RTN 168 Jan. 1978 # 2 (mailed Feb.~ 22)

TRAVEL

ee wens W

jae Sa

esac,
ot <+
One

aS es

- g

Cn —Y

ae

Be

4
|

Py

ai Se \, go #

My

PROCLAIM LIBERTY

FIRST CLASS
USAT3< |

Berkeley, CA 94709 USA First Class

FROM: P.O. Box 9007

Announcing Another Detailed Passenger Train Consist Book
by Fred W. Frailey

OU Fapy

THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF AMTRAK

| Cd VZEPHYRS CHIEFS AND OTHER ORPHANS"

ae Le

THE TRAINS

THE POWER
THE CARS

Nowhere else will railfans learn so much about how Amtrak operated its trains between 1971
and 1976. Separate chapters on each route detail the consists and car assignments, how and
why they changed--locomotives too. A special section on Amtrak's power gives an all time
roster of locomotives, plus retirement, rebuilding dates, and assignments. Every piece of
Amtrak rolling stock is individually listed in a 57 page section that includes actual train ass-
ignments each February and August from 1971 to 1976. Complete with more that 100 photos
and drawings of Amtrak cars, this is a well researched book that you will reread time after
time.

260 pages, 8 1/2 x 11" softbound, $10.50 postpaid.

RPC Publications Name so 3 a By de a
P.O. Box 296
Godfrey, Illinois 62035 Address — ——
Cty = ae le = Zip =

(Ilineis residents please add 5% sales tax).

4U¢
VOL. 8 NO. 2

ISSUE OF

SECOND

JANUARY 1978
ae (69
NEWS

15-18

ca
ike

RAIL
TRAVEL

i

|

” z - =

? a z - ———— _
f x .

SuciSur alt tHe LAND

i ti

p.

Announcing Another Detailed Passenger Train Consist Book
by Fred W. Frailey

PROCLAIM LIBERTY >

FIRSTCLASS

etd LED,

THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF AMTRAK

| Cd 'ZEPHYRS CHIEFS AND OTHER ORPHANS"

=a

THE TRAINS

THE POWER
THE CARS

Nowhere else will railfans learn so much about how Amtrak operated its trains between 1971

and 1976. Separate chapters on each route detail the consists and car assignments, how and |
why they changed--locomotives too. A special section on Amtrak's power gives an all time
roster of locomotives, plus retirement, rebuilding dates, and assignments. Every piece of
Amtrak rolling stock is individually listed in a 57 page section that includes actual train ass~ |
ignments each February and August from 1971 to 1976. Compiete with more that 100 photos |
and drawings of Amtrak cars, this is a well researched book that you will reread time after |

(Iilineis residents please add 5% sales tax).

A
~
8
O
ots
a
lea
GSES
finds
<
3
g
3
S14
3

S time.
g 260 pages, 8 1/2 x 11" softbound, $10.50 postpaid.
ag
a RPC Pubiications NaniGs:2 ee eee eS S
= P.O. Box 296
Be Godfrey, Illinois 62035 a
= Cite = a ee tate Zip
(e)
x
cs

LETTERS

Norman Freitag's letter (last issue) really hits the nail on the head. Con-
trary to his first sentence, however, RTN has touched on the labor issue in
articles, comments and letters (| especially liked James Lanes' recent letter--
it was the most forceful statement from us "labor reform" advocates |'ve seen).

. Aj] of which causes me to wonder if Anthony Haswell might do better to shift
his emphasis away from reducing costs by cutting back long distance train mile-
age to reducing costs by cutting back long distance train losses (thru labor

fo
refora)? Dick Sheppard
San Francisco, California

Norman Freitag brought up a point so vital that it could very well change the
financial status of America's railroads as well as Amtrak, and the change would
be for the good. The union-imposed work rules have been killing the railroads
for quite some time. Passenger trains, which are labor-intensive to begin with,
were the first to fall. One hundred miles equals a day's pay is very expensive.
Distinction between yard and road crews is useless and inflationary. If Amtrak
can do away with this enforced ripoff by the unions, |'1] bet Amtrak will stand
a chance to operate in the black. Hel Miller

e

Fullerton, California

|f Congress wants to reduce Amtrak's deficit, let them mandate a rational and
reasonable use of labor aboard the trains.
Jim O'Brien
San Francisco, California

Mr. Freitag implies that train and engine crew are overpaid, based on an ap-
parently short work day and by his misconception that they are paid by the hour.
Train crews are paid by the mile, with a rate per 100 miles as the basis.

As a CP Rail trainman, | earned $26.55 per 100 miles when working the CANA-
DIAN between Kamloops and Field, B.C. The round trip, which takes up 16 hours
out of a 24-hour day, paid me $140. This worked out to $352 for a 40-hour week.
U.S, railroaders enjoy a higher rate of pay than we do, but do not have Medicare
or as substantial a pension plan. The money we earn is not too much when you
consider the odd hours and the long periods away from home. Many of the crew
runs on the CANADIAN entail spending up to two whole days away from home and mean
going to work in the wee tiny hours of the morning. ! believe most train and
engine crews provide good service for the money they are paid, and that Mr. Fref-
tag should look in other directions (top-heavy management perhaps?) to solve his
dilemma, Philip Mason, Member, Local 501, UTU

Revelstoke, B.C., Canada

| particularly enjoy the never-dull, always-illuminating articles by Glenn
Lee. Here is a first-class observer and chronicler who sees things from the
point of view of both the railfan and the non-railfan but traingoing public--
and he represents the latter perspective most commendably. | hope ta see more

f hi k i
op eee er toe eos Kurt Armbruster

Seattle, Washington
(continued on page 17)

AS EE I ELST I LOI ELE EO ET RET! AS PERE SES
Rail Travel News, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Whole No. 168). Second Issue of January, 1978
Copyright 1978 by Message Media. Published twice monthly by Message Wadia:
P, 0. Box 9 1, Berkeley CA 94709. Subscription $9.75 per year; single copy 40¢.
Overseas and institutional rates on request. STAFF: Editor: James Russell.
Editor-at-Large: Paul Rayton. Regional Correspondents: Peter Putnam Bretz, Los
Angeles; Jack Ferry, Chicago; Kenneth Maylath, Baltimore; Peter Roehm, Boston.

THE COVER STORY

This striking design represents the front view of an Amtrak Turboliner, and it
appears on a route brochure for the BLUE WATER LIMITED, prepared by the Michigan
Department of State Highways and Transportation. Michigan is one of those few
states that has taken an active role in promoting rail passenger service and in
cooperating with Amtrak in funding needed local and regional trains.

HASWELL NOMINATION JEOPARDIZED

Senate approval of the nomination of former NARP leader Anthony Haswell to the
Amtrak Board of Directors has been delayed by adverse reaction to Haswell's plan
for restructuring the Amtrak system (summarized in our Jast issue). The Senate
Commerce Conmittee on Feb 9 voted to defer consideration of Haswel]'s name and
that of Frank Neel, the Thomasville GA air conditioning man and Carter campaign
supporter who had admitted to ignoring train travel in the U.S. for over 13 years.
Four New England members of the 18-member committee opposed Haswell as a result of
his recommendation to discontinue the MONTREALER, His plan reportedly also has
raised the ire of some Western senators, of labor representatives, and of Repre-
sentative Harley Staggers of West Virginia. On Feb 10 the full Senate approved
the appointments of 3 members, including Sen. Mills of California. The appoint-
ments of Charles Luna and of Haswell were held up--Luna until he divests himself
of some minor railroad stock. The Nee! appointment is considered killed. Some
Washington observers believe that Haswell's appointment could stil] come thru,
but not without some difficulty. Senator Stafford of Vermont reportedly spoke
with Haswell after the committee deferral, and agreed to remove his objections
to the Haswell appointment.

DELAY ASKED FOR AMTRAK RESTRUCTURE PLAN

The Dept. of Transportation has asked Congress to delay the deadline for com
pletion of the "zero-base" Amtrak study until May 1. Congress has yet to act on
this request. After the preliminary plan is completed, the Rail Service Program
Office (RSPO) of the Interstate Commerce Commission is to hold public hearings on
the plan, and then a final plan will be drawn up and sent to Congress for approval.
The Administration reportedly wants to hold off on a final vote until after the
Novenber elections, so that members of Congress can feel freer to vote adversely
toward rail passenger service. The original deadline for the preliminary plan
was Nar 1, (The plan is being drawn up by the DOT, not by the DOT and Amtrak
jointly, as indicated here earlier; however, the DOT is expected to consult with
Amtrak in the process.

