The ''Chicago Night Express'' was an American named train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) on its route between

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

and

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

with major station stops in

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in O ...

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The ci ...

and

Willard, Ohio Willard is a city in southwestern Huron County, Ohio, United States, approximately southwest of Norwalk. The population was 6,236 at the 2010 census. History The original name of Willard was Chicago, named for the junction of the Baltimore an ...

. The B&O inaugurated the ''Chicago Night Express'' in 1912. It was discontinued in 1956 due to declining passenger demand.

History

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered in 1827 and grew to be one of the largest passenger railways in the United States, often by acquiring other, smaller railroads. B&O trains began operating between Wheeling and Chicago in 1880. From 1912 until 1956 the B&O provided overnight sleeping car service between Wheeling, West Virginia and Chicago's

Grand Central Station Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...

on the ''Chicago Night Express'', Train No. 45. The train also stopped at the B&O's South Chicago Station. The reverse route, Train No. 46, was served by the ''Wheeling Night Express'' or the '' West Virginia Night Express'', as it was later known. During

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 ''Chicago Night Express'' was consolidated with Train No. 9, the ''Pittsburgh-Chicago Express'' on the western end of the run from the junction at

to Chicago. In 1946, the ''Chicago Night Express'' resumed independent operation from Willard to Chicago.

Decline and end of the train

By 1956, as railroad passenger traffic was declining nationwide, the ''Chicago Night Express'' operated as Train No. 245 from Wheeling only as far west as Willard, via

.''

Official Guide of the Railways The ''Official Railway Guide'', originally the ''Official Guide of the Railways'' was originally produced by National Railway Publication Company of New York City, beginning in 1868. The guide was last published by IHS Markit in mid-2020. Histor ...

''. New York: National Railway Publication Co., February 1956, pp. 414, 426. West of Willard, the sleeping car and coaches from train 245 were combined with Train No. 9, the '' Washington-Pittsburgh-Chicago Express'', to Chicago. B&O finally discontinued the ''Chicago Night Express'' on December 1, 1956, which ended passenger rail service between Wheeling and Chicago.

Stations

Route and schedule

In 1947, westbound ''Chicago Night Express'', Train # 9 operated on the following schedule (departure times at principal stops shown): In the 1940s, the westbound ''Chicago Night Express'' consisted of two or three head-ended cars, an RPO baggage car, a coach and a sleeper. Between Wheeling and Newark, Ohio there was a diner car. In 1947, the diner car was replaced with a diner-parlor car. The train was dieselized in 1956, the last year it operated. By then, the train had a single 8

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

-4 double bedroom sleeping car, a diner-lounge, a

combine car A combine car in North American parlance, most often referred to simply as a combine, is a type of railroad car which combines sections for both passengers and freight. Most often, it was used on short lines to carry passengers and their lugga ...

and coaches.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago Night Express Passenger trains of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Named passenger trains of the United States Night trains of the United States Passenger rail transportation in Illinois Passenger rail transportation in Indiana Passenger rail transportation in Ohio Passenger rail transportation in West Virginia Railway services introduced in 1912 Railway services discontinued in 1956