From: wbrill@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Warren Brill)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Cab-Riding on the NEC
Date: 1 Oct 92 16:13:21 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA

In rec.railroad, <CSS3@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:

>   The northeast corridor is not the only place in the country one can "ride"
> in a cab. The Metroliner cars referred to in previous postings are also used
> on some Midwest Amtrak runs originating out of Chicago.
>    These trains operate with an F40 on one end and a converted Metroliner cab
>   car on the other. A good example is trains 311/312 (The Loop) between
> Chicago and Springfield, Ill. The train operates F40 end south. There are no
>  wye facilities in Springfield, so it returns "backwards." The lead car
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I participated in a thread about the old IC wye in Springfield about a year ago
and one helpful netter told me there was one by a location called "Tower" which
not too surprisingly still had an interlocking [tower!]. Does this mean that
Amtrak does NOT use the IC tracks? Is there a more direct route from Springfield
to Chicago? I thought it was the IC that parallels I-55, but then I haven't
lived in Springfield Ill. since 1970. :-) BTW, does anyone know which of the
former Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio (that's what it was in 1970 before the ICG merger)
tracks in the Springfield/Decatur etc areas are still in action? I used to
see a lot of coal trains going through Springfield on GM&O.

**End of comment**

>  northward is a former Metroliner car adopted for diesel operations. In effect
>  the F40 is pushing the train back to Chicago.
>    There are coach seats in the Metroliner cab-car unit, and one can easily
>  see the engineer through a glass door. As a previous posting indicated, if
>  the crew is nice, they will allow you to stand inside the door. There isn't
>  much room in there. Fact is there is only one seat and a control panel for
> the engineer. It's sort of like standing in a vestibule.
>     Last December, my wife had a convention in Chicago and I went along. I
>  spent a day riding the Loop to Springfield and back -- I used to live in
>  Springfield and had not been there in a few years. On the way down, I went
>  back to the cab unit and stood in the engineers compartment for awhile. All
>  of the controls were working including speedometer. On the way back, I sat
> in the cab car. For awhile, I watched the engineer from behind the door. He
>  never looked back to see me. Later, while the train was stopped, he opened
>   the door for some reason -- I think to talk to a crewman. I started talking
>   to him and soon I edged my way into his compartment. He didn't throw me
>  out so I stayed for most of the rest of the trip. In fact, he and I talked
>  quite a bit about operations and so forth. So getting a cab ride was an
>  unexpected bonus.
> 
>     The F40/metroliner cab units also operate on the Chicago-Milwaukee trains,
>   and I believe on some trains between Chicago and Detroit. They may even
>    operate on the Los Angeles-San Diego trains. So there is plenty of
> opportunity to get a "cab ride" on Amtrak.
> 
> craig sanders

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