Boston & Maine southbound Train 76, The Ambassador, passing freight north of Bellows Falls, VT on September 5, 1965. Click to enlarge.
(Photo by Roger Puta, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
AMBASSADOR
(Not to be confused with the B&O Ambassador passenger train)
The Ambassador was a passenger train that traveled from Boston, Massachusetts and New York City, New York to Montreal, Quebec. The train was jointly operated by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, Boston and Maine Railroad, the Central Vermont Railroad, and the Canadian National Railway. Beginning service on April 26, 1926, the Ambassador operated on a daytime schedule between Boston and Montreal, with coach, dining, and parlor cars in the consist. The route going north of White River Junction went northwest, through Montpelier and Essex Junction toward Montreal. There were also through cars to New York City offered until the mid-1950s, split from the Ambassador's consist in White River Junction, Vermont and added to the Connecticut Yankee train for points south. In its route from Boston's North Station it passed through Manchester (Union Station), Concord and Franklin in New Hampshire.
In 1956, with traffic declining, through service to Boston from Montreal was terminated, replaced with a transfer to Boston and Maine rail diesel cars at White River Junction, and the Ambassador name was applied to the Montreal—New York City train, which by 1958 lost food service and consisted only of coaches. On September 3, 1966, the Ambassador was discontinued after its operators sought and received approval from the Interstate Commerce Commission to terminate service.
Overview
Service type: Inter-city rail
Status: Discontinued
Locale: Northeastern United States/Quebec
First service: April 26, 1926
Last service: September 3, 1966
Former operators: Boston & Maine; New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad; Canadian National Railway; Central Vermont Railway
Route Termini: Boston, Massachusetts and New York City, New York / Montreal, Quebec
Distance traveled: 327.2 miles (526.6 km) (1949) (Boston - Montreal)
Average journey time: 9 hours, 25 minutes
Service frequency: Daily
Train numbers: 307 (northbound) / 332 (southbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangements: Coach seating
Catering facilities: Cafe grill car, only Montreal to White River Junction (1949)
Observation facilities: Parlor car
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route
Distance - City
328 mi / 528 km - Montreal
302 mi / 486 km - St. Johns
QC
VT
260 mi / 418 km - St. Albans
247 mi / 398 km - Milton
236 mi / 380 km - Essex Junction
214 mi / 344 km - Waterbury
196 mi / 315 km - Northfield
175 mi / 282 km - Randolph
167 mi / 269 km - Bethel
161 mi / 259 km - South Royalton
143 mi / 230 km - White River Junction
VT
NH
73 mi / 117 km - Concord
56 mi / 90 km - Manchester
39 mi / 63 km - Nashua
NH
MA
26 mi / 42 km - Lowell
0 - Boston