The Good Old Days on the Pennsy NEC

[MARC Rider]

I found this old timetable on the web. This guy has a whole collections of PRR timetables from the 1960s, which was when I started joyriding in earnest.

PRR Passenger intro (railfan.net)

prr.railfan.net/documents/pdf/timetables/Timetable_Form79_1967-10-29_2ndEd.pdf

This summarizes the New York Washington service in October 1967. They had a separate timetable for New York-Philadelphia service, as there was more of that, the Clockers were still running in addition to the New York - Washington trains.

A number of interesting things here. First is the $8.75 coach fare between Baltimore and New York. A Parlor car ticket cost $13.96 plus $2.65 for the seat, for a total of $16.61. According to my inflation calculator, the $8.5 fare is the equivalent of $69.34 in today's dollars, and the 16.61 fare is equivalent to $131.63 Today, the lowest bucket Value ticket is $49, but you're more likely going to be paying at least $80 for the same coach ride. Business class is an extra $39.

Next, it looks like there were only 4 through trains from Washington to Boston.

There were 14 southbound trains daily (at least on weekdays) between New York and Washington, and and 13 northbound trains.
Several of these trains actually ran dining cars.
The travel time between New York and Baltimore was 3:09. (Current Northeast Regional is about 2:40, depending on stops. Current Acela is about 2:20.)
I would not want to ride train 161. (Sundays only Departs New York at 10 PM Arrive Washington at 2:10 AM, coaches only.) Also, the "Gulf Coast Special" train 141, departs New York at 9 PM, arrive Washington at 1:35 AM, coaches only. On the northbound schedule, the "Edison" (train 108) leaves Washington at 2 AM, arrives New York at 6:50. It has coaches and sleeping cars, but no food service.
The equivalent of today's 65-66-67 was the "Federal" to/from Boston (trains 176/177), leaving New York at 3:32 AM, arriving in Washington at 7:45 AM and leaving Washington at 10:20 PM, arriving in New York at 2:50 AM.

I also got a kick out of the ad for the Hotel Harrington with singles from $9.75 and doubles from $11. (That's $77.25 or $87.17 in todays money.) the Hotel Harrington is still there at 11th and E sts. NW in Washington, around the corner from where I used to work. I know it's a pretty cheap place, but rooms are now on the order of $130 - $160 a night now. (I checked.)

Anyway, seeing the old timetable was an interesting blast from the past.

 

[railiner]

I found this old timetable on the web. This guy has a whole collections of PRR timetables from the 1960s, which was when I started joyriding in earnest.

PRR Passenger intro (railfan.net)

prr.railfan.net/documents/pdf/timetables/Timetable_Form79_1967-10-29_2ndEd.pdf

This summarizes the New York Washington service in October 1967. They had a separate timetable for New York-Philadelphia service, as there was more of that, the Clockers were still running in addition to the New York - Washington trains.

A number of interesting things here. First is the $8.75 coach fare between Baltimore and New York. A Parlor car ticket cost $13.96 plus $2.65 for the seat, for a total of $16.61. According to my inflation calculator, the $8.5 fare is the equivalent of $69.34 in today's dollars, and the 16.61 fare is equivalent to $131.63 Today, the lowest bucket Value ticket is $49, but you're more likely going to be paying at least $80 for the same coach ride. Business class is an extra $39.

Next, it looks like there were only 4 through trains from Washington to Boston.

There were 14 southbound trains daily (at least on weekdays) between New York and Washington, and and 13 northbound trains.
Several of these trains actually ran dining cars.
The travel time between New York and Baltimore was 3:09. (Current Northeast Regional is about 2:40, depending on stops. Current Acela is about 2:20.)
I would not want to ride train 161. (Sundays only Departs New York at 10 PM Arrive Washington at 2:10 AM, coaches only.) Also, the "Gulf Coast Special" train 141, departs New York at 9 PM, arrive Washington at 1:35 AM, coaches only. On the northbound schedule, the "Edison" (train 108) leaves Washington at 2 AM, arrives New York at 6:50. It has coaches and sleeping cars, but no food service.
The equivalent of today's 65-66-67 was the "Federal" to/from Boston (trains 176/177), leaving New York at 3:32 AM, arriving in Washington at 7:45 AM and leaving Washington at 10:20 PM, arriving in New York at 2:50 AM.

I also got a kick out of the ad for the Hotel Harrington with singles from $9.75 and doubles from $11. (That's $77.25 or $87.17 in todays money.) the Hotel Harrington is still there at 11th and E sts. NW in Washington, around the corner from where I used to work. I know it's a pretty cheap place, but rooms are now on the order of $130 - $160 a night now. (I checked.)

Anyway, seeing the old timetable was an interesting blast from the past.

Love it...thanks so much for posting!

As for those overnight trains on the New York <>Washington table, such as "The Edison"....it carried thru cars, and lots of mail, baggage, and express, from secondary trains from the South...from SR, RF&P, N&W, ACL, SAL, and perhaps C&O. In those politically incorrect times, employees referred to it derogatorily as "the chicken bone express"...

The mention of the Hotel Harrington brings back fond memories of my JHS weekend trip from NY to DC. We stayed (as did lots of schools) there, and ate all our meals in their "Kitcheteria"...
It was old in 1961, surprised it's still in operation....

 

[Dakota 400]

I looked at many of the car diagrams and did not see the one layout that I remember the best, It was a Pullman with sections with the other part of the car a Lounge with windows along the side and at the end of the car. Beverage service was provided before and after leaving Chicago and Columbus, Ohio. This was on The Ohioan and was early 1950's. It was an old car and unlike the next Pullman car in the consist: Roomettes and Bedrooms.

 

[MARC Rider]

The mention of the Hotel Harrington brings back fond memories of my JHS weekend trip from NY to DC. We stayed (as did lots of schools) there, and ate all our meals in their "Kitcheteria"...
It was old in 1961, surprised it's still in operation....

It is, indeed still in operation:
Hotel Harrington | Best Historic Tourist Hotel in Washington, DC Hotel for Sightseeing (hotel-harrington.com)

No "Kitecheteria," they now have "Harriett's Family Restaurant," "Harry's Pub," and "Ollie's Trolley." I once ate at Ollie's Trolley, as I read in the paper that they had a good crab cake. It was a good crab cake, but the service was a bit slow and disorganized, and I never went back, as I needed to optimize my lunch hour, and standing around waiting for lunch to be ready is not optimal when you have a 1 PM staff meeting.

 

[Palmland]

As for those overnight trains on the New York <>Washington table, such as "The Edison"....it carried thru cars, and lots of mail, baggage, and express, from secondary trains from the South...from SR, RF&P, N&W, ACL, SAL, and perhaps C&O. In those politically incorrect times, employees referred to it derogatorily as "the chicken bone express"...

Yes, those secondary trains were generally scheduled to provide good service from the Carolinas, Georgia, and other southern states with early morning arrival in Philadelphia and New York. Those were the days of the northern migration as many rode the rails for better jobs and a better life in the northeast.

During the late fifties we changed trains from the evening arrival of B&O’s Metropolitan schedule to the only connection available to Wilmington, ACL’s Havana Special (renamed Gulf Coast Special after Castro’s revolution). It was packed with a seemingly endless string of older but nicely renovated coaches. It’s a bit ironic that the Migration has been somewhat reversed as many leave the high cost northeastern states for the south.