New York Central System’s 20th Century Limited and its exquisite dining car often starred in major Hollywood movies such as director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic North by Northwest. In addition to the 20th Century Limited, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film also starred Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. Internet photo.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on this platform on May 24, 2021. It has been updated and photos and illustrations added. – Corridorrail.com Editor
By J. Bruce Richardson, Corridor Rail Development Corporation; October 5, 2022
In the pre-Amtrak era – even in the dreary 1960s as things were dramatically unwinding – there were always great corporate rivalries that began first earlier in the century between heavyweight luxury trains and then post-war streamliners.
Union Pacific’s Los Angles to Chicago City of Los Angeles in 1955. Union Pacific favored blunt-end lounge cars to complete the look of their passenger trains versus the round-end observation cars found on most other railroads. Wikimedia Commons photo.
A post-war 1948 Super Chief diner on Santa Fe Railway’s famed Chicago to Los Angeles train which in addition to this traditional dining car featured the exclusive Turquoise Room for dining and onboard private events. Wikimedia Commons photo.
Southern Pacific and Rock Island Railroads jointly operated the Golden State from Los Angeles to Chicago via Texas. This premier train was not as famous as rivals from Union Pacific and Santa Fe, but still provided a comfortable and desirable transcontinental journey. Wikimedia Commons illustration.
Northern Pacific heavily promoted the transcontinental Vista Dome North Coast Limited dome cars and the onboard nurses who doubled as onboard hostesses. Wikimedia Commons photo.
In the west, ferrying the greats of Hollywood to the east, the Union Pacific Railroad’s City of Los Angeles easily rivaled Santa Fe Railway’s The Super Chief and The Chief. It was the City’s UP dome diner versus The Super Chief’s Turquoise Room exclusive dining. To a lesser extent, the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Golden State provided a third choice for travel between Los Angeles and Chicago in Pullman safety and comfort.
To the north, Northern Pacific’s Vista Dome North Coast Limited competed with Great Northern’s great dome Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle/Portland.
Even in 1936 the Latin flavor of Miami was promoted by the jointly operated Florida Special of the Atlantic Coast Line and Florida partner Florida East Coast Railway. It may have still been the Great Depression, but the Florida Special kept carrying well-to-do passengers from the Northeast to sunny and balmy Florida during the winter months. This photo was taken at the FEC’s downtown Miami passenger terminal. Wikimedia Commons photo.Seaboard Air Line Railroad’s famed winter season Orange Blossom Special was the Seaboard’s direct competitor to rival Atlantic Coast Line Railroad’s winter season Florida Special. The Orange Blossom Special was memorialized in song, but did not survive deep into the post-war streamliner era. Seaboard introduced the Silver Fleet of the Silver Meteor, Silver Star and Silver Comet and retired the Orange Blossom Special in 1953 after operating it since 1925. Above is a lady passenger boarding in circa 1930 in Sebring, Florida. Wikimedia Commons photo.
A 1939 post card featuring Seaboard’s newly-dieselized Orange Blossom Special. Just about all of Seaboard’s promotional photographs and illustrations featured ripe oranges as part of the railroad’s citrus theme image. Citrus fruit in Florida is harvested during the late fall/early winter months which matched nicely with the winter season Orange Blossom Special operation. When Seaboard switched from steam to diesel locomotives the popular paint scheme of yellow, dark green and orange fit well into the Florida theme of the railroad. Wikimedia Commons illustration.
On the east coast, Atlantic Coast Line’s heavyweight Florida Special rivaled Seaboard Air Line’s Orange Blossom Special for winter season service. When the streamliner era debuted, the rivalry switched to the Coast Line’s East Coast Champion and the Seaboard’s Silver Meteor between New York Pennsylvania Station and Miami.
While the passenger train marketing department of the Seaboard was featuring oranges, the Atlantic Coast Line’s passenger train marketing department was promoting the leisurely Florida lifestyle of outdoor activities. The photo above for the original streamlined Florida Special was taken some time in the late 1950s or early 1960s prior to the 1967 merger of the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads to form Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. If the photo below of a Seaboard Coast Line Florida Special looks familiar, it’s because apparently the Seaboard Coast Line passenger train marketing department either did not have the time to take a new photo (the merger took effect on July 1, 1967) before the winter season train marketing was launched for the 1967 version of the train or they thought a very good artist could alter the original photo with a new railroad logo on the front of the locomotive and new logo and name on the side. Wikimedia Commons photos.
It’s nose on the locomotive is slightly bruised, but this 1964 photo of Atlantic Coast Line’s East Coast Champion shows how popular this streamliner was, and would continue to be well into the Amtrak era when it was discontinued during the 1979 long distance train cuts. Until the 1963 Florida East Coast Railway strike, the East Coast Champion was handled from Jacksonville to Miami over the FEC and used the FEC’s downtown Miami terminal. On that same ground today, Brightline’s MiamiCentral station stands today. After the strike began, Atlantic Coast Line cut a deal with it’s already-announced merger partner, the Seaboard Air Line, to use Seaboard’s tracks into Miami’s terminal and Hialeah coach yard for the Champion, Florida Special and other trains. Wikimedia Commons photo.
A circa 1950s promotional illustration from the Atlantic Coast Line promoting both the West Coast Champion and East Coast Champion. Wikimedia Commons illustration.
