A video of my train in 1988 has shown up on you-tube! I'm on the first train, with 2 shots of me (at 18) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjt8lMP3i4Q&feature=related   more »

The following is quoted from an e-mail to the All_Aboard list by L.H. [nawdry@gmail.com]

Susan Pantell, a research associate with the Light Rail Now Project, has just completed an analysis of worldwide terrorist incidents in transportation spanning the past 40 years (1967-2007). Here's a quick breakdown of the percentage of total incidents by mode (rounded to 1 decimal):

Private Motor Vehicles 73.7%
Buses and Stations/Stops 9.5%
Aircraft and Air Facilities 8.6%
Rail Transit Trains 3.6%
Intercity Rail Trains 3.0%
Boats, Ships, and Maritime 0.9%
Other Transport Vehicles or Facilities 0.6%
   more »

It's probably trucks that is largely responsible for the condition of highway bridges, and thus rail is a solution - and a cheaper one than spending on highways. It is also that many highway bridges were cheaply constructed in the first place.

There has been a lot of mention about how rail bridges have stood stout for a hundred years and highway bridges are falling down, but in fact early rail bridges were cheaply built as well, usually tall spindly wood affairs and there were many bridge collapses in the 1800's. It was the rebuilding of the network from the 1890's-1920's that was done to very high standards for which we can be thankful.   more »

In the department of fun and imagination and dreaming – with a base of vision – is this exercise of reworking the freight train schedule of Vermont Rail System as if all freight traffic that could went over the rails. All of this is based on traffic that is already moving, just waiting to be hauled by a train. It would be quite profitable. The catch is that it would take sizeable capital expenditures to realize this plan, and while the return on that investment would be better than that realized for road expenditures, it would not satisfy the capital markets.

The major through trains are the following:
Selkirk NY – Burlington – St. Albans (with mixed freight, autos and intermodal)
Mechanicville NY – Syracuse NY (CSX intermodal connector)
Selkirk NY – Brattleboro – St. Johnsbury – Orleans-Newport
St. Johnsbury-Groveton connection
New Haven CT – Orleans – Newport (connecting with MMA)
Selkirk NY – Florence (mostly Omya traffic for Selkirk)
Florence – Glens Falls NY (mostly Omya traffic for NY paper mills & CP)
Bellows Falls – Ticondaroga NY


In addition to switchers and locals there are bulk hauler shuttles that run all day long (maximizing car utilization) as mini unit trains (as short as just a few cars, but usually more like 10 cars). These haul aggregate, logs, wood chips and garbage. Cars used will be quick unloading bottom dump gondolas strengthened to haul logs so trains can be loaded in both directions and cars shuffled around from job to job. Because car utilization is so high and the trains are moving most of the time, these shuttles can make money (when operated with a crew of one person) even if the haul and train length is short.

You will note I’ve taken the liberty (as long as we are dreaming a bit) to expand the VRS system in a few directions that make sense. These could be services operated in cooperation with connecting railroads or outright takeovers.

The plan below assumes that main lines are operated at 40 mph (that’s the bulk of the capital expenditures) with new sidings as needed to facilitate operations and switches that are used every day equipped with time-saving radio controlled power switches.

Because of the power switches, improvements in track configurations and changes in switching procedures, time spent switching in this schedule is considerably reduced. Some of this could be because I’m not quite as familiar with operating requirements as I might be. Through freights will be blocked to drop set-offs off the rear with no switching, just a simple uncoupling and break test. Yard personnel with have a new FRED (flashing rear end device) ready to stick on the new last car.

Lowering time spent switching brings considerable improvements in productivity for all of the other cars in the through train that don’t need to wait as well. Faster timings will allow intermodal service to be operated competitively on the Selkirk-Burlington route.   more »

I'm occasionally frustrated by advocates for good causes who make a lot of noise but aren't effective. And there are others who choose apathy and feel powerless when seeing that. I offer below a quick course in effective political communication. This is not regarding elections and voting but in working with those we've elected. The point is to have an impact, to be effective, rather than simply complaining among the choir.

Three main points: - All Politics is Local (the representative or official cares about how it will effect their district)
- QUALITY of communication is important (be concise and focused)
- Build a long-term relationship (we're all humans here!)

