Lovett Smith continues to play an active role in the living history of
the American railroad experience having recently returned from the train and
railroad convention in Connecticut with the polished
brass track marker lights from the luxury train “The Cincinnatian”.
The Cincinnatian was a luxury B&O
express train that traveled from Cincinnati to Baltimore Maryland from
1947-1950, and from Cincinnati to Detroit in 1950-1952. The 5 car luxury passenger train could make
the trip through the Appalachian Mountains in 12.5 hours offering the amenities
of hallow reclining seats, a stainless steel kitchen, and air conditioned
passenger cars; deluxe luxury for 1950.
The Cincinnatian had two very
distinctive attributes that relate directly to the city that the train is named
after, Cincinnati, Ohio. The luxury
train’s steam whistle sounded much like the whistle of the steamboat’s that
travel the Ohio River and are continually docked in Cincinnati, and the rear
track marking lights that adorned the back of the train were made of polished brass. The polished brass resembled the polished
brass domes that adorn the top of the famous Roebling Suspension bridge in
Cincinnati and added the touch of first class for those fortunate enough to ride this
train.
The polished brass track marker
lights are now in the hands of Lovett Smith and the New York Central 3. The NYC-3 is the private train car that was
built in 1928 by the Pullman Company for the exclusive use of Harold S.
Vanderbilt, the last of the Vanderbilt’s to own the New York Central Railroad
Company.