TRAINS MAG. and Amtrak

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the I40 bridge being out will help railroads for a little while.About time a highway bridge gets hit than seems always a rail bridge.

[Anonymous]

How many of you have used Amtrak? (I don't live in the US, so can't)

Jason.

[Anonymous]

Dru & Co., I'm in total agreement about too much Amtrak coverage in Trains magazine and how the magazine itself has slipped a bit. Living here in the Kansas City area, I'm a bit biased toward any article about railroading here(the update on Argentine Yard was great, if not too short!), but I thought the Nebraska UP issue was one of the best(was that really that long ago?) as well as the Chicago issue with all the hot spots. They definitely need to do more issues like that. I'm sure that there is room from time to time for Amtrak, rail travel, steam locomotives(sorry, I live in the present), etc., but I am far more interested in modern railroading, especially the employment opportunities. One more thing for Dru- have you noticed a decrease in Golden State Route traffic lately? I've seen quite a few UP stack trains headed out of KC on BNSF's Emporia sub. Detours for trackwork? Just wondering. Terry

[favuprailroadfan]

Dear Terry, Thank you for agreeing with me on all these issues at hand. Yes it has been that long ago since that wonderful UP issue back in Nov. 95. I will also agree with you on the Chicago issue. Yes, the reason you have seen a decrease in traffic is because the UP is running a double tie gang on its Marysville Sub west of KC. They should be completed here soon. But I have an engineer freind of mine that lives in Herington and he runs to KC and he said that traffic is actually up a bit. I live along this same route, and I have noticed an increase also. He said that one day they ran three sections of the ITICH. Where do you live at around KC? These detours only consists of just a couple of stacks and a couple of racks. But once these gangs are completed, it SHOULD returmn back to normal. These trains just run to Hutchinson on trackage rights, but I'm sure you already knew that. So if there is anything else you want to know, just let me know and I'll try to the best of my ability to answer them.

Later, Dru

[Anonymous]

Dru-I live in Overland Park and while in Olathe checking out the BNSF, I guess I just got lucky catching the UP stacks. I'm at work and trying to picture a map of Kansas in my head-do the UP stacks head west from Emporia through Newton to Hutchinson? Or am I way off-I have a Kansas rail map on my wall at home, I'll check it out later. One more thing about Trains(okay, two)-have we seen enough of Washington state? And do you think that the "map of the month" for the most part is a bit overrated? The latest coal flow map didn't really do anything for me. Well, thanks for the info.....Terry

[Anonymous]

Terry, it sounds like you think that an Amtrak train is not modern railroading.
Anyway, in my opinion, there should be a balanced coverage if the rail industry in TRAINS. Maybe half passenger and half freight, or 60/40 to reflect the dominance of freight in this country. But certainly the ratio should not be 95/5, as you guys seem to be suggesting.

TRAINS should also do more foreign features. The recent thing on Spain's AVE line was a pleasant suprize.

[Anonymous]

I think your idea on foreign features is a good one, Trains should not limit their coverage to a narrow scope, there are already many magazines out there that do that and do a good job with it. Trains is a national magazine and to limit coverage to one segment of the industry would not really be covering the whole scene. I think Trains has reached a nice balence of the old and the new, and all and all is doing a good job covering US railroading.

[Anonymous]

Ed, I agree and disagree with you. I think that a national rail system is key to the country. If another emergency happens and the planes are grounded for a few days, the only way to get anywhere would be by train or car.

If running long-distance isn't feasible anymore, then maybe the routes can be broken into segments. For instance, the California Zephyr could break down into the following parts:

Chicago-Omaha
Omaha-Denver
Denver-Emeryville

Each segment would have trains going between the points each day.

I would also like to see some form of regional commuter rail run from Omaha, through either Des Moines or Ames, to the Quad Cities, and on into Chicago. Maybe it could even be high-speed (I know, wishful thinking).

[Anonymous]

I took Amtrak 2 months ago into Chicago. I ended up about 3-4 hours late, but that wasn't too bad considering that the train was coming from Cali and was on its third day. As soon as I get the opportunity, I'll ride it again.

[Anonymous]

I would have to agree with you that they have maybe a little too much coverage of Amtrak, but like others have said, that is NEWS right now. I personally have very little interest in passenger rail, having grown up along an old Great Northern branchline, but I understand the importance of it. I remember feeling sadness when I saw rusting hulks of GN passenger cars spotted on out of the way sidings.
CN, which also used to run passenger rail through my hometown, discontinued its regular Winnipeg passenger train when I was a young child. Everyone was quite angry because it meant we would have to drive our private cars 2 1/2 hours to get to Winnipeg, which was the only real metro area we had easy access to in Northern MN. Before that, it was only a nominal fare and a nice relaxing train ride to the heart of Winnipeg.
I do however feel that it is vital to our national security and our freedom that we maintain a nationwide passenger rail system. In WWI and WWII, the railroads moved our armies and their weapons across the country. After September 11, it was about the only thing moving too.
EVERY industrialized nation in the world that I am aware of has a highly developed national passenger network. I would be surprised if any of them are profitable, but they do the job they were built to do. I think our national system is an embarrassment beside those of Europe and Japan.
I think the best argument for railroading, whether freight or passenger, is why run hundreds of vehicles burning gas/fuel from point a to point b to transport x number of people or y tons of freight, when one train can do the same thing?
I am generally a conservative on most issues, but I feel that our government has to provide this service and we should be willing to pay for it.
I saw an editorial cartoon a while back in which a person sitting on a station platform looked down the tracks and saw an airplane rolling down the tracks toward him. He said "I guess Amtrak finally figured out how to get federal funding". Think about it...
Why does our government spend billions bailing out the airlines which many people never use in their life, and let passenger rail twist in the wind?
This is just my opinion...

