The New York Central Railroad. Part Six.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

On 1 February 1968, The New York Central was absorbed by The Pennsylvania Railroad, forming the new Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company, that was eventually re-named The Penn Central Transportation Company, with The NYC's Alfred Perlman as President. Penn Central was quickly saddled with debt, when The ICC forced the money-losing New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad into the new Railroad in 1969. In addition, the merger was handled in a haphazard manner, with no formal merger plan implemented. The two Companies' competing Corporate Cultures, Union Interest, and incompatible Operating and Computer Systems sabotaged any hope for a success.

Additionally, in an effort to look profitable, The Board of Directors authorized the use of the Railroad's Reserve Cash to pay Dividends to Company Stockholders. Nevertheless, on 21 June 1970, Penn Central declared Bankruptcy, the largest Private Bankruptcy in The United States to that time. Under Bankruptcy protection, many of Penn Central's outstanding debts, owed to other Railroads, were frozen, while debts owed to Penn Central, by the other Railroads were not. This sent a trickle effect throughout the already fragile Railroad Industry, forcing many of the other North-Eastern Railroads into Insolvency, among them The Erie Lackawanna, Boston and Maine, The Central Railroad of New Jersey, The Reading Company, and The Lehigh Valley.

Coach 'Tonawanda Valley', part of "The 20th Century Limited" Train,

parked at a platform in Grand Central Terminal, New York.

Photo: 12 May 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jim.henderson.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Penn Central marked the last hope of privately-funded Passenger Rail Service in The United States. In response to the Bankruptcy President Richard Nixon signed into Law, The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, which formed The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, better known as Amtrak, a Nationalised, Government-owned and subsidised Railroad. On 1 May 1971, Amtrak assumed the responsibility of most Regional and Long-Distance Inter-City Passenger Trains in The United States. Amtrak would eventually assume ownership of The Northeast Corridor, a mostly-electrified route between Boston and Washington, D.C., inherited primarily from The PRR and New Haven Systems. Penn Central and the other Railroads were still obligated to operate their Commuter Services for the next five years while in Bankruptcy, eventually turning them over to the newly-formed Conrail in 1976. There was some hope that Penn Central, and the other North-Eastern Railroads, could be restructured towards profitability, once their burdensome Passenger deficits were unloaded. However, this was not to be and the Railroads never recovered from their respective Bankruptcies.

Advertisement for Budd Manufacturing, who produced many of the Rail Cars for the

Streamlined Trains, beginning in the 1930s. The advert depicts "The Empire State Express",

a Streamlined Train of The New York Central Railroad. The advert appeared in

the 14 December 1944 edition of The Saturday Evening Post.

Source: eBay

Author: Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Conrail, officially The Consolidated Rail Corporation, was created by The U.S. Government to salvage Penn Central, and the other Bankrupt Railroads' Freight business, beginning its operations on 1 April 1976. As mentioned, Conrail assumed control of Penn Central's Commuter Lines throughout the Lower Hudson Valley of New York, Connecticut, and in and around Boston. In 1983, these Commuter Services would be turned over to the State-Funded Metro North Railroad in New York and Connecticut, and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in Massachusetts. Conrail would go on to achieve profitability by the 1990s, and was sought by several other large Railroads in a continuing trend of mergers, eventually having its assets absorbed by CSX and Norfolk Southern.

"The Freight Yard".

The New York Central RailRoad.

1950s' Trains In America.

WDTVLIVE42.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/_dhQq3oxpgQ

Conrail, in an effort to streamline its operations, was forced to abandon miles of both NYC and PRR Trackage. Nevertheless, the majority of The NYC System is still intact and used by both CSX and Amtrak. Among the Lines still used, are the famed Water Level Route, between New York and Chicago, as well as its former Boston and Albany Line between these points, The Kankakee Belt Route, through Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, and The West Shore Line, between Jersey City and the Albany suburb of Selkirk, where the old NYC – now CSX – Selkirk Yard is among the busiest Freight Yards in the Country.

