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Regardless of how infinitesimal its load was, the Maple Leaf is worth bringing back across the border because it was the only train preserving the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge as an active rail line. For the sake of maintaining options for future, more useful cross border trains in an era with more...

I don't know if it was ultimately canceled, but 364 had engine problems tonight: left Chicago at 4 PM but never made it past CP 503 (18 miles past 21st St). As of 9 PM CT it was back in the yard, with everyone still aboard and presumably hitting the roof.

I don't think Amtrak's food decisions are influenced much by message board comments. Declining food sales would get its attention-- and actually would probably feel like a relief to Amtrak, giving it cover to ditch anything beyond a cafe car.

It's called self-preservation instinct and the Fifth Amendment. I don't fault Bostian or any criminal defendant, no matter how vile, for valuing his personal freedom instead of risking sacrificing it by talking to investigators. The issue was whether Bostian broke relevant laws. Since the jury...

Tear Madison Square Garden and the office building down, but keep the surviving 1910 staircase(s) to the tracks! And any other relics which may be hiding beneath the floors or walls.

I've noticed VIA has also eliminated mileages. Perhaps so you don't notice as much how slow you're going!

But was this a test, or an attempt to make a routine run?

Spoke too soon, LOL. Currently Empire Builder #7 is stopped between Grand Forks and Minot. Per an Amtrak agent, both Chargers died. Down to one P42. BNSF loaning an engine to get them west.

Several websites claim 4316 hurriedly had its PC black power washed, and given the Amtrak logo for PR photos at Chicago Union Station on 5/1/71. The closest I can find to a primary source for that is the 1972 Kalmbach book "Journey to Amtrak." This text and surrounding photos seem to imply that...

Wow. $171 million of public money for improvements to the NS mainline to add one round trip, and it could take five years to do so. Conrail hosted Amtrak's Broadway and Pennsylvanian until 1995 with the same number of tracks, with probably more freight traffic. I'm sure NS jumped at the chance...

They might have been horrified, but not enough to be willing to keep losing buckets of money by running the trains themselves.

The fancy aspects of the train were provided by Iowa Pacific. Unfortunately that lasted only 19 months.

Amtrak has been posting a lot of openings for various engineering positions in the NE, which will help facilitate all the stuff.

I don't want to sound pedantic, but unless you're actually being directed where to go by a sleeping car or long distance coach attendant, it's best to refer to those persons by their title-- conductor or assistant conductor. They're in charge of the train, responsible for the safety of everyone...

The northern ex-New York Central line was bi-directionally signaled, welded rail Centralized Traffic Control. The ex-Pennsylvania was antiquated "current of traffic" (each track signaled for movement in only one direction, using the wrong track required lower speeds) jointed rail with manned...

For Midwest trains, this thread's focus, we do know what seats they have bought and they are in service. The general public won't realize nor care that Amtrak didn't spec and doesn't own the cars. People buy their tickets from Amtrak and the trains say Amtrak, and that's all people will care...

It's too bad American railroads didn't standardize on one of the broader gauges in use in the 19th century. We could have had both wider aisles and seats!

I like the bigger windows, but will reserve final judgement until I actually sit down and find out if the seats are comfortable, which by no means will be a given.

I can see Amtrak's gears turning just fast enough in the next 5 years to issue a RFP and maybe bid request for additional equipment for the Cardinal, Sunset et. al. But given how it's taken since 2006 (yes!) from initial spec drafting to in-service for the Sumitomo-then-Siemens cars, I can't see...

There's an active wye at the west end of CN's Port Huron yard, which is actually about 1/2 mile closer to the Port Huron depot than the Pontiac depot is to the wye there. Apparently the yard tracks/switches arrangement makes it more of a pain to get to the Port Huron wye, though. Having to wait...