CHICAGO — Federal prosecutors have accused 24 people of using Amtrak’s Southwest Chief to move cocaine and heroin from California to Chicago, the Associated Press reports. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago says the charges were the result of a multi-year investigation called “Operation Derail.” According to court documents, the suspects would often hide the […]
Amtrak’s ‘Empire Builder’s consist will vary, but the number of trainsets for a route depends on schedules. Here it is westbound in June at Duplainville, Wis. Steve Sweeney Q For the past few years I have been trying to figure out how many trainsets are needed for a given train such as the Empire Builder. […]
FULL SCREEN Bob Johnston It took more than two hours for CSX track personnel to secure cutting tools, get to Connersville, and make the right-of-way passable. The train then backed into the station and passengers were allowed to get off. Here onlookers watch as two engineers and the assistant conductor rectify minor damage to the […]
Amtrak Assistant Conductor Tony Brey punches a bicyclist’s ticket for the eastbound Empire Builder on Monday. Amtrak will now accept bicycles without disassembling at most station stops for long-distance trains. Steve Glischinski Amtrak Assistant Conductor Paul Trossen loads a bicycle into a baggage car on the Empire Builder Monday. Steve Glischinski A bicycle loaded on […]
Eastbound Providence & Worcester train NH-1 with B39-8 No. 3909 and B30-7A No. 3007 waits in the siding at Triebel interlocking at Guilford, Conn., for an eastbound Amtrak train to get by on June 15, 2009. Photo by Thomas Mik […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is contracting with Alstom to produce 28 next-generation high-speed trainsets that will replace the equipment used to provide Amtrak’s premium Acela Express service. The contract is part of $2.45 billion that will be invested on the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor as part of a multifaceted modernization program to renew and expand the […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page To get to the National Model Railroad Association’s (NMRA) 2016 national convention in Indianapolis, Ind., MRVP’s Ben Lake and Model Railroader magazine’s Dana Kawala hopped aboard Amtrak’s Hiawatha and Iowa Pacific’s Hoosier State. Enjoy Ben’s narrated journey to Indiana’s capital city, and then […]
Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited pulls into downtown Chicago on Monday, July 25, with two Amfleet II diner-lounge cars in the consist. Recently discovered structural problems forced Amtrak to remove heritage diners, ones built in the 1940s and 1950s, and reassign structurally OK diners from certain trains, including the Lake Shore. Bob Johnston CHICAGO — Amtrak […]
A dining car crew sets up for breakfast on the ‘Auto Train’ in 2012. Al DiCenso Q Having been a tipped employee, I know how important service and tips are to customers and employees alike. What would be an appropriate tip for average service for one guest in a roomette? What about tipping for meals […]
The Southwest Chief Commission wants to use the Pueblo Union Station, pictured here in this July 28, 2013 view. Bob Johnston PUEBLO, Colo. — An Amtrak revenue and ridership study requested by the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Southwest Chief Rail Line Economic Development, Rural Tourism, and Infrastructure Repair and Maintenance Commission Fund projects that the […]
After holding a preview and reception in the space on June 23, Amtrak this week opens its new Metropolitan Lounge at Chicago Union Station. The facility for sleeping-car and business-class passengers is twice the size of the 25-year-old lounge it replaces. Join Trains Associate Editor David Lassen for a tour of the facilities and work […]
After attending the 2015 National Train Show in Portland, Ore., Charlie and Kent Johnson decided to leave the driving to Amtrak for the return trip to Seattle, Wash. In this video, the guys share the high-speed sprint from one classic station to another, and highlight numerous railroad interests along the BNSF main line! […]
