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Wolverine (New York Central Railroad train)

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This article is about the New York Central service. For the current Amtrak train, see Wolverine (Amtrak train).
Wolverine
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleNortheastern United States/Ontario, Canada/Midwestern United States
First service1906
Last service1967
SuccessorAmtrak's Niagara Rainbow
Former operator(s)
Route
TerminiNew York, New York/Boston, Massachusetts
Chicago, Illinois
Distance travelled971.1 miles (1,562.8 km) (New York City-Chicago, via Detroit)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)17 (westbound); 8 (eastbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangementsReclining seat coaches
Sleeping arrangementsRoomettes, double bedrooms, drawing rooms and compartments (1957)
Catering facilitiesDining car
Observation facilitiesLounge car
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The Wolverine was an international night train that twice crossed the Canada–United States border, going from New York City to Chicago. This New York Central Railroad train went northwest of Buffalo, New York, into Canada, traveled over Michigan Central Railroad tracks, through Windsor, Ontario, reentering the United States, through Detroit's Michigan Central Station, and on to Chicago. At the post-World War II peak of long-distance named trains, there were three other New York Central trains making this unusual itinerary through Southwestern Ontario (with stops in Windsor, Ontario, St. Thomas, Ontario and Welland, Ontario). In the late 1960s, this was the last remaining train taking this route, failing to survive into the Penn Central era.[1] The name resurfaced on the truncated Detroit–Chicago route with Amtrak's Wolverine.

All through the train's years it included a separate section of coaches and sleepers from Boston's South Station, which would link with the main section in Albany Union Station.[2][3] Until January 1957 the train used Chicago's Central Station, in contrast to the LaSalle Street Station which most of the NYC's trains used.[4] An entirely different west-bound-only New England Wolverine (originating in Boston on an earlier departure) linked at Buffalo's Central Terminal with the Wolverine for the Buffalo-Chicago route;[5] this would be discontinued in 1956. The train would also carry a New York to Bay City, Michigan sleeper (for the New York-Detroit segment), as well as Massena, New York-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania sleepers (for the Syracuse-Buffalo segment).[6]

In 1957 the Wolverine lost the observation car that it previously had. By 1962 the train included sleepercoaches from the Budd Company for its roomettes. The train dropped the older drawing rooms and compartments. The schedule also dropped Hudson, New York and Ypsilanti, Marshall and Dowagiac, Michigan.[7] In January 1961 the train lost its Boston sleepers.[8]

In December 1967 the train lost its name and was simply the numbered 17 / 8.[9] In the Penn Central era (following the merger with long time rival Pennsylvania Railroad) the train only had its westbound unnamed #61/#17 with sleeper, coach and dining car service. Yet, eastbound an unnamed #14 only ran on a Chicago–Detroit–Buffalo itinerary. Riders would need to switch at a late night hour to a different train at 2:30 am in Buffalo to complete the trip to New York City.[10]

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Steely Dan's 1973 song, "My Old School", makes a reference to the Wolverine, which stopped at Rhinecliff, NY, very nearby Bard College, the alma mater of the band's two leaders.

References

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  1. ^ Passenger Time Table (PDF). New York Central. November 5, 1967.
  2. ^ Maiken 1989, p. 368
  3. ^ Sanders 2003, p. 94
  4. ^ New York Central (PDF). New York Central. April 28, 1957.
  5. ^ New York Central (PDF). Table 2: New York Central. June 17, 1951.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ^ Maiken 1989, p. 367
  7. ^ New York Central (PDF). New York Central. April 29, 1962.
  8. ^ Sanders 2003, p. 96
  9. ^ Passenger Time Table (PDF). New York Central. December 3, 1967.
  10. ^ East/West timetable. Penn Central. December 1968.

Bibliography

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