46-619: The Panama Limited was a passenger train operated from 1911 to 1971 between Chicago, Illinois , and New Orleans, Louisiana . The flagship train of the Illinois Central Railroad , it took its name from the Panama Canal , which in 1911 was three years from completion. For most of its career, the train was "all- Pullman ", carrying sleeping cars only. The Panama Limited was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971, though Amtrak revived
92-431: A dining car or restaurant car to allow passengers to have a meal during the course of their journey. Trains travelling overnight may also have sleeping cars . Currently, much of travel on these distances of over 500 miles (800 km) is done by air in many countries but in others long-distance travel by rail is a popular or the only cheap way to travel long distances. One notable and growing long-distance train category
138-563: A double bedroom. The Broadway Limited received coaches for the first time in 1967, when it merged with the General . Under PC the train carried "two or more coaches, two lounges, twin-unit diner, and four sleepers." This was better than most remaining passenger trains, which often had only two-three cars. Amtrak singled out the Broadway Limited for special treatment and in 1972 completely refurbished its equipment, most of which
184-590: A faster, 20-hour schedule between Chicago and New Orleans. The Panama Limited was dieselized and streamlined in 1942, during World War II . The Illinois Central had ordered two lightweight sets of equipment before the attack on Pearl Harbor ; after an appeal, the War Production Board allowed their delivery. The first diesel/electric-powered streamlined run of the Panama Limited was on May 3, 1942, on an 18-hour schedule. On hand for
230-572: A fixed schedule and have priority over freight trains . Passenger trains may be made up of a number of passenger cars hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be made up of self-propelled railcars . Car design and the general safety of passenger trains have dramatically evolved over time, making travel by rail remarkably safe. Some passenger trains, both long-distance and short-distance, use bi-level (double-decker) cars to carry more passengers per train. Passenger trains hauled by locomotives are more expensive to operate than multiple units, but have
276-602: A higher passenger capacity. Many prestigious passenger train services have been bestowed a special name , some of which have become famous in literature and fiction. The first occasion on which a railway locomotive pulled a train carrying passengers was in the United Kingdom in 1804, at Penydarren Ironworks in Wales , when 70 employees of the ironworks were transported 9 miles by an engine designed by Richard Trevithick . The first passenger train in regular service
322-496: A small bar at one end with seating for two. The sleeper-bar-lounge included a secretary's room, barber shop, shower-bath, and a bar/lounge with both booth and chair seating. The Broadway Limited received additional Pullman equipment in 1949. This included Harbor Cove and Harbor Rest , sleeper-bar-lounges with three double bedrooms, and Mountain View and Tower View , sleeper-buffet-lounge-observation cars with two master rooms and
368-1114: A train consisting of a single passenger car (carriage, coach) with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g. the Great Western Railway , used the term " railmotor ". If the railcar is able to pull a full train, it is more likely to be called a " motor coach " or a "motor car". The term "railcar" is sometimes also used as an alternative name for the small types of multiple unit that consist of more than one coach. Rapid transit trains are trains that operate in urban areas on exclusive rights-of-way in that pedestrians and road vehicles may not access them. Light rails are electrically powered urban passenger trains that run along an exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, raised structures, tunnels, or in streets. Light rail systems generally use lighter equipment that operate at slower speeds to allow for more flexibility in integrating systems into urban environments. Trams (also known as streetcars in North America) are
414-411: A type of passenger train that runs a tramway track on or alongside public urban streets, often including segments of right-of-way for passengers and vehicles. Heritage trains are often operated by volunteers, often railfans , as a tourist attraction or as a museum railway. Usually, the trains are formed from historic vehicles retired from national commercial operation that have retained or assumed
460-655: Is high-speed rail, which generally runs at speeds above 200 km/h (120 mph) and often operates on a dedicated track that is surveyed and prepared to accommodate high speeds. The first successful example of a high-speed passenger rail system was Japan's Shinkansen , colloquially known as the "bullet train", which commenced operation in October 1964. Other examples include Italy's LeFrecce , France's TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, literally "high speed train"), Germany's ICE (Inter-City Express), and Spain's AVE (Alta Velocidad Española). In most cases, high-speed rail travel
506-440: Is time- and cost-competitive with air travel when distances do not exceed 500 to 600 km (310 to 370 mi), as airport check-in and boarding procedures can add at least two hours to the overall transit time. Also, rail operating costs over these distances may be lower when the amount of jet fuel consumed by an airliner during takeoff and climbout is taken into consideration. Air travel becomes more cost-competitive as
