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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by Cris Helt So when Amtrak took over, the passenger service, or what was left of it at that point, didn't go to pot overnight. The service levels on some trains, if not the timing, stayed reasonably good for a few years. Right? [/quote] Cris and friends, The passenger train trip to the pot was slow and agonizing. As time went on and the highways devoured the day, and family travel, and the onset of the first jet aircraft scooped up the business travelers, train consists and services deminished. Take NYC nos. 25 & 26, The Twentieth Century Limited as an example. One of the nation's finest trains. All-Pullman, with a full lounge that included a barber shop, a train telephone, a shower, and a secretary at your service. A twin unit diner whose decor, cuisine, and service was considered to be at the level of any great New York or Chicago restaurant. A complete compliment of rooms, and an observation lounge. That was the way it was when I was born, in 1950. During an economic downturn, and dwindling business, #25 & 26 were combined with the Comodore Vanderbilt, and coaches were added. Then the Commodore name was dropped and The Century was now a coach and sleeper train, the extra fare was abolished, and so was the full lounge with its compliment of services. Around the same time the Jet airliner came along and the number of sleepers shrunk, as did the variety of rooms. The Century remained on its 16 hour schedule, but the equipment list kept shrinking. Sleepercoaches were added in '58 to give the budget minded a break in seeping accomodtions, but , in general, traffic dwindled. Service employee became disgruntled as the end was obvious as early as 1962. During the holidays the train ran in 2 sections, but as soon as January rolled around, the passengers rolled away. In december of '67, just before the Penn Central merger, The Century was gone. Replaced by a ho-hum train of no real pedigree in trms of service. This was the case with many trains. Trains that had been 16 cars in the '50s were down to 4 cars in the late '60s. Where there had been diners and parlors, struggling railroads could only provide a diner lounge. There were railroads that did it right all the way up to Amtrak, and I think a lot of us are dissappointed with the here and now because of those roads. But when the highways, the jets, and the removal of mail contracts came, and by late 1967, we all knew it was the end. Mitch
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