SOUTHERN RAILWAY EXPECTED TO JOIN AMTRAK

Amtrak has confirmed that it is holding negotiations with Southern Railway in
that carrier's move to join Amtrak and drop responsibility for the SOUTHERN CRES-
CENT. Terms of a contract are now being worked out, and it has been learned
that SR requested that the contract should call for only tri-weekly service south
of Atlanta, as at present, while Amtrak is insisting that the terms be similar to
those of its other members, with frequency of service left unspecified. Evidently
Amtrak would prefer to run daily service along the entire present SOUTHERN CRES-
CENT route. Rumors circulating in Washington say that Amtrak aims for an Apr 30
takeover, with a re-routing of the train via Montgomery, and addition of a full
lounge car. Amtrak is also rumored to be interested in restoring the PIEDMONT.
A long front-page article on the train appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer
Feb 10, and noted its impending demise. page 3

—— e 4

LETTERS

Norman Freitag's letter (last issue) really hits the nail on the head, Con-
trary to his first sentence, however, RTN has touched on the labor issue in
articles, comments and letters (1 especially liked James Lanes! recent letter--
it was the wost forceful statement from us "labor reform advocates I've seen).

; AN] of which causes me to wonder if Anthony Haswell might do better to shift
his emphasis away from reducing costs by cutting back long distance train mile-
age to reducing costs by cutting back long distance train losses (thtu labor

0
refora)? Dick Sheppard
San Francisco, California

Norman Freitag brought up a point so vital that it could very well change the
financial status of America's railroads as well as Amtrak, and the change would
be for the good. The union-imposed work rules have been killing the railroads
for quite some time. Passenger trains, which are labor-intensive to begin with,
were the first to fall. One hundred miles equals a day's pay is very expensive.
Distinction between yard and road crews is useless and inflationary, If Amtrak
can do away with this enforced ripoff by the unions, {'1] bet Amtrak will stand
a chance to operate in the black. Mel Miler

e

Fullerton, California

If Congress wants to reduce Amtrak's deficit, let them mandate a rational and
reasonable use of labor aboard the trains.
Jia O'Brien
San Francisco, California

Hr. Freitag implies that train and engine crew are overpaid, based on an ap-
parently short work day and by his misconception that they are paid by the hour.
Train crews are paid by the mile, with a rate per 100 miles as the basis.

As a CP Rail trainman, | earned $26.55 per 100 miles when working the CANA-
DIAN between Kamloops and Ffeld, B.C. The round trip, which takes up 16 hours
out of a 24-hour day, paid me $140. This worked out to $352 for a 40-hour week,
U.S. railroaders enjoy a higher rate of pay than we do, but do not have Medicare
or as substantial a pension plan. The monay we earn is not too much when you
consider the odd hours and the long periods away from home, Many of the crew
runs on the CANADIAN entail spending up to two whole days away from home and mean
going to work in the wee tiny hours of the morning. | believe most train and
engine crews provide good service for the money they are paid, and that Mr. Fref-
tag should look in other directions (top-heavy management perhaps?) to solve his
dilemma. Philip Mason, Member, Local 501, UTU

Revelstoke, B.C., Canada

| particularly enjoy the never-dull, always-illuminating articles by Glenn
Lee. Here is a first-class observer and chronicler who sees things from the
point of view of both the railfan and the non-rail fan but traingoing public--
and he represents the latter perspective most commendably. | hope a see more

of his work in your pages. hunt Anebrwetor

Seattle, Washington
(continued on page 17)

IEEE LT EI TE I a aT A A
Rail Travel News, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Whole No, 168), Second Issue of January, 1978
Copyright 1978 by Message Media. Published twice monthly by Message Media,
P. 0. Box 9 07, Berkeley CA 94709, Subscription $9.75 per year; single copy 40¢.
Overseas and institutional rates on request. STAFF: Editor: James Russell.
Editor-at-Large: Paul Rayton, Regional Correspondents: Peter Putnam Bretz, Los
Angeles; Jack Ferry, Chicago; Kenneth Maylath, Baltimore; Peter Rocha, Boston.

»

a

THE COVER STORY

This striking design represents the front view of an Amtrak Turboliner, and it
appears on a route brochure for the BLUE WATER LIMITED, prepared by the Michigan
Department of State Highways and Transportation. Michigan is one of those few
states that has takan an active role in promoting rail passenger service and in
cooperating with Amtrak in funding needed local and regional trains.

HASWELL NOMINATION JEOPARDIZED

Senate approval of the nomination of former NARP leader Anthony Haswell to the
Amtrak Board of Directors has been delayed by adverse reaction to Haswell's plan
for restructuring the Amtrak system (summarized in our last issue). The Senate
Commerce Committee on Feb 9 voted to defer consideration of Haswell's name and
that of Frank Neel, the Thomasville GA air conditioning man and Carter campaign
supporter who had admitted to ignoring train travel in the U.S. for over 13 years.
Four New England members of the 18-member connittee opposed Haswell as a result of
his reconmendation to discontinue the MONTREALER. His plan reportedly also has
raised the ire of some Western senators, of labor representatives, and of Repre-
sentative Harley Staggers of West Virginia. On Feb 10 the full Senate approved
the appointments of 3 members, including Sen. Mills of California. The appoint-
nents of Charles Luna and of Haswell were held up--Luna until he divests himself
of some minor railroad stock. The Nee! appointment is considered killed. Some
Washington observers believe that Haswell's appointment could stil] come thru,
but not without some difficulty. Senator Stafford of Vermont reportedly spoke
vith Haswell after the committee deferral, and agreed to remove his objections
to the Haswe!] appointment.

DELAY ASKED FOR AMTRAK RESTRUCTURE PLAN

The Dept. of Transportation has asked Congress to delay the deadline for com
pletion of the "zero-base" Amtrak study until May 1. Congress has yet to act on
this request. After the preliminary plan is completed, the Rail Service Program
Office (RSPO) of the Interstate Commerce Commission is to hold public hearings on
the plan, and then a final plan will be drawn up and sent to Congress for approval.
The Administration reportedly wants to hold off on a final vote until after the
Novenber elections, so that members of Congress can feel freer to vote adversely
toward rail passenger service. The original deadline for the preliminary plan
was Mar 1, (The plan is being drawn up by the DOT, not by the DOT and Amtrak
jointly, as indicated here earlier; however, the DOT is expected to consult with
Amtrak in the process.

SOUTHERN RAILWAY EXPECTED TO JOIN AMTRAK

Amtrak has confirmed that it is holding negotiations with Southern Railway in
that carrier's move to join Amtrak and drop responsibility for the SOUTHERN CRES-
CENT. Terms of a contract are now being worked out, and it has been learned
that SR requested that the contract should call for only tri-weekly service south
of Atlanta, as at present, while Amtrak is insisting that the terms be similar to
those of its other members, with frequency of service left unspecified. Evidently
Antrak would prefer to run daily service along the entire present SOUTHERN CRES~
CENT route. Rumors circulating in Washington say that Amtrak aims for an Apr 30
takeover, with a re-routing of the train via Montgomery, and addition of a full
Tounge car. Amtrak is also rumored to be interested in restoring the PIEDMONT.
A long front-page article on the train appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer
Feb 10, and noted its impending demise. page 3

TWO TRAINS THROUGH TEXAS

by Peter Putnam Bretz

It is December 1 at 1:45pm and I am
at Chicago's Union Station. Discontin-
uance notices are up for the Conrail
commuter trains to Valparaiso. A 2pm
Burlington Northern train to Aurora
leaves with all seven cars packed.
Amtrak has posted its own notices per-
taining to the FLORIDIAN, EMPIRE
BUILDER, NORTH COAST HIAWATHA,
LONE STAR, INTER-AMERICAN, etc.
Yes, these are anxious days.

The sleeper "Angel Island" (ex-Great
Western Tours, ex-IC) is going to Bos-
ton on the LAKE SHORE LIMITED.

The "death trap" baggage car is on the
rear of the train. (A porter told me
that when the baggage car, with a
locked and sealed door, is on the rear,
there is no rear exit from the last car,
since the vestibule is forward. )

I note also that the SOUTHWEST LIM
ITED got in 10 minutes early. Most
trains are listed as ontime. Unintel-
ligible announcements come over the
Joudspeaker in the "great hall" waiting
room. I dislike the Amtrak lounge's
policy of not allowing baggage carts
inside it.

Today I'm taking the LONE STAR.
An Amtrak rep announces the train with
a bullhorn, and the obediently waiting
passengers behind a velvet rope now
file onto the cold, blowing platform
amid the ear-shattering roar of the
F40PH's on adjacent tracks.

The first sleeper--going to Dallas--
is my car: ''Regal Vale", a 4-4-2 sold
as a 10-6. I end up with Compartment
H at roomette rates. Next in line is
lounge 3391 (ex-Santa Fe), hi-level
coaches 9959, 9920, 9918; diner ''Sil-
ver Tureen" (late of DENVER ZEPHYR
use); Houston sleeper ''Palm Stream";
then baggage car and engines 534 and
524. Off we go and leave the land of
snow and ice for the sunny Southwest.

At dinner I select the Top Sirloin,
which is cooked and served indifferent-

ly. Loud calls echo from the kitchen
and dishes clatter. And the diner was
page 4

rough riding too. Quite a change from
the quiet, subdued atmosphere and
superb service offered on this same
train back in 1974.

