1976 AMTRAK Map

[MikefromCrete]

There's no service to Cleveland in the 1971 map. Is that correct? I had thought that the Lake Shore was one of the original Amtrak trains, but clearly it was added later. When did it start?

The Lake Shore was not part of the original Amtrak service. For a short while in 1972, it was a state supported train. After a brief hiatus, it was restarted as part of the national system.

 

[jphjaxfl]

OK, maybe I missed it...but didn't the EB split at Spokane even then? And send one section to PDX and one to SEA, just like today?

Both the Empire Builder and the North Coast Limited split at Spokane with a section going to Portland (same train for both the EB and NCL) and the main section of the train going to Seattle. Up until Amtrak, BN also ran secondary trains from St Paul to Seattle with a section going to Portland. Those trains were the Western Star and Mainstreeter. Even though they were secondary trains, they still carried Slumbercoaches or Sleepers and diner lounge cars. Even the secondary trains were well patronized by tourist in the summer and local travelers in the winter due to the harsh winter weather and also little in the way of competing transportation such as planes and buses.

 

[AAARGH!]

There's no service to Cleveland in the 1971 map. Is that correct? I had thought that the Lake Shore was one of the original Amtrak trains, but clearly it was added later. When did it start?

2003.

Not that CLE didn't have service-- over the years it has had the Three Rivers, Capitol Limited and variations thereupon to service Northern Ohio.

ALC, are you sure? I remember taking it in the late 1970s or early 80's. And it wasn't the CL either.

 

[AlanB]

There's no service to Cleveland in the 1971 map. Is that correct? I had thought that the Lake Shore was one of the original Amtrak trains, but clearly it was added later. When did it start?

2003.

Not that CLE didn't have service-- over the years it has had the Three Rivers, Capitol Limited and variations thereupon to service Northern Ohio.

ALC, are you sure? I remember taking it in the late 1970s or early 80's. And it wasn't the CL either.

I don't recall for sure when the LSL became a regular Amtrak train, I'm sure someone remembers the correct date, but I can assure you that it wasn't 2003.

I took 3 trips on the LSL in 2000, and still more in 2001. In fact I've been on the LSL at least once every year for the past 9 years now.

 

[jis]

I don't recall for sure when the LSL became a regular Amtrak train, I'm sure someone remembers the correct date, but I can assure you that it wasn't 2003.
I took 3 trips on the LSL in 2000, and still more in 2001. In fact I've been on the LSL at least once every year for the past 9 years now.

I believe it was introduced in its permanent Amtrak form at the latest sometime in 1973. It is well documented that it got Viewliners in 1996, and even I had traveled on it in 1979 in Slumbercoach out of Grand Central.

Of course pre-Amtrak there was a Lake Shore Limited too as this news article from 1940 would suggest:

WRECK OF LIMITED YIELDS 27 BODIES; SEARCH CONTINUES; Hundreds Labor at Clearing Torn Cars of N.Y. Central Train Near Little Falls MOST OF DEAD IDENTIFIED Injured in Hospitals Exceed 70 --Some Lay Disaster to Speed, Others to Rails

By WARREN MOSCOW Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.

April 21, 1940, Sunday

Page 1, 1649 words

LITTLE FALLS, N. Y., April 20 --The known death toll stood at twenty-seven tonight in the wreck of the Lake Shore Limited of the New York Central, which was derailed while traveling at high speed last night.

 

[Greg]

I found this fascinating List of trains that ran on the eve of Amtrak. Thought y'all might like it.

Maybe this list needs to be sent to all members of congress with some note about the systematic and political shenanigans which led to the demise of our once great passenger rail system and how it's time to resurrect all these routes!

 

[jphjaxfl]

I found this fascinating List of trains that ran on the eve of Amtrak. Thought y'all might like it.

Maybe this list needs to be sent to all members of congress with some note about the systematic and political shenanigans which led to the demise of our once great passenger rail system and how it's time to resurrect all these routes!

Unfortunately some of the actual rail lines used by passenger trains prior to 5/1/1971 no longer exist.

 

[JSmith]

Although long out of print (try Amazon or Ebay?), nothing compares to the great volumes I and II of "The Trains We Rode" by Beebe and Clegg published by Howell-North back in the '60's.

Thanks for the tip! It looks like my public library has a copy of this available; I'll go see if I can check it out this week.

 

[railiner]

Although long out of print (try Amazon or Ebay?), nothing compares to the great volumes I and II of "The Trains We Rode" by Beebe and Clegg published by Howell-North back in the '60's.

