Seems AOL loves Amtrak travel too!
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the_traveler
Engineer
$4/gallon gas may help!
PerRock
Engineer
D.P. Roberts
Conductor
I think it's interesting that they mention "Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone Park, and Disney World" as places that can be reached by train. In truth, most of those places can't be reached by train (at least Amtrak). You can get to Orlando, but not Disney World. The Grand Canyon is at best a two hour bus ride from the nearest Amtrak Station. And Yellowstone isn't anywhere near an Amtrak station.
Anybody lazy enough to rely on AOL for real information deserves whatever they get.
G
Guest
Guest
Yellowstone is rail accessible ???
RTOlson
Lead Service Attendant
Man, the article needs a little work:
Still, it's a fun little article. It would be nice if the article mentioned the train's role in regional commuting because I don't know how many people would think of that.
And yet, no mention of planes.
Still, it's a fun little article. It would be nice if the article mentioned the train's role in regional commuting because I don't know how many people would think of that.
Maybe it was Glacier Park they were thinking of. It's rail accessible. But even if, by some long shot, Amtrak resumed service over the old North Coast Limited route, through Southern Montana, Yellowstone would still be at least an hour, if not more, away.
Chessie Hokie
Train Attendant
Absolutely right...where the heck did they dig that idea up?
Amtrak's closest rail service to Yellowstone National Park is currently Salt Lake City (California Zephyr)... a distance of 320 miles to the West Entrance at West Yellowstone, Montana, or 333 to the South Entrance near Moran Junction, Wyoming. The Empire Builder isn't much further: 324 from Malta, MT to the North Entrance at Gardiner, MT, or 333 to the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City, MT.
The route through which the majority of rail passengers reached Yellowstone was via a Union Pacific branchline to West Yellowstone. The connection from Salt Lake City on the seasonal Yellowstone Special was made via Ogden, with through coaches and sleepers from other long distance trains, but the last passenger train ended in 1960 and the tracks were later pulled up. The last Union Pacific bus connection, from Victor, Idaho, ended in 1965.
Regularly scheduled rail passenger service on the Northern Pacific's Park Branch, which linked Livingston, MT to Yellowstone's northwest entrance at Gardiner, MT, ended shortly after World War II. From at least 1946 buses made the connection with passenger trains at Livingston (such as the Northern Pacific's premier North Coast Limited) to the Park entrance, about 55 miles away. And, of course, Amtrak's later North Coast Hiawatha (which also linked to buses at Livingston) was discontinued in 1979 (the Park Branch track had been pulled up by Burlington Northern in 1976), so there has been no Amtrak rail service within hundreds of miles since then. The Northern Pacific had been instrumental in the development of the Park and had built the famous Old Faithful Inn to serve its patrons.
The Milwaukee Road had bus connections to West Yellowstone from it's passenger trains (such as the Olympian Hiawatha) at Three Forks, MT, via the Gallatin Gateway to West Yellowstone (about 110 miles), but that service ended following the 1960 season.
The Burlington Route (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy) had rail passenger service to Cody, Wyoming, with connecting buses through the East Entrance (about 84 miles). This service ended in 1956.
Chicago & North Western provided bus connections to Yellowstone from Lander, Wyoming through the South Entrance near Moran, WY, about 130 miles. This service ended in 1932.
Green Maned Lion
Engineer
I'd bet you a Disney rail service is possible. They have to have railroad tracks running into a mid-fifties establishment of that size. Wonder what it would cost to have it connect to the monorail? As a transfer, I mean.
p&sr
OBS Chief
If you are referring to Disney in California, they are already easy to get to by Rail:
"Getting to Disneyland on Southern California's expanding rail network is easier than ever with the start of regular shuttle service between the Anaheim Amtrak station, the Disneyland Resort and Anaheim Resort hotels.
"The shuttles, which will cost $3 for adults... will meet all northbound and southbound Pacific Surfliner trains."
(The Park is about 2 1/2 miles from the Station.)
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Green Maned Lion
Engineer
The california one is a sham, I tell you! The one in Florida is the only real one!
AMEN GML! I love DisneyWorld. They can keep Disneyland for all I care!
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