The lounge, however, had an excel-
lent attendant, William Boyd. He was
the only one on a trip around the system
who offered table service in the lounge.

I fell asleep that night in a mellow
mood. Unfortunately, the bed had an
annoying vibration and bounce to it
that made sleep difficult.

I was rudely awakened at Kansas City
when yard crews tried to couple a mail
car on behind the sleeper, CRASH!
BANG! Then, YAAANK! A loud train
radio crackled: ''No good, try her
again.'' BOOM! SMASH! TUUUGG.
YANK!! SHOVE - SHOVE YANK!!

At Oklahoma City the next day a
bright sun and bare ground greeted me, —
so I stepped onto the platform in my
4449 T-shirt...and froze. It was only
34 degrees!

At breakfast the poached egg on corn-
ed beef hash is not cooked properly and ~
I send it back despite scowls from the
waiter. It arrives again looking just '

a

as uncooked as before, At the next
tabel a patron asks for a knife. He is
shortly confronted by a crashing pile
of twenty spoons deposited on his y
table. Doesn't Amtrak have any control
over its personnel? On the other hand,
the waiters are working under the hand- ,;
icap of having only two of them for the
diner. I retreat to the lounge as quick-
ly as possible, not leaving any tip. Now
it's settle down to Mr. Boyd's light- i
years better service-with-a-smile.
Due to slow orders in the Red River
area we arrive in Ft. Worth one hour
late. Train 16 passes us just north of
the station. Our train is split now,
with the rear hi-level coach, lounge
and sleeper going to Dallas along with
our lead engine 524. The temperature
is 70 degrees here today.
Since I have a first class ticket to
Houston, I go into sleeper "Palm
Stream", and south of Temple I am the

Photo by Peter Bretz.

The LONE STAR loads at Chicago.

Due to a 48-hour delay|fun--even when the little monsters just
I've had to | have to sit in my lap. Another guy
turns out to be a semi-professional
singer, and after a few drinks he bursts
into song. We all join in, filling the
car with out-of-tune and off-key musi-
cal enjoyment. Two railfans appear
in the lounge, each with a guitar, and
sing railroad songs. We all sing. In
the repertoire is something they made
up about the "Five Days of Amtrak",
sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days
of Christmas." Some people in the
lounge car are heard to remark that
they couldn't remember when they've
had so much fun on a train trip.

Last night, business car " Tucson"
was put on the rear, and all day the
train runs at MoPac speeds (45-55mph
on 80mph track). The pork loin for

only occupant.
I had had around Chicago,
scrap plans to ride the INTER-AMER-
ICAN over the MKT trackage. I even
overlook our meet with that train.

We make up time very easily, pass-
ing a freight train with an F-b engine
still in silver passenger paint. ltry
again in the diner, and the food is bet-
ter. The French onion soup comes
with a small slice of garlic bread
floating in it and cheese sprinkles.
Very good. But the diner still rocks
and rolls violently at times--seems
the inside stabilizers are broken.

Arrival in Houston is 8:18pm, a lit-
tle over 30 minutes late.

At 9:50pm engine 616 leads the SUN-
SET LIMITED into town, followed by
engine 546, deadheading diner 8354, ;
baggage 1070, hi-levels 9947, 9946, supper was expensive but super.
and 9927; lounge 3394, diner 8031, and| This last day was very relaxing--
10-6 sleepers "Silver Butte", 'Pacific |the way all train travel should be--
Slope", and 'Palm Leaf." No dome. |easy, without any hassle. Even tho
No observation car. my roomette had a plastic mattress,

I settle down in roomette 7 of the it was cold enough outside that every-
last car. Two panes of glass make thing was fine.
for a nice clear view, and I am con- Arrival in Los Angeles was 7:37am.
tent, At 10:08pm we depart. And the porter did not roust us out

I get a comfortable sleep despite the jearly to insist that the bed had to be
plastic mattress. 1 enjoy the good SP |made up. As I waited in the aisle for
roadbed, and French toast for break- baggage unloading, the door to bed-
fast. Most of the day I spend in the room A opened and a puegee
lounge car, making friends with a mo- sleepy head asked ‘ Where are aha
ther and her two Eskimo children, and|Los Angeles? So soon? Oh, my!
another with her three brats. There |And we were in 18 minutes early.
is lots of running around under foot
and some spilling of drinks, but it is

page 5

RTN READERS REACT
to the Haswell Plan for Amtrak

A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF COMMENTS RECEIVED SINCE OUR LAST ISSUE

About five days ago | received the last RIN, and | feel | have now recovered
enough from reading the Haswell Plan so | can write to you.

To put it mildly, | was shocked. | have been a member of NARP almost from its
inception, have met Tony Haswell a few times, and have always admired him for his
dedication to rail passenger service. | simply cannot understand his osals
as published. For example, how can he justify cutting service on the PIONEER to
restrict it between Salt Lake and Boise? My wife and | rode No. 25 Salt Lake to
Seattle last October and found it very comfortable and well-patronized. And to
emasculate the SUNSET LIMITED--one of Amtrak's most ppular trains!

! could go on and on about the other proposals but | must be careful of ay
blood pressure. | am not going to send for the complete plan because | don't think
| want to read it. | had felt that with Haswell on the Amtrak Board we sight have
hopes for expansion instead of contraction. There are at least tvo missing links
in the Amtrak system that have long needed attention: New Orleans-Jacksonville and
Boston-Portiand-Augusta-Bangor, Maine. Neither of these appears in the proposal.
It is all very, very sad.

Indiana Reader

Your suamary of the Haswell Plan for Amtrak leaves me with pro and con feelings.
| pather like his idea of seasonal trains, if it could support service on routes
that might not otherwise exist. On the other hand, some routings make little
sense, dead-ending in some places and zig-zagging more than the SFZ does.

Dennis Smith, Paradise, California

With many others, in Vermont and elsewhere, | was plain dismayed at reports of
Haswell's ideas re Amtrak routes, with abandonment of the MONTREALER, While in
its more hopeful days Amtrak had proaised us a day train (presumably for Boston
as well as NYC, it would also have gone to Montreal). To have only one train, a
day train, terminate at St, Albans, would be a disaster. The overnight service
to NYC and Wash. is part of its attraction, Service to the ski and recreation
eet is another. Service to Dartmouth College and others is another. The
Albany (D&H) route serves far less population, as Joe MacDonald put across when
the HONTREALER was re-instituted. It is scenic, but does not serve the ski places
or colleges the Vermont route does, And the ADIRONDACK route, tho shorter, aust
terminate at Grand Central Station--cannot provide direct service to Philadelphia,
ce and connections to all the rest of Amtrak. Transfer across New York

y would discourage patronage. John Sayward, Randolph, Vermont

What | think of the Plan could not be published in any magazine... The onl
thing | can say fs that this isn't the "Tony" that we knew five years pen
ing about eliminating overnight trains because sleeping cars and dining cars are
"too expensive.” Since Haswell prepared this report at DOT's request, it is safe
to say that what we are hearing is DOT and the Carter administration. They are
talking thru Haswell as a speaker talks thru a microphone...

Maryland Reader ;

My first reaction was that possibly the map (last issue) was incorrect, that
some lines had been left out in Texas, or that the artist did not understand the
author's intentions. A closer look at the map and its explanation assured me.
that this absurdity, this monstrosity of a plan was correctly reflected in RIN.

! am at a total loss how a man like Haswell could possibly concoct such an ab-
surd accumulation of suggestions. Has the man lost all his senses? Is this some
kind of jest or practical joke that Haswell wants to play on the serious support-
page 6

ers of rail passenger service? | find this model of asininity and ludicrousness
offensive enough to oppose it without reservation.
Texas Reader

Haswell's Plan is more of the same that we have been enduring for 7 years.
Another case of Easterners deciding the course of action to be applied to other
areas of the country about which they are totally uninformed. Such indiscretion
has been the dominating characteristic of Amtrak's marketing efforts, wherein
every potential rail passenger is nothing more than a commuter crammed into an
8heseat coach, munching a hamburger served in a cardboard box.

Their inability to recognize and sell rail travel as a highly desirable exper-
jence, an art developed to a high degree by the cruise ship industry, is an exame
ple of a strictured and stereotyped perspective. Haswell is applying the same
shortsightedness to routing affairs, "The major narket for long distance trains
js tourists and vacationers who travel west in the summer and south in the winter."
Indeed! Where has Tony been for the past 25 years?

It fs way past time for routing determinations and other developments to be
assumed and implemented by parties indigenous to the areas in question who know
the markets and the potentials. Haswell's familiarity with railroading can render
him valuable to the cause in many respects, but routing is not one of them, Best
his talents be applied elsewhere. aie de Monaghan Wartand fants
California Reader

Hr. Haswell's concept of Florida train operation seems somewhat off the target.
Apparently he sees it as a Northeast-Florida operation, with the intermediate
areas from Richmond-Jacksonville as just ground to be covered in any way that's

Has Haswell lost his marbles?

