Stouffer's has a Short Rib frozen dinner, lest anyone be interested.
Also, here is a message, apparently a BLET Local Chairman, appearing at other sites that Amtrak plans to reroute 48-49 Toledo-Chicago by way of the Michigan Central (route of the Wolverines) for a one month period effective October 1. The train will not serve Detroit, but reportedly will serve Dearborn, as to serve the former, such would entail a backup move to the existing station located on the Grand Trunk Western.
I received a phone call on July 13, 2016 from Assistant Superintendent Joe Morris to inform me of upcoming changes to 49/48 service. Effective October 1, 2016 the carrier will implement a pilot program to operate 49/48 from Toledo to Chicago over the Michigan line. The pilot program will last until October 31, 2016 and at that point they will decide if the pilot program was successful and could implement this change as permanent. With that said the new route will depart Toledo and use the Detroit Line to CP-YD, then route over the Junction Yard Running Track to the Michigan Line at CP-Townline and continue to CP-482 at Porter. They plan on this being a one engineer job because of the 110 MPH and the running time is under 6 hours according to their figures but I will need to monitor this because I believe the running time is over the 6 hour rule. This has been being pushed by the State of Michigan who has wanted a long distance train through Michigan and has been talked about for several years and the State of Michigan has pumped a considerable amount of State funds to keep passenger rail alive in Michigan .
The current jobs will not change except for the change in the route, schedule may change if the pilot program is successful. The carrier plans on the train being staffed by Toledo crews and the crews will need to get qualified over the new route and will need to get CN, NORAC, and ITCS Cab Signal Rules. The schedule and who will start qualifying will be up to RFE Paul Parsons who will be working with RFE Charlie Zak to get a plan in place to schedule crews for the rules and qualifying. Currently this is in its infancy and they will need to work out all of the logistics but it will be done quickly, understand this, they intend on this as a being permanent change to the way 49/48 operates and intend on seeing this being a success with or without our help.
I know this is a lot to swallow but we must remain positive. Michigan has an overflow of engineers on their extra boards and they are already qualified over 85% of the route and they could easily qualify them over the remainder of the route and we could potentially lose this work. I ask each of you affected by this to look at the big picture and try to protect our work. I will work with the carrier to make sure everything is in place and that we all have the necessary materials and training prior to the October 1st start up. And yes we will continue to qualify in the yard and this change will only effect the current 49/48 crews and the extra board.
I've learned that the route will include running over Conrail Shared Assets, so I guess that property will be in the passenger train business. Will they have their own contract with Amtrak? Will they be bound to the "bargain basement" rates Amtrak otherwise pays?
Food for thought.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Also in the news for the LSL is the substitution of the heritage diners with an AmCafe. This article from the Albany Times Union spells out the reason.
From railfan reports the menu will be similar to the abbreviated one on the City of New Orleans. I can attest that is a very forgettable menu and tasteless food. But supposedly the new diners will be here by late August or September.
Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
With the exception of the ex-ATSF Hi Level "Top of the Cap" El Capitan lounges covering the Pacific Parlour Car service, that's pretty darn close to the very last of the 1937-1966 Budd cars in service...
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
This is such an intelligent change.
The Capitol Limited already serves the low density populated southern route, and the new adds the University of Michigan with some 44,000 students, as well as other key spots.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
I checked the schedule of the Wolverine - the 1965 NYC version. It was about 6hrs 20 min. Chicago to Detroit. Amtrak on the same route is nearly identical. It would be a bit less to Dearborn. Amtrak's LSL is 5hrs 30min Chicago to Toledo. So the time difference on the new route is slightly more than the added time from Dearborn to Toledo. The C&O made that trip in 2 hrs.
I don't think the additional time will make a bit of difference to the average Amtrak passenger and it should certainly increase ridership, as Don says.
So the question is, how will the schedule be adjusted? Westbound with early afternoon connection in Chicago there isn't much room to arrive later. So I suspect NYC departure will move to around 2pm and arrive around 10:30. This will also insure those from Boston will have a diner at the beginning of dinner time.
Eastbound an earlier departure might affect it as the 'clean up' train but the earlier arrival in NYC would be good. Perhaps this is the time Amtrak will do what they have discussed for so long- swap Chicago departure times of the Capital and LSL.
