Connecticut Yankee (train)
The Connecticut Yankee was a long-distance train in western New England, that in its first two decades was an international night train, established in 1936, that extended from New York City into southeastern Quebec, to Sherbrooke and Quebec City, a 549-mile (884 km) trip. The pooled train covered railroad territories of the New York, New Haven and Hartford, Boston and Maine, Canadian Pacific Railway and the Quebec Central Railway. It was the last U.S.-Canadian train serving the Sherbrooke to eastern Vermont route.
Connecticut Yankee at Rye station, July 1985 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail |
| Status | Discontinued |
| Locale | Northeastern United States / Quebec |
| First service | 1936 |
| Last service | 1977; 1995 |
| Former operator(s) | New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, Boston & Maine, Canadian Pacific Railway, Quebec Central Railway Penn Central (1969–1971) Amtrak (1971–1977, 1983–1995) |
| Route | |
| Termini | New York City Quebec City |
| Distance travelled | 549 miles (884 km) (1936) |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) | Southbound: 74 Northbound: 79 (1936–c. 1956) |
| On-board services | |
| Seating arrangements | Coach |
| Sleeping arrangements | Sections and drawing rooms |
| Catering facilities | Dining car |
| Observation facilities | Parlor car |
| Entertainment facilities | Lounge car |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The train had some sharing of sleeping cars with the Boston & Maine's overnight Red Wing (the night train counterpart to the Alouette) which went from Boston to Montreal. In Newport, Vermont, the train would pick up sleepers from the B&M train and continue to Sherbrooke and Quebec.