We apologize that the appearance of this issue of RTN has been delayed b
our publication of the Haswell Plan (see ordering information on page 19),
Demand for the Plan was much greater than we anticipated, and we increased
our press run, so enough should be available for all, It did not delay work
on our Yearbook, which will be published soon.

convenient. There is bound to be a loss of traffic in cutting the Columbia to
Jacksonville part out, and operating two trains via Charleston much of the year
won't help that. One route via Charleston would probably doom the level of traf-
fic to a single train year-around,

The elimination of the Winter HaveneSebring-W, Palm Beach route isn't good
either. The rational change there would be to eliminate Lakeland-Tampa-St. Pete
and run the train Sanford-Orlando-Winter Haven-W, Palm Beach-Miami, with Lakeland
and Tampa as bus connections. The FEC route for the other section is just fine.

Robert Clark, Sanford, Florida

Why does Mr. Haswell want to drop a lot of the NATIONAL LIMITED? We've had
enough trouble just keeping it running thru Dayton. As we also know, when Amtrak
flip-flopped the schedule, ridership doubled. Doesn't make much sense to me.

Bob Goldstein, Cincinnati, Ohio

Haswell is saving the bathwater and throwing out the baby in proposing elimin-
ation of the Boise-Portland seament of the PIONEER, Idaho is Pacific Nortwest-
oriented as much as Utah, if not more. A reliable NW-Denver schedule is a real
need. Spokane-Portland is another need that has been ignored too long.

Pete May, Goldendale, Washington

Haswell's dreams, | am afraid, will only result in nightmares for the nation's
rail travelers. | must admit that a handful of his route plans do make sense.
But as a whole his ideas will only dismantle what we have left of train service.

Minnesota Reader

| support the Haswell Plan to break several long-distance routes into two -

shorter day trains. If we cling blindly to sleeping car service in this age "
: page

en ce i perenne nsec anna een rte a

the airplane, we encourage deficits which jeopardize all rail service. The bet-
ter plan is to retain just a few long-distance routes intact, and to use the
nore efficient day train to argue for increased numbers of trains.

Robert H. Rittle, Indiana, Pennsylvania

Anthony Haswell? saves the passenger train again! He draws up a nationwide
plan for the DOT that is a scheme to destroy long distance rail travel, replete
with cost-ineffective, dangling appendages, and shows how to "go to hell in a day
coach." He cuts out long hauls where patronage and revenues are high. He ige
nores the will of the people who have worked by the thousands for new service,

What is the result? A hue and cry goes up coast to coast as rail passenger
advocates are awakened from their somnolence and their blood pressure hits record
highs, Newspapers are notified, Congress and the DOT are flooded with letters
and calls, and the 'Zero Base’ report comes out outlining a truly nationwide rail
passenger systes.

| hope to the Good Lord above | am reading it right.

Charles Dunn, Miami, Florida

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The officially-adopted NARP route-map plan for Amtrak was shown
in our First Hay, 1977 issue--issue no. 153, page 6. That plan kept the Amtrak
map much as at present and added some aaa

URBAN-SUBURBAN TRANSIT

THIRD WASHINGTON METRO SEGMENT OPENS
by Ken Naylath

The third sequent of Washington DC's Metro system opened for business on Monday,
Feb 6, in the midst of a snowfall of several inches, after inaugural ceremonies
and a day of free rides on the 3rd. {it's actually an extension of the first short
stretch that began operations almost 2 years ago from downtown Washington to Rhode
Island Avenue--running parallel to the Chessie System trackage from Rhode Island
to Silver Spring. It's also the first portion to serve Maryland. Maryland's act-
ing governor Blair Lee was among those on hand for the Feb 3 ceremonies at Silver
Spring. Free rides. that day covered only a portion of the line, altho the trains
ran thru in a simulation of regular operation,

There was a last-minute crisis involving insurance under Metro's agreement with
Chessie, not resolved until the 3rd, when Metro put some of its construction money
in escrow until coverage could be firmed up thru London. (Apparently one must go
there to secure $25 million worth of protection.

Initial operations were hampered slightly by the major snowstorm that hit the
Middle Atlantic-New England area on the 6% and 7#-but Washington was spared the
downpouring of snow that crippled transportation for days to the north. Some de~
lays were reported the morning of the 7@ due to frozen switches. No major prob-
lems were reported during the first week of operation. Media coverage of the
storm reduced the amount of attention given Metro, especially after the publicity
surrounding the Friday morning ceremonies. Bus routes were not changed, but a
number are scheduled for reorientation shortly.

Next on the list of lines to open is New Carrollton, which will terminate in
the area of Amtrak's Capital Beltway station--hopefully this summer, This line is
intended to provide an easy transfer to Amtrak there, in similar fashion to the
BART-Amtrak transfer at Richmond, California. |

*

RUMOR HAS IT that the Southern Pacific will unveil a new plan for avoiding pub-
lic interference in its San Francisco commute line: drop weekend service and buy
some new equipment, and keep weekday service only.
pane 8 continued on page 15)

©

e

Méxed Train of Thoughts

SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION Brock Adams blasted Amtrak in an interview with
New York Times reporters in mid-February. They reported that he sounded "nearly
as hostile" toward Amtrak as his predecessor, William Coleman. Adams told them
he is not at all satisfied with Amtrak, that he wants the rail corporation to
reduce its requests for subsidies. He said his view of Amtrak fs his personal
one and "not yet" that of the administration, He said, however, that he still
favors a national network of rail passenger lines that would be useful when energy
becomes scarcers.ce. SIX SAN DIEGAN roundtrips daily--that's what Amtrak is now
running, effective Feb 14, after startup of the "El Camino® service that was the
brainchild of L.A, County Supervisor Baxter Ward. Governor Brown rode the first
(northbound) train from San Juan Capistrano to Los Angeles, and Senator Kills,
Transportation Director Adriana Gianturco, and Baxter Ward rode the full route
from San Diego. We'll have a full report by Peter Bretz next issue...

ee

*

THE REROUTING OF the FLORIDIAN is expected to occur Apr 30. Amtrak's Board,
probably meeting next on Mar 1, will decide whether the train should run via Bir-
mingham or Chattanooga. The major rerouting is via Atlanta, and Antrak intends
to run via Chattanooga also, but may not at first, because of raf] problems on
the Chattancoga-Atlanta line--heavy freight tonnage Carterville-Atlanta, and poor
track condition, hen the Chattanooga rerouting occurs, it will run via Murfrees-
boro, Tullahoma, Chattanooga, Carterville GA, Narietta GA. South of Atlanta it
will run via Hapeville GA, Griffin, Macon, Nillen, Savannah, etc, No schedules
have been worked out yet. Uf it initially runs via Birmingham (as now), it will
run nonstop between that city and Atlanta. The above information has been given
to Congress by Amtrak, but not yet officially released to the public.....

THE PALMETTO DERAILED between Washington and Capital Beltway Station at 7:18pm
Feb 15. The train, with one £60 GE electric locomotive and 9 Amfleet cars, de~ «
railed at 70mph but remained upright and in line. The entire train inetiding
baggage car and 8 passenger cars, left the tracks, injuring 21 people, Only two
of the injured were retained in a hospital overnight, however. There was about
$12,000 damage to the wheels and trucks of each car. The cause of the derailment
was not immediately known. It blocked the mainline until late on the 16%, tho
one track was opened at 10:40am on the 16%, after passengers were bused around it...

eee

THE AMFLEETING OF the MONTREALER has not yet occurred, but Amtrak's target
date for this is now Feb 27 (northbound) and Feb 28 (southbound), altho those
times could be delayed further. Amtrak said that one or two sleepers will run
in each Amfleet consist..... ANTRAK'S NATIONAL TIMETABLE for Jan 8 was distri-
buted about a month late. This issue, in black and blue ink on white paper, may
reflect Amtrak's feeling bruised by recent events..... DEPARTMENT OF CORREC- - :
TIONS: in our last issue we gave the mileage between Montreal and St. Albans VT
as 111. But that's kilometers; the actual miles are only 69. Glenn Lee sends a
correction for his PIONEER article in the 2nd Dec issue: the Pendleton UP station
waiting room 1S open to the public, and the UP agent on duty there will obtain
train-delay information for travelers. It is the Hinkle OR depot which has no
waiting facilities, with the old waiting room now taken for communication equip-
ment. Hinkle also has no glass-box shelter, and passengers DO have to wait under
the eaves of the building..... SOUTHERN RAILWAY'S JOINING of Amtrak will not
occur until after the DOT "zero-base" report appears, according to a late Repent

page
i

rcemanrtisitenaiecorenmionanll

TRAINS IN THE MEDIA: The Wall Street Journal's lead article on Feb 16 was a
writeup of Amtrak riding by June Kronholz--a rather negative article and rather
pointless. The Feb Reader's Digest gives a 4-page story of old-time. train rid-
ing in Michigan, from Bruce Catton's 1972 book "Waiting for the Morning Train."
Articles like this leave us with mixed feelings. It has pleasant nostalgia,
but leaves one with the notion that train travel (especially sleeping car travel)
is a thing of the past. The San Francisco Chronicle on Feb 9 carried a highly
favorable article on the COAST STARLIGHT by Carl Nolte. The picture you get is
that it's largely patronized by young people, especially college students. Quote
from a young woman making her first train trip: "It's cool, It's an adventure.

it's a time warp, you know?" The Sacramento Bee carried a long and highly lauda- }

tory description of the SAN FRANCISCO ZEPHYR by Dick Tracy. Such articles are
great advertising for Amtrak at a time when its advertising budget is very loWsceee
eae

SPEAKING OF ADVERTISING, the "negative advertising" that Amtrak had to do last
fall appears to have had the effect of reducing train ridership. The announce-
nents of all the impending cutbacks, and the train discontinuance notices posted
in stations and on trains must have cost the corporation untold revenue--the
message coming across was "The trains are being cut back; we don't want you."

