Vol. 6, No.9 August 1979 New Sandusky Service ______-. I Attracts Large Crowd To Ceremony

Some 5,500 persons turned out on Sunday, July 29, to witness the grand reopening of rail service to Sandusky, Ohio. That service officially began when the westbound Limited tore through a large paper ribbon stretched across the tracks to the ac­ companiment of loud cheers from the crowd. The ceremonies began well before train arrival time, however, with an open house, rail exhibits, singing and band music , and dedicatory speeches from local dignitaries and . ~ . ", Sanduskyites greet the jirst as it stops jor passengers. personnel. The new train stop is the first rail flags were placed in the station on state representative, 84th Ohio passenger service for Sandusky in permanent display. district; and M.L. Clark Tyler, Am­ eight years. Sandusky will be an un­ Speakers at the ceremony included trak's vice president, government af­ manned station with tickets available Congressman Donald Pease, 13th fairs . on board the train or through pur­ Congressional district; Fred Deering, Jay Wagner, a local businessman, chase from Amtrak-authorized travel agents. Sandusky was added as a stop be­ Senate, House Vote Amtrak Funds cause of the population of the city and surrounding communities and its The Senate, on Wednesday, tion of the new system by Oc­ location between Elyria and Toledo August I, by an 89 to 11 vote, ap­ tober 1. where no intermediate stops were proved an Amtrak financing bill Two differences between the available. that will cut about 20 per cent of bills, for example, include a Sixty-three persons climbed aboard the least-used miles from Am­ Senate authorization of $1.8 bil­ the Lake Shore Limited on its first trak 's current system. lion for two years while the stop in Sandusky. Forty of those per­ The Senate action followed a House authorized $2.7 billion sons rode to South Bend, Indiana, vote, one week earlier, on July over a three year period. where they detrained to catch the first 25, by the House of Representa­ Specific train discontinuances eastbound Lake Shore for their re­ tives on a similar funding bill. have not been announced. turn home. The House measure passed by a The day's ceremonies officially be­ 397 to 18 vote. Although there definitely will gan with the raising of the American Although the bills are very be cuts in the system, they will be flag by a detachment of Coast Guard­ similar, there are enough dif­ far less severe than those original­ smen from the nearby Marblehead, ferences between them to require ly proposed by the Department of Ohio, station. In addition to the a House-Senate Conference Transportation in its report to American flag, they also raised flags Committee meeting to iron out Congress earlier this year. o f the fi ve states through which the those differences. That will occur Both the House and the Senate o riginal Lake Shore Limited after Labor Day, in time to get beat back last-minute attempts to operated. Those were , the bill to the President for his freeze the current system for an­ , Ohio, Indiana and Il­ signature to allow implementa- other year. linois. After the ceremony, the five was master of ceremonies. Among the various items, vIsitors Amtrak's station is located in what Tyler accepted, on behalf of Am­ were able to see a bell from the Lin­ used to be the express and freight of­ trak, a chrome plated spike honoring coln funeral train, two 16-foot-long fice of the former New York Central the occasion from Frank Link, city sections of original strap rail from the facility. Located just east of the old manager. Tyler, in turn, presented Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad, station proper, the smaller structure Link with an Amtrak jacket. an old link and pin coupler, a track is better suited to Amtrak's current inspection velocipede and time tables needs. Tyler also received a commemora­ from the original Lake Shore route The building was completely refur­ tive photo album depicting railroad and the Mad River line. bished before being put into opera­ history in the Sandusky area as well tion. Several old large doorways were as an antique-style station sign. The On display, too, were two ex- Am­ bricked in and new doors and win­ sign now hangs on the track side of trak passenger cars now owned by dows installed. The interior was com­ the station building. members of the Mad River and NKP Museum. Long lines led to the coach pletely painted and additional park­ Both items were presented by and throughout the ing provided for passengers. Richard Helzel, rides manager, and morning. Amtrak held an open house for Donald Ingle, public relations man­ visitors during the morning. Coffee, ager, of Sandusky's Cedar Point Entertainment for the festivities doughnuts, sweet rolls and soft amusement/theme park. was provided by the Barbershop Bob­ drinks were available for the crowd On display at the station during the cats quartet and the Keystone Kops while Amtrak personnel distributed day were various railroad artifacts band, both from Cedar Point. engineers' hats to the children and from the Mad River and Nickle Plate Coordinator for the event was Deb­ travel brochures to adults. Railroad Society Museum from near­ bie Stein, director, Sandusky Bay Rail service in Sandusky dates back by Bellevue, Ohio. Visitors and Convention Bureau. to September 17,1835, when the Mad

(Left) Congressman Donald Pease addresses the Sandusky crowd. (Below) Th e La ke Sho re Limited noses through the ceremonial ribbon stretched across the tracks.

