Re: NNG- 50 years ago - the great pre-Amtrak guessing game

Olaf Rasmussen Wrote:
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> Today is Amtrak's 50th Anniversary. Half a century
> ago today many passenger trains vanished and some
> survived.

I did the math once, using Klambach's "Journey to Amtrak," and it was nearly 90% off of the NE Corridor.

> In the last few weeks before May 1, 1971

I was still a few years from my first standard gauge train ride (I'd ridden the Silverton 3 times by then) but I did talk dad into, despite the sneers from my baby-boomer older brother, into going down to Slater, Iowa to watch the last westbound "City of Everywhere" go through on April 30th.


> Here was my guess/choice
> as to which trains to ride those last few weeks:

I notice the Western Star on there. Living near Spokane, I wish that schedule had survived. A late evening departure, early morning arrival train to Seattle (and maybe Portland?) would be useful. Easier to persuade the unenlightened to use too. Spokane, btw, went from 4 trains to the East & 5 to the West to one (tri-weekly for several years I think) Chicago-Seattle[1] train passing through. They could at least give us a set-out sleeper!

> Here is the initial Amtrak route system that has
> variously expanded and contracted over the years.

Even that was larger than the Nixon administration wanted.

> One highlight - a couple of months later, on the
> 4th of July weekend, Cumbres&Toltec initiated
> public trips on the narrow gauge (subject of a
> near future posting).

My first ride on CATS was considerably farther away than my 1st standard gauge(RGZ, 1975). In fact I'd have ridden the Silverton 5 or 6 times more before my first ride over Cumbres and would have about 50,000 miles of Amtrak on my log.

Amtrak, America's great 2nd class trains. Long may they roll!

Hank

[1] Certain people love to point out that almost nobody fides the whole way (around 30% of pax do that) missing the point that seats get used by 4 or 5 different people along the way.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2021 09:11AM by hank.