The latest figures released show that Amtrak systemwide ridership dropped in Oct
and Nov, compared to the previous year. The drops were 5é and 3% respectively.
Ridership increases in previous months were high enough that the figures for the
first 11 months of 1977 as a whole indicated a 3% rise. But that rise would have
been greater without the necessity of going thru the discontinuance threats. An
Amtrak spokesman denied that these threats hurt business, and said that it was
because Amtrak's advertising budget has been cut almost to nothing by its money
crises. That cut contributes too, The administration's slicing of Amtrak's bud-
get causes a double whammy: reduce positive advertising, and go into negative
advertising..... MANY RAIL OBSERVERS are furious that the DOT is insisting on
using 1977 ridership figures as a basis for making up its "zero-base® route plan.
Remember that 1977 long distance ridership figures were adversely affected by the
winter problems of early 1977 and especially by the SDP40F engine fiasco.....

“eee

A RAILROAD THEME will appear ona new postage stamp due out ; ones
| JIMMIE RODGERS |

|

|

au
May 24 (Paul Reistrup's birthday!). The stamp honors Jinnie
Rodgers, the "Singing-Brakeman" who became the nation's num
ber one recording star in the late 1920's. A model steam
engine appears in the background of the stam design.....

A SPECIAL TRAIN consisting of Amtrak SDP #937, dorm lounge
3394 and sleeper 2266 "Placid Sea" ran overnight from Los
Angeles to Oakland carrying Mr. Ed Dailey, president of World |
Airways, a charter outfit, and his 6 quests, along with a rr
full Amtrak crew and an Antrak official. Dailey's plane was |
fogged in at Santa Barbara, and he called Amtrak in the aft-
ernoon to arrange the special, which was put together in pro- |
bably record time. The party boarded at Santa Barbara at
4:30am on Feb 6, The item was noted in Herb Caen's column
as an example of what can be done if you have money..+s.

“ee

FULL FLORIDA SERVICE is expectedto be restored on Fab 26, with trains 83-84,
the SILVER METEOR, and 85-86, the CHAMPION, running separately, in addition to
81.82, the SILVER STAR..... THE STARTUP DATE for the overnight Sacramento to
San Diego train, nos, 12 & 13, is expected to be Apr 30. Amtrak said no name
has yet been chosen for the train, but some Eastern sources are calling it the
CALIFORNIAN, 206
page 10

THE EASTERN PART of the nation was hit in February by a series of heavy snow-
storms that paralyzed much of the Northeast. The first of these hit on Feb 6,
News coverage of the storms' effects was widespread, and it was noted that trans-
portation--cars, plane and buses--was wiped out in many places. What the media
almost universally failed to note was that trains generally continued to run, altho
they frequently were delayed. Amtrak's major problem was with the Metroliners. :
They are badly affected by blowing snow, and for two days half of them were can
celled. Metroliners during the storm were running with about 1-hour delays, and
conventional (Amfleet) trains with $-hour delays. The power was out jn the Boston
area for a time starting at 3am Feb 14. This fouled up switches in Boston, and
for 5¢ hours no trains could operate. Locomotives were then used to pump air to
keep switches open. Nany train employees who reported for work on Feb 6 never
got home until 3 or 4 days later. For 2 days at the height of the early Feb storm
trains were the only transportation to Boston and Providence--with 28 inches of
snow falling, The snow on the East Coast was heavier than last year's severe win-
ter, but-tenperatures were not so low. Amtrak was deluged with "thousands" of
unexpected riders. Trains made stops in unusual spots to pick up stranded motor-
ists, The Providence Amtrak station became a haven for about 400 people who could
not get around the city. A bridegroom found himself marooned in a Boston hotel,
and Amtrak put him on the LAKE SHORE LIMITED to rush him to. Chicago where his
bride waited at the altar, for a Feb 11 wedding. A spectal civil defense train
was run by Amtrak Providence-Worcester Feb 10 to assist th the storm disaster...

ee

A FLORIDA READER on Feb 8 wrote us, enclosing a news clipping showing hundreds
of travelers stranded at airports: “Here's a good illustration of what goes on in
the minds of the news media people, and thus the public, regarding public trans=
portation, It was repeatedly stated in newspaper reports and on radio and TV that
EVERYONE is stranded because the planes can't fly to the Northeast. No mention
was made anywhere, except in Auto-Train's regular TV ads, that rail service existed,
The northbound trains continued to run, but only a few people boarded the SILVER
STAR last night at Orlando--10 or less, It had a 13-car consist, of which 8 were®
revenue coaches and sleepers, with probably 100-150 aboard, We should write to
newspapers and TV stations and to Amtrak and demand some coverage of the fact that
Amtrak exists®..... WITH ROADS IMPASSABLE and airports.ctosed, a special train
saved the life of a 17-year old youth when it carried him’ from Utica KY to Nash-
ville on Jan 17 for treatment of heart convulsions, The special train was a freight
engine and a caboose on the L&N, preceded by a pilot hi-rail. The train was desig-
nated Extra 430 South. The NY tines reported in Yate January about an airline pas-
senger trying to get from Sacramento to Charleston. His plane was diverted to
Dalias and his luggage lost there. He Fadl oo to his destination a day late
by relying on Amtrak..... ORIVING WAS PROHIBITED in Boston as record snows piled
up, and the city relied on public transportation, Sy chance, on Feb 5, the day
before the big storm, the Boston Globe ran a large page-one article comparing car
commuting with public transit. Said a Boston reader: "It was the kind of public«
ity the MBTA needs, and the timing could not have been better. The storm seems
to have caused a lot of people to question the degree to which we use private cars,
If the planners play their cards rin, some very good things could come out of
this blizzard. | am looking forward to the next snow emergency; this one has
really been a lot of fun"..... THE NORTHBOUND MONTREALER was nearly 10 hours
late in Vermont on Feb 7, so a CN VIA special train ran that night, leaving Mont-
real at 6:10pm to meet the late MONTREALER at Cantic or St, Albans, and trans-
ferred southbound passengers from the CN train to the Amtrak train. Consist of
the CN train was VIA engine 6537 (FP9A), and VIA coaches 5394 and 5573.....

VERY HEAVY SNOWS have been hitting Western Europe as well. On Jan 22 150
passengers stuck in a train in a snowdrift for 17 hours near Prevencheres in
Southern France were rescued..... page 11

Lyme pe este! ee Mt RNR aE aR

IN THE MIDWEST, during the Jan 26-27 blizzard Amtrak Turbeliners between Mil-
waukee and Chicago used Milwaukee Road and Amtrak diesel locomotives ahead of
the lead power car to plow snow, the theory being that a diesel pilot is stronger
than the Turbo's nose and windshield,.... SOUTH SHORE LINE officials in Chicago
announced that starting Feb 8 commuter train runs would be reduced by two-thirds
because of equipment failures caused by the snow and cold, The devastating storn
that hit Toronto and southern Ontario Jan 26 produced the lowest barometer read-
ing in 138 years. The storm saw all public transportation halted except trains.
Papers reported passenger trains on time between Toronto and London, the heart of
the storm area. As high winds hit the city, the London, Ont. transit system ord-
ered all buses off the streets. The NY Times noted on page one on Feb 18 that
the Long Island Rail Road suffered many more storm problems than other commuter
lines. Union leaders have charged that the reason was that the LIRR didn't bring
in more workers in advance and keep them on overtime, Philadelphia's system said
it uses linen filters over electric engine intakes to keep snow out, and the LIRR
doesn't do that. The LIRR was shut down by the Feb 6 storm,,... A FEBRUARY 12
report from Seattle said that no Greyhound buses from Chicago had gotten thru in
4 days. Amtrak trains on the same route were getting thru, but running several
hours late. Amtrak was the only ground transportation making it. CP's CANADIAN
arrived in Calgary from the east 15 hours late, due to a blizzard in Saskatchewan.
The engines failed, snow plows were stuck, and a freight derailed ahead of it.
Bus and air travel was halted or delayed..... CONRAIL'S NEW HAVEN commuter line
had to reduce service on Feb 2because of the nationwide coal strike--generating
plants were running low on the fuel eoge, “3

