Nostalgia & History > Amtrak Lake Shore Ltd - the mixed train

From approximately 1997 to 2004, Amtrak expanded its Express business with the addition of Material Handling Cars (ie, boxcars on high speed trucks) and Roadrailers to many of its passenger trains. The Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited generally featured 2 locomotives to pull 10 +/- cars over the B&A route. 

In the photo collage , 449 is stopped at Framingham led by a fairly new P42DC and one of 3 F40s that had been leased for the short-lived Florida Fun Train (1997-1998). Trailing the 2 locomotives this day are about 12 cars, including 6 MHCs)

In photo 2, on another day, a Roadrailer of US Mail is added to the marker of 449 at Springfield.

The NY section of the Lake Shore, 48 & 49, didn't handle express/roadrailers as far as I recall, so on these lengthy combined NY/BOS consists west of Albany/Rensselaer, all express cars were to/from the Boston section. Photo 3 shows wb 17 car #48 at Scotia on July 17, 2004 heading to the CSX Selkirk Branch connection at Hoffmans with a baggage car, 2 MHCs and 2 Roadrailers. The end is near for Amtrak's mixed train offerings.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/24 03:19 by JPB.

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Wow, over 20 years ago. Hard for me to believe that the mail & express handling business pursued by Amtrak could not be sustained along with passenger service.  I guess the costs out weighed the revenue.  

Was the Lake Shore frequently and significantly delayed due to mail & express handling business?
 

Hou74-76 Wrote:
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> Wow, over 20 years ago. Hard for me to believe
> that the mail & express handling business pursued
> by Amtrak could not be sustained along with
> passenger service.  I guess the costs out weighed
> the revenue.  
>
> Was the Lake Shore frequently and significantly
> delayed due to mail & express handling business?
>

A little grousing by the freight railroads didn't help.....not that any current railroad wants to deal with less than carload...but the idea is it's their business to accept or reject.  

David gun thought it was a distraction rush to implementation perhaps if it grew more gradually it would've been smoother

The real ultimate Amtrak mixed train was the Three Rivers.   It handled everything between Chicago and New York.  Boxes up front, passengers in the middle (usually no more than 4 cars, sleeper, diner,/lounge, two coaches, maybe a baggage) and then a slew of roadrailers.   
Took it once from Pittsburgh to Chicago and return across the Ohio route.   REALLY got delayed getting out of Chicago on the return trip, the passenger consist got out of Union on time, then spent another 45 minutes making up the train just east of there tacking on all the boxcars and roadrailers.   Then got held up more on the ex-B&O main just west of Willard for many hours.    
Interesting, never to be repeated trip.
Coincidence or not, this was an Ed Ellis baby and when it went down (agreed that it certainly incurred the wrath of the freight carriers), he left Amtrak..... 

I know it's a dead issue nowadays, but I see the wrath of the railroad's objections to Amtrak mail and express as a way to undermine Amtrak as opposed to protecting any of their markets.  It's that sort of hostility towards Amtrak that makes our passenger trains so few and far between.  Maybe the express scheme was economically inefficient, maybe Amtrak could have negotiated with the railways better. But claiming that Amtrak express was moving into railway markets was specious in my sole opinion and belief. But a dead issue now.

thanks for the clarifications and insights.

In the Fall of 2001, I traveled from South Bend to Boston on the Lake Shore.  We had a couple of dozen MHCs, boxcars, and roadrailers on the rear into Albany-Rensselaer.  As the train stopped outside the station for the M&E cars to be cut off, the conductor announced on the PA that the Lake Shore was the longest train operated by Amtrak, with the exception of the Auto-Train.

Dave