The mindset here is to be strategic; to ask, "What will it take to get X to happen?" Then you plan backwards, thinking about the laws and regulations that might have to change, who you'll have to reach to make that happen, and what points of leverage you have. Obviously there are other powers in play, so I'm not saying you can win all the time . . . But there ARE some things you can achieve.   more »

If you want to be well informed about railroading in New England, get Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports.  There is nothing else like it.  You'll know the scoop before anybody else, and more accurately.
http://www.atlanticnortheast.com/

I’m writing this from a big MCI intercity coach owned and operated by Vermont Transit. I just got on, at the Bellows Falls train station, and I’m heading to Boston en-route to Logan Airport and Atlanta. This is my report of the bus ride.

Immediately I realize this bus is more comfortable than my car. Not if someone were sitting beside me, but the bus is mostly empty.   more »

An interesting re-working of Amtrak's Florida service was posted by Bruce Richardson, of United Rail Passenger Alliance. My response is below:

Bruce, I liked your re-work of the Florida service in the latest TWAA. I hope somebody is listening.

Anyway I have a couple thoughts of my own to contribute to the scenario:

1. For Montreal service I suggest extending the Palmetto to Montreal instead as it could then roughly follow the schedule of the old Montrealer - but using only one additional trainset. This would give the Montreal service the beneifit of the Vermont ski trade, which is considerable, business to Burlington and Vermont-Florida business. Population along the Adirondack route is pretty sparse north of Albany. At the south end, an overnight Miami section could be added over FEC, making a nice two nights and one day service from Montreal.

2. Looking at the number of trainset required brings up the issue of late trains. If the trains ran more reliably, the service could be run with less trainsets   more »

I ride from Bellows Falls (or Brattleboro) Vermont down to New York or Philadelphia (or DC) a few times a year. (sometimes I take the bus instead). Some of these trips have been to visit a (now ex) girlfriend. Others have been for work or church business of one sort or another.

I went to Chicago a month or so ago via the lake shore - for a rail advocates meeting. A few years ago I went across the country via Lake Shore and California Zephyr. That was to cover a writing assignment. I haven't flown domestically since then. (My driving has all been short-distance, except 2 trips to a friend in Halifax NS - not gracefully rail accessible and one driving trip to Virginia for a writing assignment)

I have traveled in various places by train in Europe (to visit friends and be a touriest). My most recent trip, I wasn't very adventuresome and traveled around London by train on various routes and companies, and ditto for Paris (took the bus in between) and that’s it.

I travel on commuter trains from time to time as well - I was on the MBTA and Metra (Chicago) recently, SEPTA last summer.

It would be nice to travel more, but I can't afford it.   more »

I believe Amtrak can lower it's margins by eliminating Assistant Conductors. I'll write about this proposal later (I want to eliminate the work too, not just make Conductors work harder). However I don't believe that laying off Assistant Conductors is a good idea - instead Amtrak should increase it's service by 50%, retraining some conductors and Assistant conductors as engineers so that no jobs are lost, but passenger service is increased.

With that in mind, I worked up this scenario for how it might affect Maine service. The other goal here is to expand service to new areas that don't already have it in order to increase Amtrak's political base. Therefore, Amtrak service in this schedule has been extended to Bangor, rather than increasing trips going south of Portland.

To make this happen would require upgrading the Guilford line. I think funds could be found for this if there was a deal to operate it at the same level of subsidy as happens now.

So here is my Maine service timetable with a 50% increase in service.   more »

I’d heard the mornings incoming Lake Shore at Chicago was late and wondered if we’d be late leaving Chicago. But when I arrived at 6:50, the board said it was on-time. So I walked a few blocks up the canal for my last chance at exercise. When I returned I found a gigantic line stretching through the Amtrak boarding area. Apparently both we and the Capital Limited would be late boarding by at least an hour, though nobody seemed to have truly hard information. Something about a dinning car problem.

At first disruptions like this bring people together. A fellow behind me couldn’t speak English. I can’t speak Spanish, but the search for someone who did brought me together the charming Russian immigrants behind me. Then I heard music and found a group of dirty interesting young travelers (ie, without a permanent home) who (I was pleased to see) had an accordion and ukulele. A likable Dartmouth student joined us. We made plans to play music and sing and play charades later in the lounge car.

