Lake Shore Limited Route Guide (old) - Train travel, model railroading, railfan and railroad industry information including Amtrak train travelogues, railroad photographs, model train building tips and more.
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Lake Shore Limited Route Guide (old)
www.trainweb.com/routes/route_48/rg_48old.htm
From the Windy City to the heart of the Big Apple and New England, you'll
enjoy a northern panorama of lakes and valleys. This is the old Route Guide
of travel on the Amtrak Lakeshore Limited. Print this out and take it with
you! Amtrak no longer provides a Route Guide this detailed on board. The
new one is much less detailed.
* Chicago *
* Cleveland *
* Albany-Renssclaer *
* New York/Boston *
Welcome aboard The Lake Shore Limited, Amtrak's scenic 960-mile route between
Chicago and New York City. The Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited
travels through the Berkshires, and across the countryside of Massachusetts,
after leaving the New York section of Albany.
This guide is written from west to east, noting how many minutes past the
previous Amtrak station you can expect to see a particular sight, and whether
you should look to your right or left. If you're traveling west, just begin
at New York or Boston (or your point of origin) and read the entries in
reverse order.
The first time reference tells you the approximate traveling time to that
point from the last station when traveling east. The second time reference
tells you the approximate traveling time to that point from the last station
when traveling to the west. If you are traveling west, remember to look left
when we've indicated to look right, and right when we've indicated to look
left.
Note that all AMTRAK STATIONS are in capital letters to set them apart
from towns and regions through witch the Lake Shore Limited travels
but makes no stops. Use this guide along with an Amtrak timetable to determine
stations times. All times in this guide are approximate.
A brief history of The Lake Shore Limited. From Chicago, then across
northern Indiana, along the northern shore of Lake Erie, then eastward through
upstate New York, to Albany, and along the Hudson River to New York City, The
Lake Shore Limited travels much the same route today as when it was known as
"The Twentieth Centurty Limited." Because the route follows the shores of
Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, the Erie Canal and the Hudson River, it is
known as "the water level route."
* Chicago *
CHICAGO Adjacent to the station is
the Sears Tower, the tallest building in
the world and the focal point of
Chicago's majestic skyline. Look to
your left and see the start of Chicago's
Chinatown. Also on the left, you'll
see the world's oldest baseball
stadium, Comiskey Park,home of the
Chicag White Sox through the 1990
season. Next, we cross the South
Branch of the Chicago River, where
ships travel between Great Lakes
ports and points along the Illinois and
Michigan Canal. Then we cross the
Rock Island Railroad Line at
Englewood, just before 21st
Street Yards on the left, and the
Calumet River on a large lift bridge.
US Steel's South Works Mill is nearby.
On the left is the "New Regal
Theatre," opened by Chicago's first
black mayor, Harold Washington, as
an African-American Cultural Center.
The cemetery to the left is where
Mayor Washington is buried.
Roby (15 min/5 min) just east of
Illinois is this town, with a power
plant and tall grain elevators. The
Indiana Toll Road (I-90) parallels the
tracks as you leave Chicago.
HAMMOND-WHITING is the home
of Purdue University, Calumet, and
Calumet College of St. Joseph. One
of Hammond's early residents was
Alvah Curtis Roebuck, a mechanicaly
inclined farm boy from Lafayette.
After Roebuck lost his girlfriend to
a janitor, he moved to Chicago
and formed a mail order company
with Richard Sears ... hense Sears
and Roebuck.
In 1923, John D. Rockefeller built in
Whiting the Whiting Memorial
Community House to commemorate
the local servicemen who fought in
World War I. Today, Whiting is
famous for oil production, which
explains the huge oil storage tanks
that line the railroad tracks. Note the
petroleum impurities burned in
the distant towers to your right.
As you leave Hammond-Whiting,
you'll pass through Pine Junction and
the steel town of Indiana Harbor. To
the right of the tracks is the Lever
Brothers Soap Factory, and Lake
Michigan can be seen on the left in
the north. Just before Gary, on the left,
are the steel mills of the Gary Woks.
Gary (17 min/1 hr 52 min) is the
home of many world-famous entertainers,
including Michael Jackson,
Deniece Williams, Fred Williamson,
Karl Malden, Avery Brooks, and
Alex Karras, as well as
astronaut Frank Borman,
football's Hank Stram, and
economist and Nobel Prize winner
Paul A. Samuelson.