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#1732772748871552-660: The Broadway looked as though Amtrak had found a mistress elsewhere." In the 1970s, the Broadway Limited experienced chronic lateness due to poor track conditions in the Midwest. The route changed in 1979 when PC successor Conrail abandoned trackage west of Youngstown, Ohio . These changes included: Amtrak ultimately discontinued the Broadway Limited on September 10, 1995, in the face of significant funding problems. The Broadway Limited then earned $ 6.6 million against costs of $ 24 million. Amtrak replaced it with
598-476: The Broadway Limited again with new streamlined equipment. The all-sleeper train carried compartments, bedrooms, duplex rooms, roomettes for a single occupant and drawing rooms for three persons. The buffet-lounge-observation cars built by Pullman Standard were named Mountain View and Tower View . They had squared-off observation ends, instead of the tapered or rounded ends in the 1938 version, and contained two master rooms with radio and showers. Also introduced
644-480: The Broadway Limited as the new company's sole New York–Chicago route. Amtrak's Broadway Limited had a Washington, D.C. section east of Harrisburg that used the Port Road Branch . Amtrak refurbished the train in 1972, but the improvements did not persist. Author George H. Drury was critical in a 1974 Trains article: "In May 1972... [t]he train was as fresh and new as a spring bride. In December 1973
690-559: The Broadway Limited became the last "all-Pullman" train in the United States, a distinction that did not last long. PRR merged the Broadway Limited with the General on December 13, 1967. The train was one of the few long-distance trains to survive the merger of PRR and NYC into the Penn Central (PC). Also, the train began stopping at some smaller cities it had bypassed until then. Amtrak's incorporators selected
736-410: The Broadway Limited , to avoid confusion with the similarly-named Pennsylvania Limited . The name, though spelled as "Broadway", honored PRR's four-track "broad way" main line. In the heavyweight era the Broadway Limited was an extra-fare, all sleeper (no coach service) train with an open-platform observation car at the end, such as Continental Hall and Washington Hall . The scheduled running time
782-473: The Panama Limited in favor of its former daytime counterpart, the City of New Orleans. This train made no connections in either New Orleans or Chicago, so Amtrak moved the train to an overnight schedule on November 14, 1971, and revived the Panama Limited name. Amtrak restored the City of New Orleans name, while retaining the overnight schedule, on February 1, 1981. Amtrak hoped to capitalize on
828-515: The Santa Fe 's Super Chief , the twin-unit dining car, lounge car, and observation car. The train departed New York at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time and arrived at Chicago the following morning at 9:00 a.m. Central Time . The Broadway Limited was not immune to the decline in passenger rail transport, though it resisted longer than most. The competitor 20th Century Limited began carrying coaches in 1957. The PRR in October 1957 eliminated
874-720: The United States began in the 1830s and became popular in the 1850s and '60s. The first electric passenger train was exhibited at the Berlin Industrial Exposition 1879 . The first successful commercial electric passenger train, the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway , ran a year later in Lichterfelde . Long-distance trains travel between many cities or regions of a country, and sometimes cross several countries. They often have
920-677: The Illinois Central acquired several 2-unit 175-foot (53 m) dining cars from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway which it used on the Panama . With the Pennsylvania's Broadway Limited it was one of the last two "all-Pullman" trains in the United States. On October 29, 1967, the Illinois Central added coaches to the Panama Limited for the first time in half a century, although it attempted to save face by designating
966-405: The Illinois Central renamed this train the Panama Limited , in honor of the anticipated opening of the Panama Canal . The train included a St. Louis, Missouri , section that connected at Carbondale, Illinois . The train was first-class only north of Memphis, Tennessee . It carried through sleepers for Hot Springs, Arkansas , and San Antonio, Texas . It made the journey in 25 hours. In 1912,
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#17327727488711012-625: The United States. The Panama Limited maintained a high level of service for most of its existence. It was noted for its dining car service, with a first-rate culinary staff and creole fare in the Vieux Carre -themed dining cars, a service which the Illinois Central marketed heavily. A well-known multi-course meal on the Panama Limited was the Kings Dinner, for about $ 10; other deluxe, complete meals such as steak or lobster, including wine or cocktail, were priced around $ 4 to $ 5. In 1952,
1058-653: The all-coach Three Rivers , which would in turn be discontinued in 2005. Pullman-Standard built the entirety of the equipment pool for the 1938 lightweight re-equipping, with the exception of two dining cars which were rebuilt in PRR's Altoona shops . The equipment delivered included eight 18-roomette sleeping cars; two sleeper-bar-lounges; four 4-compartment, 2-drawing room, 4-double bedroom sleeping cars; two 13-double bedroom sleeping cars; and two View series sleeper-buffet-lounge-observation cars. The dining car seated 24 at tables (in both 1x1 and 2x2 configurations) and featured
