Fastest times between PHL and CHI

Let's be clear: ANYONE who has the skills to post on this forum can "tell us what sort of subsidy [E]uropean and [J]apanese passenger railways get in comparison to Amtrak."

All it takes to find this information is a working knowledge of Google. Plus a quality that, if this thread is any indication, railfans believe is for other people only: motivation.

Oh, and let's not forget that other elusive quality: an attention span. This thread is about travel times between Philadelphia and Chicago. Still.

I'm sorry, that whole thing about expecting our railroads to turn a profit was from a quote I got from some economist, not my words. Believe me, I have motivation. I spent about a month studying this stuff while preparing to support my bill at model congress. I have plenty more numbers where that came from to back up what I said (and yes, I used GOOGLE profusely).

I'm also sorry we got off topic, perhaps the mods could split the thread?

In terms of running times, as others have pointed out, the privately run trains were "limiteds" that made very few stops. That was needed in a time when business travellers needed a fast rail connection to major urban areas. That function is now supplied by the airlines. Rail connections now serve a different market, and should not be compared to those services.

A better comparison might be the secondary trains that ran between New York and Chicago - the ones that made the local stops that the Amtrak trains do. Were there trains like that? What were their travel times?

New York? Kindly read the title. Read it again. Don't hijack threads.

If there's a topic you really want to discuss, then take the initiative (you know, that stuff that railfans urge on others while exempting themselves) and start a new thread. It really is that simple. Self power, folks, is what it's all about.

The secondary trains; Passes and Reduced Rates welcome:

NYC 1001 April 30, 1961;

51-209 Lv GCT 845A Ar LaS 600A (Empire State Express)
39 Lv GCT 1235P Ar LaS 915A (North Shore Ltd)
59 Lv GCT 1115P Ar Las 430P (Chicagoan)

PRR Form 1 Oct 25, 1959

23 Lv Penn 135P ar CUS 720A (Manhattan Ltd)
55 Lv Penn 1000P Ar CUS 315P (Pennsylvania Ltd) :

boyishcolt wrote:brian williams on NBC news on Saturday had a very good "last word" on train Travel

He sure did, and here is the full text. Don't reproduce without copyright info.

20 March 2004
NBC News: Nightly News
English
(c) Copyright 2004, National Broadcasting Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor:

A last word before we go tonight. This was the first day of spring, and yet throughout the northern suburbs of this city there is snow on the ground and lots of it in some spots--8 to 12 inches in two storms over four days. A lot of people left their cars at home and took the train to work. Not so fast. Sure, it should make sense, a rough, tough iron horse on rails, laughing at the snow as it pierces the squalls on its mighty way to Grand Central Station, but the folks that run the train, Metro North, admit the air intakes are way down near the wheels and they can get clogged with snow, so they can break down and slow down. There are track problems as well. Switches can freeze, cables can fall.

What ever happened to trains in America? This, after all, is the nation of the Golden Spike, the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, the 20th Century Limited, the streamlining era. But sometime after this nation saved the world and won World War II we were sidelined in our ability to make trains. That sound you heard in the '60s was the French and Japanese whooshing by at speeds of up to 186 miles an hour in pressurized, gleaming, stunning passenger trains. Maybe we got tired. It isn't easy saving the world, nor was going to the moon a simple feat. Trains aren't what they were, nor is our ability to make them. But that American engineering spirit is still there. We have to believe it could be done again. We refuse to believe that train has left the station.

:D Thanks Matt for posting that from NBC News i did not know how to get the copywrited version

OK, I'm not here to split hairs over whether Mr. Fels' pasting comprised a posting of a piece in its entirety or whether it was a permitted "brief passage" with respect to the entire transcript of the newscast.

I missed Brian's delivery on Sat; it is pretty hard to be en route to Orchestra Hall for a concert (by auto; folks, Sat PM METRA schedule has a big "gap" in it). Possibly, had I heard it aired, I would feel different, but to read the text, to me it sounds quite negative.

But, oh well, isn't NBC the folks who air Jay Leno?

Disclaimer: author holds a position in General Electric Common Stock

Could this time be accomplished today with Amtrak? What would need to be done to get a sub 16 hour running time between NYP and CHI?

Why shoot for a 16 hour trip. It's about 1000 miles, a true high speed train with Limited stops (which is what Acela does) should be easily able to cover this in less than 8 hours. Of course as previously stated this would require investment which this country is not prepared to do.

The Broadway left North Philly and used the New York-Pittsburgh subway at Zoo Junction to get directly onto the Main Line without stopping or changing direction.

Too bad Amtrak has removed the catenary here now. Was through there the other day and shocked that it was taken down. Talk about going backwards.

Regarding Mr. Drewh's two preceeding postings, distance Penn-Chi US is 902.7 via the Subway, even though PRR Form 1 and Amtrak NRPC T1 both report 907.7/908 miles. The latter considers the "doubleback" 30th St to Subway.

So I guess another hour could be shaved from your "Broadway Acela".

I believe that previous reports at this Forum noted that the Subway was used for wyeing equipment; therefore removing the caternary from this trackage would obviate this move with electric motive power. Accordingly, if the caternary is being removed, I must wonder how Amtrak and SEPTA plan to wye equipment (use a diesel, I guess).