Broadway Limited

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The all-Pullman Broadway Limited cruises through Metuchen, New Jersey in the Summer of 1961.
The all-Pullman Broadway Limited cruises through Metuchen, New Jersey in the Summer of 1961.
"Drumhead" logos such as these often adorned the ends of observation cars on the Broadway Limited.
"Drumhead" logos such as these often adorned the ends of observation cars on the Broadway Limited.

The Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) premier named passenger train, operating one train daily in either direction between New York (or Washington, D.C.) and Chicago. The Broadway ran from 1912 (although its train Nos. 28 and 29 operated from 1902 as the Pennsylvania Special) and outlasted the Pennsylvania Railroad, operating under Amtrak until 1995. The name referred not to Broadway in Manhattan, but rather to the "broad way" of the Pennsylvania Railroad's four-track right of way along a large portion of the route.

Contents

[edit] Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited

[edit] Equipment used

On June 15,1938, the Broadway Limited was completely re-equipped with lightweight steel cars to replace its heavyweight steel cars. This was the same date that new, streamlined equipment made its debut on rival New York Central's Twentieth Century Limited. The new equipment's industrial design was a product of Raymond Loewy, who also designed the PRR GG1 electric locomotive as well as some streamlined steam locomotives for the PRR. This train was only one of several pre-World War II trains to receive such an equipment investment; other PRR trains used heavyweight cars until after the War. Most of the equipment in the 1938 upgrade was built new by Pullman-Standard between March and May of that year, but the diners, RPO and baggage cars were rebuilt from heavyweight cars by the railroad's Altoona shops. The 1938 consist included the following equipment:

  • sleeper (18 roomettes), one of 8 cars named City of Baltimore, City of Cincinnati, City of Columbus, City of New York, City of Philadelphia, City of Pittsburgh, City of St. Louis or City of Washington.
  • sleeper-lounge (2 double bedrooms, secretary's room, barber shop, shower-bath, bar/lounge), either Harbor Point or Harbor Springs.
  • diner, a heavyweight car rebuilt at the Altoona shops.
  • sleeper (4 compartments, 2 drawing rooms, 4 double bedrooms), one of four cars named Imperial Park, Imperial Pass, Imperial Plateau or Imperial Point.
  • sleeper (13 double bedrooms), either Allegheny County or New York County.
  • sleeper-buffet-lounge-observation (2 master rooms, 1 double bedroom), Metropolitan View, Skyline View.

The new, streamlined equipment traversed the 900.7 miles between New York and Chicago in 16 hours: the same timing as the New York Central's Twentieth Century Limited. Though the Pennsylvania's route was 60 miles shorter, slower speeds across the Allegheny Mountains between Altoona and Pittsburgh, PA equalized the two trains' times.

[edit] Sample Consist

Westbound train #29 - Broadway Limited; sampled at Alliance, Ohio on 1941-11-13[1].

  • Locomotive: Class K4s (4-6-2 PACIFIC) Locomotive PRR 5147.
  • Class MB Baggage-Mail Car: PRR 5247
  • Class BE Baggage-Express Car: PRR 6051.
  • Class CS Baggage-Club Car: NYC VAN TWILLER.
  • Class PS Sleeper (18 Roomettes) CITY OF FORT WAYNE.
  • Class PSL Sleepers (2 Double Bedrooms; Buffet Lounge) HARBOR POINT.
  • Class DA Diners; PRR 4512.
  • Class PS Sleeper (4 Double Bedrooms; 4 Compartments; 2 Drawing Rooms); IMPERIAL CREST.
  • Class PS Sleepers (13 Double Bedrooms); HAMILTON COUNTY.
  • Class PSO Sleeper-Buffet-Lounge-Observation (2 Master Rooms; 1 Double Bedroom); METROPOLITAN VIEW.

Westbound train #29 - Broadway Limited; sampled at Newark, New Jersey on 1924-07-02[2].

  • Locomotive: Class K4s (4-6-2 PACIFIC) Locomotive PRR 5375.
  • Class MA Railway Post Office Car: PRR 9760
  • Class CS Baggage-Club Car: PRR TOMS RIVER.
  • Class PS Sleeper: (12 Sections; 1 Drawing Room) FREDERICKTOWN.
  • Class PS Sleepers: (12 Sections; 1 Drawing Room; 1 Compartment) ZENO; DEMOSTHENES.
  • Class DA Diners; PRR 4486.
  • Class PS Sleeper (12 Sections; 1 Drawing Room; 1 Compartment); STRABO.
  • Class PS Sleepers (7 Compartments; 2 Drawing Rooms); GLEN FINLAS.
  • Class PO Sleeper-Lounge-Observation (6 Compartments); PITCAIRN.

