NOTE
for Train 124 at Chatham and Chester: "Stops Sunday Only."
NOTE for Train 49
at Hinsdale: "Stops Friday and Sunday Only."
NOTE for Train 49
at Dalton: "Stops daily, except Saturday, Sunday and holidays."
NEW YORK CENTRAL SYSTEM
The Water
Level Route—You Can Sleep
PULLMAN, COACH AND DINING CAR
SERVICE EASTBOUND
Regularly
assigned cars are air-conditioned.
Air-conditioned equipment
is assigned as far as possible but the right is reserved to employ non
air-conditioned cars as necessitated by volume of traffic
or emergencies.
No. 24—The Knickerbocker—Daily.
Lounge Sleeping Car...St. Louis to New
York—6 Double Bedroom—Buffet.
Sleeping Cars...St. Louis to New York—10
Roomette, 5 Double Bedroom.
St.
Louis to New York—6-Section, 6 Double Bedroom.
St.
Louis to New York—8-Section, Drawing-room, 2 Compartment.
St.
Louis to Boston—8-Section, Drawing-room, 2 Compartment (in No. 124 from
Albany).
Cincinnati
to New York—10-Section, 2 Double Bedroom, 1 Compartment (from No. 424
at Cleveland).
Cincinnati
to New York—12-Section, Drawing-room (from No. 424 at Cleveland).
Cleveland
to Toronto—12-Section, Drawing-room (in No. 371 from Buffalo) (open 9:30 p.m.).
Coach...St. Louis to New York.
Dining Service.
No. 124—The Knickerbocker—Daily.
Sleeping Cars...St. Louis to
Boston—8-Section, Drawing-room, 2-Compartment (from No. 24 at Albany).
Chicago
to Boston—6-Section, 6 Double Bedroom (from No. 10 at Albany).
Chicago
to Boston—12-Section, Drawing-room (from No. 10 at Albany).
Coach...Albany to Boston.
Dining Service.
PULLMAN,
COACH AND DINING CAR SERVICE WESTBOUND
Regularly assigned cars are air-conditioned.
Air-conditioned equipment is assigned as far as possible but the right
is reserved to employ non air-conditioned cars as necessitated by
volume of traffic or emergencies.
No. 41—The Knickerbocker—Daily.
Lounge Sleeping Car...New York to St.
Louis—8-Section—Buffet.
Sleeping Cars...New York to St. Louis—10
Roomette, 5 Double Bedroom.
New York
to St. Louis—6-Section, 6 Double Bedroom.
New York
to St. Louis—12-Section, Drawing-room.
New York
to Cincinnati—6-Section, 6 Double Bedroom (in No. 15 from Buffalo).
Boston
to St. Louis—8-Section, Drawing-room, 2 Compartment (from No. 49 at
Buffalo).
Buffalo
to St. Louis—8 Section, Buffet (from No. 5 at Cleveland).
Cleveland
to St. Louis—10-Section, 2 Double Bedroom, Compartment (open 9:30 p.m.)
Detroit
to St. Louis—12-Section, 2 Double Bedroom (from No. 307 at
Bellefontaine).
Detroit
to Indianapolis—10-Section, 3 Double Bedroom (from No. 307 at
Bellefontaine).
Detroit
to Indianapolis—10-Section, 2 Drawing-room (from No. 307 at
Bellefontaine).
Dining Service.
Coaches...New York to St. Louis.
Boston
to St. Louis (from No. 49 at Buffalo).
Detroit
to Indianapolis (from No. 307 at Bellefontaine).
No. 49—Advance
Knickerbocker—Daily.
Sleeping Cars...Boston to St.
Louis—8-Section, Drawing-room, 2 Compartment (in No. 41 from Buffalo).
Boston
to Cincinnati—10-Section, Drawing-room, 2 Compartment (in No. 15 from
Buffalo).
Coach...Boston to St. Louis (in No. 41
from Buffalo).
Dining Service.
Another timetable which springs from an inbound email; correspondent Chuck Ross inquired about the probable route of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox for the 1946 World Series. He pointed out, accurately, that for many decades the Boston to St. Louis run was the longest traveling distance encountered in major league baseball. This sent me scurrying to my computer; after a few minutes research I saw that the New York Central was the obvious choice for this run. (Technically, it could also be accomplished via the Pennsylvania's St. Louisan leaving St. Louis at 6:00 p.m.; arriving New York at 4:15 p.m. the next day; then transferring to the Senator leaving New York at 5:00 p.m. and arriving Boston at 10:10 p.m. However I consider this routing highly unlikely.)
While this timetable gives the probable routing of the teams between St. Louis and Boston and return, it is not the actual train the teams would have taken. Were I the traveling secretary, I would have booked my team out of St. Louis on train No. 38, the Missourian, leaving St. Louis at 6:00 p.m. after the second game (they were all day games in that era) and arriving Albany the next day at 3:33 p.m. Transfer in Albany to train No. 40, the North Shore Limited, leaving Albany at 3:53 p.m. and arriving Boston that night at 9:15, just in time to check in to the hotel. For the return trip after Game 5, I would plan to put my team on No. 29, the Niagara, leaving Boston at 7:00 p.m. and arriving Buffalo at 6:45 the next morning. Transfer in Buffalo to train No. 159 leaving Buffalo at 7:52 a.m. and arriving Cleveland at 11:10 a.m. One more transfer in Cleveland to No. 407, the Cleveland-St. Louis Special, departing at 12:05 p.m. and finally arriving St. Louis at 11:10 that night. Of course, if the game was over quick enough it might be possible to rush and catch the premium Southwestern Limited leaving Boston at 4:50 p.m.; that would put our team into St. Louis at 4:58 p.m. the next day.
Finally, Chuck asked my opinion on the possibility of a special train for teams making this trip. I replied that I think that an actual special train was unlikely—baseball owners then as now are loath to spend unnecessary money, and there were plenty of other transportation options—but a special car reserved entirely for the baseball team was another matter and in fact a near certainty. A baseball team, after all, fills a 12-section sleeper almost perfectly, and the railroad would be able to shunt it between trains as required so that the players and coaches would not have to bother making any of the connections between trains. Not to mention the added benefit of keeping the various autograph seekers and "looky-loos" at bay....