Green Maned Lion
Engineer
IIRC, most or all of them are simply awaiting scrapping.
It may count as Phoenix, but Maricopa is many miles south of Phoenix - and there is no transportation to Phoenix. In fact, if you request to go from say NYP or WAS to Phoenix, it will route you on the SWC to FLG and a thruway bus to Phoenix!In no way is it in the realm of reality unless you can con a family member or s.o. to take you, drop you off and pick you up( I've never even been brave enough to ask).The System Timetable says Maricopa counts as Phoenix. Not sure how realistic that is.Recently I tried to book a trip to Phoenix but found no connection possible from the sunset.
Last I knew, the Phoenix West line was out of service, but still in place. However, that does not mean able to be put back in service cheaply. The track is/was some or in all in old, probably pre WW2 jointed 113 lb/yd rail, a section unique to Southern Pacific, and of course the ties are way old by now. The signal system is/was a non-upgraded 1920's automatic block with semaphores which is probably no longer functional, even if the various parts are still there.At one point (many years ago), the SL did stop in Phoenix proper. But then after the derailment just west of there, and later abandonment of that line, it started serving Maricopa instead.
The track was fixed and the train ran a few more years after the derailment, if I recall correctly. The rail was jointed. The sabatour did not remove a section of rail. He removed a joint bar, shifted one rail over slightly and applied some sort of jumper cable so the break was invisible to the signal system. This was done on a curve in approach to a steel bridge of a couple of spans. Somebody left a note purporting to be a group never heard of before or since called the sons of the ***** or something like that.Let's not forget that the S/L derailment west of Phoenix was proven to be sabotage. I'm not so sure the track is welded rail either as the saboteur evidently removed a section of rail. My memory is very foggy on this as I believe it happened in the middle '90's. Any help George?
I know we are not supposed to disagree with you,because you know everything about everything, but a service only running x times a week is not likely to generate that much custom anyway, even once a day is regular enough that people can plan trips around it. If you have to stop and work out what day you need to travel and if it coincides with the train running, then to the average customer/passenger that's not a good deal.Just keep telling yourself that, ok?yeah right, Sure you did. Just like news analysis people needs to tell us what the canidates really meant to say.
They could not, for the reason everyone else states. Also, the Sunset, running daily, would, in my opinion, lose even more money. In the event that Amtrak gets a ****load more equipment and can run all the other trains and routes to their full potential, then making the Sunset daily would be great. Until that time, concentrating on the less-loss-heavy routes, upgrading overall capacity, and improving service on routes that get decent ridership makes alot more sense.Amtrak also have 27 hurricane evacuation train coaches in NOL. Why couldn't these coaches be used to make a daily Sunset.The coaches could always be returned in case of a hurricane.
Yes, that's it!Are you thinking of the Palo Verde derailment?
Yes, that's it!Are you thinking of the Palo Verde derailment?
Of course it would increase customers. I believe such an increase, however, would be Pyrrhic.I know we are not supposed to disagree with you,because you know everything about everything, but a service only running x times a week is not likely to generate that much custom anyway, even once a day is regular enough that people can plan trips around it. If you have to stop and work out what day you need to travel and if it coincides with the train running, then to the average customer/passenger that's not a good deal.Maybe, just maybe, daily service might encourage more custom......
I think the issue is that given a set of limited resources what is the best way to deploy them to get maximum return from those resources (according to some definition of that concept, which in itself may be open to debate). Is it better to deploy them to make Sunset daily? Or would it be better to deploy them to make say Cardinal daily? Or perhaps add cars to the CZ and say SWC? I don;t have an answer handy since I don;t have the relevant determining facts and figures available to me. However, I can think of scenarios where it might make sens eot make the Sunset daily as opposed to say adding cars to CZ and SWC, and also vice versa.Of course it would increase customers. I believe such an increase, however, would be Pyrrhic.I know we are not supposed to disagree with you,because you know everything about everything, but a service only running x times a week is not likely to generate that much custom anyway, even once a day is regular enough that people can plan trips around it. If you have to stop and work out what day you need to travel and if it coincides with the train running, then to the average customer/passenger that's not a good deal.Maybe, just maybe, daily service might encourage more custom......
