Imaginary Amtrak routes

[F40PH]

Hey everybody, just something to talk about to pass the time. Are there any Amtrak routes that do not exsist that anyone would like to see started? Just curious. I would like to see the North Star come back. Either going from Chicago to Minneapolis to Duluth, or Minneapolis to Duluth. I'm sure I could think of some others too. Any ideas?

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Andrew Suerth
University of Minnesota Duluth
Andy's Amtrak Photos (http://www.trainweb.org/asamtrakf40)

[herendeen]

After extending the Heartland Flyer to Newton, Kansas. I'd like to see a KC - NYC route similar to the old National Limited.

REH

[Maxwell Plant]

The Floridian! It's been gone too long and the "bad track delay" issues should have been taken care of by now...I'd hope.

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RAILROADING-TO-THE-MAX, Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Style!
Brent Tidaback, Member #234

[throttlejock]

NO not Newton! The Flyer needs to go to Tulsa then on to Springfield then either KC or STL. Also would love to see a Duluth train back on and maybe a Pioneer from PDX to Denver to FTW.

[E-8]

I was born in Newton, Kansas and lived there for 36 years so I am in favor of all the Amtrak action there that can be had. http://www.trainboard.com/smile.gif

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Ship It On The FRISCO! (http://www.frisco.org)

[BC Rail King]

Well, the GN used to have good service out of Van. (BC) did AMTK carry that on? I believe we had a few years on no service, was it one of the many routes that were cut when AMTK was formed?

Happy Railroading!!!

Dane N.

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TAMR2860-AKA BC Rail King
TAMR2860@Canada.com for TAMR info.
To send a general TRAIN! E-Mail send to
BCRailKing@Canada.com
AIM me at TAMR2860!

[BrianS]

Pacific Northwest Service:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Chicago – Kansas City – Topeka – Denver – Grand Junction – Salt Lake City – Ogden – Boise – Idaho Falls - Pendleton - Portland – Seattle (City of Portland)
<LI>Chicago – Kansas City – Topeka – Denver – Grand Junction – Salt Lake City – Ogden – Boise – Idaho Falls - Pasco –Seattle (Pioneer)
<LI>Chicago – Milwaukee – Wisconsin Dells - Minneapolis – Fargo – Bismarck – Miles City – Billings – Bozeman – Helena – Missoula – Sandpoint – Spokane – Pasco – Seattle (North Coast Limited)
<LI>Chicago – Milwaukee – Wisconsin Dells - Minneapolis – Fargo – Grand Forks – Minot – Glasgow - Shelby – Spokane – Wenatchee – Seattle (Empire Builder)
<LI>Chicago – Madison – Minneapolis – Pierre – Rapid City – Sheridan - Billings – Bozeman – Helena – Missoula – Sandpoint – Spokane – Seattle (Olympian Hiawatha)
[/list]

Southwest Service:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Chicago – Springfield – St. Louis – Springfield – Tulsa – Oklahoma City – Amarillo – Albuquerque – Flagstaff – Needles – Barstow – Los Angeles (Oklahoman)
<LI>Los Angeles – Yuma – Phoenix – Tucson – El Paso – Ft. Worth – Dallas – Houston – New Orleans – Mobile – Tallahassee – Jacksonville – Orlando (Sunset Limited)
<LI>Chicago – Ft. Madison – Kansas City – Topeka – Dodge City – Raton – Albuquerque – Flagstaff – Barstow – Los Angeles (Southwest Chief)
<LI>St. Louis – Kansas City – Topeka – Newton – Albuquerque – El Paso – Phoenix - San Bernardino – Los Angeles (Gateway Limited)
<LI>Chicago – Kansas City – Topeka – Denver – Grand Junction – Salt Lake City – Provo – Las Vegas – San Bernardino – Las Angeles (Desert Wind)
[/list]

West Coast Service:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Sacramento – Oakland – Santa Rosa – Willits (Redwood Empire)
<LI>Chicago – Ottumwa – Omaha – Lincoln – Denver – Grand Junction – Salt Lake City – Reno – Sacramento – Oakland (California Zephyr)
<LI>Calgary – Shelby – Great Falls – Helena – Butte – Idaho Falls – Pocatello - Ogden – Salt Lake City – Provo – Las Vegas – San Bernardino – Las Angeles (Yellowstone)
<LI>Los Angeles - San Bernardino – Bakersfield – Fresno – Merced – Sacramento – Redding – Eugene – Portland – Seattle (Portland Rose)
<LI>Los Angeles – San Jose – Oakland - Sacramento – Redding – Eugene – Portland – Seattle (Coast Starlight)
<LI>Chicago – Galesburg – Ottumwa – Omaha – North Platte – Cheyenne – Ogden – Salt Lake City – Reno – Sacramento – Oakland (Overland Limited)
[/list]