(Upper Left) Frank Link and Jay Wagner display the "antique" station sign. (L ef!) George Tillman hands out doughnuts to visitors. (Above) Amtrak employees at the ceremony included, left to right, Sandy Cala, Fred Frayer, Steve Lehman, Bob Runnels, Diane Vetock and Mike Tsikalas.

2 River and Lake Erie Road was dedi­ Famed Yankee Pitcher ______--, cated by General William Henry Har­ rison who later was to be elected I Is Son Of Sunset Conductor President of the . This was the first rail line west of R.A. "Rags" Guidry is a con­ this association and the Special Olym­ the Alleghenies and its original track­ ductor on Amtrak's , pics because of his brother. age ran from Sandusky to Dayton for working between Lafayette, Louis­ And, of course, Conductor Guidry 137 miles. Track consisted of strap iana, and Houston, Texas, but he offers advice on his son's per­ iron rails, 2 Yz inches wide and 5/8 must be forgiven if occasionally his sonal appearances and endorsements. inch thick. mind strays from the railroad to the Guidry is treasurer for the United The line's first locomotive, named confines of New York's Yankee Transportation Union, Local 474, at the Sandusky, was the original Stadium. Lafayette, as well as being active in locomotive built at the famed Pater­ That's because his older son, Ron, the Naval Reserve. son, , engine works. That just might be pitching that day for the Ron Guidry's record of 25 wins engine stopped every time rain fell World Yankees. and only 3 losses for the 1978 season while the engineer sought shelter in Ron is THE Ron Guidry, Sporting gained him a flood of endorsement the nearest barn. News' "Man of the Year" for 1978, offers. Included were a chewing to­ It took 13 years to finish the first 10 the American League's Cy Young bacco, a car and a soft drink. mile stretch from Sandusky to award winner for being the best pitch­ He explained his reasons for rejec­ Bellevue. The Mad River and Lake er in the league and recipient of the tion of these particular offers. "Kids Erie eventually became part of the Associated Press, "Male Athlete of might think chewing tobacco makes Big Four which became part of the the Year" award. The younger me a big person. I don 't want them to New York Central system. Guidry also came in second in the do that." Serving visitors during the open voting for the league's "Most Regarding the auto, he simply said house were George Tillman, on­ Valuable Player" award. "I don't drive that kind of a car." board services supervisor, and The older Guidry is the proud Clayton Lewis, on-board service at­ father of two sons, Ron and ll-year­ tendant, both of Chicago. old Travis, who competed in last Other Amtrak employees partici­ year's Special Olympics at La­ pating in the ceremonies included fayette's Northside High School. Robert Runnels, district manager, Both sons are good athletes says Detroit; Sandy Cala, district super­ the Amtrak conductor and each has visor, Cleveland; Fred Frayer, sales done well in his own arena. manager, Cincinnati; Dick Sher­ Travis won second place in the Spe­ wood, ticket clerk, Canton; Juanita cial Olympics softball throw. Ron's Kochanowski, ticket clerk, Toledo; feats are well documented. and Diane Vetock, lead ticket clerk, "He's still the same guy he always Mike Tsikalas, ticket clerk, and was," said Guidry. "He loves base­ Steven Lehman, baggageman and ball-and always did. I used to be his ticket clerk, all of Cleveland. coach on a Little League team. "When he outgrew that, he just Superliner Diner kept on going. I've very proud of his The Guidrys; Ron, Travis and "Rags." The first Superliner diner went into accomplishments. " The soft drink? The same. "I don't service on July 18 on the be­ Ron's fame hasn't spoiled Rags drink it." tween Chicago and Carbondale, Il­ either, although it has added to an al­ Devoted to his wife and 2 Vz -year­ linois. The car went into use as a ready busy schedule. old daughter, Guidry also turned snack-lounge but also will serve as an Not too long ago, the senior down several personal appearances "in motion" test car for some full Guidry supervised the construction of during last winter's off-season. meal service. a 3,700-square-foot, two-story home He told his lawyer, "All the money The car has also been used on the for his son in Lafayette. He also helps in the world isn't worth it if Bonnie Illinois Zephyr and was scheduled for with Ron Guidry Enterprises, a cor­ (his wife) and I aren't together to the Chicago-St. Louis route where poration which sells T-shirts, auto­ spend it." Superliners went into service on graphed baseballs, posters, pens and Guidry credits his wife with talking August 6. other souvenirs to raise funds for the him into turning the car around and Larry Maxwell, , on-board Association of Mentally Retarded going back to the Yankees farm club services, reports passenger acceptance and Handicapped Children. at Syracuse in 1976 instead of heading of the diner as "excellent!" Ron has taken an active interest in home to Louisiana.

