I am just about done with trains.

[Anonymous]

With the recent CANCELLATION of ANY daily RAIL service between Philadelphia and Chicago I feel that passenger trains in America are gone forever. This is the final Amtrak cancellation that I will see as a Interested Railfan. I see the discontinuation of the Three Rivers as a sad and not good descision and one that has made me not want to be a railfan any longer. Now that about 1 train serves my whole state (Pittsburgh-Philadelphia) veiwing trains has now become to difficult to do. Hopefully train service will be turned into something great in the future but until then..............long live the Jet and Automobile.

[Anonymous]

Now, now, CHPENNSYLVANIA.
Loss is a part of life, and there is still plenty to appreciate in western Pa. I despaired when the Broadway was cut, and I couldn't believe that our state didn't even rate one through train to Chicago. I thought I would never heal, but life goes on.
The Three Rivers appeared not too long after that (as a through train). True, it was always just a mail/express train with coaches as an afterthought - which is one reason I'm going to be able to handle its demise at least better than you - but it showed there was at least a bit of life left in the Keystone State yet. And though it certainly looks bad for the Three Rivers, nobody has actually done anything official yet, have they?

[jeaton]

Oh, well...

[oltmannd]

You wouldn't change trains in Wash DC or New York to get from Phila to Chicago? That almost makes it more interesting.

I used to have to travel from Phila to London Ont. when EMD was building new locos for Conrail. Sometimes the budget was so tight that a "no flying" edict would come down, so I'd go by rail. Leave Phila at 5:30 AM, travel to NYP, then to the Maple Leaf - getting off at Aldershot Ont. to catch a Via train to London - arriving at 9PM. Not easy, but enjoyable. The only letdown was after running up the NEC at 100+mph and then coming off the 100 mph running in NY to Schenectady, slowing down to 79 at CP169 felt like we were crawling! The only worry was making connections - particularly going thru customs and making Aldershot on time. The alternative was go continue on to Toronto - get a hotel and take a moring train to London.

Wonder if PA won't step in and try to fund a second H'burg-Pittsburgh train?

[Modelcar]

CH Pa.....What..! The Three Rivers is cancelled....I was under the impression that train was rather well supported and the state of Pennsylvania was supporting it as well....When will it be terminated...? No passenger trains across the famous Pennsy main east and west on a daily route...? That is a shock....Nothing going up and around the famous Horseshoe, etc....I happen to be a Pennsylvania native and close to Johnstown and it just seems unexceptable that no varnish will be stopping at the still gold lettered PENNSYLVANIA RR station anymore....Was this news just announced...I haven't seen anything on it yet...If it's in TRAINS, I have just looked at some of it and saw nothing regarding that. Any more specifics on it...

[Randy Stahl]

It would be easy for anyone to look at things like that.
I cannot believe that the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee RR was torn out. I find it hard to beliave that the fine rapid transit system that Milwaukee had was abandoned and torn out. I was directly affected when the Milwaukee road was dismantled, even the buildings I worked in are totally gone. I can spend my time being bitter about the whole thing and sometimes I am but there are still trains running man!!!!!
Randy

[oltmannd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

CH Pa.....What..! The Three Rivers is cancelled....I was under the impression that train was rather well supported and the state of Pennsylvania was supporting it as well....When will it be terminated...? No passenger trains across the famous Pennsy main east and west on a daily route...? That is a shock....Nothing going up and around the famous Horseshoe, etc....I happen to be a Pennsylvania native and close to Johnstown and it just seems unexceptable that no varnish will be stopping at the still gold lettered PENNSYLVANIA RR station anymore....Was this news just announced...I haven't seen anything on it yet...If it's in TRAINS, I have just looked at some of it and saw nothing regarding that. Any more specifics on it...

The Pennsylvanian will still run to and from Pittsburgh daily, but this will be the first time in a long time there is only one train pair a day thru Altoona.

[Anonymous]

Oltmannd,

Yeah, one can go from Philadelphia to New York or DC and get to Chicago, but if you live in Harrisubrg or somewhere that is nuts. And frankly, it is a blow to Philadelphia's pride. We ARE a big city. We are NOT a suburb of New York. We deserve our own train to Chicago.

[rich747us]

Hey CHPENNSYLVANIA, I understand you being bummed out. The term 'Amtrak downsizing' is akin to a four letter word to me, and I myself was pretty urked after the CSX / NS takeover of Conrail (R.I.P.). Your understandably angry, but please dont spread that gloom and doom here. Who knows, perhaps the Three Rivers will be back someday. Just like what happend with the Cardinal, they canceld it, but then brought it back.

[gabe]

You will be missed. But, I don't think there is a lot we can do.

Gabe

[MP57313]

I am still bummed about the "down-sizing" and then cancellation of the Desert Wind. It's been gone over 7 years now. But give up on trains because of that? No way! As lfish says, there's still a lot of stuff out there...

[Modelcar]

...Just read all the above posts...I realize we all have different opinions about such railroad and passenger situations....all can feel as they want. Randy, I too wonder why they removed some of the great tramsportation systems in that area, including the North Shore....as I mentioned on here somewhere in the past of looking at the abandoned RoW of the North Shore from an airplane years ago and wondered why such a nice straight traffic route between large cities was taken out of service....Didn't seem to make sense....just as this latest news of the Three Rivers being scrapped doesn't make sense...being a route of importance along a major corridor with lots of population. We spend billions of dollars "serving" and doing what ever for "other" people in this world and I resent the "cutting" of services to our own citizens that this route serves....and of course requires some tax money to do so....Why not be able to maintain some service for "us" with the massive amount tax money collected in this country. I don't blame Mr. Gunn...He cannot continue to run a given size operation if his operating money is being cut with each fiscal year as it rolls around.
I too have just read the account in the Post-Gaszette from the address given. It seems this train was well patronized.