La Porte (42 min/1 hr 27 min) was
established in 1832 as a trading
center that served the nearby farming
community. It is located next to the
ecologically important Indiana Dunes
on the southern and eastern shores
of Lake Michigan. You'll see huge
steel mills: Inland Steel is on both
sides of the train. Union Carbide,
US Steel, National Steel and the blue
buildings of Midwest Steel and
Bethlehem Steel are all on the left.
SOUTH BEND is named for a bend in
the St. Joseph River, which is where
the French explorer La Salle tried to
reach the Mississippi River. This city
hosted the 1987 International
Summer Special Olympic games at
the 1,700-acre University of Notre Dame,
founded here in 1842 by
Father Edward F. Sorin: the famed
"gold dome" can be seen in the distance
above the treetops on your left.
The Studebaker Company Building
can be seen on the right near the
station. The time change occurs here
during the winter. From October to
April, set your watches ahead one hour
when arriving from Chicago. When
heading to Chicago, set your watch
back one hour as your depart.
ELKHART This was "The Brass
Musical Innstrument Capital of the
World" until 1970. Charles G. Conn
made the first U.S.-produced cornet
here. Miles Laboratories, makers of
Alka-Seltzer, was founded here. The
early settlers of Elkhart County were
largely Amish and Mennonite. Also
known as "The Mobile Home Capital
of the World" because of all the RV's
manufactured here.
Passing through Kendallville, the
highest city on the New York-Chicago
route at 995 feet above sea level; 400
feet above the Great Lakes level. The
towers you see on the hilltops on the
left are radio station relay towers that
bring signals across the mountains.
BRYAN Ohio Art Company, creator
of Etch A Sketch®, is here and is
identifiable by the blue, red and
white water tower to the left. The
abundance of artesian wells here,
some of which still flow today,gave
Bryan the nickname "The Fountain
City." This is the home of Spangler
Company, the world's largest maker
of candy canes and also makers of
DumDum lollipops and Dubble
Bubble gum.
The time change occurs here during
the summer. When eastbound,
from April to October, set your watch
one hour ahead before arriving.
When west-bound, set it back on
hour upon departing Bryan.
On the left you can see the first
solar-powered radio station, WBNO,
which uses 33,600 photovoltaic
cells and storage batteries to power
the transmitter.
We begin a 68.5 mile straightaway
section of railroad without curvature
as we approach Toledo.
TOLEDO was founded in 1833
where the Maumee River reaches
Lake Erie. Today, Toledo is home
to Owens-Corning Fiberglass;
Champion Spark Plugs; and the
Detroit TIgers' minor-league team,
The Toledo Mud Hens. This major
port city is known as "The Glass
Capital of the World." Famous
Toledo-born celebrities include
Danny Thomas, Teresa Brewer,
Jamie Farr and Joe E. Brown.
The old Libby Glass factory can be
seen on the right, as well as the
largest grain elevators in the world,
identifiable by "The Andersons"
written across the top.
Maumee River (6 min./48 min.) As we
pull away from the Toledo skyline,
you'll view the city's industrial
outskirts while crossing the Maumee
River. Leaving the river behind us,
we pass through a rich grape and
peach belt.
The Davis-Bessie Nuclear Plan (34 min./20 min.)
can be seen in the distance on the left, beneath the
massive plume of steam.
We cross the Portage River at Port Clinton, Ohio,
known as "The Walleye Capitol of the World"
because of the
abundance of this fish caught here
each year.
SANDUSKY In the distance, you'll
see a monument to Oliver Hazard Perry
for his defeat of the British fleet
in 1813. Also in the distance on the
left, you can see the top of the roller
coaster at Cedar Point, the nation's
fifth largest amusement park. As
we approach Sandusky, we cross
Sandusky Bay. Sandusky is the
second largest Great Lakes coal-shipping
port, with an excellent
natural harbor surrounded by islands.
During the first half of the 19th
century, it was an important station
and terminus for part of the
Underground Railroad.
As we leave Sandusky, look to the left
for this storage building of the Meier
Wine Company. Then look to your
right and see the American Crayon
Company's factory.
Huron (1 min./36 min.) We cross the
Huron River here -- you'll see a water
tower on your left. Huron is the 1847
birthplace of Thomas Alva Edison.
