Auto Train Cuts

[Ryan]

Thanks, those are great.

This seemed relevant:

Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 3.30.45 PM.png

And it went bankrupt.

I'm sure you are well aware of the difference between correlation and causation.

 

[jebr]

Thanks, those are great.

This seemed relevant:

Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 3.30.45 PM.png

And it went bankrupt.

I'm sure you are well aware of the difference between correlation and causation.

You sure? After all, I think all we need to do to reduce grade crossing fatalities is stop importing oil from Norway.

 

[Eric S]

Well done, jebr. Well done.

 

[Mark Matarella]

You're right, Mark. I misspoke. What I meant to say was that the cars used by the old Auto Train Corp., as well as those used on Amtrak's original version of the train, were not Superliner-style double deckers. They were all designed and operated as versions of Heritage equipment. Passage from car to car was on the same level as you would find on any Heritage car. The domes in each car were accessed from the main (lower) floor. I'm not sure about the origin of the Auto Train Corporation's domes except that they had some full domes from the Santa Fe. Amtrak's early Auto Train had coach domes which came (I think) from the Northern Pacific. The coach lounges were full-length "Great Domes" that had been built for the Empire Builder. Those heavy Great Domes, with their 6-wheel trucks, were among the smoothest-riding cars I ever worked. The full-length dome that Amtrak still uses, is one of the three cars that Amtrak used in this service.

Thanks for allowing me to clarify that.

Tom

Thanks. I bow to the knowledge of all the regulars on here. I'm not the 'railfan' / expert you all are, much less ex worker in the field. I'm just a Auto Train user and fan of trains in general due to my inner child. Thank you and everyone for the info and education. I came across that old auto-train brochure in the box with a HO auto-train set I purchased recently and thought it'd be nice to contribute some history. I WAS buying up Amtrak passenger cars and hoping to find some auto carrier similar to what Amtrak currently users when I discovered the old a-t corp models existed. I'm just going to 'model' that since I rode it quite a few times before it was taken over by Amtrak and I don't have to create / modify any rolling stock.

I see it started in Dec 1971 and must have ridden it shortly after that for the first time. I do recall back in the pre SUV and Minivan days that they had some 3 level as well as 2 level car carriers, though I don't recall if that was pre or post Amtrak. I'll look through that equipment list sometime to figure it out. If we all ever go back to regular 'cars' they could run 3 levels and shorten that part of the train at least. I've also taken my MINI Cooper several times and it's often put aside and loaded last minute. I have a hunch they still it near the motorcycle racks or something. When they were charging extra for 'over sized vehicles' I thought I should have gotten a break for the MINI!

 

[FormerOBS]

The Amtrak Auto train used a mixture of bilevel and trilevel Auto carriers with 4 vehicles on each level until the new cars were purchased several years ago. So the cars carried as many as 8 or 12 autos. The new carriers have two levels and can carry 5 vehicles on each level for a total of 10 autos per carrier. I don't remember the date that the old cars were retired and the new cars went into service, but you can see the build date stenciled on the cars next time you take the train. Maybe a forum member knows the date.

Many of the old carriers had come from the old Auto Train Corp., so I think the Amtrak practices were essentially the same as the Auto Train Corp.'s until the new cars went into service.

Tom