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Nostalgia & History > Pan American Railway CongressDate: 02/04/25 14:46 Pan American Railway Congress Author: Pete4501 The AAR hosted the Pan American Railway Congress in 1984, which was held in Washington, D.C. The Congress is an association of railways in North, Central, and South America that promotes railway development and improvement of railway technology and operations. I was part of the Research & Test Department in the AAR and was involved with planning and execution of the event. In addition to the many presentations given, there was a trade show for vendors to show their wares to the many parfticipants. And, we organized a all-day train ride to Harpers Ferry WV and luncheon on the depot grounds. I was asked to make the arrangements with Amtrak. So, I asked for a pair of F-40's back to back, clean and shiny, and a matching set of coaches and two snack cars. I even used my AAR American Express card to pay for it: $10,000. Sadly the reciept is long gone, but it was certainly memorable. I also asked that no special cars be included in the consist; I wanted it to be egalitarian. At the last minute I learned that Ross Rowland, then an Amtrak Director, was planning to have his private car attached to the rear end. Anyway, the delegates boarded at Union Station and off we went to Harpers Ferry. The train was to be turned at Martinsburg and the Chessie System offered a tour of their twin roundhouses to anyone interested. I stayed with the train and a few of us walked through the ancient structures. I have only a couple of decent photos of the interiors that I'lll post later. The trip back to DC was quiet as I recall; everyone had plenty to eat and were pretty tired. And, no, I didn't venture back to the private car.
![]() ![]() Date: 02/04/25 16:09 Re: Pan American Railway Congress Author: refarkas Two first-rate glimpses into Amtrak's past.
Bob |