Fares in the "Good Old Days"

I realize that we don't discuss today's fares on this board, but I thought it would be interesting to look back 65 years.

Looking at old timetables, such as my B&M 1945 timetable, one might conclude that coach fares were very attractive. However, they are less so when adjusted for inflation via http://www.westegg.com/inflation/.

Boston to Portland: $2.42 then, but that's $28.54 in 2009 dollars.
Boston to Albany: $4.41 then, but that's $52.01 in 2009 dollars.
Boston to Chicago: $22.50 then, but that's $265.37 in 2009 dollars.

-John

I once noted this topic explored at another site, and the consensus was simply that Amtrak Coach fares today are some kind of a 'steal" when compared with the past. So of course for that matter are airline fares - well if you can live with the restrictions and carry baggage aboard (I guess on one of 'em it is fit it under the 'pre-reclined" seat).

However, Amtrak Sleeper fares are "smack in line' with Pullman fares from days of yore. A 1958 vintage ride on the Century or Broadway Ny-Chi in Roomette was $81.37 one way (edit: including excise tax noted in subsequent post). Someone with an inflation calculator can 'do the math" on that one. During that era, a steak aboard either the Century or Broadway was as I recall about $6.75 - good luck finding an appetizer on Ruth's Chris menu for that today.

Don't forget to add the World-War II-era 15% FEDERAL EXCISE TAX that was also charged on top of the railroad fares until 1962.

Gil, in re: that ride in a roomette on the Century or Broadway: What cost $81.37 in 1958 would cost $596.95 in 2009. And that didn't include meals, tho you did get one helluva good shoe shine, and coffee and newspaper in the am. And the porters were a LOT more attentive in those days.

More to follow, but I have posted fare tables for the Santa Fe to Eric Bowens streamlinerschedules.com.

Won't be much to get NASAs constant dollar calculators and determine real value of a trip then and now.

When Amtrack started they has a coach fare of $9.90 NYP to BOS. New York to DC was about $13. The Metroliner has $5 surcharge (I think).

CarterB wrote:Gil, in re: that ride in a roomette on the Century or Broadway: What cost $81.37 in 1958 would cost $596.95 in 2009. And that didn't include meals, tho you did get one helluva good shoe shine, and coffee and newspaper in the am. And the porters were a LOT more attentive in those days.

I'd guess that the average Pullman porter in 1958 was far older than his modern "attendant" counterpart at Amtrak, since Pullman had been shrinking for decades and seniority prevailed. Of course, tips were a far more important source of income than today - I get the impression that traditional Pullman patrons tipped very heavily! I sincerely doubt that anyone these days tips 25% of the sleeper fare, but it once was customary.

No, it was not at all customary to tip 25% of the sleeper fare. Perhaps you read something that referred to a "quarter" and assumed that it meant a quarter of the fare. More likely, it referred to the US coin that's more than a dime, less than a half-dollar.

In the 1910s, Alex Haley's (author of Roots) father Simon was shocked to receive a five-dollar tip from an executive at the Saturday Evening Post, because this really was a quarter of the sleeper fare. The man was in a particularly generous mood and later paid his tuition at an agricultural college.

In 1940, "The average tip is a quarter a night for section passengers, a half-dollar for compartment or drawing-room passengers." (Jack Wolf, Veteran Pullman Porter, The Rotarian, June 1940, p. 30)

In 1960, all polite people knew of the "time-honored custom to give a Pullman porter no less than $1 for an overnight trip, plus an additional quarter for shining your shoes." (Medical economics, Volume 37, p. 104, 1960)

As one who was "out there riding" during the 60's, my customary tip was $1.00, except for Century, Broadway, and Super where that got popped to $2.

It once was $5 during 1962 for a Porter aboard the C&O FFV who gave me a Bedroom to occupy during the daylight ride through New River Gorge in a spotlessly clean large windowed C&O 10-6.

I've never ridden this line during the Amtrak era; from some of the reports I've read regarding The Cardinal, it sounds as if I'm not missing very much.

The one Amtrak fare that sticks in my mind over the years was $9.95 coach between Boston and New York, in either direction, extensively promoted during the early 1970s when Amtrak was "making the trains worth traveling again."

I also remember when Amtrak's military discount was 25% off the rail fare, compared to the smaller 10% discount offered today.

Looking at the calendar, I just realized that In two days our National Railroad Passenger will complete their 39th year of operations.

From "Travel Tips and Etiquette" 1940

"Tips

It is customary to tip the Pullman porter when you leave the train. From 10 to 25 cents for a day and from 25 to 50 cents for making up a berth are considered correct unless you have had extra service; then the tip should be in proportion to that service. " and also "This Tipping Business" same year "The average tip is a quarter a night for section passengers, half dollar for compartment and drawing room passengers"

From Travel by Pullman- a Century of Service 1968 "Tip the porter $1 per person per night"

I remember my father, who traveled exclusively by train from the 1920's to 1960's telling me that when I took the Broadway, and Empire Builder in the mid sixtys to tip the porter 25c per bag if he on or offloaded it, plus $1 per night and an extra 50c if he shined shoes properly and made up bed on time.

Interesting thread.

Im surprised rail fares have increased at a slower pace than general inflation. I guess it's because we get less service now? I dont just mean shoe shines, but less connections, less trains per day etc

In 1937, when the "Super Chief" was introduced, the one-way CHI-LA fare (including $10 surcharge) was just under $100 in a lower berth in a Section or about $110 in a Bedroom (not including meals)

At that time a good weekly wage was reckoned to be $20-25, so a return trip on Santa Fe's premium service cost around two months pay.

Of course, in those days with the competition being slow, noisy and rough-riding aircraft the Super Chief was able to attract a big chunk of the seriously-rich Hollywood, Broadway and Wall Street patronage.

Changes in relative prices explain a lot of the consumption patterns you see. Americans don't buy big cars because they want to be wasteful -- they buy big cars because gas is (or was until recently) relatively cheap, distances are long, and there is only a small premium to pay for a bigger, more comfortable car. Change the relative prices, and people will buy small, efficient cars.

Travel has gotten much cheaper since the pre-deregulation era. That's why so many more people travel. Amtrak isn't a bargain; it's slow, and infrequent, and therefore relatively cheap, most places that it runs.

Here's an example of relative prices. In 1972, when I was a student in Chicago, I could fly MDW to DCA on a "student standby" fare for $35. That's a bit more than $200 in 2010 $. A quick check of Southwest Airlines' Web site shows restricted, advance-purchase fares DCA to MDW for $99, about half what I paid in 1971 to go standby -- and Southwest will guarantee a seat. Unrestricted fares are $240, not much more than my student standby of nearly 40 years ago.

To get back to Amtrak, that $13 fare in 1971 would be $80 today -- and Amtrak is now offering a special $49 one-way fare between NYP and DCA on regional trains. So we can conclude that, in general, travel is half as costly today as it was 40 years ago.

PClark wrote:In 1937, when the "Super Chief" was introduced, the one-way CHI-LA fare (including $10 surcharge) was just under $100 in a lower berth in a Section or about $110 in a Bedroom (not including meals)

At that time a good weekly wage was reckoned to be $20-25, so a return trip on Santa Fe's premium service cost around two months pay.

Of course, in those days with the competition being slow, noisy and rough-riding aircraft the Super Chief was able to attract a big chunk of the seriously-rich Hollywood, Broadway and Wall Street patronage.

All those willing to give two months' pay for a round trip on the 1937 Super Chief, please form a line to the right.