The Harlem division was the first track of what became the New York Central. Starting in downtown Manhattan, it began as the world’s first streetcar line (powered by horses) in 1831 and reached Chatham, New York, by 1852. Although a … Continue reading
This brochure opens up to show a cutaway view of New York Central’s greater terminal. I’m not sure what is different about it that makes this a wartime view except for some of the numbers of travelers and telegrams that … Continue reading
New York Central’s timetable has shrunk four more pages since the World’s Fair edition. The “system map” on the cover doesn’t even bother to show Central’s secondary routes such as lines to Cairo and Peoria, Illinois; Grand Rapids and Mackinaw, … Continue reading
This timetable is just 24 pages long, but unlike the pre-war era, there wasn’t any need to have separate timetables for NYC’s various subsidiaries. I count just five trains a day from New York to Chicago and six from Chicago … Continue reading
Here are two more blotters from the Dale Hastin collection. The first advertises Niagara Falls, reached via New York Central subsidiary Michigan Central. Judging from the locomotive, which appears to be a 4-8-2 (compare with the second photo on this … Continue reading
This little along-the-way brochure is dated February 1954 and includes several of New York Central’s major routes in west-to-east format: Chicago-Buffalo via either Toledo or Detroit; Cleveland-Cincinnati; Cleveland-St. Louis; Cincinnati-Chicago; Albany-Boston; and Buffalo-New York. Click image to download a 2.5-MB … Continue reading
This 1953 brochure unfolds to 20″x27″ of text and graphics that are almost too busy. While one side describes destinations ranging from Mt. Hood to Washington, DC, the other side shows accommodations and fares on New York Central and connecting … Continue reading
New York Central inaugurated the New England States in 1938 to provide Boston travelers with the same level of service to Chicago as the 20th Century Limited. Initially, the train used heavyweight equipment, but it was streamlined with Budd-built cars … Continue reading
Between 1938 and 1948, New York Central’s timetable grew from 32 to 52 pages, mainly because after 1942 it combined the Big Four, Boston & Albany, Michigan Central, and Pittsburgh & Lake Erie timetables into that of the parent road. … Continue reading
Despite declines in rail passenger travel after 1920, the New York Central in 1938 still operated a dozen trains a day each way between New York and Chicago, plus at least four a day between New York and St. Louis … Continue reading