3 Corridor Track Work Crews ______-----, I Eat Well When They're On The Job

Sue Stevens, manager of public in­ be a great cook. and was immediately given a tour of formation, NEC!P, in Amtrak's pub­ Judging from the meal I had, he's the train. This particular one was ac­ lic affairs department, is charged with well on his way to becoming a suc­ tually two , one for the 30 mem­ handling news and information for cess. bers of the tie replacement gang, the and about the The restaurant in question was the other for the 125-member welded rail and its massive ongoing improvement diner on one of Amtrak's "camp gang. Each has sleeping cars, with 10 program. trains," this one parked in Penn bunks each, showers, and storage As part of her duties, she recently Coach Yard adjacent to the station. lockers; dining and kitchen cars; an visited the new camp cars that are set Patrons are crew members from Am­ office car; and a recreation car. Each up at some locations to house and trak 's tie replacement gang, bone of the cars was immaculately clean. feed the men and women who are tired and ravenously hungry after a The welded rail gang's camp train putting corridor track into shape for full day on the tracks. also has what the men refer to as a the 120-mile-per-hour speeds of the I had invited myself to dinner be­ "powder puff car," where the eight 1980s. cause I wanted to see the new camp women members of the gang live. The report on her "dinner in the cars that the Federal Railroad Ad­ The new camp cars have replaced diner" follows. ministration purchased recently for aging equipment inherited from the Amtrak crews assigned to the North­ Penn Central and are, in reality, Last night I had dinner in an unus­ east Corridor Improvement Project. house trailers set permanently on flat ual eatery. One reason it 's unusual is I figured that if this op­ bed railroad cars. because it isn't open to the general eration was anything like the one on The camps act as a home away public. Another is tha t it's set on Amtrak's long-distance trains, I from home for the crews when they railroad cars. It was just a short walk would get an excellent meal. work too far from their own homes to from Amtrak's in I was not disappointed. conveniently return there every night. and the chef was a I had arrived about 5 p.m., just as Their normal routine is to arrive at young man whose life's ambition is to the crews were returning frOI!!_w ork camp on Sunday evening,_live _theLe

(Leff) The camp cars are frailer bodies l17 0unfed on rail flaf cars. (Below) Two mell7bers of fhe fie replaCell7enf gang dig infO fheir f ood affer a hard day in fhe .lield. J ? . I!I'I , r I ~t: .. ~ ..~

j';' ,

Chef AI Andrews' sfall is f ollo wing in cooking is equally his dad 's f oofsfeps well appreciafed by in choosing a cook­ fhe hlln~ry crews af ing profession. His fhe end of fhe day's fafher has been a work. chef for 20 years.