[jeaton]

While this is not the best of all worlds, I looked at Amtrak's press release on the subject which provided some detail on the Three Rivers/Penn change. It may come out that the schedules will provide a good connection with the Capitol Limited at Pittsburgh.

Time will tell.

[Anonymous]

Times change. Unless Amtrak gets the support it needs more will be coming...

LC

[Modelcar]

....Is it possible Pennsylvania might step up to the plate and shoulder more of the cost to run the train....or is the state paying all it can now like so many others are since tax burdens seem to have been shifting.....

[Anonymous]

HEY DON'T YOU GUYS HAVE THE NORTH EAST CORRIDOR? ALL IS NOT LOST IS IT?

[rrnut282]

Count your blessings, at least you had a train in your hometown in your lifetime.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by RacerX

HEY DON'T YOU GUYS HAVE THE NORTH EAST CORRIDOR? ALL IS NOT LOST IS IT?

That's a bit far from most of the state.

I'm a bit sad, as this puts a damper on some travel plans I had for next year. I have to go out west to visit some colleges I'm looking at for grad school and I was going to take the train over the Rockies so that I could actually see them instead of hop over them at 35,000 feet. Now I can't go from Pittsburgh to Chicago by train.

[Modelcar]

....My point is the train off is being done through a highly populated corridor....and, each year our rail transportation is being short changed so it is slowly being eliminated...which is the adminstration's plan now in Washington one way or another....Don't we want to spend some of this country's money on ourselves for services for our people.....? From the reports out currently the train in question was [is], well patronized.

[Modelcar]

Sorry double post...Electronic mess.

[Willy2]

No matter how many trains services are cancelled anywhere in the country, I will always a railfan. There are still trains out there, and I think we will just have to make do with what is left.

[Modelcar]

...Happy rail fanning Willy....Fact is though, with the path of elimination our passenger rail transportation system is on now....It's a matter of time and it will no longer be something available in our big country.

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by radivil

QUOTE: Originally posted by RacerX

HEY DON'T YOU GUYS HAVE THE NORTH EAST CORRIDOR? ALL IS NOT LOST IS IT?

That's a bit far from most of the state.

I'm a bit sad, as this puts a damper on some travel plans I had for next year. I have to go out west to visit some colleges I'm looking at for grad school and I was going to take the train over the Rockies so that I could actually see them instead of hop over them at 35,000 feet. Now I can't go from Pittsburgh to Chicago by train.

Doesn't the Capitol Limited go through Pittsburgh?

[agentatascadero]

Pittsburg-Chicago:Capitol Limited. Out here on the coast line, we have the Starlight, period. Philly has how many hundred daily schedules?? And the NEC. I don't feel sorry for you, I envy you. I was there in 2000, saw Strasburg, Scranton, rode the Pennsy main line Philly-Pitt, had the time of my life. I think your grapes are sweet, not sour.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by espeefoamer

[
Doesn't the Capitol Limited go through Pittsburgh?

D'oh! How could I have forgotten about the Capitol Limited? [:0]

I was looking up the schedule between Altoona and Pittsburgh the other day (i'm planning on visiting home from college the old fashioned way) and the only trains that came up were the Three Rivers and Pennsylvanian, so I guess my brain misfired.

[Modelcar]

....I don't think you will find the Capitol Limited in Altoona. And for the above posts comparing the east with west coast....I'm not trying to pit one against the other. I'm simply saying I'm against dismantling any of it...I simply would like to properly fund the routes, especially the ones that make sense regardless where they are and make something to be proud to use....

[Anonymous]

Why don't you Penciltuckians get a delegation together and send them down to Raleigh to see how they can run trains all over the state without nearly the population to draw from that you have?

Then send them out to Californica to see what they're doing out there.

Depends on what the populace wants to spend its money on, though.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

....I don't think you will find the Capitol Limited in Altoona.

I'd be departing from Pittsburgh of course [;)]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Old Timer

Why don't you Penciltuckians get a delegation together and send them down to Raleigh to see how they can run trains all over the state without nearly the population to draw from that you have?

Pennsylvania's an odd place. Either A) no one needs to travel or B) no one wants to use mass transit of any kind. US Air/US Airways used to have a terminal building down at Pittsburgh International almost entirely to intra-pennsylvania travel. Now that concourse is closed and very, very few of the flights are there. People obviously aren't flying around the state. I guess the demand isn't there. Maybe it was the enormous cost of it. A flight to Erie out of Pittsburgh is about $200 and that little hop sees lots of service. aybe a Pittsburgh-Erie train could be run as an experiment to see if some kind of PA Rapid Transit thing could work. My only doubt is that it wouldn't save time over driving.

[Modelcar]

....I suppose my main point is: Decide if passenger rail is to be part of our transportation system...[no matter where it is], and meaning the system we have in place now...[until someting better is developed], and bite the bullet for a decision of how to fund it if it is to stay in place...If it is a go, fund it....If it is not a go, stop the whole system...Don't use tax money to run just part of it....such as the NEC. or west coast routes. My opinion is stopping the NEC would really cause problems for moving people in that area. Doesn't it seem unfair though to run a portion and tell the remaining areas, you can't have it....
If we were to start over with a system and perhaps each State would decide to fund a % of the service and the Federal system would fill in the remaining, something like the 80 -20% of the interstate system, then I suppose a regional system as such might be fair to the population. Those that pay would have a passenger system.

[Modelcar]

...."Penciltuckians".....Where does that come from....? Never heard something like that until arriving here in Indiana....many years ago.