Chuck.Weinstock@a.sei.cmu.edu (10/30/85)
Most rare mileage excursions are one or two shot deals. You can expect to wait years for another shot. Given the state of some shortlines, you may never get a chance again. A case in point is the Ann Arbor trip of a few weeks ago (from Birmingham, MI on the GTW to the end of the Ann Arbor near Frankfort.) It is expected that the Annie will be abandoning trackage west of Cadillac. Sometimes you can get rare mileage on Amtrak. A case in point is the Parker Peavine Extra which I just came back from riding. This three day trip went from LA to Flagstaff (via the route of the Southwest Chief), Flagstaff to Phoenix (on the Peavine), and Phoenix to LA via the Parker district (now subdivision.) The train was an Amtrak Superliner, and the service was first class. All travel was during the day. This trip is unlikely to be repeated in the next several years...it was quite expensive to ride and to operate. On the otherhand, over the last few years, the Sunset has been known to detour via the Parker district, and the Chief has been known to detour via the Parker district and the Peavine. Of course, this usually happens at night. (On the otherhand, once you've seen one view of the desert, it all starts looking pretty much the same.) Who else is interested in collecting rare mileage out there? Chuck Weinstock
cmoore@BRL.ARPA (VLD/VMB) (10/30/85)
The excursion I had in mind was in spring 1983 on the B&O line between Philadelphia and Baltimore, normally handling freight only. I had written to Chessie the previous year, and due to misunderstanding and/or communi- cation failure, I was never told about diesel excursions on that line (received only a form letter stating that the Safety Special--a steam train, I am not sure of the name--would not run in 1982). It turns out there was a diesel excursion run by NRHS on that line to commemorate 25th anniversary of end of passenger service there, and I didn't hear about it until I spotted the return trip from Phila. to Balt. passing thru Newark, Delaware. I am very upset about it because I grew up in Wilmington, Del. area, and VAGUELY remember since-abandoned passenger service which I am too young to have ridden on myself. (Amtrak does run passenger service on the old Penn Central mainline, running parallel to the above-mentioned B&O line.) I did get in touch with NRHS (subsequently taking an excursion from Baltimore thru DC to Cumberland, Md.), and Chessie tells me that as a courtesy they forward messages to NRHS, but nobody has come forward to tell me when I can get another excursion on that Phila.-Balt. B&O line!