Following that is Vermilion, the home
of the Great Lakes Historical Society
Museum. As we approach Amherst,
we cross the Vermilion River, where a
water tower greets visitors with the
name used by sports teams here,
Vermilion Sailors.
Amherst (18 min./18 min.) The town
of Amherst was named by New
Englanders who settled here. Note
the antique rail cars on exhibit to the
right of the tracks. You can see
Pillsbury's large factory on the left.
ELYRIA is the home of the international
society for crippled children,
The Easter Seal Society. It was also
the first city in the state to adopt the
Community Fund (United Fund).
Southwest of Elyria is Oberlin
College, the first US college to enroll
blacks and the first to admit women
on an equal basis with men. Elyria
is named for its 1817 founder,
Herman Ely.
As we approach Cleveland, notice
the Goodyear plant on the right and
the busy Cleveland-Hopkins Airport
and International Exposition Center
on the left.
* Cleveland *
CLEVELAND is the home of
President William McKinley and
John D. Rockefeller, the first self-made
millionaire, as well as Archibald Willard,
creator of the world-famous
patriotic painting, "The Spirit of '76."
"Superman" was born here, too, as
the idea of two Clevelanders, Jerry Siegal
and Joe Shuster. Baseball fans
watch the Cleveland Indians and
football fans cheer the Cleveland Browns
at Memorial Stadium,
adjacent to the train station.
Cleveland is also home to the
Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team
and is the site of the Rock'N'Roll
Hall of Fame.
Across the city boundary is Lake View
Cemetery, where President James A. Garfield
and John D. Rockefeller are
buried. Leaving Cleveland behind,
we move on to Collinwood, where
the trains of yesteryear were serviced.
Next, we pass through Mentor, the
birthplace of Garfield. He is the third
of Ohio's six presidents. The Lake
Shore Limited then rolls through
Ashtabula, Ohio, important as a coal-
handling town in the mid-1800s.
Conneaut (60 min./20 min.) is a
fishing village founded in 1793. Its
name comes from the Indian word
for fish.
ERIE is Pennsylvania's only
Great Lakes Port. It is known as "the gem
city" because of its sparkling bay,
though the name "Erie" comes from a
tribe of fierce Indians called the Eriez.
It was here that during the War of 1812,
Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry,
commanding the flagship Niagara,
forced the British squadron
to surrender, stating "We have met
the enemy and they are ours."
BUFFALO (DePew) rests across the
Niagara River from Canada on the
eastern shore of Lake Erie. New
York's second largest city, it's famous
for manufacturing steel, chemicals
and auto parts. Today, Buffalo is the
home of the National Hockey
League's Buffalo Sabres and the
National Football League's Buffalo
Bills. The Art Deco clock tower
belongs to the old train depot here
which, in its heyday, handled 30,000
people per day. Michael Bennett,
creator of "A Chorus Line" and
"Dreamgirls," was born here.
We travel through DePew after we
leave Buffalo.
Lancaster (6 min./52 min.) is on the
right. On the left is the Lancaster
Airpark, identifiable by the airplane
sculpted from old garbage cans.
On our way to Rochester, we cross
the Erie Canal and travel around the
huge Limestone Dolomite crater on
the left.
ROCHESTER is on the banks of the
Genesee River. You can see the
Genesee Brewery on the right. The
tall building on the right is the
headquuarters of the Eastman Kodak
Company, founded in 1880. In the
early 1800s, the area became
America's first boom town and was
termed "the flour capital of the
world." The city developed along the
upper falls of the Genesee, one of the
few rivers in the northern hemisphere
that flows from south to north.
Frederick Douglass settled here in the
1840s, where he established and
published The North Star Newspaper
and helped Rochester become the
northern terminal of the
Underground Railroad. Other famous people who
lived and worked here include
Susan B. Anthony and George Eastman, and
John Bausch and Henry Lomb's
optical and health care company
started here. The Haloid Company
opened in 1906, in a loft above a shoe
factory in ROchester, and in 1961 was
renamed Xerox Corporation.
Sibley Clock Tower (2 min./1 hr 19 min.)
As we leave Rochester the clock
tower we see on our right is named
for Hiram Sibley, founder of
Western Union, chartered in 1856.
SYRACUSE Known as "Salt City,"
Syracuse and its salt springs were discovered
by Father LeMoyne in 1654.
