Any other "continuing" services?

[RobertF]

So, are there any other Amtrak LD trains that have a sleeper/coach that are disconnected from one train and attached to another train for continuing services to somewhere, or is the TE it?

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Well, exluding the Builder's split at Spokane, yes, thats it.

 

[the_traveler]

Now, that is it, but there used to be 2 more. The LSL used to split at ALB (before the stub train to BOS came to be), and the Silver Service trains used to split at Alburndale (sp?), FL with 1 section going to Tampa and the other to Miami.

 

[Rafi]

Now, that is it, but there used to be 2 more. The LSL used to split at ALB (before the stub train to BOS came to be), and the Silver Service trains used to split at Alburndale (sp?), FL with 1 section going to Tampa and the other to Miami.

And, of course, the LSL used to also split at Toledo with a section heading to Detroit; The Zephyr used to split in Denver (and at another time in Salt Lake City) to have a section become the Pioneer up to Portland and Seattle; and the Zephyr also had a section split off in Salt Lake City to become the Desert Wind to head to Las Vegas and LA. I'm pretty sure I've got that right, but please correct me if I'm mistaken.

-Rafi

 

[the_traveler]

The Zephyr used to split in Denver (and at another time in Salt Lake City) to have a section become the Pioneer up to Portland and Seattle; and the Zephyr also had a section split off in Salt Lake City to become the Desert Wind to head to Las Vegas and LA. I'm pretty sure I've got that right, but please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Your right - I forgot about the CZ/DW/Pioneer split in SLC in the 80's and 90's.

BTW, what was the split in DEN? If you're referring to the D&RGW version of the CZ (via CO) and the Amtrak version of the CZ (via WY), this was before D&RGW joined Amtrak - and they were 2 separate trains! (They even served 2 separate stations in SLC!)

 

[gaspeamtrak]

Now, that is it, but there used to be 2 more. The LSL used to split at ALB (before the stub train to BOS came to be), and the Silver Service trains used to split at Alburndale (sp?), FL with 1 section going to Tampa and the other to Miami.

And, of course, the LSL used to also split at Toledo with a section heading to Detroit; The Zephyr used to split in Denver (and at another time in Salt Lake City) to have a section become the Pioneer up to Portland and Seattle; and the Zephyr also had a section split off in Salt Lake City to become the Desert Wind to head to Las Vegas and LA. I'm pretty sure I've got that right, but please correct me if I'm mistaken.

-Rafi

As far as i can recall they never split the LSL in Toledo, There was a connecting train called 'The lake Cities" i think and it ran to Detroit then continued on to Chicago. There was also and eastbound counter part that would connect with the LSL. It left Chicago around 2:05pm and got to Toledo about 1 hour before the LSL arrived. That is what i recall??? :huh:

 

[Rafi]

Now, that is it, but there used to be 2 more. The LSL used to split at ALB (before the stub train to BOS came to be), and the Silver Service trains used to split at Alburndale (sp?), FL with 1 section going to Tampa and the other to Miami.

And, of course, the LSL used to also split at Toledo with a section heading to Detroit; The Zephyr used to split in Denver (and at another time in Salt Lake City) to have a section become the Pioneer up to Portland and Seattle; and the Zephyr also had a section split off in Salt Lake City to become the Desert Wind to head to Las Vegas and LA. I'm pretty sure I've got that right, but please correct me if I'm mistaken.

-Rafi

As far as i can recall they never split the LSL in Toledo, There was a connecting train called 'The lake Cities" i think and it ran to Detroit then continued on to Chicago. There was also and eastbound counter part that would connect with the LSL. It left Chicago around 2:05pm and got to Toledo about 1 hour before the LSL arrived. That is what i recall??? :huh:

I'm reasonably (read 90%) sure that the LSL did, in fact, split at Toledo. I first learned of it when I was browsing the Toledo station and there's actually a picture on a wall of the split taking place with a caption that describes what's happening in the photo. I also seem to remember some of the folks on this board confirming the split and what its routing was to Detroit some time back. Of course, I could be completely mistaken.

-Rafi

 

[jis]

The Zephyr used to split in Denver (and at another time in Salt Lake City) to have a section become the Pioneer up to Portland and Seattle; and the Zephyr also had a section split off in Salt Lake City to become the Desert Wind to head to Las Vegas and LA. I'm pretty sure I've got that right, but please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Your right - I forgot about the CZ/DW/Pioneer split in SLC in the 80's and 90's.

