The Daily Race

    When talking about the Broadway Limited, it is impossible not to mention the daily race that took place with the New York Central's rival 20th Century Limited during the 1940s. Despite the frequency of the occurrence, passengers on board the opposing Limiteds glued themselves to their windows to watch the rival railroads duke it out for the day’s bragging rights. The knowledge of how exactly this race worked is required to get a full understanding of its significance.
    “The Great Race”, as Howard Fogg named his painting of the event, was a product of similar schedules and a stop at the same place. It all began in Chicago, Illinois. The eastbound Broadway Limited boarded passengers at Chicago Union Station, while the eastbound 20th Century Limited boarded at La Salle Street Station. The distance between the two stations was approximately 0.6 miles. By 1945, both the Century and the Broadway were to depart their respective stations at 3:30 PM. Considering how seriously the Pennsy and the Central took their passenger business, it can be assumed that both trains departed on-time in most cases. As the trains beelined towards their next stop, the mainlines of both the Central and the Pennsy gradually narrowed until they ran parallel to each other at Englewood Union Station.
    The Broadway Limited was scheduled to depart this stop at 3:43 PM. The Century followed a minute later. This 60 second gap usually gave the Pennsy a head start departing Englewood, although there were occasions when the Century had the upper hand (see photograph). Just east of Englewood the trains encountered a slight curve at State Street. Once the locomotives maneuvered the curve, it was 6 miles of straight, side-by-side running until the mainlines began to diverge at River Branch Junction, home of the Calumet River drawbridges.
    The competition on this 6-mile “drag strip” was intense. As Ex-New York Central employee Dallas Hann recalled, the engineer would work his locomotive to the bone. "Once he got 'em runnin', there was no way [the Broadway was] gonna win 'cause we would leave Englewood station, and we'd pass the drawbridge at South Chicago. We were going 85 miles an hour through the drawbridge, and we had them beat. Every time." Needless to say, the event was a sight to behold...

The Great Race. Howard Fogg painting.

Circa 1943. New York Central J-3a class 4-6-4 #5452 departs Englewood Union Station with the 20th Century Limited, leaving a Pennsylvania Railroad K-4s class 4-6-2 behind with the Broadway Limited. Paul Eilenberger photo, NYCSHS Collection.

Oh yes! I forgot to mention. The "Daily Race" wasn't strictly between the Broadway and the Century. Almost any combination of PRR and NYC trains bound for New York (granted both trains had similar schedules to one another) could be seen racing each other out of Chicago. Below are some photographs of other trains engaging in the competition. 

May 11, 1940. NYC J-3a class 4-6-4 #5424 takes the lead out of Englewood with the Water Level Limited while PRR K-4s class 4-6-2 #5383, on the point of the Liberty Limited, attempts to catch up. Harold K. Vollrath Collection, NYCSHS Collection.

Circa 1940s. PRR S-1 class 6-4-4-6 #6100, on the point of the Trailblazer, runs neck-and-neck with NYC J-3a class 4-6-4 #5448, on the point of the Advance Commodore Vanderbilt. Bill Molony Collection.

November, 1947. A new set of A-B-A EMD E-7s are pulling The Broadway Limited out of Englewood. Ahead of the diesels is NYC S-2a class 4-8-4 #6022, on the point of the Pacemaker. BRHS Collection.

There is even footage in Herron Rail Video's Reflections of the New York Central of 4-8-4 #6000 catching up and pacing even with the Broadway Limited!

Footage belongs to Herron Rail Video.