source: Baltimore and Ohio System Timetable, July 6, 1947[2]
After the B&O's discontinuation of passenger service to New York on April 26, 1958, the eastern terminus of the Diplomat was Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, the B&O was never in a position to directly compete against the much faster and more populous routes the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad trains used between New York and St. Louis. Instead, the B&O concentrated on service, and won consistent loyalty from business travelers and the general public alike. However, the B&O suffered from a lack of large population centers along the route. Only Cincinnati, Ohio, represented a truly large city big enough between Washington and St. Louis that could add a significant amount of passenger traffic.
The B&O discontinued service between Cincinnati and Baltimore on September 17, 1960, leaving a rump train between St. Louis and Cincinnati. The B&O discontinued the train altogether on April 30, 1961, leaving the National Limited to handle passengers on the route.[3]
By the end of 1964, the B&O revived the train, but with a new itinerary. It would now travel as #7 from Washington, D.C.'s Union Station to Chicago, Illinois' Grand Central Station, and as #8 in the east-bound direction. Major intermediate stops for this route's itinerary northwest of Maryland included Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Akron and Gary.[4]
Amenities in equipment consisted of, in addition to coaches: roomette / double bedroom sleeping cars, dining-lounge car and a dining car. Schedules advertised a connection in Deshler, Ohio to the B&O's Cincinnatian bound for Toledo and Detroit. Passengers making the Washington-bound trip would take the Night Express from Detroit.[5] However, in 1966, catering was simplified to a food bar coach.[6] 1968 was the final year that the Diplomat appeared. In the final years approaching the termination of B&O passenger service, the Capitol Limited was the only remaining Washington-Chicago B&O train.[7]
References
^Harwood, Herbert H. Jr. (1990). Royal Blue Line. Sykesville, Md.: Greenberg Publishing. ISBN0-89778-155-4.
^Baltimore and Ohio System Timetable. Baltimore: B&O Press. July 6, 1947. p. 9.
^Welsh, Joe (2007). Baltimore & Ohio's Capitol Limited and National Limited. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. p. 127. ISBN978-0-7603-2533-9.
^Official Guide of the Railways, December 1964, Baltimore & Ohio section, Tables 1, 4
^Official Guide of the Railways, December 1964, Baltimore & Ohio section, Tables 1, 4