It was 10:15 before our 7:55 scheduled departure boarded. As the line moved forward a tall black woman was yelling at everyone, “have your tickets out of the envelopes,” over and over. I heard later on the train that she had been really rude to a number of people. Hopefully some apology and information announcements had earlier been made, but from my part of the line we couldn’t hear any. This women was my first contact with Amtrak staff. Then as we headed out to the train we were handed a bottle of water and a bag of chips. I assume this was “service recovery” for being late, but no explanation was offered, nothing to explain why we were getting this. No welcome aboard or apology; no words at all. Tickets were collected in the station and quickly people went to sleep. We postponed the music in the lounge car for the morning.

The coaches were almost completely full. At Toledo it was announced that the train was completely sold out.

Morning light came at Toledo; 6:45 am. Word circulated that the train was 6 hours late. And still we were crawling behind a string of yellow blocks. Perhaps it was 30mph, all across the top of Ohio and Pennsylvania. I had a very nice and reasonably priced breakfast in the rebuilt and half-empty dinning car. The steward had been good at making good announcements promoting the dinning car, but the volume of the PA in my car was too low to hear. It would really help to pass out menus for coach passengers.

As people roused themselves in the morning they became aware of how late the train was (now 7 hours) and grumbling became louder. Many “never again’s”. Boston passengers started to wonder what was going to happen when they arrived in Boston after the public transit system had shut. People started alerting their hosts. I lent my cell-phone to someone without so she could call her friend.   more »

I’d have taken the Vermonter to Springfield if it made the connection, but instead I drive to Schenectady. From Brattleboro Albany is not much further than Springfield. The time savings of going to Albany instead of the earlier departure at Springfield means I can work an extra day of teaching. My ticket is from Albany, but I changed my plans to Schenectady so I can meet a friend who lives a block from the station. This also solves my parking problem since I can leave my car at her place.

Schenectady station has all the charm of a 1970's bus station with it’s black waiting chairs and hard tiled floors and walls which smell like a locker room. The agent is tired but good natured. He tells us the Lake Shore left Albany about 15 minutes late, but when he makes his second announcement, giving us a 10 minute warning he interrupts himself, saying, “Oh it is here now, go upstairs now.” I’m caught unprepared (so is he, I guess) and I quickly stuff everything into my backpack and up we go, just as the train is rolling in. He’s rushing up with the baggage (in a garden cart) and the crowd sees the open door of a viewliner and heads that way. “Coach is this way,” I say.

The train is less than half full. Baggage, 2 viewliner sleepers (one is blanked out, I hear), rebuilt dinner, rebuilt lounge and 3 coaches. I’m directed into a coach that seems mostly bound for Erie, Cleveland and Toledo.

The coach attendant is fine but nothing beyond.   more »

Right now, I favor the Colorado Railcar proposal (although there is a risk with any new equipment design, which I do worry about). Here is why I favor Colorado Railcar equipment:   more »

Passenger Train Journal just ran an article on the Illinois Central’s “mini-corridor” from Carbondale to Champaign to Chicago. In the late sixties, when Paul Reistrup was Vice President – Passenger at Illinois Central, this route was developed.

Two lessons from this article: that local management of specific routes (the “brand manager” concept) does wonders, and that so much was lost when Amtrak began.

People re-creating organizations and networks have a proclivity to disregard the good in what came before them. After all their task is to sweep away all the deadwood, which indeed may be a problem. But it seems to come with the territory to sweep away a good bit of what was going well. At Amtrak George Warrington and David Gunn both fell into this trap. So did the DOT planner and congress when first creating Amtrak.
What if, instead of starting from zero with a skeleton map, the planners looked at each train service that was running and asked if it was performing well (Seaboard Coast Line’s Florida routes, for example), underperforming in a way that could be addressed or irredeemably useless to the whole network.

More below the fold, but here are the direct links to the two schedules I worked up in this 1971 "what-if" scenario: Chicago-Champaign-Carbondale "Mini-Corridor"
Chicago/St.Louis/Nashville-Memphis-New Orleans "Panama Ltd" / "City of New Orleans"   more »

I’ve been impressed with reports of the excellent quality and reliability of Talgo railcars. I suggest that Amtrak order a batch (and give Talgo the contract to maintain them, since they’ve done a better job of that in the Pacific Northwest than Amtrak).