At the very least, this will be a nice change for railfan trips!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Let's take a look at possible scheduling for the Lake Shore rerouted over Michigan Central. Let us also assume that two hours are needed for the 60 some miles Toledo-Dearborn (understand that line is quite congested with scheduled switching at several auto plants - and somehow I doubt if Mr. Squires wants to be on the wrong end of Miss Mary's wrath if the reason for such was an Amtrak train). #49 would have to leave NYPenn an hour earlier at 240P arriving Toledo 455A, Dearborn 655A, thence existing #351 schedule AR CHI 1047A.
Return, if it is to handle business through Michigan would have to be 354's schedule arrive Dearborn 1148P Toledo 148A and 48 running two hours earlier arrive Penn 423P. #30, Capitol Limited, would have to be "clean up" running on the B&O Shenandoah schedule.
Presumably the Wolverines displaced would find other "slots" to fill.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
quote:Eastbound an earlier departure might affect it as the 'clean up' train but the earlier arrival in NYC would be good. Perhaps this is the time Amtrak will do what they have discussed for so long- swap Chicago departure times of the Capital and LSL.
At the very least, this will be a nice change for railfan trips!
Swiping departure times would be wonderful - all daylight running east of Pittsburgh through the mountains all year. That's what high-level cars were meant to do.
The change would still bring in the Capitol Limited into DC for a reasonably safe connection (well are any on Amtrak?) to Florida.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Nadeau, there is of course the matter of an arriving LD train at Wash right during rush hour. Lest we forget, VRE was non existent 20 years ago, and MARC frequencies have been greatly expanded as well as of course Amtrak's Corridor.
But I have to agree that to reroute Lake Shore would generate more business, especially considering "I'll be on The Century" now means a middle seat on a 737. Making the Capitol the "clean up" makes sense as passengers could get to any Corridor destination (hopefully Station Services would give a mis-connected Boston passenger an Acela ride) at something resembling a waking hour.
All told, just think of the UofM Prof going to a conference in New York, boarding in ARB at still a waking hour and getting to New York in time for the pre-conference reception.
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
And Washington Union Station does not have the capacity it did in the past. Tracks 1 through 6 or 7 dissapeared into the WMATA station and approach, plus much of the former WUS coach yard.
Still think an essentially minimum NY to Chi service would be 4 trains on the ex NYC and another 4 on the ex Pennsy route, one "crack of dawn" departure from each end, one afternoon departure mid morning arrival from each end, one WB arriving Buffalo early morning, one EB arriving Cleveland early morning, and one in both directions with early morning arrivals at the end points. For the Pennsy route, the day-overnight transition point would be Pittsburgh. ,
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
As late as 1968 the PRR still had 4 trains NY-Chi and 3 Chi-NY plus an additional 3 train PGH-NY. The Manhattan Ltd and the Pennsylvania Ltd did the day/night transition in Pittsburgh that George talks about.
Somewhat selfishly, I would argue that the B&O/Capital route should have a second train. It seems to me that Amtrak does little to encourage through traffic from Chicago to the southeast. Granted it is a circuitous route, but we're not likely to see a more direct one and I don't think speed is a critical factor for LD passengers.
A Chicago mid day departure from Chicago would get connections from the various midwestern corridor services and then be overnight Pittsburgh to Washington. This will provide connections to the Palmetto, Carolinian, and, starting in 2017, the new Lynchburg/Roanoke train. In addition NEC connections would allow arrival in those cities far earlier than do the LSL or Capital.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
I guess it is just human nature, but whenever a reroute is being discussed, it results in the discussion turning to how to get MORE LD trains on a route.
As I have consistently noted around here, there simply will not be additional LD routes or frequencies. The LD's are of course important, but their importance is not the passengers they carry but rather their necessity needed to garner Federal level funding (which, without getting too political, that Amtrak is a complete non-issue this election cycle, means it can expect funding at existing levels to continue).
But there is one plus should this reroute move forward. Michigan will be getting an additional frequency over their own route for which Feddybux will be picking up the tab.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
But, if there are to be any additional non state-supported trains, the first should be between the largest and third largest metro areas in country. This market is grossly underserved and with much infrastructure already in place, the yield should be decent as Amtrak LDs go.
