Passenger Trains > Army-Navy game 12/8, any special trains?

The football game between the Naval Academy team and the Military Academy team takes place on December 8 in Philadelphia, within sight of the Northeast Corridor.  Are there plans for any special trains to the game?  In prior years, Mr Bennett Levin and others have provided special accommodations for injured service people and others, using historic rail equipment.

Perhaps you've missed the announcements. Under the new Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson ( aka Grinch) there will no longer be ANY special charter trains operated by Amtrak. This will allow senior management to concentrate on coming up with innovative ideas like the recently introduced " enhanced " dining on the Lake Shore & Capitol Limited.

   That's the latest and greatest. Ross Rowland

co614 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps you've missed the announcements. Under the
> new Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson ( aka Grinch)
> there will no longer be ANY special charter trains
> operated by Amtrak. This will allow senior
> management to concentrate on coming up with
> innovative ideas like the recently introduced "
> enhanced " dining on the Lake Shore & Capitol
> Limited.
>
>    That's the latest and greatest. Ross Rowland

False.  My college chartered a special Amtrak train Philadelphia to New York and return operating on 12/22.

prr60 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> co614 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Perhaps you've missed the announcements. Under
> the
> > new Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson ( aka Grinch)
> > there will no longer be ANY special charter
> trains
> > operated by Amtrak. This will allow senior
> > management to concentrate on coming up with
> > innovative ideas like the recently introduced "
> > enhanced " dining on the Lake Shore & Capitol
> > Limited.
> >
> >    That's the latest and greatest. Ross
> Rowland
>
> False.  My college chartered a special Amtrak
> train Philadelphia to New York and return
> operating on 12/22.

Just my opinion but, that is NOT the same as Mr. Levin's "special" Army-Navy game train, which operated with Mr. Levin's one equipment. Thus a "special Amtrak chartered train" apparently is within the whim of the current Amtrak management.

co614 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps you've missed the announcements. Under the
> new Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson ( aka Grinch)
> there will no longer be ANY special charter trains
> operated by Amtrak. This will allow senior
> management to concentrate on coming up with
> innovative ideas like the recently introduced "
> enhanced " dining on the Lake Shore & Capitol
> Limited.
>
>    That's the latest and greatest. Ross Rowland

Apparently if you have the correct political connections, an Amtrak Special Train can be arranged.  For the average ordinary people like you and me Ross, then the answer is NO.  In speaking with a person who works for a congressman in D.C., there are exceptions to what Grinch Anderson has stated, and all I can say is Bah Humbug to Anderson.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Ross this is a funny rebutal.

But got me wondering - Will there be a NJ Chamber of Commerce Special train?  That is a yearly event and it ususally was 18 cars fulll of NJ muckity mucks.

amtrakbill Wrote:

> But got me wondering - Will there be a NJ Chamber
> of Commerce Special train?  That is a yearly
> event and it ususally was 18 cars fulll of NJ
> muckity mucks.

According to the NJ Chamber Of Commerce's website, it is running again in 2019.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/18 16:55 by bioyans.

bioyans Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> amtrakbill Wrote:
>
> > But got me wondering - Will there be a NJ
> Chamber
> > of Commerce Special train?  That is a yearly
> > event and it ususally was 18 cars fulll of NJ
> > muckity mucks.
>
> According to the NJ Chamber Of Commerce's website,
> it is.
>
> Posted from Android

Originates at a regular Amtrak terminal, and carries a lot of important people. How they find two motors and 18 cars is another question.

My question was stirred by a vintage picture of a dozen GG1 motors at Soldier Field in Philly.

One of the vintage pictures of GG-1's at the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia was the PRR calendar painting by Grif Teller.  The venue, in those days, was called Philadelphia Municipal Stadium and renamed JFK Stadium after his assassination.  It has since been torn down.  It had a capacity of 100,000 viewers and besides being somewhat convenient to the Naval Academy and West Point, had the advantage of trains arriving across the street from the stadium on multiple tracks and passengers only had a short walk to see the game.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bioyans Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > amtrakbill Wrote:
> >
> > > But got me wondering - Will there be a NJ
> > Chamber
> > > of Commerce Special train?  That is a yearly
> > > event and it ususally was 18 cars fulll of NJ
> > > muckity mucks.
> >
> > According to the NJ Chamber Of Commerce's
> website,
> > it is.
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> Originates at a regular Amtrak terminal, and
> carries a lot of important people. How they find
> two motors and 18 cars is another question.
>
> My question was stirred by a vintage picture of a
> dozen GG1 motors at Soldier Field in Philly.

Soldier Field in in Chicago. The old stadium in Philadelphia that hosted the Army-Navy game was originally called Municipal Stadium and later JFK Stadium. That stadium was closed in 1989 and demolished in 1992.  The old JFK site is now occuped by the Wells Fargo Center (76ers and Flyers)  Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles), where the game is played now, is next to former site of JFK Stadium.  

The NEC does not pass anywhere near the stadium area. In the PRR days, the stadium was served off a freight branch accessed off what is now the NEC.  I attended the 1962 game and took a PRR train from North Philly, over the High Line next to 30th Street, down the 25th Street viaduct and to the stadium.  That freight branch is now CSX and is not electrified.  Getting a train from the NEC to the stadium area today is not particularly easy, from a logistics standpoint. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/18 18:25 by prr60.

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> prr60 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> >
> > False.  My college chartered a special Amtrak
> > train Philadelphia to New York and return
> > operating on 12/22.
>
> Just my opinion but, that is NOT the same as Mr.
> Levin's "special" Army-Navy game train, which
> operated with Mr. Levin's one equipment. Thus a
> "special Amtrak chartered train" apparently is
> within the whim of the current Amtrak management.

Amtrak has also operated chartered trains with its own locomotives and passenger cars without any equipment supplied by Mr. Levin.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/18 20:21 by RuleG.