1104-399: The character, appearance, and operating practices of railways in their time. Sometimes lines that operate in isolation also provide transport facilities for local people. Much of the equipment used on these trains' systems is original or at least aims to replicate both the look and the operating practices of historic/former railways companies. Passenger rail is one of the modes of travel with
1150-652: The coaches the Magnolia Star . The Illinois Central dropped this separate designation on December 13, 1968. The Illinois Central petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to end the train altogether on November 23, 1970, but the ICC deferred the request with Amtrak due to launch the following spring. The Illinois Central Railroad last ran the Panama Limited on April 30, 1971. On May 1, Amtrak took over, dropping
1196-810: The conventional rail infrastructure to support trains that can operate safely at higher speeds. Many cities and their surrounding areas are served by commuter trains (also known as suburban trains), which serve commuters who live outside of the city they work in, or vice versa. More specifically, in the United States commuter rail service is defined as, "short-haul rail passenger transportation in metropolitan and suburban areas usually having reduced fare, multiple ride, and commuter tickets and morning and evening peak period operations". Trains are very efficient for transporting large numbers of people at once, compared to road transport. While automobiles may be delayed by traffic congestion , trains operate on dedicated rights-of-way which allow them to bypass such congestion. With
1242-466: The duration of WWII, the Illinois Central dropped the extra fare. In June 1946, the schedule dropped to 17 hours. Later, the extra fare was reinstated, and the schedule was reduced to 16 hours, 30 minutes. In 1947, the Illinois Central introduced the City of New Orleans as a daytime, all-coach companion to the Panama Limited along the same route. This created the longest daylight run in
1288-446: The end of World War II. Most of the 1938 cars were built new by Pullman-Standard between March and May of that year, but the diners , RPO and baggage cars were rebuilt from heavyweight cars by the railroad's Altoona shops . The Broadway Limited was the only PRR train to be completely re-equipped with lightweight sleeping cars before World War II. The train's running time was further reduced to 16 hours. In 1949, PRR re-equipped
1334-519: The first run was Janie Jones, the widow of famed engineer Casey Jones . The Panama Limited carried a new orange-and-brown paint scheme that later became standard on Illinois Central passenger trains. Today, Metra , Chicago's commuter rail system, honors this scheme by identifying the Metra Electric District , the Illinois Central's former commuter service to the southern suburbs, as "Panama Orange" on system maps and timetables. For
1380-693: The formation of Penn Central (PC) in February 1968, one of the few long-distance trains to do so. PC conveyed the train to Amtrak in 1971, who operated it until 1995. The train's name referred not to Broadway in Manhattan , but rather to the "broad way" of PRR's four-track right-of-way along the majority of its route. The Pennsylvania Special was one of nine express trains the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) operated between New York City and Chicago. On November 14, 1912, PRR renamed it
1426-411: The furthest points of the journey. This practice allows less populous communities to be served in the most cost-effective way, at the expense of a longer journey time for those wishing to travel to the terminus station. Higher-speed rail services operate at top speeds that are higher than conventional inter-city trains but below high-speed rail services. These services are provided after improvements to
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1472-585: The lowest carbon dioxide emissions. Rail travel emits much less carbon dioxide per mile than air travel (2–27%) or car travel (2–24%). Broadway Limited The Broadway Limited was a passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between New York City and Chicago . It operated from 1912 to 1995. It was the Pennsylvania's premier train, competing directly with the New York Central Railroad 's 20th Century Limited . The Broadway Limited continued operating after
1518-564: The name later that year and continued it until 1981. Since 1981, overnight service between Chicago and New Orleans is provided by Amtrak's City of New Orleans , another former Illinois Central train that before Amtrak was the daytime counterpart of the Panama Limited. In the early 1900s, the Illinois Central's premier train on the Chicago-New Orleans route was the Chicago and New Orleans Limited . On February 4, 1911,
1564-558: The new cars and the PRR GG1 electric locomotive as well as some streamlined steam locomotives for PRR, notably the S1 and T1 Duplex drive engines. The Broadway Limited was one of four pre- World War II PRR trains to receive such equipment; the others being the General (New York–Chicago), Spirit of St. Louis (New York–St. Louis), and Liberty Limited (Washington–Chicago). Other PRR trains continued to use heavyweight cars until after
