James Whitcomb Riley (train)

The ''James Whitcomb Riley'' was a passenger train that operated between Chicago, Illinois, and Cincinnati, Ohio, via Indianapolis, Indiana. Originally operated by the New York Central Railroad, it was taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Under Amtrak, it merged with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's ''George Washington'' to become a Chicago- Washington/ Newport News train. In 1977, it was renamed the ''Cardinal'', which remains in operation.

History

The ''James Whitcomb Riley'' was introduced by the New York Central on April 28, 1941, as a daytime, all-coach train between Chicago and Cincinnati by way of Indianapolis. It was named after the Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley, known for his celebration of Americana. The ''Riley'' was a companion to the '' Mercury'' streamliners which operated on the Chicago-Detroit and Chicago–Cleveland routes. The ''Riley'' was retained by the Penn Central (as trains 303 and 304) after its formation from the merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad, but in 1968 it petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) for permission to abandon the service, citing the loss of a mail contract and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's termination of through sleepers on the Chicago–Newport News route. The ICC refused, and the ''Riley'' survived until the formation of Amtrak.

Amtrak

Amtrak, upon its 1971 commencement of operations, kept the ''Riley'' intact. During the summer, it began integrating the ''Riley'' with the ''George Washington'', an old C&O sleeper running from Cincinnati to Washington, with a section splitting off at Charlottesville, Virginia to continue to Newport News. The ''George'' began exchanging Washington-Chicago and Newport News-Chicago through coaches with the ''Riley'' at Cincinnati on July 12, and a through sleeping car began September 8. Earlier, the ''George'' had handed its sleepers to the ''Riley'' for most of the 1950s.

With the November 14, 1971, schedule, the ''Riley'' and ''George Washington'' merged into a single long-distance Chicago-Washington/Newport News train. The merged train was known as the ''George Washington'' eastbound and the ''James Whitcomb Riley'' westbound. At the same time the route was extended from Washington to Boston, Massachusetts, and was assigned train numbers 50 eastbound and 51 westbound.

On March 6, 1972, the train was rerouted from Chicago's Central Station into Union Station. On April 30, the northern terminus was truncated back to Washington. A broadcast by CBS's ''60 Minutes'' in 1973 revealed that the ''Riley'' was limited to in Indiana due to deteriorating Penn Central track. In 1974 the ''Riley'' was re-routed off Penn Central trackage altogether along with the '' Floridian''. On May 19, 1974, the ''Washington'' and ''Riley'' were fully merged, with the ''Riley'' name now used in both directions.

A new train, the ''Mountaineer'' began service between Norfolk, Virginia (Lambert's Point Station), and Chicago (Union Station), in March 1975. It ran combined with the ''Riley'' between Russell Yard, the former C&O freight yard near Ashland, Kentucky, and Chicago.

In October 1975, Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia, closed and the ''Riley'' moved to the C&O depot at Ellerson, on the outskirts of Richmond. A bus connected passengers to Broad Street Station, which itself was soon replaced by Staples Mill Road Station.

The section between Newport News and Charlottesville was discontinued on June 14, 1976. The '' Colonial'' began running over its former route between Newport News and Richmond, continuing northward to Washington and New York. The ''Riley'' ran between Chicago and Washington, via Charlottesville.

In 1977 the ''Mountaineer'' was replaced by the '' Hilltopper'', which ran between Washington and Cattlettsburg, where it connected with the ''Riley'' for Chicago. A connecting bus via Petersburg, Virginia, served Norfolk.

The ''James Whitcomb Riley'' was renamed the ''Cardinal'' on October 30, 1977, as the cardinal was the state bird of all six states through which it ran. It was discontinued September 30, 1981 (by then having been extended to New York from Washington) and brought back by Congressional mandate on January 8, 1982.

References

External links

1971 Amtrak timetable

1975 Amtrak timetable

{{DEFAULTSORT:James Whitcomb Riley (Train)
Named passenger trains of the United States
Former Amtrak routes
Passenger trains of the New York Central Railroad
Night trains of the United States
Railway services introduced in 1941
Railway services discontinued in 1977
Former long distance Amtrak routes
James Whitcomb Riley