OUT IN CALIFORNIA, heavy rains hit Southern California the night of Feb 9--
the most damaging stora of this century. COAST STARLIGHT operations between L.A,
and Oakland were disrupted by a washed-out bridge on the SP line at Noorpark and
mud slides between Surf and Gaviota, There was much busing and flying of passen-
gers. The train was annulled between L.A. and Oakland Feb 10 and again Feb 21.
Wst SP lines into L.A, were blocked in the storm..... NEW CALIFORNIA LAW has
abolished the State Highway Commission, Calif. Toll Bridge Authority, State Aero-
nautics Board, and State Transportation Board, and substituted an 11-member State
Transportation Commission which Gov. Brown says "nay change California's 1ife-
style." On Feb 17 Brown named industrialist Norton Simon and 8 others to the
Commission..... | THE ANSLEEPER PROJECT: Amtrak is said to be considering convert
ing some 60-seat Amcoaches into Amsleepers. Amtrak would remove the two dressing
rooms and replace them with two roomettes to satisfy the ICC rule that requires
sleeping car service on overnight trains. These cars could turn up on the INTER}
AMERICAN and SHENANDOAH, while converted 10-6 sleepers would be used on the NIGHT
OWL, PANAMA LIMITED, PIONEER, and "CALIFORNIAN*®, The 25 Pacific-series sleepers
that were converted to all-electric power are being called "Pacific Electrics" by
some railfans. Those cars have been renumbered in the 2900-series.....

THE MINNESOTA ASSOCIATION of RR Passengers has submitted a rail passenger ser-
vice plan for Minnesota to that state's DOT. Copies are available for 75¢ post-
paid from MinnARP, PO Box 375, Minneapolis MN 55440..... EXPERIMENTAL BUS SERV-
ICE Stockton-Sacramento joining the SAN JOAQUIN, funded by state of California,
was discontinued early in Jan. Amtrak said Feb 21 that it will re-establish it
Aor 30 with a regular Greyhound run for econony. Starting Feb 22, the Greyhound
connection from L.A. to the SAN JOAQUIN will leave at 8:30am so riders from the
new "El Camino” SAN DIEGAN can catch it..... TWENTIETH CENTURY LIMITED lives:

a new Broadway musical, "On the Twentieth Century", opened in New York Fab 19.....

THE DU PONT COMPANY advertises a "new clear plastic sheet with unexcel led
abrasion resistance." Called Lucite SAR, it could be a substitute for Lexan?.....

GRAND CANYON RAILROAD Inc., a Phoenix firm, is buying the G4+-mile line fron
Williams AZ to Grand Canyon Village from Santa Fe to run steam trains. .c..

News in this issue is updated thru Feb 21 p.m..

page 12

TAKING A CHANCE ON THE FRAMINGHAM LOCAL
by Robert Underwood

The first of the Blizzards of '78 struck the East Coast on Monday, Feb 6. A

ee bongs a and fel en oe ae dtaging out. With driving banned
n Boston, people are walking down the middle of the street. Publi -
tion is taxed to the limit and then some. dda

At 1:30pm at South Station | inquire about the 2pm passenger extra to Framing=
ham. "Well, we're not sure if it wil] run." | bought a round trip ticket anyway.
Passengers are still waiting for the 1:45 Needham Local at 2:15, and they're still
not sure -about Framingham. At 2:20 the Budd car for Needham is boarding,

At 2:35 we board a Gecar train on track 9. Consist is Amtrak RS3 #138 (acquired
fron Conrail in 1976), CN steam generator car, and green, green, purple, green,
purple, orange ex-New Haven coaches trailed by 8&M geep $1741, | settle down in
the second head coach and proceed to eat lunch and catch up on my notes. It's now
3:05 and we're still sitting, Three commuters near me are joking: "At 3:30 we
abandon ship." They laugh about the station announcement which went something
like: "Anyone who wants to take a chance on the Framingham Local, #t's boarding on
Track 9." Some people are abandoning the train.

These once-fine cars have seen better days. Some of the reclining seats won't
recline, while others recline and won't come back up.

The conductor makes an announcement at 3:30: "Uh, we're having trouble with tho
engine and we're trying to find a new one." Soon: Amtrak RS3 #105 fs coupled on,
brakes tested and all is in order. At 3:37 we get underway. S-l-o-w-l-y. Then
screech, stop. Well, we made it to the end of the platfora,

Antrak's LAKE SHORE. LIMITED departs on time at 3:40, We'll follow him, At
3:52 we're still sitting. D&H PA #19 is idling outside my window, At 3:58 the
RS3 revs up and here we go. Into the yards. Screech, stop. Rev, screech, stop.
hee ii aia é #16. ee ap "Stop signal up ahead. We have to
phone the dispatcher for permission to go by, The Amtrak train <"
like number 449 got off to a bad start a ee oe

The weather is beautiful, with bright sun, little wind, and the temperature
near freezing. It's a great day to photograph train activity, and that I'm doing
from the vestibule. There's another PA backing out of the yards with a string of
exeNH stainless steel cars with different-colored window bands.

At 4pm the Amtrak train for New York City is leaving. And now one is arriving.
Thirty seconds later an Anfleet train is backing in. There is much whistle-blow-
ing, "Well, | guess that means 'abandon ship'* the commuters joke. At 4:10 we're
sti] here. There goes a 3-car geep-hauled job, and is it packed! Even the vest.
ibules are jammed, From the radio | learned that MBTA's lines were carrying a
quarter of a million people or more. Earlier | had had to pass up four jammed
trolleys before | could get on one at Arlington headed for Park Street.

ete Here we go! Ssheech, stop. At 4:18, the Alco is revving like crazy and
we're really moving. By 4:21 we made it to Back Bay. We leave Back Bay at 4:25,
after loading several carloads of passengers.

Newton, West Newton, Auburndale, We're moving right along. Oh, oh. Slowing
by Riverside. Screech, stop, Red over red over red. Soon it is announced that
we have to wait for a freight. At 5:10 along comes a long eastbound piggyback.

At 5:13, here we go again. Whoosh, screech, jolt. The brakes went into ener-
gency, One woman asked, "Did we derail?" | hear the air coming back. Here we go
at 5:18. We had stopped right in the middle of the interlocking at CP11.

Underway again. That was to be the last delay. The conductor came in and
told us that the train had to be stopped in emergency because some fool had tried
to jump ON, by now it was quite dark, and my hopes for some good photos at Fram-
ingham had dimmed. Without a tripod | was stuck. Natick came at 5:40. This,

and Wellesley just before it, seemed to be the heaviest stops.
page 13

The platfor.: shed at Natick is quite a distance back from the tracks, and the
lights iVuninated the piles of snow three and four feet deep. It was pitch dark
outside now, and each time we stopped, the car was plunged into inky blackness.
Batteries, if we even had them, were shot.

We finally made it to Framingham at 5:52--only 3hrs, 6mins late. | detrained
onto an icy, slippery platform, It vas also pitch dark there. lo lights on the
platform or in the station, The train pulled up to clear the crossing and stopped.
| got on the head coach to ride back to South Station, We didn't leave immediate-
ly, tho. First we ran west and crossed over to Track 1, the westbound track. All
commuter stations on this line have platforms only on the eastbound track, with the
exception of Framinghan,

The B&M geep did lots of revving, and after several false starts we finally left
at 6:40, People on the platform were waiting for the arri val of the regular trains
from Boston, One fellow was particularly upset when he learned that we were the
2pm departure from Boston.

| enjoyed the ride in the dark, as | could see thru the relatively clear Lexan.
At 6:48 we passed a long outbound train which had two dark cars among the six or
50 on the train. We stopped at 6:53 and the engineer came thru. "Somethin' just
ain't right. | think the brakes are grabbing.” Soon came the loud whoosh as the
air was dumped and the creaks and groans as the air was pumped back up. The en-
gineer returned to the lead unit and revved it up.

We finally arrived back in South Station at 7:40, We were due there at 3:46.

A mob of passengers on the platform were shouting "Hooray! It's about time! Long
wait." We had only passed one other train, so long waits were the rule this day.

| was stil] in the station when the announcement came: "The 8:05 train to Need-
ham has been cancelled. The next train will be at 9:45," Meanwhile, everyone had
boarded the "jinxed" train to Framingham, and all 1 could say was "Lots of luck."

