| Columbian | |
|---|---|
The Columbian at Thomas Viaduct, Relay, Maryland |
|
| Overview | |
| Service type | Inter-city rail |
| Status | discontinued |
| First service | 1931 |
| Last service | 1964 |
| Former operator(s) | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad |
| Route | |
| Start | Washington, DC (1931–1941) Jersey City, New Jersey (1941–1958) Baltimore, Maryland (1958–1971) |
| End | [Grand Central Station (Chicago) |
| Train number(s) | 25/26 |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | all coach w/diner and observation car |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Columbian was a named passenger train operated by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was the all-coach supplemental train of the all-Pullman Capitol Limited. The train's initial route was between Jersey City, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., but in 1941 the Columbian route was lengthened to Jersey City – Chicago, Illinois.
The Columbian between Jersey City and Washington was the first air-conditioned passenger train in North America. Air-conditioned equipment began operating on the train on May 24, 1931.[1]
In 1949, a brand new lightweight Columbian train set for travel between Baltimore, Maryland, via Washington to Chicago was built. The consists were ordered from Pullman-Standard for April, 1949 delivery and these two train sets have the distinction of being the only all-new consists built for the B&O in the postwar period. These two eight–car streamlined trains were the only trains in the eastern U.S. to be equipped with dome cars.[1] Although the pair were intended as a daytime operation between Chicago and Baltimore by way of Washington the two new trains entered overnight service May 5, 1949.[1]
On April 26, 1958, the B&O discontinued all passenger service between Jersey City and Baltimore, Maryland, and thereafter the eastern terminus of the Columbian was Baltimore. By the early 1960s, the Columbian was combined with the B&O's formerly all-Pullman Capitol Limited between Washington and Chicago. When Amtrak took over train service on May 1, 1971, the B&O's combined Capitol Limited – Columbian was discontinued, along with all other B&O long-distance passenger trains.[1]
The following are the two consists of the Columbian (1949):
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