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I've been passing through CUS several times a week lately and I noticed the other day that there were two if not three leased GATX units, (GP38s,40s something like that), doing the switching around the yard. Is Amtrak short of switching power? They had a few small units out there, (SW1500s or...

Team- I just spotted the one and only out in the yard looking nice and new. I don't know the status but it didn't look like she was going anywhere yet. I'll be passing through tomorrow, I'll try to get a pic.

As of yesterday 3-2-10 a burned out Superliner I Diner which I believe is 38004 is sitting at Clearing Yard in Chicago. A good friend of mine works there and got a few pics on his cell phone. About half of the windows were boarded over but the rest of outsider shell remains in pretty good...

I should make the Select level this year, (although I missed it by around 300 points last year). When does 'this' year end for AGR accounting? I have some degree of flexibility in my travel plans. My goal is to time my bigger trips so that the points will go towards next year's 'Select' and...

I just cracked the 100,000 point level for my AGR account. I'm trying to save up for a big trip. It took me about three or so years to get there, I think. How many other 100,000 point members are out there? Any 200,000 or 300,000?

I was browsing and noticed this article: "Amtrak to Test GE Locomotives for Cascades Route" http://ohsonline.com/articles/2009/04/13/a...ades-route.aspx I didn't know that Amtrak had to have special, (FRA), permission to use P42s/P32-8s for the Talgos. Does this article imply an increase in...

In looking over the various Amtrak annual reports, financial statements, etc. I noticed that Amtrak appears to be in debt, (financially to a bank or group of banks- I don't know), and shows this on their reports as "Debt Servicing". Who specifically is Amtrak in debt to? Why are they in debt...

I'm reading all over the internet that Amtrak will get $1.3B from the stimulus package. My question is: Is this bonus money? In other words, Amtrak would normally receive its so called subsidy through the annual appropriations process. Under "normal" circumstances Amtrak would have most...

Since there's usually quite a bit of talk, (most of it negative), about Amtrak OTP, how about your personal best OTP run? I've had a few but my most recent one was last year in March or April on the Southwest Chief. #4 was about 30 minutes late into Galesburg IL. From there we made steady...

For those fans of Amtrak's last remaining Super Dome or King Dome if you prefer, I just saw it at 330 pm CST on SWC #3 heading towards LA. I was several blocks away but it was on the head end so I figure it was probably dead-heading to LA.

HR 2095 is expected to be signed into law by President Bush in the not too distant future- that alone is pure irony: The man who proposed zero dollars for Amtrak funding is about to sign a bill that will practically double last year's amount for the next five years. That sounds great to the...

I just noticed the other day that the BNSF has 141 lb rail sitting along the right of way near Chicago. It looks like its being staged to be installed shortly and appears to have been made in May of 2008. This is the heaviest rail I have ever actually seen. Most of the rail on this stretch is...

Hey guys, I have a bold plan. I have to go to Virgina Beach for a conference. The company is paying so I have to fly but--- I discovered on my last trip that if I play my cards right I can layover in Philly. The usual time is about two hours but my plane was late so I ended up sitting in...

There seems to be a new style of headlight mounting on the P42DCs. Its smaller and does not have the glass coveing that we are used to seeing. I spotted on #99 a few weeks ago on a trip on EB. I tried to upload my picture of it but like a dummy I can't seem to get it to work. Any news on the...

Hey guys: I got a voucher for a late hiawatha, (about 3 hours the NPCU failed and we had to wait for the second set to come pick us up), a few months ago. If I charge my next trip on my AGR Chase card will I lose the points when I redeeme the voucher? What I have done in the past, prior to...

I just returned from a short trip to Wisconsin on the EB. I had a GREAT attendant northbound in the 0731 sleeper. I asked her a few questions about her job, the usual stuff: How many days off do you get, how long have you worked for Amtrak, etc. She stopped by my roomette several times in...

It looks like they made some changes to the Amtrak store. Gone are the plain caps and t-shirts. They are replaced by more 'modern' looking items. The store has also been streamlined, meaning less items are for sale than were previously available. I purchased several items from the 'old'...

I rode #7 from Chicago to Tomah WI on Thursday the 11th. This gives me barely enough time to get a meal in the diner, of course I always have the steak. It was good as always but the sides have shrunk since my last trip in March and it was served on the logo plastic-ware now being used system...

I had a thought the other day while watching the SWC head out for LA. It was that the idea of running fast-freight on back of the LD trains was a reasonable idea but not so rasonable in practice. That being said, I know this has been discussed before and I understand why it was discontinued...

Guys, I found this article and was interested in everybody's reaction. I'm not so sure I did the link part right. Congress Should Link Amtrak's Generous Subsidy to Improved Performance