"Who Shot The Passenger Train?" Available On-Line

This issue long work by DPM and appearing in April 1959 TRAINS is an informed and insightful masterpiece and very readable by, so far as I'm concerned, the "Tom Brady of railroad literature".

In this treatise, DPM predicts "an Amtrak" long before any politician ever dreamed of it. He further predicted the actual model the NYC followed when relocating the Albany station over to Rensselaer. Further, he foresaw the end of the LD train as a means to get from A to B and predicted "it's all about Corridors".

Finally, he provided a layman's explanation of the "passenger train deficit" truthfully stating to this CPA that it included so many allocable costs between Freight and Passenger to render it useless as any kind of measurement.

Get it; well worth the $5.95 Kalmbach wants.

I would not call DPM anything of the sort. Instead, I give him kudos for truly building out Kalmbach Publications. He was a fan, a respected industry insider, and passionate about the whole package.

Colonel, I know you are from KC, but without turning this topic into NFL.net, Mr. Brady is often considered to be the greatest QB ever to play the game. You do, however, have a "darned good one".

I probably should have said that so far as I'm concerned, DPM was simply the greatest railroad journalist of all time.

A link to an article that you can read freely about the original article which one must pay to read....
http://streamlinermemories.info/?p=2521

I have no idea if this link accurately represents what the original article stated. Just adding it for conversational purposes.

But one of the key points in this article was that even 110 mph max speed passenger trains will never gain enough market share with private vehicles driving to become profitable. To gain enough market share to be profitable against driving, even faster train speeds are needed. And that can not be done realistically on tracks shared with freight trains.
Huh? Even back in the 1950s pundits knowledgeable with passenger train operations were aware of that it was dying and a lost cause. Yet here we are 60-70 years later where some suggest passenger trains can make a come back?????

Ron, from one who "got the real deal for sixty cents", and still have "ex libris", that criticism seems fair and balanced.

Hafta to love the Shasta Daylight photo; except for Alco PA power, that's how it looked when I rode it June '62. No sign on board of the "love" for passenger trains emanating from 65 Market.