If I had an unlimited budget, No question. New York Central 25, the 20th Century Limited! But, part of me would want to ride Lehigh Valley #9 the Black Diamond, to Buffalo, then the Nickel Plate to Chicago. Then there’s an exotic way to do it: NYO&W to Oswego,NYC’s “Hojack” (RW&O/Lake Ontario Shore line) to Niagara Falls, Grand Trunk (CN/GTW) to Chicago. This route was available from the 1880s until WWI, with a through Pullman sleeper, which was started by Pullman to cut into Vanderbilt’s Wagner Palace car “monopoly” from New York to Chicago, via upstate New York. Can you find another exotic route you might have ridden, just to say that you had ridden it?
Erie Limited, all the way!
If time was not important how about Montrealer New York to Montreal, CN/GT to Chicago.
I’m thinking I’d have to go with the 20th century c.1935, see if I could get a cab ride with Bob Butterfield in 5344. [;)]
First choice would be the pre-Depression Era “Century”, on one of those days when multiple sections were leaving LaSalle Street. Second choice would be post-war, all-Pullman “Century”, and then after that something more exotic, along the lines of the Erie or NKP.
Since I grew up next to their main lines, I would take the “Erie Limited” or “Lake Cities” on the Erie/EL or the through sleeper on the “Nickel Plate Limited”.
[:)][:)][:)]
- The 1912 20th Century Limited
- The 1938 version of the same…
First choice would be, in the late 1940’s, any NYC train with a Niagara on the point, just to see the ole’ girl roll her east from Englewood. In the fall, though, I woule like to ride the Erie Limited or the later Phoebe Snow east; always felt that this route should have been a “California Zephry of the East” route because of the daytime passage on the scenic east half; either route e. of Binghampton would have been fine. Elmira Eddie
I had one trip around 1958 going out on the Century and returning on the Broadway.
Except that coming back I rode the Broadway onlyto N. Phila for a stopover at Princeton.
In 1973, I scheduled and had ticketed an interesting route from New York to Chicago. I was going to take Amtrak ex-NYC New York City to Buffalo, thence to Niagara Falls, Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo from Niagara Falls to Toronto, then Canadian National Toronto to Windsor and Amtrak from Detroit to Chicago.
But the Canadian railroads were on strike during my trip and I had to reroute.
I took the Amtrak Broadway Limited. The car on the tail end out of Harrisburg had lights and AC out and was officially out of service. They opened the rear door for ventilation. I rode on the rear platform in an approximation of an old open platform observation up around Horseshoe Curve.