The Maple Leaf arriving at Allentown station on its final run, February 4, 1961.
(Unknown author, Self-scanned, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
MAPLE LEAF (LEHIGH VALLEY)
This article is about the Lehigh Valley Railroad train. For other Maple Leaf trains, see index.
The Maple Leaf was an international night train between New York City and Toronto, operated by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in coordination with the Canadian National Railway. It ran from Pennsylvania Station in New York City and it concluded at Toronto's Union Station. It began in 1937; and a predecessor LV train on a similar itinerary was the Toronto. The Maple Leaf and the John Wilkes were the last named passenger trains operated by the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
The route was double tracked from New York City to Niagara Falls; and in the Finger Lakes Region it bypassed several local stations. In contrast to the LV's Black Diamond and Star, it bypassed Ithaca on the northbound trip. However, in the final years of the Maple Leaf, after the discontinuance of those trains, it did stop in Ithaca. The train had an alternate section operated with the Reading Railroad, which originated at Reading Terminal in Philadelphia and linked with the main part of the Maple Leaf train in Bethlehem.
The train had its final departure on February 3, 1961.
In 1981, Amtrak and Via Rail reintroduced the Maple Leaf name for their New York–Toronto train, the first direct rail service between these cities since 1967. The modern Maple Leaf uses the Empire Corridor through New York State rather than the historic route of the Lehigh Valley train, neither entering New Jersey nor Pennsylvania.
Overview
Service type: Inter-city rail
Status: Discontinued
Locale: Northeastern United States/Ontario
Predecessor: Toronto
First service: 1937
Last service: February 3, 1961
Former operator: Lehigh Valley Railroad, Canadian National Railway, Reading Railroad
Route Termini: New York City and Philadelphia / Toronto
Distance traveled: 548 miles (882 km) (New York City-Toronto)
Average journey time: 13 hours, 50 minutes, northbound / 13 hours, 25 minutes, southbound (1953)
Service frequency: Daily
Train numbers: Northbound: 7, Southbound: 8
On-board services
Seating arrangements: Coach
Sleeping arrangements: Open-sections, double bedrooms and drawing room
Catering facilities: Dining car (New York-Lehighton, PA)
Observation facilities: Cafe-lounge (New York-Lehighton); cafe-parlor car (Niagara Falls, ON-Toronto)
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)