Amtrak’s westbound Lake Shore Limited had a lot of time to make up when it departed Waterloo, Indiana, on Oct. 8 more than five hours late.
The delay had largely occurred the night before due to a storm near Albany, New York, that left tree limbs on the rails.
The Norfolk Southern dispatcher brought No. 49 into the station on Track No. 2 of the Chicago Line, but crossed it over to Track 1 just west of the station platform.
The image was made shortly before the LSL shifted from daily to tri-weekly operation but it had already begun operating with a reduced consist.
Glenview, Illinois, is the first stop for Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder.
Depending on which timetable you want to believe, it is either 17 miles (the Empire Builder timetable) or 18 miles (Hiawatha Service timetable) out of Chicago Union Station.
No. 7 is allocated 24 minutes to travel from Union Station to Glenview.
In the photo above, No. 7 has completed its station work in Glenview and is underway toward its next stop in Milwaukee.
This photograph was made in May 1997 when Nos. 7 and 8 carried some head end revenue on the rear.
Sacramento is a major stop on the route of Amtrak’s California Zephyr. Judging by the load of checked luggage being loaded into the baggage car of No. 6, many of those boarding there are planning to travel a long distance.
In the top photograph, one carload of bags have already been loaded with another in the process of being put aboard.
In the bottom photograph an Amtrak crew member checks to see if any late arriving bags are on their way.
It is a Saturday in June 1979 and just for the fun of it I bought a round-trip ticket to ride Nos. 391 and 392 between Mattoon and Carbondale, Illinois.
Carbondale was the southern terminus for Amtrak’s Shawnee.
I’ve just disembarked from No. 391 in Carbondale. An Illinois Central Gulf locomotive will attach to the rear of the Amtrak train and pull it north to turn on a wye in preparation for its return to Chicago at 4 p.m.
In retrospect I wish I had made this photograph on the other side of the grade crossing.
But then again I can appreciate now the view of the wooden arms that railroads once used on crossing gates and how they were painted black and white. Note that this set of crossing arms is partly painted red and white.
Also note in the photograph a passing northbound ICG freight train and the approaching ICG locomotive that will attach to the rear of No. 391.
Also on this day the Shawnee had a baggage car, which it typically did not except during peak travel periods.
An Amtrak station agent loads baggage onto the baggage car of Train No. 353, then named the Lake Cities.
At the time some trains in the Chicago-Detroit corridor offered checked baggage service, but that has since ended.
No. 353 still runs but is now named Wolverine Service and no longer originates in Toledo, Ohio, as it once did.
At one time the Lake Cities ran between Chicago and Toledo, offering connections at the latter to and from Michigan points with the Lake Shore Limited.
Amtrak has added a baggage car and checked luggage service to the New York-Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian.
The service, which began on Oct. 1, provides checked luggage service at Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Altoona, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Newark and New York.
The baggage car also has space to carry up to six bicycles, which can be checked for a $20 fee to any of the aforementioned stations.
Checking of bikes and luggage is only available at stations that still have a station agent.
An online reported indicated that the baggage car was added at the insistence of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which helps to fund the Pennsylvanian.
It wasn’t until I was processing this photograph after downloading it from my camera that I discovered that I had captured three generations of Amtrak liveries on the baggage cars on the rear of the northbound Saluki at Pesotum, Illinois.
Those baggage cars are not carrying anything, but are riding along to meet a host railroad-mandated minimum axle count to ensure that grade crossing circuits are properly tripped as a train approaches.
At first glance this might appear to be another run of the mill image of an Amtrak train.
It’s the southbound Saluki rushing through Pesotum, Illinois, on its daily trek from Chicago to Carbondale, Illinois.
But take another look at that intermediate signal. It is displaying two indications simultaneously of clear and stop.
I probably could not have planned this image if I had tried. I just happened to catch the signal head as it was transitioning from one signal indication to another and, apparently, green comes on a millisecond or two before the red goes out.
Those baggage cars, by the way, are not carrying anything. They are on the train to meet a Canadian National mandated minimum axle count.
Amtrak in the Heartland 