4 during the week, and return home on Friday night after dinner. Various Camp Cars Described In addition to the two camps To date, 47 camp cars have three wash basins. The cars are presently located at Penn Coach been assembled for Amtrak. partitioned off for semi-privacy. Yard, there is one other for the Track The trailer portions were built Dining cars contain tables and Laying System at Attleboro, Massa­ by Mobile International Com­ benches and are coupled to the chusetts. pany, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and kitchen car. A covered walkway On my tour of the trains, I peeked consist of either 46-foot-long provides access between the two. into both kitchens before deciding in units (for the sleeping cars) or 42- The office car is used by super­ which one to eat. The welded rail foot-long units (for all other visory personnel, timekeepers gang was to dine on fried chicken, cars). All are to-feet wide. and foremen. It contains desks pork chops, and corned beef and cab­ Amtrak provided the 55-foot­ and file cabinets as well as its own bage, prepared by Chef Al Andrews. long flat cars and the trailer toilet facilities and two double­ Although it looked appetizing and bodies were mounted on them by deck bunk beds. smelled delicious, most of the welded Brady Jordan Engineering, of The recreation car is outfitted rail gang had already eaten and I Madison, Illinois. similar to the diner and provides didn't want to dine alone. So, it was Sleepers each contain five facilities for the men's off-hour back to the tie replacement gang's double-deck bunk beds and also time where they can read, write dining facility. have two showers, two toilets and letters, play radios or just relax. There, the menu offered beef gou­ lash made of ground beef, macaroni man in his cooking class at the JFK cooking here on the cars is better than and tomatoes; kale, corn, fruit Training Institute in Philadelphia. in most of the restaurants I've eaten cocktail and cake for dessert. Chef E. in." Thomas Heckstall pointed out that I Heckstall's on-the-job trainer is had come one day too early. The next Hank Brandt, a retired navy cook, Another man complained, good day's menu was to feature roast duck, who has worked for F.B. Heiser naturedly, of gaining too much Company, a railroad commissary, for weight because of Heckstall's food. with sage dressing and orange sauce. the past eight years. He feels his pro­ Heckstall takes it all in good stride Although Heckstall has been on the tege is doing great work. job for only five weeks-he actually and hopes one day to start his own was still in his official training The track crew agrees. Heckstall catering business with his brother's period-he is certainly not new to the has already earned a reputation as the help. cooking profession. His -father has best of the several camp cooks. "We The men in the gang hope that day been a chef for 20 years and the cook just the way the men like it," he is a long way off if the clean plates younger Heckstall has helped him said. "It's good old fashioned home they leave after meals are an indica­ considerably in his catering business. cooking, without too much grease." tion of their appreciation of his cook­ Heckstall also has graduated as top One crew member noted, " The ing.

On-The-Job Dress Standards Eased For Summer Amtrak President Alan Boyd has form requirements, or for employees trains. They can authorize service at­ authorized a relaxation of on-the-job in highly visible positions as down­ tendants to work without their dress standards in response to Presi­ town sales offices, will be made short­ jackets when temperatures climb dent Carter's order that all non­ ly by appropriate line management. above 78 degrees. residential commercial buildings keep Basically, if an employee works in Arrangements have also been made thermostats set no lower than 78 de­ a station and the inside temperature to provide red caps, baggagemen and grees this summer as an energy con­ exceeds 75 degrees and the supervis­ station cleaners with optional sum­ servation measure. or judges this condition presents a mer uniforms with Amtrak and the The relaxed dress standards mean hardship, the employee will be pec­ employee sharing the cost. A memo that neckties and suit jackets are op­ mitted to work without the blazer. He has been sent to division managers ex­ tional for those employees who do or she, however, must wear the name plaining the new uniform program. badge on shirt or blouse. not wear a uniform on the job and do All employees are expected to con­ not come into regular contact with Stewards and lead service atten­ tinue using mature judgment regard­ the public. dants have authority to vary Amtrak ing neatness and appropriateness of Decisions about changes in uni- uniform standards aboard Amtrak clothing while on duty.

