Joseph Boardman next CEO of Amtrak

[Joel N. Weber II]

Does electrifying the WAS to Richmond tracks make sense?

Also, is Joseph Boardman likely to make any changes to the SDS program?

 

[AlanB]

Does electrifying the WAS to Richmond tracks make sense?

Possibly, yes. It would certainly make Regional trains faster and would eliminate the engine change in DC, except for trains that run to Newport News.

Also, is Joseph Boardman likely to make any changes to the SDS program?

Unlikely, unless he's somehow able to convince Congress to remove the nonsensical funding provision that requires Amtrak to cut its food service losses.

Even then frankly, after what I experienced on my last trip to LA for the Gathering, I'd almost be loath to loose the food quality that Amtrak has now achieved. It's the most consistant and decent food that I've seen on Amtrak in years.

I'd love to see other parts of SDS undone, like the cuts in staffing, a return to cloth tablecloths, and a return to glass plates and cups.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Does electrifying the WAS to Richmond tracks make sense?

Possibly, yes. It would certainly make Regional trains faster and would eliminate the engine change in DC, except for trains that run to Newport News.

I just compared this idea to the timetable. Southbound it would eliminate engine changes on the Saturday and Sunday only train 195, the Monday through Thursday 93, the Monday through Friday 85, and the Sunday 87. That's less than two southbound trains a day that would be spared engine changes. I assume the northbound numbers would be similar.

Also, is Joseph Boardman likely to make any changes to the SDS program?

Unlikely, unless he's somehow able to convince Congress to remove the nonsensical funding provision that requires Amtrak to cut its food service losses.

Even then frankly, after what I experienced on my last trip to LA for the Gathering, I'd almost be loath to loose the food quality that Amtrak has now achieved. It's the most consistant and decent food that I've seen on Amtrak in years.

I'd love to see other parts of SDS undone, like the cuts in staffing, a return to cloth tablecloths, and a return to glass plates and cups.

Did Congress require Amtrak to cut expenses, or to cut expenses minus revenue? Or is it ambiguous in a way that might give Amtrak's CEO the opportunity to decide which of those things it means?

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

I know CSXT all too well, and they are not very easily persuaded to do anything they do not want to do. Electric ops is definately not something they want any part of.
Electric traction is too restrictive for a large freight railroad. Unless every mile of every line is under wire, the need to change power offsets whatever advantage there is to electric (which is not much anyway). Add to that the fact that electric energy is not cheap, and the system is extraordinarily expensive to operate and maintain, and you have a losing proposition. Conrail found that out quickly. They abandoned all of the catenary system they inherited from the Penn Central within a couple of years of formation. Even the Pennsylvania Railroad, the champions of electric power, never expanded their system after the 1930's build.

Believe me, no one would be more thrilled to have more electric traction than me. It is kind of my line of work. But, from a practical perspective, it only works for passenger, and only for high density operations. The money spent to electrify long distance, low density freight lines with a couple of pax trains a day, would be much better spent on high-tech locomotives and new cars.

If Obama is really committed to mid-east oil independence as was promised during at least one of the debates, do you have a concrete proposal that will accomplish mid-east oil independence using means that are more efficient than electrifying enough track miles to eliminate at least 90% of railroad diesel use? I don't think eliminating petroleum use by railroads is going to be sufficient by itself, but it offers an option that requires relatively little changing of people's habits while using well understood and proven technology.

 

[AlanB]

Did Congress require Amtrak to cut expenses, or to cut expenses minus revenue? Or is it ambiguous in a way that might give Amtrak's CEO the opportunity to decide which of those things it means?

While I certainly wouldn't want swear to the exact verbiage, my understanding is that Amtrak was ordered to cut the $100M loss caused by food services. I don't believe that any further directive was given with regard to how to do that, or with any conditions, or any restrictions.

 

[gaspeamtrak]

Am I hallucinating, or do a high percentage of the AU threads quickly get off topic, often into discussions that only AMNerds can appreciate.
NOTE: I'm not putting AMNerds down; only suggesting that if the pros and cons of right vs. left hand knuckles on pre-1925 baggage-diners is your thing, start your own thread. Don't insert it into a thread discussing the new Amtrak president.

