AMTRAK Disco Train

[daveyb99]

So I am listening to SIRIUS 70's and the American Top 40 replay from the week of 09-15-1979.

Disco was big, and Casey is running down some events -- one being the AMTRAK Disco Train.

This train went NY to Montreal on Friday, and returned Sunday.

OK, fess up: Who Was Aboard.......

 

[Big Iron]

So I am listening to SIRIUS 70's and the American Top 40 replay from the week of 09-15-1979.

Disco was big, and Casey is running down some events -- one being the AMTRAK Disco Train.

This train went NY to Montreal on Friday, and returned Sunday.

OK, fess up: Who Was Aboard.......

Not me, I was going to Grateful Dead shows in the late 70's. I did ride the Montrealer a few times. Nice ride, especially the part along Lake Champlain.

 

[zepherdude]

Dudes, wish I was there, huge mirror balls all over the car, ladies and gentlemen rockin out to the tunes and the thump, thump, thump in sync to the hum of the rails! Wow! "I Could'nt Get Enough, so I Had to Self Destruct"!

 

[JayPea]

Ahh, yes, disco and the 1970's!!! Talkin' 'bout my generation!!! :lol:

 

[jimhudson]

So I am listening to SIRIUS 70's and the American Top 40 replay from the week of 09-15-1979.

Disco was big, and Casey is running down some events -- one being the AMTRAK Disco Train.

This train went NY to Montreal on Friday, and returned Sunday.

OK, fess up: Who Was Aboard.......

Cant tell a lie, I hung out in a few Discos back in the day (that's where the action was!)but didnt ride the Disco Train! Closest Ive come is the Soul Train! Good post!

 

[the_traveler]

I did ride the Montrealer a few times. Nice ride, especially the part along Lake Champlain.

The Montrealer along Lake Champlain?

Are you talking about the Amtrak Montrealer, or the pre-Amtrak (D&H) Montrealer?

Amtrak's version went via Vermont, and AFAIK never saw Lake Champlain. The D&H version went thru NYS, and did go along Lake Champlain for miles and miles!

 

[NS VIA Fan]

I did ride the Montrealer a few times. Nice ride, especially the part along Lake Champlain.

The Montrealer along Lake Champlain?

Are you talking about the Amtrak Montrealer, or the pre-Amtrak (D&H) Montrealer?

Amtrak's version went via Vermont, and AFAIK never saw Lake Champlain. The D&H version went thru NYS, and did go along Lake Champlain for miles and miles!

The Disco Train is probably referring to the “Le Pub” Lounge Car on the Montrealer. It had a Piano along with a player/entertainer who rode along on the train. The times I was aboard, Le Pub was very popular with the Skiers and College Students especially on weekend nights.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Actually Amtrak’s Montrealer crossed Lake Champlain on a long trestle between West Swanton and East Alburg Vermont.

The D&H overnight train was the Montreal Limited and lasted until Amtrak.

 

[Anthony]

I did ride the Montrealer a few times. Nice ride, especially the part along Lake Champlain.

The Montrealer along Lake Champlain?

Are you talking about the Amtrak Montrealer, or the pre-Amtrak (D&H) Montrealer?

Amtrak's version went via Vermont, and AFAIK never saw Lake Champlain. The D&H version went thru NYS, and did go along Lake Champlain for miles and miles!

The Disco Train is probably referring to the "Le Pub" Lounge Car on the Montrealer. It had a Piano along with a player/entertainer who rode along on the train. The times I was aboard, Le Pub was very popular with the Skiers and College Students especially on weekend nights.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Actually Amtrak's Montrealer crossed Lake Champlain on a long trestle between West Swanton and East Alburg Vermont.

The D&H overnight train was the Montreal Limited and lasted until Amtrak.

