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I always wished I'd been able to enjoy more travel by train prior to Amtrak. Alas, I was a lad of 11 years old on A-day, most likely annoying the bejesus out of our 5th grade teacher like everyone else did. ;) At that age I was totally at the mercy of my parents as to when and where I'd travel, not to mention the method by which we traveled. However I did travel by train in those early years just enough to cultivate a lifelong enjoyment of it.
 
On A-day I was in Vietnam, so I missed the transition. However, after my return flight over the Pacific on my way out in November 1971, "We will ATTEMPT a non-stop flight across the Pacific (from Japan) to Travis AFB, California," I decided to take the rest of my trip on the ground. I took the CZ from Oakland to Chicago, then the John Whitcomb Riley/George Washington to Washington DC, where I intended to be for a while after getting out. The CZ was 9 cars, including a SP long dome, part UP cars, part SP cars. We had 3 SP units to Ogden, then 3 UP units to Denver. Cheyenne to Denver was a swap engines to other end, train runs backwards. At Denver the train more or less doubled in length, all CB&Q cars plus CB&Q engines. The George Washington: Fast on the ICRR out of Chicago, then slow on the Penn Central across Indiana, leaving us something like 2 or 3 hours late out of Cincinatti. C&O the rest of the way, keeping the run time. Beautiful ride in the C&O dome car. A very relaxing way to get reacquainted with the US. All in coach except Denver to Chicago in sleeper.

Missing all the screaming anti-war protesters in SFO was also a consideration.
 
Still have my "Tracks Are Back" button, and other early Amtrak memorabilia in my 'archive's'....... :)
 
Here's one resource for Amtrak train routes & numbers: http://www.trainweb.com/routes/numbers.htm .

A second source: http://everything2.com/title/Amtrak

A third souce, at NARP: http://www.narprail-org.newsconsultant.net/resources/fact-sheets/2043-historicmaps

(edit: As of this posting, NARP is upgrading the website, and the .pdf's of the maps aren't there. NARP used to have graphics depicting the reductions in service throughout the 1960's, with a big reduction taking place in 1967. Perhaps other members here can have better luck finding the maps in question).
 
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By the way, that car wasn't originally a twelve section, but was a "4-6-6", four bedroom, six section, 6 roomette before two sections were removed to install the tiny buffet. The two converted were either the American View, or the American General.
You're absolutely right. My mistake.
 
I actually was more fortunate than most railfans my age (now 52). I was able to experience 'pre-Amtrak' rail passenger service due to Southern's decision to initially not join Amtrak.

In early 1975 my mother and I rode train #4 (one FP-7, a combine, and a dome coach) from Asheville to Salisbury and changed there for Washington aboard Southern's #6.... the 'Piedmont' which in those days was a Washington-Atlanta day train on the same route as the overnight 'Southern Crescent'. Even then, I remember the stern notices in the Salisbury station announcing the upcoming discontinuance of trains #5 & #6 south of Charlotte and that an application to discontinue trains #3 & #4 had been made.

A couple of years later, after #'s 3,4,5, & 6 were entirely gone, I was able to ride the 'Southern Crescent' itself on a roundtrip from Atlanta to Washington.
 
Yes that is all that was left. Both downtown stations had been torn down,

The various Southern RR trains that went NYC, WAS ,ATLanta NOL all stopped briefly at Peacthree and then downtown for the long station stop at Terminal station

Those were also the only trains that stopped there..The Southern trains from Cincinnati to Jacksonviile, for example,did not go that way.

Through the better days the trains that stopped at peachtree were:L

Crescent nyc wash atl montgomery mobile nol

Piedmont Limited same as above

Southerner nyc wash atl birmingham meridian nol

Peach Queen nyc wash atl

Wash atlanta new orleans express wash atl

nameless local wash atl

The Seaboard also ran the Silver Comet and two locals but not through Peachtree Statiion

l
 
How many stations has Atlanta had? Was Atlanta important to rail the way its airport is to aviation now?
 
How many stations has Atlanta had? Was Atlanta important to rail the way its airport is to aviation now?
To the second question, a clear yes.

Union Station downtown served Louisville & Nashville, Nashville Chattanooga & St Louis Attantic Coast Linr,Georgia rr

Terminal served Southern,Seaboard,Central of Georgia and Atlanta West Point

Not much was said about suburban stops, not like Peachtree. Some would be Marjetta chamblee norcross, emory university austell there was no massive commuter train feeling at all but a number of small stops did exist mostly for mail handling I guess,
 
The historic importance of Atlanta re. railroads, from Wikipedia:

"The history of Atlanta dates back to 1836, when Georgia decided to build a railroad to the U.S. Midwest and a location was chosen to be the line's terminus. The stake marking the founding of 'Terminus' was driven into the ground in 1837 (called the Zero Mile Post). In 1839 homes and a store were built there and the settlement grew. Between 1845 and 1854 rail lines arrived from four different directions, and the rapidly growing town quickly become [sic] the rail hub for the entire Southern United States....."

If railroads had never been invented, it's possible that Atlanta would have sprung into being and become a great crossroads city anyway. Since they were invented, Atlanta's future as a transportation hub was secured.

Tom

P.S. AmtrakBlue, thanks for your polite diplomacy!
 
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