1610-417: The popularity of the eponymous song written by Steve Goodman and recorded in 1972 by Arlo Guthrie . In 1923 Esther Bigeou recorded as song she is credited as composing, "The Panama Limited Blues". A different song of the same name was composed by Richard M. Jones . Jones recorded his "Panama Limited Blues" with singer Bertha "Chippie" Hill in 1926. The same year it was covered by Ada Brown . It
1656-522: The same trackage (though not simultaneously), as well as producing a more comfortable ride for passengers. "Inter-city" is a general term for any rail service that uses trains with limited stops to provide fast long-distance travel. Inter-city services can be divided into three major groups: The distinction between the three types of inter-city rail service may be unclear; trains can run as InterCity services between major cities, then revert to an express (or even regional) train service to reach communities at
1702-561: The train was replaced with an all-steel, all-electric consist. The Illinois Central relaunched the train on November 15, 1916, with new equipment and a new schedule: 23 hours from Chicago to New Orleans, all-Pullman. Its old equipment and schedule became a new train, the Louisiane . The Great Depression led the Illinois Central to discontinue the luxurious Panama Limited between May 28, 1932, and December 2, 1934. When it returned, it had new air-conditioned equipment and
1748-570: The train's transcontinental sleeping cars connecting with the original California Zephyr and the Santa Fe's Super Chief. Factors in the termination were declining ridership, and in the case of the Super Chief the time-consuming transfer of a sleeping car between Union Station, which the PRR used, and Dearborn Station, which the Santa Fe used. In late 1967, when the Illinois Central Railroad 's Panama Limited also began carrying coaches,
1794-729: The travel distance increases because the fuel accounts for less of the overall operating cost of the airliner. Some high-speed rail systems employ tilting technology to improve stability in curves. Examples of tilting trains are the Advanced Passenger Train (APT), the Pendolino , the N700 Series Shinkansen , Amtrak 's Acela and the Spanish Talgo . Tilting is a dynamic form of superelevation , allowing both low- and high-speed traffic to use
1840-399: The use of bilevel cars , which are tall enough to have two levels of seating, commuter rail services can haul as many as 150 commuters per train car, and over 1,000 per train: much more than the capacity of automobiles and buses. In British and Australian usage, a "railcar" is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term is usually used in reference to
1886-424: Was 20 hours until it was reduced to 18 hours in 1932. Further reductions took place between 1932 and 1935, with the final heavyweight running time at 16 hours, 30 minutes. On June 15, 1938, the Broadway Limited received lightweight streamlined cars to replace its heavyweight steel cars; on the same day rival New York Central Railroad 's (NYC) 20th Century Limited was streamlined. Raymond Loewy styled
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1932-675: Was a horse drawn train on the Swansea and Mumbles Railway which opened in 1807. In 1808, Trevithick ran a passenger-carrying exhibition train called Catch Me Who Can on a small loop of track in London. The exhibition, which ran for two weeks, charged passengers for rides. The first steam train carrying passengers on a public railway was hauled by Locomotion No. 1 on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825 , traveling at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. Travel by passenger trains in
1978-506: Was a twin-unit dining car and a mid-train lounge car, such as Harbor Rest , described by a PRR brochure as "cheerful, spacious ... richly appointed for leisure with deep, soft carpets ... latest periodicals are in the libraries." The February 1956 Official Guide listed the westbound Broadway Limited (Train 29) consist as having fourteen cars normally assigned: nine sleeping cars between New York and Chicago, one additional sleeping car from New York continuing through to Los Angeles on
2024-400: Was ex-PC, although former Union Pacific Railroad sleeping cars were also used. Amtrak also added a Slumbercoach to the consist. In 1974 Amtrak tried out rebuilt 6-bedroom, 8-roomette ex- Rock Island sleeping cars, but their limited capacity reduced revenue. The Broadway Limited began receiving rebuilt Heritage Fleet cars in 1980, and Amfleet coaches thereafter. 68 cars were rebuilt at
2070-494: Was later covered by Georgia White in 1940. Another blues song "The Panama Limited" is credited to blues singer Bukka White , who recorded it in the 1930. "The Panama Limited" was popularized by folk singer Tom Rush on his self-titled debut album in 1965 and was recorded later by folk musicians Mike Cross and Doug MacLeod . A British band of the late 1960s and early 1970s called itself Panama Limited Jug Band, later shortened to Panama Limited. The song "Railroad Lady"
2116-685: Was said to have been written by Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmy Buffett on the final run of the Panama Limited, from New Orleans to Nashville. Passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self propelled passenger trains are known as multiple units or railcars . Passenger trains stop at stations or depots , where passengers may board and disembark. In most cases, passenger trains operate on
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