Some day, I want to ride an AAPRCO convention train. I would especially like to ride the last leg of this year's trip, up the CB&Q from St. Louis to Burlington, IA (and east to Chicago, which is the CZ route). Well, maybe I can at least go out and chase it.

Twelve months ago I didn't even know there were any "railworthy" private cars in the US, certainly didn't know about AAPRCO, but yes I would also like to ride that train.

PS

It's the same trip he's done the last few times: drop people in Colorado, pick up more in Salt Lake City, take them to Oakland. Wait a day and go to Seattle, stay for five days. Drop off the people out of Seattle at Whitefish and pick up the original bunch at West Glacier. Home to Chicago on 8, arriving the 19th.

Now that is a trip I would like!! A round trip of over 5,500 miles!! Nice job!!

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That observation car is something else - very much of its time, but what a vehicle to see the Rockies (or almost anywhere else) from.

My dad aged in his 90's went on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Calgary. He said it was fantastic!

That's another trip I'd like to do someday. Have to win the lottery first, I think.

More info on Cedar Rapids. The irony of the statement above is that the Rapids-series Skytop parlor-lounges weren't intended for service in the Rockies, but on the Twin Cities Hiawathas between Chicago and Minneapolis. However, the similar Creek-series sleepers were, running on the Olympian Hiawatha to Seattle, with eight double bedrooms and a smaller observation lounge than the parlors. Iowa Pacific has acquired Coffee Creek and is slowly restoring it at Alamosa. The Creeks and six Superdomes were sold to Canadian National in 1964, but they ran on the Ocean from Montreal to Halifax, not through the Rockies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skytop_Lounge

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

That observation car is something else - very much of its time, but what a vehicle to see the Rockies (or almost anywhere else) from.

My dad aged in his 90's went on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Calgary. He said it was fantastic!

That's another trip I'd like to do someday. Have to win the lottery first, I think.

More info on Cedar Rapids. The irony of the statement above is that the Rapids-series Skytop parlor-lounges weren't intended for service in the Rockies, but on the Twin Cities Hiawathas between Chicago and Minneapolis. However, the similar Creek-series sleepers were, running on the Olympian Hiawatha to Seattle, with eight double bedrooms and a smaller observation lounge than the parlors. Iowa Pacific has acquired Coffee Creek and is slowly restoring it at Alamosa. The Creeks and six Superdomes were sold to Canadian National in 1964, but they ran on the Ocean from Montreal to Halifax, not through the Rockies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skytop_Lounge

I'm glad they're being preserved, in many cases all We have today are models and/or pics. One group is trying build a mighty T1 from scratch a PRR T1 class 4-4-4-4 duplex steam locomotive and I hope they're successful.

The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) T1 Steam Locomotive Trust is a non-profit organization that believes in thinking differently about preservation. Through hard work, dedicated volunteers and the financial support of many generous donors from around the globe, the T1 Trust is constructing PRR T1 5550. Slated to become the fifty-third locomotive of its class when complete, 5550 combines stunning art deco design with a unique 4-4-4-4 wheel arrangement. The goal is simple; to provide mainline steam excursion service, and to set the World Speed Record for a steam locomotive.

If this trust is successful, then someone could build an Alco H-8 Allegheny 2-6-6-6 for the same purpose.

Looks like a T1 wheel has been made.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

When we rode the California Zephyr to Chicago in December 1963, I remember seeing more of the Sierras from the Vista Dome car. We crossed the Rockies at night, I remember Mom waking us when we pulled in to Salt Lake City, we could see the lights of Temple Square from the train.

I WILL make that trip again in the next few years.

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

Who would of thought trains could be so interesting?

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Following from Vic's notes about the building of a new T1 a bit of news from the Right Side of the Atlantic...
Following from Tornado, and no doubt in part inspired by the sucess of that project various teams in the UK are building new members for departed classes of mainline steam
We have (at least):
2 off Gressly (LNER) "P2" - http://www.p2steam.com/ & http://www.cockothenorth.co.uk/
1 off Churchward (GWR) "Saint" - http://www.thesaintproject.co.uk/index.html
1 off Churchward (GWR) "4700" - http://www.4709.org.uk/index.html

And no doubt a few from the other railway companies but I haven't had time to look for them...

