Any Amtrak fans out there ?...

[Anonymous]

I just bought a modern N scale Amtrak passenger train complete with engine, material handling car, baggage coach, sleeper coach, regular coach and dining coach. The engine is a Kato GE P42 Genesis and the coaches are phase III made by Concor.
I don't know that much about Amtrak, but I'm going to do my research and find out what I can. I'm real proud of it. It's a really cool looking little train.
The guy at the hobby shop (friend of mine) wanted to get rid of it and gave me such a good deal that I couldn't pass it up...
I've always kind of had it in for Amtrak because like everyone else, I blamed them for pushing all the other passenger services out of business. But since they're the only major US passeneger service left, I've kind of began to forgive and let live and enjoy the hobby...

[Anonymous]

Apparently not many.

[RMax1]

I model the Amtrak trains from the 1970's. There are a lot of good picture and info links out there. The good news is that you can place it in a several places in the country. You can also mix it with freight railroads. There is some interesting history to Amtrak and plenty of videos. Some people think it is boring or not on the level as a freight railroad or passenger steam but it's still fun.

RMax1

[Anonymous]

Hi there from England, I'm also a Amtrak modeller but I find it quite strange that a lot of modellers in the US seem to dismiss it as "crap". Surely a railfan should promote rail travel of either freight or passenger and not just dismiss it because he or she doesnt like it.
Anyway, enjoy the modelling and I encourage you to keep it up.

[AntonioFP45]

Hi guys,

A good friend of mine is modeling Amtrak in the early 70s. Interesting time period as many cars were still in their predecessor railroad color schemes.

Cuddlyjools.

I think I can explain.

Most of us actually like and appreciate Amtrak. In my humble opinion, the reason so many of us don't model it is because the birth of Amtrak symbolized the end of an era, when railroads like the Santa Fe, Rock Island, Rio Grande, Great Northern, etc. were running colorful and attractive trains. Some of these trains, like the SCL Champion, would be 18 cars long! Even though quality passenger service from the railroads was in decline, they still offered amenities that Amtrak eliminated due to the budget constraints.

Also, before Amtrak, at many stations railroads would transfer sleeping cars from one train to another, drop off diners and lounges at certain stations, split trains up at other stations with each section going to different destinations. For modeling this offers potential for switching jobs involving passenger trains. Today, it's rare to find Amtrak doing this, again because of costs combined with the paltry budget our government provides.

I think in time modeling Amtrak trains will increase in popularity as younger American modelers progress in the hobby. It's likely that Amtrak will be the only passenger service they'll be really familiar with unless they live near a commuter rail line.

So, to those of you that model Amtrak, by all means GO FOR IT! Don't worry about the few "nay sayers" on the forum. Most of the people here are going to be supportive.

By posting your progress here, you may wind up encouraging other modelers and newbies to model Amtrak that hand not considered it before. There should be no negative "stigma" attached to it. Amtrak has some very attractive equipment. I have to admit that I really disliked those GE Genesis locomotives when I first saw them. But after I saw the Amtrak Silver Star whip by one day at close to 70 m.p.h, they really grew on me! To me, they're modern "E-units". Designed for passenger service.

Many Cheers and High Greens!

[AntonioFP45]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainluver1

I've always kind of had it in for Amtrak because like everyone else, I blamed them for pushing all the other passenger services out of business. But since they're the only major US passeneger service left, I've kind of began to forgive and let live and enjoy the hobby..

Tranluver,.......You've began to forgive them????? Why? There was nothing to forgive.

How could you "blame Amtrak"? Amtrak didn't push any rail passenger service away. Amtrak was formed in May 1971 after the railroads had been continuously trying hard to get rid of their passenger trains.

Even when running full American railroad passenger trains, with very few exceptions, were losing money overall!

Even the Santa Fe Chief/El Capitan and Burlington Northern's (formed in 1970) Empire Builder were money losers. Southern Pacific and Penn Central deliberately discouraged the public from riding their long distance trains. Southern Pacific's negative efforts are well documented.

So, it's most of the railroads, not Amtrak that "pushed" service away!

The transporting of U.S mail is what helped passenger trains continue longer. Once the mail was shifted to airplanes, many of the railroads dropped whatever passenger trains they could but were still required by the Interstate Commerce Commission to maintain minimal passenger services.

