If you're on the east coast of the U.S., you've surely heard of the New York Central (NYC) Railroad! NYC operated primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes region from 1853 to 1968, when it merged with Penn Central. In 1976 Penn Central was consolidated into Conrail. As Conrail was broken up in 1999, CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway have taken over much of the old NYC trackage.
The New York Central Railroad was a connecting line between the large eastern cities of New York City and Boston with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midwest. Large cities along the route included Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Rochester, and Syracuse.
Some famous elements from New York Central railroad history include the Grand Central terminal, the streamlined 20th Century Limited passenger train, and the grand engines including the 4-6-4 Hudsons, the 4-8-2 L-3 and L-4 Mohawks; and the 4-8-4 S-class Niagaras.
