The Sept. 15 to 16 Chicago-area excursions with Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 were scheduled to go on sale next week. Even though the proposed trips will use tracks owned by Chicago-area commuter railroad, Metra, the Fort Wayne group relies on privately owned cars that would use Amtrak trains and facilities.
“At this time, we feel it would be imprudent to open ticket sales as previously scheduled before we have more clarity on the situation,” a Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society news release states. “As such, this policy will force us to revisit our contractual agreements with car owners, re-confirm both their availability and costs, and confirm Amtrak’s ability to transport them to our venue. Amtrak’s participation was critical to last year’s Joliet Rocket trips.”
To date, more than 1,800 people had expressed interest in the summer trips along Metra’s Rock Island line between Joliet, Ill., and Chicago.
Nationwide, the preservation community spent much of Thursday rallying against Amtrak’s policy change through the online petition site change.org. The petition had received more than 450 signatures with a goal of 500.
Amtrak has yet to issue any clarification or additional guidance on how it will operate private cars, aside from a Wednesday morning memo stating it would do away with operating special trains and charters.
Good way to keep the 765 within Indiana for a change.Maybe round trips between Fort Wayne & Lafayette would be a good replacement.Go get the Pere Marquette in place of the 1225 instead.
Is there any basis for practical consideration of litigating the matter, perhaps as a Class Action?
Is CSX really a transportation system? When truck traffic is bursting at the seams CSX traffic will remain flat. There is a growth company. Hope the stockholders are happy.
Write to Amtrak to register your concerns. And be sure to let your federal delegation know about concerns over specific Amtrak policy changes.
To Mr Meyer
Saying that Amtrak moving private cars is taxpayers funding the wealthy is hypocritical at best. How much tax money goes to fund airports and terminals? Like every other mode of transportation the user should be paying the cost for maintaining the system. Amtrak has decided that private and charter moves do not do so. Can private jets say that what they pay in landing fees are fully funding the air traffic system?
Many car owners use charters to pay for upkeep and storage; the recent Moonlight Dome Amtrak trips sponsored by VMT are a perfect example. Without this income, these cars are bottomless money pits (and besides, what point is there to owning cars forever trapped and stationary)? Even a short-term implementation of Amtrak’s new policy as stated will destroy PV viability; if this holds, private car ownership will basically come to an end. These cars are not just toys or luxury items. This policy will destroy dozens of what amount to small businesses, put car staff out of work, and damage communities all over America (like Minneapolis, home of Friends of 261). Call or write your congressman!
had anyone talk with the 261 about the June trip
“The airline boobs that are running Amtrak actually hate trains, that much is clear as this new policy is nothing more than a “#$%@ you” to all passenger train advocates.”
What proof do you have that people who own private cars and/or run special trains with private cars are passenger train advocates in the classic sense? While I acknowledge that trains like the “Snow Train” from Seattle to Leavenworth and the New River Train contribute to the local economy, other private varnish trains could be viewed as taxpayers subsidizing Amtrak to move cars owned by the wealthy. While I believe Anderson is clueless with regard to passenger trains, true passenger train advocates will seize this opportunity to hold Amtrak’s feet to the fire and demand that now that Amtrak has declared all resources to be dedicated to Amtrak passengers, improved performance, additional equipment, and improved amenities need to be forthcoming.
The airline boobs that are running Amtrak actually hate trains, that much is clear as this new policy is nothing more than a “#$%@ you” to all passenger train advocates.
The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society makes a point that many people probably don’t know about, that many of the passenger cars that are moved to and from events actually move on Amtrak trains. Amtrak has the facilities to handle them, regular trains that often have extra capacity for moving the cars, and can be less expensive and more reliable than moving the cars in freight service. This means that trips that don’t operate under Amtrak authority can also be halted just be the inability to move passenger cars.