Somebody mentioned that the two stations from which the PRR and NYC departed Chicago were on the other side of town from each other, kind of implying a great distance since Chicago has always been kind of a spread out town. A better description would be to say that those stations (Chicago Union Station and LaSalle Street Station) were only about 5 city blocks apart. That distance gradually narrowed until they reached Englewood Station which was also in Chicago, just somewhat further south. From there, they both started their curve around the southern tip of Lake Michigan, and, if I remember correctly, NYC had the inside lane of that curve, giving them a little "advantage" in that race.
Chuck
