Service between NYC Grand Central and Boston South Station

Hi,

I'm writing a book and was hoping someone might be able to help me find information about 1920s service between New York City's Central Terminal and Boston's South Station.

Specifically, I'm interested in what a trip between the two would have been like in the summer of 1924.

In particular, I'm wondering:

1. What was this train called?
2. How much did it cost?
3. How fast was the train?
4. How long (in duration) was the trip?
5. What was the timetable (and how might I obtain an old copy)
6. How many cars did this train typically have?
7. What kinds of cars did this train typically have?
8. What did this train look like on the exterior?
9. What did it look like on the interior?
10. How comfortable were the seats?
11. In what were they upholstered?
12. Was the train in any way climate-controlled?
13. Was it well-ventilated?
14. What route did it follow (and, hence, what would the landscape have looked like sliding past the window)?

Any help in this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for considering my request.

Rob

I can answer some questions but not all.

Between Boston and Grand Central some of the named trains were the Merchants Limited, Yankee Clipper, and Owl (overnight). Additionally, if Grand Central is not a hard requirement, there were the Senator (day train) and Federal (overnight) which went from Boston to Pennsylvania Station and then south to Washington DC.

Top speed in 1924 was unlikely to exceed 70mph, but I do not know for certain the exact speeds.

Between New York (either station) and New Haven the train would have been pulled by an electric motor, and between New Haven and Boston a steam locomotive. Most trains had some combination of Pullman parlors/lounges, Pullman sleepers, and diner cars, along with coaches. The Merchants Limited however was all-parlor.

There were a few available routes in 1924, most common would have been Boston-Providence-New London-New Haven-Stamford-New York. However, trains going to Pennsylvania Station instead diverted south at New Rochelle and traveled over the Hell Gate Bridge (Amtrak still uses this exact route today) to reach the city. Either way, this was known as the Shore Line Route and took 5 to 6 hours. There was also a route from Boston to Springfield, then south to Hartford, New Haven, and New York. This was known as the Inland Route and was slower, about 7 or 8 hours. There was also a third route from Boston to Willimantic, CT, then east to Hartford, south to New Haven and New York. This was about 6 or 7 hours as well.

As for scenery? The Shore Line Route is within a couple miles of Long Island Sound for nearly its entire length in CT. Thus, for much of that distance, it's possible to see the water on one side of the train. More inland areas were not built up anywhere near the degree they are today - there would have been a lot of trees and fields between the major cities. Even the northern and eastern parts of the Bronx were not too built up at that time - the entrance to the city would not have been terribly impressive until close to Manhattan.

Yankee Clipper was not among the train names in ther 20's. That train was inauguraterdm in the summer season of 1930.

The following from the 1930 Official Guide - not much changed between 1924 and 1930.

Train names shown are
Owl (sleeping cars only) - 6:10
Night Hawk - 6:15
Mayflower - 5.5 hr
Bay State - 5.5 hr
New Yorker - 5.5 hr
Knickerbocker Limited (parlor cars only) - 5hr
Shoreliner - 5:35
Puritan - 5.5 hr
Merchants Limited (parlor cars only) - 5 hr
Gilt Edge - 5:40
Bostonian - 5:25
Night Express - 6:15

Washington trains via Penn Station
Federal (night) 6:05
Senator (parlor cars only) - 5 hr
Colonial - 5:50

Typical trains of that era would have been eight to ten cars.

Malcolm LAughlin

First guess at the cost would be $8.26 one way-- that's what it was before the 1936 reduction. That's for a coach seat; a parlor car seat would be... maybe $2 more? Dunno how much extra fare the Merchants Ltd and Knickerbocker Ltd charged, in addition to being parlor-only.

Don't have a 1924 timetable, but do have 1923 and 1926 if that's any use.