The Crescent is a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the eastern part of the United States. It runs 1377 miles (2216 km) daily from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana as train 19 and returns on the same route as train 20. Most of the route of the Crescent is on the Norfolk Southern Railway. A typical American steam train For other uses, see Train (disambiguation). ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... For the Pennsylvania Station in Newark, New Jersey or Baltimore, Maryland, see Pennsylvania Station (Newark) or Pennsylvania Station (Baltimore). ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT) is the main train station in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... Nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City That Care Forgot, NOLA (acronym for New Orleans, LA) Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area    - City 350. ... Norfolk Southern Headquarters Norfolk, Virginia. ...

History

A decade after the Civil War, the predecessor of Southern Railway, the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company, established the "Piedmont Air Line Route." This connected the Northeastern US with Atlanta and New Orleans both via Richmond and via Southern's present route through Charlottesville, Va., and Lynchburg, Va. The "Southern Express" and the "Southern Mail" operated over these routes, on an advertised time of 57 hours and 40 minutes, including a change at Atlanta. The Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark SOU) was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894. ...

Today's Southern Crescent is the lineal descendant of the "Washington and Southwestern Vestibuled Limited," inaugurated in January, 1891, by the Richmond and Danville Railroad along the "Piedmont Air Line Route." This Washington-Atlanta train was soon nicknamed the "Vestibule" because it was the first all-year train with vestibuled equipment operating in the South.

The brochure announcing the train hailed it as "a service second to none in completeness and elegance of detail ...providing all the latest and best facilities for the comfort and enjoyment of its patrons." And the "Vestibule" lived up to its billing. Drawing room and stateroom sleeping cars, dining cars, smoking and library cars and observation cars embodied the latest, most luxurious designs. They were gas lighted throughout and equipped with hot and cold running water. The vestibuled platforms proved an interesting novelty. Many passengers spent considerable time walking from one car to another just to enjoy the unusual experience of being able to do so without having their hats blown away.

Soon the Washington-Atlanta schedule expanded to include a through Pullman to New Orleans via Montgomery and Mobile, Ala., over the rails of the Atlanta & West Point, the Western Railway of Alabama, and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. New York was brought into the schedule, via a connection with the Pennsylvania Railroad's "Congressional Limited." Scheduled time for the New York-New Orleans run was advertised as a "40-hour, unprecedented" trip. Because of the popularity of this through service, the "Washington and Southwestern Vestibuled Limited" became a solid train of through cars between New York and New Orleans. It carried the first dining cars to operate between those two cities.

The Southern Crescent was operated by the a predecessor of Norfolk Southern, between Washington, DC's Union Station and New Orleans. Amtrak's predecessor in the northeast, Penn Central, carried the Southern Crescent between New York and Washington. The Southern Crescent was created in 1970 by combining two trains that had run separately between New York and New Orleans for decades: the Southerner, which ran over the Southern Railway between New Orleans and Atlanta via Birmingham; and the original Crescent, which used Atlanta and West Point Railroad, Western Railway of Alabama and Louisville and Nashville Railroad trackage between New Orleans and Atlanta via Mobile, Alabama. [1] For the combined Southern Crescent, Southern chose the Birmingham route instead of the Mobile route. Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Union Station is the grand ceremonial train station designed to be the entrance to Washington, D.C. when it opened in 1907. ... The Atlanta and West Point Railroad (AWP) was originally chartered in 1847 and the section from Newnan to West Point was chartered in December 1849. ... The Western Railway of Alabama (WRA), also known as the Montgomery and West Point Railroad, ran from a junction near Selma, Alabama through Montgomery, Alabama to West Point, Georgia. ... Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business. ... Nickname: The Azalea City Coordinates: Country US State Alabama County Mobile Founded 1702 Incorporated 1814 Mayor Sam Jones Area    - City 412. ...

The Southern Railway did not join Amtrak when it was created in 1971, but continued to operate the Southern Crescent independently. The Southern Crescent became one of the two last privately operated long-distance passenger services in the United States. On February 1, 1979, Southern left the passenger business and turned over operation of the train to Amtrak, which simplified the name to the Crescent. 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ...

When Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in August 2005, the Crescent was temporarily truncated to Atlanta. Service was restored first as far as Meridian, Mississippi as an interim measure as Norfolk Southern crews worked to repair the damage to their lines serving the Gulf Coast. Amtrak restored service to New Orleans on October 9, 2005 with the northbound Crescent's 7:20 AM departure; the first southbound arrival occurred later in the day. [2] Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa; 26. ... This Article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in August August 31: Michael Sheard August 26: Lord Fitt August 24: Jack Slipper August 24: Maurice Cowling August 24: Dr. Tom Pashby August 23: Brock Peters August 22: Lord Lane August 21: Robert Moog August... Nickname: Hotlanta, The Big Peach, The ATL, A-Town Location in Fulton County in the state of Georgia Coordinates: Country United States State Georgia Counties Fulton, Dekalb Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area    - City 343. ... Meridian is a city located in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. ... October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Tracks

The tracks used were once part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad and Southern Railway systems, and are now owned by Amtrak, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern Railway, respectively. The following lines are used: 1893 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad that was founded in 1846 and merged in 1968 into Penn Central Transportation. ... The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad (AAR reporting mark RFP) was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia to Washington, DC. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system. ... The Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark SOU) was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... CSX Transportation (AAR reporting mark CSXT) is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. ... Norfolk Southern Headquarters Norfolk, Virginia. ...

• See Northeast Corridor for the ex-PRR lines north of Washington, DC, now owned by Amtrak
• Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, Washington to Alexandria, Virginia, now CSX
• Virginia Midland Railway (ex-Southern Railway), Alexandria to Danville, Virginia, now NS
• Piedmont Air-Line Railway (ex-Southern Railway), Danville to Greensboro, North Carolina, now NS
• North Carolina Railroad (ex-Southern Railway), Greensboro to Charlotte, North Carolina, now NS
• Atlanta and Charlotte Air-Line Railway (ex-Southern Railway), Charlotte to Atlanta, Georgia, now NS
• Georgia Pacific Railway (ex-Southern Railway), Atlanta to Birmingham, Alabama, now NS
• Alabama Great Southern Railroad (ex-Southern Railway), Birmingham to Meridian, Mississippi, now NS
• New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad (ex-Southern Railway), Meridian to New Orleans, Louisiana, now NS

Most of the NEC is owned by Amtrak (those sections shown in red). ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad (AAR reporting mark RFP) was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia to Washington, DC. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: Country United States State Virginia Founded 1718 Mayor William D. Euille Area    - City 39. ... Danville is an independent city in Virginia, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. ... Downtown Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina, is a city in Guilford County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ... Nickname: The Queen City, Hornets Nest Location in Mecklenburg County in the state of North Carolina Coordinates: Country United States State North Carolina Counties Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Mayor Pat McCrory, (R) Area    - City 280. ... The Atlanta and Charlotte Air-Line Railway emerged from the 1877 re-organization of the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway. ... Nickname: Hotlanta, The Big Peach, The ATL, A-Town Location in Fulton County in the state of Georgia Coordinates: Country United States State Georgia Counties Fulton, Dekalb Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area    - City 343. ... Nickname: The Magic City, Pittsburgh of the South, BHam, The Ham Location in Jefferson County in the state of Alabama Coordinates: Country United States State Alabama County Jefferson, Shelby Mayor Bernard Kincaid (D) Area    - City 151. ... The Alabama Great Southern Railroad Company, Ltd. ... Meridian is a city located in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. ... Nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City That Care Forgot, NOLA (acronym for New Orleans, LA) Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area    - City 350. ...

Consist

A usual consist on the Crescent includes: 2 P42's, 1 baggage/mail car, 1 Heritage dorm/lounge, 2 Viewliners, 1 Heritage dining car, 1 Amfleet II lounge, and 4 Amfleet II coaches.

Station stops

The Crescent runs as train #19 southbound and #20 northbound, making the following station stops:

New York

• New York

New Jersey

• Newark
• Trenton

Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia

Delaware

• Wilmington

Maryland

• Baltimore

District of Columbia

• Washington

Virginia

• Alexandria
• Manassas
• Culpeper
• Charlottesville
• Lynchburg
• Danville

North Carolina

• Greensboro
• High Point
• Salisbury
• Charlotte
• Gastonia

South Carolina

• Spartanburg
• Greenville
• Clemson

Georgia

• Toccoa
• Gainesville
• Atlanta

Alabama

• Anniston
• Birmingham
• Tuscaloosa

Mississippi

• Meridian
• Laurel
• Hattiesburg
• Picayune

Louisiana

• Slidell
• New Orleans

External links

• Amtrak - Crescent
• Southern Crescent takes sentimental journey

References

• Amtrak (October 6, 2005), Amtrak Trains to Roll Out of New Orleans on October 9. Retrieved October 6, 2005.
• Schafer, Mike; Amtrak's atlas, Trains June 1991