Which LD Trains Have You Traveled On?

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Looks like the Palmetto isn't very popular with AU. Also, the NOL trains aren't as popular as the main east-west trains. They're not much more than the BL/TR and they've been around close to 12 years longer.

The BL/TR is by far the most traveled train among the canceled. It did last the longest but the SL East was pretty close to running as long and they aren't even close. Not surprising the 1979 cuts aren't as popular as quite a few of you weren't born yet (I was a young kid). Also the Desert Wind/Pioneer were introduced a bit later than A-Day and were canceled in 1997.

 

[jphjaxfl]

I have traveled on all the Amtrak trains/routes over the last nearly 46 years that Amtrak existed plus many more routes prior to Amtrak. Some of those exist and some don't I traveled on the National LTD when it was a B&O train from St. Louis to Washington via Cincinnati. We arrived in St. Louis via Missouri Pacific's Texas Eagle at 8:30AM in 1964 and changed to the NL with its teardrop observation lounge. I was sitting with my Dad and brother in the tail end of the car as we pulled out of Union Station and headed through the tunnel to cross over the Eads Bridge. I also traveled on Amtrak's National Limited from St. Louis to Philadelphia via Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. It was a far cry from the B&O train. I had also traveled on the Spirit of St. Louis and Penn Texas on the Pennslvania Railroad east from St. Louis. Unfortunately, not all the routes used by either National LTD even exist. Until the US has permanent consistent source of funding for Amtrak from states as well as the federal government, trains like the Broadway LTD (rode that too) and Three Rivers will be a memory.

 

[jis]

Would the manager of the vote add the Inter-American (St Louis to Laredo) to the list of discontinued service.

And where oh where is the Montrealer? My favorite LD train to Montreal from Washington/New York, with Sleeper service and the neat Bar/Lounge Car with a Piano in it.

How about the James Whitcomb Riley, specially the Newport News section?

There were two additional Florida trains that ran for a while - The Champion and the Miamian (Seasonal). Interestingly, the Silver Star + Montrealer back then carried a through car from Miami to Montreal.

Anyway, in addition to all current LD trains I traveled on the following discontinued trains:

1. Broadway Limited

2. National Limited

3. Lone Star

4. Palmetto to Florida (only upto JAX).

5. Desert Wind

6. Pioneer

7. Montrealer

8. San Francisco Zephyr (was a significantly different route from California Zephyr - no Salt Lake City, Ogden instead, and for a while served Cheyenne)

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Interestingly, the Silver Star + Montrealer back then carried a through car from Miami to Montreal.

I think over time one of the biggest declines with Amtrak is the current lack of thru car service. It seems that was much more common in the past. Has there ever been serious consideration of restoring thru-cars to the Florida trains? I don't think Montreal would have that many passengers, but I think SM thru cars to BOS and SS thru cars to CHI could be successful.

 

[jis]

I believe all the through cars were grandfathered from the private railroad passenger service days, and were slowly dropped one by one, and were finally gone by the time HEP happened. ff and one some "sectional" cars - cars that were dropped en route or picked up en route) were instituted. And technically the Desert Wind and Pioneer really started as separate trains and after several years of separate service a few through cars from Chicago were added to both, similar to what happens in SAS with 421/422. The switching was initially in Ogden and alter moved to SLC.

The Boston Section of the LSL and the Portland section of the EB were both complete separate sections from the getgo.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Does San Francisco Zephyr count as a different train since it traveled quite a different route?

How about the Inter-American?

My thought was if the major markets are the same it's just a reroute and if the route is the same or similar it's just a name change. I would consider the Inter American is really not much different than the Texas Eagle although feel free to debate. To me the Three Rivers is the same as the Broadway and if there's a train from Chicago-Cleveland-Pittsburgh-Philly-New York it would count as a BL.

 

[jis]

I don't care either way. I was just mentioning what is different. I have way more important issues to spend time debating at this point

 

[Bob Dylan]

You have a point Philly, but IIRC the Texas Eagle,originally a MoPac Train, ran between SAS/Austin and Taylor as does todays Eagle, but then took a route through East Texas to Rockdale,Hearn,Palestine,Marshall and into Longview where it rejoined todays route to St.Louis.

The InterAmerican also ran from to Chicago to San Antonio to Laredo (also an ex-MoPac route).The Houston and Laredo Sections split in Temple.

The Lone Star, also an Amtrak Chicago to Texas Train, ran mostly on Santa Fe's old Texas Chief route via Kansas,Oklahoma and the Ft. Worth with a Section from FTW to Dallas and Houston.

 

[railiner]

Interestingly, the Silver Star + Montrealer back then carried a through car from Miami to Montreal.

I think over time one of the biggest declines with Amtrak is the current lack of thru car service. It seems that was much more common in the past. Has there ever been serious consideration of restoring thru-cars to the Florida trains? I don't think Montreal would have that many passengers, but I think SM thru cars to BOS and SS thru cars to CHI could be successful.

I believe all the through cars were grandfathered from the private railroad passenger service days, and were slowly dropped one by one, and were finally gone by the time HEP happened. ff and one some "sectional" cars - cars that were dropped en route or picked up en route) were instituted. And technically the Desert Wind and Pioneer really started as separate trains and after several years of separate service a few through cars from Chicago were added to both, similar to what happens in SAS with 421/422. The switching was initially in Ogden and alter moved to SLC.

The Boston Section of the LSL and the Portland section of the EB were both complete separate sections from the getgo.

Amtrak was very creative with inter-route thru cars early in its history. For example...

The Coast Starlight I believe briefly carried thru cars to San Diego (I

don't think it ever did to Vancouver, BC)...

