All Aboard Minnesota comments on second Chicago to St. Paul train

[schlimm]

Gramp

Three of the passengers detraining were Mennonite or Amish.

Probably Amish who boarded in Winona, MN or LaCrosse, WI, as there some communities in that part of SE MN.

[dakotafred]

It's a rare trip when you don't encounter Amish/Mennonite. A reminder that we all have our fundamentalists -- aka, "evangelicals."

I think it a comment that, while choosing something faster than the horse and buggy when they really need to get someplace, they choose the most oldfashioned of the options, the passenger train. Which apparently does not offend their objections to the modern as would an auto or jet plane.

If the stagecoach were still running, would that be the obligatory choice?

[Gramp]

Thank you, dakotafred

[Paul Milenkovic]

dakotafred

It's a rare trip when you don't encounter Amish/Mennonite. A reminder that we all have our fundamentalists -- aka, "evangelicals."

I think it a comment that, while choosing something faster than the horse and buggy when they really need to get someplace, they choose the most oldfashioned of the options, the passenger train. Which apparently does not offend their objections to the modern as would an auto or jet plane.

If the stagecoach were still running, would that be the obligatory choice?

 

 

There are as many assumptions being made here as there are different German Anabaptist sects, generically described as "Amish/Mennonite."

I was in the Beaver Dam (north of Columbus) Fleet Farm store when I observed  men wearing the traditional garb you speak of and speaking German.  After checking out their purchases, they headed for a late model turbo-Diesel crew-cab truck.  Not everyone is of the Amish sect and follows the same strictures.  And just because someone looks different and talk different doesn't mean they don't work hard and work smart and are prosperous enough to have the latest equipment.

[Deggesty]

Paul Milenkovic

 

 

dakotafred

It's a rare trip when you don't encounter Amish/Mennonite. A reminder that we all have our fundamentalists -- aka, "evangelicals."

I think it a comment that, while choosing something faster than the horse and buggy when they really need to get someplace, they choose the most oldfashioned of the options, the passenger train. Which apparently does not offend their objections to the modern as would an auto or jet plane.

If the stagecoach were still running, would that be the obligatory choice?

 

 

 

 

 

There are as many assumptions being made here as there are different German Anabaptist sects, generically described as "Amish/Mennonite."

I was in the Beaver Dam (north of Columbus) Fleet Farm store when I observed  men wearing the traditional garb you speak of and speaking German.  After checking out their purchases, they headed for a late model turbo-Diesel crew-cab truck.  Not everyone is of the Amish sect and follows the same strictures.  And just because someone looks different and talk different doesn't mean they don't work hard and work smart and are prosperous enough to have the latest equipment.

 

And, take cruises to Alaska. I have seen several famililes traveling together on their way to Seattle to go to Alaska--and I have seen them on the CZ, on their way to Seattle.

[Los Angeles Rams Guy]

I'm all for a second train between the Twin Cities and Chicago but if transit time/stops were one of the factors considered, I'm surprised that the BNSF mainline route was not advocated here.  You still get La Crosse but you also get Prairie Du Chien, East Dubuque and Savanna.  

[schlimm]

Los Angeles Rams Guy

I'm all for a second train between the Twin Cities and Chicago but if transit time/stops were one of the factors considered, I'm surprised that the BNSF mainline route was not advocated here.  You still get La Crosse but you also get Prairie Du Chien, East Dubuque and Savanna.  

 

It's a nice route, but loses Milwaukee (MSA 1,575,747) and Madison MSA 641,385.  Prairie du Chien's population is only 5,911; East Dubuque (and Dubuque) are 57,887 combined; Savanna only 2,945.  You could also get Naperville 144,684 and Rochelle 9,451.  So to serve the most people, stick with the proposed route.

[MidlandMike]

Los Angeles Rams Guy

I'm all for a second train between the Twin Cities and Chicago but if transit time/stops were one of the factors considered, I'm surprised that the BNSF mainline route was not advocated here.  You still get La Crosse but you also get Prairie Du Chien, East Dubuque and Savanna.  

 

BNSF was going to charge Amtrak $100 million to reroute the Chief over the Southern Transcon.  Mayby they would charge $50 million for this segment of the Northern Transcon.