5 Board Prepares For Las Vegas Train, _____ I Also Approves More AEM-7 Purchases In separate actions at its July 25 equipment, including long-distance nel, stock, obsolescence losses and meeting, Amtrak's board of directors Amcoaches, an Amdinette, an up­ processing errors. (1) took the first step toward estab­ graded all-electric sleeping car and a Under the proposal, $25,000 will be lishing new train service between Los baggage car. paid to the BN for software, while Angeles, Las Vegas and Ogden, It will be scheduled to make both $2,181,000 will be used to implement Utah, (2) approved commitment of eastbound and westbound connec­ the system. $41 million to buy 15 additional tions at Ogden with the San Francisco Amtrak's operations support de­ AEM-7 locomotives, and (3) au­ Zephyr to and from Denver, Omaha partment explained that the present thorized $2.2 million to acquire and and Chicago. method of purchasing, receiving, implement a modern, computerized As presently planned, the new train storing, issuing and accounting for material management system. service would leave Los Angeles daily materials requires timely and efficient at 10:40 a.m., arriving at Las Vegas integration between the organizations Los Angeles-Las Vegas-Ogden at 6:05 p.m., Salt Lake City at 3:50 responsible, such as material control, a.m. and Ogden at 5:30 a .m. procurement and accounts payable. The board action authorized Im­ Southbound, the train would leave Manual preparation and handling provements to track and station facil­ Ogden at 12:40 a.m. and arrive in Salt of receiving reports, transfer docu­ ities along the proposed route. Lake City at I :45 a.m., Las Vegas at ments, purchase invoices and such The funding decision for improve­ 10:20 a.m. and Los Angeles at 5:40 con tribu te to processing errors and ments was made pending Congres­ p.m. other problems. sional approval for Amtrak to begin The Burlington Northern system implementing the new service. This AEM-7s was picked as the most efficient of the could start as early as October of this four ongoing systems analyzed. The new locomotives for Northeast year. It uses automation to provide effi­ Corridor service are being built by the The new service was recommended ciency and timeliness in the areas of Electro-Motive Division of General by the Department of Transportation inventory identification, order pro­ Motors at its La Grange, Illinois, in its final Amtrak system plan that cessing, reorder point calculation plant. was presented to Congress this year. forecasting and material receipts and This completes the purchase agree­ Amtrak's board action committed Iss ues. ment fo r all 30 of the high-speed units start-up funding of $840,000 to up­ planned when the first order was grade some station tracks and to re­ Other Board Action placed in 1978. pave platforms at several of the stops. The board's approval assures an For example, a new shelter would be - In other actions, the board con­ unbroken production line at EMO's installed at Milford, Utah, and space tinued Charles Luna as vice chairman plant. would be leased from the Union of the group. The AEM-7s are based on specifi­ Plaza hotel in Las Vegas. The board also voted an endorse­ cations developed after Amtrak com­ Other costs would include modify­ ment and support of Amtrak's on­ pleted exhaustive testing of the ing engine signal systems for use on going equal employment opportunity Swedish-built ASEA Rc4a electric lo­ the route and upgrading communica­ and affirmative action programs as comotive in 1977. EMD is the Ameri­ tion equipment at several locations. official policy of the company. can licensee for ASEA technology. In supporting the fund commit­ The board also approved an addi­ Amtrak's locomotives will be simi­ ment by Amtrak at this time, Presi­ tional $738,000 to continue modern­ lar to the Rc4a but will have more dent Alan Boyd pointed out that con­ ization of Chicago's 12th and 16th power and higher speed. Delivery and siderable lead time would be needed street yards. The additional money testing of the first of the new units is to implement an October 1 start-up was needed because of inflation expected in early 1980. date, as suggested by the DOT. which resulted in increased labor and The actual expenditure of funds for material costs since the long-term re­ Computerized Material System the route will not be made until Con­ building project began. gress officially approves the train The new material management sys­ Another item passed by the board service, in effect signifying that it in­ tem, developed by the Burlington was a directive for an immediate start tends to support the new train for the Northern railroad, will enable Am­ on a program to convert 36 Hi-Level entire fiscal year. trak to reduce inventories by $1 mil­ transition cars to permit mixed con­ The new train is expected to oper­ lion and provide $340,000 in annual sists of Superliners and existing low­ ate initially with modern savings, plus a reduction in person- level equipment.