Midwest Service:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Cheyenne – Denver – Colorado Springs – Pueblo – Amarillo – Ft. Worth – Dallas – Houston (Lone Star)
<LI>San Antonio – Austin – Ft. Worth – Oklahoma City – Tulsa – Kansas City – Ottumwa - Des Moines – Minneapolis - Duluth (Twin Cities Rocket)
<LI>San Antonio – Austin – Ft. Worth – Oklahoma City – Newton (Heartland Flyer)
<LI>Chicago - Milwaukee – Fond du Lac – Appleton – Green Bay (Badger Stat)
<LI>Chicago – Milwaukee – Eau Claire – Minneapolis – Duluth (North Star)
Chicago – Milwaukee – Eau Claire – Minneapolis – Winnipeg (Manitoban)
<LI>Chicago – Springfield – St. Louis – Little Rock – Texarkana – Dallas – Ft. Worth – San Antonio (Texas Eagle)
<LI>Chicago – Carbondale – Memphis – Jackson – New Orleans (City of New Orleans)
<LI>Chicago – Battle Creek – Ann Arbor – Detroit – Windsor – London – Toronto (International)
<LI>Chicago – Indianapolis – Louisville – Frankfurt – Lexington (Kentucky Cardinal)
[/list]

Northeast Service:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>St. Louis – Indianapolis – Dayton – Columbus – Pittsburgh – Philadelphia – New York (National Limited)
<LI>St. Louis – Evansville – Louisville – Frankfort – Lexington – Huntington – Charleston – Charlottesville – Washington (Blue Grass Limited)
<LI>Ft. Worth – Little Rock – Memphis – Nashville – Knoxville – Bristol – Roanoke – Charlottesville – Washington (Tennesseean)
Chicago – Battle Creek – Ann Arbor – Detroit – Windsor – London – Buffalo – Syracuse – Albany – New York (Twilight Limited)
<LI>Chicago - Toledo – Cleveland – Pittsburgh – Washington (Capital Limited)
Chicago – Ft. Wayne – Lima – Akron – Pittsburgh – Philadelphia – New York (Broadway Limited)
<LI>Boston – Portsmouth – Portland – Augusta – Waterville - Bangor (State of Maine)
<LI>Portland – Augusta – Bangor – Presque Isle (North Woods)
<LI>Toledo – Detroit – Saginaw – Cadillac – Traverse City (Wolverine)
<LI>Boston – Springfield - Albany – Buffalo – Cleveland – Toledo – South Bend – Chicago (New England States)
<LI>Chicago – Indianapolis – Cincinnati – Huntington – Charleston – Charlottesville – Richmond – Newport News (Tidewater)
<LI>New York – Philadelphia – Washington – Charlottesville – Charlotte – Atlanta – Birmingham – Meridian – Jackson – Shreveport – Dallas – Ft. Worth (Crescent)
<LI>Chicago – Indianapolis – Cincinnati – Charleston – Charlottesville – Washington (Cardinal)
<LI>Washington - New York – Albany – Saratoga Springs – Montreal (Adirondack)
<LI>New York – Albany – Bennington – Manchester - Rutland (Ethan Allen Express)
<LI>New York – New Haven – Springfield – White River Junction – Burlington – St. Albans (Vermonter)
<LI>Boston – Manchester – Concord - White River Junction – Burlington – St. Albans – Montreal (Alouette)
[/list]

Florida/Southeast Service:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Detroit – Toledo – Dayton – Cincinnati – Lexington – Knoxville – Cleveland (Tenn.) – Atlanta – Macon – Tampa (Seminole)
<LI>Chicago – Indianapolis – Louisville – Bowling Green – Nashville – Birmingham – Montgomery – Tallahassee – Jacksonville – Orlando – Tampa – Miami (Floridian)
<LI>Chicago – Indianapolis – Cincinnati – Lexington – Knoxville – Asheville – Charlotte – Columbia – Charleston - Savannah – Jacksonville - Daytona – Atlanta (Carolinian)
<LI>New York – Philadelphia – Washington – Richmond – Raleigh – Charlotte (Piedmont)
<LI>Boston - New York – Philadelphia – Washington – Richmond – Raleigh – Columbia – Savannah – Jacksonville – Orlando – Tampa – Miami (Silver Star)
<LI>New York – Philadelphia – Washington – Richmond – Charleston – Savannah – Jacksonville – Orlando (Silver Meteor)
<LI>New York – Philadelphia – Washington – Richmond - Charleston – Savannah – Jacksonville – Daytona – Miami (Silver Palm)
<LI>New York – Philadelphia – Washington – Richmond – Raleigh – Columbia – Savannah – Jacksonville – Daytona – Miami (Silver Magnolia)
<LI>Lorton – Stamford (Auto Train)
<LI>Hamilton (Ohio) – Stamford (Midwest Auto Train)
<LI>New Orleans – Mobile – Pensacola – Tallahassee – Jacksonville – Orlando – Tampa – Miami (Gulf Coast States)
[/list]

[This message has been edited by BrianS (edited 08 June 2000).]