On 6 June 1998, most of Conrail was split between Norfolk Southern and CSX. New York Central Lines LLC was formed as a Subsidiary of Conrail, containing the Lines to be operated by CSX; this included the old Water Level Route and many other Lines of The New York Central, as well as various Lines from other Companies. It also assumed The NYC Reporting Mark. CSX eventually fully absorbed it, as part of a streamlining of Conrail operations.

THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON THE NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD

The New York Central Railroad. Part Five.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Perlman's cuts resulted in the curtailing of many of the Railroad's Services; Commuter Lines around New York were particularly affected. In 1958-1959, Service was suspended on The NYC's Putnam Division in Westchester and Putnam Counties, and The NYC abandoned its Ferry Service, across The Hudson, to Weehawken Terminal. This negatively impacted the Railroad's West Shore Line, which ran along The West Bank of The Hudson River from Jersey City to Albany, which saw Long-Distance Services to Albany discontinued in 1958 and Commuter Service between Jersey City and West Haverstraw, New York, terminated in 1959. Ridding itself of most of its Commuter Services proved impossible, due to the heavy use of these Lines around Metro New York, which Government mandated the Railroad still operate.

The New York Central Railroad's Streamlined Steam Locomotive, "Commodore Vanderbilt",

as it left Chicago's LaSalle Street Station pulling "The 20th Century Limited" Train.

Photo: 22 February 1935.

Source: eBay

Author: International News Photos.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Many Long-Distance and Regional-Haul Passenger Trains were either discontinued or downgraded in Service, with Coaches replacing Pullman, Parlour, and Sleeping Cars on routes in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The Empire Corridor, between Albany and Buffalo, saw Service greatly reduced, with Service beyond Buffalo to Niagara Falls discontinued in 1961. On 3 December 1967, most of the great Long-Distance Trains ended, including the famed "Twentieth Century Limited". The Railroad's Branch Line Service, off The Empire Corridor in Upstate New York, was also gradually discontinued, the last being its Utica Branch between Utica and Lake Placid, in 1965. Many of the Railroad's great Train Stations, in Rochester, Schenectady, and Albany, were demolished or abandoned. Despite the savings these cuts created, it was apparent that, if the Railroad was to become solvent again, a more permanent solution was needed.

Four Trains on The New York Central Main Line,

in Little Falls, New York. Promotional picture taken in 1890.

(Wikimedia)

One problem that many of the North-Eastern Railroads faced was the fact that the Railroad Market was saturated for the dwindling Rail Traffic that remained. The NYC had to compete with its two biggest rivals: The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), and The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B and O), in addition to more moderate-size Railroads, such as The Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad (DLW), The Erie Railroad, The Reading Company, The Central Railroad of New Jersey, and The Lehigh Valley Railroad.

Mergers of these Railroads seemed a promising way for these Companies to streamline operations and reduce the competition. The DLW and Erie Railroads had showed some success when they began merging their operations in 1956, finally leading to the formation of The Erie Lackawanna Railroad in 1960. Other mergers combined The Virginian Railway, Wabash Railroad, Nickel Plate Road and several others into The Norfolk and Western Railway (N and W) System, and The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B and O), Western Maryland Railroad (WM), and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C and O) combined with others to form The Chessie System. Heavy streamlining and reduction in Passenger Services led to the success of many of these mergers.

Postal Cover, carried in the Railway Post Office on the first Streamlined run of

"The 20th Century Limited" Train (New York Central System), 15 June 1938.

Source: The Cooper Collection of Railroad Postal History.

