rocks at the foot of Walnut Street. The damage being slight, however, was soon repaired, and on the following day she was on her way to Southampton. To give an account of this excursion, or even a small portion of what was seen or said, would require more space than we can spare, and, besides, is foreign to our purpose. In almost every country visited, they were received by all the authorities with great cordiality, as well as great attention. At Southampton the North Star formed the topic of conversation in all circles, and the party was honored with a splendid banquet, at which about two hundred persons sat down. When in Russia, the Grand Duke Constantine and the Chief Admiral of the Russian Navy visited the ship. The former solicited and obtained permission to take drafts of it, which duty was ably performed by a corps of Russian engineers. In Constantinople, Gibraltar, and Malta, the authorities were also very cordial and polite. But in Leghorn (under the government of Austria) the vessel was subjected to constant surveillance, guard-boats patrolling about her day and night - the authorities not being able to believe that the expedition was one of pleasure, but imagining that the steamer was loaded with munitions and arms for insurrectionary purposes. After a very charming and delightful excursion of four months, they returned home, reaching New York September 23d, 1853 - having sailed a distance of fifteen thousand miles. This certainly was an expedition worthy and characteristic of the man who undertook it, and met with that decided success which his efforts ever seemed to insure.
daveklepper The Admiral? PRR
The Admiral? PRR
nope...
KCSfan I've been wracking my brain trying to think of a train with a nautical themed name that ran out of Chicago. I can't think of a one other than the Atlantic Express which several of us have mentioned already. I'll try a different approach and suggest the GTW's International Ltd. Mark
I've been wracking my brain trying to think of a train with a nautical themed name that ran out of Chicago. I can't think of a one other than the Atlantic Express which several of us have mentioned already. I'll try a different approach and suggest the GTW's International Ltd.
Mark
Again, the Atlantic Express was already proposed and it isn't the International Limited. Remember, you already have the trains endpoints: Chicago-New York. Also, the schedule of this train allowed a minimum layover time in New York for passengers who had an evening departure on one of the liners.
Think about this - When you are taking one of the liners, you are also embarking on a certain type of voyage. This certain type of voyage is the crux of the trains name.
Also, this was not a new train. This train was renamed from an existing train and the previous name was, in essence, a railroad name.
FlyingCrow Here's a wild thought.... The Erie's Atlantic Express
Here's a wild thought.... The Erie's Atlantic Express
That would be too easy....nope. Also this was proposed in an earlier posting.
narig01 Another WAG.Perhaps something en Francais? Thx IGN
Another WAG.Perhaps something en Francais?
Nope...don't get hung up with the names of the ships.....
narig01 WAG: Something named or with the name "Ocean" I'll leave for someone else to get the correct answer. Thx IGN
WAG: Something named or with the name "Ocean"
I'll leave for someone else to get the correct answer.
Nice try, but no.....
ZephyrOverland wanswheel: ZO, yes your turn. What would be the appropriately named train to take from Chicago if one was going to sail on the Mauritania, Ile de France or Majestic from New York? RR and name, please.
wanswheel: ZO, yes your turn.
ZO, yes your turn.
What would be the appropriately named train to take from Chicago if one was going to sail on the Mauritania, Ile de France or Majestic from New York? RR and name, please.
From Louis F. Grogans book, The Coming Of The New York and Harlem Railroad: electrification opened to Wakefield 1/28/07 while building to North White Plains finished in 1910 To Brewster completed in late 1983 with service in the spring (April) of 1984.
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RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
daveklepper Still would like the dates for electrification to White Plains and Brewster North if someone can supply. Thanks. I was first with Atlantic and Erie, but possibly Ezpress rather than Limited is the right answer. I never used the Atlantic Exprss or Limited. I and my family used the Erie several times when I was a youngster, and I think I recall seeing the name on the departure board at the Jersy City (Pavonia) Terminal. I did ride the EL's Lake Cities a few months before it was discontinued, from Hoboken to Chicago, Pride of Youngstown sleeper to Youngstown and coach the rest of the way, diner only to Huntington, but the meals were excellent. Zo, if Express is right and Limited is just wrong and never was used for this train, by all means give the question to Mark. Thanks.
Still would like the dates for electrification to White Plains and Brewster North if someone can supply. Thanks. I was first with Atlantic and Erie, but possibly Ezpress rather than Limited is the right answer. I never used the Atlantic Exprss or Limited. I and my family used the Erie several times when I was a youngster, and I think I recall seeing the name on the departure board at the Jersy City (Pavonia) Terminal. I did ride the EL's Lake Cities a few months before it was discontinued, from Hoboken to Chicago, Pride of Youngstown sleeper to Youngstown and coach the rest of the way, diner only to Huntington, but the meals were excellent.
Zo, if Express is right and Limited is just wrong and never was used for this train, by all means give the question to Mark. Thanks.
The train I'm looking for is neither the Atlantic Limited nor the Atlantic Express. I know of at least 75 Atlantic Expresses and 8 Atlantic Limiteds, but the name I'm looking for was more unique. Both you and Mark are thinking in the right direction - consider the other means of transportation.
ZO, the Erie's Atlantic Express comes to mind as a possibile answer.
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