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There has been an awful lot of talk lately concerning Tucson-Phoenix passenger service and developing the service into a "corridor" with several round trips per day. In fact, I think that federal funds for this to finance a study have already been approved. But what I'm wondering is whether it...

George, Thanks so much for the most interesting post and the information.

Mr. Anderson, When you say Virginia, are you referring to the defunct SCL line that was once a mainline that the State has been trying to revive? There is, as you say, a similarity there but also a difference. The difference is that the West Phoenix line has some definite freight potential...

Dear Mr. Anderson, Actually, to have Amtrak or the State of Arizona buy and reopen the West Phoenix Line (WPL) is a possibility that has been looked into and even studied by the Arizona DOT. My own personal, honest and humble feeling is that a private business such as the Union Pacific...

Alanh, My memory of what happened was that the SP approached Amtrak asking for help in maintaining the line west of Buckeye. By 1995 the SP only operated one, usually rather short, daily freight from Phoenix to Yuma. The SP believed that the much longer, circuitous route via Picacho could...

Actually, my memory is that it was actually the SP that took the West Phoenix Line (WPL) out of service a year or so before the UP took over. But I can no longer recall the exact date. Surely, we can find that somewhere. Here is my idea of what could be done *IF* Amtrak ever gets sufficient...

Justin, I wish I could provide you with more information on this but, unfortunately, I’ve never tried to do this. Last winter when we went out, we got off at Flagstaff and had a driver come up and fetch us at the depot. That worked pretty well. From my perspective, since I would be coming from...

I have long felt that as far as L.D. trains go, running head-end equipment carrying pre-sorted mail would help out a lot. I have always felt that Graham Claytor Jr. was on the right track with that. Then later, Thomas Downs came in and by cutting most of the LD trains to less than daily...

Is anyone aware as to whether or not Amtrak plans to buy new Superliner equipment? Do they even intend to do so? I have long felt that not only is this necessary to expand any new L.D. routes such as making trains 1 and 2 daily or a new long-distance train across Montana, which appears to be...

You know, it's not just Amtrak in my own honest and humble opinion. It kinda seems to me like nothing in America works very well anymore. I'm old enough that I know how things were 50+ years ago and they weren't like this! Things really got bad in our country when the pandemic hit but...

Well, although it was a number of months ago now, back in March my wife and I took the Southwest Chief out to Arizona and back. It was one of the best trips on Amtrak that I've ever had. The on-board service crew was very helpful and friendly. Our best experience was in the dining car. At...

In my own personal, honest and humble opinion, bringing back the National Limited is NOT feasible nor is it feasible to bring back any other L.D. trains until and unless Amtrak acquires more equipment. And as of right now, Amtrak does not appear to be seriously pursuing this.

This kinda supports my contention that the truck driver was at fault. Of course, nothing has been proven yet. It will take time to sort out all the details of what actually happened. I think that the historical precedent of the law is that at an unguarded crossing on a lightly traveled dirt...

The speed limit of 90 shouldn't make that much difference. Many rural U.S. Highways, especially out west, have speed limits of 70 or more. The question is, did the truck driver stop? Based on the photos I've seen, if he'd pulled up right to the tracks, stopped and looked, he very likely...

The above photo posted by Billosborn should tell everyone all they need to know. There is a STOP sign there for cryin' out loud! All this finger pointing about brush, and no lights or gates, is all a distraction. Did the truck driver really come to a complete stop and look before proceeding...

Sorry, I wasn't trying to "sling mud" - I really wasn't. As a rail passenger user and advocate, I'm concerned, that's all.

Given the hostility that the U.S. Government has shown to the rail industry in the United States, it is a testimony of the incredible efficiency of steel wheel on steel rail that railways have survived at all in this country - never mind prospered. A great read on American Railroads is the book...

Group, What exactly is happening with the massive infusion of funding that Congress so generously gave to Amtrak? Does Amtrak really have a specific plan in place? New equipment? New Superliners maybe? After Googling, all I could find was an official statement from Amtrak that stated...

Group, I have been wondering what Amtrak's rationale is for placing sleepers near the head end of the train behind the locomotive. Does anyone have any ideas on this? I'm old enough to remember that prior to the coming of Amtrak, most railroads placed their sleepers at or near the end of the...

Uh, well, not sure about the penny pinching part but I was just wondering about the direct effects of the weather. For snow to reach axles on trains, the snow (or its associated drifts) needs to reach at LEAST two feet. The storm of late last week didn't reach anything near that. Most of the...