I am finishing up my AMTRAK route map project, and working on the Vermonter route. Does the Vermonter still operate in reverse between Palmer, Mass., and Springfield? I have mapped that route, but it doesn't match the mileage shown in the AMNTRAK timetable. If the Vermonter does not make the back up move at Palmer, how does it get from Amherst to Springfield?
Thanks -- Rich K
Posted by lakeshorelimited (Member # 576) on :
Rich, they still do reverse the train's direction in Palmer. The train runs one way from WAS to Palmer, then it runs "backwards" all the way to St. Albans. They used to run it with two genesis locos, but lately it's been a genesis with an ex-metroliner cab car..
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
LakeShore - thanks a lot!!! Does it always run "backwards" between St. Albans & Palmer, or does the southbound train run backwards from Palmer to Washington? At one time, I thought it only ran backwards from Palmer to Springfield, then reversed again on the west side of the Springfield station along the river.
--Rich K
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
Sorry to go off-topic, but what is this mapping project? I've often thought about doing a route guide kind of thing with siding names, stations, scenic points, mileposts, etc on, one for each Amtrak route. Those SPV Atlases are great - but not for cross-country where you have to take several at once!
Geoff M.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Geoff- I've been working on this project for many years, and am on about the 4th generation of route maps now. Basically, I have spent a lot of money over the last couple years purchasing almost all of the state topographic map CD-ROM sets from DeLorme Mapping's "3-D Topo Quads" series. With the CD-ROM's, I have been highlighting the AMTRAK routes (I know where most of them go)with the software, marking off "mileposts" (which do NOT always correspond to AMTRAK timetable mileages) along the route starting at the originating station, and printing the maps (I go through A LOT OF Epson printer cartridges!). The final product is several books which I take on my trips -- each book may have one or two complete routes in it (Chicago-Pittsburgh plus Pittsburgh-New York in one book, or Washington-Jacksonville, Jacksonville-Miami, Jacksonville-Tampa in the same book, etc.) and I can follow the routes as I am sitting in the train, document locations for video footage, photos, etc., or just know where I am at all times. The project is almost done -- I think there are about 40 "logs", each one covering one part of one AMTRAK route (or an entire route if it is a short route, such as Chicago-Pontiac or Los Angeles-San Diego). When I finish that part of it, I will resume putting together "narrative railroad logs," which will document locations, history, geology, place name origins, scenic features, etc., mile-by-mile along the routes (kind of like a MUCH-more detailed AMTRAK route guide or "Rail Ventures" log). I use several reference materials to compile those, including sources such as Mountain Press's "Roadside Geology" and "Roadside History" series, several AAA publications, National Geographic travel guides, geologic guidebooks, the "Rail Ventures" book, AMTRAK route guides, and basically whatever I can find for the various areas of the country, including information from Internet sources. I have completed several narrative logs to date, but that segment has been on hold for a couple years now while I have been doing the maps.
Previous generations of my railroad maps have relied on xeroxed copies of topographic maps from various university map libraries -- the DeLorme CD-ROM's of course have all color coverage, and save a lot of trips to libraries, plus the routes are easily updated without having to go back to the map library, re-xerox the paper maps, and start all over again.
You asked -- now you know!!! --Rich K
[This message has been edited by RRRICH (edited 10-03-2002).]
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
Thanks for the reply, Rich. Obviously far more detail than I planned to do!
One other thing I would like to see are the equivalent of the UK Quail Maps. These show the actual track layout of all the UK's railways in 5 (?) volumes. Obviously, the USA is far bigger even if many areas are less densely rail populated, but it'd be interesting to see one published. Maybe even just for the Amtrak routes. I know you can get much of the track layout from BNSF's ETTs, also a website (the address of which I can't remember) shows CSX trackage. As for others, anybody any ideas?