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That's a calculation often omitted: gazillions of dollars, but divided by how many passengers a day over the life of the project?

For sleepers that should be a given -- no fair having coach passengers subsidize sleepers. As to food service, not so easy. In theory, a passenger making a 2- or 3-hour trip can easily get something at the origin station, but some people, possibly many, have a really full day and hardly have time to...

And I thought it was because of so many cars sidelined awaiting repairs. Maybe both?

As long as first class covers its costs to the same extent as coach, why not give people a choice? And if it yields more than coach, so much the better.

On the PRR, if cab signals also had automatic speed control, each signal indication was associated with a maximum speed; i.e., Approach Medium = 45 mph, Approach = 30 mph, Restricting = 15 mph. At an intermediate point in each block there was a code change point that would drop the cab signal from A...

From Amtrak's point of view, I don't thnk parlor cars would pay for themselves. At ~28 seats per car plus an attendant in a white coat, whiskbroom in hand (put aside to help you on with your coat), I don't think they ever did. It's just something that was "done." Actually, I suppose you c...

Then how is it different from cab-signal systems that have been in effect for decades? They protect against rear-enders in exactly that way, including overrunning stop signals -- as long as you stay under 15 mph you can keep going until you hit something. I thought the whole point of PTC was that it...

I'm not an accountant, but I'm wondering whether the introduction of an expiration date is prompted by the need to carry tickets with no exdate on the books forever as a contingent liability and this change is simply a housekeeping matter to allow the books to be closed after unused tickets have exp...

The things you find out -- I remember those thicker poles at the time and wondered what the reason was; now I know.

Really? You really think any appreciable number of people are going to stop taking the train because of this? I was alluding to the whole "bare-bones" experience, of which the facing direction is just a part. My point is that providing only the minimum level of service tends to repel peop...

On the trips I've been on, high-end casual was quite usual, but coat-and-tie help to recall the era; however, the effect works just as well if other people are wearing them. (OTOH, I'm inclined to think that it's impossible to be overdressed for Hickory Creek , considering who rode in it in the past.)

Indeed -- people dressed better than that in the coaches.

That's the key question; rear-enders are exactly what PTC is supposed to prevent -- even, if necessary, by sensing that the engineer isn't going to stop and preventing a collision before it happens. We'll have to wait quite a while before we see the NTSB report -- that part should be particularly in...

Difficult to cover operating costs by handling only those passengers who have no alternative. You need discretionary travelers.

Fwiw, the mayor of Philadelphia is going to require that all city workers come in 5 days a week: Because some, such as sanitation workers, building inspectors, etc. can't work from home; To provide feet on the ground to patronize local businesses downtown; To provide "eyes on the street" t...