I'm on #147 and the conductor just called the train The Cavalier. This is the ner we used to call The Lynchburger. He said it's official.
The Cavalier?
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jis
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Amtrak crew making up stuff as they go along? Has been going on like forever.
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The conductor must be a real Norfolk & Western fan.
Seaboard92
Engineer
The Cavalier is a former Norfolk & Western train that ran from Norfolk, VA to Cincinnati, OH from 1928-1966.
I’m curious what are the other unofficial names out there for Corridor Trains.
I’m curious what are the other unofficial names out there for Corridor Trains.
Individual NEC trains had names up until 1999. After 1995 or so, they were also co-branded as "Northeast Direct." When they started running all-electric service between Washington and Boston in 2000, the called those through trains "Acela Regional." By 2003, they realized that people were getting confused about the difference between "Acela Express" and "Acela Regional," so they started branding the service as "Regional." According to Wikipedia, they started branding as "Northeast Regional" in 2008.
I'mm not sure why they eliminated train names, however, there was really nothing distinctive about the individual NEC trains, they all had more or less the same equipment and stopped at the same places (with a little variation by time of day.) I would suspect that potential NEC passengers really don't care whether they're riding the Morning Congressional or the Senator or the Keystone or whatever, they just want to take the "train to New York" that gets them in when they want to get in.
I'mm not sure why they eliminated train names, however, there was really nothing distinctive about the individual NEC trains, they all had more or less the same equipment and stopped at the same places (with a little variation by time of day.) I would suspect that potential NEC passengers really don't care whether they're riding the Morning Congressional or the Senator or the Keystone or whatever, they just want to take the "train to New York" that gets them in when they want to get in.
Seaboard92
Engineer
I’ve always been one who cares about the Train Names. I still try to refer to them by the old names.
If they name the Carolinian and Palmetto why not Roanoke service. I’d vote for the Virginian. Not very innovative but works for that route. 66/67 should be named the Cannonball after a similar overnight service on that route albeit via N&W from Norfolk rather than C&O from News.
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If VDOT wants their train named, I am sure Amtrak will oblige.
Cannonball would be confusing, since LIRR has the Cannonball service to Montauk.
65/66/67 should simply be given its old name Night Owl back.
At one time, some of those corridor name trains were widely recognized...
The premier Boston to New York train was The Merchants Limited, at one time all-parlor cars. Finest and fastest New York to Washington train was the stainless steel Afternoon Congressional. Top thru Boston to Washington train was The Senator, or overnite Federal.
When reading the name “Cannonball”, I think of the N&W acquired Wabash Cannonball, which ran between Detroit and St. Louis...
The premier Boston to New York train was The Merchants Limited, at one time all-parlor cars. Finest and fastest New York to Washington train was the stainless steel Afternoon Congressional. Top thru Boston to Washington train was The Senator, or overnite Federal.
When reading the name “Cannonball”, I think of the N&W acquired Wabash Cannonball, which ran between Detroit and St. Louis...
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Amtrak apparently had five named Boston to Washington trains in the mid '70s. They were The Senator, The Minute Man, The Colonial, The Patriot and The Merchants Limited, in addition to the venerable Night Owl. The Night Owl and the Hilltopper (Boston - New York - Washington - Tri-State Station KY) apparently ran together as a single train from Boston to Washington at least in 1978. The Hilltopper ran via RVR, Petersburg (Fleet St. and Grove St - not Ettrick served by the Florida trains) and Lynchburg (Woodall Rd. Station - not Kemper St. which the Southern Crescent served).
Fun to see how things were back in the '70s!
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west point
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The night Owl should be saved until sleeper service is started for the train. Then that would appeal to WASH & BOS patrons and sound as a new and improved service ?
I would agree Night Owl sounds more appealing. Let hope they don’t revert to The Twilight Shoreliner. And, is the NEwport News train the best connection to continue from Washington as the overnight train. How about an afternoon version of the train from Roanoke that has been discussed.
Good place to roll out those "lie-flat" seats being talked about elsewhere.
jloewen
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Of COURSE! So does the whole country, owing to the popularity of the song "Wabash Cannonball," probably the most popular C/W song of all time. Cf. https://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/152354 which many readers might enjoy. https://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/152354
jis
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Which is another way of saying it will never happen in the next ten years or so?
Siegmund
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I was sad to see so many names retired too.
It made some sense to go to a uniform 'Service' name for NY-Washington and Chicago-Milwaukee since there wasn't really any distinction between the trains.
But I thought it was helpful to give different names to trains going different places --- giving a name to the Newport News train, giving different names to trains that ended in Niagara Falls, Syracuse, and Albany, etc.
It'd be a fine idea to give real names again to the morning and evening Newport News trains, the morning and evening Norfolk trains, the Richmond train, and the Roanoke train. Maybe it's not necessary if you are IN Roanoke... but it'd be nice for folks getting on in Philadelphia to have a clear indication they are on the right train.
It made some sense to go to a uniform 'Service' name for NY-Washington and Chicago-Milwaukee since there wasn't really any distinction between the trains.
But I thought it was helpful to give different names to trains going different places --- giving a name to the Newport News train, giving different names to trains that ended in Niagara Falls, Syracuse, and Albany, etc.
It'd be a fine idea to give real names again to the morning and evening Newport News trains, the morning and evening Norfolk trains, the Richmond train, and the Roanoke train. Maybe it's not necessary if you are IN Roanoke... but it'd be nice for folks getting on in Philadelphia to have a clear indication they are on the right train.
As far as VA service lines are concerned, I would suggest the Roanoke/Lynchburg service be named the Blue Ridge service for the mountain range it travels near and over. The service to Richmond could be named the Old Dominion for a short lived RF&P train. The Hampton Roads trains would be the Tidewater service.
neroden
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I think the common commuter-rail practice of naming trains by the farthest-out station they serve (or a larger station a few from the end) works well and is easily remembered. This works where one end is the "big city", and you name the train after the other end. So "Roanoke Service", "Richmond Service", "Newport News service", "Norfolk Service", "Niagara Falls Service", "Springfield Service", "Detroit Service", etc.
For lines where both ends are equally large, you do need a different name (hence "Maple Leaf"). If you want to show a whole trunk line which has branches, names like "Virginia Regional" are reasonable.
For lines where both ends are equally large, you do need a different name (hence "Maple Leaf"). If you want to show a whole trunk line which has branches, names like "Virginia Regional" are reasonable.
There is no problem with sleepers on the NEC south of NYP, nor north on the line parallel to the Hudson to Albany, since the Crescent, Silvers, and LSL run Viewliner sleepers on both those lines currently. Since the VLs are basically the same size as VL coaches, they should also fit fine through the East River tunnels and northeast to Boston.
Maybe you are thinking of the Superliners, which are much taller and won't fit through the New York tunnels and probably other bottlenecks on the NEC?
65/66/67, when it was called the Twilight Shoreliner, had a Viewliner sleeper than ran from Newport News to Boston.
