Long before Amtrak carried passengers across New York State, the Empire State Express stood as one of the great railroad names in American transportation history. Running between Buffalo and Manhattan, the train became a symbol of speed, engineering, promotion, and New York Central Railroad pride at a time when rail travel helped connect cities, towns, businesses, tourism, and daily life across the state. The story of the Empire State Express is not just the story of a train; it is also a story about New York’s ambition in the late nineteenth century and how public transportation helped shape the movement of people across the Empire State.
Photo: Rare Book Division, The New York Public Library. “2c Empire State Express single” New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Long before there was Amtrak in New York, there was the Empire State Express train. The legendary New York Empire State Express train was a locomotive that traveled from Buffalo, New York, to New York City’s borough of Manhattan and back. The train was among the United States’ earliest long-distance passenger trains to run at high speeds. The Empire State Express began its first daily run on December 7, 1891. The train got the name the Empire State Express not because it was a nonstop train between Buffalo and Manhattan, but because of the short time it took to travel between the two cities. For a trip that was separated by the distance of four hundred and sixty-one miles, the Empire State Express train was able to complete that trip in between seven and eight hours. At the time, that may not have seemed that impressive, but in 1891, it was a spectacular feat.
The Empire State Express train was part of what was called the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. In 1914, the name would be changed to just the New York Central Railroad. At the time, the Empire State Express train would become the flagship train of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad.
The Empire State Express Route
As stated previously, “express” did not mean “nonstop”. An example itinerary for the Empire State Express would have the train depart Grand Central in Manhattan at 8:00 a.m. Ten minutes later, the train would make a stop at the 125th Street station in Manhattan. Once it left the city, it would make stops in Harmon, Albany, Schenectady, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and finally Buffalo by 4:00 p.m.
Photo: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. “George H. Daniels.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 17, 2019. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/
George Henry Daniels And The Power Of Promotion
The Empire State Express train was named by George Henry Daniels. There weren’t many avenues to advertise the express train in the late nineteenth century. George Henry Daniels promoted the train by designing pamphlets that bore his name at the bottom. At the time, George Henry Daniels held the title of General Passenger Agent. It was a position that was offered to him by the New York Central Railroad because of the work he had done with the Chicago & Pacific Railroad as the Chicago Eastbound Passenger Committee. George Henry Daniels’ work with the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad proved invaluable from a marketing standpoint. George Henry Daniels was responsible not only for all the travel brochures promoting the railroad and the Empire State Express, but also for publishing a magazine out of New York’s Grand Central Terminal called Four-Track News.
One of George Henry Daniels’ most spectacular achievements regarding the Empire State Express was securing the United States Post Office’s issuance of a stamp in tribute to the Empire State Express. The United States Post Office issued a two-cent stamp in tribute to the Empire State Express as part of the Pan-American Exposition Series. The Empire State Express U.S. postal stamp was issued in 1901.
The Empire State Express Locomotive And Speed Record
The Empire State Express train was originally built out of standard wooden cars. The standard wooden cars were purchased from the Wagner Palace Car Company. The train’s locomotive was a C Class 4-4-0 American Type steam locomotive. It was a very powerful locomotive with four leading and four driving wheels. Two years after the initial launch of the Empire State Express, the train broke a speed record. On May 10, 1893, Charles Hogan hit a land speed record of 112.5 miles per hour. The speed record helped George Henry Daniels convince the United States Post Office to issue the commemorative stamp.
The Empire State Express In The Twentieth Century
From 1881 to 1941, the Empire State Express train made over forty thousand trips between Buffalo and Manhattan. The train was periodically upgraded with more heavy-duty cars and faster locomotives, such as the J Class 4-6-4 Hudson. Eventually, the train was completely reconfigured, with the addition of stainless steel cars from the Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company. Air conditioning was also added to the cars, as well as parlor cars, diner cars, and a tavern-based observation car. The new Empire State Express train was set to be inaugurated on Sunday, December 7, 1941. However, the importance of the presentation of the new train quickly disappeared as the Japanese began their raid on Pearl Harbor.
The Legacy Of The Empire State Express
The Empire State Express train continued to run throughout the twentieth century. In 1999, Amtrak dropped the name from the train, deciding to give all its trains just numbers. While the rail line that once set the record still exists, it is now owned by Amtrak, and its connections are still used by passengers. The Empire State Express will go down in history as one of the most important pioneers in New York State’s public transportation network, standing alongside other great New York transportation landmarks, such as Grand Central Terminal, in the larger story of how New Yorkers moved through the state and beyond.
Photo: A.P. Yates [Public domain]
Sources
Full Photo Credit: Rare Book Division, The New York Public Library. “2c Empire State Express single” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 17, 2019. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/5e66b3e8-824d-d471-e040-e00a180654d7
Photo: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. “George H. Daniels.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 17, 2019. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-71c2-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Eisenstadt, P. E. (2005). The Encyclopedia of New York State, editor in chief, Peter Eisenstadt; managing editor, Laura-Eve Moss; foreword by Carole F. Huxley. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. p. 503.
Empire State Express. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.american-rails.com/empire.html
For more New York Transit articles, make sure to check out our fabulous History of Penn Station piece
Article updated June 28 2026
