The ''Blue Ridge Limited'' was one of six daily American named passenger trains operated by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) during the late 1930s between

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and

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, via

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. Inaugurated in 1934, the once high-status train was discontinued in 1949.

History

In 1934, the B&O's eastbound train number 16 was named the ''Blue Ridge Limited'' and in 1937 its westbound counterpart, train 15 was also named the ''Blue Ridge Limited''. With ridership dropping after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the B&O discontinued the ''Blue Ridge Limited'' on February 20, 1949.

Schedule and equipment

In the early years, the ''Blue Ridge Limited''s consist was consistent with a first-class train, including reclining seats in coaches, a sleeper and a lounge with sleeping accommodations. A diner car, added in Pittsburgh, served breakfast and lunch to passengers going west. It was steam-powered until well after World War II. The westbound ''Blue Ridge Limited'' left Washington a few hours ahead of the ''Shenandoah'' but had a slower schedule due to the numerous head-end cars it carried. The eastbound ''Blue Ridge Limited''s schedule was revised in 1938 so that it began in Pittsburgh, instead of Chicago, thus reducing the number of Chicago-Washington trains. A lounge car was added in 1945 between Washington and Akron to increase ridership, and in 1947 the lounge car was extended all the way to Chicago.

Stations

References

{{Infobox B&O Named Trains Named passenger trains of the United States Passenger trains of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Night trains of the United States Railway services introduced in 1934 Railway services discontinued in 1949