Pa Railroad's Broadway

In 1912, the Pennsylvania Railroad renamed its 10-year-old Pennsylvania Special passenger train the Broadway Limited. The New York-to-Chicago service would develop into the jewel of the Pennsy’s passenger operations and one of the most celebrated trains in the annals of American railroading.Joe Welsh (Travel by Pullman, 2005) presents a marvelously illustrated account of the Broadway’s development, various motive power, and amenities, from the heavyweight era through the creation of Amtrak. Illustrated throughout with archival color and black-and-white photography, period ads, and timetables, this trip back to the halcyon era of train travel also features major players in the development of the Broadway Limited, describes the Broadway’s contemporary competitors and other trains in PRR’s “Blue Ribbon Fleet,” and examines the train’s streamlining initiated in 1938 and spearheaded by Raymond Loewy. The result is a fitting tribute to an icon of American transportation.

Veteran railroad journalist Joe Welsh is the co-author of several railroading titles, including The American Passenger Train, The American Railroad, and most recently the critically acclaimed Travel by Pullman: A Century of Service (MBI, 2005). He works in the passenger rail industry and resides near Seattle, Washington.