6 Letter Writer Displays Respect _ _ __----, with the Montrealer since Amtrak revived it in 1972. They include Joe I For Passengers, Co-Workers, Company Murphy on the Boston and Maine, Paul Davis on the New Haven, Clay­ In the weeks before passage of the write to their Congressmen tie Brooks, Paul Ladd, Red Bluto and current appropriation bills by the because of its convenience, its Moe LeMay on the Central , House and Senate, various persons clientele and its service crews. and Ryan Hackett and Herbie took time to let their personal feelings I'm a chair car porter on the Mont­ Spinsbie on the Canadian National. be known to their lawmakers and the realer, working with Ray Holmes, One of the best things about the media. sleeping car porter, and Kyle Allen, Montrealer is that it's a personal Ben Cornelius, then a chair car at­ Amlounge bartender. train. Mr. Holmes, Mr. Allen and I tendant on the Montrealer, took pen I can't speak for the other crews are proud of our train and we enjoy in hand and wrote a "letter to the (there are five Montrealer service working with the same crews on each editor" that he quickly dispatched to crews) but I know that we have a trip and we enjoy seeing familiar newspapers on the route of the train. good rapport with our passengers. faces in the coaches and sleepers. The letter was ultimately published Mr. Holmes has 37 years of service, When Southern Railway's famous in three papers. starting with the Pullman Company, Southern was posted for dis­ Cornelius' views reflect the pride and Mr. Allen has 38 years of service, continuance, almost every on-line he has in his job, his company and the starting with the Seaboard Air Line newspaper sent a staff writer to ride public he serves. railroad where he worked on the the train. The Montrealer was one of the Florida-bound . Their reports were full of accounts trains proposed for discontinuance by All sorts of passengers ride the of passenger loyalty, crew loyalty and the Department of Transportation 's Montrealer: French-Canadians going a sense of camaraderie. T he reports report to Congress earlier this year. to Wildwood in the summer and made thousands of readers remember Although no list of trains that have Florida in the winter; UVM, Dart­ their first train ride, the thrill of going been "saved" by the latest legislation mouth and Smith college students to sleep in a Pullman and of eating in is available, the odds are that the going home or returning to school; a dining car. The stories were well Montrealer will be operating after and skiers bound for Stowe and received, probably because of the October 1. Sugarbush. There are regular riders, nostalgia they stirred in their readers. The three-man team Cornelius too; the music-company employee The same feelings apply to the writes about is no more. Allen has who travels each week between Mont­ crews and passengers on the Mont­ retired and Cornelius has been trans­ real and New York; the advertising realer. We think there's a reason why ferred to the Crescent and the executive who rides each weekend the Montrealer carries three times the Washington leg of the Broadway between Philadelphia and White passengers of the , a train Limited where he is now a steward. River Junction; and the stock broker with more modern equipment which Holmes continues to work the Mon­ who commutes between Metropark connects New York and on trealer. and Philadelphia. a shorter schedule. We know these passengers and they The crews, particularly Mr. know us, and we've developed a Holmes, Mr. Allen and I, would wel­ To the Editor: camaraderie unique among north­ come the chance to show you why one Apparently, both the House of eastern trains. regular rider sits in the Pub car with a Representatives and the Senate have There are also our conductors and drink and says, "The Montrealer . .. seen fit to save the Montrealer, the trainmen, some of whom have been late but never better." overnight Amtrak train between Th e three-man team Washington and Montreal. This ac­ Cornelius wrote tion shows that popular appeals do about includes carry some weight in Congress. Allen, Holmes and Cornelius. The team Montrealer passengers wrote hun­ is no more. Allen dreds of letters to their represen­ __;;...... c.;;...... _ has retired and Cor- tatives urging the continuation of nelius is now a steward. Holmes their train. continues on the Why do these passengers feel so Montrealer. strongly about a train that frequently runs late? Why do they continue to ride even after the demise of the Montrealer's dining car and its uni­ que Pub car? I think that these passengers ride the Montrealer - and