Moreover, one reason the route has not reached its full potential is that people haven't rushed to leave Cleveland and other cities on the route in the middle of the night.
Can you imagine Philly being served only at that time? Yet, Cleveland Metro has one-third the population of Philly Metro and gets nothing.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
Amtrak still doesn't show the October LS reroute online.
That's not a foundation for a valid demand test.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Is it safe assumption that this proposed reroute is somewhere in the back of a high shelf?
As of a few moments ago. Chicago to Bryan OH for October 15, returns an itinerary using 48, Lake Shore Limited.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Amtrak is now offering BC on the LSL fro Boston. Apparently they are using the nice BC/cafe cars with 2-1 seating. Almost makes a NYP-BOS-ALB circle trip desireable. Remember when Trains editor David Morgan featured those.
In addition the Boston-Chicago sleeper has returned. Apparently the station track work has been completed. Might have to consider trying it. BOS-ALB is the only LD segment we haven't ridden.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
A feature article appears in Thursday's New York Times that I think will have appeal to our baseball fans around here.
Posted by Bob from MA (Member # 4686) on :
Palmland: Seems an odd coincidence that on the day that I read your latest post I had earlier gone down to the Worcester station and observed that the sleeper was indeed back on the Boston section of the LSL. It has not been on that section for two, maybe three years. One had to ride coach to Albany. For a while there was a stub train with everyone switching at Albany. Sometimes there was a substitute bus. I will be taking a trip west in December and was quite happy that I can board the sleeper in Worcester. However, the Worcester station is no longer manned, so large luggage cannot be checked through from there. Unfortunate, considering that Worcester is the second largest city in the six New England states!
I hope you are sometime able to ride the BOS-ALB section. As I live in Worcester, I have ridden WOR-ALB probably 50 or more times each way. I would suggest not planning such a trip in winter because of the long dark periods. Traveling west, it would be getting dark during the more scenic part in the Berkshire Hills. Coming east much of Massachusetts would be in the dark. On the other hand, during the summer the leafed-out trees confine the viewing to close to the track over many parts of the route.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Bob, thanks for the travel tips. We're headed in that direction next week and was thinking about it, but a ride in darkness would defeat the purpose, especially through the Berkshires.
GBN. Good article and nice to see that the LSL gets a little love from the press. Back in the 50's I counted about 10 trains each way CHI-CLE and half that in the 60's. Guess we should be happy for 1 now. I absolutely loved my Wrigley visit a few years ago. The place oozes baseball history. They should have filmed the movie 'The Natural' there. Go Cubs!
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
I think I posted a while back about being at GCT when I was 12 years old, summer of 1954, to witness the Brooklyn Dodgers boarding the Ohio Limited for a series in Cincinnati. As I recall, the team was chasing the Giants that summer, and there were a lot of long faces for the start of a road trip.
Posted by Bob from MA (Member # 4686) on :
A little more detail on the light conditions. The LSL crosses the Berkshire Hills between Springfield and Pittsfield. The sun currently sets at about 5:45. Traveling west, that stretch occurs between 3:23 and 4:39, so it would still be well-lighted, especially on a clear day. Eastbound, it would be from 4:09 to 5:28, a little less light. Plus the eastbound train typically runs late.
After the time change, conditions deteriorate in both directions.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
The LSL is on our list for 2017, after the spring time change.
Mike, I remember your post. Envious of you having that great experience. And, at that age those experiences stick with us.
Atlanta Braves' Turner field has a great little museum as it's one of the oldest franchises including its days in Boston and Milwaukee. Included in it is pretty extensive information on travel by train in the days before the jet and the teams spreading out beyond the east and midwest.
The first time I saw it, I was overwhelmed by an exhibit of train travel that included about 1/3 of one of B&O's 16 duplex rmte-4DBR 'Bird' cars. As you walk through Hank Aaron reminisces about traveling by train, complete with train sounds. The car is of particular significance to me. As a kid I remember my father telling us that the downtown B&O Wilmiington, DE ticket agent told him there were new cars on our trip - the National Ltd from Wilmington to Cincinnati. Sure enough we had a roomette in one of the month old cars in 1954. I remember hanging by one of the metal grab irons you used to get to one of the upper roomettes. The Pullman conductor was not amused.
Sadly, the museum and the car will be gone when the Braves relocate to a new stadium next year.