Trains 50 & 51, The Cardinal
Amtrak's service on this route began as separate trains: the James
Whitcomb Riley, from Chicago to Cincinnati using the old Big Four (NYC) route
through Kankakee and Indianapolis; and, the George Washington from
Cincinnati east, along the C&O line, with sections for both Washington, DC, and
Newport News. The trains were combined on July 12, 1971, using one name
eastbound and the other westbound. The train used the Illinois Central station
in Chicago until March 6, 1972, when it moved to Union Station. From October 29,
1972, the trains used a new portable station in Cincinnati, on the connecting
track between the Big Four and C&O lines. (Service returned to Cincinnati's
Union Station in the 1990s.)
Chicago Union Station to 21st Street and Halsted Street
St. Charles Air Line
South Wye Junction to BRC Connections
BRC Connections to BOCT Connection
BOCT Connection to Harvey
Harvey to Richton
Richton to Kankakee
Kankakee to Templeton
Templeton to Lafayette (Altamont)
Altamont to Brant
Brant to IJ (Indianapolis)
IJ to Washington Street (Indianapolis)
Washington Street to Greensburg
Greensburg to Valley Junction
Storrs Junction to Valley Junction
RH Tower to Storrs Junction
From January 23, 1972, the Chicago to Cincinnati routing moved to the ex-Pennsylvania: Chicago to Indianapolis, via Logansport, and
from October 16, 1973 Indianapolis to
Cincinnati, via Richmond, IN. From May 19, 1974, the trains became known as the
James Whitcomb Riley over the entire route in both directions.
Chicago Union Station to 21st Street and Halsted Street
21st Street to Englewood
Englewood to CP 509/River Junction
CP 509/River Junction to Colehour Junction (and Hammond-Whiting)
Colehour Junction to Bernice
Bernice to Maynard
Maynard to Peoria Junction (Logansport)
Peoria Junction to Anoka (Logansport)
Anoka to Anderson
Routes into and out of Indianapolis varied on a day-to-day basis
according to traffic, moving from the north to Indianapolis either from Peoria
Junction or Anderson and from Indianapolis to the east either via Anderson or
Richmond
Peoria Junction to CP Clermont
CP Clermont to Indianapolis (CP IJ)
CP IJ to Washington Street (Downtown Indianapolis)
Washington Street to Belt Junction (Indianapolis)
Belt Junction (Indianapolis) to Anderson
Washington Street to Richmond
Anderson to New Castle
New Castle to Richmond and Hamilton
Evendale to Hamilton
Winton Place to Evendale
Cincinnati to Winton Place
The train began detouring on the ex-C&O route between Chicago and
Cincinnati on August 1, 1974, with a connection via Erie-Lackawanna between
Hammond and Griffith, IN using C&O trackage rights that were relinquished at the
start of Conrail on April 1, 1976, leading to a divergence onto a C&O line
between Pine Junction and La Crosse, IN, on June 12, 1977. The train became the
Cardinal on October 30, 1977.
Hohman Avenue (Hammond) to Griffith
Griffith to La Crosse
Pine Junction to Wellsboro
Wellsboro to La Crosse
La Crosse to Peru
Peru to Muncie
Muncie to Richmond
Richmond to Cottage Grove
"Cincinnati" to Cottage Grove
The route between Cottage Grove, IN, and Cincinnati switched to the B&O
via Hamilton, OH, (see below) on July 17, 1978, due to closure of the C&O
route between those points. The train was shut down between September
30, 1981, and January 8, 1982, due to political maneuvering. The Hoosier
State began running on the former Monon line out of Chicago (see below) on
October 1, 1980, with a hiatus from September 8, 1995, to July 19, 1998,
latterly running only on the days when the Cardinal does not run.
The train moved to the former Monon line from Chicago to Crawfordsville,
IN, and Conrail thence through Indianapolis (see below) to the B&O Indianapolis line on
which it was already running, on April 28, 1986. Its exit from Chicago was moved to the C&EI via Dolton and Thornton
Junctions on June 30, 1993.
Chicago Union Station to 21st Street and Halsted Street
21st Street to 76th Street +
81st Street to Dolton Junction
Dolton Junction to Thornton Junction
Thornton Junction to Maynard
Maynard to Dyer & St. Johns
Dyer to Monon
Monon to Lafayette
The route in Lafayette ran down Fifth Street until moved to its current
alignment on July 22, 1994
Lafayette to Ames
Ames to Indianapolis (CP IJ)
Downtown Indianapolis
Indianapolis to Hamilton
Winton Place to Hamilton
CT Junction to Winton Place
Cincinnati Union Terminal
From 1973 to July 29, 1991, when it returned to CUT, the train used a
prefabiricated station on River Road, below the 6th Street Viaduct.
CT Junction to KC Junction (Greater Cincinnati)
KC Junction to Melbourne
Melbourne to NJ Cabin
NJ Cabin to Big Sandy Junction
Big Sandy Junction to Barboursville
Barboursville to St. Albans
St. Albans to Clifton Forge
Clifton Forge to Gordonsville
Gordonsville to Orange
Orange to Manassas Junction
Manassas Junction to AF Tower
AF Tower to Virginia Avenue Junction
Washington Union Terminal (Virginia Avenue Junction to New York Avenue)
The Cardinal has operated to New York between November 14, 1971
and April 30, 1972 (actually, to and from Boston), January 8, 1982 and September
10, 1995, and since October 26, 2003.
New York Avenue to Landover
Landover to Baltimore
Baltimore to Perryville
Perryville to Newark, DE
Newark, DE to Arsenal (Philadelphia)
Zoo Interlocking to Arsenal (Philadelphia)
Zoo Interlocking to North Philadelphia
North Philadelphia to Frankford Junction
Frankford Junction to Trenton
Rahway to Trenton
Hunter to Rahway
Kearney Connection to Hunter
Penn Station (New York City) to Kearney Connection
Penn Station (New York City)
From the inception of Amtrak to June 14, 1976, a section of the train ran
between Charlottesville and Newport News, VA.