Passenger Trains > The return of Sunset Limited

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is soliciting applications for $24 million in grant funding to “initiate, restore, or enhance intercity passenger rail service.”  “We’re encouraging applicants to leverage federal Restoration and Enhancement grants to support large-scale, intercity passenger rail improvements,” FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory said in a press release. Notably, the list of projects to receive funding priority in funding includes “applications that …restore service over routes formerly operated by Amtrak, including routes in the Gulf Coast region between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Orlando, Florida,” a description tailor-made for the ongoing efforts of the Southern Rail Commission to restore service on that route.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/19 17:04 by FloridaTrainGuy.

In the unlikely event a train comes back, it won't be the Sunset Ltd.

Posted from Android

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> In the unlikely event a train comes back, it won't
> be the Sunset Ltd.
>
> Posted from Android

What "large scale" restoration would you consider more viable?
 

so, what would have to occur and how much would it cost for passenger train service between new orleans and orlando besides new locomotives and passenger equipment?

1.  upgraded track structure and signal systems? 

2.  installation of ptc?

anything else?

66

 

I am not getting into an add a train contest.

Posted from Android

I think  what he means is that if a train comes back  NOL - Orlando that it would not be the "Sunset", but a seperate train.

Silver Streak.

I think a separate train out of New Orleans is best.  I might get beat up, but do not offer a guaranteed connection to the sunset limited.  Let the train depart at a decent time of the day.  And of course on-time.    

The new NOL - ORL service could be tagged with the Panama Limited name and connect to/from Chicago on the City of New Orleans.  Of course, the next logical task on the list would be to contract several MOW teams to fix the "character-building" track found in certain sectors between Chicago and NOL.

I'll be happy just see a passenger train back so that debate can be laid to rest!

Posted from Android

I'm not a Marketing person by trade but why would anyone name their service "Limited" in this day and age? 
It has the connotation of short-lived.

Perhaps  "Banana-Republic' would be a more appropriate name for that part of the the country given the humidity and climate?

Molino Wrote:
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> I'm not a Marketing person by trade but why would
> anyone name their service "Limited" in this day
> and age? 
> It has the connotation of short-lived.
>
> Perhaps  "Banana-Republic' would be a more
> appropriate name for that part of the the country
> given the humidity and climate?

Short lived?  Some of our most iconinc trains were named Limited . . . 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, Merchants Limites.  It's got a positive cachet.

By the way I live in the Banana Republic It's 73 degrees and beautiful today.  What's it like where the rest of you live?

FloridaTrainGuy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Molino Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm not a Marketing person by trade but why
> would
> > anyone name their service "Limited" in this day
> > and age? 
> > It has the connotation of short-lived.
> >
> > Perhaps  "Banana-Republic' would be a more
> > appropriate name for that part of the the
> country
> > given the humidity and climate?
>
> Short lived?  Some of our most iconinc trains
> were named Limited . . . 20th Century Limited,
> Broadway Limited, Merchants Limites.  It's got a
> positive cachet.
>
> By the way I live in the Banana Republic It's 73
> degrees and beautiful today.  What's it like
> where the rest of you live?

That's romantic and all, but I don't think those trains exist anymore. I thought the idea is to get people on a real train that will actually run.
Good point about the weather, it's 35 degrees here.    
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/19 07:31 by Molino.

Strictly speaking the "limiteds" of old mean "limited stops" compared to the more workaday trains on the route. In that sense, using the term "limited" today rings hollow.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

Call it "Hurricane Express" service!

The Gulf Wind was a name I always liked from the historical perspective of the Seaboard Air Line / L&N days.  

Just don't see this route coming back. I think a north-south route radiating from Denver/Pueblo, CO may work better.

Better inter connectivity of existing trains (Heartland Flyer tied into Southwest Chief route or direct to Kansas City) would also be more beneficial. 

just depends on the states support at this point, Colo seems to want an high speed electric line that dooms from a high in initial price I am afraid

RailThunder Wrote:
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> The Gulf Wind was a name I always liked from the
> historical perspective of the Seaboard Air Line /
> L&N days.  

To a degree, Amtrak used to have a better system of inter connectivity among their trains. The system has since been "dumbed down" for operations. But some simple combos and splits could return Amtrak to markets and cities that were long left without passenger rail service. 

- The train split at Jacksonville I think was very efficient in moving people to where they were needed among the three primary Florida trains. 
- Denver/Salt Lake City used to work well when the Pioneer, Zephyr, and Desert Wind were in operation. 
- Not sure how much an engine change in Philly is now needed - I think it would work better in Harrisburg (for trains running west of Pittsburgh); they may need a cab car, but Amtrak has been looking at ways to minimize engine changes with the next round of new generation equipment to come and replace the Amfleet
- The Gulf Breeze was another train that "split" so part of the consist went to New Orleans as the Crescent and The Gulf Breeze could serve Mobile. 
- Texas Eagle had a split that went from the Fort Worth area to Dallas.
- There was even "through service" at Pittsburgh in the late 1990s between Pennsylvanian and Capitol Limited - now made into a Herculean task to try and re-establish. 

Amtrak did much more combining and splitting of trains to cover more territory/markets/stations years ago, than what exists today, Claytor's retirement brought a curtain call to much of this.  

A bunch of automobiles sold in the USA over the years have had "limited" equipment and trim packages.
Sticking the word "limited" or "limited edition" just means you can charge more for whatever it is.