Fastest regular schedule NYC_Albany, when was it?

Fastest regular schedule NYC_Albany, when was it? I assume it was
during NYCentral days. Does anyone have the time and the schedule
it came from?

onder wrote:Fastest regular schedule NYC_Albany, when was it? I assume it was
during NYCentral days. Does anyone have the time and the schedule
it came from?

I did not go back earlier than 1954 but from 1954 on there were no trains on the former New York Central between Albany
and New York City in either direction that were as fast as present Amtrak service.
As of December 12, 1954 the best time on the NYC was 2 hours and 45 minutes with train no. 40. The classic famed train
Empire State Express used 2 hours and 44 minutes from New York to Albany and 2 hours and 48 minutes from Albany to
New York.
Even up through the fall of 1965 the running times were mostly the same for trains that stopped only at Croton Harmon and
maybe 125th Street.
Amtrak as of May 12, 2008 has a normal running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes for most trains although there is one in
each direction (237 and 234) that make it in 2 hours and 20 minutes with two intermediate stops.
I could go back further but I do not think I would find any schedules on the New York Central that would beat the present
Amtrak running time. Incidentally the Amtrak running time for many trains has been 2 hours and 20 minutes at times but
due to track work on Metro-North the times were increased by 10 minutes.
To be fair all around, many parts of this line have higher speeds today than they had in New York Central days but the trains
also make more station stops in some cases and the trains that I used made only Harmon for the most part.
Noel Weaver

Also, NYC ran into the downtown Albany station until 1968 which entailed about 1/2 mile (+/-) of slow speed running via the Maiden Lane Bridge. Also, there was an engine change at HM either way, and 35mph from MO to GCT. Max authorized speed was 60 mph HM to Cold Spring and 79mph from there to Rensselaer.

IIRC, Fastest Amtrak schedule was #76's 2' 12" ALB to GCT with a Turbo and no intermediate stops. Train ran DHE ALB to SDY, then as #76 to GCT.

Biggest difference was NYC ran about 30 1st-class (Psgr, M&E) round-trips plus intermediate locals plus about 6 round-trips through freight plus a couple of local freights north of HM / CD on a mixed 2 and 4-track Rule-251 and 261 ABS railroad until partial TCS was installed in the early 1960's.

shlustig wrote:Also, NYC ran into the downtown Albany station until 1968 which entailed about 1/2 mile (+/-) of slow speed running via the Maiden Lane Bridge. Also, there was an engine change at HM either way, and 35mph from MO to GCT. Max authorized speed was 60 mph HM to Cold Spring and 79mph from there to Rensselaer.

IIRC, Fastest Amtrak schedule was #76's 2' 12" ALB to GCT with a Turbo and no intermediate stops. Train ran DHE ALB to SDY, then as #76 to GCT.

Biggest difference was NYC ran about 30 1st-class (Psgr, M&E) round-trips plus intermediate locals plus about 6 round-trips through freight plus a couple of local freights north of HM / CD on a mixed 2 and 4-track Rule-251 and 261 ABS railroad until partial TCS was installed in the early 1960's.

I didn't check the timetables but if I recall correctly, there was quite a bit of 60 MPH territory in those days that has
higher speeds today.
Noel Weaver

Right you are, Noel.

Not to mention semi-permanent speed restrictions at places like MO, DV, GD, HM, and CD; through the Highlands; and the curves at Peekskill and Hudson.

Interesting, isn't it, that with max authorized speeds over much of the distance being 20 to 30 mph faster and with no engine change at HM, the running time really isn't much better?

Personally, I think it was a matter of pride to at least try to run trains on time back then. That attitude seems to be missing today from my observations as a passenger. Many crews today seem to exhibit this attitude: Running late? No big deal. We'll get there. Just my $.02.

Pride is still there, but in todays world with electronic monitoring it makes little sense for an engineer to try to "make up time" by speeding.