Then there were the two early 'coast-to-coast' sleepers....one conveyed from the National Limited to the Super Chief (or Southwest Limited?) at Kansas City; the other from the Southern Crescent to the Sunset Limited at New Orleans...

Not to forget the "River Cities" thru car from Kansas City to the City of New Orleans at Carbondale....

 

[jis]

The coast to coast sleepers were just continuation of what the private railroads ran. Not an Amtrak innovation.

 

[Palmetto]

Are we sure there were thru cars to Mexico City? My recollection [not personal experience] is that a taxi transfer was required.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Yep, as a boy I rode in a Mopac Sleeper to Laredo, and we were switched across the River to the Nuevo Laredo Rail Station,hooked onto the consist and cruised down to Mexico City on the Aztec Eagle.

Can't remember the exact year but by the 60s one did have to take a taxi over the Border to catch the Aztec Eagle which was old Mopac Cars.(I rode this train several times to/from Mexico City and San Miguel Allende.)

You are correct that when Amtrak ran the Inter-American to Laredo,one had to Taxi over to Nuevo Laredo to catch the Aztec Eagle.

 

[Montreal Ltd]

Another discontinued modestly LD train was the overnight Montreal Limited between New York GCT and Montreal Windsor Station. It was joined to the Twentieth Century Limited between Albany and points south.

 

[Montreal Ltd]

There were two other trains between New York and Montreal, the Montrealer from Washington to New York Penn Station to Montreal Central Station.

 

[Montreal Ltd]

The third train the Adirondack in the 1960s was a nice day train from GCT in New York to Windsor Station in Montreal.

 

[Steve4031]

I forgot that the op meant trains vs trackage. So I have not ridden the palmetto. Also forgot about the Vermont trains that go by way of Albany.

I missed the Hiltopper, nc Hiawatha, and the Floridian.

 

[railiner]

The coast to coast sleepers were just continuation of what the private railroads ran. Not an Amtrak innovation.

Maybe so.. but I believe the one transferred at Kansas City was not done previously...not sure about New Orleans...

Most coast to coast sleepers were transferred at either Chicago or St. Louis in the past...

 

[railiner]

The third train the Adirondack in the 1960s was a nice day train from GCT in New York to Windsor Station in Montreal.

That train was called The Laurentian at the time....

 

[jphjaxfl]

The coast to coast sleepers were just continuation of what the private railroads ran. Not an Amtrak innovation.

Maybe so.. but I believe the one transferred at Kansas City was not done previously...not sure about New Orleans...

Most coast to coast sleepers were transferred at either Chicago or St. Louis in the past...

Immediately before Amtrak, Santa Fe had a set out Sleeping Car on the Super Chief that was picked up and set out at Kansas City since westbound departure was late night and eastbound arrival was early morning. Santa Fe actually let passengers occupy the Sleeping Car until 8:00AM and board at 10:00PM. The car originated and terminated in Kansas City. To my knowledge in recent years prior to Amtrak, there was no East Coast-West Coast through Sleeping Cars via Kansas City. At one time, Frisco's Kansas City-Florida Special included a through Sleeping Car from Florida to Denver via Union Pacific west of Kansas City. Immediately prior to Amtrak, except for Santa Fe and Union Pacific, all trains arriving and departing Kansas City were coach only with limited food service.

 

[Rover]

With my limited trips on Amtrak (under 10), I have only ridden one route from end to end, The Coast Starlight, from Seattle to LA. I have never ridden any route end to end, in both directions.

 

[Chey]

Texas Eagle FTW to CHI and back, FTW to LAX and back

Sunset Ltd SAS to NOL and back, Phoenix Union Station to NOL and back (1993)

SWC CHI to LMY

SWC ABQ to LAX

Crescent NOL to ALX

Cardinal CHI to ALX and back

CL CHI to WAS and back

CZ FMG to EMY and back

CS LAX to SJC

PS SBA to LAX

Never been on a Silver, Lakeshore; never been on the EB at all; never been on the CS north of SJC; never been on the CON; never been on a NE Regional north of WAS; never taken an east coast train of any kind north of WAS, I'd like to see it in the fall. I'd like to take the EB but no one to visit - still it would be fun to take it to the west coast and back.

 

[E60JPC]

E60JPC:the Southwest Ltd.wasnt discontinued,it became the Southwest Chief once Santa Fe OKd using the Chief Name after Amtrak cleaned up their act on this Route.

I counted it as a separate train because, while the end-points on the Southwest Chief and route between San Bernardino, CA and Galesburg, IL are essentially the same as they were with the Southwest Limited, the Los Angeles - San Bernardino (California) & Galesburg - Chicago (Illinois) route segments are different.

 

[E60JPC]

I considered adding the Montrealer - Philadelphia, PA to Montreal, QC - to my list of discontinued LD trains ridden, but didn't because I felt it was more of a short-distance train (end-to-end distance between Montreal, QC and Washington, DC < 750 miles).

 

[TinCan782]

Empire Builder (from SEA) and California Zephyr later this year.

I've only done the SL(TE) as far as SAS; would like to complete the route to NOL and then the CONO up to CHI.

 

[railiner]

E60JPC:the Southwest Ltd.wasnt discontinued,it became the Southwest Chief once Santa Fe OKd using the Chief Name after Amtrak cleaned up their act on this Route.

I counted it as a separate train because, while the end-points on the Southwest Chief and route between San Bernardino, CA and Galesburg, IL are essentially the same as they were with the Southwest Limited, the Los Angeles - San Bernardino (California) & Galesburg - Chicago (Illinois) route segments are different.

Besides the two variances you mentioned, the train was also slightly rerouted around 1979 when the Lone Star was discontinued....the train took over the Lone Star's route via Topeka, instead of its quicker route via Ottawa, Ks....