The ''Manhattan Limited'' was a

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, ...

of the

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 ...

which served the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

—

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 ...

route.

History

The ''Manhattan Limited'' was originally the ''Seashore Limited'', an eastbound-only train which was renamed in 1903. The ''Manhattan Limited'' became a westbound train as well in 1913 with the renaming of the '' Chicago Limited''. Both trains then ran with all- Pullman consists. The ''Manhattan Limited'' served as an alternative to the ''

Broadway Limited The ''Broadway Limited'' was a passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between New York City and Chicago from 1912 to 1995. It was the Pennsylvania's premier train, competing directly with the New York Central Railroad's '' 2 ...

''. The ''Broadway Limited'' was a

sleeping car The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car (rail), passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the main American innovator and owner of sl ...

passenger train, although there were dining accommodations on the train. As with the ''Broadway'', the ''Manhattan Limited'' departed

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may refer to: Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * New York Penn Station ** Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), the predecessor to the present New York City station * Newark Penn Station Train ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

''en route'' for

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The train also carried more second and third class passengers while first class passengers took the ''Broadway Limited''. Departing and arriving earlier than its flagship sister, the ''Manhattan Limited'' made far more local stops during daytime hours on a consequently more protracted schedule. It was late to receive streamlined equipment; as late as 1941 it carried just one lightweight 10-5 sleeper. The train was powered by a GG1 locomotive between New York and Harrisburg. As with the ''Broadway Limited'', it changed locomotives at

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

. The famous class K4s took the train the rest of the way. After 1957, when the Pennsylvania Railroad replaced steam locomotives in favor of the new and less costly diesels, the ''Manhattan Limited'' was no exception to dieselization, the Pennsylvania Railroad placing in charge of the train tuscan red

EMD E8 The EMD E8 is a , A1A-A1A passenger-train locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of La Grange, Illinois. A total of 450 cab versions, or E8As, were built from January 1950 to January 1954, 447 for the U.S. and 3 fo ...

passenger diesels. The eastbound ''Manhattan Limited'' received the '' Pittsburgher''s sleepers after the latter's demise on September 13, 1964. The ''Manhattan Limited'' lost sleeper service west of Pittsburgh in both directions on March 3, 1968. The ''Manhattan Limited'' was retained after the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with 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 ...

into the ill-fated

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 ...

, but in 1970 the Penn Central petitioned the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...

(ICC) to abandon the train. By then the ''Manhattan Limiteds consist was down to two coaches and a snack bar. At Pittsburgh a single waiting underutilized sleeping car and one of the last operating

Railway Post Office In Canada and the United States, a railway post office, commonly abbreviated as RPO, was a railroad car that was normally operated in passenger service and used specifically for staff to sort mail en route, in order to speed delivery. The RPO w ...

cars from the sidetracks of the adjacent U.S. Post Office were switched into the eastbound consist behind the locomotive for the overnight leg to New York City, evidently remnants of '' The Pittsburgher''. The train was also available to transport specialty cars of traveling performance shows such as Holiday on Ice. The ICC granted the Penn Central's discontinuation request, but the passage of the

Rail Passenger Service Act The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and three Canadian provinc ...

kept the ''Manhattan Limited'' running while Amtrak formed.

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 ...

did not retain the ''Manhattan Limited'', choosing the ''Broadway Limited'' instead. The ''Manhattan Limited'' made its final run on April 30, 1971.

Motive Power

Here is a list of motive power used on the ''Manhattan Limited'': *

PRR E6 The Pennsylvania Railroad Class E6 was the final type of "Atlantic" locomotive built for the company, and second only to the Milwaukee Road's streamlined class A in size, speed and power. Although quickly replaced on the fastest trains by the lar ...

4-4-2 type steam locomotive *

PRR K4s The Pennsylvania Railroad K4 was a class of 425 4-6-2 steam locomotives built between 1914 and 1928 for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), where they served as the primary mainline passenger steam locomotives on the entire PRR system until late 19 ...

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomoti ...

type steam locomotive *

PRR S1 The PRR S1 class steam locomotive (nicknamed "The Big Engine") was a single experimental duplex locomotive of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was designed to demonstrate the advantages of duplex drives espoused by Baldwin Chief Engineer Ralph P. ...

6-4-4-6 A 6-4-4-6 steam locomotive, in the Whyte notation for describing locomotive wheel arrangements, is one with six leading wheels, two sets of four driving wheels, and six trailing wheels. Other equivalent classifications are: * UIC classification ...

type steam locomotive *

PRR S2 The Pennsylvania Railroad's S2 class was a steam turbine locomotive designed and built in a collaborative effort by Baldwin Locomotive Works and Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, as an attempt to prolong the dominance of the steam loc ...

6-8-6 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, represents the arrangement of six unpowered leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels, and six unpowered trailing wheels. Other equivalent ...

type steam turbine locomotive *

PRR T1 The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) class T1 duplex-drive 4-4-4-4 steam locomotives, introduced in 1942 with two prototypes and later in 1945-1946 with 50 production examples, were the last steam locomotives built for the PRR and arguably its most ...

4-4-4-4 A 4-4-4-4 steam locomotive, in the Whyte notation for describing locomotive wheel arrangements, has a four-wheel leading truck, two sets of four driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck. While it would be possible to make an articulated l ...

type steam locomotive *

passenger diesel electric locomotive *

PRR GG1 The Pennsylvania Railroad Class GG1 is a class of streamlined electric locomotives built for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), in the northeastern United States. The class was known for its striking art deco shell, its ability to pull trains at u ...

4-6-0+0-6-4 electric locomotive

References

{{PC named trains Railway services introduced in 1903 Passenger trains of the Pennsylvania Railroad Night trains of the United States Railway services discontinued in 1971 Passenger rail transportation in Pennsylvania Passenger rail transportation in New York (state) Passenger rail transportation in New Jersey Passenger rail transportation in Ohio Passenger rail transportation in Indiana Passenger rail transportation in Illinois