Amtrak might want to make the Capitol it's premier train on the East coast, or at least one of the premier trains, but it is not currently Amtrak's premier train on the East Coast.Amtrak would be crazy to take their premier east coast train and downgrade it with the garbage CRC turns out to improve a train that is historically a financial black hole.
There you go again hating on non-NEC trains. You know well that train is at a huge disadvantage with tri-weekly service, however justAmtrak would be crazy to take their premier east coast train and downgrade it with the garbage CRC turns out to improve a train that is historically a financial black hole.
You sound just like the kill Amtrak LD train now advocates. Just a side note in your bias no understanding hate for the Sunset. The Texas Eaglewas equally as bad as the Sunset before it went daily.*wonders if you know what the NEC is*
*assumes a professorial voice*
The Northeast Corridor refers to several sections of track, primarily a 450 mile stretch between Washington DC and Boston. It also includes a 187 mile stretch between DC and Newport News, and a 62 mile stretch between New Haven Connecticut and Springfield, Mass. All but the 187 miles between DC and Newport are owned by either Amtrak or a commuter rail authority, and most of it is primarily passenger track. Some people would also include the 104 miles of the Keystone Service (also Amtrak owned and primarily passenger service), the 142 mile Empire Service corridor between Albany and New York City, the Downeaster's 116 mile route, and possibly even the remaining 319 miles of the Empire Service to Niagara Falls. Amtrak considers all of these its "Northeast Services".
The Capitol Limited, excluding the Washington Union Station itself, uses none of these tracks. It is not a Northeast Corridor train. The Cardinal currently runs the 226 miles between New York and Washington, but otherwise is not an NEC train. My earlier suggestion removes that section from the Cardinal, making it strictly Washington to Chicago. Naturally, by removing the NEC section of a train, I am favoring the NEC over the LD routes. I'm not sure how this works, but whatever.
If anything, I don't particularly like the NEC. I prefer longer, overnight trains. However, Amtrak is a company that depends on its serving profitable markets to justify its existence. Amtrak has limited resources, and it is simply sanity to allocate those resources to allow it to best serve its ENTIRE CUSTOMER BASE. If more people utilize Eastcoast to Chicago trains than NOL to LAX trains, supporting the Eastcoast to Chicago trains makes the most sense.
I, under no circumstances, am not in favor of the idea of a daily Sunset Limited. If you manage to pull the required equipment out of thin air to run that train without affecting the potential of the rest of the system, please, do make it daily. Until then, it is the worst performing passenger train based on PER PASSENGER loss, and other trains make a lot more sense to upgrade than the one that bleeds red ink like a ruptured jugular.
Since May 1971 Amtrak has been killing trains for the sake of bettering the remaining trains. Look at the current system, has it worked?Amtrak has limited resources, and it is simply sanity to allocate those resources to allow it to best serve its ENTIRE CUSTOMER BASE. If more people utilize Eastcoast to Chicago trains than NOL to LAX trains, supporting the Eastcoast to Chicago trains makes the most sense.
Only because its tri-weekly. If it was daily with the same numbers, then you have a point. Let me repeat, a coast to coast Sunset would serve 3 of the 4 largest states. 4 of the 10 largest cities in nation. 14 MSA with 300,000 ppl or more. No other LD train has a population base that big. In my opinion, Sunset has the potentialI'd say your statement was false. Of the original system, there have been a few re-routings, but other than the National Limited and Floridian, that system is still served, and then some.
I don't agree with everything the managment has done, but let me ask you: did the Hilltopper make sense? I don't think so. It was a train to nowhere. Dropping it was a sensible thing to do.
Write your congressman, give Amtrak the resources they need to run the whole system to its full potential. Until then, they have to do the best they can, and the Sunset is not the best train for expansion given its numbers.