The Onondaga Salt Springs were the
first inland source of salt in the
country. The New York State Fairgrounds
come into view on the left.
On the right, we pass the shores of
Onondaga Lake and MacArthur Stadium,
home of minor-league
baseball's Syracuse Chiefs. As
we enter Syracuse, the buildings
on the hilltops to the right are
LeMoyne College.
Rome (31 min./16 min.) After leaving
Syracuse, we pass through Oneida,
named for the Iroquois Indian tribe
known as "people of the stone."
Oneida is also the site of the mid-nineteenth
century experiment in
Utopianism. After entering the
northern highlands, we briefly see the
Erie Canal on the left. Then it's on to
Rome, the point where the digging of
the Erie Canal began on July 4, 1817,
eventually linking the Great Lakes and
the Atlantic Ocean. Local resident
Francis Bellamy wrote "The Pledge of Allegiance."
The famous August 3, 1777 "Battle of Oriskany," referred
to as "The Turning Point of the Revolution,"
took place in Rome.
As we leave the city, you'll see the
sculpture above the Paul Revere Brass Factory
on the left, commemorating
the famous midnight ride.
UTICA referred to as "the crossroads
of New York," was part of a 23,184-acre
tract granted by George II to
New York's colonial governor,
William Cosby, in 1739. Union
Station (1914) is Utica's monument
to the golden age of railroading.
Colorful harness horse racing takes
place between April and October at
the Vernon Downs Harness Horse Racetrack,
one of the world's fastest tracks.
As we leave Utica, we cross over
some of the Erie Canal's many
shipping locks and see General
Electric on the right.
Herkimer (18 min./57 min.)
Fort Herkimer is the site of the famous
August 1778 rescue resulting from
the 26-mile run of Adam Helner,
described in Edmond's "Drums
Along the Mohawk." Today,
prospecting for "diamonds" (quartz-crystals)
takes place in Herkimer, as
well as the manufacture of
Herkimer Cheddar Cheese.
St. Johnsville (24 min./42 min.)
Welcome to the halfway point of the
Mohawk Valley. On the left are huge
leather tanneries and dye factories.
Fonda (47 min./27 min.) Entering
Fonda, you'll notice The Salada
Foods Company building on the right
and the buildings of The Fonda
Fairgrounds on the left. Opposite the
station is the Montgomery County
Courthouse, built in 1836.
Palatine Bridge (53 min./33 min.)
Susan B. Anthony lived in the
community formed by the Palatine
Bridge and Canajoharie before she
pursued her career as a campaigner
for woman's rights. This is also the
home of Lifesavers candies and
Beech-Nut products. On the left,
you can see the Old Palatine Church,
built in 1770, the only pre-revolutionary
church still standing
west of Schenectady.
Amsterdam (59 min./15 min.) On the
south bank nearby in Auriesville, is
the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, a
memorial to eight North American
martyrs killed by Iroquois Indians and
the first American saints to be
recognized by the Roman Catholic
Church. In Amsterdam in 1923,
a Mohican Indian village was
discovered whose relics are on
display in a museum originally built in
1742 as Ft. Johnson. The city is
home to many large carpet and rug
factories, which today have been
renovated to accommodate smaller
industry. Coleco Industries, a major
toy manufacturer and maker of
Cabbage Patch dolls, is also located
here. Guy Park Manor is the old
stone depot with green shutters you
see on the right; it is now an Elks
Lodge. The 1776 home you see on
the banks next to the canal lock is
said to be haunted.
SCHENECTADY The rock cliff that
hangs over the tracks is the site where
the Mohawks fought and defeated
the Mohicans at Kinquariones. Here
we cross the Mohawk River and
finish our journey along the Erie Canal.
The Historic Stockade section
of Schenectady is just after the
station, to the left. Across the river,
look for the elegant window arches
of the Adirondack Power & Light Facility;
the Lionel Train Company
modeled their toy power station after
the Art Deco building, which today is
used to make cement blocks. The
Schenectady Locomotive Works
(later American Locomotive Company)
built steam engines to the
left of the tracks here in 1851. Here
company, Edison Machine Works,
which later became the General Electric Company.
The name "Schenectady" is taken
from an Indian word meaning
"through the open pines." It is one of
the oldest US cities, purchased in
1661 from the Mohawk Indians by
Arent Van Curler and a group of
Dutch settlers. Schenectady is said to
be the home of more PhDs per capita
than any other American city.