[Anonymous]

Not trying to be the bad guy here...we each have our preferences, that's why we're all railfans. I work(lucky me!) at a "hot spot" in Kansas City, Kansas, and used to see the Amtrak KC-St. Louis train turning around every day on my lunch hour(if it was on time, of course-sorry,cheap shot). I just would rather see freight trains, that's all. I have subscribed to Trains since 1993, and have noticed a change. It would be nice for them to follow up on major features that they've done, like are all the hot spots in their big Chicago issue still hot spots after the mergers, things like that. As I said, I've seen enough of railroading in Washington state to last me a while, and yes enough feature Amtrak stories. Again, that is just my opinion. Terry

[Anonymous]

I guess more people woants to fly than ride.Airlines can go to Europe Japan and anywhere overseas Amtrak cant.This is my opinion also.

[Anonymous]

True, an airline can go to Japan and Europe while Amtrak cant, what is your point?

[Anonymous]

Actually, Amtrak has package deals available where you can ride Amtrak, fly over to Europe, then ride the rails over there. They also have a code-share agreement with Continental Airlines. So, in a way, Amtrak can go to Europe.

[Anonymous]

To run slightly with the foreign idea, it would be good to write about foreign railroads and then make comparisons - i.e. everyday practices, regulations, numbers - to those of U.S. railways.

For example, I would love to see a feature that compares the railroads of US and ex-USSR (mostly Russia). Why Russia?? Well, the railroading practices there are very similar to the practices here - great freight tonnage, universal four-axle freight cars, and use of automatic couplings (although of a different type). The twist lies in the fact that Russia is an electric motive power fan's paradise, and long-distance passenger service is as extensive as elsewhere in Europe - but hey, that's where comparisons get interesting.

Comments??

[Anonymous]

British Airways, Air France, JAL, Swissair, Lufthansa, and Aeroflot fly here too. What's your point???

[Anonymous]

Now THAT sounds interesting! I would love to see articles like that, now all we have to do is find someone that will write one who has visited there.

[Anonymous]

Steve,

Pardon me if I seem obtuse but I am curious which part of what I said you agree with. Do you think I should have to pay for an Amtrak system which doesn't go anywhere I am interested in going?

I would like there to be a national passenger rail system but I don't think I would like to pay my share of what it would cost. When I say 'national' system, I mean that every city and suburb should have fairly uniform access and service. I think this would cost a staggering amount of money. I also don't think a majority of US citizens would be willing to pay their share either. It seems to me that if the system doesn't serve most citizens, it isn't serving as much of a function supporting the nation. In which case, it isn't providing an adequate alternative to the nations transportation needs and not supplementing the nation in case of a disaster.

In this case, I think the people served by the system should bear the costs. I don't understand why it should be any more complicated than that.

Let me know what you think and where we agree. Thanks - Ed

[mnwestern]

Have you checked out the staff listing near the front of the magazine? There aren't a lot of people listed there as writers (or editors). Like many magazines, Trains relies on stories submitted by contributors (readers, usually). If there is something you feel especially knowledgeable about, or maybe there is something you would like to know more about, contact the magazine, run the idea past an editor, then go out and do the leg work, interview the people in the story, and write it. If more of us did that, the variety in the paper who grow.

[mnwestern]

Dru:
You don't like the variety in Trains? Push yourself away from your computer, grab your camera, note pad and pen, and get out there and write something about something you want to read about. Trains, like most railfan magazines has limited staff and appreciates well-written, thorough and accurate stories submitted by readers. Put you energy into resolving the issue instead of complaining.

[mnwestern]

Amen!

[mnwestern]

Dru:
I thought your beef was the lack of variety in Trains? Try writing an article, you seem to enjoy seeing your name in print.

[mnwestern]

Dru:
You seem to be an expert on UP activities in your home state of Kansas. I know little about Kansas except that Dorothy came from there. Why don't you write an article for Trains magazine on the rail action in your neck of the woods and send in some fine photos to go with it. After all, didn't you really want to comment on the last of variety in Trains. I'd appreciate reading more about Kansas.

