posted
I read in the Wall Street Journal, that Amtrak will end it's express service(the box cars on the end of many trains). From the reading it looks like they are keeping mail. I'm not positive but I think the mail is hauled in roadrailers. So it looks like roadrailers only on the rear of many trains. It said it won't take effect right away. What will happen to the Southwest Chief now? It will loose it's claim to fame, that it has now, as Amtrak's train with the most freight.
Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
If you ask me I'm glad to see express go. All those clunky box cars taking away from the beauty of a passenger (only) train, which is a true claim to fame.
Posts: 33 | From: Massachusetts | Registered: May 2002
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posted
Gunn has been talking about getting rid of the Express business for a couple of months now. I think it will be phased out gradually, as Amtrak has some contractual obligations for some shippers, and can't terminate the service right away. Mail will stay because that actually makes money, and interferes less with passenger operations.
I'm not sure, but I think mail is hauled in boxcars, not roadrailers. But somebody else may know something I don't.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
What I think is that the "express reefers" (ExpressTrak cars) are the ones being sidelined, but that the "RoadRailers" (which I believe 'do' haul mail), "express boxcars" and "MHC"s will still be running. If anyone has corrections, please feel very free to post them! ~Eric
Posts: 553 | From: Flagstaff, AZ USA | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
I believe that most, if not all, of the roadrailers are used to haul commercial shipments. As I understand it, they're doing away with everything except the mail cars (which are profitable).
I'm curious to see what they'll do with all that suddenly unwanted equipment. There must be hundreds of cars out there.
I presume that the majority will be sold off to various freight railroads. It would be a shame to drive past some railyard ten years from now and see dozens of them rusting away in the weeds.
[This message has been edited by dilly (edited 10-16-2002).]
posted
I personally would not complain at all if AMTRAK did away with hauling express cars on the ends of their trains, for the simple reason that, one of the things I enjoy doing on my train trips is to walk to the end of the train and take video out the rear of the train. I was able to do this on a couple of the trains I rode on my trip this summer (the Texas Eagle and the City of New Orleans). It is hard to get such video when all you see out the end of the train is a bunch of express cars....
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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The last time I was able to look out the back window on the Southwest Chief(SWC) was way back in 1995. Back then, material handling cars(all Amtrak had back then) were up front behind the engines and in front of the baggage car. I always felt safer with all those cars in front of me and not behind like today incase of a colision.
I liked it when the Sleepers were in the back and nothing blocked the window. Cajon at night was quite a treat to watch out the back window. Now (on the SWC any way) I have to walk the entire train to get to the back window and then all you see is an express boxcar and its brake info and other writing that lines up right with the back window.
I sure would like to go back to the old standard way of travel. Sleepers on the back and mail and whatever behind the locos.
Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
First, reefers are just refrigerated cars...you can tell by seeing the refrigeration unit on the end of it. Second, I think that losing the freight business might help us in the long run, because it is my understanding that unofficially Amtrak pissed the freight companies off by carrying freight, so they would let us sit more. We may see some better track clearance and timing happening.
Posts: 92 | Registered: Nov 2002
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I've been on a Cardinal run without boxcars on the back. We were in coach, the last vehicle of the train so it was very convenient! However, that was before it switched from Superliner to Viewliner (has it / will it be switched back?).
Geoff M.
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
you know what one more added benefit of taking off the freight will be? I was working a coach this summer which happened to be the last passenger car on the train, and I don't know if the seal on that door wasn't great or what, but the rattling of those dang boxcars was quite annoying for a while...especially as we got up to top speed, and especially on rough track.
Posts: 92 | Registered: Nov 2002
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posted
Out here in the east both mail and other shipments are carried in the roadrailers. The MHCs are mail only for the most part. If you ever want to know exactly what equipment has US Mail in it, look for an orange piece of stamped metal sealing the locking mechanism on the doors. On the Lakeshore Limited, the MHC rides from Boston (I think) on the head end of the train, until the two sections are combined in Renssealer with more MHCs on the NY section at the very rear. In Albany, Roadrailers are added including at least one (phase 4 striping, 410xxx series) with a side door. That side door is very important. Once buf-lo rolls around, a few crates of mail are removed from the forward (Boston) MHC at the first stop and added to the side door roadrailer on the rear. Some of these will be added to one of the rear MHCs as well. Speaking of MHCs, I've heard rumors that the FRA is running a test train sometime this week to test the 1400-series MHCs as they don't seem to agree with Batavia- and Corfu-area trackage very well. I have no idea when it is, but Amtrak must be getting tired of storing them or using them only on routes with decent track. I also miss being able to see out the back, and all those Roadrailers on the back both increase the train's stopping distance (look at the Auto Train pileup) and make it more difficult to keep the train stretched out during all the double stopping they get to do nowadays.
------------------ F40PH #757099-8 March 29, 1976-November 18, 2001 P42DC #53063 November 18, 2001-???
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Station attendant in Galesburg told me they're replacing freight with mail because mail has priority passage through yards which will cut down on late trains.
Posts: 71 | From: lawrence,kansas,usa | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
The mail is hauled in sealed, double-sided boxcars at the head of the train, (right behind the engines), the road-railers at the end of the train contain common freight, usually transferred to a truck after relatively short distances
Posts: 140 | From: Kirksville, Mo | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
From my experience, or at least from all the times I've seen the Southwest Chief, all the "freight" is hauled on the rear of the train, with the mail cars first followed by the express box cars and reefers and then the roadrailers. I haven't seen any mail cars on the head end in years.
Posts: 246 | From: Anaheim, CA | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by atsf3751: I haven't seen any mail cars on the head end in years.
I agree with you, freightand mail is on the rear; that is the way the SW Chief has been running for too long to remember. Have no idea where the previous poster got his information, but it sure wasn't from watching that train.
posted
ooops..my bad..you guys are right..I musta had my brain in reverse yesterday..(college homework has that affect on me sometimes)
Posts: 140 | From: Kirksville, Mo | Registered: Dec 2002
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