Passenger Trains > Happy 50th Lake Shore Limited!

October 31st marks the fiftieth anniversary of Amtrak's launch of the Lake Shore Limited.  In 1975 the Lake Shore reintroduced passenger service to the Boston-Albany and Buffalo - Chicago portions of it's route.  (Amtrak had previously covered much of this territory in it's earliest days, but dropped service when states withdrew 403B funding).  The Lake Shore also restored through Boston to Chicago service for the first time since the New York Central dropped the New England States in 1967.

I was sixteen years old when the new train debuted, and determined to ride a portion of the first run.  That involved ducking out of high school midday, and taking an MBTA bus and Green Line Trolley to Boston for the kickoff ceremony and a ride as far as my budget would allow - Springfield, MA.  Then a Peter Pan bus home.  The inaugural run consisted of SDP40F 594, followed by a sleeper, coach, and lounge car.  The coach was filled almost entirely with railfans.  

Over the years, the Boston Lake Shore has been my home town long distance train of sorts.  It's been the beginning and end of many cross country trips, including my first ever venture to the west coast less than a year after the inaugural.  It was the train that allowed me to introduce rail travel to my future, now current, wife.  It took me to look at colleges in the Midwest, and brought me home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  My most recent ride wrapped up a 24 day VIA and Amtrak round trip to ski in BC and Montana last winter.

In the beginning, the Lake Shore played a secondary role to Amtrak's premier New York - Chicago train, the Broadway.  But in short time, the train grew in popularity, surpassing and ultimately outliving it's Pennsy heritage counterpart.  Today, it remains busy, although is far from Amtrak's best train.  Traditional dining is a distant memory, with beautiful Viewliner II diner wasted on serving poor quality "flex dining" meals.  The comfortable ex-PRR parlor cars turned lounges were replaced by utilitarian Amfleet II cars in the early '80s, so one generally sticks to their room or coach seat when not eating.  The schedule has slowed since its peak performance in the early eighties, and the end point timings are more in line with one of the NYC's "maid of all work" trains than the Century or New England States.  But despite all that, I still have a soft spot for the Lake Shore Limited, so happy birthday to Amtrak 48/49 and 448/449!  Long may you run!

Two pics from South Station on October 31, 1975 -

Dave

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449 10-31-75  @ South Statiom :  SDP40F 594 -lounge 3321 (off at Alb)-sleeper 2689 (ex SP9011)-coach 5644 (ex NYC).                     49 10-31-75 @ GCT : FL9s  5038-5033 (ex NH 2038 and 2033 , not to Amtrak in 1976 ) -bag/dorm 1530-sleeper 2836 Missouri Valley-diner 8339-coaches for Chicago 5649-5647-5645- coaches to Albany 6423-3953-6441-6416-6440 -PV  DC1000 , open platform car rebuilt by the Wabash as AB's Adolphus , later to PRR 1000 sold off by PC ,later Amtrak 10000.             The FL9s came off at Croton-Harmon for a pair of Es to Albany : 226 ex L&N 787 ,exx SLSF 2007 "Whirlaway" and 225 ex L&N  795.        At Albany the 226-225 and 6423-6440  were removed ,  the 594 was added as solo power Alb-Chiago,  a cut was made behind the 2836 and Boston Cars 2689 and 5644 were added.  The PV DC 1000 was on the rear .    SDP-BD-2 SL-CO-DNR-3 CO-PV departing ALB.          Added at Erie ,Penn the next morning was NRHS Lake Shore Chapter P V  LSR 6077 Pend O'rielle River  painted Amtrak phase 1 without the Amtrak., it was placed second rear in the consist.   The consist shown is the result of help from Jack Swanberg at GCT and John Kuehl at Chicago and my own observations at Boston .     "Fun Fact" : Amtrak 2836 Missouri Valley was part of the consist of NYC #25 on Saturday December 2,1967 ,  the FINAL westbound departure  of the "20TH CENTURY LIMITED " from GCT to Chicago .        Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited was made a part of the national system in May 1978 , it had been added as an "experimental service " for two years .  Lounge car ,slumbercoach ,dome (in the mid 90s) and the slab-sided twin unit dinere that had worked 40/41 all were added , the Lake Shore Ltd was the first train converted to Heritage Fleet in mid October 1979 .     Happy  50th Lake Shore ,though we have to wait another month to get the B&A section back  , it's been 30 years since what was left of the Broadway bit the dust.

In the first photo just above the drumhead on the rear gate you can see the set-up with two lights that was used to back the Lake Shore down the Castleton Cutoff to join the Hudson line to head north to Albany  , a back up hose was used on the move  . The lights were powered by a plug above the end door that the the carmen are tending to.  At Albany this end of coach 5644 will be coupled  to the diner , with the "goodies" removed for 448 the next day  The galley-lounge 3320's turned at Albany .

Especially with the Boston section returning soon, Amtrak should have had a 50th anniversary celebration like they did for the CZ, but no. 

Thanks for all that history!!! Very interesting reading! It's good that the Lake Shore Limited still exists!!! The best was when there was a morning departure for Chicago (Cardinal), mid-afternoon departure from Chicago (Broadway Limited or via DC to catch the Capitol Limited), and the Lake Shore Limited that would leave after 7 pm. Grateful to still have the Lake Shore, but a LOT has been lost from food prepped onboard, "real lounge cars," the variety of cars be it coaches, slumbercoaches, dome, sleepers, etc. 

I also had forgotten that Croton-Harmon was the major change of power hub for early Amtrak.....into the mid80s as I recall.......When did they finally move things up to Albany-Rensaleer?  