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

When we rode the California Zephyr to Chicago in December 1963, I remember seeing more of the Sierras from the Vista Dome car. We crossed the Rockies at night, I remember Mom waking us when we pulled in to Salt Lake City, we could see the lights of Temple Square from the train.

I WILL make that trip again in the next few years.

Hmm. Must've been running late. The CZ has ALWAYS been timed to run through the Rockies in daylight. However, in December, you could very well have reached SLC after dark.

If it weren't almost bedtime, I'd dig up my copy of Portrait of a Silver Lady and see what the schedule was then.

Let me know when you do it and I'll see if I can wave from the platform.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Follow-up: I think I heard the football special returned to Chicago sometime after 1am.

Also, word today is that the CP steam engines are still in Elkhart.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

BTW, my friend Mike was again the employee in charge of those cars leaving town yesterday. Even he posted on Facebook about how well they were keeping time. It's the same trip he's done the last few times: drop people in Colorado, pick up more in Salt Lake City, take them to Oakland. Wait a day and go to Seattle, stay for five days. Drop off the people out of Seattle at Whitefish and pick up the original bunch at West Glacier. Home to Chicago on 8, arriving the 19th.

Check out all the early arrivals at every station from Sacramento to Emeryville.

Also, there will be five PVs leaving EMY on 6 today, arriving CHI on Friday. I saw the same set of cars on 5 at NPV on July 10.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I must remember to get to the station in plenty of time if I ever get across the pond to make one of those trips. What does Amtrak advise for passengers expecting to join a particular train at a particular time? Or doesn't early arrival automatically imply an early departure too?

I must remember to get to the station in plenty of time if I ever get across the pond to make one of those trips. What does Amtrak advise for passengers expecting to join a particular train at a particular time? Or doesn't early arrival automatically imply an early departure too?

Form the website:

Please arrive at the station at least 30 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart (Auto Train passengers should arrive at the station at least two hours prior to departure). If you need help with your baggage, bike, tickets or any other services, or if you are departing from a large or busy station, we recommend you arrive at the station even earlier. Plan for long lines at busy stations.

Late Trains
Unfortunately, the train you're waiting to board may arrive at your station behind schedule. In such cases, the amount of time the train remains in the station may be less than what is shown in the timetable. Be aware of such contingencies and plan accordingly.

Early arrivals should mean the train departs on time. On the long distance services there is an amount of "slack" in the timetable, so as soon as there are no delays all the trains arrive early.

Unless of course they hold each other up

The Capitol 29 from Washington and the Lake Shore 49 from New York run over the same track from Cleveland to Chicago, with the 29 one hour ahead of the 49, so what happens when the 29 is two hours late and the 49 an hour late;



Well the 29 seems to be holding the 49 up, both have now reached the next station together!!

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Meanwhile, on this side of the pond, I'm surprised neither Bernie or Chris have mentioned "Borders railway steam train - 9 September 2015".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdvzNNl24fs

Although this is a steam special to mark the opening of the line - complete with British Pullman car - it's a regular mainline service line (not a heritage line), re-opened today and claimed to be the longest rail line opened in the UK for over 100 years.

More at http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2015/borders-railway-public-services/

Ah well you see, in my defence M'lud, the Queen opened that to day and was referred to over in politics in the Monarchy thread links. But yes, quite remiss of me not to mention it here as well. Borders Rly

But you have to remember Richard that this thread is 99% all about American stuff. Us Brits have to poke our noses in from time to time to remind folks that it was us that invented railways in 1825 with George Stephenson and the Stockton & Darlington Railway. The yanks just copied and improved.

That's why I was careful only to mention the train and the railway in this thread - not the person who opened it.

Let's make that link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-34177585 - same picture, different story.

