20th Century Limited
The 20th Century Limited was a passenger train operated by the New York Central (NYC) railroad. The train was operated between Grand Central Terminal in New York City and LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, Illinois, along the railroad's famed "Water Level Route" along the Hudson River and the southern shore of Lake Erie. The NYC inaugurated this train as direct competition to the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited. Making few station stops along the way and as few breaks for water and coal as possible, trains on this route routinely could make the 800-mile journey in only fifteen and one-half hours.
Known for its speed as well as for its style, passengers walked to and from the train on a plush, red carpet which was rolled out at station stops and specially designed for the 20th Century Limited. Thus, the Red Carpet Treatment was born. The locomotive and passenger cars were designed in an Art Deco style in blues and grays (the colors of the New York Central).
In 1928, Erwin "Cannon Ball" Baker, who eventually became the first commissioner of NASCAR, raced the 20th Century Limited from New York to Chicago in an automobile, beating the train.
The 20th Century Limited was also used by Alfred Hitchcock in his 1959 film North by Northwest.
Timeline
- June 15 1902: The 20th Century Limited is inaugurated.
- 1957: The 20th Century Limited is consolidated together with the Commodore Vanderbilt.
- December 3 1967: The 20th Century Limited is discontinued just before the merger of the New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroad to form the Penn Central.