Author: U.S. Government.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Following this trend, The NYC began to look for a potential Railroad to merge with, as early as the mid-1950s, and had originally sought out mergers with the B and O, and the NYC-controlled Nickel Plate Road. Unlike the aforementioned mergers, however, a NYC merger proved tricky, due to the fact that the Railroad still operated a fairly extensive amount of Regional and Commuter Passenger Services that were under mandates by The Interstate Commerce Commission to maintain.It soon became apparent that the only other Railroad with enough capital to allow for a potentially successful merger proved to be The NYC's chief rival, The Pennsylvania Railroad (The PRR), itself a Railroad that still had a large Passenger trade. Merger talks between the two Railroads were discussed as early as 1955; however, this was delayed due to a number of factors: Among them, interference by The Interstate Commerce Commission; objections from Operating Unions; concerns from competing Railroads; and the inability of the two Companies, themselves, to formulate a merger plan, thus delaying progress for over a decade.

Two major points of contention centered around which Railroad should have the majority controlling interest going into the merger. Perlman's cost-cutting, during the '50s and '60s, put The NYC in a more financially healthy situation than The PRR. Nevertheless, The ICC, with urging by PRR President Stuart Saunders, wanted The PRR to absorb The NYC. Another point centered around The ICC's wanting to force the bankrupt New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, better known as The New Haven, into the new System, which it did in 1969, something to which both Companies objected. Eventually, both points would ultimately lead to the new Penn Central's demise.

Part of "The 20th Century Limited's" carpet, next to that Train's Observation Car

"Hickory Creek", at Track 35, Grand Central Terminal, New York,

across the Platform from the Train's original departure site at Track 34.

Photo: 12 May 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Rickyrab.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In December, 1967, The New York Central published its last public timetable. The final timetable revealed a drastically-truncated Passenger Schedule in anticipation of its merger with The PRR. Most De-Luxe, Long-Distance, Passenger Trains ended on 3 December 1967, including the famed 20th Century Limited. Only those Trains which were to be continued after the merger with The PRR were retained, along with the Railroad's Commuter Trains.

PART SIX FOLLOWS

The New York Central Railroad. Part Four.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The New York Central Railroad, like many U.S. Railroads, declined after The Second World War. Problems re-surfaced that had plagued The Railroad Industry before the War, such as over-regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), which severely regulated the rates charged by the Railroad, along with continuing competition from automobiles. These problems were coupled with even more formidable forms of competition, such as airline service in the 1950s, that began to deprive the NYC of its long-distance Passenger Trade.

"The 20th Century Limited" of The Boston and Albany Railroad, prior to 1920, from [1]

This Train was a famous New York Central Railroad Train which ran from 1902-1967.

This image is available from The United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs Division, under the digital ID det.4a33145.

This File: 20 October 2011.

User: Centpacrr.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 helped create a network of efficient roads for motor vehicle travel through the Country, enticing more people to travel by car, as well as haul freight by truck. The 1959 opening of The Saint Lawrence Seaway adversely affected NYC freight business. Container shipments could now be directly shipped to ports along The Great Lakes, eliminating the Railroads' Freight hauls between the East and The Midwest.

The NYC also carried a substantial tax burden from governments that saw Rail Infrastructure as a source of property tax revenues: taxes that were not imposed upon Interstate Highways. To make matters worse, most Railroads, including the NYC, were saddled with a World War II–era tax of 15% on Passenger Fares, which remained until 1962, seventeen years after the end of the War.

In June 1954, management of The New York Central System lost a proxy fight to Robert Ralph Young and The Alleghany Corporation, that he led.

1912 advertisement for The New York Central's, New York - Chicago Express Train,

"The 20th Century Limited", as "The Most Famous Train In The World".

Date: 1912. Scanned 1 June 2013 (according to Exif data).

Source: Advertisement.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Alleghany Corporation was a Real Estate and Railroad empire built by the Van Sweringen brothers of Cleveland, in the 1920s, that had controlled The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and The Nickel Plate Road. It fell under the control of Young and financier Allan Price Kirby during The Great Depression.

R. R. Young was considered a Railroad visionary, but found The New York Central in worse shape than he had imagined. Unable to keep his promises, Young was forced to suspend dividend payments in January, 1958. He committed suicide later that month.

