Misplaced Pages

Mountaineer

The Mountaineer at Welch, West Virginia in March 1975
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	West Virginia
Predecessor	Pocahontas
First service	March 24, 1975
Last service	May 31, 1977
Successor	Hilltopper
Former operator(s)	Amtrak
Ridership	53,400 (1977)
Route
Termini	Norfolk, Virginia Chicago, Illinois
Stops	18
Distance travelled	968 miles (1,558 km)
Average journey time	24 hours 40 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	54,55
On-board services
Class(es)	Coach Sleeper
Sleeping arrangements	Roomettes and bedrooms
Catering facilities	Grill diner
Observation facilities	Dome coach
Baggage facilities	Checked
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)	Norfolk and Western Railway
Route map Legend 0 mi Norfolk 26 mi 42 km Suffolk 84 mi 135 km Petersburg–Union Station 132 mi 212 km Nottoway County 153 mi 246 km Farmville 205 mi 330 km Lynchburg (Woodall Road) 226 mi 364 km Bedford 254 mi 409 km Roanoke 287 mi 462 km Christiansburg 326 mi 525 km Narrows VA WV 355 mi 571 km Bluefield 388 mi 624 km Welch 454 mi 731 km Williamson WV KY 533 mi 858 km Tri-State 569 mi 916 km South Portsmouth KY OH 684 mi 1101 km Cincinnati (River Road) OH IN 750 mi 1207 km Richmond 790 mi 1271 km Muncie 819 mi 1318 km Marion 847 mi 1363 km Peru IN IL 969 mi 1559 km Chicago This diagram: view talk edit

The Mountaineer was a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Norfolk, Virginia, and Chicago, Illinois, via Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the first train to use the Norfolk and Western Railway's tracks since the creation of Amtrak in 1971 and followed the route of the Pocahontas, the N&W's last passenger train. Service began in 1975 and ended in 1977. A new train, the Hilltopper, operated over much of the Mountaineer's route but was itself discontinued in 1979.

History

The Norfolk and Western Railway was one of the twenty railroads which joined Amtrak in 1971. However, in Amtrak's first four years, the N&W hosted no passenger service over its route, the centerpiece of which was its main line between Norfolk and Cincinnati which passed through the state of West Virginia. The main driving force behind the establishment of the Mountaineer was then-United States Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia who wanted additional rail service for his constituents and pressured the Department of Transportation to add the route.

The Mountaineer operated as a section of the Chicago–Washington/Newport News James Whitcomb Riley between Chicago and Cincinnati. The two trains separated at a Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) yard in Ashland, Kentucky, with the Riley continuing to Washington and Newport News, while the Mountaineer continued to Catlettsburg, Kentucky and points east roughly twenty-five minutes behind the Riley. Westbound the procedure was reversed.

The first trains ran on March 24, 1975, marking the return of rail passenger service to the Norfolk & Western. Amtrak guaranteed two years of operation, while warning that the train would "habitually lose money." Amtrak president Paul Reistrup projected costs of $4.5 million/year while taking in $900,000 in the first year. To make the run viable the Mountaineer would need to carry 150–300 people daily between Norfolk and Cincinnati.

In 1976 Amtrak announced several possible changes to the Mountaineer, including a later schedule through West Virginia and combined operation west of Cincinnati with both the Riley and an unnamed (and never implemented) Washington–Denver train. Under this plan the Mountaineer would receive new Amfleet equipment but lose its sleeping car. The schedule changes never took place, but Amtrak was forced to re-equip the Mountaineer after a harsh winter damaged many of its old steam-heated coaches and locomotives. The Mountaineer was one of eight routes suspended in January 1977, and it returned with an all-Amfleet consist, minus the sleeping car.

Ridership on the Mountaineer over its two-year probationary period was disappointing: 58,991 in 1975 and 53,400 in 1976. Averaged over a 365-day year, this was 161 passengers per day in 1975 and 146 in 1976. By 1977 daily ridership had dwindled to 35. Monetary losses were far higher than expected: $5.7 million in FY1975 and $14.9 million in FY1976. After a brief respite, Amtrak discontinued the Mountaineer on May 31, 1977. A new train, the Hilltopper, operated over much of the same route until 1979.

Stations

None of the fourteen stations east of Cincinnati had seen Amtrak service before. Tri-State Station (named for the states of Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia) in Catlettsburg, Kentucky replaced an existing stop at Ashland. Amtrak built new stations at Roanoke and Bluefield. The remaining stops all used existing Norfolk & Western stations, with varying degrees of refurbishment and renovation. Two cities, Petersburg and Lynchburg, Virginia, had additional rail service at different stations. Amtrak's Florida-bound trains used the ex-Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Petersburg station, while the Southern Railway's remaining trains used Kemper Street station in Lynchburg.

Equipment

The Mountaineer's typical consist (at first) was five cars: a baggage-dormitory, two coaches, a grill diner and a 10-roomette 6-bedroom (10-6) sleeping car. When available, one of the coaches was a dome car. Starting in January 1977 Amtrak ran a consist of three new Amfleet cars, typically two coaches and a cafe.

References

1. Cox, Jim (2011). Rails Across Dixie: A History of Passenger Trains in the American South. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 9780786445288. OCLC 609716000.
2. ^ Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
3. "Sen. Byrd will speak at Amtrak ceremony here". Williamson Daily News. March 21, 1975. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
4. Amtrak (May 15, 1975). "Eastern Amtrak Schedules". All-America Schedules. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
5. ^ "Amtrak's 'Mountaineer' makes first run today". Williamson Daily News. March 24, 1975. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
6. "Amtrak president says 'ridership' key to making local route permanent". Williamson Daily News. March 25, 1975. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
7. "Amtrak officials seek changes starting in October". Williamson Daily News. April 28, 1976. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
8. "Cold Forces Amtrak To Close Eight Routes". Toledo Blade. January 18, 1977. Retrieved December 15, 2011.

External links

• 1975 timetable (A History of America's Railroads)
• 1975 timetable (Museum of Railway Timetables)

• Former Amtrak routes
• Railway services introduced in 1975
• 1977 disestablishments in the United States
• Passenger rail transportation in Virginia
• Passenger rail transportation in Kentucky
• Passenger rail transportation in West Virginia
• Passenger rail transportation in Ohio
• Railway services discontinued in 1977
• Former long distance Amtrak routes