[Chessie_SD50_8563]

Autotrain from toledo to flordia

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Theres no such thing as having to many coal hoppers or GP40-2 when you model Chessie System
LONG LIVE THE KITTEN!!!
LONG LIVE BIG BLUE!!!

[CHARGER]

Auto train from Midwest, like south Chicago or at least Indy, to Florida.

Sometype of Highspeed service Return of the Desert Wind, LA-SLC, connecting to #4-5, the CA Zephyr.

[NSFan14]

Well amtrak use to Exist in Louisville,KY but it got discontiued. I wish it came back!

[Glenn Woodle]

3 Trains that need to be reborn:
1) The Pioneer: Denver-Cheyenne-Portland-Seattle.
2) The Desert Wind: Salt Lake City-Las Vegas-Losangeles
3) The Gulf Wind. I'd end the Sunset at New Orleans. The new train would operate New Orleans-Mobile-Jacksonville then Miami via FEC.

4)A new Hummingbird/Georgian running Chicago/St Louis to Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Jacksonville.
The Atlanta-Jacksonville route may allow for a backup route next time a hurricane threatens the Gulf Coast.

For pure fantasy, TDOT would run new lines in the state. Volunteers could run Bristol-Knoxville-Chattanooga. Commodores could run Chattanooga-Nashville. The Memphis Belle would run Memphis-Jackson-Nashville. The Rocky Top would eventually take you from Nashville-Knoxville-Bristol. (It would be painted orange/white with large Tony Stewart logos for Nascar fans.)

[Doug A.]

That's an easy one...the Texas Zephyr (Dallas/Fort Worth to Denver) to haul us Texans up to the ski slopes in the Rocky Mountains. The former Fort Worth & Denver/Colorado & Southern train would likely be highly popular, especially in the winter.

Most Texans would pay the fare just to avoid the speed trap in Estelline, TX. Coloradoans would probably want the train to be one way going south though...they're historically not a big fan of Texans. It's kind of funny though, that a lot of the areas that are now ski resorts were once part of Texas. Ingrates.

Great question. Should be some fun answers I'd guess.

[friscobob]

A return of the Firefly between Kansas City and Tulsa, with comtinuance to Perry and south to OKC and D-FW.

A return of the KC-New Orleans Southern Belle

Ditto on the FW&D/C&S pass. varnish between Ft. Worth and Denver, but include it to go north to Cheyenne.

Twin Star Rocket from the Twin Cities to Des Moines and KC (swap to the Firefly)

bring back the Meteor from St. Louis to OKC

Atlanta-Jacksonville via MAcon and Valdosta- name it the Nancy Hanks III

Chicago-Omaha-Cheyenne-Laramie-Salt Lake, return of the City series. Branch off a run to Portland, and one to Lost Wages and Los Angeles (the old Portland Rose and Desert Wind).

With fuel prices going higher and higher in the States, we surely need to rethink how we get around, including the possibility of a return to mass ground transit (read- pass. trains).

[coloradorailroads]

That's an easy one...the Texas Zephyr (Dallas/Fort Worth to Denver) to haul us Texans up to the ski slopes in the Rocky Mountains. The former Fort Worth & Denver/Colorado & Southern train would likely be highly popular, especially in the winter.

Most Texans would pay the fare just to avoid the speed trap in Estelline, TX. Coloradoans would probably want the train to be one way going south though...they're historically not a big fan of Texans. It's kind of funny though, that a lot of the areas that are now ski resorts were once part of Texas. Ingrates.

Great question. Should be some fun answers I'd guess.

Hey. I resemble that remark. (Did anyone mention that Texas itself used to be part of Spain?) We don't mind you coming up. Just shut up and ski like a local.

Seriously though, that would make a bit of sense financially, so you can bet Amtrak wouldn't consider it. Nor would they consider LA to Las Vegas to ease some pressure off of I-15. Oh no, they'll put you on a bus! Brilliant, folks.

[YoHo]

LA to Vegas. I don't care where else it goes.

It's the height of foolishness that this doesn't exist and the trainset is up in the PacNW.

[SteamDonkey74]

The Cascades trainset is here in large part because ODOT and WDOT chip in and help pay for it... in part to avoid building more freeways.

I think you have something there. California has waaaay more money than Oregon, and if you could get the casinos to recognize that that train would just be full of gamblers I think you would have a funding scheme.

That's actually in large part what killed the Pioneer in Oregon is that ODOT decided to quit funding it. I have been bugging them every couple of years since because I want that run back and I think we need it since our only east-west freeway is I-84.

[coloradorailroads]

The Cascades trainset is here in large part because ODOT and WDOT chip in and help pay for it... in part to avoid building more freeways.

I think you have something there. California has waaaay more money than Oregon, and if you could get the casinos to recognize that that train would just be full of gamblers I think you would have a funding scheme.

That's actually in large part what killed the Pioneer in Oregon is that ODOT decided to quit funding it. I have been bugging them every couple of years since because I want that run back and I think we need it since our only east-west freeway is I-84.

What about a run to Reno for Oregon and N. Cal?