Talgo cars are lightweight and cheaper to operate than conventional equipment and can run faster around tight curves because they tilt. Cars are low to the ground (improving handicapped access), articulated using less axels than conventional equipment and have better aerodynamic performance.   more »

Yes I think the British rail scene can be called successful. I've spent a fair bit of time in Britain (I'm half English). 'Successful' is a subjective term of course, but let me be more concrete:

1. Passenger ridership has increased more than 40% across the country. Virgin Trains has increased ridership by 40%. The increases are system wide. Chiltern Railways posted a 90% increase.

2. Half the fleet of passenger vehicles has been replaced and overall fleet size has increased 12%   more »

Get a group talking about transportation and sooner or later someone says, “I don’t understand why we don’t support our railroads more.” In fact the state of Vermont does support railroads, to a degree, and just completed a strategic policy plan to guide spending on rail and evaluate progress.

The overall aim of the plan is to maintain and modestly improve the rail network that exists. “By using spending criteria and performance objectives outlined in the plan, “We’ll see hopefully how well we are dong and make wise decisions as to how to spend our limited resources,” says Scott Bascom, the Agency of Transportation Planning Coordinator who was in charge of developing the plan.

The topic of rail policy might make your eyes glaze over, but documents such as this shape decisions that influence daily life. Supporting the rail infrastructure in Vermont used by Amtrak and freight railroads removes cars and trucks from the interstates and benefits the environment. And like other policy decisions, it supports some interests while others loose out.   more »

If the train arrives in St. Albans too late the night before, it therefore becomes late the next day . . . affecting the northbound, and so on. Amtrak - across it's system - is short of extra crews. Ideally the crew that takes the train up from New Haven should be qualified on CSX and NECR as well so they can proceed on to Palmer or Amherst and meet the southbound counterpart there. And - even more radical - there should be some arrangement so Amtrak can draw from freight railroad extra boards from time to time. It's all a big jigsaw puzzel and it's impossible to always have a crew . . . but Amtrak - across it's system - has a consistent problem in this area.   more »

The vision I'm setting forth here is considerably more expansive than what is described in the current draft of the state rail plan. It would result in some significant increases in service and improvements in the efficiency of the network. It would require taking some leadership and some funds. I believe it is possible and that the funds are there and that a case can be made for their expenditure.   more »

I think it's a real shame that Burlington (Vermont) commuter train service died. I believe it could be sustainable and have a plan for how it could work.

First thing to know is that not ALL the trains were empty. The media spin was that nobody was riding it -- but actually the rush hour trains had 100 people or so per train, which is viable. But that was only three runs, the other 10 (or so) runs were indeed empty.

Also consider that Burlington-Essex Junction is the real core of the service and Essex Junction which the Champlain Valley Flyer did not serve (but could) is the location of IBM, the state's largest employer

So here's my vision, presented in schedule form. (you've got to click this link because it started as an excel document). It's got off-peak Burlington-Essex Junction service all day long and a few peak trains from Shelburne, St. Albans, Montpelier/Barre. It assumes 59mph service. I do believe this is doable, although of course it would take capital costs to set up.   more »

The gleaming Agri-Mark truck shows up early, and Harold Rainey is there to meet it. Rainey has just finished milking his heard of Jersey cows on his Westminster West farm.
Dale Allen emerges from the cab, stuffs a hose through the opening on Rainey’s barn and goes inside the milk room where he throws a switch. Motors start and through the noise Allen explains that he is starting the agitator, which churns the contents of Rainey’s large silver bulk tank that holds the product of two day’s milking.

Allen shares small talk and good-natured barbs with Rainey as he takes a sample into a vial, checks some numbers and waits for the truck pump to finish suctioning the milk.

For two or three generations this story has been repeated every other day, and upon this ritual rests the shrinking income of the Vermont dairy farmer.   more »

One women yelled at the café car attendant so much he closed down and refused to serve anybody else." Yikes!   more »

Here is a link to two older articles I wrote for the Brattleboro Reformer and Trains Magazine on Vermont Rail Service's takeover of the Connecticut River Division and a study Vermont undertook of possible alternate private operators for the Vermonter Amtrak train.   more »

I present at this link, an imagined schedule for an improved Amtrak service to Vermont on the Connecticut River Valley route. I believe this should improve financial results at the same time as improving service. Highlights are a return of the Montrealer (as an extension of a Florida train, using only one extra equipment set) and an extension of a Springfield train from White River Junction, (not using any new equipment at all, just laying over at WRJ overnight instead of Springfield). Efficient use of equipment is part of what makes these runs financially viable.   more »