We would have more gasoline and the prices would probably be around $1.50. 2) Air pollution would be much lower than it is now. 3) Less traffic and less accidents on highways.
What if we didnt leave abandond railroads from old passenger trains?
Our society would be booming even more if we let the passenger train stay and run its course. 2) Our country would have more tourists from all over the world.
What if we shared some frieght trains with passenger trains?
Transportation to far away places would be much more enjoyable with some people. 2) Alot of people would save alot of money with car fuel. 3) Milage on cars would be lower.
Datafever, you missed my point, there are not as many passanger trains as there were in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Come on over to Indiana and try to find 1 passenger train where i live. there used to be at least 2 or 3 running through my town, and now, i cant find 1 in my region (southern Indiana). Some of us dont live out west where basically all of the passenger trains run.
Indiana_Railman…I’ve been through your town quite often but guess really don’t know what passenger trains did serve Columbus…Do you know…were they named trains…What lines did they run on. Just curious. {I’m in Muncie}.
There was a line that ran south east of columbus, but that was in the 1800’s and i have no idea what it was called, but you can see it on google earth maps. and i think the louisville and indiana was a passenger train from louisville to indianapolis at one time.
Most of your post is clearly wishful thinking that has been masked as though some significant fact was nestled within
What if passenger trains were still running? They would likely be mostly empty, americans showed a PREFERENCE for the flexibility of the auto. SO IN ALL LIKELIHOOD WE WOULD HAVE MORE POLLUTION, THE SAME CARS AND TRUCKS RUNNING, PLUS THE ADDITIONAL (empty) trains {strike one!!}
What if we let the passenger trains stay? We never forced them to leave, we were disinterested in using them so they “left” upon their own free will (except for the poor poor trains at Amtrak, that are being kept on taxpayer subsidy just to patronize a core of nostalgic die hards) {strike two!!}
What if we shared some freight trains with Passenger Trains? Holy moly!! for one the passengers would probably get very irate over being whipped around with the typical slack action common to a frei
Well, since the passenger trains that do exist tend to be in large metropolitan areas, and therefore are carrying as many people as wish to ride them, it becomes very clear that adding trains to non-urban areas would in no way result in reduced gas prices, or reduced air pollution, or less traffic or less accidents.
That was part of Indiana’s first railroad, and the third railroad west of the Appalachians. The Madison & Indianapolis Railroad Company reached Indianapolis on Oct 1, 1847, and was included in the PRR family during 1871.
The Columbus to North Vernon segment was abandoned in 1976, unwanted by Conrail.
Pre-Amtrak, Columbus was served by The Kentuckian and the Southwind, both on Pennsylvania (Conrail).
Indiana Railman, you can go 50 miles to the north and catch a passenger train every day.
But I agree, the train is not even considered by many going on a trip. It’s always interesting that when a storm hits, the TV reporters all go to the airport and the bus station. The train is (pardon the expression) not on their radar.
…That’s interesting…2 named trains before Amtrak. I used to note some good trackage in Columbus some years ago when I would be in the area at times…and wondered if any passenger trains made a run through there.
To bad the Kentucky Cardinal was so short lived…Believe I remember of so many slow orders on the track that making decent speed was out of the question. Until and if we try to run passenger trains on decent track the riders will not patronize. Also not having to be set off on a siding for too long of period of times waiting for freights too…{Doubt if this was the case with the K. Cardinal though}…
Yes, Columbus passengers can {if they care to}, go to Indy and ride east and or north to Chicago on Amtrak.
Another MAJOR factor is that the local transportation infrastructure isn’t there anymore, either. That, and downtown has moved…
F’rinstance - I’m taking a trip into our county seat today (really!). I’ll hop in the pickup, point it in the appropriate direction and be there in 20 minutes. Once there, I’ll drive to the stops I plan on making, then point the old girl home, and be there in 20 minutes. Total time for the trip will most likely be 2-3 hours.
In comparison - Assuming that all of the now non-existant rail lines in my area still had passenger service, and assuming that said service would allow me to make the trip to town in a reasonably timely manner.
I have to travel six or seven miles to the nearest station to my house (depending on which way I want to take the train, or which has the better schedule for my desires).
After boarding the train, I ride into the “big city” and disembark at the downtown station.
If most of my business is downtown (which today it would not be), I can simply walk. If not, I can take one of the busses (actually there is some bus service, after a break of many years, but that’s not the case everywhere) to my destinations and back to the station. I could take a taxi, but that could get pricey after two or three legs.
I catch the train back to the town where I left my vehicle and travel the 6-7 miles home.
well imho the short sightedness of our leaders is enough to make me bite my steering wheel on the way to work. case in point. when they built the kennedy expressway in chicago in the 50-60’s they couldnt seem to realize that 1- there was a great big airport just northwest of the city (maybe youve heard of ohare?) and 2- the population explosion that was occurring at the time in the northwest suburbs. now, a forward thinking government or community would say "hey, in about 20 years this area is gonna take off like a rabbit. maybe a light rail project in conjunction with this highway would be the way to go. economical, quick, clean rail service running side by side with this highway. hmmm… give em an alternative maybe? let the people make the choice. but no. cost constraints and inside wheeling and dealing chicago style killed any original thought. fast forward 15 years and its the late 60’s and now they decide “hey, lets tear up this road that we just built not too long ago and put in light rail down the middle out to ohare!” so now millions and millions later they finish that project. but why not keep going out to the far suburbs with the rail? that expressway leads all the way out to rockford with plenty of median space in the middle (just like the kennedy project) and it would be a natural for a train. but no. that would cost money. guess what they are now looking at? putting a light rail line down the middle of the expressway median to rockford. only this time it will cost billions. what i would give for a politician to stand up and say “listen, your taxes are gonna go up regardless if you elect me or not. but i have some original ideas that are gonna cost us now, but save our collective keasters down the road. who’s with me?” but that won’t happen in my time. and i look at my kids and i feel so sad for them. what a great country this could be.
The Southwind ran from Chicago to Miami, through Indy, Louisville, etc. It left Indy southbound around 3 p.m.
The Kentuckian was an overnight Chicago-Louisville (and reverse) train. I know it left Indy at 4:20 a.m. and arrived in Louisville at 7:10 a.m. It had two coaches, a sleeping car and a diner, along with lots and lots of express cars.
I used to work on the southside of Indy on the midnight to 8 a.m. shift and I would take lunch from 4:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. and would eat at a White Castle next to the tracks. The southbound Kentuckian would nearly always be on time and would be pulled by Baldwin locomotives.
I only saw the northbound Kentuckian once (when I rode it from Indy to Chicago) and it left Indy at 1:10 a.m. We arrived in Chicago at 6 a.m., 20 minutes early on the day I rode it. These observations are from 1964-66.
Finally, my first recollection of seeing a train was along that line. I was at friend’s house for a birthday party and heard a train. I left the party and ran to a window and saw a doubleheader steam train heading from Columbus to Indy, pulling a long stream of boxcars. It was probably doing about 60 mph and today the limit on that stretch is 30 mph. That was in 1953.