After his suicide, Young's role in NYC management was assumed by Alfred E. Perlman, who had been working with the NYC, under Young, since 1954. Despite the dismal financial condition of the Railroad, Perlman was able to streamline operations and save the Company money. Starting in 1959, Perlman was able to reduce operating deficits by $7.7 million, which nominally raised NYC Stock to $1.29 per share, producing dividends of an amount not seen since the end of the War. By 1964, he was able to reduce the NYC Long Term debt by nearly $100 million, while reducing Passenger deficits from $42 million to $24.6 million.

North Yard, in Denver, Colorado.

A typical U.S. Railroad Classification Yard.

.Photo: 6 October 2009.

Source: originally posted to Flickr as trains

Author: Bradley Gordon

(Wikimedia Commons)

A Classification Yard (American and Canadian English) or Marshalling Yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian and Canadian English) is a Railway Yard found at some Freight Train Stations, used to separate Railway Cars on to one of several Tracks. First the Cars are taken to a Track, sometimes called a Lead or a Drill. From there, the Cars are sent through a series of Switches, called a Ladder, onto the Classification Tracks. Larger Yards tend to put the Lead on an artificially-built hill, called a Hump, to use the force of gravity to propel the Cars through the Ladder.

Perlman also enacted several modernisation projects throughout the Railroad. Notable was the use of Centralised Traffic Control systems on many of the NYC Lines, which reduced the Four-Track Mainline to Two Tracks. He oversaw construction and/or modernisation of many Hump, or, Classification Yards, notably the $20-million Selkirk Yard which opened outside of Albany in 1966. Perlman also experimented with Jet Trains, creating a Budd RDC car (the M-497 Black Beetle) powered by two J47 Jet Engines, stripped from a B-36 Peacemaker Bomber, as a solution to increasing car and airplane competition. The project did not leave the Prototype Stage.

PART FIVE FOLLOWS

The New York Central Railroad. Part Three.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

For two-thirds of the 20th-Century, The New York Central had some of the most famous Trains in The United States. Its 20th Century Limited Train, begun in 1902, ran from Grand Central Terminal, in New York, to LaSalle Street Station, Chicago, and was its most famous Train, known for its Red Carpet Treatment and First-Class Service. In the Mid-1930s, many Railroad Companies were introducing Streamliner Locomotives. Until The New York Central introduced the Commodore Vanderbilt, all were Diesel-Electric. The Vanderbilt used the more common Steam Engine. The Century, which followed the Water Level Route, could complete the 960-mile trip in sixteen hours after its 15 June 1938 Streamlining. Also famous was its Empire State Express, through Upstate New York to Buffalo and Cleveland, and Ohio State Limited, from New York to Cincinnati. NYC also provided The Rexall Train, of 1936, which toured forty-seven States to promote the Rexall chain of Drug Stores.

Excavations for New York Central Railroad Station.

Artist: Detroit Publishing Company.

Date: Circa 1908.

Current location: Library of Congress,

Washington D.C., United States of America.

Source/Photographer: This image is available from

The United States Library of Congress's

Prints and Photographs division

under the digital ID det.4a22981

(Wikimedia Commons)

"The Railroad Signal".

New York Central Railroad

Educational Documentary 1948.

Ella73TV.

New York Central Railroad Educational Documentary from 1948 that gives an overview of railroad signals and related safe working infrastructure used by trains, as well as the ongoing improvements to the signalling systems due to technological advances.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/d2jbS0cpq8s

Famous New York Central Trains:

New York to Chicago

20th Century Limited: New York to Chicago (limited stops) via The Water Level Route 1902–1967.
Commodore Vanderbilt: New York–Chicago (a few more stops) via The Water Level Route.
Lake Shore Limited: New York–Chicago via Cleveland with Branch Service to Boston and St. Louis 1896–1956, 1971–Present (Reinstated and combined with New England States by Amtrak in 1971).
Chicagoan: New York–Chicago.
Pacemaker: New York–Chicago All-Coach Train via Cleveland.
Wolverine: New York-Chicago via Southern Ontario and Detroit.

