AMTK Cardinal and Monon Blades
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:49 pm
I'm looking at taking a trip on Amtrak's Cardinal this summer, round trip from Chicago to Prince, WV, to railfan some on the CSX in the West Virginia mountains. I know we have several posters here who have railfanned out of state, so I'm looking for your help if you know anything about my little plan!
I enjoy following along with Amtrak's long distance network of trains and have noted that the Cardinal is one Amtrak's least used trains, thanks mainly in part to it's three-runs-per-week status. I've also noted based on data from January 2008 that ridership was up 24% over the previous January, and a 17.7% increase occurred between Oct-Jan FY08 vs. the same time in FY07, making it one of the fastest growing Amtrak trains percentage wise... good news!
I understand that part of the route the Cardinal follows through Indiana is the old Monon route, which is home to a few stretches of classic Monon era semaphores still operating. About how many blades does the Cardinal pass? I'm hoping to stand at the rear door of the last car and get some photos of these last blades as I have a number of times on the Southwest Chief between Raton and Albuquerque, NM where about 64 former AT&SF blades remain in service. I'll be doing this on my westbound journey, because the sun should be up by that point in the morning.
Any information about the Cardinal, the semaphores, or any other tips or information would be helpful. It's a journey I've never taken but am looking forward to. Finally, if anyone has ever spent time watching trains on the CSX at or near Prince, West Virginia on the New River Subdivision and would like to share any information they have, it would be most welcome. I have no idea what kind of traffic CSX runs through here but I'd like to see some railroading in the mountains! Thanks!
I enjoy following along with Amtrak's long distance network of trains and have noted that the Cardinal is one Amtrak's least used trains, thanks mainly in part to it's three-runs-per-week status. I've also noted based on data from January 2008 that ridership was up 24% over the previous January, and a 17.7% increase occurred between Oct-Jan FY08 vs. the same time in FY07, making it one of the fastest growing Amtrak trains percentage wise... good news!
I understand that part of the route the Cardinal follows through Indiana is the old Monon route, which is home to a few stretches of classic Monon era semaphores still operating. About how many blades does the Cardinal pass? I'm hoping to stand at the rear door of the last car and get some photos of these last blades as I have a number of times on the Southwest Chief between Raton and Albuquerque, NM where about 64 former AT&SF blades remain in service. I'll be doing this on my westbound journey, because the sun should be up by that point in the morning.
Any information about the Cardinal, the semaphores, or any other tips or information would be helpful. It's a journey I've never taken but am looking forward to. Finally, if anyone has ever spent time watching trains on the CSX at or near Prince, West Virginia on the New River Subdivision and would like to share any information they have, it would be most welcome. I have no idea what kind of traffic CSX runs through here but I'd like to see some railroading in the mountains! Thanks!