The ''Merchants Limited'', sometimes shortened to ''Merchants'', was a

New York, New Haven and Hartford The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

(the "New Haven")

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

on the Shore Line between

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It was the New Haven's premier passenger train and the last all-

parlor car A parlor car (or parlour car outside the U.S.) is a type of passenger car (rail), passenger coach that provides superior comforts and amenities compared to a standard coach. History Parlor cars came about on United States railroads to address ...

train in the United States. The train entered service in 1903, and survived the turbulent

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

merger to become one of

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's Boston–

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

services. The name disappeared from Amtrak's timetables in 1995 when most Northeast trains were rebranded " NortheastDirect".

History

The New Haven introduced the ''Merchants Limited'' on December 14, 1903. The train offered first class

seating only; amenities included a

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a passenger railroad car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. These cars provide the highest level of service of any rai ...

and private rooms. The trains departed New York and Boston at 5 PM and made the trip between the two cities in five hours. This schedule would be reduced to hours in 1935, hours in 1940, and finally 4 hours flat in 1949. This proved unsustainable as conditions deteriorated on the New Haven and would be raised to hours in 1956. The New Haven considered the ''Merchants Limited'' its premier train and it always ran with the best equipment possible. When it received coaches in May 1949 it was the last all-parlor car train running in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. A second section, the ''Advance Merchants Limited'', operated fifteen minutes ahead of the ''Merchants Limited'' at various times in the 1950s. The New Haven was merged on January 1, 1969, into the

, formed the previous year by the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

and

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

. The Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970 and divested itself of its passenger trains in 1971.

, the new national operator, retained the ''Merchants Limited'', although it would soon be extended through to

Amtrak dropped individual names from its

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...

trains, save the '' Metroliners'', on October 28, 1995. The ''Merchants Limited'' had long lost its individual character, although it continued to offer first class service.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

1949 timetable
{{PC named trains Former Amtrak routes Named passenger trains of the United States Passenger trains of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Penn Central Transportation Railway services introduced in 1903 Railway services discontinued in 1995 Passenger rail transportation in Connecticut Passenger rail transportation in Massachusetts Passenger rail transportation in New York (state) Passenger rail transportation in Rhode Island

History

Notes

References

Further reading

External links