Until Amtrak redefined what poor service meant, this train was the gold standard for what a train should not be. It had only the coach trailing an E7 or E8, no food or beverage service, surly to really friendly crews and a lot of atmosphere.
It was more a means of deadheading crews from Selkirk to either West Springfield or Beacon Park. It was not unusual for this train to have trips without paying riders.
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| Posted by tsched on November 21, 2009 | |
This is similar to the scenes of the last NYC/PC passenger service through my hometown (Mattoon, IL) on the St. Louis to Indianapolis Big Four route. Ours didn't last until 1969 though. I still regret not asking my dad to take us on the two-hour ride to St. Louis before service ended. Conrail abandoned our tracks in 1982. The brilliant minds of my hometown decided the NYC passenger station should be torn down two decades later.
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