Amtrak's Capitol Limited - History, Triumph and Tragedy [S3: E05]

Step aboard the Capitol Limited, a train that encapsulates the essence of American railroading history like no other. I explore the legacy of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and its iconic passenger service, the Capitol Limited.
From its humble beginnings in 1827 to its heyday as the pinnacle of luxury travel in the early 20th century, the B&O Railroad played a crucial role in shaping the nation's transportation landscape. Witness the evolution of steam power, the advent of diesel locomotives, and the challenges faced during the golden age of rail travel.
As the mid-20th century brought competition from cars and airplanes, passenger railroads faced decline. See the Capitol Limited's final commemorative run in 1971, marking the end of an era for the B&O Railroad.
But the story doesn't end there. In 1981, Amtrak breathed new life into the Washington to Chicago route with its revival of the Capitol Limited. Witness the train's resilience through decades of service, surviving accidents and challenges while maintaining its iconic status.
As we look to the future, the Capitol Limited stands as a symbol of endurance and innovation in American railroading. Join us as we contemplate what lies ahead for this legendary train, amidst discussions of Amtrak's plans for new long-distance trains and network changes.
Subscribe now for more fascinating insights into the world of railroading.
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[@michaelwasiljov8633]

Worked out of the DC Crew Base from 93-97 and was a Train/Sleeper Attendant on the Capitol Limited. Worked the first trip with Superliners from Chicago to DC. Back then we were told that we were the premiere Amtrak Train and only the best people were selected to work the Capitol. Oh how times have changed.

[@RailWeekly]

That is so cool! Yes, I always remember it being quite nice! For a while, sleeping car passengers would get coffee mugs etched with the Capitol Limited logo. I still have a few!

[@roberthansen2008]

I would put lounge cars and full dining cars on all long distance Amtrak trains. Stop being cheap because you know what people want to eat in the diner whether you're in coach or a sleeping car. It's a great experience. And they need to stop being cheap about things.

[@haxorouse3265]

as far as I'm aware, the real reason why the cap is running with such small and barebones consists isn't because of cost cutting, or covid, but because of an ongoing equipment shortage of superliners due to several large wrecks in the past few years putting a significant portion of the fleet out of service, the cap is just the train train that took the hit to keep the rest going

[@RailWeekly]

Very true. There are several drone videos on KZbin of Amtrak’s Beech Grove repair shops where you can see rows and rows of Superliners just awaiting repairs. Hopefully they will start work on them soon.

[@himbourbanist]

Great route with an awesome legacy. Highly recommend riding it in the Fall if you want to see some incredible views.

[@RailWeekly]

100%! I have ridden this route in the autumn as well. Spectacular!

[@phidias523]

Great video! I rode the Capitol Limited in November 1995 from DC to Pittsburgh, round trip. Loved every minute of it. Back then I lived in a high-rise next to the tracks in Silver Spring, MD. I loved sitting on my balcony and watching it zip by eastbound and westbound on my days off. Back then it had lots more coaches than today's version. Beautiful train.

[@RailWeekly]

How cool!! I too live in a high rise near the tracks. Best view ever! I never get sick of it :-)

[@luzmalara5584]

Thanks for the video segments of the last B&O Capitol, May 1st, 1971. My family would regularly walk a mile to watch the Westbound Limited complete its station work at 63rd Street on Chicago's Southside. Always a Joy!!! Thanks again, Nathan in Chicago 🇺🇲

[@RailWeekly]

My pleasure, Nathan! That was footage taken by my father. He is a huge B&O fan. The Capitol has a huge significance in our family. :-)

[@samtrak1204]

Excellent presentation. Thanks.

[@RailWeekly]

My pleasure. Thank you for watching!

[@stephenkeever6029]

Really well done with great footage! Your videos are always enjoyable.

[@RailWeekly]

Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed!

[@SoCalHighIron]

10:01 I just LOVE the look of the Genesis locomotives in the Phase III livery. I hope Amtrak repaints some like this as they're refreshing the P42s that are still in service.

[@RailWeekly]

They have repainted almost all of the 700 series dual-mode locos for the Empire Service trains. But I think all P42s are being painted in phase VII now as they go through regular maintenance.

[@91_C4_FL]

I’ve ridden the Capital Limited in two iterations: in 2003 when it still had the lounge, dining, and freight cars, and more recently with its cut down consist. I was disappointed that Amtrak got rid of the lounge.

[@RailWeekly]

Same here. I have ridden all of those iterations as well. I also really miss the lounge car… especially for the portion through the mountains.

[@barroningram7286]

do one on the crescent southern railways combined southerner and crescent flagship train

[@RailWeekly]

That is very high on my list! My father worked for southern railway, so I have a lot of material to work with!

[@qapla]

Well done video. Rumor has it that the next change for the Capitol is that it will be combined in some fashion with the Silver Star to create a daily Miami to Chicago train through DC starting some time in November.

[@RailWeekly]

Thank you so much! And yea, I did a short video on that earlier this month. You can check it out here. I hope it happens! The Capitol Star? Silver Limited? MAYBE??!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2rclWhqncmMmcU

[@Airships]

Thanks!

[@Airships]

Your video about the Princeton Dinky introduced me to your channel, and I have been enjoying your other videos, including this one. Keep it up!

[@RailWeekly]

Thank you so much! That’s very generous of you.

[@chopperbillintexas5854]

Another GREAT job, Mike! Really well done, my friend....

[@RailWeekly]

Thank you very much! :-)

[@gloryannbatista6211]

Correction the 1996 silver spring side swipe was the one of two accidents that the capital limited involved the second one was in 2002 when train 30 was in Kensington when it derailed due to a faulty rail

[@RailWeekly]

To be fair, I didn’t say that was the only accident. Haha. Thank you for watching! :-)

[@davidaldinger113]

This video neglects to mention that that when Amtrak revived the Capital Limited it was a section of the Broadway Limited and later made into a separate train and wasn’t rerouted through Cleveland until 1991 or so.

[@PlaneBoy2520]

This video is so well done! Congrats on 10k subscribers btw!

[@RailWeekly]

Thank you so much!!

[@RichardinNC1]

The Capital Limited is on my Amtrak to-do list, hoping they bring back the lounge and dining cars. My grandfather worked on the B&O from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was based in Benwood WV, near Wheeling. It is possible that I rode on a part of the Capital Limited in the early 60s when too young to remember anything, as the family would use that route heading east to DC and south.

[@RailWeekly]

When you eventually ride it, try to do so in the summer. It gets dark just as you’re approaching the best scenery going Westbound. It’s not as much of an issue eastbound though. Even in the winter you see a lot.

[@chasebrown6508]

That accident also implemented the Fire, Smoke and Toxicity (FST) testing requirements for passengers equipment.

[@RailWeekly]

You are absolutely right! I didn’t do such a deep dive into the accident. There was an entire documentary on TLC just on this accident. The series was called “Why Trains Crash”. I believe you can still find it on KZbin if you’re interested!

[@chasebrown6508]

@@RailWeekly I’ll look it up, thanks!

[@chasebrown6508]

@5:30 Silver Springs!!

[@RailWeekly]

Yes indeed! That video was taken by my father. Silver Spring was a favorite rail fanning destination of his.

[@AlexThePatriot]

Does the Stourbridge Lion still exist today?

[@RailWeekly]

I’m not aware of one in the US. It’s quite possible one was preserved in the UK. I would need to look into this further.