Van Curler Hotel (2 min./27 min.) On
the hillside to the right, the red brick
building with white trim used to
be the hotel; today it's part of the
community college.
ALBANY has been the New York
State capital since 1797. The second
incorporated city in America, Albany
still operates under its 1686 charter.
The first New York State steam train
"The DeWitt Clinton," operated here
over the Mohawk and Hudson
Railroad in 1831. The port of Albany
actually operates on both sides of the
Hudson River, keeping the city an
important inland port since the Erie
Canal was complete in 1825. The
towers you see belong to the
Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller
Empire State Plaza and "The Egg" is
Albany's Performing Arts Center. At
the north end of the city, the massive
French-Renaissance building is the
State Capitol. The movie "Ironweed"
was filmed here.
* Albany-Rensselaer *
ALBANY-RENSSELAER A busy
railroad town since the 1830s,
Rensselaer is across the Hudson
River from Albany. It is also the site
of the nation's oldest fort, Fort Crailo,
which is where a visiting British
surgeon wrote the song,
"Yankee Doodle Dandy." Just before entering
the station, The Lake Shore Limited
passes Amtrak's Albany-Rensselaer
maintenance facility, servicing the
sleek and futuristic Turboliner fleet.
This fleet serves Amtrak's New York
State routes.
At Albany-Rensselaer, The Lake Shore
Limited splits into two sections, one
traveling to New York and one to
Boston. If you're Boston-bound, skip
ahead to the Boston route description.
Castleton-On-Hudson (4 min./19 min.)
Across the Hudson River, which
the train will parallel for over 130
miles, you'll see the four-stack
building of the Glenmont Power
Station. Next comes the mile-long
Castle-On-Hudson Bridge which
connects the Berkshire section of the
New York State Thruway with the
Massachusetts Turnpike. Soon,
you'll see the A.H.Smith Memorial
Bridge towering 150 feet overhead.
An important east-west freight link,
this is the site where European
explorer Henry Hudson's ship, the
"Half Moon," ran aground.
HUDSON Named for Henry Hudson,
who first visited in 1609, Hudson is
the third oldest city in New York. The
Hudson Station is the oldest station
building on the Amtrak line. Hudson
is also the home of the American
Museum of Firefighting and Olana,
the estate of artist Frederic E. Church.
The Catskill Mountains can be seen
for the next 15 miles on your right.
Catskill (5 min./18 min.) On the west
shore across the river, just a few
miles south of the 145-foot-high Rip
Van WInkle Bridge (built in 1935), is
Catskill, where 19th-century vacationers
stopeed on their way to the
Catskill Mountains. Catskill is the
home of Samuel Wilson -- Uncle Sam.
It is also where President Martin Van
Buren was married. The Hudson -
Athens Lighthouse, built in 1872, is
one of 13 on the river still operated
by the Coast Guard to warn of
shallow water.
Across the river, the cement plants
of Cementon process large deposits
of limestone. A long pier to the
east is for loading cement barges.
The train continues just north of
Germantown, which was settled by
Germans who manufactured pitch.
We'll pass through Germantown's
fruit-growing area.
You can see the Carmelite Sisters
COnvent to the west. Following is
the US Coast Guard's Hudson River
Station. Across the river on the right
is the oldest lighthouse on the
Hudson River, the Saugertes Light,
at the mouth of the Esopus River.
Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge (19 min./4 min.)
To the right of the tracks here,
you'll see the pink Livingston
Mansion -- a tourist attraction
commemorating the Declaration
of Independence. The Kingston -
Rhinecliff bridge was completed in
1957. The marshland on both sides
of the track is called Tivoli Bays,
valuable as a feeding and spawning
ground for 26 fish species and more
than 100 species of birds.
RHINECLIFF The Rhinecliff station is
the former dock/landing of the ferry
to the west shore and Kingston,
where naval vessels were built until
the Korean War. Today, the dock has
been restored for recreational use.
The station also serves nearby
Rhinebeck, bought by Dutchmen
from the Indians for trinkets worth
about $35. Rhinebeck is the site of
Beekman Arms, the nationa's oldest
continuously operating hotel. The
Rhinebeck Aerodrome is world-famous
for its daredevil air shows
and vast collection of vintage aircraft.
