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The ''National Limited'' was the premier train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) on its route between New York City and St. Louis, Missouri, with major station stops in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. It operated from 1925 to 1971. For much of its life it offered exclusive all-Pullman service, and it was the first long-distance train to be entirely air-conditioned. The ''National Limited'' was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971. Amtrak revived the name for another New York–St. Louis service which did not use the B&O route. == History == The B&O had previously operated through cars between New York and western points as the ''National Limited'' since December 1916.〔Herbert H. Harwood, Jr., ''Royal Blue Line''. Sykesville, Md.: Greenberg Publishing, 1990. (ISBN 0-89778-155-4)〕 The all-Pullman version of the National Limited was introduced by the B&O on April 26, 1925, as trains 1 (westbound) and 2 (eastbound). B&O's New York terminus was actually in Jersey City, New Jersey, at the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal.〔(Jersey City Terminal )〕 Passengers were then transferred to buses that met the train at the platform. These buses were then ferried across the Hudson River to Manhattan Island, where they proceeded to various "stations" including the Vanderbilt Hotel, Wanamaker's, Columbus Circle, and Rockefeller Center, as well as into Brooklyn.〔 The ''National Limited'' traversed some of the most challenging terrain in eastern railroading, climbing the Appalachian Mountains in western Maryland and West Virginia. Even through the diesel era, extra motive power was added at the head-end to take the train over these ridges, which meant extra stops on both sides of the mountain heights to add and remove assisting locomotives. Unfortunately, because the train traveled the B&O's lightly populated St. Louis main line serving towns in northern West Virginia and southern Ohio it never profited from high ridership. Still, the train lasted until the startup of Amtrak in 1971. The ''National Limited'' was originally an all-Pullman train in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to compartment and drawing-room sleeping cars, it featured a club car, observation library lounge car, and a full-service dining car. Onboard amenities for the deluxe train's clientele included a secretary, barber, valet, maid, manicure, and shower baths.〔 On April 20, 1932, it became the first long-distance train to be entirely air conditioned.〔〔Timothy Jacobs, ''The History of the Baltimore & Ohio''. New York: Crescent Books, 1989. (ISBN 0-517-67603-6)〕 Connections with southwestern railroads, including the Missouri Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, Cotton Belt, and the Frisco, were made at St. Louis. In 1939–1940, the ''National Limited'' was streamlined and dieselized.〔 In the 1950s, coaches were added to the train's consist, and a Slumbercoach was first used on this train in 1959. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「National Limited」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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