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

Named Trains: #21 – Scout

#21 – Scout

Railroad(s): Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 

Operated: 1916 – 1948

Route(s): Chicago – Los Angeles

As the first quasi-transcontinental route on our list (in actuality, true transcontinental passenger rail trips ever ran from the Atlantic to the Pacific, most only spanning from Chicago to the West Coast), the Scout is also the first in the AT&SF's (more commonly known as the Santa Fe) exceptional legacy in naming their passenger trains. Bearing the designators of trains #1 and #10 in the Santa Fe until the streamliner era, it could be argued the Scout was the railroad's flagship train for the bulk of the first half of the 20th Century. It made the roughly 2200-mile trip in 58 hours, 35 minutes heading eastbound, although Amtrak's Southwest Chief is scheduled to complete the journey on a similar (but not identical route) in under 48 hours when it's on time – a rare instance of a contemporary intercity train besting its historical counterpart on schedule. Nonetheless, the Scout brand is noteworthy – evoking a Southwestern explorer identity (see beautiful artwork above) that was less effacing to Native American peoples through the Southwest, a problem the railroad created with some of its other named trains.

#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

Named Trains: #22 – Gulf Coast Rebel

#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel

Railroad(s): Gulf, Mobile & Ohio

Operated: 1940 – 1958

Route(s): St. Louis – Mobile

Continuing our track of named trains through the South, the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio's signature streamliner evokes the history of the region without becoming overtly antagonistic to Civil War-era contraversies. Although the railroad operated other routes branded with the Rebel marker, the Gulf Coast version traveled its main route through nearly the railroad's entire territory. Although the train didn't survive the end of the streamliner era, the Gulf Coast Rebel nonetheless deserves a spot on this list for its strong regional identity and flagship status on the GM&O.

#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

Named Trains: #23 – Acadian

#23 – Acadian

Railroad(s): Southern Pacific 

Operated: ?-1956 

Route(s): New Orleans – Houston

Following one A-titled train running glamorously through the Deep South is another. The most interesting thing about the Acadian name is it could have potentially been applied to two different regions: the Atlantic Maritimes and the Louisiana Delta area. The dual regions are the result of the ancestry of French Acadians, who settled first the Maritime region in what's now Eastern Canada and Maine, and another sect who traveled as far as Louisiana and ultimately became Cajuns. This ancestral identity makes for a distinctive, authentic brand for both areas, one that was ultimately incorporated by the Southern Pacific on overnight trains traveling through the Bayou between New Orleans and Houston.

#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

Named Trains: #24 – Azalean

#24 – Azalean 

Railroad(s): Louisville & Nashville

Operated: ?

Route(s): Cincinnati – New Orleans

So far, our discussion of named trains has largely focused on trains with markers denoting a combination of speed, reliability and regional identity. And while the Louisville & Nashville's iconic Azalean was certainly not a slow rolling trip – it completed its 922-mile run in 25 hours and five minutes – its colorful brand points to a different set of attributes: refinement, wonder and charm, an ideal blend of elements for a route primarily traveling through the American South. Passing through a fair number of large cities – including both of its host railroad's namesakes – the Azalean was the L&N's signature north-south train and was billed as the finest way to journey in the deep South, known for outstanding customer service and top-notch amenities.

#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #25 – Mark Twain Zephyr

#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr

Railroad(s): Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 

Operated: 1935 – 1960

Route(s): St. Louis – Burlington

Like the Comet and Land O'Corn trains previously described in this series, the CB&Q – more commonly known as The Burlington Route, which ultimately became the Burlington Northern, part of today's BNSF – deployed streamlined trainsets on the Mark Twain Zephyr, which offered faster, more reliable service. Named for the route's territory along the banks of the Mississippi River where one of the nation's most famous writers was born and raised, the Zephyr's short, regional service paired well with Twain's iconic characters and settings. The streamlined trainsets cruised through the roughly 215-mile corridor in about 2 1/2 hours, much quicker than local roadways can get you there even today. The Mark Twain Zephyr name faded with the retirement of the streamlined equipment and service was gradually cutback on the route as the railroad discontinued its passenger operations through the 1960s.

#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #26 – Little Bear

#26 – Little Bear

Railroad(s): Ontario Northland

Operated: ? – 2007

Route(s): Cochrane – Moosonee, Ontario

In the 29th selection on this list – Fast Mail – we discussed the relative rarity of mixed passenger and freight trains. And while the not-long-since-departed Little Bear no longer shuttles people and goods on its remote route from Moosonee on the shores of the Hudson Bay to the plains outpost at Cochrane, this mixed train's designation playfully captured its unique dual-use nature and the rugged terrain through which it traveled. Operated by the quasi-public, provincially-owned Ontario Northland, the Little Bear hauled both freight and passengers three times a week during the winter months on the railroad's spur line from Moosonee to its mainline route at Cochrane, where passengers could connect to Northlander trains to points south, including North Bay and Toronto. In 2007, the Little Bear reached adulthood, when it became the Polar Bear Express, operating five days per week in the winter and six times each week during the summer, but no longer carrying freight on the same trips as passengers. Sadly, all passenger rail service on the railroad ended in the fall of 2012, but the Little Bear's legacy remains as perhaps the most ideally-named mixed train of all time.

#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet