Shenandoah (B&O)

The "Shenandoah" was an American named passenger train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), one of four daily B&O trains operating between New York City and Chicago, Illinois, via Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1930s–1950s. Other B&O trains of that period on the route were the "Capitol Limited", "Columbian", and the "Washington - Chicago Express".Herbert H. Harwood, Jr., "Royal Blue Line". Sykesville, Maryland: Greenberg Publishing, 1990 (ISBN 0-89778-155-4).] After April 26, 1958, the B&O no longer operated passenger trains north of Baltimore, Maryland, which then became the eastern terminus of the "Shenandoah" for the remainder of its existence.

In the 1940s–1960s, the daily "Shenandoah" consisted of coaches, five Pullman sleeping cars, a lounge car with a radio, and a full-service dining car. Beginning in the early 1950s, the train also had a combination sleeper-dome car on alternate days.Harry Stegmaier, "Baltimore & Ohio Passenger Service, Vol. 2 – Route of the Capitol Limited". Lynchburg, Va.: TLC Publishing, 1997 (ISBN 1-883-089-00X).] "Baltimore & Ohio — Passenger Train Schedules", October 29, 1961.]

The westbound "Shenandoah", operating as Train # 7, left Washington in the late evening at 11:30 p.m., several hours after the 5 p.m. departure of the "Capitol Limited" and "Columbian" from the Nation's Capitol, making it a favorite of travelers seeking to make convenient connections with other railroads in Chicago including the streamliners of the Santa Fe and Union Pacific Railroads. The train also carried a heavy volume of mail and express, with "head-end" equipment such as Railway Post Office cars a regular part of the "Shenandoah's" consist.

Prior to April 26, 1958, when the B&O discontinued passenger service north of Baltimore, the "Shenandoah" operated to New York City via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [Stephen J. Salamon, David P. Oroszi, and David P. Ori, "Baltimore and Ohio — Reflections of the Capitol Dome". Silver Spring, Maryland: Old Line Graphics, 1993 (ISBN 1-879314-08-8).] As passenger patronage on American railroads continued to decline in the 1960s, the combination sleeper-dome and dining cars were dropped, and nowrap|trains # 7–8 were renamed the "Diplomat" in 1964 and then dropped altogether in 1967.

chedule

In 1961, westbound "Shenandoah" Train # 7 operated on the following schedule (departure times at principal stops shown):

References