posted
RRR, Very impressive. For those travelers, such as yours truly, that are interested in the passing country-side (and city-scapes), your guide is a great resource. Your work is truly a labor of love.
You had mentioned at sometime in the undetermined future that you might use some of the information that I had shared with you about the TE's route through Southeastern Missouri. Specifically the Iron Moiuntain Baby, the Iron Mountain RR, Jesse James, Civil War, and lead mining. Unfortunately the manner in which Amtrak schedules the TE places that SE MO segment in the dark. I find this puzzling when one considers that this route passes through the picturesque Ozark Hill country.
I thought maybe there was a good rationale for this schedule due to departures and arrival times between Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and San Antonio. But I cannot see any point to the schedule as is. The TE departs CHI at 1:45PM. It arrives in STL at 7:25PM. The next morning it arrives in DAL 11:30 AM, and then late at night at 10:55PM in San Antonio. I have to wonder why Amtrak's TE doesn't depart CHI mid-morning thereby traveling through SE MO during daylight? They could probably make it to Poplar Bluff, near the Arkansas line, by night fall. The TE would then get into DAL earlier in the morning and San Antonio at more convenient hour rather than late at night.
Perhaps it is due to the connection for LAX?
Anyway your guide makes me want to take another train ride. Your work is appreciated.
Posts: 140 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
Thanks, Iron Mountain -- yeah, the art of scheduling AMTRAK trains is a bit of a mystery to me too, but of course it has a lot to do with connections and what the Class I freight railroads will allow. I believe it was last month, in Trains mag, there was an informative article about how AMTRAK trains are scheduled.
Anyway, even though many of the more interesting and scenic spots in the country are passed at night on AMTRAK, I still include them in my guides, to accomodate the slim possibility (hah! ) that the trains may be quite late, and a passenger may see some of these points of interest during daylight, or to accomodate the possibility (again hah!) of expanded passenger rail service on some of these routes.
But I appreciate your comments -- one of these years I am going to set up a Pay Pal site on the web site where people can order CD's from me that have all the guides, maps, and everything else I put together on them -- maybe next year I'll start that.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Thanks for this route guide, RR Rich. If all goes as planned, I should be on the FL train fairly soon!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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) that the trains may be quite late, and a passenger may see some of these points of interest during daylight, or to accomodate the possibility (again hah!) of expanded passenger rail service on some of these routes.