Great post! When the Boston section of the Lake Shore Ltd gets re-instated in December upon completion of the repair to the Post Road sinkhole, it should be the first time (?) 448/449 get to use the new dual track center island platform at Worcester Union Station. 

Re: the comment about the using the Cardinal between New York and Chicago, there was a short period in Amtrak's early life starting with the November 14, 1971 timetable where Amtrak operated the James Whitcomb Riley (train 51) and the George Washington (train 50) between Newport News VA and Chicago with an extension up the NE Corridor (connecting at Charlottesville VA) to New York and Boston. But the NE Corridor extension was short lived as was it gone by the April 30, 1972 system timetable. It's not entirely clear to me from looking at the timetable that there was through coach service between Boston and Chicago for those 5 months, but Amtrak shows train 51, the westbound Riley, departing Boston South Station at 8:45AM EST and arriving in Chicago at 1:15PM CST about 29.5 hours later! 

Prior to the first revenue runs of the Lake Shore Liimited to/from  Boston, an inaugural train was run east from Chicago over two days.  It was the usual affair with dignitaries getting on for short ride in their territory. At various stations, high school bands would welcome the train, speeches would be made, etc. 

I was fortunate to be invited onto the full journey (by reason of my participation in the ICC case involving trains 404/405) and rode the whole way, hobnobbing with the various Amtrak and local officials. Got many a mile in riding on the rear platfrom (not an option today!) - in many a little town, where there would be no stop, people would be lining crossing to watch the train pass and I became very adept at using my left hand to hold onto the railing and my right hand to wave to the crowd.  Here are a few photos from those days.

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joemvcnj - ten years ago Amtrak handed out to passengers on the Lake Shore a certificate that they had traveled on the LSL on its 40th anniversary train , don't know if there was cakes or not.                   jp1822- we all enjoyed the variety of equipment , but parts and different designs/builders made it hard on the mechanical department , steam heated until  October 1979 . It was a God send when the Heritage equipment arrived plus the coaches ,  4600s-ex UP  / later 4700s-ex AT&SF "El Cap" , had leg rests. If you look at the revenue consist of the first Lake Shore only  -2-  cars wrere not from the New York Central ; Boston sleeper 2689 and GCT bag / dorm 1530  ,both Budd built for SP's 1950  "Sunset " . As the Amfleet IIs arrived they were used and the domes that were freed up when the Superliner IIs went on the AutoTrain , Capitol Ltd and City Of New Orleans  join the LSL during the mid 1990s.  

Interesting thread, didn't realize all the history on Amtrak. First rode the LSL in 1981 and then many times after that, always from NYC. Having dinner while riding up the Hudson River, and then settling into a roomette or bedroom is a great experience. 

JG

Coach passengers south of Albany have no food service at all for 3 - 4 hours. . 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/25 08:27 by joemvcnj.

RevRandy...that looks like my mother with you on the rear & my grandparents on the platform. I somehow missed being in this picture taken at Utica.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/25 16:41 by mbutte.

Thank you, DavidP, for acknowledging this anniversary.

During the mid to late 1980s, when I lived in Albany, I traveled several times on the Lake Shore Limited to get to Boston, Cleveland, and Chicago.  I also rode it several times from Grand Central Terminal, because it was one of the last trains of the day destined to Rensselear.

At least on two occasions, I opted to ride a Peter Pan bus to get to Boston, because the Lake Shore was running so late.  For a couple of trips to Chicago, I opted to ride an Empire Service train to New York where I would board the Broadway Limited because of its earlier arrival in Chicago.

That said, here some positive memories:

My first trip in a Slumbercoach was on the Lake Shore Limited.

Enjoying the scenery in the Berkshires as the Lake Shore negotiated the curvaceous Boston & Albany route through Western Massachusetts.

Taking advantage of a Lake Shore Limited schedule to spend a day exploring Cleveland and then going to a dance club in the Flats district until boarding the return train.

Viewing the magnificent Hudson Valley scenery and enjoying a steak dinner on a 2013 trip.

Seeing the Lake Shore Limited living up to its name with views of Lake Erie in Ohio on a 2019 trip.

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Around 25 or more years ago, Michael Schwab produced a number of posters promoting Amtrak's trains.  One of the best of these was for the Lake Shore Limited:

https://transitgifts.com/products/michael-schwab-lake-shore-limited-chicago-to-new-york-boston-signed-print



 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/25 08:45 by RuleG.

Matthew -

Yes, you have a sharp eye. I think you may have been occupied with education that day, or were you the photographer?



mbutte Wrote:
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> RevRandy...that looks like my mother with you on
> the rear & my grandparents on the platform. I
> somehow missed being in this picture taken at
> Utica.
>
> Posted from Android

           Our last Amtrak ride was on the Lake Shore ( back to Chicago ) . The ride was okay, meals were okay too but this was where the car attendant stashed my four roomette tickets, gave one roomette to her friends and then of course asked for my tickets again banking on that I probably had only the one copy. Got the conductor in on it, he disappeared quickly. Her pre-planned fix was to charge me $500 for the only thing left ( the family room ). She went on with her plan a while, I was not biting since I had another set of ticket copies with me. And then my son came along holding the first set for 4 roomettes he found hidden. I always wondered how many times she had pulled that same trick and won
          We would prefer to ride the train but decided we would not gamble so it could not happen again.

Contact the Amtrak IG .  Something here smells fishy : "the sleeping car attendant stashed your four roomette tickets "  and a little later we are told  " my son came along holding the four original roomette tickets he found hidden " .  HMMM  !       Contact the Amtrak IG  !!!           ( Family rooms are on Superliner equipment , not Viewliners .)