WhiteRiverProductions
Amtrak by the Numbers
WELCOME ABOARD… the entire Amtrak fleet!
LIGHT RAIL, TRANSIT, AND COMMUTER RAIL NEWS BY GEORGE M. SMERK Bad And Getting Worse
This comprehensive roster of Amtrak’s passenger cars and motive power in service during the company’s first 40 years is fully illustrated with a mixture of lineside scenes and roster views. Roster information is presented in a spreadsheet format with introductory text, grouped by major categories such as steam-heated cars, Heritage fleet, Amfleet,
Superliners, diesel locomotives, and electric locomotives.
$79.95
S/H per book: $5 US, $9 Canada, all others, call or email for rates. Order item AMTN
Lehigh & New England
The Lehigh & New England was a bridge carrier stretching from Anthracite country in northeastern Pennsylvania to the gateway yard at Maybrook, New York. This Carstens Classic features rare photos of this anthracite carrier in its final twenty years. Enjoy great photos of Camelbacks and conventional steam, to transition era diesels including Alco FAs and road switchers.
877-787-2467 TOLL-FREE 660-695-4433 NON-US
WhiteRiverProductions.com 20 OCTOBER 2015 •
RAILFAN.COM A NORTHEAST CLASSIC! $13.95 PLUS S&H ITEM CRS-LNE
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WhiteRiverProductions.com P.O. Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631 • Toll-free (877) 787-2467
TRAFFIC JAMS ARE OFTEN the subject of public complaint and letters to the editor. Schemes to relieve the bog often consist of people de- manding more highway lanes, but not sup- porting the taxes to deal with the problem of building them. The federal fuel tax has not been increased since 1993, when Bill Clinton was president. Transit projects that may of- fer some relief are too often bad-mouthed by some politicians and members of the public. Many politicians prefer to push for highway expansion even though experience shows such expansions will not really help. An Associated Press study revealed that Democrats prefer to live in urban areas, in- creasingly close to job centers, while Repub- licans prefer suburban and rural areas. In state legislatures, representatives from rural areas often oppose transit spending because it doesn’t help their constituents. Transit sup- porters must have their voices heard. Please go vote and hold your public officials accountable. For the reminder, thanks to Doug Barron.
Denver Light Rail
I met John Spychalski in the summer of 1961 and have been very good friends with him ever since. Some 54 years later, in the sum- mer of 2015, John spent some time in Denver, Colo., attending an American Public Trans- portation Association meeting. While there,
Progress in Portland
In Oregon, the Portland-to-Milwaukie light rail MAX line is making fine progress. The new addition to Portland’s rail services is 7.3 miles in length and will have ten stations. The line features a unique bridge across the
he spent some time studying the FasTracks light rail line, which opened in April 2013. FasTracks is a voter-approved plan to ex-
tend transit services across the Denver Metro Region. At 12.1 miles in length, the Capital West Line was the first to open under the FasTracks program. The route was original- ly served by the Denver Interurban Electric Railway and now stretches from Denver Union Station to Jefferson County Govern- ment Center by way of Lakewood and Golden. John considers the Denver West Line an ex- ample of electric railway reincarnation. He was particularly drawn to the redevel-
opment of Denver Union Station. He called it “stunning in appearance.” The facility is host to light rail, local and suburban transit buses, Amtrak, and, soon, an electrified commuter rail line that will serve the Denver airport. Denver is soon to be a vivid example of invest- ment in providing world-class service. Per- haps Denver’s example will spark creativity in the less imaginative and less progressive cities of the Midwest.
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