I signed up yesterday for ChatGPT to see how this AI program might respond to my inquiries on any number of subjects.
Just for fun, one of my first questions was asking ChatGPT to give me a brief history of Tennessee Pass. Its initial response looked pretty good. But after my next question, things went awry..
The ensuing conversation, edited for brevity, follows:
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Me: How many trains once ran over it each day?
ChatGPT: The line also carried passenger trains, including the famous California Zephyr, which provided service between Chicago and San Francisco.
Me: I don't believe the California Zephyr ever used the Tennessee Pass. It used the Moffatt Tunnel route, correct?
ChatGPT: You are correct. I apologize for my mistake in my previous response. The California Zephyr did not run on the Tennessee Pass rail line, but instead used the Moffat Tunnel route through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
ME: What passenger trains did use Tennessee Pass?
ChatGPT: In addition to the Royal Gorge, the Tennessee Pass rail line also saw passenger service from other D&RGW trains, including the Rio Grande Zephyr, which ran between Denver and Salt Lake City, and the Prospector, which provided service between Denver and Ogden, Utah.
ME: I thought the Prospector also used the Moffatt Tunnel route
ChatGPT: You are correct, the Prospector did not use the Tennessee Pass rail line. I apologize for my mistake in my previous response. The Prospector ... used the Moffat Tunnel route through the Rocky Mountains, not the Tennessee Pass route. The Prospector began service in the 1970s and was a popular passenger train for travelers between Colorado and Utah.
ME: I believe the Rio Grande Zephyr also used the Moffatt Tunnel route
ChatGPT: You are correct again. I apologize for the confusion in my previous responses. The Rio Grande Zephyr, another passenger train operated by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW), used the Moffat Tunnel route through the Rocky Mountains, not the Tennessee Pass route.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and I apologize for any confusion caused by my previous responses.
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I am not an expert on D&RGW history, but unless there were two iterations of the Prospector, ChatGPT seemed to think it extended well beyond what I believe was its final year of 1967. Maybe in this case, it knows something I do not.
Without parsing every line, I suspect there may be some other errors in there as well.
I should note that the AI did an excellent job of summarizing train routes and operating railroads, along with citing the CZ's noted scenic viewing.
My point: ChatGPT still has a lot to learn, at least when it comes to passenger rail history. There must be many other examples out there of ChatGPT's often inaccurate railroad "knowledge". I am curious what others might find.
Just for fun, one of my first questions was asking ChatGPT to give me a brief history of Tennessee Pass. Its initial response looked pretty good. But after my next question, things went awry..
The ensuing conversation, edited for brevity, follows:
---
Me: How many trains once ran over it each day?
ChatGPT: The line also carried passenger trains, including the famous California Zephyr, which provided service between Chicago and San Francisco.
Me: I don't believe the California Zephyr ever used the Tennessee Pass. It used the Moffatt Tunnel route, correct?
ChatGPT: You are correct. I apologize for my mistake in my previous response. The California Zephyr did not run on the Tennessee Pass rail line, but instead used the Moffat Tunnel route through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
ME: What passenger trains did use Tennessee Pass?
ChatGPT: In addition to the Royal Gorge, the Tennessee Pass rail line also saw passenger service from other D&RGW trains, including the Rio Grande Zephyr, which ran between Denver and Salt Lake City, and the Prospector, which provided service between Denver and Ogden, Utah.
ME: I thought the Prospector also used the Moffatt Tunnel route
ChatGPT: You are correct, the Prospector did not use the Tennessee Pass rail line. I apologize for my mistake in my previous response. The Prospector ... used the Moffat Tunnel route through the Rocky Mountains, not the Tennessee Pass route. The Prospector began service in the 1970s and was a popular passenger train for travelers between Colorado and Utah.
ME: I believe the Rio Grande Zephyr also used the Moffatt Tunnel route
ChatGPT: You are correct again. I apologize for the confusion in my previous responses. The Rio Grande Zephyr, another passenger train operated by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW), used the Moffat Tunnel route through the Rocky Mountains, not the Tennessee Pass route.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and I apologize for any confusion caused by my previous responses.
---
I am not an expert on D&RGW history, but unless there were two iterations of the Prospector, ChatGPT seemed to think it extended well beyond what I believe was its final year of 1967. Maybe in this case, it knows something I do not.
Without parsing every line, I suspect there may be some other errors in there as well.
I should note that the AI did an excellent job of summarizing train routes and operating railroads, along with citing the CZ's noted scenic viewing.
My point: ChatGPT still has a lot to learn, at least when it comes to passenger rail history. There must be many other examples out there of ChatGPT's often inaccurate railroad "knowledge". I am curious what others might find.