After Amtrak was formed, The Southern Railway and Rio Grande made the effort and continued running passengner trains for a few more years, but eventually they too dropped their passenger runs, which were taken over by Amtrak.

Peace out![;)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainluver1

I've always kind of had it in for Amtrak because like everyone else, I blamed them for pushing all the other passenger services out of business. But since they're the only major US passeneger service left, I've kind of began to forgive and let live and enjoy the hobby..

Tranluver,.......You've began to forgive them????? Why? There was nothing to forgive.

How could you "blame Amtrak"? Amtrak didn't push any rail passenger service away. Amtrak was formed in May 1971 after the railroads had been continuously trying hard to get rid of their passenger trains.

Even when running full American railroad passenger trains, with very few exceptions, were losing money overall!

Even the Santa Fe Chief/El Capitan and Burlington Northern's (formed in 1970) Empire Builder were money losers. Southern Pacific and Penn Central deliberately discouraged the public from riding their long distance trains. Southern Pacific's negative efforts are well documented.

So, it's most of the railroads, not Amtrak that "pushed" service away!

The transporting of U.S mail is what helped passenger trains continue longer. Once the mail was shifted to airplanes, many of the railroads dropped whatever passenger trains they could but were still required by the Interstate Commerce Commission to maintain minimal passenger services.

After Amtrak was formed, The Southern Railway and Rio Grande made the effort and continued running passengner trains for a few more years, but eventually they too dropped their passenger runs, which were taken over by Amtrak.

Peace out![;)]

AntionioFP 45

Thanks for the info. I didn't know or realize these things as I'm just now getting into the actual history and so forth behind railroads. But there are a lot of people out there that actually do blame Amtrak for running everyone else out of business. Let's give it a few days and see what other replys we get on this. Again, thanks...

[SP4449]

[:)] I like AMTRAK. I have had pleasure of riding several different trains around the country, mostly west of the Mississippi.

The reason I cling to AMTRAK is that memories of most of my early childhood rides are vague but I have photos and memories of the AMTRAK rides. I do remember getting on the City of San Franciso with my sister in Ogden, UT, and riding it to Oakland, CA. I also remember some SP Coast Daylight rides from LA to SF and some of those memories come back when I eat an egg salad sandwich, believe it or not, because that is what my mother fed us on the train.

I have pictures taken from the windows of the Daylight at Questa Grade and the horseshoe loop near San Luis Obispo sometime in the early 1960's.

Then in the late 1980's, while I was in the military, had several I rides on the City of New Orleans (heritage equipment) from New Orleans to Chicago. One of those trips included an encounter with an automobile somewhere in Northern Lousiana. (I took photos of the locomotive after getting off in Chicago.) From Chicago, I variously rode the Sunset or the Zephyr to either Los Angeles or Oakland, and the Coast Starlight to Seattle from LA or Oakland. I wouldn't have stopped in Seattle if I could have gotten to Fairbanks, Alaska, by rail. Then there was the trip from Omaha to New York. . . . And I never got to ride the Builder from Chicago to Seattle. [:(]

[^] I have had good experiences with rail travel and I support efforts to keep it alive, both from the economy point and from the rail fan point.

I am modeling Phase II Superliner equipment because that is what I have ridden on and it will include SDP40s for motive power. I have most of the train and locomotives collected. [;)]

[FThunder11]

I'm an Amtrak Fan. Although I dont get to see them much. Except this weekend I'm gonna see my favorite train in the World, the ACELA EXPRESS in Boston

[Anonymous]

If Amtrack ever ceases to exist, then it will be modelled a lot more. You don't miss something until its gone. Personally, I hope the day never comes when Amtrack is only history. I think railroads who were having a hard time financially, like the B&O, probably thought something like " Thank the Lord someone has finally taken these revenue losing passenger trains off of our hands!" I think I have read that some roads wanted to give up their passenger service before Amtrack came along but the government wouldn't let them - I think.

[Anonymous]

So what's the difference between phases ?... I've got a GE P42 Genesis engine and phase III cars, and am wondering if those are okay to run together. Also, I'm told that the material handling cars are now pulled at the end of the train rather than up front as they once were.
Any help would be greatly appreciated...

trainluver1