[edit] Station stops

[edit] Station Stops, 1958

In much earlier days, cars from PRR's Exchange Place terminal in Jersey City were added at Newark. Passengers from the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad's Hudson Terminal could transfer to these cars, and connections from Hudson Terminal were listed in PRR timetables.

[edit] Amtrak's Broadway Limited

When Amtrak started up on May 1, 1971, the Broadway Limited continued to use the all-PRR route, with a split at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for trains to Washington, DC via Perryville, Maryland along the former Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lancaster Railroad, Columbia and Port Deposit Railway and Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad until November 30, 1975. On November 12, 1990, due to Conrail's desire to abandon part of the former Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway in northwest Indiana, the line was rerouted to use the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad west of Pittsburgh into Chicago. In 1995 the Broadway Limited ended service, though it was briefly brought back as the Three Rivers. In 2005 the Three Rivers service was discontinued by Amtrak west of Pittsburgh, and later renamed the Pennsylvanian, which operates as a daylight coach and snack-car service subsidized by the State of Pennsylvania.

[edit] Amtrak Consist

Between 1980 and 1987, the Broadway looked like this:

  • E60 engine (New York-Harrisburg)
  • F40 engine (Harrisburg-Chicago)
  • F40 engine (Washington D.C.-Chicago)
  • Heritage Fleet 10/6 (Washington D.C.)
  • Amfleet II Coach (Washington D.C.)
  • Amfleet II Coach (Washington D.C.)
  • Amfleet II Coach (Washington D.C.)
  • Amfleet II Coach (Washington D.C.)
  • Heritage Fleet lounge (Washington D.C.)
  • Heritage Fleet diner (New York)
  • Amfleet II Café (New York)
  • Amfleet II Coach (New York)
  • Amfleet II Coach (New York)
  • Amfleet II Coach (New York)
  • Amfleet II Coach (New York)
  • Amfleet II Coach (New York)
  • Heritage Fleet slumbercoach (New York)
  • Heritage Fleet 10/6 sleeper (New York)
  • Heritage Fleet 10/6 sleeper (New York)
  • Heritage Fleet baggage-dorm (New York)
  • Heritage Fleet baggage (New York)
  • Heritage Fleet baggage (New York)


Between 1987 and 1995, the Broadway looked as such:

  • E60 engine (New York-Harrisburg)
  • F40 engine (Harrisburg-Chicago)
  • F40 engine (Harrisburg-Chicago)
  • Material Handling Car
  • Material Handling Car
  • Material Handling Car
  • Heritage Fleet baggage car
  • Material Handling Car
  • Heritage Fleet baggage car
  • Heritage Fleet 44-seat coach
  • Heritage Fleet 44-seat coach
  • Heritage Fleet 44-seat coach
  • Heritage Fleet 44-seat coach
  • Amfleet II Café
  • Heritage Fleet diner
  • Heritage Fleet 10/6 sleeper
  • Heritage Fleet slumbercoach

Starting in 1993, one of the Broadway's equipment sets looked like this:

  • E60 engine (New York-Harrisburg)
  • F40 engine (Harrisburg-Chicago)
  • F40 engine (Harrisburg-Chicago)
  • Material Handling Car
  • Material Handling Car
  • Material Handling Car
  • Heritage Fleet baggage car
  • Material Handling Car
  • Heritage Fleet baggage car
  • Amfleet II Coach
  • Amfleet II Coach
  • Amfleet II Coach
  • Amfleet II Coach
  • Heritage Fleet lounge
  • Amfleet II Café
  • Heritage Fleet 10/6 sleeper
  • Heritage Fleet slumbercoach

In addition to these consists, during the summer an extra Amfleet II coach and Heritage Fleet 10/6 sleeper was added to the equipment sets.


[edit] References

  • Schafer, Mike (June 1991). "Amtrak's atlas". Trains. 
  • Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972). Car Names, Numbers and Consists. Wayner Publications, New York, NY. (out of print). 
  • Welsh, Joe (2006). Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited. Voyageur Press/MBI Publishing. 
  1. ^ Wayner Publications; Robert J. Wayner; Passenger Train Consists; 1923-1973. P.21
  2. ^ Wayner Publications; Robert J. Wayner; Passenger Train Consists; 1923-1973. P.4

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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