20th Century Limited vs. Lake Shore Limited

[Bill Haithcoat]

And Hadley,a s you know those 11 trains were just counting the NYC,at that . That doesn't count arch rival Pennsylvania, plus smaller and sometimes less direct carriers like Nickel Plate, Eric-Lackawana and Baltimore and Ohio. All told--without checking-----maybe almost 20 trains a between CHI and NYC.
By the way, about the Century not running on Saturday....depends upon what year....I unfortunately did not manage to get out all my timetables over the weekend--- but my easiest available 1957 Official Guide does show it not operating on Saturday. But I think that came back in later years, perhaps as the mix of passengers became more vacation oriented, as business people were learning to fly, so to speak. Those details vary throught the years on so many things. I forgot to look up the Broadway and see if it did the same thing. .

I am trying to re-read some of the good old stuff on this train. For example, after dinner, the diner became sort of a night club for drinks and sometimes special dishes maybe not on the menu and then many times the dining car crew made birthday cakes for guests on the train. All kinds of stuff you would never know about today.

Bill;

I went back and tried to piece meal connecting trains and lost count of how many way you could get to Chicago via connecting trains. There were so many options like GCT-Buffalo and then a night train to Chicago. There were Cleveland connections also. I even ran across a real oddity~ a Detroit to Miami sleeper. The Pullman Company pulled no punches. It's a shame they don't still roll today. The only thing I saw about Saturdays, in the '53 TT, was some sleepers didn't run on Saturday. Logical, because the business men didn't travel on week-ends. One of the reasons the 20th may not have operated on Saturdays might have been for this same reason and let's not forget that it was all Pullman.

Jay

Oh, yes, I am sure the reason for some years not operating on Saturday was since business people did not travel that night.

About that Detorit-Miami sleeper: that was part of the Royal Palm, New Royal Palm service south of Cincinnaition the Southern Railroad to Chattanooga, Atlanta, Florida points. In the Winter, the New Royal Palm had sleepers from Detroit,Bufflao, Cleveland and Chicago to Miami. One of the snowbird trains. Most of the equipment was stainless steel Southern and Florida East Coast, but sometimes a grey NYC would show through my home-town Chattanooga. And of course there was some stainless steel NYC You may recall the winter season was usually Dec. 16 of one year to April 24 of the next.