Amtrak Toledo services through the years

The Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited have maintained service to the Glass City inaugurated in 1975

Amtrak Toledo services have seen changes consistent with the rest of the national network in its 50-year history. Throughout its history, Amtrak trains have called upon the former New York Central station on Emerald Avenue at the south end of downtown. NYC opened the station, built with cream brick and copious amounts of glass block, in 1950. That made it one of the last major passenger facilities to open in the U.S. In 1995, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority purchased the station from Conrail and, after a multi-million dollar refurbishment, reopened it as the Central Union Plaza. At the time, its primary function was office space for the Port Authority, but Amtrak and intercity bus service operated out of the ground level. (In its original configuration, passengers used the second floor, which provided direct access to the platform concourse.) In 2001 it was again renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.

Lake Shore Limited

Amtrak Toledo services passenger train at station — The westbound Amtrak *Lake Shore Limited* stops at Toledo, Ohio, in 1994. The train still operates, linking Boston and New York City with Chicago. J. David Ingles, Brian M. Schmidt collection

The Lake Shore got its start, briefly, on May 10, 1971. Left out of the original Amtrak system map, the Chicago to Buffalo segment was added just a week after Amtrak’s startup, only to disappear eight months later in January 1972 when state funding ended. The train operated over the same route as NYC’s famed 20th Century Limited.

The Lake Shore Limited made its permanent return on Oct. 31, 1975, bringing Cleveland, Toledo, and South Bend back to the Amtrak system. It has remained, carrying Nos. 48-49, ever since. The train operates with a separate section from Albany to Boston, Nos. 448-449. It was converted to HEP Heritage equipment in October 1979. The first few years saw it depart Chicago in early afternoon; however, since 1983 it has departed Chicago as an evening train to enable same-day connections from western long-distance trains. In 1991, Amtrak shifted the train from Grand Central Terminal to Penn Station in New York City. It remains Amtrak’s only direct Chicago-New York service.

Capitol Limited

Amtrak Toledo services got a boost on Nov. 10, 1990, when the Capitol Limited was rerouted through Toledo. By that time, the train carried Nos. 29-30. It previously operated on the former Pennsylvania Railroad main line west of Pittsburgh via Fort Wayne, Ind. The change, which also saw the Broadway Limited move the former Baltimore & Ohio via Akron and Youngstown, allowed Conrail to downgrade the former Pennsy route across Ohio and Indiana. In 1996, the Capitol carried through cars exchanged with the Three Rivers, the replacement for the Broadway, at Pittsburgh for Philadelphia and New York. By that time, it was operating with bilevel Superliners, so the through cars were single-level carried ahead of the transition sleeper car.

Pennsylvanian and Skyline Connection

In November 1998, Amtrak extended the New York to Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian to Chicago to meet growing demand for mail and express traffic. This also led to its curtailment east of the City of Brotherly Love. The coach-only train operated on a daytime schedule providing the first daytime service in Toledo for a number of years. It was dropped in February 2003 as Amtrak wound down its expanded mail and express network.

One curious note from this era is the appearance of a train called the Skyline Connection in the combined “Pennsylvania Route” timetable. It appeared with a cautionary note “Service to commence on a date to be announced.” Unfortunately for train riders in Ohio and Indiana, that day never came. The westbound train would have departed Philadelphia at 1:05 a.m., arriving Toledo at 2:41 p.m. and Chicago at 6:47 p.m. The eastbound train would have departed Chicago at 1:30 p.m., arriving Toledo at 7:02 p.m. and Philadelphia at 9:08 a.m. The train was slated to carry Nos. 45-46.

Lake Cities

Amtrak Toledo services passenger train crossing low bridge over waterway — The Amtrak *Lake Cities* crosses Otter Creek near La Salle, Mich., in August 1981. The train operated between Chicago and Toledo via southern Michigan from 1980 to 1995. John Uckley, Brian M. Schmidt collection

Amtrak Toledo services also included the Lake Cities from Chicago via Detroit. The train, formerly known as the Saint Clair, operated to Toledo from August 1980 to April 1995. This enabled Michigan passengers to make a connection with the Lake Shore Limited in Toledo. Initial operations were made with Turboliner equipment before changing to Amfleets. After the connecting train’s discontinuance, Michigan passengers were bused to Toledo.