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Uh, well, not sure about the penny pinching part but I was just wondering about the direct effects of the weather. For snow to reach axles on trains, the snow (or its associated drifts) needs to reach at LEAST two feet. The storm of late last week didn't reach anything near that. Most of the...

True. But, has the "err on the side of caution" mentality been taken too far? If Amtrak could get people home safely, albeit late, in a blizzard where planes and automobiles can't, that would surely be a feather in Amtrak's cap. This would also help strengthen public support for passenger...

Well, that all depends upon whether Amtrak management was really short that much help due to sickness, or, were they using the pandemic as an excuse to cut service? I guess we'll just have to wait and find out.

One thing I'm wondering about here: With these bad winter storm forecasts, are CSX and Norfolk Southern pre-emptively grinding to a halt as well? Or are they making efforts to keep running? Regards, Fred M. Cain

How often did these kinds of cancellations happen back in the Pennsylvania and New Haven Railroad days? I remember one really bad snowstorm when I was a kid in the early '60s. All planes were grounded and nothing in the way of ground transportation moved between Washington and New York...

Amtrak Blue, Is this table for sure right? It shows train #'s 30 and 48-448 as operating westbound. I thought that even numbers ran east and odd numbers west or, did Amtrak change that at some point? Regards, Fred M. Cain

HEY ! Me too! I had two coach seats reserved on train #30 Chicago-Elkhart on March 18 and just received a cancellation notice by e-mail supposedly from Amtrak that the train has been cancelled "due to service disruptions"? HOW is this possible? That is nearly two months away! Are they...

Well, now that the big infrastructure legislation has passed, the money will surely be there from the feds to restore the Phoenix-Wellton line to full operation. And it is, in fact, in Amtrak’s long-term plans. Amtrak planned to have the line back by 2035, I think, but that was about a year...

An interesting side note on Maricopa here, Phoenix's very FIRST railroad ran directly from the mainline at Maricopa northward to Tempe then on to Phoenix. The UP's current West Chandler branch is actually a cut-back from that first line. After the Picacho-Phoenix-Wellton line was opened in...

In an effort to bring this thread up to date just a bit, HOW if Amtrak currently serving Phoenix? Is there currently a bus connection from the Flagstaff Amtrak depot? I think there might be a bus from Maricopa 'cause it was referenced in an NARP timetable that was put on the web but no metion...

We seem to have wandered off the topic of the Sunset Limited & Phoenix and at the danger of encouraging this, I can add this about the Raton line: A lot of passengers use Amtrak's long-distance (LD) trains for the scenery. And the scenery is exceptional along the Raton line especially from...

Thanks, Todd ! BUT ! ! ! ! ! It might also be a good idea to change that address on the website here: Microsoft Word - 2019 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION (1) (1) (3) (starchapter.com) Who knows? Perhaps more people like me tried to send a donation only to have it returned by the post office. Not...

Neroden, I think your comments on RPA are well taken. I don't know if I was sending e-mails directly to Jim or not but I was using that generic e-mail address posted on the website. It just seemed to me that it would've been nice had someone taken the time to respond but, oh well such is...

Todd, Well, O.K., I guess I can understand or take this into consideration. If you can, see if you can get me a working P.O. box to renew dues at. (I have no computer at home so I prefer "snail mail"). The letter with my dues that was returned went to Prescott. Is that no longer a working...

The last time I rode over the line was in the summer of 1989. I was aboard a late-running eastbound Sunset Limited and it was already starting to get daylight as we clattered through the junction switch at Wellton. I took up residence in the last car looking out the back so I could observe the...

Todd, I sure hope you see this e-mail, 'cause I have an issue with "All Aboard Arizona". I have sent a couple of e-mails looking for the status of the Wellton Branch and Sunset Limited - no response. But what's worse, a couple of months ago I renewed my dues and the letter was returned by the...

I now have somewhat of an update on this. Late Friday, I received a newsletter from the “All Aboard Arizona” rail advocacy group. Not sure why since I have paid no dues for about two years. Anyhow, the newsletter was almost entirely on the subject of the Sunset Limited. The plans to move...

Neroden, Well, the powers that be at Amtrak and in state and federal governments, have decided that they want to keep and maintain the line through Raton, Lamy & Albuquerque, NM. Or, at least for the foreseeable future. You might be able to argue that keeping that line is even more difficult...

One thing to remember, though, is that if the Sunset were to run daily again, running through Phoenix would very likely encounter less freight train interference between Wellton and Picacho as it did back in the old SP days. If the line were fully revived, the UP would probably only run one...

George, You are mostly correct in that upgrading the line to modern (i.e. 79MPH) standards would not be cost effective for a thrice weekly train. In fact, if the Sunset would run daily, such an investment would still be somewhat questionable. However, my theory is and always has been, that...