100 Years of the Crescent
New Orleans to NYC via train
On 26-April-1925, the Southern Railway system launched a new name train, the Crescent Limited. While trains connecting New Orleans and New York operated since the 1870s, Southern embraced New Orleans by naming their longest route for the Crescent City. The current route differs from the 1925 original, but Amtrak, the national passenger rail carrier, continues the link.
Southern Railway began operation in 1892. Six financially-troubled railroads merged that year to form the Southern system. So, Southern acquired ownership of the NYC-NOLA connection. They re-branded the route in 1906, naming it the New York and New Orleans Limited. That train became the Crescent Limited 19 years later.
Crescent Limited to the Southerner
The original Crescent Limited route operated over tracks owned by a number of railroads. In 1941, Southern Railway inaugurated a new NYC-NOLA route, the Southerner. This train ran exclusively on Southern track, as opposed to the Crescent, which used Louisville and Nashville tracks to travel along the Gulf Coast, from Mobile to New Orleans. This is why, prior to the opening of Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans in 1954, the Crescent arrived and departed from the L&N terminal at the head of Canal Street. The Southerner used Terminal Station at Canal and Basin Streets. While the Crescent used older, "heavyweight" cars, the Southerner rolled out with modern "streamline" cars when it opened.
Southerner to Southern Crescent to Amtrak
Southern Railway lost interest in passenger operations in the 1960s. They re-branded the Southerner to the Southern Crescent in 1970. The system continued operation of the Southern Crescent until 1978, past the creation of Amtrak in 1971. Amtrak took over in 1978, re-branding the train simply the Crescent. So, of the century of "Crescent" operations, almost half the time has been under Amtrak.
The modern Crescent
The Amtrak Crescent operates daily, departing Union Passenger Terminal (NOL) at 0715. It arrives at New York's Penn Station (NYP), the following afternoon. A mix of GE "Genesis" and Siemens "Charger" locomotives pull the train north to Washington, DC. The train switches to Siemens electric locomotives there, for the final leg to NYP.
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