The Century will always be premier in RR folklore. No doubt other trains had somewhat of a similiar history, officially or unofficially. But for the time in history during its sixty-five year run, the people that rode it, the company that owned it, its home terminal, the intrigue on many, many levels (In real life, the train was also a living, breathing Alfred Hitchcock movie during war-time, alledgedly unwittingly hosting numerous clandestine meetings between agents, spies, and operatives within its intentionally private, sixty miles per hour cars, and actually played itself in Hitchcock's "North by Northwest".), the service on the train, its elegance, its romance, the employees who staffed it, its furnishings, its art-deco styling, its functionality in peacetime and wartime during crisis, its destinations (and importance thereof) and its escapades as we have seen - nothing will ever touch it. Don't let anybody tell you that Europe had the corner on colorful, luxurious trains. The American, New York Central "20th Century Limited" has them all beat by eons. Thanks to "the sarge" for bringing up a fascinating little known secret from its colorful past. Long live the Century and the U.S.A. !
~Paul Joyce~
Moderator: Toy Trains, Model Railroading, Outdoor and Live Steam
Paul Joyce passed away in August, 2013. We honor his memory and his devotion at railroad.net.