Cardinal discussion

I've found on business trips that some - only some - cab or car companies are willing to take advance reservations and will check train status, much as they do for airport pickups. Worth asking.

For some days recently, the Cardinal terminated in Huntington, WV on account of the snow in the Mid-Atlantic region. Does anyone know where the train was turned? On Google Maps, I see a wye on the northside of the CSX mainline, a bit east of the Amtrak station, but to my unlearned eye, it looks like it would be tricky to access it from the Amtrak station.

Another option may be to check with your hotel. They may offer a shuttle service.

I guess they also might not have turned it, but it could have headed out double headed, and a runaround move done at Huntingdon with the coach seats rotated around with the consist operated in reverse. Just a possibility.

Problem solved. My college roommate is a doctor in town and gets up about that time for work. What a guy.

There's an interlocked wye about 5 miles down the line.

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=38.410171 ... =0&m=s&v=9

Jersey_Mike wrote:There's an interlocked wye about 5 miles down the line.

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=38.410171 ... =0&m=s&v=9

Thanks. What a lovely wye! I had not followed the tracks that far east.

When the Cardinal was a daily affair was there also a Hoosier State? Or did that train just come about when the Cardinal went to 3 days\week?

Thanks!

I remember seeing schedules at one point where the Hoosier State operated seperately from the Cardinal - the Hoosier State being a daily train. I think this may have been when the Cardinal and Hoosier State had differing routes at one point? Not sure, but the Hoosier State and Cardinal should operate as two seperate trains in my opinion, so as to adjust the Cardinal's schedule to try and get descent calling hours at Cincy! The Cardinal's current consist is another story to contend with. The Viewliner sells out rather quickly, but Amtrak seems determined to not add a second Viewliner to this train's consist. With the crew occupying part of the Viewliner, it also brings into question if the sleeper car attendant could really handle both Viewliners, so as to eliminate any incremental wage costs. It would be interesting also if the Cardinal could operate all the way to Boston and sort of cover ground like the former Federal (aka Twilight Shoreliner, Night Owl etc.). A change in schedule and layover in Washington DC would be interesting to see. I for one do not see the incremental passenger load of operating this train all the way to New York City. It's Superliner consist handled more capacity than at present when terminating in DC. It''s run to NYC for servicing, I realize, but if this train was ever to convert back to a Superliner train set, a "cross the platform" change at Washington DC from a connecting NEC corridor train would do just fine - like is done with the Pennsylvanian in Pittsburgh (only it's worse between the Pennsylvanian and Capitol Limited at Pittsburgh. To think that the Cardinal once ran with a full Superliner train set similiar to that of the Capitol Limited or California Zephyr is hard to believe at present.

Mission Accomplished. I arrived back in town today. I enjoyed my ride on 50(23), but the rough track made it hard to sleep. Not sure if I'll upgrade to sleeper for my CZ trip Friday. I also observed the AW&W SD9 now assigned to Respondek's Indiana Eastern property, formerly C&O of Indiana.

For one, routing the Cardinal to Boston would require a major schedule adjustment eapecially westbound that would have it serving New York City at an ungoddly hour, and would have it arriving in Chicago much earlier, but not nescessairly at a brutal hour.

One needs to remember the uniqueness of the Cardinal is that it has a very high intermediate turnover rate, with I believe each hosting 3 people on average on the trip IIRC. This means very little true long distance travelers and lower demand for the sleeper.

Another point about the New York routing is that it does carry people from NYP to places in WV and KY, a market that isn't even captured by many airlines.

And, finally, I guarantee you that the general public resists changing trains a lot more than us Railfans do. Every conection is a chance for a missed connection. I remember when the Twilight Shoreliner becane the Federal and only went Boston to Washington, and there was a seperate train that shuttled to Newport News. If 67 was late, Amtrak seldom held the connection, but made those people wait for another train going to Richmond.

As for making the Hoosier a daily train on a different schedule, I could see that being benefical, in the case of an extremdly late westbound Cardinal.

PS: As for making the Cardinal a daily run, I definitely think it would be more efficent use of Amtrak's scarce resources. A crew sitting at a hotel in Charlotesville for 2 if not 3 nights is not efficent useage.

Rail Boy wrote:PS: As for making the Cardinal a daily run, I definitely think it would be more efficent use of Amtrak's scarce resources. A crew sitting at a hotel in Charlotesville for 2 if not 3 nights is not efficent useage.

That can't be the only crew change point on a 28 hour trip. Do you know where the other points are? Adding a daily Cardinal would likely mean adding a new crews on other sections of the line.

justalurker66 wrote: That can't be the only crew change point on a 28 hour trip. Do you know where the other points are? Adding a daily Cardinal would likely mean adding a new crews on other sections of the line.

It's not. A crew from Indianapolis takes it from CHI to Indy. Another crew from Indy takes it to Huntington, WV. From there I am not sure. I know there is a crewbase in Huntington but I am not sure where they run it to. On the Corridor it is crewed out of the NYP crewbase.

AFAIK, it's...

NYC-Washington
Washington-Charlottesville
Charlottesville-Huntington
Huntington-Indy
Indy-Chicago