# Penn Central 'Ghost Trains'



## NS VIA Fan (Apr 19, 2021)

Right up until Amtrak Day 50 years ago Penn Central was running Chicago-Detroit-Buffalo-New York trains across Southern Ontario between Windsor and Fort Erie on 250 miles of the former Michigan Central/New York Central Railroad. (to travel via Toledo and Cleveland was about 350 miles)





In 1970 Penn Central applied to the ICC and CTC (Canadian Transport Commission) to discontinue the trains. The CTC ruled they could be discontinued. The ICC ruled only the day train could be discontinued but the overnight train must continue to run. This ruling was appealed and played out until both the day and the overnight trains were discontinued with the start-up of Amtrak on May 1, 1971.

As the ICC order required the trains to continue to run between Detroit and Buffalo and the CTC ruling did not..... the trains no longer stopped at Canadian stations and only halted at Windsor and Fort Erie Ontario for Customs and at St. Thomas for a crew change.

In the book _'New York Central's Canadian Streamliners'_....the author calls them the _"Ghost Trains across Ontario"_ Looking at the map on the cover of the March 3, 1971 timetable below (the last one before Amtrak) the route between Detroit and Buffalo has been removed...... but looking inside at the schedule the trains continued to run. Only the stops across Ontario no longer appeared......just the departure and arrival times at Detroit and Buffalo.





In 1974...Amtrak extended their 'Empire State Express' from Buffalo to Detroit across Southern Ontario on Penn Central. It was eventually renamed the 'Niagara Rainbow' and lasted until 1979.

I rode from Detroit to Fort Erie back in November 1977 (photos below at St. Thomas (just south of London). Canada Customs came aboard in Windsor to question anyone getting off in Canada but there was only a head count of Americans “Just passing through”. Passengers getting off or on in Canada had to remain in the last car and I remember that the attendant from the cafe car would come back every so often to take our food orders. I got off in Fort Erie but anyone in that last car who got on in Canada would be inspected by US officials at Black Rock (Buffalo).


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## NS VIA Fan (Apr 19, 2021)

What was once New York Central's raceway across Ontario handling such name trains as the all-Pullman 'Detroiter' 'Wolverine' 'Empire State Express' and 'Knickerbocker' is now mostly abandoned although the old station at St. Thomas is being restored.


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