Interestingly, both Rhinecliff and
Rhinebeck were so named because
early settlers referred to the Hudson
River as "The Rhine of America"
because of its resemblance to the
Rhine River in Europe.
Esopus Meadows (1 min./15 min.)
We pass through the village of
Staatsburg, one of the few places on
the Hudson's eastern shore where
the train tracks don't limit access to
the riverfront. Then look for the
lighthouse, built in 1832 (rebuilt
1872), at the south end of Esopus
Meadows (in the middle of the river
where there are sharp reefs). The last
keeper was replaced by an automatic
beacon light in the 1960s.
PUGHKEEPSIE was the second
capital of New York; Kingston was
the first. The Smith Brothers made
cough drops here at this river port
city. You will pass the town of Hyde
Park on the near shore. On the left,
facing the railroad, is the Vanderbilt
Mansion, summer home of Frederick
Vanderbilt. The tall wrough-iron
fence, paralleling the tracks on the
left, protects the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt National Historical Site, the
location of FDR's home, Val Kill.
Once the longest railroad bridge in
the world, the Cantilever bridge
(spanning the river on the right) was
built from 1873 to 1888. This link
between the coal fields of
Pennsylvania and southern New
England industries was destroyed by
fire in 1974. Leaving Poughkeepsie,
on the east shore you will see the
rock quarries of the Lone Star
Corporation and The New York Trap
Rock Corporation. The bridge you
see is the Mid-Hudson Bridge, built
in 1930.
Danskammer Point (10 min./28 min.)
The red buildings across the river
belong to the Royal Kedem Winery.
Also across the river are the Roseton
and Danskammer Power Plants.
Danskammer Point was formerly the
site of many famous Indian and
Dutch celebrations.
Beacon (12 min./26 min.) As a
revolutionary army post, the town
was warned of approaching British
troops by the mountaintop signal
fires for which it was named. Across
the river, we see the city of
Newburgh, famous for stunning
colonial-period homes -- including the
one where George Washington said
farewell to his troops. The last east-west
ferry on the Hudson was
retired with the construction of the
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, built in
1963. A second span was added
in 1980.
Bannerman's Castle (14 min./24 min.)
In the middle of the river on Pollopel
Island is a fortress named for the
owner, Francis Bannerman, who
kept a private arsenal there in the
early 1900s. It has moats and
drawbridges, and is built entirely of
paving stones. Now owned by the
State, a fire at the castle reduced it to
its present condition.
Storm King Mountains looms
ominously across the river on the
right -- Amtrak has named a train
"The Storm King" in tribute. Near the
village of Storm King, the train passes
through Breakneck Tunnel and then
travels alongside Sugarloaf Mountain.
Next, you'll see the town of Cornwall
to the left. Nearby is "World's End,"
the deepest point in the Hudson at
202 feet.
West Point Academy (18 min./19 min.)
As we approach West Point,
the train passes the river channel's
narrowest point at the eastern end
of Constitution Island, now an
important fish and wildlife sanctuary.
In 1778, colonial troops here
stretched a chain across the river to
stop British ships heading north.
West Point, the nation's oldest
military academy, is identifiable by
the huge stone battlements on the
opposite shore of the Hudson River.
They were put up in 1802. The
Barbra Steisand movie "Hello Dolly!"
was filmed in the village of Garrison,
which lies opposite West Point on the
east side of the river.
Ladycliff (19 min./18 min.) The
large, light-colored stone building
atop the cliff on the right is the former
Catholic women's college. The
college is now part of West Point.
To the east is the Monastery of Mary
Immaculate.
Coming up on the right is The Bear
Mountain Bridge, which carries the
Appalachian Trail across the river.
The flag you see on the hill identifies
Bear Mountain State Park, a popular
New York resort. Ahead across the
river is Dunderburg Mountain. This
is the southern end of the Hudson
Highlands, which is really a fjord and
extends 15 miles north. Legend
has it that the mountain is the
home of goblins who cause violent
summer storms.
Peekskill (27 min./11 min.) This
town served as the American
army headquarters during the
Revolutionary War.
CROTON-HARMON is the site of the
historic Van Cortlandt Manor, home
of New York's first Lt. Governor. It
dates back to the late 1600s, and
since then has hosted visits by US
and foreign dignitaries. The town of
Stoney Point, famous as a strategic
fort during the Revolutionary War, is
across the river. Reservoirs for New
York City's water are here. The twin
towers on your right belong to The
Indian Point Atomic Power Plant at
Lents Cove.
