AMTRAK w/VRE cars at Hyndman, PA

An AMTRAK train with Virginia Railway Express commuter cars passes through Hyndman on the CSX. June 2008

Anbody know why Amtrak is delivering them and not CSX?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL2ajCBbcPE

davinp wrote:An AMTRAK train with Virginia Railway Express commuter cars passes through Hyndman on the CSX. June 2008

Anbody know why Amtrak is delivering them and not CSX?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL2ajCBbcPE

That train is the Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington D.C. The Capitol Limited often transports commuter rail rolling stock from the East Coast to the Midwest. Using this train makes the most sense since it is the quickest and most direct train from the East to the Midwest rail hub of Chicago. My guess is that those VRE were shipped from Japan and were landed in CA, and were then placed on an Amtrak train from CA to Chicago then put on the Cap. Ltd.

Just recently VRE sent some of their old gallery railcars to Chicago using the Cap. Ltd. In that case Metra, who were purchasing the cars, had to pay the transport fee to Amtrak. Another example is when VRE sent back their leased Sounder(Seattle Commuter Rail) bi-levels, the Capitol Ltd. was also used in conjuction with another train from Chicago to Seattle. My guess why CSX isn't used is because they would be to slow, plus it makes more sense to use a passenger train for passenger cars.

Check this video out:
Sounder cars at the rear of Cap. Ltd. in Gaithersburg

Since VRE trains are operated by Amtrak, I'm sure that was the most cost-effective means of shipping them.

If Amtrak operated both ends of the service, maybe. But these cars are going to Metra, so as realtype has pointed out, Metra would have had to pay transportation costs to Amtrak.

Note that there are brake compatibility issues between passenger cars and freight cars. For example, the Auto Train runs modified passenger cars with freight-style brakes, in order to avoid stressing the couplers.

realtype wrote: That train is the Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington D.C. The Capitol Limited often transports commuter rail rolling stock from the East Coast to the Midwest. Using this train makes the most sense since it is the quickest and most direct train from the East to the Midwest rail hub of Chicago. My guess is that those VRE were shipped from Japan and were landed in CA, and were then placed on an Amtrak train from CA to Chicago then put on the Cap. Ltd.

Most likely the VRE cars are assembled in Milwaukee... as this was the case when Metra received its 300 gallery cars in 2003-2005. Only the shell comes from Japan.