Thanks for the tip! It looks like my public library has a copy of this available; I'll go see if I can check it out this week.

See if they have those other two I suggested as well. And while you're in that section of the library, browse through others. Looks like you have a good library!

Good luck!

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Although long out of print (try Amazon or Ebay?), nothing compares to the great volumes I and II of "The Trains We Rode" by Beebe and Clegg published by Howell-North back in the '60's.

Thanks for the tip! It looks like my public library has a copy of this available; I'll go see if I can check it out this week.

Here is a good book ,"Classic American Streamliners", by Mike Schafer and Joe Welsh.

Also keep in mind there were books written about just one railroad, or even just one train, like many books about the 20th Century Ltd, for one example. Let us know about that.

And it was suggested that you look for Official Railway Guides. Good advice!! Now I cannot read your mind, I can barely read mine, so I do not know what time period you would appreciate the most.If it is pure age and pure mileage then I guess anything way back even in the 30's or so would be good.

I have some thoughts of my own, to wit,

1930's, equipment apparently looked pretty much the same. Then the great depression, not much travel. What I have seen from that time period suggests to me that not as many trains had names as do today, or in some cases the same names. A more recent guide might tie in better with more recent train names.

The WW2 years, well yes lots of travel but mostly troop trains, not listed in the timetable. Guess what, the general public was actively discouraged from travel, and I have seen the old ads to prove it, with captions like,"Is this trip necessary? We need this space for our fighting troops." You would not have seen many of us out running around building up our AGR points(so to speak--not being literal here)!!

Diesel and streamlining had been discovered just before WW 2, but production stopped during the war.

The late 40's after the war were exciting times indeed for nearly all industries. The drive for diesels and lightweight streamlined trains began big time. A time of transition. A timetable or guide from here would be good.

But I kind of like the 50's, Major systems still intact. Yet the downslide was beginning but not yet, too seriously, it would advance of course.Some RR's beginning to feel negative but most trains still running...for the moment.And there were still some positives,noted below.

Some bright spots. If you get an Official Railway Guide about 1956 it would include, by then if not before, 1.El Capitan's re-equipping as a high level train, 2. the complete re-equipping of the Denver Zephyr, one of the last trains to be done such,3 the new domes for the Union Pacific, 4.the new trains on both railroads in Canada,5.things I have forgotten.

And something negative would happen November 1957.That was dropping the Dixieland (formerly Dixie Flagler) from Chicago to Miami via Evansville, Nashville Chattanooga,Atlanta,Jak. Some may cry "foul" for me mentioning this since this was the first train I ever rode.

But it is a valid point because this was the oldest direct link from CHI to straight through to MIA, the first of several routes to fall. So, even if I had been born in on Jupiter instead of in Chattanooga, this would still be significant.

The later 50's and 60's I do not recommend because trains started slimmng down in size and many discontinued. The competition from the highway and the air ways, plus the loss of the U.S. mail contract made it more and more depressing.

I say ALL of this to say I recommend mid 50's for buying an Official Guide, for what you will see in it.I think your original interest was purely in mileage rather than the trains themselves But most significant routes still existed in the 50's. But the guides did list mileage which had become freight only. But still sometimes track was abandoned and torn up in later years.

BTW, try to find individual railroad timetables on ebay also.

 

[WanderingFolker]

St. Louis to Philly!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? No transfers up in Chicago?! O how I wish this was in the future plans of amtrak rather then their history! Please, someone tell me Amtrak is adding a new line!

:unsure: :blink:

 

[saxman]

St. Louis to Philly!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? No transfers up in Chicago?! O how I wish this was in the future plans of amtrak rather then their history! Please, someone tell me Amtrak is adding a new line!:unsure: :blink:

That was the National Limited going from New York to Kansas via PHL, PGH, Columbus and Indy. I don't think they really can't bring it back. I think I heard some of the tracks don't even exist on that line anymore.

 

[railiner]

St. Louis to Philly!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? No transfers up in Chicago?! O how I wish this was in the future plans of amtrak rather then their history! Please, someone tell me Amtrak is adding a new line!:unsure: :blink:

That was the National Limited going from New York to Kansas via PHL, PGH, Columbus and Indy. I don't think they really can't bring it back. I think I heard some of the tracks don't even exist on that line anymore.

Yes, too bad indeed. By the way, the National Limited should have been named the Capitals Limited. What other train directly served as many state capitals as it did (Trenton, Harrisburg, Columbus, Indianapolis, Jefferson City? Oh, and Washington, the nation's capital.