CL and LSL 'mystery' stop

[SharonLPK]

Is Hammond, IN a 'flag' stop or something? Of course it's hard to see what's going on when sitting in the back of the train, but both the CL and the LSL have sometimes stopped at the Hammond, IN station. I read somewhere that the Wolverine is the only train that is officially recognized to make this stop, so my curious mind wants to know if anyone here can shed some light, thanks!!

 

[rrdude]

Is Hammond, IN a 'flag' stop or something? Of course it's hard to see what's going on when sitting in the back of the train, but both the CL and the LSL have sometimes stopped at the Hammond, IN station. I read somewhere that the Wolverine is the only train that is officially recognized to make this stop, so my curious mind wants to know if anyone here can shed some light, thanks!!

Schedules don't show it as such, but sometimes if there are pax on a train, and they are making conx to another train at the terminus, in this case Chicago, instead of "waiting" for the LSL or CL to arrive in Chicago, they may drop them at Hammond, or other locations, and then they can make their conx, without "holding" the other train...

 

[AlanB]

It's not an official stop at all for those two trains, flag or regular. But as Rrdude said, if trains are running late (be it the Michigan trains or the LSL-CAP) they'll make a stop for connecting passengers to avoid misconnecting people in Chicago.

At one time several years ago however, Hammond-Whiting used to be an official stop for the Capitol and the LSL. It was eliminated 4 or 5 years ago IIRC.

 

[rtabern]

I don't know if this is true or not... but I heard from several conductors I know on 350/351 that Hammond-Whiting was dropped as a stop from some of the Wolverine trains because Indiana refused to give Amtrak any state money to support the service... so why stop there if there isn't any state support... or why stop there n Indiana when Michigan is paying for the trains?

 

[The Metropolitan]

I don't know if this is true or not... but I heard from several conductors I know on 350/351 that Hammond-Whiting was dropped as a stop from some of the Wolverine trains because Indiana refused to give Amtrak any state money to support the service... so why stop there if there isn't any state support... or why stop there n Indiana when Michigan is paying for the trains?

This is my biggest problem with the 403(b) concept, when some states and Amtrak take it overboard.

I would think it entirely concievable that someone in Michigan might actually want to travel to Indiana. People aren't nearly as conscious of jurisdictional boundaries as the jurisdictions themselves are.

If Michigan feels that passengers in Hammond are buying tickets to Chicago, blocking out riders from Detroit from getting aboard the train to Chicago, couldn't they put a Recieve/Discharge limitation on the stop so that it weights towards the Detroit side, instead of shooting their own residents in the foot regarding where they can go?