No. 10506 Streamlined Class K-4 4-6-2 "Pacific" Type "Torpedo" Steam Locomotive, heading up the "Broadway Limited" Streamlined Passenger Train

Pennsylvania Railroad

Although the Pennsylvania Railroad by the mid-1930s had electrified many parts of its system in the Northeast - notably between New York, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Washington D. C. - many other parts of the line relied on traditional steam power. A train in 1938 from New York to Chicago (908 miles), for instance, would leave New York with electric power, changing in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to a steam engine to head up the train for the rest of the journey to Chicago.

The K-4 4-6-2 "Pacific" locomotive (see No. 10654) was a typical coal-fired steam engine on the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1930s, being the equivalent on the Pennsylvania to New York Central's 4-6-4 "Hudson" type locomotives introduced in the late 1920s (see No. 10073). The K-4s served the Pennsylvania well from 1914 to well into the 1950s for fast passenger train service throughout the non-electrified parts of the system.

In 1934, the Pennsylvania hired noted industrial designer Raymond Loewy to create its new, streamlined "Fleet of Modernism," and in conjunction with this effort, Loewy designed streamlined shrouding in 1936 for a single K-4 (No. 3768) to complement the new streamlined Pullman cars from Pullman-Standard introduced to Pennsylvania's "name"trains, starting in 1938. The streamlined K-4 was called the "Torpedo" and was honored by heading up the new streamlined "Broadway Limited" on its inaugural run from Chicago to Harrisburg on June 15, 1938. From Harrisburg the train would be coupled behind another outstanding Loewy-designed locomotive, the electric GG-1, for its run to New York City under the catenary (see No. 10078 for more information on the GG-1). This was the first completely streamlined train to run on the Pennsylvania Railroad.

No. 10506 represents a fine example by K-Line of the Loewy-designed streamlined K-4 4-6-2 "Pacific"-type "Torpedo" steam locomotive No. 3768 in "O" gauge, heading up the streamlined 5-car two-tone Tuscan red and maroon "Broadway Limited" as it would have been seen west of Harrisburg 1938-1948 (except for World's Fair service in 1939-40, see next page).

The "Broadway Limited" New York-Chicago service was established over the 908 miles in November, 1912, on a 20-hour schedule, to be competitive with New York Central's prestige train, the "20th Century Limited," established in 1902 (see No. 10073).  Although the Tuscan red "Broadway Limited" never attained the fame or popularity of the "20th Century Limited," it did keep pace by offering everything expected of a luxury train, including a ladies maid, manicurist, barber, and secretary for busy executives. Dining car tables were set with china and silver, and stewards wore dinner jackets. The menus were varied and the chefs skilled.

Raymond Loewy oversaw the streamlining of the "Broadway Limited" in 1938. The new two-tone Tuscan red and maroon lightweight streamlined cars were pulled by stylish Loewy-designed Brunswick green GG-1 electric locomotives under catenary from New York to Harrisburg, and then by faithful K-4 "Pacific" steam locomotives or the revolutionary steam turbine locomotive (see No. 10124) west of Harrisburg to Chicago. Like the new Henry Dreyfuss designed "20th Century Limited," the "Broadway Limited" was an all-Pullman all-private-room train, part of Pennsylvania's new "Fleet of Modernism," operating on a fast 16-hour schedule between New York and Chicago.

In the end the "Broadway Limited" outlasted its worthy rival - both trains made their last all-Pullman runs in 1967, and when Amtrak took over in 1971, it was the "Broadway Limited" name and route that survived, but back to a leisurely 20-hour schedule, about the same as the 1912 train.

As a footnote, the original Loewy-designed streamlined K-4 No. 3768 headed up the "Broadway Limited" mainly between Chicago and Fort Wayne, Indiana, starting in 1936 with older heavyweight passenger cars. In 1938, as we have seen, new lightweight streamlined passenger cars replaced the heavyweights. After three years' service, the streamlined K-4 was put on display 1939-40 at the New York World's Fair. It was a dark bronze color with silver and gold lettering, and "rocket ship" stainless steel strips inlaid around the pilot and along the sides of the engine and tender - very dramatic styling. Four more K-4s were shrouded in 1940, Nos. 1120, 2665, 3678, 5338, with a greatly simplified design, and painted in traditional Pennsylvania Brunswick green (see No. 10705). The original streamlined K-4 (No. 3768) was repainted Brunswick green at this time. In the late 1940s, efficient new diesel-electric locomotives replaced steam on Pennsylvania's prestige trains, and the K-4s were relegated to secondary service, with the shrouds removed from the streamlined versions by 1952. The diesel-electrics were from Alco, Baldwin, Electro- Motive, and Fairbanks-Morse. Between New York and Harrisburg, however, the "Broadway Limited" and other crack trains continued to be pulled by Pennsy's dependable GG-1 electrics. All of the K-4s were retired by 1957.

The Amtrak "Broadway Limited" was a coach-and-sleeper operation, downgraded from the pre-1967 all-Pullman consist. Amtrak discontinued "Broadway Limited" service in 1995.