I must remember to get to the station in plenty of time if I ever get across the pond to make one of those trips. What does Amtrak advise for passengers expecting to join a particular train at a particular time? Or doesn't early arrival automatically imply an early departure too?

Form the website:

Please arrive at the station at least 30 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart (Auto Train passengers should arrive at the station at least two hours prior to departure). If you need help with your baggage, bike, tickets or any other services, or if you are departing from a large or busy station, we recommend you arrive at the station even earlier. Plan for long lines at busy stations.

Late Trains
Unfortunately, the train you're waiting to board may arrive at your station behind schedule. In such cases, the amount of time the train remains in the station may be less than what is shown in the timetable. Be aware of such contingencies and plan accordingly.

Early arrivals should mean the train departs on time. On the long distance services there is an amount of "slack" in the timetable, so as soon as there are no delays all the trains arrive early.

The slack is called "recovery time" or, to outsiders, padding.

Normally, a train will not leave a station ahead of its scheduled time (although a crew might cheat by a minute or two if they show they have all the passengers the manifest says will board there). The early departures for the train in question are possible because the train only discharges passengers there; it does not receive any, so leaving early would not cause anyone to miss the train. This is noted by the D in front of the time in the timetable. Many of the same stations have an R in the opposite direction. This practice is due to a couple of things: there are state-supported trains running on the same route, with which they don't want the long distance train to compete, and they also don't want the long distance train to short sell itself (sell a seat for a short distance that will then go unoccupied for much of the rest of the trip, thus earning no revenue).

For long distance trains that you plan to board somewhere along the way, I would start checking the status of the train at least a couple of hours ahead of your scheduled time. If it's running significantly late, relax, but still be there at least an hour ahead of the given estimate.

For another perspective on late trains, read this BBC article.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Apparently, the first new Viewliner baggage car assigned to the CZ left EMY yesterday and will arrive CHI tomorrow.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Now you all probably don't remember but back around the 7th of August one of the west coast EMD 59PHI's #455 was returned to LA on the Southwest Chief, after being service at Beech Grove. Something happened (stories differ) and it was abandoned in Colorado, it returned to Chicago on the the 11th August and then finally went back to LA on the 14th.

Well guess what turned up today on the Southwest Chief from LA.



Surely not broken already?

Apparently, the first new Viewliner baggage car assigned to the CZ left EMY yesterday and will arrive CHI tomorrow.

I will keep an eye out, however if they are made in Elmira NY, wouldn't it have been easier to send them out from Chicago?

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Follow-up: I think I heard the football special returned to Chicago sometime after 1am.

Also, word today is that the CP steam engines are still in Elkhart.

And now word is they ran by a scanner on the BRC sometime today.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Now you all probably don't remember but back around the 7th of August one of the west coast EMD 59PHI's #455 was returned to LA on the Southwest Chief, after being service at Beech Grove. Something happened (stories differ) and it was abandoned in Colorado, it returned to Chicago on the the 11th August and then finally went back to LA on the 14th.

Well guess what turned up today on the Southwest Chief from LA.

Surely not broken already?

Interesting.

Apparently, the first new Viewliner baggage car assigned to the CZ left EMY yesterday and will arrive CHI tomorrow.

I will keep an eye out, however if they are made in Elmira NY, wouldn't it have been easier to send them out from Chicago?

My guess is it got out there on 5 without anyone noticing.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Now this is a bit strange.

As most of you may have guessed I make a lot of use of the Amtrak website and the "Track a Train" map.

So after I did a reboot to finally install some updates, I noticed the website had changed. Where the "Track a train" link had been was a a notice about the Papal Visit



Track a train had been relegated to the bar below



Unfortunately it didn't work, nothing happened, so I tried Firefox

Well a different looking page!!



What is going on, I have tried clearing my browser cache, no difference, I tried it on my laptop exactly the same, Chrome gives one page Firefox the other?

Oh and the track a train map doesn't work on either of them.

Any ideas

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Another so called "upgrade" is what has happened....

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?