New Gulf Coast service (New Orleans - Mobile and Baton Rouge)

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The biggest hurdle for BTR service is the replacement of the KCS spillway trestle which is only 10mph for freights. Otherwise the line is in good shape. It only sees two trains daily in each direction between NOL
and BTR, a local and a thru train to Shreveport. A few times a week there’s also a local between NOL and Reserve, LA.
 
The biggest hurdle for BTR service is the replacement of the KCS spillway trestle which is only 10mph for freights. Otherwise the line is in good shape. It only sees two trains daily in each direction between NOL
and BTR,
Is this bridge similar to the bridge that CN ( ICRR ) replaced nearby ? The CN bridge at times caused Amtrak's CNO canceled due to bad conditions under their bridge.
 
Is this bridge similar to the bridge that CN ( ICRR ) replaced nearby ? The CN bridge at times caused Amtrak's CNO canceled due to bad conditions under their bridge.
It’s a two mile or so long wooden trestle. Pretty similar I’d say in appearance to the old CN bridge. The KCS one parallels US-61, and is located in the spillway itself.
 
I believe KCS is willing to partial pay for the replacement what I don't know is what speed and how many tracks they'd replace it with
Don't know about speed, but the replacement is one track. The trestle as far as I can tell has always been one track.
 
Testing begins at Mobile. Does the proposed schedules mean that the T&E crews will be based in Mobile. I ask the quetion as
Crescent crews are Meridian, CNO are jackson, Sunset west of NOL.
 
Testing begins at Mobile. Does the proposed schedules mean that the T&E crews will be based in Mobile. I ask the quetion as
Crescent crews are Meridian, CNO are jackson, Sunset west of NOL.
Strange that they don’t maintain a T&E crew base in New Orleans. They could qualify crews on all routes to have greater flexibility. And it would probably be cheaper to house the crews at the smaller layover stations than the New Orleans hotels. Not to mention maybe less crew base administrative personnel needed. And if they ever extend beyond Mobile toward either Montgomery or Florida, they wouldn’t have to add another base.
 
This "revival" needs a name and I would love to see the L & N name "Humming Bird" on this run. Historical and relevant but who knows. Also, maybe I'm dreaming but a connection from Mobile to Birmingham to the "Crescent", too.

I agree, but "Gulf Breeze" is another good choice.
Historically, Amtrak called its New Orleans to Mobile train, the “Gulf Coast Limited”.
And their “Gulf Breeze” was a Mobile to Birmingham train, with thru cars joining the Crescent to New York.
 
This "revival" needs a name and I would love to see the L & N name "Humming Bird" on this run. Historical and relevant but who knows. Also, maybe I'm dreaming but a connection from Mobile to Birmingham to the "Crescent", too.
As I recall, the NOL to Mobile section was a very small part of the Humming Bird. The entire route was New Orleans to Chicago.
 
As I recall, the NOL to Mobile section was a very small part of the Humming Bird. The entire route was New Orleans to Chicago.
The Humingbird was a Cincinnati to New Orleans Train with a branch from Bowling Green to Memphis. It carried through Pullmans from Chicago to New Orleans. I rode the bird many times in the late 60s until it was abruptly terminated in Birmingham.
 
I agree, but "Gulf Breeze" is another good choice.
And of course L&N’s Gulf Wind followed the gulf through Mobile and Pensacola and on to JAX.

I do hope they at least have a thruway connection from Mobile to Birmingham via Montgomery (state capital). Would provide a significant increase in connectivity for that area.
 
The Humingbird was a Cincinnati to New Orleans Train with a branch from Bowling Green to Memphis. It carried through Pullmans from Chicago to New Orleans. I rode the bird many times in the late 60s until it was abruptly terminated in Birmingham.
Wasn't this the route that the L&N cancelled literally mid-run the moment they got approval to nix it with passengers transferred to bus midway through their trip? Possibly not the pinnacle of customer service from the old Railroads :)
 
As I recall, the NOL to Mobile section was a very small part of the Humming Bird. The entire route was New Orleans to Chicago.
You are correct: it was a small part of the route. The Hummingbird was a New Orleans to Cincinnati train. The Georgian was a Chicago to Atlanta train. The two exchanged sleepers in Nashville late at night. But, since it was impossible to beat IC’s Panama Ltd., the sleepers from Chicago only went to Mobile and Montgomery.

It was quite a switching performance in Nashville that I witnessed one time. One switcher on the head end swapped baggage cars while one on the rear exchanges sleepers.
Wasn't this the route that the L&N cancelled literally mid-run the moment they got approval to nix it with passengers transferred to bus midway through their trip?
Sad but true. Although I think the Southern was more notorious for its tactic to cut trains back to the state line to avoid I.C.C. Involvement.
 
I have a dream of a new Hummingbird from Pittsburgh to Memphis through Cincinnati and Nashville. Probably the most daft train imaginable :)
The direct Bowling Green to Memphis line has significant portions abandoned, so the train would have to go through Nashville. And to add insult to injury, the route from Nashville to Memphis via Jackson TN is no more, either. The possible route would be Nashville to McKenzie on the original NC&StL then the original L&N thence to Memphis. This route manages to miss all intermediate points with any significant population on either of these previous through routes. All parts west of Bruceton TN are unsignaled. (The Bowling Green to Memphis line never had signals. The Nashville to Memphis route had CTC throughout, up until sometime after the NC's takeover by the L&N.)
 
The Humingbird was a Cincinnati to New Orleans Train with a branch from Bowling Green to Memphis. It carried through Pullmans from Chicago to New Orleans. I rode the bird many times in the late 60s until it was abruptly terminated in Birmingham.
Thanks. That explains how my family boarded the Humming Bird in Flomaton and changed trains the next day in Chicago. I was no older than 10 the last time we took this route, so the details are fuzzy.
 
What ADA platform / acessible provisions ?
Most likely hand cranked Wheelchair lifts like is used almost at every low floor platform station served by standard height floor.

The platforms themselves are ADA accessible since anything else would be illegal in this day and age.
 
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