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Index to recent news postings Rail Travel News is a twice-monthly print publication, published since
Dec 10, 1970.
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Tomorrow Amtrak reaches the 33rd anniversary of its operation. Let's look back 30 years to spring of 1974, an interesting year for train watchers, and see what Amtrak was planning for its patrons. (In 1974, the first energy crisis/oil shortage was on and Amtrak was seeing an upswelling of patronage that it was not prepared to handle well. Roger Lewis, the company's first president, was still in office, but some major voices were calling for his removal in favor of someone who did not believe that the real role of Amtrak was to phase out the passenger train in the US.) The following is taken from spring 1974 issues
of Rail Travel News (then called Rail Travel Newsletter):
Amtrak's summer timetable will be out effective May 19. At that time, a new train, the EXPO 74, will begin running Seattle-Spokane to service the Spokane Expo 74, the service continued through Sep 14. NORTH COAST HIAWATHA changes from tri-weekly to daily and the EMPIRE BUILDER will have its Minneapolis-Seattle schedule lengthened. Other schedule lengthening will occur on the SAN FRANCISCO ZEPHYR, PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL, and ILLINOIS ZEPHYR. The MONTREALER has some time adjustment. Baggage checking is now available on the SAN JOAQUIN. The SUPER CHIEF is to be renamed the SOUTHWEST LIMITED, and the TEXAS CHIEF becomes the LONE STAR. Food service has been restored on two Chicago-Milwaukee trains--#322 and 325 now have buffet cars, after passenger complaints. The other Hiawatha Service trains carry no food. Scheduled COAST STARLIGHT consist is 8 or 9 coaches, 8100-series snack car, TV-equipped lounge, diner, and 3 sleepers (A 10-5, 10-6 and 8-2). The EMPIRE BUILDER is to carry 5 sleepers for expected heavy traffic to Expo 74, including the ex-NP lounge sleepers. The NORTH COAST HIAWATHA should have 4 sleepers. The GEORGE WASHINGTON/JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY is to be re-routed onto C&O between Chicago and Cincinnati. The ILLINOIS ZEPHYR (Chicago to Quincy) now has its ex-CNW bi-level equipment back, as of April 12--it had been running recently with several dome coaches plus the dome-observation car "Linoma" leased from Autoliner Corporation. Hiawatha Service is now using unrefurbished Milwaukee Road cars. Look for a number of leased Canadian Pacific cars on Amtrak trains this summer--perhaps as many as 120 to help alleviate the equipment shortage. (This suggests also a potential shortage on Canadian trains.) The EMPIRE BUILDER will carry no local passengers Chicago- Milwaukee (presently the BUILDER has normally standing room only out of Milwaukee). An extra SAN DIEGAN is to be added on Friday and Sunday, as last summer. The non-Amtrak Rio Grande has new times now effective on its RIO GRANDE ZEPHYR, as listed in Amtrak's April 10 timetable. The westbound train leaves Denver 7am and arrives Salt Lake 9pm, both times 30 minutes earlier, for better connections with Amtrak's SAN FRANCISCO ZEPHYR. The new Midwest AUTO-TRAIN makes it first run Louisville-Sanford, FL 5:30pm May 24, and every third day thereafter.
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