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Posted
  On 11/19/2020 at 4:36 PM, toast21602 said:

These are the remote controlled engines my dad used to fix for PBNE:

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Another good video that was done about the last cast at Bethlehem Steel. I think this is the last one that was been made. My dad sure loves his trains 🤷‍♂️

 

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Posted
  On 3/27/2021 at 12:20 AM, toast21602 said:

Saw these two beautifully colored intermodal hauls coming through Bethlehem on my run today. Got a little extra pep in my step from these gems. 
 

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This photo would make an awesome canvas in a man cave 

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Posted

Plans and projections are grate but the harsh reality of trains being equal parts expensive and slow coupled with (pun intended) the fact that America is just insanely big where trains can easily go and insanely developed and containing complex terrain where trains should go means that the future of Amtrak or any major national rail service is going to be a talking point every 5 years and nothing more. 

For leisure travel no one frankly has the time to waste 4-6 days of their vacation getting to the destination when they know for a fact they can get clear across the country in half a day at best on a plane. 

Posted

Service between Philly and Allentown/Reading is where trains excel if the trackage rights and scheduling can be worked out with NS. The old Reading mainline from Landsdale to Quakertown/Bethlehem is no more but a NYC -> Lehigh Valley -> Reading -> Philly route could do well and the line is already there. It would need safety upgrades though for passenger traffic. 

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Posted
  On 4/1/2021 at 1:27 PM, EdBacon said:

Service between Philly and Allentown/Reading is where trains excel if the trackage rights and scheduling can be worked out with NS. The old Reading mainline from Landsdale to Quakertown/Bethlehem is no more but a NYC -> Lehigh Valley -> Reading -> Philly route could do well and the line is already there. It would need safety upgrades though for passenger traffic. 

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The problem with Amtrak is that they have to run on the same lines as freight trains. If they had dedicated high speed rails like in Europe trains would make more sense and be more popular.

Posted
  On 3/31/2021 at 11:55 PM, enjoralas said:

Would love a commuter line from Allentown to Philly. Could consider headquarters jobs then.

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How long do you think the commute would be?  You’d still have to drive to allentown, park and be there early enough to catch train, train to Philly and then Philly train station to headquarters.  I don’t see it happening. 

Posted (edited)
  On 4/1/2021 at 1:40 PM, trackbiker said:

The problem with Amtrak is that they have to run on the same lines as freight trains. If they had dedicated high speed rails like in Europe trains would make more sense and be more popular.

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Unfortunately so many of the ROWs are now super cool rail trails. Although, some of them are just leased and can be converted back. But many are not and have significant gaps. As freight service continues to rise it is going to be harder and harder to share lines without adding infrastructure. It has to happen at some point so hopefully that point is now before it gets set back further and further. 

Edited by toast21602
Posted
  On 4/1/2021 at 2:14 PM, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

How long do you think the commute would be?  You’d still have to drive to allentown, park and be there early enough to catch train, train to Philly and then Philly train station to headquarters.  I don’t see it happening. 

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I’d imagine it’s more for the non stress side of the commute, he might be willing to add another hour onto his day to not have to sit in traffic with a bunch of morons. 

Posted
  On 4/1/2021 at 2:20 PM, toast21602 said:

It has to happen at some point so hopefully that point is now before it gets set back further and further. 

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Does it though? As much as it would be nice at the end of the day people don't ride trains and they just hemorrhage money. SEPTA regional rail ridership is down 90% since the pandemic started and they are looking at somewhere in the realm of 3 years to gain significant ridership back and realistically they won't see pre pandemic numbers for at least a decade. In the face of those kind of numbers I can't imagine anyone in charge at a regional rail network or Amtrak thinking it's a good idea to try to build more track right now. 

Posted
  On 4/1/2021 at 2:14 PM, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

How long do you think the commute would be?  You’d still have to drive to allentown, park and be there early enough to catch train, train to Philly and then Philly train station to headquarters.  I don’t see it happening. 

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The thing about the commute is I could nap, or futz around on the internet doing things I need to do in my personal time. A driving commute require my attention. I’d rather have an hour and a half commute with a train ride for most of it than an hour driving commute.

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Posted
  On 4/1/2021 at 2:14 PM, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

How long do you think the commute would be?  You’d still have to drive to allentown, park and be there early enough to catch train, train to Philly and then Philly train station to headquarters.  I don’t see it happening. 

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I mean tons of people do this elsewhere no problem. Amtrak isn't really commuter rail though as tickets are often prohibitive unless you're just in the office once or twice a week. I knew plenty of people who commuted from the Trenton and Princeton areas to NYC though which is a similar distance. Provided reasonable headways its totally feasible for a lot of people.

Posted
  On 4/1/2021 at 4:15 PM, EdBacon said:

I mean tons of people do this elsewhere no problem. Amtrak isn't really commuter rail though as tickets are often prohibitive unless you're just in the office once or twice a week. I knew plenty of people who commuted from the Trenton and Princeton areas to NYC though which is a similar distance. Provided reasonable headways its totally feasible for a lot of people.

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I think Enjorales should just move to Malvern if he wants to work at headquarters..

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