posted
The 2008/4 issue of "Passenger Train Journal" had an interesting article on "The Passenger Trains of Butte, Montana". Butte, at various times, was served by five railroads: * Butte, Anaconda & Pacific (BA&P) * Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific (Milwaukee Road) * Great Northern * Northern Pacific * Union Pacific
BA&P used the GN depot in was mainly between Anaconda and Butte.
The Milaukee Road later bought up the "Columbian" and "Olympian" and had a really nice brick train station, on Montana street, with a 95 foot clock tower. It is now a TV station.
The Great Northern was initially used for transporting ore between Great Falls and Butte. The GN passenger service was provided by a local train from Great Falls via Helena.
The Northern Pacific's "North Coast Limited" was probably the finest passenger train to serve Butte, along the line from Chicago to Seattle.
The UP ran the "Butte Special" from Salt Lake City to Butte, and was an overnight train, and lasted until Amtrak's startup in 1971.
The last passenger train, to reach Butte, was the North Coast Hiawatha run by Amtrak in the 1970's. The only passenger train left is the "Copper King Express", a tourist train, from Anaconda to Butte.
I wonder what old passenger rail hubs you would like to see restored, or at least regain some of its passenger traffic? I'm sure there are many in various towns and smaller cities throughout the country.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Once upon a time, the Chamber of Commerce's slogan was, "Where 17 Railroads Meet the Sea."
(Through mergers and consolidations those 17 became the Southern Pacific, Missouri Pacific, Santa Fe, Burlington, Rock Island, and M-K-T plus various terminal/switching and interurban lines.)
You would think that the fourth largest city in the nation could support more than one train three days a week....
-------------------- --------Eric H. Bowen
Stop by my website: Streamliner Schedules - Historic timetables of the great trains of the past! Posts: 413 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
I saw that article and found it fascinating too. As far as restoring a now defunct hub though.....hmnnnn. Maybe it would be best to seek logical and incremental increases in places where the trains never went away. St. Louis for instance. It sure would be nice to be able to go from St. Louis to the east coast without having to go through Chicago again.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Well, up until mid 1957, Atlanta had eight passenger railroads.
Atlanta and West Point Atlantic Coast Line Central of Georgia Georgia Railroad Louisville and Nashville Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis Seaboard Southern
Later in 1957 the L&N took over the NC&StL.this would bring it down to seven.
-------------------- bill haithcoat Posts: 45 | From: atlanta, ga | Registered: Jan 2008
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Ocala once had the Seaboard and, earlier, the Atlantic Coast Line crossing right at the old "L"-shaped station. Would be nice if we had even "one-a-day" now.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Ok. What about Saint Paul, MN? At one point in time, SPUD was served by the CGW, CNW, MILW, GN, Minneapolis & Saint Louis, and the Rock Island, and CB&Q.
Then, a personal preference of mine: Madison, Wisconsin. At one time served by the IC, the MILW, and the CNW.
There is also Duluth, MN. Served at one time by the DW&P, DM&IR, GN, MILW, NP, CNW, and SOO Line.
Let's not forget Winnipeg, MB, served at one time by the CN, the CP, the NP, and the GN.
-------------------- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the Earth all one's life." Posts: 506 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I agree with all these. My goodness, Atlanta started out as a rail center; it's amazing it is down to one train a day running in each direction. And a pleasant but way too-small station, where track access is most awkward.
There should certainly be a train up to Winnepeg, and reinstatement of the Chicago train that went all the way to Toronto.
The Oklahoma train should go up thru Guthrie & continue.
There should be a way of going from NYC to Detroit without going to Chicago first, or taking a bus. Such a train should also stop in Ann Arbor etc.
There should be trains to Louisville, Lexington, Montgomery, Mount Rushmore area, Helena, Butte, Boise, Cheyenne, Yellowstone Park/Jackson area, and of course Las Vegas. And esp a train from FL to Chicago that stops in Chattanooga (choo choo) and Nashville. Also a train from Nashville to Memphis. And Columbus! Indeed, the whole state of Ohio is a disgrace, trainwise: a state with lots of densely populated centers not connected by train; it ought to have the kind of train service Pennsylvania has . . . and so should western PA have that kind of service!!!
There should be more trains not only to Cincinnati but to Indianapolis, on the Cardinal; and daily service to Tucson as well as Houston. . . And most of all, the SUnset Ltd should be reinstated east of New Orleans.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Memphis: Illinois Central - Chicago, St. Louis, New Orleans, Greenville MS, Louisville and Nashville - Cincinatti, Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis - Nashville with connections to Atlanta, Southern - Washington DC, St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Birmingham and on to Atlanta and Florida, St. Louis, Kansan City, St. Louis Southwestern - Dallas and Shreveport, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific - Hot Springs AR, Amarillo TX, Tucumcari NM and on to Los Angeles, Missouri Pacific - Helena AR, Hot Springs AR, Houston, San Antonio and on to Meixco, Dallas and on to Los Angeles
Also 8 railroads. Some of these lines are now gone. But, the Frisco, Southern, and some of the ICRR and MoPac mains are still there, and you can sort of do a Nashville and on to Cincinatti train. That is to say, the tracks to do the City of New Orleans, Panama Limited, Kansas City Florida Special, Tennessean, and Texas Eagle are all still there but those for the Choctaw Rocket, Delta Express, City of Memphis, Pan American and Humming Bird are not.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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Jacksonville, FL - Train west to Tallahassee, Pensacola, New Orleans, etc.; North to Atlanta, Nashville, Louisville and Chicago; North to Cincinnati via Knoxville; and of course the current routes linking NY and Miami including via FEC.
Atlanta- Trains to Florida, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Savannah along with the current Crescent route.
St. Louis and Kansas City - Both with routes to New Orleans, Minneapolis, and Denver plus a route eastward to New York via Indianapolis and either Columbus or Cincinnati. Additionally, Kansas City to Dallas.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by bill haithcoat: Well, up until mid 1957, Atlanta had eight passenger railroads.
Atlanta and West Point Atlantic Coast Line Central of Georgia Georgia Railroad Louisville and Nashville Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis Seaboard Southern
Later in 1957 the L&N took over the NC&StL.this would bring it down to seven.
********************************** Bill..the spring, 2009, issue of "Classic Trains" has a nice article on the trains of the Atlantic Coast Line. That was quite a network..from Richmond to Atlanta to Jacksonville to Miami!
The article recalled such famous trains as the "Florida Special", "Orange Blossom Special","South Wind", "Havan Special", "City of Miami" "Seminole", "Everglades", "Palmetto", and others.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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