Former Host Railroads of Amtrak Routes

[Seaboard92]

Well that really isn't the best way to phrase it but here are the former Class Ones from the Golden Era that have an Amtrak train hosted on their route.

Atlantic Coastline
~Richmond, VA-Tampa, FL 889 Miles

Total Miles: 889 Miles

Baltimore & Ohio
Washington, DC-Pittsburgh, PA 299 Miles
Cincinnati, OH-Indianapolis, IN 123 Miles

Total Miles: 422 Miles

Boston & Maine
Boston, MA-Brunswick, ME 145 Miles
Springfield, MA-White River Junction 127 Miles

Total Miles: 272 Miles

Chesapeake & Ohio
~Orange, VA-Cincinnati, OH 515 Miles
~Newport News, VA-Richmond, VA Main St. 70 Miles
~Porter, IN-Grand Rapids, MI 137 Miles

Total Miles: 722 Miles

Central Vermont Railway
St. Albans, VT-White River Junction 118 Miles

Total Miles: 118 Miles

Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy "Burlington Route"
~Chicago, IL-Denver, CO 1,038 Miles
~Quincy, IL-Galesburg, IL 96 Miles

Total Miles: 1,134 Miles

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, & Pacific "Milwaukee Road"
~Chicago, IL-St. Paul, MN 411 Miles

Total Miles: 411

Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific "Rock Island"
~Dallas, TX-Fort Worth, TX 31 Miles

Total Miles: 31 Miles

Chicago & Western Indiana
~Dolton, IL-Fulmer Park, IL 15 Miles

Total Miles: 15 Miles

Delaware & Hudson
Schenectady, NY-Rouses Point, NY 173 Miles

Total Miles: 173

Denver, Rio Grande, & Western
~Denver, CO-Salt Lake City, UT 570 Miles

Total Miles: 570 Miles

Grand Trunk & Western
~Battle Creek, MI-Port Huron, MI 157 Miles
~Detroit, MI-Pontiac, MI 22 Miles
~Maynard, IN-Throndale Junction 6 Miles

Total Miles: 185 Miles

Great Northern
~Fargo, ND-Sandpoint, ID 1,151 Miles
~Spokane, WA-Seattle, WA 326 Miles
~Everett, WA-Vancouver, BC 123 Miles

Total Miles: 1,600 Miles

Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio
~Chicago, IL-St. Louis, MO 284 Miles

Total Miles: 284 Miles

Illinois Central
~Chicago, IL-New Orleans, LA 934 Miles

Total Miles: 934 Miles

Missouri-Kansas-Texas
~Temple, TX-Taylor, TX 38 Miles
~New Braunfels, TX-San Antonio, TX 46 Miles

Total Miles: 84 Miles

Missouri Pacific
~San Antonio, TX-Taylor, TX 117 Miles
~Texarkana, AR/TX-St. Louis, MO 490 Miles
~St. Louis, MO-Kansas City, MO 283 Miles

Total Miles: 890 Miles

Monon
~Crawfordsville, IN-Dyer, IN 120 Miles

Total Miles: 120 Miles

New York Central System
~New York, NY-Hammond, IN (NYC&HR, LS&MS) 943 Miles
~Boston, MA-Albany, NY (B&A) 200 Miles
~Detroit, MI-Porter, IN (MC) 241 Miles
~Clermont, IN-Crawfordsville, IN 35 Miles
~Buffalo, NY-Niagara Falls, NY 26 Miles

Total Miles: 1,445 Miles

New York Connecting Railroad
~New York, NY-New Rochelle, NY 19 Miles

Total Miles: 19

New York, New Haven, & Hartford
~New Rochelle, NY-Boston, MA 212 Miles
~New Haven, CT-Springfield, MA 60 Miles

Total Miles: 272 Miles

Norfolk & Western
~Norfolk, VA-Collier, VA 80 Miles
~Roanoke, VA-Lynchburg, VA 50 Miles

Total Miles: 130 Miles

Northern Pacific
~St. Paul, MN-Fargo, ND 252 Miles
~Sandpoint, ID-Pasco, WA 212 Miles
~Portland, OR-Seattle, WA 187 Miles

Total Miles: 651 Miles

Pennsylvania Railroad
~Washington, DC-New York, NY 225 Miles
~Philadelphia, PA-Pittsburgh, PA 353 Miles
~Pittsburgh, PA-Alliance, OH 84 Miles
~Alliance, OH-Cleveland, OH 56 Miles
~Hammond, IN-Chicago, IL 16 Miles
~Indianapolis, IN-Clermont, IN 12 Miles
~Washington, DC-Alexandria, VA 8 Miles

