James Whitcomb Riley (train)

The James Whitcomb Riley was a passenger train operated by the New York Central between Chicago, Illinois, and Cincinnati, Ohio, via Indianapolis, Indiana. Originally operated by the New York Central Railroad, it was taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Under Amtrak, it merged with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad's George Washington to become a Chicago-Washington train. In 1977, it was renamed the Cardinal, which remains in operation.

James Whitcomb Riley
The James Whitcomb Riley at Charlottesville, VA in 1974.
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMidwestern United States
First service1941
Last service1977
SuccessorCardinal
Former operator(s)New York Central (1941–1968)
Penn Central (1968–1971)
Amtrak (1971–1977)
Route
StartChicago
EndCincinnati, Ohio (1941–1971)
Newport News, Virginia (1971–1976)
Washington, D.C. (1971–1977)
Distance travelled884 mi (1,422.66 km)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)50, 51
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map
0.0
 Chicago Central (Union 1972-1977)
22 mi
35 km
 Homewood
Until 1973-74
 City of New Orleans to New Orleans
54 mi
87 km
 Kankakee
Until 1973
Illinois/Indiana border
129 mi
208 km
 Lafayette
193 mi
311 km
 Indianapolis
 South Wind to Florida
Indiana/Ohio border
302 mi
486 km
 Cincinnati (River Road 1972-1977)
 George Washington

History

The James Whitcomb Riley was introduced by the New York Central on April 28, 1941, as a daytime, all-coach train between Chicago and Cincinnati by way of Indianapolis.[1]:146 It was named after the Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley, known for his celebration of Americana. The Riley was a companion to the Mercury streamliners which operated on the Chicago-Detroit and Chicago-Cleveland routes.[2]:91 The Riley was retained by the Penn Central (as trains 303 and 304)[3] after its formation from the merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad, but in 1968 it petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) for permission to abandon the service, citing the loss of a mail contract and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad's termination of through sleepers on the Chicago-Newport News route. The ICC refused, and the Riley survived until the formation of Amtrak.[2]:93

City Departure time
Chicago (Central Station) 4:30 p.m.
Woodlawn, 63rd Street 4:40 p.m.
Kankakee 5:35 p.m.
Lafayette 6:52 p.m.
Indianapolis 8:00 p.m.
Cincinnati (Union Terminal) 11:00 p.m.
Source: Official Guide of the Railways, June 1941.[4]

Amtrak
1975 map of the James Whitcomb Riley and the Mountaineer
The eastbound James Whitcomb Riley in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1977

Amtrak, upon its 1971 commencement of operations, kept the Riley intact. During the summer, it began integrating the Riley with the George Washington, an old C&O sleeper running from Cincinnati to Washington, with a section splitting off at Charlottesville, Virginia to continue to Newport News. The George began exchanging Washington-Chicago and Newport News-Chicago through coaches with the Riley at Cincinnati on July 12, and a through sleeping car began September 8.[5]:33 Earlier, the George had handed its sleepers to the Riley for most of the 1950s.[6]

With the November 14, 1971, schedule, the Riley and George Washington merged into a single long-distance Chicago-Washington/Newport News train. The merged train was known as the George Washington eastbound and the James Whitcomb Riley used westbound. At the same time the route was extended from Washington to Boston, Massachusetts, and was assigned train numbers 50 eastbound and 51 westbound.

On March 6, 1972, the train was rerouted from Chicago's Central Station into Union Station. On April 30, the northern terminus was truncated back to Washington. A broadcast by CBS's 60 Minutes in 1973 revealed that the Riley was limited to 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) in Indiana due to deteriorating Penn Central track. In 1974 the Riley was re-routed off Penn Central trackage altogether along with the Floridian.[5]:86 On May 19, 1974, the Washington and Riley were fully merged, with the Riley name now used in both directions. Beginning in 1975 the Mountaineer, which originated in Norfolk, Virginia, ran combined with the Riley between Chicago and Russell Yard, the former C&O freight yard near Ashland, Ky.[7] The Newport News section was discontinued on June 14, 1976, and the Colonial began running over its former route east of Richmond. In 1977 the Mountaineer was replaced by the Hilltopper, which terminated at Catlettsburg.

The James Whitcomb Riley was renamed the Cardinal on October 30, 1977, as the cardinal was the state bird of all six states through which it ran. It was discontinued September 30, 1981 (by then having been extended to New York from Washington) and brought back by Congressional mandate on January 8, 1982.

References
  1. Solomon, Brian; Schafer, Mike (2007). New York Central Railroad. Saint Paul, MN: MBI and Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760329283. OCLC 85851554.
  2. Sanders, Craig (2003). Limiteds, Locals, and Expresses in Indiana, 1838–1971. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34216-4.
  3. Craig Sanders (September 16, 1996). "Routes and Trains on the Eve of Amtrak". Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  4. Official Guide of the Railways. New York: National Railway Publication Co. June 1941. OCLC 6340864.
  5. Lynch, Peter E. (2004). Penn Central Railroad. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN 0760317631. OCLC 53356627.
  6. Schafer, Mike; Welsh, Joe (1997). Classic American Streamliners. Osceola, Wisconsin: MotorBooks International. ISBN 978-0-7603-0377-1.
  7. "Amtrak's 'Mountaineer' makes first run today". Williamson Daily News. March 24, 1975. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
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