Now that is something that I did not know. So, it ran passenger trains to Chicago on both routes.
Do I have it right that the route south of Lake Erie was the Water Level Route?
What was the route through Windsor called?
Rich
New York Central 1948
Via Detroit - New York Special, Wolverine, Niagara, North Shore Limited
Via Cleveland - Easterner, Interstate Express, Advance Commodore Vanderbilt, Pacemaker, Commodore Vanderbilt, The Water Level, The 20th Century Limited, The Mohawk, Lake Shore Limited, Chicagoan, plus the Paul Revere and New England States to Boston.
The Pacemaker was coach only. Not all of the trains carried through Chicago-New York Pullmans, but most carried Pullmans most or all of their routes. The New England States, the Advance Commodore Vanderbilt, the Commodore Vanderbilt, and the 20th Century Limited carried only Pullman cars. and the 20th Century had a “Special Service Charge”.
Both routes were essentially at water level, so NYC made little distinction between them. Trains via Detroit operated out of Central Station until 1956, entering MC trackage at Kensington.
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I find this so fascinating that the NYC had two passenger train routes to Chicago.
Rich
New York Central actually had four lines entering Chicago. In addition to the NYC and MC, the Big Four’s trains entered Chicago over the Illinois Central from Kankakee. There was also the “Egyptian” line to Cairo, Illinois.
The MC shared a route with the IHB from Gary through Gibson Yard before heading north to Kensington. The “Egyptian” line’s trains joined the LS&MS main line at Indiana Harbor.
All of PRR’s New York trains used the Fort Wayne Line from Pittsburgh. Other PRR-served cities had trains that operated via the “Panhandle”. After 1926 all Panhandle trains used the South Chicago and Southern line to get to the Fort Wayne and the south side of Union Station. The original Panhandle route continued northwest to join the B&OCT passenger main at Beverly, continuing to Western Avenue where the Panhandle and Milwaukee formed the North Joint Approach to Union Station.
While Wabash never offered service to or from New York, Wabash service from the east (Detroit) was carried via the PRR from Fort Wayne.
Nickel Plate’s joint New York service with Lackawanna served LaSalle via State Line, Grand Crossing and Englewood to LaSalle Street.
Erie’s trains used the C&WI from State Line.
Grand Trunk Western offered through Pullmans to New York before the depression, with cars handled via Port Huron, Hamilton, Ont. Niagara Falls and the Lehigh Valley.
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As always, thanks, rcdrye.
Rich
Very helpful, thanks.
Rich
Ahh, good point.
Rich
Good Morning, living in the Poconos, I had become fascinated with the history of the Erie/Delaware Lackawanna Railroads. They were arguably the first major RR to get to Chicago. Going back to the 19th Century they built the rather famous route through New Jersey, across the Delaware River, through the Poconos, up to Scranton, (“Phoebe Snow”) on to Buffalo, and then to Chicago. Along that route three of the largest viaducts ever built, at that time, were constructed, including the Nicholson, still used today. They advertised “to be the fastest route”, beating the Pennsy by a bit. Pretty sure the “water route” referred to was the one they used. Both of these routes were the most direct way to get from either New York or Phila. to Chicago. All other routes were more complex and more railroads involved.
Agreed. I had read recently that the PRR route took longer because its route took it up and over the Alleghany mountains.
Rich
Some more of the answer as to the complexity of getting to Chicago, is due to the competitiveness of the railroads trying to establish their routes. None wanted some cooperative agreement or to cede track. Pretty sure between them the Erie and Pennsy tried to keep NYC and B & O, out of Pennsylvania.
Probably true, but on that note, Indiana had its own railroads. Can you imagine trying to keep the NYC, PRR and Erie from laying track in their state to reach Illinois and Chicago. I would have like to be the lawyer representing the railroads.
Rich
Exactly right. The Alleghenies are usually regarded as twice the height and volume of the Poconos, so hard to believe, but “easier”. Remember this is the turn of the century. Pictures showing the building of the Paulinskill viaduct are some of the most amazing! The further complication was all the ravines that run through New Jersey, and yet surveyors still found this to be the most expeditious route.
LOL
“…Erie/Delaware Lackawanna Railroads. They were arguably the first major RR to get to Chicago.”
The Michigan Central was the first RR into Chicago from the east in 1852. The Chicago & Atlantic (later Erie in the 1890s) didn’t get to Chicago until the 1870s.
Interesting discussion about which railroad was first to arrive in Chicago. That 18+ year difference sounds pretty convincing.
Rich
The following comment has nothing to do with the question of, how did passenger trains from New York reach Chicago, or which railroad was first. But I decided to Google 'what was the first railroad to reach Chicago, and the Encyclopedia of Chicago offered the following:
The Galena & Chicago Union (GCU, 1848) built the region’s first railroad, from Chicago to West Chicago in 1848, extended to Freeport and the Mississippi River by 1855. In the “Great Consolidation” of 1864, the well-managed GCU merged with (and took the name of) the smaller C&NW, which owned a line to Madison.
Back to the subject of how did passenger trains from New York reach Chicago, an argument can be made that it was the Erie since Michigan Central passenger trains did not originate in New York. 
Rich
Neither did the Erie’s. They originated in New Jersey. So did the PRR’s before Penn Station opened. B&O’s, NKP (DL&W)'s likewise, though B&O trains used Penn from 1918 to 1926.
In the early 1930s, only trains operated by the New York Central System (including Michigan Central), the Pennsylvania and the Grand Trunk Western (Lehigh Valley) carried through cars from New York City. Lehigh Valley used Penn Station from USRA days until service ended in 1959.
It just goes to show, you can’t believe anything you read on the Internet. 
Rich
“Back to the subject of how did passenger trains from New York reach Chicago, an argument can be made that it was the Erie since Michigan Central passenger trains did not originate in New York.”
Vanderbilt (NYC) controlled the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern by the 1870s, a couple of decades before the Erie controlled all its lines to Chicago.
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I’ve always understood the Water Level Route to reference the NYC lines in New York State. From New York, it ran north along the Hudson River to Albany, then west from Albany along the Mohawk River to Buffalo. From Buffalo, some trains went south of the Great Lakes, some went north.
Running next to rivers, the NYC line was quite flat (except for a short bit around Albany). By comparison, PRR trains going west from New York got into very hilly up-and-down terrain. Trying to sleep while sliding around in your berth as the train went up and down hills wasn’t as good for your rest as going on a nice flat line like the Central, so NYC promoted it in their advertising.
So really “Water Level Route” was just a (very successful) advertising slogan touting their mainline in New York. It wasn’t a formal name.
The Canada Southern Division of the Michigan Central Ry., part of the New York Central System. IIRC, the Canadian-based engines had “CS Div MC Ry” lettered on the side of the cab at one time.
BTW Canada Southern had Canadian built GP7 and GP9 diesels that ran short hood forward, unlike the other 1st generation NYC Geeps where the long hood was the front.
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