The New York Central Railroad (NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. Headquartered in New York, the railroad served most of the Northeast, 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 Québec. Its primary connections included Chicago and Boston. The NYC's Grand Central Terminal in New York City is one of its best known extant landmarks (wik). In the 30's and 40's the NYC was recognized as the premier railroad for passenger travel between New York and Chicago. Its Twentieth Century Limited was a red carpet train out of New York's Grand Central terminal and ran to and from the La Salle Street Station in Chicago with a fast 16 hour schedule. Another fine train the Commodore Vanderbilt ran on a 17 hour schedule as did the NYC's modern coach only train, the Pacemaker. The Central ran a total of 12 daily trains to New York, and if you add the Michigan Central subsidiary line, running through Detroit and Southern Ontario, with connections at Buffalo, New York, a total of 15. It's rival, the Pennsylvania also ran 12 trains to New York from Chicago with every bit as fast schedules, 9 on the Pittsburgh Fort Wayne & Chicago main line, and 3 on the Pittsburgh Cincinnati Chicago & St. Louis (Panhandle) line through Columbus, Ohio to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York. The Central ridership was acknowledged to be greater than the Pennsy (rp). The NYC had a distinctive character; different from its arch rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad's mountainous terrain, the NYC was best known as the Water Level Route; most of its major routes, including New York to Chicago, followed rivers and had no significant grades. This influenced many things, including advertising and most notably locomotive design.

New York Central September 28 1941

Map of the Water Level Routes of the New York Central Railroad (purple), West Shore Railroad (red) and Erie Canal (blue)
1853-1867 - Corning years. - The NYC merges several other railroads into its system
1855 - Branch from Rochester to Lake Ontario
1855 - Buffalo to Niagara Falls and Lewiston
1864-1867 - Saratoga and Hudson River Railroad chartered and built along west shore of Hudson River. Merged into NYC
1864 - Cornelius Vanderbilt obtains control of Hudson River Railroad and paralleling New York and Hudson River Railroad
1867 - Vanderbilt acquires control of NYC. It becomes the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad
1871 - The original Grand Central Depot completed providing New York City access for the New York Central and Hudson River, the New York and Harlem and the New York and New Haven Railroads.
1885 - West Shore Railroad acquired shortening lines in New York
Vanderbilt's other lines were operated as part of the NYC; these included the New York and Harlem Railroad, Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, Canada Southern Railway and Michigan Central Railroad.
1900 - Boston and Albany Railroad leased by NYC&HR
1902 - The 20th Century Limited introduced on a New York-Chicago and Boston-Chicago routing. The NY-CHI time was 20 hours, four hours faster than previous trains.
1903 - Demolition and construction begins on tearing down the original Grand Central Depot and rerplacing it with the current Grand Central Terminal in New York City, needed to compete with rival Pennsylvanias Penn Station plans.
1905-1912 - 20th Century time reduced to 18 hours. Returned to 20 hours in 1912.
1906 - CCC&StL (Big Four) acquired by NYC
1913 - New Grand Central Terminal completed 1914 - Name changed again to NYC Railroad
1920's - NYC introduced some early box cab diesel-electric locomotives primarily for switching and local freight work. They were produced by Alco with Ingersol-Rand engines and GE electrics.
1932 - 20th Century NY-CHI time reduced to 18 hours.
1934 - A Jsa Hudson 4-6-4 steam locomotive was the first streamlined steam. It pulled the "Commodore Vanderbilt.
1935 - 20th Century time now 16:30.
1938 - An all new lightweight "20th Century" was placed into service on a 16 hour timing NY-CHI.
1941 - The "Empire State Express" was an all new Budd built train.
1948 - "20th Century" refurbished and headed by new EMD E8 diesel-electric locomotives.
1948 - 742 new passenger cars ordered.
1951 - NYC orders a record 387 diesel-electric locomotives.
1967 - Last run of the 20th Century Limited in December.
1968 - NYC and Pennsylvania merge to become the Penn Central.
1970 - Burdened with the losing New Haven Railroad the PC files for bankruptcy.
1971 - Amtrak and local government agencies take over passenger and commuter services.
1970's - Amtrak assumes ownership of NE Corridor, Boston-Washington (former New Haven & PA rails).
1976 - Conrail assumes operations of PC and others.
1998 - Most of Conrail split between CSX and Norfolk-Southern.
1998 - New York Central Lines-LLC formed as a subsidiary of CSX.

History of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, New York to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across Northern Indiana. Early history: 1835-1869
Toledo to Chicago
1833-1837 - The Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad chartered and built Toledo to Adrian, Michigan. First horses then 1st steam
1835-1838 - Buffalo and Mississippi (then Northern Indiana Railroad) chartered to build from Ohio line to Michigan City, Indiana. Money ran out in 1838
1838-1846 - Southern Railroad (state of Michigan) starts building from Monroe on Lake Erie westward, partially completed line sold to Michigan Southern Railroad.
1842-1852 - Erie and North East Railroad chartered and builds from Erie to New York state line
1844-1852- Franklin Canal Co. building SW from Erie and the Cleveland Painesville & Ashtabula building east from Cleveland complete lines in 1852
1846 - MS changes plans to now terminate in Chicago using NI charter, and also the E&K charter west of La Porte
1846 - Junction Railroad formed to build west from Cleveland toward Toledo
1849 - MS leases E&K, obtaining branch to Toledo and connections to planned railroad east of Toledo
1849-1852 - Buffalo and State Line Railroad chartered and builds from Pennsylvania state line to Buffalo
1850-1852 - Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad chartered and opened west to South Bend (1851) and to Chicago(1852), running to predecessor of La Salle Street Station with Rock Island, north of Englewood (63rd Street)
1850 - Toledo Norwalk and Cleveland chartered to build east from Toledo
1851 - To gain a more direct route east from Elkhart, Indiana to Toledo the Northern Indiana Railroad was chartered in Ohio.
1853 - The Ohio and Indiana NI&C companies merged

1853-1854 - B&SL and E&NE relay from 6 foot to 4 foot 8-1/2" standard gauge rail providing through service without change Buffalo to Cleveland 1853 - Cleveland Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad connects with the TN&C and Junction RR to form continuous line from Buffalo to Chicago 1853 - Cleveland and Toledo Railroad formed from TN&C and Junction RR's 1854 - The CP&A buys the Franklin Canal Co. 1855 - The NI&C and B&M merged into Northern Indiana Railroad, and NI merged with MS to form Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad. Through service Buffalo to Toledo begins 1856 - Branch from Toledo to Detroit leased 1858 - New alignment (Northern Indiana Air Line) completed Chicago to Toledo with alternate route through Southern Michigan 1866-1872 - Abandonment's and realignments improve line from Toledo east 1867 - B&SL and E&NE merge to form Buffalo and Erie Railroad 1867 - CP&A leased the Cleveland and Toledo 1868 - CP&A changed name to Lake Shore Railway 1869 - Lake Shore absorbs C&T 1869 - LS and MS&NI merge to form Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway 1869 - LS&MS absorb B&E forming complete line from Chicago to Buffalo 1877 - Vanderbilt gains majority of LS&MS stock 1914 - NYC&HR and LS&MS merge to form New York Central Railroad

Lake Shore & Michigan Southern cir 1902

Back to Chicago