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West Point, Not sure if the UP would agree to that. After all, they OWN the line so they can call the shots right now. Now, they could SELL the line either to some jurisdiction under the Arizona DOT or possibly directly to Amtrak, but I haven't been able to find any news on that at all. I...

Mike, Indeed, reviving the line west of Phoenix would cost quite a bit of money but probably not a LOT of money. My hunch has been for years that the UP kinda wants the line revived too but they don't want to foot the entire bill for it. Reviving the line is really kind of a no-brainer. It...

What's the latest update on this? Back in March or April Amtrak published a map showing proposed new routes in light blue. The West Phoenix Line was included. Now that Biden's "infrastructure" bill has passed, the funds might be there to do this. But now all they're talking about is a new...

Codeshare? Codeshare? This subject sparked quite a few responses and ideas. However, it has little to do with any possible Amtrak expansion and less still with the map. Shouldn't we have started a new thread for this?

WOW ! ! ! Truly amazing what we've lost since 1957 ! You know there was a short period of time in America which only lasted about 30 years or so, that if you wanted to go from one city to another, you had the choice of a bus, a train, an airplane or your own automobile. Sadly, that didn't...

Quite frankly, I’m disappointed in Amtrak’s plan and especially in the map they came out with. A wise man once said “make no small plans”. I’m not sure who said that but in this case it most definitely applies. For the first time in its history, Amtrak has a strong, vocal advocate in the White...

Mark, Well, it is true that I could advocate and support the rebuilding of some lines but I don’t know about “every railroad everywhere”. First of all, I’m not sure how practical that would be to rebuild any lines. Possible, yes, but not necessarily practical. I do know of one line in Texas...

Tom, I seem to recall reading that the “You Pee” did express some interest in buying the Milwaukee. I suppose somebody could argue that it could’ve made a good fit for them. But it would’ve only taken one tour of the Railroad to see what kind of condition the Milwaukee’s track was in to...

Group, I’d like to explain one more thing about the Milwaukee Road debacle that seems to be little discussed in railfan circles. I’m certain that Mr. Meyer will sharply disagree with me and that’s fine, it is what it is, I guess. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the railroading world of the...

Mark, Well, well ! Will wonders ever cease! You have finally made a statement here that I can agree with! Regards, Fred M. Cain

Not sure if I should type this or not - perhaps moderation can delete if they wish. But I just have to say that I have had some correspondence, well, a lot of correspondence, really, with people who had worked for the Milwaukee and were inside the Company. They have told me that Mr. Meyer is...

Tod, Most interesting. You see although I now live in northern Indiana, I largely grew up in Arizona in the Tucson and Phoenix areas. I have always lamented the loss of the Douglas or "south line" as the SP used to call it. In my own personal, honest and humble opinion, this is yet another...

Good thoughts, jis, I fully agree !

Willbridge, Thank you much for your most insightful and informative comments. I appreciate reading them ! Regards, Fred M. Cain

In my own personal, honest and humble opinion, and I know some on this group would disagree, but I have always believed that the abandonment of the Milwaukee Road to the Northwest was a terrible and short-sighted decision. Corrupt or inept managers may have been to blame but so too were our...

Willbridge, I really think that your dad was partly right about that – that does seem to make sense. But it’s also true that the line was rather splendidly engineered as well. Since it was the last transcon built (or maybe that was the WP, I’m not sure now) they had some heavy construction...

Neroden, Michael Sol told me in an e-mail that back in the 1960s, The Milwaukee Road had a hot freight that ran from Chicago to Seattle that beat the competition by several hours *AND* they did that on bad and deteriorating track with slow orders appearing. Imagine what they could've done if...

One sad irony about the Milwaukee Road is that most if not all of the energy needed to run the electrification was generated from water power. “White coal” they called it since so much of the hydro power came from melting snow. If the line were still there today in today’s political...

I have this book. I found it a great read. It's a book that I like to put back on the shelf and then after a few years get it back down and read it again. It's not all "legalese". Ploss throws in some interesting anecdotes. I wish I coulda met the man. One of the best experts on the...

When Bill Clinton got elected in 1992, I got my hopes up that he would really do something for Amtrak and rail transit. But I was disappointed. Then, when Obama got in there, I was *REALLY* encouraged with some of his rhetoric. But again, we were let down. So, with Biden will it be different...