Ossining (2 min./40 min.) The train
passes through the first incorporated
village in Westchester County near
the town's waterfront park. The
guard towers belong to the notorious
correctional facility known as
"Sing Sing." Being sent "up the river"
meant doing time at "Sing Sing."
The main house is on your right,
the annex on your left.
The Tappan-Zee Bridge (9 min./33 min.)
On your right is the imposing
Phillips Manor, home of one of the
Mid-Hudson River Valley's founding
families. The three-mile Tappan-Zee
Bridge, located at Tarrytown,
was built in 1955 to carry the New
York State Thruway across the
Hudson River.
Irvington (11 min./31 min.) This town
is named for Washington Irving,
creator of Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane,
and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Irving's home, "Sunnyside,"
can be seen to the left just before we
reach the train station. Many of
Irving's stories were set in these
picturesque valleys, with their many
cliffside mansions and homes of the
well-to-do.
Hastings-on-Hudson (14 min./28 min.)
On the right is the home of Civil War
Admiral David Farragut, famous
for the "Damn the torpedoes, full
speed ahead!" quote. Later, it
became the home of showman
Florenz Ziegfield and his wife, actress
Billie Burke (the good witch in 1939's
"The Wizard of Oz").
Yonkers (19 min./23 min.) New York's
fourth largest city is named for the
first lawyer in the New Netherlands,
Adriaen Van der Donck, who was
addressed in Dutch as "Jonkheer"
(young gentleman). Here, Elisha Graves Otis
invented the safety
elevator. Edwin Armstrong invented
the FM radio. Near here, across the
river, British General Cornwallis'
Headquarters was an old tavern at
the foot of the Palisades. A giant
stairway on the New Jersey side of
the Palisades is used for hiking.
Harlem River (32 min./10 min.) As we
head towards New York City, you'll
spot the George Washington Bridge
(connecting New Jersey with
Manhattan) down the river on the
right. Also across the river on the
right, you can see the High Bridge, an
old aqueduct, and the black railroad
trestle/bridge crossing the Harlem
River. This marks a spot called
Spuyten Duyvil, which is Dutch for
"spitting devil," because of the tricky
currents where the Harlem River joins
the Hudson River. On your left, you'll
see the Harlem River Bridge and
Yankee Stadium (built in 1923).
The train rolls through historic
Harlem in uptown Manhattan,
on the way to the 3-mile Park Avenue Tunnel
and historic Grand Central Station.
* New York *
NEW YORK CITY More than 350
years ago, the city of New York grew
from the southernmost part of the
island of Manhattan. Now known
as Lower Manhattan, this is the civic
and financial heart of the city.
Where Dutch explorers once built
forts and settlements, there now
stands the World Trade Center, the
New York Stock Exchange, and the
Brookyln Bridge.
New York City has five boroughs:
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the
Bronx and Staten Island. If time is
short, you'll want to concentrate on
visiting Manhattan simply because it
offers the most to see: Broadway,
Greenwich Village, Times Square, the
United Nations. The Empire State Building,
Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue shops,
and Central Park.
* Boston *
Those passengers traveling to Boston
aboard The Lake Shore Limited will
part from the New York route at
ALbany-Rensselaer.
State Line Tunnel (49 minutes/23 minutes)
is where the train makes
the crossing into Massachusetts. On
the way, you'll pass through East
Greenbush, Brookview, Van Hoesen,
Post Road Crossing, Niverville and
Chatham (8 min./51 min), where
you'll see an experimental "beefalo"
farm (cross-breeding cows with
buffalo) on the right.
PITTSFIELD You're in the heart of ski
country here, close to over 40 resorts
in the Berkshire area. Herman Melville
wrote "Moby Dick" while he
lived here; Nathaniel Hawthorne
wrote Tanglewood Tales at his
summer home, Tanglewood. Today,
the estate hosts an annual summer
music festival featuring the
Boston Symphony Orchestra. As we enter
Pittsfield, look to the right to see
Richmond Pond, one of the region's
many attractive lakes.
Appalachian Train (18 min./1 hr. 2 min.)
On the right, be on the lookout
for beaver houses in the middle of the
pond. You'll also see old stone
bridges and enjoy the many "S"
curves of this part of the route.
