Empire State Express 1941 New York Central System

Welcome to Empire State Express 1941 New York Central System page. Find us on Facebook. This page is being constantly updated, with new information regarding the history of the 1941 EMPIRE STATE EXPRESS (ESE) streamliner, along with recent research regarding the whereabouts of surviving, former-ESE Budd-built passenger cars. More than 33% of the original 1941 cars are still on the rails today! Be sure to check out our Facebook photo albums (click "Photos", left), as you peruse this page. INTRODUCTION (December 7, 1941): Inventors of the "Empire State Express" locomotives #5426 & #5429 shrouding were "Mr. Chase H. Knowlton and Mr. George M. Davies". Patent filed on December 19th, 1941 by Mr. Chase H. Knowlton and Mr. George M. Davies. Patent No: 2302635 The stainless steel streamlined cars were built by Budd Co Manufacturing. Construction commencement on the streamlined cars began with an official public relations media fanfare, the first shotweld was made in August, 1941. The EMPIRE STATE EXPRESS (ESE), an all-new, Art Deco - styled coach / streamliner version of a venerable, fifty-year-old former-flagship, debuts on the New York Central System (NYC). NYC's new / old train included two train sets, with each one consisting of sixteen gleaming, lightweight-streamlined, unpainted-stainless-steel Budd-built passenger cars, headed by matching streamlined, bullet-nosed J-3a 4-6-4 Hudson steam locomotives. The last, pre-war streamlined passenger train made its official debut on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Railroad officials expected that that particular Sunday would be a "slow news day". It wasn't. December 7 is best remembered as the "day which will live in infamy", when the U.S. Navy's base at Pearl Harbor and other military installations in Hawaii were attacked without warning by Imperial Japanese forces, plunging the U.S. into WW II. OPERATION (1941-1946): The westbound ESE (train no. 50) departed from New York City's Grand Central Terminal (GCT) for Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit. The eastbound ESE (train no. 51) departed from Detroit and Cleveland in separate sections. After being combined at Buffalo, the eastbound ESE proceeded to New York City and GCT. The separate, westbound Detroit and Cleveland sections of train no. 50 were split at Buffalo Central Terminal. The Detroit section continued across the Niagara River and southern Ontario (via the Michigan Central / Canada Southern "speedway"), on its way to St. Thomas ON and Detroit's Michigan Central Station (MCS). At Windsor ON (across the river from Detroit), steam locomotives were replaced by electric tunnel motors, for the short trip through the 1910 Detroit River Tunnel. The Detroit section usually consisted of one-to-three parlor cars, depending on demand. At times, this section also included a dining car, and two or more coaches. The remaining cars (including both of the ROOSEVELT round-end observation cars) continued west from Buffalo to Cleveland, via Erie PA. Both of the streamlined Hudson steam locomotives also stayed south of Lake Erie. Near the outskirts of Cleveland, they were relieved by electric locomotives, for the last leg of the trip to and from Cleveland Union Terminal. Steam locomotives heading eastbound train no. 51 were similarly replaced by electric locomotives at Harmon NY, for the forty-mile trip into Manhattan. Thus, the ESE was the ONLY NYC passenger train terminating (and originating) at all three of NYC's electrified territories. The two streamlined Hudson steam locomotives, No. 5426 and No. 5429, were equipped with stainless-steel jackets installed over their boilers, along with similar decorative work covering their tenders. The tops of each locomotive / tender set were painted black. Their appearance harmonized well with the train's trailing stainless-steel passenger consists, which were built by The Budd Company near Philadelphia PA. Most of the new ESE passenger cars were named after elected governors of the State of New York. These named cars usually included the train's name, EMPIRE STATE EXPRESS (instead of NEW YORK CENTRAL), in large letters on their letter boards, centered above the windows. POSTWAR CHANGE (1946-present): On May 4, 1946, No. 5426 and No. 5429 were relieved of their ESE assignments, when new Niagara 4-8-4 steamers replaced them. The last two of NYC's bullet-nosed Hudson "steamliners" had reigned for four years and five months, as part of NYC's streamlined, Great Steel Fleet - era. During the late-1940s, both locomotives, minus some of their decorative stainless-steel panels, headed NYC's Chicago / Detroit / Toledo / Cleveland CHICAGO MERCURY and CLEVELAND MERCURY trains. By 1950, all remaining traces of stainless-steel shroud had been removed. Back in their day, the ESE (along with other contemporary streamliners) were viewed as the "Buck Rogers" - equivalent of modern-day travel. Today, their modernistic, Art Deco styling is considered "retro". They WERE part of the streamlined, accelerating road to the future. Both former-ESE steamers were eventually scrapped, but more than 33% of the 32 former-ESE Budd-built streamlined passenger cars are still-extant today. Note: EMPIRE STATE EXPRESS (ESE) photographs.... Those who have amateur or other photographs of the ESE in their possession are welcome to share them with this Facebook page, so that rail fans, the general public, and this community can document and appreciate their historical interest. Personal memories and stories, from former-ESE passengers and employees, are also welcome here. Enjoy the page, please share this post, and feel free to comment. https://www.facebook.com/HudsonDreyfus/