Total: 754 Miles

Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac
Alexandria, VA-Richmond, VA 101 Miles

Total Miles: 101 Miles

Rutland Railroad
Rutland, VT-Whitehall, NY 44 Miles

Total Miles: 44 Miles

Santa Fe
~Cameron, IL-Los Angeles, CA 2,096 Miles
~Fullerton, CA-San Diego, CA 102 Miles
~Oklahoma City, OK-Temple, TX 336 Miles
~Bakersfield, CA-McAvoy, CA 278 Miles

Total Miles: 2,812 Miles

Seaboard Airline
~Richmond, VA Acca Yard-Richmond, VA Main St 4 Miles
~Raleigh, NC-Georgetown, GA 349 Miles
~Auburndale, FL-Miami, FL 216 Miles

Total Miles: 569 Miles

Southern Pacific
~Wells, NV-Sacramento, CA 493 Miles
~New Orleans, LA-Los Angeles, CA 1,994 Miles
~Los Angeles, CA-Sacramento, CA 556 Miles
~Maryville, CA-Portland, OR 596 Miles
~Sacramento, CA-Stockton, CA 46 Miles
~Newark, CA-San Leandro, CA 21.4 Miles
~Martinez, CA-McAvoy, CA 5 Miles

Total Miles: 3,711 Miles

Southern Railway
~Alexandria, VA-New Orleans, LA 1,139 Miles
~Greensboro, NC-Selma, NC 109 Miles

Total Miles: 1,248 Miles

Spokane, Portland, & Seattle
~Vancouver, WA-Pasco, WA 220 Miles

Total Miles: 220 Miles

Texas & Pacific
~Texarkana, AR/TX-Dallas, TX 217 Miles

Total Miles: 217 Miles

Western Pacific
~Salt Lake City, UT -Winnemucca, NV 405 Miles
~Sacramento, CA-Maryville, CA 41 Miles

Total Miles: 446 Miles

 

[Ryan]

Interesting list.

Baltimore & Ohio
Washington, DC-Pittsburgh, PA 299 Miles
Cincinnati, OH-Indianapolis, IN 123 Miles

Total Miles: 122 Miles

Check your maths (looks like a ten-key typo)

 

[Seaboard92]

Interesting list.


Check your maths (looks like a ten-key typo)

Thank you I didn't catch that.

It is very interesting to look at.

It's no surprise that the western railroads especially the Southern Pacific have such a high number of miles strictly because of the distances involved, and for SP they dominated the west coast.

It's also no surprise that the New York Central is doing better than the Pennsylvania Railroad as they had the better routes almost in the entirety of the midwest. The running joke I've always heard is that the Pennsylvania Railroad and especially the Baltimore & Ohio purposely diverted to avoid major cities meanwhile the New York Central System had what could be some strong corridors. With even more that could be built up even now.

I should go thru the Amtrak Connectus Map and break that down as well.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

No Union Pacific at all?

 

[Bob Dylan]

The Southern Pacific route still has the Sunset Ltd that runs between LA and New Orleans 3 times a week just like in pre-Amtrak days.

 

[jphjaxfl]

Amtrak also operated the Empire Builder from Minneapolis to Fargo via Willmar on the Great Northern Route. The Northcoast Hiawatha used the former Northern Pacific Route that the Empire Builder currently uses. I was stationed at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota from 1/72 to 5/75 and made many trips on the Willmar line. Great Northern also had a second line from Minneapolis to St. Cloud. One night there was a freight train derailment on the Empire Builder route west of Minneapolis and the train was rerouted via that route which is partially going to be used as a light rail line out of Minneapolis.

Also the Floridian was routed on the former Monon Route from Crawfordsville to Louisville from 1975 to 1979. I road the Floridian numerous times. The Railroad used street routing through New Albany, Indiana. It was great to sit in the dome coach while the train followed 13th Street in New Albany.

 

[jiml]

No Union Pacific at all?

If only we still had the Desert Wind and the Pioneer on either of its routings.

 

[Seaboard92]

No Union Pacific at all?

Correct the original UP Lines were all west of Council Bluffs and the last trains to use them were the Dessert Wind (City of Los Angeles) and the Pioneer (Portland Rose). Nothing else touches UP's original track today.

I'm not going to count the former trains that no longer run just the current network.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Boston & Maine
Boston, MA-Brunswick, ME 145 Miles

The portion from Portland (Rigby Yard) to Brunswick was actually Maine Central. Both B&M and MEC became part of Guilford which is now known as Pan Am Railways.

 

[jis]

An excellent piece of work!

I have a few minor comments (so far)

1. NY Connecting Railroad, strictly speaking is from Harold interlocking to what used to be Shell interlocking, now known as CP 216 (AFAIR). NYP to Harold is PRR/LIRR. Shell to New Rochelle is of course NH.

2. Isn't there a short bit of Seaboard Airline between Raleigh and Cary on the Greensboro - Selma route? AFAIR even today it is dispatched by CSX, not NS? Or am I remembering something wrong?

3. On the route to New Orleans from Alexandria, NS starts at CP AF a a mile or two south of Alexandria.

4. Wasn't the Empire Connection of today, i.e. the Spuyten Duyvil - what is CP Empire today just outside the tunnel entering Penn Station in effect an NY Central segment back when?

Thanks again for putting this list together!

 

[TrackWalker]

Spokane, Portland, & Seattle
~Vancouver, WA-Pasco, WA 220 Miles

Total Miles: 220 Miles

When I rode Amtrak in 1975 for a quick SEA-SPO-SEA trip it was directional traffic between Pasco and Spokane.

former SP&S trackage eastbound
former NP trackage westbound

Distinctly remember backing out of the Pasco depot to the wye that connected to the SP&S and wondering at the time, "Where are we going??"

 

[Seaboard92]

An excellent piece of work!

I have a few minor comments (so far)

1. NY Connecting Railroad, strictly speaking is from Harold interlocking to what used to be Shell interlocking, now known as CP 216 (AFAIR). NYP to Harold is PRR/LIRR. Shell to New Rochelle is of course NH.

2. Isn't there a short bit of Seaboard Airline between Raleigh and Cary on the Greensboro - Selma route? AFAIR even today it is dispatched by CSX, not NS? Or am I remembering something wrong?

3. On the route to New Orleans from Alexandria, NS starts at CP AF a a mile or two south of Alexandria.

4. Wasn't the Empire Connection of today, i.e. the Spuyten Duyvil - what is CP Empire today just outside the tunnel entering Penn Station in effect an NY Central segment back when?

Thanks again for putting this list together!

I always forget where the limits of the NY Connecting Railroad strictly are. What is the milage of that as I'm not familiar with the interlockings as much.

Actually between Raleigh and Cary is an interesting place because it is both Southern and Seaboard. The South Track was owned by Seaboard, and the north track owned by the Southern. I don't know who dispatches this small section.

Yep the Empire Connection counts as the New York Central too with the exception of the new build tunnel.

 

[jis]

The simple way to get the actual distance between those point may be to use the distance function in Google Maps I will look it up and let you know.

 

[Palmland]

Thanks for doing this, Seaboard92, I had no idea there was so much Katy trackage still in use by Amtrak. Isn't there directional running around Beaumont, TX. One part is UP/SP and the other is BNSF (maybe just trackage rights?) not sure about the original railroad - MP?

 

[hastybob]

One more very small addition: L&N - Birmingham, Al. 13th St to 24th Street. Station is the L&N station. 1 mile

 

[jis]

I always forget where the limits of the NY Connecting Railroad strictly are. What is the milage of that as I'm not familiar with the interlockings as much.

Actually between Raleigh and Cary is an interesting place because it is both Southern and Seaboard. The South Track was owned by Seaboard, and the north track owned by the Southern. I don't know who dispatches this small section.

Yep the Empire Connection counts as the New York Central too with the exception of the new build tunnel.

For
New York Connecting Railroad
~New York, NY-New Rochelle, NY 19 Miles

Subtract 5 miles from that 19 miles and use 14 miles as the distance between CP Harold and CP216 (Shell). That would be a pretty good approximation

Empire Connection DV (Spuyten Duyvil) to CP Empire very approximately is about 9.5miles or so

Alexandria Station to AF interlocking westmost extent is about 1.7 miles.

Washington DC Union Station Lower Level platform end to CP Virginia where Amtrak ends and CSX begins is about 1.3 miles, but back then most fortunately It was all PRR to Potomac Yard. Roughly the distance between Potomac Yard and Alexandria would appear to be about 2 miles.

 

[neroden]

Correct the original UP Lines were all west of Council Bluffs and the last trains to use them were the Dessert Wind (City of Los Angeles) and the Pioneer (Portland Rose). Nothing else touches UP's original track today.

I'm not going to count the former trains that no longer run just the current network.

Have you considered breaking the Southern Pacific routes out by predecessor railroad (Central Pacific was originally quite separate from Southern Pacific, for example) the way you did for NYC System?

 

[neroden]

Actually between Raleigh and Cary is an interesting place because it is both Southern and Seaboard. The South Track was owned by Seaboard, and the north track owned by the Southern. I don't know who dispatches this small section.

But this isn't technically right, is it? The Southern never *owned* any of that.

That whole section was always North Carolina Railroad. In the "classic era" it was *leased* to Southern for 99 years, from 1896 through 1995. The lease lapsed and it was reclaimed by the state -- North Carolina had a pretty smart state government at the time -- the state already owned 75% of NCRR, and then bought out the other 25% in 1998.

I am not sure what Seaboard's legal position was. There might have been two parallel rights-of-way there (as there are in many other places), or they might have been a sublessee of some sort. Haven't researched it. It looks suspiciously like two parallel ROWs.

SPV atlases, which are my usual go-to for "who built it" data, did not do their research on this area and merely list Seaboard and Southern, who were not the line builders. In other atlas installments, they actually tracked down the original line builders (which in this case is North Carolina Railroad for the north track and ??? for the south track) but they didn't in that atlas edition.

Google and Wikipedia to the rescue. I found it. It was two parallel rights of way. This was the southern track, originally the "Chatham Railroad":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raleigh_and_Augusta_Air_Line_Railroad
So the two tracks are independently owned. There's probably some sort of joint dispatching deal going on, but if NCRR ever gets sick of CSX they can revoke it and simply have a single-track railroad from Raleigh to Cary.

 

[rspenmoll]

Also, once the Maple Leaf and Adirondack resume:

Canadian National
~Rouses Point, NY to Montreal, QC 49 Miles
~Niagara Falls, ON, to Toronto, ON 82 Miles

Total Miles: 131 Miles (or 49 Miles if the Maple Leaf between Niagara Falls, ON and Toronto is considered to not be an Amtrak train).

 

[jiml]

Also, once the Maple Leaf and Adirondack resume:

Canadian National
~Rouses Point, NY to Montreal, QC 49 Miles
~Niagara Falls, ON, to Toronto, ON 82 Miles

Total Miles: 131 Miles (or 49 Miles if the Maple Leaf between Niagara Falls, ON and Toronto is considered to not be an Amtrak train).

The Adirondack was originally a CP train in Canada and ran to their Windsor Station in Montreal, not CN's Gare Centrale. AFAIK it never ran on CN tracks during the timeframe of this summary; that's a more recent development. The Maple Leaf was a replacement for NYC/CP joint service from Buffalo/Niagara via Hamilton to Toronto, operating on CP affiliate TH&B tracks.

 

[SubwayNut]

When Amtrak started, weren't the East River Tunnels from Penn Station the Herald Interlocking already government owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road which was purchased by New York State to become part of the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority on January 20, 1965, or did the LIRR use trackage rights over the Pennsylvania Railroad to access Penn Station?

 

[PaulM]

Santa Fe
~Cameron, IL-Los Angeles, CA 2,096 Miles

I presume this is the SW Chief. Didn't it once run on the Santa Fe all the way between Chicago (or somewhere near there) and LA?

 

[jis]

Santa Fe
~Cameron, IL-Los Angeles, CA 2,096 Miles

I presume this is the SW Chief. Didn't it once run on the Santa Fe all the way between Chicago (or somewhere near there) and LA?

Yes it ran through Streator on Santa Fe. It used a different station in Galesburg. Very soon after BNSF built the Cameron Connection between their ex-Santa Fe route and ex CB&Q route just west of Galesburg the Southwest Chief was moved to the same route as the CZ between Chicago and Galesburg.

 

[neroden]

Also, once the Maple Leaf and Adirondack resume:

Canadian National
~Rouses Point, NY to Montreal, QC 49 Miles
~Niagara Falls, ON, to Toronto, ON 82 Miles

Total Miles: 131 Miles (or 49 Miles if the Maple Leaf between Niagara Falls, ON and Toronto is considered to not be an Amtrak train).

Depending on which "golden era" we're talking about, arguably that should be "Grand Trunk Railway" ("Canadian National" only started in 1919 and didn't absorb Grand Trunk until 1923)

 

[neroden]

When Amtrak started, weren't the East River Tunnels from Penn Station the Herald Interlocking already government owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road which was purchased by New York State to become part of the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority on January 20, 1965, or did the LIRR use trackage rights over the Pennsylvania Railroad to access Penn Station?

The latter. PRR always owned the East River Tunnels and LIRR was a tenant (even when LIRR was a subsidiary of PRR). Technically the tunnels were owned by the "Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad", a different subsidiary of PRR.