Right on!!! stick with the topic!!!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

As far as I know, there were no pre-1925 baggage-diners. Baggage-Buffets, maybe. But diners? Nah.

 

[PaulM]

As far as I know, there were no pre-1925 baggage-diners. Baggage-Buffets, maybe. But diners? Nah.

touche

 

[BLOND37]

i hate to say it but all aboardman.. get it? LOL

 

[WhoozOn1st]

That's something that we permit here, the ability for topics to wander where they may generally. Occasionally we'll split a topic off if it really goes off on a major tangent, but most times we just let things go where they will.
It's something that the majority of our members seem to support, so we continue to allow it.

That's why I like Amtrak Unlimited. Freedom to speak. Always with Amtrak in mind, but that involves many ancillary topics. I've seen forums where you can't post unless you preface everything with "Mein Fuhrer."

 

[Ryan]

That's something that we permit here, the ability for topics to wander where they may generally. Occasionally we'll split a topic off if it really goes off on a major tangent, but most times we just let things go where they will.
It's something that the majority of our members seem to support, so we continue to allow it.

That's why I like Amtrak Unlimited. Freedom to speak. Always with Amtrak in mind, but that involves many ancillary topics. I've seen forums where you can't post unless you preface everything with "Mein Fuhrer."

Amen. Heavy Handed moderation sucks and drives off posters. Freedom to actually have a conversation is awesome.

 

[VT Hokie]

http://www.nationalcorridors.org/df/df09272004.shtml#New

“Somebody stole my trains, and I want them back,” fumed Boardman. “These are our trains. We paid for them, we have title.”

 

Boardman went a step further, suggesting it was time to start looking at other options for providing passenger rail service within New York. He even put in a call to Amtrak CEO David Gunn on Wednesday to vent.

 

“We own these trains. We want them back,” Boardman said. “David Gunn can’t steal them and put them in mothballs.”

So, now that Boardman's in charge, will he give the Turboliners back to New York?

Amen. Heavy Handed moderation sucks and drives off posters. Freedom to actually have a conversation is awesome.

I agree!

 

[AlanB]

So, now that Boardman's in charge, will he give the Turboliners back to New York?

He can't, it was a court approved settlement.

Now that said, since I don't believe that they've been sold yet, he probably could sell them to NY State for a very cheap price.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

So, now that Boardman's in charge, will he give the Turboliners back to New York?

He can't, it was a court approved settlement.

Now that said, since I don't believe that they've been sold yet, he probably could sell them to NY State for a very cheap price.

But I've been saving up for one!

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

As far as I know, there were no pre-1925 baggage-diners. Baggage-Buffets, maybe. But diners? Nah.

So which railroads had post-1925 baggage-diners?

 

[wayman]

As far as I know, there were no pre-1925 baggage-diners. Baggage-Buffets, maybe. But diners? Nah.

So which railroads had post-1925 baggage-diners?

I can actually answer this one, seriously: the West Chester Railroad! They turned a PRR B60 baggage into a buffet diner and bookstore car. Though... now that I look into this, I see that "Ex-PRR B60 Baggage car #9275 was built in the 1920s" and as I said, it's more of a buffet than a sit-down diner, so ... there's a chance that it's actually the prototypical pre-1925 baggage-buffet.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

As far as I know, there were no pre-1925 baggage-diners. Baggage-Buffets, maybe. But diners? Nah.

So which railroads had post-1925 baggage-diners?

A diner has a full kitchen and a seating area. There are baggage-kitchen cars, and baggage-table cars, and baggage-buffets. I've even seen a sleeper-diner. But I have never seen a baggage-diner.

 

[Rafi]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted an interesting opinion article on Joe Boardman today. Here's some of the more juicy content:

Mr. Boardman sees an electrified American rail system, both for passengers and freight. The passenger side is well-established in the Northeast, and he'd like Amtrak to move south from Washington, D.C., and eventually electrify an East Coast line from Maine to Miami.
Next up would be the routes from Chicago to Washington and New York.

Rafi