St. Louis Union Station.

Missouri, United States of America.

The New York Central Railroad's Knickerbocker Train

and The Southwestern Limited Train

ran between New York and St. Louis.

Photo: 12 May 2015.

Source: IMG_0693

Author: Dustin Batt

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Mercuries. (All Mercuries ran between 1936 and 1959.)

Chicago Mercury: Chicago-Detroit.
Cincinnati Mercury: Cleveland-Cincinnati.
Cleveland Mercury: Detroit-Cleveland.
Detroit Mercury: Cleveland-Detroit.

New York to St. Louis.

Knickerbocker: New York–St. Louis.
Southwestern Limited: New York–St. Louis.

Michigan Central Station's Beaux-Arts façade.

The New York Central Railroad's Michigan Train 

ran between New York and Michigan.

Photo: August 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Urbanarcheology.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Michigan Central Station (also known as Michigan Central Depot or MCS) was the main Inter-City Passenger Rail Depot for Detroit, Michigan. Built for The Michigan Central Railroad, it replaced the original Depot in downtown Detroit, which was shuttered after a major fire on 26 December 1913, forcing the still-unfinished Station into early Service. Formally Dedicated on 4 January 1914, the Station remained open for business until the cessation of Amtrak Service on 6 January 1988. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest Railway Station in the World.

Photo of the Streamlined New York Central Train, "The 20th Century Limited", leaving Chicago's LaSalle Street Station on a trial run 9 June 1938. The Train was put into Service on 15 June 1938. This Train was a famous New York Central Railroad Train which ran from 1902-1967.

Source: eBay

Author: Associated Press.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Other Trains

Empire State Express: New York-Buffalo and Cleveland via The Empire Corridor 1891–Present.

Ohio State Limited: New York-Cincinnati via Empire Corridor.

Xplorer: Cleveland-Cincinnati 1958–1960 (Special experimental Lightweight Train).

Cleveland Limited: New York–Cleveland.

Detroiter: New York–Detroit.

James Whitcomb Riley: Chicago-Cincinnati.

Michigan: Chicago-Detroit.

Motor City Special: Chicago-Detroit.

New England States: Boston-Chicago via The Water Level Route 1938–1971. (Retained by Penn Central and, for Amtrak, combined with re-instated Lake Shore Limited).

Twilight Limited: Chicago-Detroit.

Trains left from Grand Central Terminal in New York, Weehawken Terminal in Weehawken, New Jersey, South Station in Boston, Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Michigan Central Station in Detroit, St. Louis Union Station, Missouri, and LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, Illinois.

PART FOUR FOLLOWS

The New York Central Railroad. Part Two.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Cornelius Vanderbilt obtained control of the Hudson River Railroad in 1864, soon after he bought the parallel New York and Harlem Railroad.

Along the line of the Hudson River Railroad, The High Line was built in 1934 in New York City as an elevated by-pass to Street Running Trackage on Tenth Avenue. The elevated section has since been abandoned, and the Tunnel North of 36th Street, opened in 1937, is used only by Amtrak Trains to New York Penn Station (all other Trains use The Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad to reach The Harlem Line). A surviving section of The High Line, in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, recently opened as a Linear Park.

Third Series $50 Confederate States of America Banknote. Uniface. Vignettes of Hope, Hudson River Railroad, Justice. Third series (Act of August 19, 1861 amended December 24, 1861), funded by 8% bonds, payable six months after a ratified peace treaty, total authorized circulation $150,000,000. Between 1861–1864, there were seventy-two different types issued with numerous varieties.

Date: 1862.

Source: Image by Godot13.

Author: Southern Bank Note Company, printers for

The Confederate States Department of The Treasury

National Museum of American History.

Permission: Use of this image should give credit to the

National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The New York Central Railroad.

Historic Trains in America.

