The High Iron Company's 1969 Golden Spike Centennial Limited

Timeline for the 1969 Golden Spike Centennial Limited

*	*	*	This timeline is very much a work-in-progress. Any additions or corrections, please email.
DAY	CITY	DATES	NOTES
*	*	1968-1969	Steam locomotive 759 was restored to service in Conneaut, OH by the High Iron Company (HICO) in the summer of 1968. It ran an excursion in '68 out of Conneaut over the old NKP. From Conneaut, the loco was ferried to Lebanon, NJ for further excursions. The first was to Palmerton over the CNJ. Then a trip to Niagara Falls and back, after which the loco was ferried down to Roanoke for mechanical work in the N&W's shops. Then came a pair of excursions over the N&W/VGN lines out of Roanoke before ferrying back to Conneaut. These trips gave the HICO crew experience on both fast mainlines and mountainous terrain -- all of which would give them the credentials they would need to show the railroads they could carry out a project like the Golden Spike Centennial Ltd.
1	New York City - Buffalo, NY	Saturday May 3, 1969	The GSCL cars departed Grand Central Terminal behind an ex-Cleveland Union Terminal electric locomotive, emerging from the Park Ave. tunnel and speeding 32 miles to Harmon, NY to rendezvous with NKP 759. From there it was north along the Hudson River and a service stop in Albany. From there the train headed west to Syracuse for a second service stop, then on to Buffalo for its first layover. There is a map of the route here. Round trip fare was $995 for each of the 150 passengers.
2	Buffalo, NY - Cleveland, OH	Sunday May 4, 1969	The train ran to Cleveland over the Norfolk & western, stopping for servicing at Conneaut, OH were only one year earlier HICO crews were rebuilding #759. The train arrived at Cleveland Union Terminal and was positioned under the Terminal Tower.
3	Cleveland, OH - Decatur, IL	Monday May 5, 1969	The train again ran west over the N&W through Bellevue and Ft. Wayne (now over the old Wabash), stopping for servicing at Peru, IN and then on to Decatur.
4	Decatur, IL - Kansas City, MO	Tuesday May 6, 1969	Leaving Decatur over the N&W, the train passed through Springfield, IL and Hannibal, MO before a servicing stop in Moberly and the final run to Kansas City Union Station.
5	Kansas City, MO - Denver, CO	Wednesday May 7, 1969	The first assignment for the first UP Centennial locomotive -- the largest diesel ever built. EMD DDA40X locomotive 6900 pulled the train out of Kansas City over the UP through Topeka, then across the Kansas prairie through Abilene, Hays and Weskan. The train made a short stop in Ellis -- crawling through the center of town as it left. The train arrived in Denver in the evening -- elevation 5280 feet.
6	Denver, CO - Salt Lake City, UT	Thursday May 8, 1969	Heading north, the GSCL advanced to Eaton, Co, and into Wyoming. Passing through Cheyenne the train headed on through Sherman, Laramie, Hanna, Green River and Evanston. Actor John Wayne joined the train in the afternoon for the ride into Salt Lake City.
7	Salt Lake City, UT	Friday May 9, 1969	The day was spent in Salt Lake City on the eve of the Golden Spike Ceremony at Promontory. John Wayne's True Grit had its world premiere at the Capitol Theater.
8	Promontory Summit, UT - Ogden, UT - Salt Lake City, UT	Saturday May 10, 1969	The train went back north to Ogden and the GSCL passengers were bussed out to the Golden Spike Celebration at Promontory Summit at 2:15 in the afternoon (arriving in time to get very good seats). Over 12,000 were in attendance for the re-enactment of the Golden Spike ceremony. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed. The GSCL was turned on the wye at Bridge Junction. Later, Union Pacific steam locomotive 8444 pulled the train from Ogden the short way back to Salt Lake City. Several Golden Spike banquets were held in the evening at various locations.
9	Salt Lake City, UT	Sunday May 11, 1969	Rest day.
10	Salt Lake City, UT - Cheyenne, WY	Monday May 12, 1969	*
11	Cheyenne, WY - Kansas City, MO	Tuesday May 13, 1969	Trip was made behind an A-B-B set of Union Pacific E-units. According to Al Phillips, they really got the train moving!
12	Kansas City, MO - St. Louis, MO	Wednesday May 14, 1969	The run to St. Louis was over the Wabash.
13	St. Louis, MO - Lima, OH	Thursday May 15, 1969	A crowd of some 8,000 people greeted the train in Lima. During the layover in Lima, a tour of the former locomotive works of the same name was scheduled. This is where GSCL locomotive 759 was born. Also scheduled was a tour of the Allen County Museum.
14	Lima, OH - Pittsburgh, PA	Friday May 16, 1969	Servicing took place at Bellevue on the N&W, then at Brewster on the Wheeling and Lake Erie Division. From there it was on to Pittsburgh over the old Pittsburgh & West Virginia.
15	Pittsburgh, PA - Hagerstown, MD	Saturday May 17, 1969	The trip slowed down momentarily as the locomotive had to be re-railed after turning a rail at very slow speed in Rook (near Pittsburgh). Later, taking the N&W to Connellsville and onto the Western Maryland, the train proceeded on through Cumberland and on to Hagerstown for the final evening banquet.
16	Hagerstown, MD - New York City	Sunday May 18, 1969	Leaving Hagerstown on the Western Maryland, the train made its way to Baltimore's Penn station. There, the 759 was cut off just shy of the overhead catenary and replaced with a GG-1 electric for the high-speed run to NY. The 759 returned to Lebanon, NJ via the WM, RDG, & CNJ (through Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Allentown/Bethlehem). Specially painted Penn Central GG-1 4902 and the Golden Spike Centennial Ltd. cars arrived at their destination -- New York's Pennsylvania Station -- the same day Apollo 10 left for the moon.
*	*	*	*