[mnwestern]

Right! Wasn't the point of this whole monster thread Dru's dissatisfaction with the variety in Trains magazine? I'd appreciate him writing about the UP action in Kansas he seems to know about so well. That would be a change of pace from the Amtrak stories he abhors.

[Anonymous]

Dru, I could not agree with you more. I discovered Trains magazine last month and bought the June issue. I loved reading it. The July issue looks like "The Amtrack Gazzette". I put it back. I am new to the railfan scene and I want to see articles on how railroads and railroad equipment(especialy engines and rolling stock)work. I want to see articles on what rail crews do. Throw me an article on laying track or something similar and I'll bite. I believe that railroading is about moving frieght and I don't care about Amtrack. By the way I live in South East Kansas near Joplin Mo. Thanks, Ron

[Anonymous]

Terry-Not only do I totally agree with Dru on the overkill Amtrak coverage, but I am also a resident of the fine state of Kansas where, gosh, we have hot and cold running water and everything!(Enough with the Dorothy references, please!) We are very fortunate to have the great train watching opportunities that we do have, my suggestion is come here and experience it yourself. Trains touched on BNSF news in KC but rarely has done anything on UP here(they did do a much appreciated feature on the Golden State Route I'll admit). I've submitted several high quality(and I'm my harshest critic) photos to Trains of KC and Kansas shots, but since they were all freight action, they probably didn't have room amongst all the tourist line, Amtrak, and ever tiring night time-lapse photos to publi***hem. OK, maybe that's too harsh, but it did used to be a better magazine with more variety.

[mnwestern]

The same advice you give to me, could be given to Dru. If he wants to learn more about the Missabe, why not take I-35 north to the Duluth area to see the ore docks, Proctor Hill, the Proctor yard, etc., especially before more ore lines shut down. (We already lost one ore hauling railroad because of cheap imported steel and old plant technology.)
I don't mind reading about Amtrak every so often. I've taken the Empire Builder to Chicago twice, Milwaukee once, and the Capital Limited to Washington, D.C., twice. Had a great experience each time — much better than my flight was to D.C. I can't begrudge them coverage of Amtrak at this watershed time in its history.
As for the other types of stories, they've been there — the how-to stories, the crew perspective stories. Look back in your collection. They are there, and there will likely be more in the future.
Trains, like its sister publication Model Railroader, gets blasted because it is too generalized for readers looking only for specific things. That is why the magazine industry is so compartmentalized now. So many magazines cover such a narrow field and suffer from look circulation and poor advertising support.
If Trains and Model Railroader were to become some little narrow-focused publication, it is unlikely they'd been successful enough to support such a great Web and forum site as this. Not many of those narrow focus magazines have as popular as this on the Web.
As for submissions, I've found through my own experience that you are most successful submitting photos (and articles) on specific newsworthy events (crashes, new shortlines, special movements, etc.), a well-balanced photo story showing a variety of scenes with a variety of photo techniques (wide-angle, telephoto, day/night, unusual angles), or some other indepth piece on a timely topic. And it must be timely. Sitting on photos for two months after the event is not timely.

[Soo2610]

Terry, Valid point. However it also assumes that one has available time and writing talent. I have neither. My writing ability leaves a lot to be desired and I work retail which means I have to ask permission to go to the bathroom all for the honor of earning slightly over minimum wage. Ah, the joys of retail greed disguised as better serving the customer. Doesn't matter that their employees aren't allowed to have a life. I won't be able to see the 261 this weekend because some idiot might have to have the flat tire on his lawnmower repaired.

[Anonymous]

The second largest state in the union in population is Texas. Amtrak offers only one daily train, the north south Texas Eagle, and another trice weekly train, the east west Sunset Limited. While the lines drawn on a map might look pretty good, keep in mind that the connection in San Antonio is in the wee hours of the morning. Amtrak switches a sleeper and a coach car westbound, but wakes its riders up and throws its passengers off the train eastbound with no cover in case of bad weather and with the station closed.... If it wasn't for the efforts of our lady senator, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Texans would still be thrown off the train going westbound, which they have been for over 35 years..... It is a wonder anybody rides with such pitiful service.

We need to copy the Europeans, and study, design, and build a high speed rail network. Amtrak has to do better than averaging 30 mph in Texas is they want to increase ridership and turn a profit...... For starters, Amtrak needs to get off freight railroads right of way. The ongoing joke in Texas is you cannot spell stupid without a U and a P.

[Anonymous]

Amtak might turn a profit if the Union Pacific gave its trains priority! Pulling into Los Angeles 12 hours late does not make for happy campers. Amtrak's schedule for the Texas Eagle averages 30 mph from Dallas to San Antonio, yet, on UP track, the Eagle pulls into San Antonio some 8 hours late, meaning that the train actually averaged 15 mph.....The question remains who is at fault, Amtrak or the UP.........

TXU, the largest utility company in Texas has such bad luck receiving its Powder River coal on time, they changed railroads and went back to the Burlington Northern. Power companies like to have coal on hand to generate electricity.......Like I said before, you cannot spell stupid without a U and a P.......