Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!panix!.POSTED.panix3.panix.com!panix3.panix.com!not-for-mail From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom Subject: Re: Independence Day Date: 22 Jul 2024 12:47:17 -0000 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Lines: 60 Message-ID: References: <71ae8jdih7c3s6j4psqvm7jr9aumir7hl8@4ax.com> <5931310f-c7de-2ee1-b48b-e4977e0d852b@example.net> Injection-Info: reader1.panix.com; posting-host="panix3.panix.com:166.84.1.3"; logging-data="3464"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@panix.com" Bytes: 3779 D wrote: > Kludge writes: >> Contrast this with my leaving Buffalo NY today much earlier than I would like, >> because all the Buffalo-to-NYC trains are in the morning in order to >> accomodate the freight line schedule.... and then wait overnight in NYC >> because the two daily trains to my hometown are also scheduled to accomodate >> the freight lines schedule. The less said about the food the better. >> Everything had to be scheduled well in advance since the Buffalo-NYC leg >> fills up completely well beforehand. > >I have now contrasted this and come to the conclusion that despite its >faults, if things in the US are like you say they are, the swedish trains >are way better. Yes, delays and breakdowns, but nothing close to what you >describe. Most of the issue there is because the tracks are privately held and the cars and stations are publicly-owned and the organizations don't get along well. So we get issues from both piled on top of one another. >> In Europe when the trains are filled up they usually just add more cars on >> and increase capacity for one trip up and one back. Amtrak does not have >> enough cars to meet demand as it is, let alone keep spare capacity for >> demand peaks. Don't even think about holidays. > >I had no idea that the US system was so bad. Once I took the train from NY >to Boston in autumn and it was a lovely experience, but it must have been >23 years ago. Maybe things worked better then? Or maybe I was just lucky. >Regardless, I enjoyed it! I do still like it, and going north-south on the coasts is pretty good. The good news is that the DC-Boston route is publicly-owned track, so the trains are usually on time. The problems come when you are coming from Pittsburgh, say, and get stuck behind a freight train and get behind schedule. Then when you get into DC to change trains, you miss the connector. Or my situation, where I am in southern Virginia and if I can make it to DC in time on the CSX freight tracks, everything is fine. But if I am late coming into DC then it screws their schedule up and we wind up waiting behind other passenger trains for a slot to continue north. So general rule is north-south is good and east-west is bad. Amtrak buys trains from Europe but because the tracks are graded and configured for freight, they wind up having to pay a lot for design modifications to accomodate the tracks. Those modifications do not always perform as planned. The freight companies have no motivation to change their tracks for passenger service. >>> There are some exceptions here and there though... like this one: >>> >>> https://www.blataget.com/sv/history/ >>> >>> If I had the time and opportunity, I would definitely try it! We do have a few historic railways in the US, all privately owned and some of which have some pretty peculiar rolling stock. This looks like a fun trip though! --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."