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" logos such as these often adorned the ends of observation cars on the ''Empire State Express''.]] The ''Empire State Express'' was one of the Named Passenger Trains and onetime flagship of the New York Central And Hudson River Railroad (a predecessor of the modern New York Central Railroad ). It became the world's first high-speed passenger train on September 14, 1891 when it covered the 436 Mile s (702 Kilometer s) between New York City and Buffalo in just 7 hours and 6 minutes (including stops). The train averaged 61.4 Miles-per-hour (98.8 Km/h ), a new world speed record in rail travel, with an officially-recorded top speed of 82 mph (132 km/h), though observers claimed to have clocked the train at 112 mph, or 180 km/h. In short order, the train would gain worldwide celebrity, and its route would stretch to almost 1,000 miles (1,600 km), with Chicago, Illinois as its western terminus. In addition to its other notable accomplishments, the ''Empire State'' was the first passenger train to maintain a regular schedule speed of over 52 mph (84 km/h), and the first to make runs of 142.88 miles (230 km) between stops (between New York City and Albany , the longest scheduled nonstop run ever attempted). When Amtrak took over operation of the nation's passenger service on May 1 , 1971 it thereby ended the 90-year run of the ''Empire State Express'' on the New York Central, though Amtrak would continue to use the name for many years to come. Today, a portion of the route is covered by Amtrak's '' Empire Service ''. ''EMPIRE STATE EXPRESS'' NO. 999 in 1905.]] The key to the ''Empire State's'' initial fame was a specially-outfitted, 37-foot-long American-type 4-4-0 Steam Locomotive that was built especially to haul the train. The handmade unit was mounted on 86" diameter driving wheels, and was the first of its kind to have brakes mounted to the front truck. The bands, pipes, and trim were highly polished; the boiler, smokestack, domes, cab, and tender were given a black satin finish, and "''Empire State Express''" was applied to the sides of the tender in 2'-6" high gold leaf lettering. No. 999 entered service in May of 1893, making the trip from Syracuse, New York to the Chicago World's Fair . The ''Express'' was recorded traveling at 121.5 mph (195.5 km/h) during an exhibition run between Batavia and Buffalo on May 10, making No. 999 the fastest-moving manmade invention of its time and the first object on wheels to exceed 100 mph (161 km/h). Over 3,000 scale replicas were sold and shipped to Amusement Park s as far away as South Africa and Thailand , and manufacturers of electric train sets began putting No. 999 on their locomotives. Advances in locomotive design, particularly the advent of Diesel-electric power, eventually rendered No. 999 obsolete. After touring the nation and making appearances at numerous expositions including the Chicago Railroad Fair , the unit (regarded by many as the world's most beautiful locomotive ever built) was retired from service in May, 1952 at which time it was relegated to Yard Switching service in western New York shuttling express service Milk Cars . The New York Central donated the locomotive to the Chicago Museum Of Science And Industry in 1962, where it has been preserved and placed on static display. {Link without Title} EQUIPMENT USED An early (''circa'' 1905) Heavyweight consist: Note: The Vice President's private car was often attached to the end of the train for special excursions. IN SONG AND ON FILM In 1896, the ''Empire State Express'' was the subject of a short documentary film, which was described by the critics of the day as "''The greatest train view ever taken.''" In 1965, Blues singer and Guitarist Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. , at the time a New York Central employee, recorded "Empire State Express" at the New York Folk Festival : ::excerpt from "Empire State Express" by Son House REFERENCES SEE ALSO
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