BTW, what was the split in DEN? If you're referring to the D&RGW version of the CZ (via CO) and the Amtrak version of the CZ (via WY), this was before D&RGW joined Amtrak - and they were 2 separate trains! (They even served 2 separate stations in SLC!)

In its last incarnation, the Pioneer used to split from the CZ at Denver and travel the Overland Route and then through Ogden to Portland and Seattle.

Amtrak CZ was never really scheduled to travel on a regular basis via Wyoming. However over the years it has detoured over that route off and on.

The Amtrak train that was regularly scheduled through Wyoming (before the Amtrak trains named Pioneer and CZ) starting in 1971, was the San Francisco Zephyr. In 1983 D&RGW got out of the Rio Grande Zephyr business and joined Amtrak, and the Amtrak train (SFZ was rerouted via Colorado and its name was changed to California Zephyr. Almost immediately after this change the Colorado route was blocked by a massive landslide near Thistle UT, thus putting the CZ back on the Wyoming route for a while, until the tracks were relaid around the landslide and the lake that formed behind the slide. Finally with the fixing up of the Colorado route the CZ was moved for good to the Colorado route (except for occasional detours over the Wyoming route from time to time, like say last summer).

 

[mp-44]

at one time back in the early 80.s there was thru car sleeper service on the Crescent from NYC to LAX layover in NOL overnight and added to the Sunset the next day if you booked it that was your room no need for hotel kind of nice to it gave some time to sightsee

 

[MrFSS]

Here's what that looked like in the Amtrak table.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Wonder why they don't do that now.

 

[the_traveler]

When they had the thru cars from NYP to LAX, how did they handle the height difference between the single level car and the hi-level cars? Did they use something like a transitional car? :huh:

And I also notice it just didn't switch trains, it switched railroads also (Amtrak to Southern to Amtrak)! B)

 

[mp-44]

at the time this was all single level and the sleeper was added to the rear made for nice viewing out the back window SP was still using semaphores and the sleeper was a 10-6

 

[jis]

And I also notice it just didn't switch trains, it switched railroads also (Amtrak to Southern to Amtrak)! B)

The Southern Railway run Southern Crescent continued until sometime around 1977-78. By 1979 Amtrak had taken over the service and renamed it the Crescent. The through car to LAX continued on into the Amtrak Crescent era.

BTW, in 1979 the Sunset Limited had Hi-Level Coach service, so presumably they used the old Santa-Fe transition car to connect those up with the low level sleepers and diner etc.

Other trains that split and joined back in early '79 were:

The Broadway Limited from/to Chicago, New York and Washington sections split/join at Harrisburg.

The National Limited from/to St. Louis and Kansas City, New York and Washington sections split/join at Philadelphia.

The Lake Shore Limited from/to Chicago, Boston and New York sections split/join at Albany-Rensselaer

The Silver Star from/to New York, Miami and St. Pete sections split/join at Kissimmee, FL.

The Lone Star from/to Chicago, Dallas and Houston sections split at Fort Worth, TX.

In the October 28, '79 timetable, the Lone Star disappeared and instead the Inter-American got two sections:

The Inter-American from/to Chicago, Laredo and Houston sections split/join at Temple, TX.

In the October 28, '79 timetable the Champion (New York - St. Pete) disappeared, and Silver Meteor got two sections:

The Silver Meteor from/to New York, Miami and St. Pete sections split/join at Jacksonville.

and of course the through Sleeper from NYP to LAX continued running.

Also in the October 28, '79 timetable the Empire Builder became the first Superliner train (thrice a week) and the North Coast Hiawatha disappeared. The National Limited (New York/Washington - Kansas City) and the Floridian also disappeared.

During this period, the Cardinal was a daily train, while the San Francisco Zephyr and the Sunset Limited were three times a week trains.

The Pioneer (Salt Lake City - Seattle) and the Desert Wind (Ogden - Los Angeles) were daily trains using Amfleet equipment (except sleepers), i.e. their diner was an Am-dinette. The Panama Limited (later known as the City of New Orleans), and the Inter-American (later known as the Texas Eagle with route shortened to San Antonio) were both daily trains with Am-dinettes providing food service.

That was how things were in 1979, which was quite an eventful year of the so called Carter Cuts. We were still a year away from the Reagan/Stockman attacks on Amtrak.