Named Trains: #20 – Broadway Limited

#20 – Broadway Limited

Railroad(s): Pennsylvania, Amtrak 

Operated: 1912 - 1971; 1971 - 1995

Route(s): New York – Chicago

In the last post, we discussed the lack of true transcontinental routes, and that trains from Chicago to the West Coast were often branded as "transcontinentals" although they never came close to the East Coast. The counterparts of these trains were those traveling from the Eastern Seaboard to Chicago, which fed passengers in both directions to the western "transcontinentals." One of the most notable of these East Coast-to-Chicago runs was the signature train of the Pennsylvania Railroad, The Broadway Limited. As a direct competitor to one of the most famous named trains of all time – the New York Central's 20th Century Limited – the Broadway Limited utilized the Pennsylvania's mainline route through its namesake state's mountains and river valleys, but was not an express trip like the 20th Century, despite their shared Limited titles. This was rather odd since that although the Broadway Limited made a handful of stops, the only non-terminal major cities served at a downtown station were Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, bypassing nearby Cleveland, Columbus and Indianapolis in favor of places like Crestline, Lima and Ft. Wayne. Although the train did pass through the Philadelphia region, it stopped at North Philadelphia rather than the city's iconic 30th Street Station to reduce travel time. Also of note: while the train's name might seem to be an obvious reference to Manhattan's famous entertainment thoroughfare, the railroad actually intended it as a implicit nod to its own "broad way," the four-track mainline through most of Pennsylvania – infrastructure it believed to be superior to the Central's Water Level Route through upstate New York (see #30 on this list, the Lake Shore Limited for more on the Water Level Route). However, the Broadway Limited never beat the 20th Century's top 20-hour trip time, but did match it with the introduction of streamliner equipment in 1938.

After Amtrak assumed operation's of the nation's intercity passenger rail network in 1971, the system continued uninterupted service of the Broadway Limited on the same route until 1990, when Norfolk Southern – which had acquired much of the Pennsylvania's network from Conrail – abandoned portions of the route west of Pittsburg. Amtrak then shifted the train to the former Baltimore & Ohio route between Pittsburg and Chicago, but cut back the line to Pittsburgh in 1995 due to redundancy with the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited routes – an ultimate insult to the Broadway Limited's legacy as a competitor to both trains. Although Amtrak briefly restored Chicago – Pittsburgh service with the Three Rivers until 2005, when the portion west of Pittsburg was cancelled and Pittsburg – New York trains replaced with the Pennsylvanian, which still connects with the Capitol Limited in Pittsburg today.

#21 – Scout
#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet