Mailliw
OBS Chief
I'm on my way to Pittsburgh on the Pennsylvanian and I just saw thistrain outside 3030th Street Station in Philadelphia. What is it and why is it in Philadelphia?
What is the Amtrak Exhibit Train?
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I'm on my way to Pittsburgh on the Pennsylvanian and I just saw thistrain outside 3030th Street Station in Philadelphia. What is it and why is it in Philadelphia?
Here it is in Los Angeles Union Station for Amtrak's 40th Anniversary in 2011.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjxkcRcc
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjxkcRcc
saxpower
Train Attendant
Looks like it was put together for the 40th Anniversary: Amtrak's 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train — Amtrak: History of America’s Railroad
Hopefully its being kept in storage for updating for the 50th anniversary.
Hopefully its being kept in storage for updating for the 50th anniversary.
Which was last year!
saxpower
Train Attendant
Good point.... Ok, so its the special 51st (or 52nd) anniversary exhibit train!Which was last year!
CCC1007
Customer Service Agent
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I'm almost certain that it has been sitting there in "storage" for several years at this point, I don't hold my breath for it to reopen anytime soon.
Siegmund
Lead Service Attendant
In the distant past, there was a smaller version of this that toured every summer to various towns around the system. My 80s memory is of either one or two baggage cars with exhibits, along with a couple cars for people to walk through and feel how comfy the seats were.
It struck me as good advertising, giving people who had never ridden a train a chance to see inside one.
Not that we need more advertising right now, when we have reduced frequencies and consists already full to capacity :\
It struck me as good advertising, giving people who had never ridden a train a chance to see inside one.
Not that we need more advertising right now, when we have reduced frequencies and consists already full to capacity :\
It was an absolutely beautiful display that was taken to major cities as well as national train day. When seeing it back in 2011 I was shocked with how much work went into converting the old baggage cars to the beautiful museum quality exhibits shown in the photos linked from above.
With soaring gas prices this year and reduced capacity across the entire network Amtrak is really missing out on a golden opportunity to add some ridership this year. Hopefully they get more equipment on line and more equipment ordered for the next 3-5 years in order to improve the skeleton system we have running today.
With soaring gas prices this year and reduced capacity across the entire network Amtrak is really missing out on a golden opportunity to add some ridership this year. Hopefully they get more equipment on line and more equipment ordered for the next 3-5 years in order to improve the skeleton system we have running today.
Dakota 400
Engineer
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This would be a good time to run an exhibit train on the proposed 3C+D route to help educate Ohioans who have not ridden a train. That might help build some popular support for our politicians to begin to more seriously consider finding the money to fund the proposal.
Was some of this 2011 equipment used later for Train Days? Here's the special exhibit cars and the business car in 2015 celebrating the return of Amtrak to Denver Union Station.
They need to do something! Here in Cleveland, a lot of people are shocked to find out that Amtrak even runs here. The station is in a terrible spot, hasn't been touched since it was built in the 70s, and the only 2 lines come through in the middle of the night. When I tell people I'm taking the train somewhere, they figure I have to drive some distance to even get to the train.