GARS & CONSISTS

“SUNSET LIMITED, train 2, with extra cars to Mardi Gras festival, leaving L.A,
Jan 31: engines 546, 531 (SDP's); cars 1232 baggage, coaches 4869, 4858, 4886;
dorm-lounge 3390, diner 8030; sleepers 2220 "Indian Squaw", 2627 "Pacific Range",
2761 "Palm Tower", 2508 "Blue Water", 2214 "Indian Lake", 2211 "Indian Drum",

2640 "Pacific View"; diner 8034; sleepers 2204 "Silver Pelican", 2212 "Indian
Falls", SR 2006 "Ocmulgee River", dome-slpr-obs 9250 "Silver Horizon". Returned

to L.A. Feb 10 with consist: engines 531, 546; cars 1197, 4869, 4858, 4886, 3395,
8035, 2252 "Star Leaf", 2761 "Palm Tower", 2640 "Pacific View", 2214 "Indian Lake",
-2211 "Indian Drum", 2501 "Blue Grove", 8034, 2204 "Silver Pelican", 2212 "Indian
Falls", SR 2017 "Tiger River", 9251 "Silver Penthouse".

“Chicago Medical Equipment Company's private car "Silver Foot" is to recaive ex-
tensive repairs at its Woodcrest Shop to make car self-contained. This is ex-UP
sleeper-lounge "Redwood", ex-Great Western Tours.

*Recently-sold Amtrak cars 6403, 5472, and 7255 were seen on Rock Island Jan 7
norning, deadheading on rear of westbound freight on St. Louis-Kansas City line.

*NATIONAL LIMITED train 31 due Kansas City Jan 24 was annulled: mainline blocked
by Conrail derailment at Trinway OH. No. 31 backed to Pittsburgh & psors bused to
K.C. Makeup consist No. 30, K.C, Jan 25: engine 604 (€ unit); cars 1037 (bag from
Dallas), 1004 (bag fron L.A.), coach 5655, Food service provided in coach,

*Cars to be rebuilt for LAKE SHORE LTD: 6 bag-dorms of 1400eseries; 27 coaches,
#4554~4582; 6 lounges of 3400-series; 5 diners of 8050-9 series; 4 slumbercoaches;
8 2600eseries 10-6 sleepers.

*EL REGIOMONTANO, NdeM train 71, Mexico City Jan 23: engines 9404, 9200; cars
2608 (express), 599 "Presa Guadalupe", 564 "Bolivia", diner 3610 "Tarasco", 566
"Canada", 343 "Belgica", 500 "Grecia", obs-lounge 354 "Club Cuftlahuac*.

page 14

URBAN-SUBURBAN TRANSIT (continued from page 8)

THE FREE TRANSIT SYSTEM

: Transportation Secretary Brock Adams told the National Press Club on Feb 8 that
improving public transit fs a major part of President Carter's goal of energy cone
servation--cutting gasoline usage by 12 billion gallons yearly by 1985. To help
public transit, Adams said that the DOT plans to find a "major city" in which to
test a fare-free transit system, and that the DOT will "back it 100 for awhile to
seo if it really works.* Talks are in the preliminary stages with many cities, a
DOT spokeswoman safd, but no other details are available yet. The free-fare exper-
iment vould be in effect only in off-peak hours.

The Wal} Street Journal (Feb 13) editorialized against the idea: "It seems that
in terms of cost and utility, the automobile is a far sore efficient means of trans-
portation than the rail car for wost people in most places."

RTN's editor and thousands of Bay Area residents had an opportunity to try a
fare-free system on Feb 2, when BART without fanfare declared a day of no fares--
at all hours. About 200,000 riderse-twice the normal nusber--rode the system, and
BART expected to Tose $100,000 in fares, but the public relations effort vas un-
doubtedly worth it. Many riders were first-time users, and many said they would
become regular users after the experience. A weck earlier BART said that it would
offer a fare-free day after the AC Transit strike ended as a goodwill gesture to
the commuters who tolerated crowded trains and breakdowns during the overload the
bas es ne brought on.

chilly fog was settling in around the Concord station at 9:30pm as we boarded
a train back to Berkeley. The train was just about completely full, vith a creat
many of the riders clearly "joy-riders*. Earlier, at rush hour, we saw more
standees than we'd seen since opening day ceremonies, The fare-free day went
operationally very smoothly. ae

A REFERENDUM VOTE on Mar 7 in the Miani area could decide whether the proposed
rail rapid transit system for Dade County will be built.
; TROLLEY AND BUS collided in Pittsburgh the morning of Feb 10, killing 4 and in-
juring 26. One of the dead was the driver of the Port Authority bus in the head-
on collision with an outbound trolley.
; A FINAL DECISION is oxpected by Mar 1 on four alternatives to butlding the en-
tire Washington OC Metro system,

THE 10G COLLISION in Chicago on Jan 26 wascaused by iced-up brakes improperly
designed to withstand severe wintertine operation, the UTU has claimed. A group
of 1G engineers has called for a federal investigation of the Highliner brakes.

RAIL CANADA a

RTN HAS LEARNED from a reliable source that VIA Rail Canada is saking a number
of plans for service changes that are not being publicized. These include: (1)
discontinuing the Winnipeg-Edaonton-Vancouver route on CN, leaving Jasper without
service and presumably leaving Prince Rupert high and dry; (2) adopting CP-level
fares within the next two years; (3) discontinuing the ATLANTIC LIMITED Montreal-
Saint John; (4) discontinuing train service to Gaspé; (5) operating LRC trains on
the Winnfpeg-Saskatoon route. No timetable fs given for these changes, but VIA
calculates that it will be able to scrap 250 passenger cars by Nov. 1980 by imle~
menting these plans.

ESQUIMALT AND NANAIMO report of last issue did not make clear that the resump-
tion of service last Dec 19 was for the leg between Courtenay and Parksville; the
Victoria-Parksville section had been running. Ofscontinuance of the entire train
has been delayed until after next Jun 30.

BOMBARD IER-HLW LID. of Montreal signed a contract Jan 13 with VIA Rail Canada
to build 22 new locomotives and 50 LRC coaches for delivery in 1980. The equip-

page 15

nent will be assigned to Montreal-Ottawa and Montreal-Quebec runs. Total price
" HE tL LY-SHAPED double-decker GO Transit coaches are apparently wee 4
only transit coaches in North America with two complete levels. The cars ho

== a
Geel

| = =e
i. igi
“INA
ape
a .

passengers each and were expected to begin operation on the Lakeshore G0 Train
4 nd of February.
ne AMAL CONFERENCE on rail passenger service was organized by ivanoort Bi.
jster Otto Lang's office for the week of Jan 29, with Lang and VIA Rail boss Fran
Roberts to appear in a panel discussion of the shape of the future rail passenger
network in Canada. Representatives from local consumer groups were invited to ate
tend the hastily-called meeting, The conference was deflated by the same-day
resignation of Solicitor-General Francis Fox, who reportedly admitted forging Se
nase of his lover's husband to hospital papers for an abortion of what ai git ave
been Fox's child. This event wiped out coverage by the Ottawa press ens 4a
also kept Lang away at cabinet meetings most of the day. Frank Roberts of VIA :
expound on his plans, It came out at the meeting that the Ministry of Transpor
(Transport Canada) will contract to VIA on selected routes and stipulate servi ce
levels. VIA will look after equipment selection and operations for most "econo-
nic" operations in line with MOT service requirements. The CTC will continue ae
rule on service abandonments. Thus Transport Canada determines what services wi
n, rather than VIA. ;

Pe FOWGNTON'S LAT LINE is expected to begin revonue service on for 23.

RAIL PASSENGER RIDERSHIP in 1977 was about 10% higher than in 1976 in Canada.

SONGS OF THE AMTRAK

Here's the Antrak Christmas song Pate Bretz heard on the SUNSET (see p. 5):

On the first day of Amtrak, John Volpe gave to me: a broken-down Rock Island ROC.

On the second day of Amtrak, John Volpe gave to me: two baggage-dorms and a broke

down Rock Island ROC,

On the third day of Awtrak, John Volpe gave to me: three troop sleepers, two bag-
gage-dorms, and a broken-down Rock Island RDC.

