Those guys "running" AMTRAK now

[Anonymous]

After reading the most recent issue of "Trains" I have come to this conclusion regarding what passes as the current AMTRAK board. The board is made up of Donald J. Russell, B.F. Biaggini, Stuart Saunders, Ben Heineman, and is chaired by Louis Menk.

Talk about your "oldies" radio station, here is another familiar old tune:

"The public be jammed into cars, busses, and planes but the railroad tracks are for freight only!"

This song was brought to you by those caring folks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and their friends at DFW, ATL, ORD, plus Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, and Conoco Phillips.

John Ross Hart [soapbox]
Queen Creek, AZ

[AntonioFP45]

Louis Menk?

Wasn't he president of the Burlington Northern back in the 1980s? Wasn't he supportive of Amtrak?

[samfp1943]

After reading the article, it sounds like the folks who should know,Don't[banghead][banghead][D)]
At best it sound like Frick and Frack are in charge.
Sam

[NW_611]

Based upon one or two anecdotes I've read, Louis W. Menk might've supported Amtrak only because it meant that his precious Burlington Northern could get out of the passenger business. Frank Wilner's The Amtrak Story quotes Menk as saying something on the order of, "Make no mistake about it; I want out" of the passenger business.

In the April 1998 Trains, Fred Frailey dubbed Menk "The grinch who (almost) stole the Zephyrs". I've never read it, but it apparently paints him in a bad light.

Additional evidence for this position comes from an article I found whose writer didn't like him much:
http://www.trnonline.com/millenium/forward/articles/zephyr_a_star_in_wichitas_crown.htm

The general consensus seems to be that Mr. Menk was not a friend of human transportation.

[AntonioFP45]

NW_611,

Wow! From that article, Menk had the same attitude as the SP management in the late 60s. Amazing that even after he downgraded the Zephyr service, the trains were still heavily patronized. Truly a transportation case example of "What could have been" if Amtrak had been formed a decade earlier.

[charlie hebdo]

NW_611

Frank Wilner's The Amtrak Story quotes Menk as saying something on the order of, "Make no mistake about it; I want out" of the passenger business.

Actually, Wilner quotes CEO BF Biaggini of the Southern Pacific.

[BaltACD]

John Ross Hart

After reading the most recent issue of "Trains" I have come to this conclusion regarding what passes as the current AMTRAK board. The board is made up of Donald J. Russell, B.F. Biaggini, Stuart Saunders, Ben Heineman, and is chaired by Louis Menk. 

John Ross Hart
Queen Creek, AZ

Out of that group Heineman was the only one that could have been considered 'passenger friendly'.  

It is hard to run and improve an operation when your first thought is how to end the operation.

[tree68]

I'm pretty sure that if the freight railroads had their way, Amtrak would be parking their trains where they sit (or at the next station) and busing the passengers to wherever.   Long distance passenger service in this country would be history, preferably by close of business today.

[samfp1943]

[quote user="Anonymous"] 

                  ["Anonymous" wrote the following post 12 years ago:]

      After reading the most recent issue of "Trains" I have come to this conclusion regarding what passes as the current AMTRAK board. The board is made up of Donald J. Russell, B.F. Biaggini, Stuart Anonymous wrote the following post 12 years ago: Saunders, Ben Heineman, and is chaired by Louis Menk.

Talk about your "oldies" radio station, here is another familiar old tune:

"...The public be jammed into cars, busses, and planes but the railroad tracks are for freight only!.."

This song was brought to you by those caring folks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and their friends at DFW, ATL, ORD, plus Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, and Conoco Phillips.

John Ross Hart 
Queen Creek, AZ

 

[/quote]

         Upon reading the above post of our now gone "ANONYMOUS" ORIGINAL POSTER.      It seems somewhat ironic, POSSIBLY PROPHETIC(?) .

  That 12 years past that  O.P.'s contribution; the only things that might be considered changed are the named individuals running our national passenger transportation newtork, and our host network that drops posters who have moved on, to greener pastures.

Amtrak seems to be locked in a governmental time warp, unable to escape; the grip of its past, and its' politically conjured-up, destiny.        'We' seem to have changed only the narrative of the folks; who want to stuff passengers into uncomfortable aluminum cigars.       Then blast them without anything, but the most modest of creature comforts, over the landscape.  

This amounts to modern progress? Maybe, not so much.