New York Central Railroad in the Early-1950s.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/D6EG3QgInc8

The generally-level topography of The NYC System had a character distinctively different than the mountainous terrain of its arch rival, The Pennsylvania Railroad. Most of its major routes, including New York to Chicago, followed rivers and had no significant grades other than West Albany Hill. This influenced a great deal about the Line, from advertising to Locomotive design, built around its flagship New York-Chicago Water Level Route.

Steam Locomotives of The NYC were optimised for speed on that flat raceway of a Main Line, rather than slow mountain lugging. Famous Locomotives of the System included the well-known 4-6-4 Hudsons, particularly the 1937–38 J-3a; 4-8-2 World War II–era L-3 and L-4 Mohawks; and the Post-War S-class Niagaras: fast 4-8-4 Locomotives often considered the epitome of their breed by Steam Locomotive aficionados.

Despite having some of the most modern Steam Locomotives anywhere, NYC's difficult financial position caused it to convert to more economical Diesel-Electric power. All Lines, East of Cleveland, Ohio, were converted to Diesel usage as of 7 August 1953. Niagara Locomotives were all retired by 1956. The last Steam Locomotives were retired in 1957. Bu, the economics of North-Eastern Railroading became so dire that not even this switch could change things for the better.

The New York Central Logo.

Date: 26 October 2003 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by SchuminWeb using CommonsHelper.

Author: The original uploader was Gerard Czadowski at English Wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The restored frame of an old news-stand kiosk.

Buffalo Central Terminal.

Part of The New York Central Railroad Network.

Date: 14 October 2007.

Source: The Union News Company

Author: Jamie

from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

(Wikimedia Commons)

PART THREE FOLLOWS

The New York Central Railroad. Part One.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The New York Central Railroad (NYC), known simply as The New York Central in its publicity, was a Railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. Headquartered in New York City, the railroad served most of the North-East, including extensive Trackage in the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Massachusetts, plus additional Trackage in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

The Railroad primarily connected Greater New York and Boston, in the East, with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid-West, along with the intermediate Cities of Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit. NYC's Grand Central Terminal, in New York City, is one of its best-known extant landmarks.

In 1968, The NYC merged with its former rival, The Pennsylvania Railroad, to form Penn Central (The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad joined in 1969). That Company went bankrupt in 1970 and was taken over by The Federal Government and merged into Conrail in 1976.

"The Steam Locomotive".

New York Central Railroad 1938.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/ZBFdpBol3l4

Conrail was broken up in 1998, and portions of its system was transferred to the newly-formed New York Central Lines LLC, a subsidiary leased to, and eventually absorbed by, CSX and Norfolk Southern. Those Companies' Lines included the original New York Central Main Line, but, outside that area, it included Lines that were never part of The New York Central System. CSX was able to take one of the most important Main Lines in the Nation, which runs from New York City and Boston to Cleveland, Ohio, as part of The Water Level Route, while Norfolk Southern gained The Cleveland, Ohio, to Chicago, Illinois, portion of the Line, called The Chicago Line.

At the end of 1925, The New York Central System operated 11,584 miles (18,643 km) of Road and 26,395 miles (42,479 km) of Track; at the end of 1967, the mileages were 9,696 miles (15,604 km) and 18,454 miles (29,699 km).

The oldest part of the NYC was the first permanent Railroad in the State of New York and one of the first Railroads in The United States. The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad was chartered in 1826 to connect The Mohawk River at Schenectady to The Hudson River at Albany, providing a way for freight, and especially passengers, to avoid the extensive and time-consuming Locks on The Erie Canal between Schenectady and Albany. The Mohawk and Hudson opened on 24 September 1831, and changed its name to The Albany and Schenectady Railroad on 19 April 1847.

1876 map of The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, from [1]

This File: 2 July 2005.

User: SPUI~commonswiki

(Wikimedia Commons)

"Flight of the Century".

20th Century Limited Train.

1935 Steam Trains Newsreel.

A promotional film made in 1935 by The New York Central Lines.

Features a journey on The 20th Century Limited, once America's premier Train.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/CcC9laB3UFU

PART TWO FOLLOWS