On the fourth day of Amtrak, John Volpe gave to me: four autonat ng three
troop sleepers, two baggage-dorms, and a broken-down Rock Island ROC, is

On the fifth day of Amtrak, John Volpe gave to me: five Golden Rockets (consisting
of:) four automat cars, three troop sleepers, two baggage-doras, and a broken-
down Rock Island RDC. ts

Amtrak is running a new TV-radio ad with the following lyrics:
We've been working on the railroad
Every Amtrak day
Haking travel nice 'n' easy
All across the U.S.A. ’

Amtrak gives you super service

And can save you lots of dough

So take the train and ride in comfort
The Amtrak way to go.

page 16

cane

LETTERS (continued from page 2)

| hope other RIN readers enjoy Mr. Lee's articles as much as ! do--the breadth
of his knowledge, along with the witty asides and insight with which he colors
his articles make him ay favorite RIN contributor, Let's have sore Glenn Lee.
His excellent article on the EMPIRE BUILDER (last issue) brings up an inter-
esting point. Why is it that Canadian and European railway systeas survive in
adverse weather conditions (often far worse than those which continuously dis-
abled and hampered Mr. Lee's train) such more successfully than American rafl-
roads? In these foreign lands do the first snowflakes mean frozen stean lines,
disabled signal systems, massive washouts, broken (frozen) rails, ad infinitum as
they do on our railroads? Somehow | think not,
dames E. Cane
San Francisco, Cali fornta
Glenn Lee is one of your better writers and it is generally a joy to read an
article by hia. However, in the EMPIRE BUILDER story | believe he was a bit un~
fair: BN operates the trains, not Amtrak, Therefore, any reference to Amtrak
in regard to train moverents is in error. Since BN operates the trains, they are
responsible for lateness. But was ON at fault? Mr. Lee over and over explained
the lateness--bad weather, broken rails, a detour over the Milw (which adds up to
2 hours to the run, but certainly is not BN"s fault, since thefr line is flooded
out), Mr. Lee explained about the heavy snow--that cars were barely moving or
were stuck behind snowdrifts. He twice said the buses were not running. Yet thru
all of this he got to Seattlee-late, yes, but he did get thru, The ride he got
was no worse nor better than the Northern Pacific would have given the NCL under
the same conditions. He should have been happy to be able to get thru to his dese
tination rather than make statements about the worst ride ever.
H. Martin Swan
St, Paul, Minnesota

I" rather disappointed in Glenn Lee's lack of imagination, Doesn't he know
that those strobe Lg on the Amtrak engines are really nothing more than the
pantograph of a bipolar arcing on an icy wire on a frosty January night from the

Super Done of the OLYMPIAN HIAWATHA? oo Gay

Evanston, !linois

Glad to read about the potential rebuilding of LAKE SHORE LIMITED equipment,
i've been worried that we would get another Amfleet Special--microwave (bleep)
food, porthole windows. With the Amfleet INTER-AMERICAN | now fly or drive to
see ny sister in Little Rock. 1'm not paying for it. | applaud al] efforts to
stop Amfleet takeover of overnight runs, Amfleet belongs in the East. At least
Turbos have large windows for daytime runs,

F. R. Hawath
Owosso, Michigan
QUOTES OF THE WEEK***

"{ am shocked to find Mr, Haswell suggesting dropping Jong distance trains be-
cause travel by other modes is improving, What would happen if a restaurant told
its customers it will no longer serve food because intravenous injections of glu=
cose are a more efficient alternative?" .

~-Janes Russell in Introduction to "The Haswell
Pian for Amtrak.

SLIP OF THE MONTH CLUB***

"GO transit system will use doubledecker buses.

TORONTO (CP)--Double-decker coaches are expected to be operating on the Lake-

shore line of the 60 train system by the end of February..."
--St. Catharines (Ont. Standard, Jan 26, -

(That headline writer needs some coaching. ) page 17

Express Ads

DINING CAR DISHES, glasses, silver, cloth, Timetables, guides, Pullman, sta-
tionery, rules, metal items from 25 railroads. Long stamped envelope for list.
J, McClellan, 1752 S, Wichita, Wichita, Kan, 67213, (Will buy large and small
railroad collections.)
RIN READERS: SUPPORT YOUR FRIENOLY ADVERTISERS! Courteous, competent help in
securing the best available accommodations on Amtrak, CN, CP, Princess Patricia,
etc. Write GREAT WESTERN TOURS, 639 Market St., Suite 900, San Francisco 94105,
or call us at (415) 398-2994. Pay by check or credit card--we make it easy!
Tf Amtrak and the DOT expect their "zeroebased" system to be a credible one,
then the HILLTOPPER and SHENANDOAH had better not be a part of it. Remember,
fellows, population not politics, W. H. Snorteland, Ohio ARP.
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY: 12" LP record features famous triplcheader steam excursion,
CPR May 1, 1960, As realistic as standing beside the engineer! $5.95 + 50g post-
age & handling ($1 US), Railfans Unlimited, Box 8, Stn.D, Toronto, Ont. Canada.
1978 TURBOLINER CALENDAR with full-color photo printed on heavy white card stock.
Handy 9x12 size with whole year at a glance. Each $1 donation brings you a
calendar by 1st class mail. OHIO ASS'N OF R.R. PASSENGERS, BOX 653, XENIA, OH
45385, Send business SASE for membership information sample copy of "The 6:53",
Apr 1 1978: Boston-Portland ME: First Voco-hauled excursion (Alco PA's requested)
in 18 years to Portland, Runbys and rail fan amenities, $29.95 before March 1.
Mass, Bay Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc., Dept N, Ward Hi11 MA 07830,
CLINCHFTELD'S OLD NO. 5, by H. Reid. Full story of 4-6-0's reconditioning and
use in excursion service. Published 1972, 32 pages, 35 photographs, paperbound.
$2.75 postpaid. Old Dominion Chapter, NRHS; P. 0. Box 8583; Richmond, VA 23226.
NEW lower USA rail pass 14 days $159, 21 days $215, 30 days $255 through May 15.
Many other off-peak excursion fares available. Climb aboard your favorite train
now, before it's discontinued or replaced by new equipment. Ask the rail specia-
lists cla 1952. Let's Travel Tours, 3780 Elizabeth St, Riverside CA 92516.
1.83

Railroad buttons ideal for blazers, shirts, sweaters, uniforms, etc. Send $1.00
for sample and list. J. Lajoie, 22 Stevens, Methuen, Nass. 01844,

RAILROADIANA: Send large SASE for list of Locks, Lanterns, China, Linen paper,
to G. Cowley, 4637 N. Wolcott, Chicago IL 60640,

HASWELL'S PLAN: is certainly a worthy plan deserving thoughtful consideration,
however there is a serious error on the Chicago - New Orleans route (PANAMA LiH-
ITED). 1 the route is to be dissected, the most logical and economical ly
feasible division point would be Memphis, Tennessee vice Jackson, Mississippi.
Using the present AMTRAK schedule, the run from Jackson to Chicago would take

45 hours, 22 minutes, thus negating the "day train® rationale. With Memphis as
the division point, Chicago to Memphis would take 10 hours, 40 minutes, with the
Nemphis-Jackson-New Orleans trip taking T hours, 40 minutes, This route would
give truly "day train" service in both directions. HASWELL'S PLAN would fail to
tap the Memphis - New Orleans market. Memphis, as a population center and
potential market is 4 times the size of the metropolitan Jackson population.
HASWELL'S PLAN for passenger service down "the Main Line of Mid-America” can be
thusly improved upon from both service and fiscal standpoints.

Richard Andrew Johnson, 930 University Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38107.

NORTHWEST RAIL IMAGES is discontinuing several of its duplicate color slide sets

of Canadian subjects. If ve would like views of passenger-carr ing trains on, 10
Canadian railways, send 3o¢ promptly for a sample slide and list of all Canadian
U.S. and Mexican slide sets. NRI, 4891 Donald Street, Eugene, Oregon 97405.

RAIL, FANTRIPS

sh PP SP Ss SSS SS SS SSP SSS
May 25029: Redbal] Express 1978. Nonstop sleeper on scheduled CV and CN freights.
Incl. Burlington VT & Massena NY. Round trip from NYC. info: George A. Pins,
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 6104, New York NY 10001.

ul 8-9; A , Denver. Many exhibitors: railroads, Amtrak, collectors,
publishers, etc. RR photo contest, movies, door prizes (RGZ tickets), SASE for
info to: NRHS, Intermountain Chapter, Box 5181, Denver CO 80217. a

ES NNN tt mm re mmm age -T™
One Fantrips listing is free. Rail Travel hens, Box 9007, Berkeley CA 94709.

RIN ADVERTISING RATES: Express Ads $1 per line of 80 spaces. Display ads $1.25
per square inch. Rail Travel News, Box 9007, Berkeley CA 94709.

THE HASWELL PLAN (RTN Occasional Paper No. 1) is still available. Size
44 pages. Complete text and maps of original Haswell plan for Amtrak. a
CONTENTS: The Haswell Plan by Anthony Haswell. Introduction by James Russell.
Analysis of Haswell Plan by Robert Glover. Defense of the MONTREALER by Joseph
MacDonald. Table of Amtrak route data by Joseph MacDonald.
Use order blank below or write on separate sheet. Sent by first class mail.

RAIL TRAVEL NEWS |
P. O. BOX 9007
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 94708

oS ae copy(fes) of RIN's Occasional Paper No. 1: THE HASWELL PLAN

oe STATE ZIP ss

CO LT
ia Don’t Miss An Issue!

||
= SUBSCRIBE TO RTN...

| RAIL TRAVEL NEWS
P. O. BOX 9007
@ BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 94709

a

|

a

a

&

iz

a

= x
Send RTN for___ year(s) at $9.75 per year or $5.00 for 6 sl
|

&

|

a

Zz

|

@ months. My remittance is enclosed. This is:

anew renewal/extension ______ gift
] NAME
Mi ADDRESS
ME ciry STATE____ZIP

ST