Today’s travelers going between New York State’s two largest cities, Buffalo and New York City, can drive, fly or take Amtrak or the bus. But as late as the 1950’s, travelers could pick from 10 day trains and 11 overnight trains each day, offered by five railroads.
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W) ran a daylight service from Hoboken, NJ to Buffalo via Scranton, Binghamton, Elmira and Dansville. The DL&W's Buffalo station was built along the waterfront to facilitate train-to-ship transfers and still exists today as the repair shops and storage yard for the Buffalo Metrorail. Of the five routes, it was the second fastest and shortest by mileage. The most famous named train was the Phoebe Snow. Created in 1900 as a fictional woman clad in a white dress, this marketing character was named to promote the anthracite coal used by the DL&W which burned cleaner than other types. Formerly known as the Lackawanna Limited, the train was renamed in 1949 for Phoebe Snow and streamlined at that time. The Snow was replaced in late 1966 with an overnight service which was discontinued in 1969, ending DL&W service between Buffalo and New York City.
The ne'er-do-well Erie Railroad was the first to quit the New York City-Buffalo route in 1951. Their unnamed overnight service left Jersey City, NJ in the late evening, arriving in Buffalo after lunch the next day, taking more than 12 hours. Their route was one of the oldest (some sections opened in 1851) and slowest. They were also the first to abandon their Buffalo station in 1935, moving to the Lehigh Valley's station. The service stopped in Port Jervis, Binghamton, and Elmira, the latter two paralleling the DL&W. The route followed every curve of the scenic Delaware River from Port Jervis to Deposit and ran over a high bridge over the falls of Genesee River at Letchworth State Park.
Unlike the Erie and DL&W's New Jersey stations, Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV) used the more convenient Pennsylvania Station in New York City. Its fastest train ran between Buffalo and New York City in about 9.5 hours. Stopping in Allentown, Wilkes-Barrie and Ithaca, its Black Diamond daytime service was named for the coal it hauled out of Pennsylvania. The Diamond’s last run was in 1959. The LV also ran The Star, a dedicated overnight service between Buffalo and New York City. Its Maple Leaf service ran overnight between Toronto and New York City in almost 13 hours, slightly slower than Amtrak’s present-day Maple Leaf. The LV’s remaining passenger trains ended in 1961 and its Buffalo station was demolished in 1960 to construct the William J. Donovan State Office Building, named for the Buffalo-born found of the CIA-predecessor agency. After it closed in 2007, that building was also slated for demolition but was recently converted into a hotel and restaurant.
The New York Central Railroad had the best route between Buffalo and New York City with no mountain ranges to cross and large cities in between. It also had the best-located station in New York City at Grand Central in the heart of midtown Manhattan. Of the five historic passenger train routes between Buffalo and New York City, their route is the only one that still hosts passenger trains. The Central ran multiple daytime trains in as little as 7.5 hours until Amtrak took over in 1971. The route had a number of named trains but among the most famous is the Empire State Express which lends its name to the modern-day Empire Service operated by Amtrak. Five trains provided day time service, five provided overnight service and several others stopped in Buffalo in the middle of the night. The Central used the magnificent Buffalo Central Terminal as did Amtrak in 1979. Startijg 1967, the Central reorganized it's trains into a clockface timetable, replacing most of its overnight trains with day trains departing New York City every 2 hours on the half hour.
The Pennsylvania Railroad operated daylight and overnight service between Buffalo and New York City. Its route was the slowest and least direct, stopping at North Philadelphia and Harrisburg before turning north to Buffalo with stops at Williamsport and Olean. The final years required a change of train in Harrisburg to catch the Northern Express or Southern Express which ran between Buffalo and Washington, DC. The day train took 12.5 hours and the overnight service left shortly after dinner to arrive in Buffalo by 8:30 AM. The Pennsy used Buffalo Central Terminal in its later years. This route last ran the day before Amtrak began in 1971.
Today, only four daily day trains connect New York City with Buffalo, taking 8.25 hours, about 45 minutes slower than Amtrak's initial 1971 schedule.
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