Passenger train idea ... Ooooh noooo

Thu Jun 16 07:31:13 EDT 2016

The first thing you need to do if you are want a train to go past Roanoke, is to get Tenn. to come up with money to help VA with the cost of going on west.There are several other things involved but from what I have heard the key problem is MONEY from Tenn. if it gets nearer to helping them.

William Bartley
wvtrainday at aol.com

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Subject: Passenger train idea ... Ooooh noooo

I know … that crazy Bob is at it again … he thinks he's got another one of his slambang, can't-miss ideas … anyway, hold onto your hats, here he goes.

OK ... at this point this simply is an idea. You can rip it up and down and throw it out with the morning garbage. You can make corrections to all my errors and chuckle all the way to Bristol. But -- fresh idea or ancient news -- I'm going to throw this idea at you, anyway.

But first ... any and all train departure and arrival times I've listed in my suggestion are simply guesses because I don't know the actual predicted times for this upcoming train.

Here goes ...

I understand that the Lynchburg Amtrak back-and-forth to New York train has been quite successful. In the great state of Virginny we have this sharing concept and I understand that at some point within a year or two we may extend Lynchburg's successful train to Roanoke. OK so far?

Let's say the train times are as follows: Depart Roanoke eastbound at 5 AM and depart Lynchburg northbound at 6 AM. Amtrak may insist on some different times, but these are my round-number markers just for this discussion.

I like this idea of including Roanoke passengers on the Lynchburg train, and I think a lot of them would be interested in sleeping a good part of the way to New York. 

How's about one of those Pullman sleepers? Wha-chu think? More importantly, what does Amtrak think?

I am a good train sleeper and I don't need a bed. On the other hand, some of the Roanoke pax and maybe some of the Lynchburg pax would like a bed. Regardless, I don't think Amtrak gives one twit whether the paying folks arrive in New York well rested or not.

I get the feeling, right off the bat, that we can kiss that sleeper idea goodbye and so long. Right? Or, do you think there would be enough Roanoke demand for a sleeper?

In any case, with my new flash-in-the-pan idea, we won't need a separate sleeper ... just for Roanoke, that is.

Well, let us try this. [Here's where I go off the deep end,]

My experiences researching and creating videos about the Clinchfield Railroad 25 years ago taught me a lot about Kingsport and Johnson City, Tennessee. Both of those towns produce a lot of business and likely have business persons who also have need to occasionally be traveling to New York City. Between those two towns and Roanoke we've got Bristol and three or four other possible stops to pick up people who just want to get to New York City ... TODAY!

Get out your spitballs… Here comes the Coup d'état. 

How's about if we twist Amtrak's arm just about to the point of submission, do you think we could get them to park one of those fancy sleepers at the downtown Bristol train station every evening? Bristol would be the starting point for the train that would go to Roanoke to Lynchburg to Washington and to New York.

I believe that the towns of Johnson City and Kingsport, not to mention Bristol, would supply the healthy number of passengers it would take to make this train financially possible. Other stops along the way would help, but these two cities would play the key role.

As I see it, the Amtrak train that overnights in Roanoke would have time (that is, if the NY-Roanoke train is on or nearly on time) to make the round-trip to Bristol and, other than a sleeper and an extra coach, the Amtrak train and it's timing east of Roanoke would be virtually the same.

A major short coming here is that I don't know when the train gets to Lynchburg. I'm guessing it's about 8 PM, if on time! If that's the case, then I don't think the train will get to Bristol before midnight. Is that right?

I'd prefer to depart our train either from Johnson City or Kingsport (NS lines from both cities join up at or before Bristol), but for now, Bristol clearly makes it a lot simpler. So, I'll leave it at that ... for now.

Let's say Amtrak runs this train that I've been talking about, and every night at 1 AM there's a sleeper at the Bristol station on which passengers for anywhere northbound can board and go right to bed or watch TV on a personal computer linked to the station's Wi-Fi. Then, at about 2 AM, this train would depart for Roanoke, and any appropriate intermediate stops, and arrive in Roanoke about 5 AM. Is that pushing it?

Am I close at all on my times? Right off the bat, for this train to work it would need to run nearly perfectly on time every day. Phat chance! 

Hey .... What gives… I'm killing my own idea.

I suppose this train would have to run very much on time to be able to get back to Bristol, turn around, clean the train, and have her ready for the one o'clock sleeper passengers. Passengers for either the sleeper cars or the regular coach cars could arrive anytime between midnight and the departure time of roughly 2 AM. 

Maybe the departure time out of Bristol would be moved up to 2:30 AM and maybe the passengers would not be allowed to board until 2 AM (or whenever the southbound Amtrak arrives). As I've said, I'm not aware of exactly of the times and all that would have to be massaged to make it work, but I think you get the general idea of what I'm talking about.

I would propose that any passenger boarding between Bristol and Washington could reserve a sleeper compartment and the ticket price would be the same no matter where you boarded. 

The reason I propose the ticket price for the sleeper to be the same no matter what distance you will travel is because with normal per mile pricing a Lynchburg customer could get the sleeper at a much reduced price and a Bristol customer who would pay full fare might be excluded on some trips. My sleeper ticket suggestion would give an advantage to the passengers who travel the furthest and for Amtrak every sleeper ticket would bring in the same value. The return process would be the same. Also, if a Northbound Bristol passenger got off the train in Lynchburg, the conductor could make it known that a sleeper compartment to New York was available (or, it could be pre sold via Amtrak's computers).

I am not familiar with the track layout at Bristol and I do not know how easy or difficult it will be to turn the train that I propose. I am hoping that the southbound train would be able to stop in the Bristol station and unload; board the train cleaners and travel to a wye or turn around facility; and then return to the station ready to board the northbound passengers.

I can see that if there was a serious delay with the southbound train that the Bristol passengers might need to be bused to a northerly facility to be named later (maybe Roanoke), where it would meet the tardy southbound train; unload the northbound passengers; then load the southbound passengers heading to Bristol, and then deliver those passengers to the Bristol station. For the northbound bussed passengers who had purchased a sleeper ticket, the ticket price would need to be revised to represent the shorter distance the passenger would be able to ride in the sleeper car that day.

I am guessing that Abingdon, Pulaski and Marion would be possible intermediate stops between Bristol and Roanoke. I'm sure, however, you all would have other favorite places the train should pull over and pick up or drop off passengers. 

It is my guess that a single sleeper car northbound from Bristol would sell out on every one of those trains.

It makes me wonder if those early-morning Norfolk departures for New York also would benefit by running a sleeper car. Or, do they already have sleepers?

OK … Get out your machetes, slip on your ass-kicking storm trooper boots and let the fur fly.

I suppose other brilliant minds have had the same or similar idea as that which I ran past you. I haven't seen such an idea and so that's why I'm posting my thoughts here now. In the longer-term, I can see this train departing in the afternoon from Knoxville and even earlier from Nashville. Obviously, that would call for a third train set.

It is after midnight and I'm heading for my own deluxe sleeper compartment as I sign off with an old-fashioned N&W sayonara ... The best .... Bob

Bob Loehne
7028 Tallent Court
Sherrills Ford, NC 28673
980-613-9046
800-611-1218
oezbob at aol.com

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