#NYC #railroad #ushistory
New York Central, 20th Century Limited train (‘limited’ stops = express)
This locomotive design came from American designer Henry Dreyfuss (1904-1972) - essentially, it was sheet metal over the guts of a good modern locomotive. Railroads were starting to feel the heat from the streamlined airlines and wanted a modern streamlined profile as well … even though a passenger train has about the same aerodynamics as a javelin to begin with.
The design was perfect for the New York World’s Fair of 1939 where the underlying theme seemed to be … ‘Are you ready for the future?’.
Of course this was all very refreshing and optimistic after the Great Depression. Few really foresaw how the future would play out beginning later that summer on September 1, 1939 … and for the next six years.
