If I could revive on North American railroad passenger train in its entirety, it would be the California Zephyr. Not impossible, but obviously unpractical. But I think the new Pullman could come up with a very succesfful alternative.
The train would be called the American.
It run three times a month in each direction between Emeryville and Wshington DC. Via the current route of the Capitol limited and San Francisco Zepher, with schedules organized around scenery.
No objections to all the smoothsided lightweight equipment painted IC colors.
Interiors, however, would be living museums. The observation car interior would be that of a 20th Century Creek observation car, the twin-unit diner the interior of that of the Broadway Limited or Super Chief. etc. Interiors of dome cars would be recreations of Burlington, Sp, UP, etc., as appropriate.
It would be marketed primarily for tourism, not for transportation. Thus, stopovers and side-trips would be worked into the marketing and scheduling. A high proportion of shower-equipped rooms and a low proportion of roomettes, but a shower available for roomette passengers in each roomette-equipped car. Some well-to-do would use it as transportation, oviously.
That is the big idea, now for the little one.
Amtrak's Boston - Newport News overnighter lacks a sleeping car. Yet I rode overnight in sleeping cars, on the Federal, Boston - Washington, Boston - Baltimore, more often than any of Amtraks' current sleeping car routes. And Coloniel Williamsburg is a natural tourist and vacaton destination, and New Englinders are among the more historically minded people in the USA. A singel car, a buffet-bedroom car, running twice weekly in each direction, could be a sell-out.
In a recent Trains article, the Washington Chapter NRHS runs their Pullman car Dover Harbor on occasion
to Williamsburg and Newport News. There certainly is a market for this type of service, but it may be better if a Pullman Rail Journey style of operator do it.
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