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Long ago, when I was in my 20s, I thought nothing of spending two or even three nights in a row in coach on transcontinental trains in the US and Canada, which I did several times and survived. Ah, the resiliency of youth. Amtrak's spacious Heritage coaches and CP's Budds on the Canadian were good e...

Then there's the Terryville tunnel, I don't know exactly what the clearance in Terryville Tunnel is, but it was part of the New Haven's traditional routing for high/wide loads that had to bypass the Shore Line, so it's not a tight squeeze. It was built as a double track tunnel so running a single t...

By running diesels buses during light demand periods the T also saves money by not having to open the North Cambridge garage and layover yard where the tracklesses live.

Anyone know what was about the top speed on the branch at the end..?? Just 25 mph. I am surprised to read that the B&M had Budds from other railroads. Purportedly, it had the largest number of them of any railroad in the world. In the 1950s the B&M did have the largest fleet of RDCs anywher...

Here are three photos from the morning rush hour on the final day of Woburn branch service, January 30, 1981.

http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=240428

http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=240427

http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=240426

As an over-65 guy with some health issues I'd rather be paranoid than in the hospital. I have a Boston-New York recreational Amtrak trip planned for the end of this month but given the daily multiplication of virus cases it's looking doubtful. I think it's certain that this epidemic is going to temp...

Mr. Highgreen, I'm sure it was easy to miss, but a quick check of an old New Haven timetable that I grabbed at random (October 30, 1966) shows one weekday rush hour Providence train in each direction making the stop on the mainline level of the Readville station. These were also the only Providence ...

The branding does not matter if the product is substandard. That nicely summarizes my opinion on this topic. The average non-railfan passenger doesn't care whether all the paint schemes on a train match, or how the on-board crew is dressed (assuming it's something reasonably professional-looking). ...

I wonder what the policy is for the Northeast Corridor if there is a delay. Will you be able to switch trains without cost like you can do with most airlines. I'm wondering the same thing. In the interest of good customer service, I hope you will still be able to. It was a few years ago, but I've b...

The message above from Mr. Shadyjay summarizes the situation accurately. The original Metroliners of the late 1960s were electric MUs that never ran on the Downeaster. However in their early days the Downeasters ran with relocated "Metroliner Service" coaches that were basically refurbishe...

Maybe Amtrak could mount guns on its locomotives and qualify for a share of Trump's military budget...

But now people are talking about the "Southampton Street" yard. Is that what was meant all along? Running the train to some yard a few miles away from North Station? Southampton Street is Amtrak's Boston coach yard and service facility, located in South Boston about a mile south of South ...

As I'm sure most of you know, the MBTA has a large coach yard and service facility just outside North Station. I suspect that for a price they'd be willing to accommodate a Downeaster set overnight.

...actually, at one time the Franklin Line did extend to Blackstone...but a bridge out west of Franklin and cost to repair stopped the service...but a good idea... Commuter service between Franklin and Blackstone ended in 1966 for funding reasons at a time when the New Haven was dropping all non-su...

The problem with Boston - Springfield - WRJ (or Boston - Greenfield - WRJ) is that it bypasses Manchester and Concord. The point of Boston - Manchester - Concord - Lebanon - WRJ is to spur economic development. Manchester and Concord would be well-served by a restoration of commuter-type service to...