Seaboard Air Line’s signature train, the Silver Meteor in a circa 1960s company promotional photo, complete with ripe oranges. The Silver Meteor and Atlantic Coast Line’s Champion were arch rivals for New York to Florida passenger traffic. The 1939 introduction of the streamlined Silver Meteor by the Seaboard began to spell out the eventual end of the heavyweight Orange Blossom Special. But, the Silver Meteor and stablemate Silver Star survived into the Amtrak era and remain operating today. Wikimedia Commons photo.
An orange-laden Seaboard promotional photo of the Silver Meteor with a matching citrus-theme locomotive paint scheme. This spot in the heart of Florida’s orange groves near Sebring was a favorite spot for company photographers. Wikimedia Commons photo.
Perhaps the most heralded rivalry of all was between the New York Central’s 20th Century Limited and Pennsylvania Railroad’s Broadway Limited. Both all-Pullman, streamlined luxury trains and the creations of celebrated industrial designers Raymond Loewy for the Broadway and Henry Dreyfuss for the 20th Century, the two trains were locked in bitter combat for decades.
New York Central System’s Grand Central Terminal was the launching point for the westbound 20th Century Limited, complete with a customized 20th Century red carpet which greeted passengers walking along the station platform. This 1962 news photo shows how popular the train remained while passenger trains were struggling to compete with new Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 jetliners. Wikimedia Commons photo.
All of these were rivals for speed, comfort and corporate prestige. For much of the existence of these trains it wasn’t unusual for wire service and newspaper photographers to be at train stations to capture publicity photos of entraining or detraining celebrities.
The Pennsylvania Railroad was serious about one of their signature passenger trains. This information card from the 1920s spells out exactly how the Pennsy felt about its already-famous passenger train. Wikimedia Commons illustration.
Here’s the fun part: Whether it was the City of Los Angeles competing with The Super Chief or the North Coast Limited competing with the Empire Builder, the Champion competing with the Silver Meteor or the Broadway competing with the 20th Century, every one of the sleeping cars was operated by and staffed with Pullman Company onboard services attendants and conductors.
Full page 1951 Pullman Company magazine advertisement. Internet image.
Even though many of the trains had specialty equipment, such as twin-unit dining cars or specially designed lounge cars or individually-designed dome cars, a Pullman sleeping car was a Pullman sleeping car. Bedrooms, compartments, drawing rooms and roomettes were all the same perhaps with only differences in interior paint colors and seat upholstery. A fluffy Pullman feather pillow was the same one of three pillows on each and every bed. Winter season Pullman pool sleeping cars in the east often found their way – with a fresh coat of exterior paint – to the western transcontinental trains in the summer months.
The July 1956 edition of The Official Guide of the Railways reveals the stunning consists of the Broadway Limited and 20th Century Limited:
Pennsylvania Railroad’s streamlined Broadway Limited at 75th Street in Chicago in 1964. Wikimedia Commons photo.
Amtrak’s shorter 1980 version of the former Pennsylvania Railroad’s Broadway Limited under the wires of the Northeast Corridor. Wikimedia Commons photo,
Pennsylvania Railroad Broadway Limited, Trains 28 and 29, Daily No Coaches or Checked Baggage
Note: The Broadway Limited was a true “Limited” train. South of Pennsylvania Station in New York City the train was “receive only” for all stations through Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. At Pittsburgh, passengers could both entrain and detrain. West of Pittsburgh the train made only three detrain-only stops until the terminal in Chicago.
Lounge Car
New York to Chicago, 2 Double Bedrooms, Bar
Sleeping Cars
New York to Los Angeles, 4 Compartments, 2 Drawing Rooms, 4 Double Bedrooms (To Santa Fe No. 17 [The Super Chief], Extra Fare west of Chicago.)
New York to Chicago, 21 Roomettes
New York to Chicago, 21 Roomettes
New York to Chicago, 10 Roomettes, 6 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 10 Roomettes, 6 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 10 Roomettes, 6 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 4 Compartments, 2 Drawing Rooms, 4 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 4 Compartments, 2 Drawing Rooms, 4 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 12 Duplex Rooms, 4 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 12 Duplex Rooms, 4 Double Bedrooms
Observation Car
New York to Chicago, 2 Master Rooms, Double Bedroom, Bar Lounge
Dining Car
New York to Chicago
New York Central System’s 20th Century Limited at Englewood Union Station on the south side of Chicago in 1965. Wikimedia Commons photo.
New York Central System The Water Level Route – You Can Sleep 20th Century Limited, Trains 25 and 26, Daily Except Saturday Will not run July 1, 2, 3, 4 or September 2. Special service features and charges.
Note: The 20th Century Limited was even more of a “Limited” train than the Broadway Limited. The 20th Century had one station stop at Harmon, New York outside of New York City’s Grand Central Terminal and then did not detrain or entrain passengers again until Englewood, just outside of Chicago. The train stopped more often to change train and engine crews than it did for passengers.
Observation Lounge Sleeping Car
New York to Chicago, 5 Double Bedrooms, Beverages
Club Lounge Car (Beverages)
New York to Chicago
Sleeping Cars
New York to Los Angeles, 4 Compartments, 4 Double Bedrooms, 2 Drawing Rooms (in Santa Fe No. 17 [The Super Chief] from Chicago.)
New York to Los Angeles, 10 Roomettes, 6 Double Bedrooms, (in Santa Fe No. 17 [The Super Chief] from Chicago.)
New York to Chicago, 4 Compartments, 4 Double Bedrooms, 2 Drawing Rooms
File illustration.
New York to Chicago, 12 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 12 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 12 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 12 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 10 Roomettes, 6 Double Bedrooms
New York to Chicago, 10 Roomettes, 6 Double Bedrooms
