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Remember when the Broadway Limited used to split in 2 parts--one part to Washington, DC and one part north to NY after Philadelphia going east from Chicago? Posts: 287 | From: Palatka, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2004
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Somewhere I have color slides taken about 1977 or 78 of the DC section of the Broadway taken from the platform of the brand-new Metro station in New Carrollton, MD. Consist was a drab (but exciting to a southerner) GG1, baggage car, two or three coaches, a meal service car (can't recall if the lounge or the diner went to DC....the lounge I think.), a 10&6 sleeper....5 or 6 cars altogether.
I was a teen-ager at the time visiting an aunt who lived in Washington. I was allowed to traipse around on my own so long as I stayed in 'safe' areas such as the Smithsonians, Union Station, or any of the above-ground outlying Metro stations.
Other trains I snapped that week(from the Metro platform at Silver Spring) included the long since discontinued Shenandoah and Brunswick bound commuter trains hauled by orange and silver F units.
Oh the days. And I miss the Amtrak SDP's with the big red noses.....almost as much as I miss those long green Southern Railway E units.
David Pressley
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Dear Notelvis, I know the way you feel--I miss that stuff also! Those were the days of railroading. I had some color shots of the Broadway Limited in the Baltimore Station (a similar consist as you describe) and it in DC from the platform. I have a photo of my father in 1953 taking the Broadway Limited to Chicago from NY Penn with 2 dark brown Pennsylvania RR electrics on the front in the dim light of the platform. He was on the way to a medical convention in Milwaukee--an exciting trip by train in those days. He slept in a roomette. Posts: 287 | From: Palatka, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2004
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The Washington section of the "Broadway" went through a number of iterations during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as I was a student in Chicago from 1971 to 1976 and my parents lived in Washington, I rode most of the various permutations.
The first, right after Amtrak, used an E8 from Harrisburg to Washington via Perryville. The lounge (which for a while was one of the ex-B&O flat-end sleeper-obs cars off the "Capitol" provided food service and ran on the end of the train. What a wonderful ride, in the obs down the Port Road!
Following a change of Amtrak management in 1976, the lounge went to the middle of the train and a GG1 replaced the E-unit.
In the late 1970s (don't recall the exact date) the Washington section was re-routed to run via Philadelphia, and the meal service was provided by a former ATSF counter-diner. At that time, the New York section bypassed PHL altogether, running via the NY-Pitt subway but not stopping at North PHL. Power remained a G, and switching continued at HBG.
When the "Capitol" started running from WAS via the B&O, in (IIRC) 1983 or so, the Washington section of the Broadway was discontinued. Both trains, however, continued to use the ex-PRR west of PIT, running about an hour apart in each direction. A new connection was built east of PIT to allow movement from the B&O to the PRR route.
Finally, of course, in the early 1990s Conrail's plan to downgrade the ex-PRR forced both trains to new routes. The Capitol went to the ex-PRR via Alliance to Cleveland. The Broadway went to the B&O west of PIT, which necessitated a reverse move through the new connection to get to the B&O north of Laughlin Jct. Thus, the Broadway became the first passenger train in many, many years to use the B&O P&W Sub from PIT to UN Tower at New Castle, PA. B&O through trains always used the P&LE through PIT.
One final re-route occurred just a few years ago. When CSX announced plans to downgrade or sell the P&W, Amtrak moved to the Conrail Youngstown Line west of PIT, diverting at Rochester and running to CP 75.8 at New Castle, where the train entered the ex-B&O. The train remained on this route until its discontinuance a few months ago.
Posts: 614 | From: Merchantville, NJ. USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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I rode the Broadway during the Amtrak era. The year was 1977, or '78. the consist was an all Heritage flee which included a combination lounge/sleeper, I think. At departure from Chicago that lounge was open for sleeping car passengers. Bar service was opened while the train was in the station. That's because departure was delayed 1+ hours. A large tray of finger sandwiches was available. The dining area. was the whole length of the diner. An adjoining car contained the galley. While dining (great meals) the train stopped somewhere in Indiana farm country for another 2 hours. The train was so late that it terminated the next day in Philadelphia. They put everyone on Amfleet coaches across the platform to complete their journey. In Philadelpia one of the personnel had to break the lock on the baggage car to retrieve my checked luggage. An alarm sounded. If I had not inquired about it being transferred to the continuing train it would have stayed in the baggage car. At the time I was living in Suffolk County, Long Island. I was not going to journey back to Penn Station to retrieve my luggage when it arrived at a later time or day. None of the other passengers inquired about their checked luggage. Since then I don't check my suitcase. The train itself had good onboard service, but informing passengers was lacking.
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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"Lacking in informing passengers" sounds like today! No difference. It could be that one day far off in the future if the Republican administration allows Amtrak to exist in it's "entirety" the passengers might be respected as adults and be given some vital information when it's a necessity!
Posts: 287 | From: Palatka, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Pojon: "Lacking in informing passengers" sounds like today! No difference. It could be that one day far off in the future if the Republican administration allows Amtrak to exist in it's "entirety" the passengers might be respected as adults and be given some vital information when it's a necessity!
Three years ago I attempted to travel Los Angeles-Ft. Worth on the Sunset connecting to the Texas Eagle. A new passenger boarded our sleeper leaving Tucson the following morning with reports from the Tucson agent that there had been a UP derailment east of El Paso and that our train would likely be anulled there. (It was but that's not where I'm going here.)
Throughout the entire day this word spread among the passengers. It was quite the topic of conversation. The train crew refused to either confirm or deny any knowledge of what was going on. (Our sleeper attendant said "I just call this train Amron cause dere's always somethin' wrong somewhere.")
The crew was summoned to a mandatory meeting in the lounge car around 10:00am. The crew essentially disappeared from view long after the meeting ended. The only ones we saw to ask questions of were the dining car crew at lunch....and they were peppered with questions until the headwaiter announced "Folks, we don't know whether this train will continue beyond El Paso. What we do know is that you're in our diner and you won't be hungry when you get there."
Strange day.
Should be noted that the only significant portion of the existing Amtrak system I've never ridden is El Paso to San Antonio. Yesterday I just booked an El Paso - St. Louis trip using Guest Reward points in an attempt to close the gap. With the longer connection in San Antonio now my chances mght be pretty good.
David Pressley
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Sounds like Amtrak!!! How many times has it happen to me while on a trip with problems!!?? The only compensation for the frustration in getting a straight factual story fromthe on-train crew was that at least we had free box lunches, etc. Posts: 287 | From: Palatka, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2004
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