TRAINS March 2003

Cover story: Super Railroad!
Build a high-speed passenger railroad on a century-old roadbed? That’s crazy! But not for Amtrak — it succeeded, and today the Northeast Corridor is America’s fastest and busiest railroad. We bring you the full story, and profile the line’s fastest and most famous trains.


The railroad of my life
Put a train in front of Utah’s Wasatch Range and the result is a combination that’s hard to beat. A locomotive engineer recalls six decades of watching and running trains on Utah’s Roy Hill.


Railroad blueprint: Wishram, Washington
Cold and damp in the winter, hot and dusty in the summer, Wishram was Spokane, Portland & Seattle’s isolated division point in the Columbia River gorge. And it was a hoppin’ place in 1969.


Map of the Month: Penn Central vs. Conrail
TRAINS compares the final tonnage maps of Penn Central (1974) and Conrail (1998). Same territory, but completely different strategies. The result? More trains on fewer tracks.


Railroad reading: Rayonier in the rain
An encounter with one of the last steam-powered logging lines.

Plus expert analysis covering every aspect of railroading.


Don Phillips: CSX’s change at the top is more than meets the eye.


Larry Kaufman: It’s time to abolish the Surface Transportation Board.


Locomotives: To meet EPA emissions standards, GE rolls out new lower-emission locomotive, EMD will leverage its 70 Series.


Passenger rail: Cost-cutting is good until it turns popular trains into has-beens.


City rail: On the heels of Colorado Railcar’s barnstorming tour, transit agencies assess what role the diesel multiple unit will have — 2003 will be a pivotal year.


Preservation: The Smithsonian Institution remakes its transportation exhibit.