Westfield River (1 hr. 15 min./5 min.)
Following along the Westfield River for
several miles, look for Middlefield,
Chester (sawmill on the left),
Huntington, Russell (paper mill on
left), Woronoco (paper mills on right),
and a stoneworks factory on the left.
Also keep an eye out for deer,
bobcats and wild turkey.
As we head through the Berkshire
Mountains, the trees of the Chester
Blanford State Forest make
breathtaking scenery. We pass by the
Eastern States Exposition and Fair
Grounds, which hosts the largest fair
in New England, and cross the
Connecticut River beside the stone-arched
Memorial Bridge on the right.
SPRINGFIELD started as a trading
post in the 1630s. It's on the
Connecticut River, whose valley
halves New England from Vermont to
the seacoast. In 1794, the US opened
an important armory here, which
today is a museum. The Basketball
Hall of Fame is located here to honor
Springfield College and the game's
inventor, James A. Naismith. North
of the town is Westover Air Force Base.
Also to the north is Amherst,
noted for Amherst College and the
University of Massachusetts. The
Springfield Christmas parade is said
to rival New York's best.
West Warren (32 min./44 min.)
Crossing through the rolling
countryside of central Massachusetts,
the train follows the Quaboag River
on the left for several miles after
passing the falls of the Chicopee
River, also on the left. Look for a
miniature golf course on the left after
we pass Palmer.
WORCESTER Pronounced
"Wooster," this is the second largest
city in Massachusetts. On both sides
of the track here, we see dozens of
authentic old New England church
steeples. Nearby is Old Sturbridge Village,
a completely reconstructed
19th-century village. Worcester is the
home of Holy Cross College -- note the
blue and white complex of buildings
on the right hillside -- and
Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
The train travels around the southern
tip of Lake Quinsigamond after
leaving Worcester. We pass through
Westboro, Southville, Cordaville and
Ashland on our way to Framingham.
FRAMINGHAM A manufacturing
community, Framingham has a
General Motors assembly plant and a
reputation for the best fresh seafood
in New England. This area is also
noted nationally for its high-tech
industry. The old train depot here
is now The Yankee Fisherman Restaurant.
The train parallels the
route of the Boston marathon (Rt. 135).
We pass Wellesley, site of the
prestigious women's school,
Wellesley College. The college's
buildings are on the left. The town
was named for the family whose
most famous member was
Arthur, Duke of Wellington, who defeated
Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815.
Newton (7 min./22 min.) After
crossing the Charles River at
Riverside, we journey through this
quiet residential suburb where the
future leader of The Phillipines,
Corazon Aquino, lived in exile before
returning to her country to lead the
"People Power" revolution.
BOSTON One of America's most
historic cities, Boston is the most
important city in New England. First
settled in 1630, Boston was planned
to become a model city for the world
by its Puritan founders. Today, it is
a center for theology, education,
finance, and government. Boston
was the seat of the American
revolution, famous for the 1770
Boston Massacre, the 1773 Boston
Tea Party, and the Old North Church.
On the right, we will pass Fenway Park,
home of the Red Sox, and part
of the Boston University campus. As
we approach Boston's Back Bay
station, keep in mind that this low-
lying area was once covered by the
Charles River. Causeways were built
to accommodate train lines, and the
bay was later filled in. The Prudential
Center and John Hancock buildings
are in this area. Boston Commons is
the site of many outdoor concerts.
Today, Back Bay is considered one of
the most beautiful urban areas in the
country, with its late-Victorian
mansions and tree-lined streets.
This is one of America's older railroad
lines, completed in 1841. On the way
to South Station, the train follows the
southern edge of the city's central
business district. You see the MBTA
(Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority) yards and the Gillete World
Shaving Headquarters to the right. It
may be recalled that the Boston
transit system was immortalized by
the Kingston Trio's song "Charlie on
the MTA." It was said Charlie never
returned because he didn't have
enough money to pay for a 5-cent
fare increase. The train then turns
left, goes underneath the Fitzgerald
Expressway (named for legendary
mayor John "Honeyfitz" Fitzgerald,
an ancestor of President John F.
Kennedy) and into South Station,
which at one time held the title of
busiest rail station in the world.
This is a grand building from the
1890s that has been magnificently
restored to its former splendor.
Welcome to Boston!
Service subject to change without notice.
0200141 January 1990
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