If you look through some of the old timetables on www.timetables.org from the '80s, you can find some ads for Le Pub

 

[railiner]

If you ask me, the entire Amtrak fleet was "disco" back in the '70's, on account of the purple and red 'pschodelic" interior colors on walls, carpet, and seats. :giggle:

 

[had8ley]

I don't remember exactly what train it was other than it was Amtrak but I did ride a train to Montreal that had a disco car with a baby grand piano...and no, I didn't get on board looped :blush:

 

[jphjaxfl]

I rode the Montrealer in 1984 from NYP to Montreal on a Friday night. The still had Le Pub which was a nice full lounge car of railroad heritage, but the entertainment was gone. I remember the lounge car was full and everyone was having a good time. I slept well in a roomette on the 10/6 and had a nice breakfast in the full diner through Northern Vermont before arriving in Montreal late morning. I returned on the Adirondak a few days later. The original Montrealer was a PRR-NYNH&H-B&M-CV-CN overnight train that was discontinued in the mid 60s. When Amtrak started the Montrealer, the route between Springfield and Montreal not had passenger service for several years so it was the first non passenger line that Amtrak reinstated service on.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Never rode (or even heard) of the disco train. But I confess before you and before God that I did once own a yellow leisure suit and multi-colored suede platform shoes. If they ever bring back the "disco train" and I lose about 50 pounds I will fit right in....

 

[spacecadet]

The Le Pub cars were used on other trains after the entertainment was pulled... I remember riding one on either the Crescent or the Silver Meteor in the early 80's. It was kind of a sad scene, stumbling onto this grand piano in the lounge car with nobody playing and an empty car.

Those cars were apparently old army cars - they weren't really "heritage" equipment in the same way Amtrak's other early equipment was. They weren't inherited from the other railroads that formed Amtrak. They were purchased by Amtrak after their inception specifically to convert into Le Pubs. Their specifications were slightly different than other heritage cars, all of which had a common specification for height and width (the Le Pub cars were slightly shorter). From what I could figure out, they were eventually converted to baggage cars and then retired.

 

[Wayne]

I was just reading that one of the cars Amtrak used for "Le Pub" was built by the St Louis Car Co. in 1954 as an Army Medical Service Car. It had a dance floor installed. Amtrak later converted it back to a lounge car. It is now at the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma.

 

[Steve4031]

Dancing on a moving train?!! Love to see people doing the electric slide as the montrealer highballed along the corridor at 110 mph.

 

[pebbleworm]

I may have been in one on the Broadway limited in 1980 or 1981. I remember a lounge car with an un-played piano, maybe even covered with mirrors?

 

[railiner]

The Le Pub cars were used on other trains after the entertainment was pulled... I remember riding one on either the Crescent or the Silver Meteor in the early 80's. It was kind of a sad scene, stumbling onto this grand piano in the lounge car with nobody playing and an empty car.

Those cars were apparently old army cars - they weren't really "heritage" equipment in the same way Amtrak's other early equipment was. They weren't inherited from the other railroads that formed Amtrak. They were purchased by Amtrak after their inception specifically to convert into Le Pubs. Their specifications were slightly different than other heritage cars, all of which had a common specification for height and width (the Le Pub cars were slightly shorter). From what I could figure out, they were eventually converted to baggage cars and then retired.

Another distinction of these cars was the fact there were long sections of walls in places that had no windows.

 

[the_traveler]

Dancing on a moving train?!! Love to see people doing the electric slide as the montrealer highballed along the corridor at 110 mph.

They certainly must have been sliding on the NEC!

 

[rrdude]

Dancing on a moving train?!! Love to see people doing the electric slide as the montrealer highballed along the corridor at 110 mph.

Oh we had "dancing on a train" but far from 110mph. The old EnterTrainment Line, a dinner train that ran from Westminster, MD to Thurmont, MD, had a FULL DANCE car. With windows that opened up FULLY, as it was also the only place on the train to smoke.

 

'Course we kept our speed to a blazing 30-35mph or so, but even then, after several cocktails, and a full dinner, the "Dance Car" was always rocking. In fact, I got married in that car. Originally it was supposed to be a private excursion, just invited guests, but so many people heard about it, we added extra cars, and sold tickets!

 

Wife wasn't all too thrilled at first, but it more than covered the cost of the T & E for us.

 

Don't ask about the one drunk, (not on the wedding train) who decided it would be "fun" to crawl out of the dance car window, and on top of the train........while we were moving. I had to beg the engineer not to go into emergency........

 

The sheriff met us at the next crossing........