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Using the US rail network as a giant toy train set, how can we fill the gaping hole in the Amtrak national system while New Orleans is unavailable?
1. Run the City of New Orleans Memphis - (Jackson?) - Meridian - Pensacola - Orlando. Restores long lost CHI-Florida service, keeps an intact part of the Sunset Route and uses an existing Superliner turning and service point.
2. Run the Crescent from Meridian to Houston & San Antonio, or Meridian to Dallas. Fix the times so you could change trains at Meridian and salvage the transcon Sunset Route if you are willing to change trains twice. Do we have enough viewliners to do this?
3. If the Crescent goes to Dallas, run the Heartland Flyer to Houston. A city as large as Houston must have service.
4. Or could the Sunset run LAX-Houston-Meridian and connect there to Florida and DC? The Meridain Mayor is an Amtrak supporter and maybe he could figure out how to turn and service a Superliner there.
We could even tell Norm Mineta we broke up the national system by eliminating a transcontinental train.
Any other suggestions? Are their routes that can handle passenger trains in these directions? I am assuming Mobile is also out of the picture for awhile too.
George Harris Member # 2077
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At least one of these links has to by busses as there is no track, example, Meridian to Pensacola, unless you consider taking it Meridian to Montgomery on the Meridian and Bigbee and the connectiong CSX branches, all 25 mph territory so far as I know, or maybe you are going Meridian to Hattiesburg on NS, then Hattiesburg to Mobile on IC's line, which is also a 25 mph line so far as I know, but if Mobile is out, so is this route.
Houston to Meridian would be interesting: Do you go Houston to Shreveport on UP then east on KCS or Houston Beaumont Kinder LA Alexandria Monroe on UP to KCS at Monroe? Maybe even go all the way to Baton Rouge on UIP's former MoPac line then take ICRR up to Jackson, then KCS.
SilverStar092 Member # 2652
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Fromm Meridian, run on up to Birmingham (unless the line directly to Montgomery is acceptable) then run from B'ham to Montgomery down to Bainbriedge, GA. From there, CSX Bainbridge sub to Tallahassee then back on the Sunset route to Orlando. The only problem: the connection at Bainbridge is backwards and would require an engine reversal.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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Unfortunately all I have to go by is a reprint of a 1928 railroad atlas. It showed a Memphis-Pensacola mainline of the Frisco RR that crossed the Crescent route. From what Mr. Harris says, that must be abandoned now.
It sure would be nice to figure out some kind of CHI-Florida route with reasonable speed and no zig-zag route that would serve vacation destinations, and connect the Crescent, CNO, and Sunset routes so they are not dead ends.
It is an interesting game for Amtrak fans.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Consider this possibility;
Jackson, MS becomes a temporary replacement hub for New Orleans.
1) The 'Crescent' operates on it's normal route as far as Meridian and thence over what is now KCS and terminates in Jackson.
2) The 'City of New Orleans' terminates in Jackson.
3) Here's the biggest stretch......the 'Sunset' operates on it's normal route LAX-SAS and then diverges to Ft. Worth-Shreveport-Jackson.
4) An extension of the 'Heartland Flyer' serves Houston.
Sadly, I can't fathom a scenario in which service is continued in any form to any current station between Jacksonville and New Orleans.
Geoff M Member # 153
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I suspect that it's cheaper for Amtrak to turn the trains short of their destination rather than diverting them onto lines where no Amtrak engineer is qualified to run. They would then need host RR engineers, possibly with a host RR's engine. All this costs $$$.
Anyway, ignoring all other problems, how about running the Sunset LAX-SAS-DFW-SHR-JAN-HBG-MOE-JAX-SFA? I know the MOE-HBG route has been taken by the Sunset in past years due to bridge washouts close to NOL.
Geoff M.
George Harris Member # 2077
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quote:Originally posted by TwinStarRocket: Unfortunately all I have to go by is a reprint of a 1928 railroad atlas. It showed a Memphis-Pensacola mainline of the Frisco RR that crossed the Crescent route. From what Mr. Harris says, that must be abandoned now.
I must have had a real brain fade to forget that one. It is still very much alive, but sold off south of Columbus, Mississippi and is a RailAmerica shortline, the Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway. It crosses the NS main at Boligee, AL, which is 52.6 miles northeast of Meridian. From there it is 154.9 miles to Atmore AL and another 53.5 miles to Pensacola. The catch is the lines are grade separated at Atmore, and am not sure what kind of connection there is, if any. I believe there is a connection in Pensacola, but that it is about a two mile line that includes some street running (not the CSX line to the port in Tarragona(?) St. This line was never fast, and so far as I know never had more than one scheduled passenger train. In 1952 this train took 6 hours for the 208 miles, but it had 9 regular stops and about 20 flag stops.
Running times? Let's try a realistic schedule without assuming any miraculous amount of cooperation from UP or increases in current line speed limits. SP Rabbit line Houston to Shreveport, 232 miles, 8 hours. (The day train took 9 in 1952) KCS Shreveport to Meridian, 313 miles, 9 hours. (about the same as ICRR in the 50's) NS Meridian to Boligee, 53 miles, 1.5 hours, maybe less. Ala & Gulf Coast, Boligee to Pensacola, 208 miles, 6 hours (no idea what RailAmerica speed limit is. Was 45 at one time in SLSF days) Allow about 30 minutes to go through the connecting track in Pensacola, and we have a Houston to Pensacola time of 24 hours, which happens to be identical to the current eastbound schedule, but about 4 hours slower than the westbound schedule.
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