7 Hot Line Stays Active, Attracts Good Suggestions From Field

The Hot Line to President Alan have no Amtrak seniority so this in­ operational 24 hours a day, seven Boyd continues to generate the in­ formation is totally useless. Secondly, days a week. In our case, the bulk of terest of Amtrak employees across it tied up my computer today for an the maintenance of way department the nation. hour and 15 minutes while I had peo­ works five days a week and since Employees are urged to call in with ple waiting at the counter to buy Bristol is a support facility it is not their suggestions on improving our tickets. I couldn't use the CRT. When practical to institute a four day week service to the passengers. it prints something, everything else there. This facility also supplies main­ Employees can identify themselves goes down. tenance of way repairmen to the field if they wish or remain anonymous. A: Job opportunity notices are when necessary. Any employee may call in between 8 coded for transmittal nationwide to Q: I can understand the blocking of a.m. and 8 p.m., Washington time, all locations. To single out one sta­ space on the for long­ Monday through Friday. No permis­ tion, or a small group of stations, haul passengers but isn't there any sion from any supervisor is necessary cannot be done. way we can release the space the day to make such a call which is toll free . The station in question has a line before the train leaves, or even on the from anywhere in the United States. printer that operates on the same data day it operates? Today I was able to If an employee chooses, he or she lines as the C RTs and ticket printers. get a reservation from San Jose to can write instead. Address letters to Incoming messages do inhibit use of Los Angeles , but I couldn't get one Hot Line, c/ o Alan Boyd, 400 N. that equipment. from San Jose to Glendale .. . and Capitol St., NW, Washington, D.C. To reduce interference with ticket the cost of the ticket is exactly the 20001. sales, computer services will be ad­ same. This is hurting our busi ness. Some recent suggestions and their vised to send out the job opportunity A: Space is blocked on the train disposition follow. notices after 10 p.m., eastern daylight selectively to protect long-haul QUESTION: I have a suggestion time. passenger demand. The traffic pat­ for Chicago's Union Station and Q: How can Amtrak justify spend­ terns for these trains are reviewed on other major Amtrak centers. Switch ing $100,000 plus on lowering lights a daily basis and if space is available the ticket lines to the type that are in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station action is taken in ARTS to allow ac­ used in banks and post offices so that when this money could be put to bet­ cess to short-haul riders. there is only one line that feeds into ter use improving the roadway? Q: The new watering stations at all of the windows. That way a person A: There is some $88 .3 million pro­ 12th Street here in Chicago are won 't get hung up behind somebody grammed into the Northeast Corridor dangerous because they are in the line who is going through a long transac­ Improvement Project for station im­ of sight of switchmen when they are tion . provements. The project in P hiladel­ switching cars around. They ought to ANSWER: This is a good sugges­ phia includes cleaning and rehabil­ be in holes like they were in the old tion and will be followed up. We are itating the chandeliers in the station, Santa Fe yard. already using this system at Los including rewiring and relamping, to Also, a bigger crew should be used Angeles and San Diego and are work­ provide better lighting for patrons at the 16th street diesel facility for the ing to implement this service at 30th and employees. The old lamps are to number of locomotives going through Street, Philadelphia. Other stations be replaced with fluorescent lamps. there. Many times a train has been will probably follow. The station money is a very small por­ delayed because an engine wasn't Q: At my station all of the people tion of the funds which have been properly working or went dead on are Burlington Northern employees. programmed for work in the Cor­ line. The list of job opportunities comes in ridor. A: First, the water stations are re­ over the computer every Friday and Q: I work at the Bristol, Penn­ quired by the City of Chicago to be Monday about 3 p.m. our time. We sylvania, maintennace of way equip­ above ground. Also, any water ment repair shop. What would be the outlets with any type of hose connec­ Hot Line chances of going on a four-day week tions must have a vacuum breaker U.S.A. 800-424-5191 with ten hours of work a day? eight feet above the ground. These A: While the four-day work week cannot be placed in holes because it D.C. only 383-2027 has been widely discussed and even would be in violation of Food and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EDT) put into practice in some industries, Drug Administration regulations. Monday through Friday some companies find it impractical. Secondly, an increase in the work Service-oriented industries are force is projected for the 16th street

8 terminal when the DOT restructufing plan is finalized. Q: Why can't we use the Chicago ARTS Service Supplies "Hot" News river to bring fuel to the storage tanks here at 16th street by barge? It should Amtrak employees are re­ items by typing "CTY NEWS" be a lot cheaper to buy in bulk quan­ minded they can receive timely into their machine. The news is tities of say 500,000 gallons instead of news of the company and the rail­ available on the scopes im­ smaller shipments of some 3,500 road industry over their ARTS mediately after entry. gallons brought in by individual consoles and associated printers. "Hard," or printed, copies are trucks. The Employees' News Service transmitted by the computer ser­ A: Yes, it probably would save is sent directly from the public af­ vices department overnight so money and we have investigated this fairs department over the system they can be available on Wednes­ suggestion. However, Environmental twice weekly. The material is en­ day and Friday mornings at out­ Protection Agency rules are strict in tered into the computer at ap­ lying locations. this regard and enforcement can be proximately noon on Tuesday Special, fast-breaking news very costly. We can't get a permit to and Thursday. Persons with items are entered immediately as barge fuel in without some hefty ex­ scopes can bring up the news they occur. penses. For example, capital expen­ ditures for a terminal would be over station construction is finished. and should be in distribution very $100,000 and the continued sur­ Q: I work at (indecipherable) for quickly. veillance of the system and waste pre­ Mr. Dale Scoggins and he paid me Q: I've been working passenger vention measures would amount to some back pay but not all of it. I trains for over 25 years, first as a bag­ about $4,000 a year more. Also, if worked there from 1977 to May 1978 . gageman and now as a conductor. I'd any fuel was spilled, we would be re­ I'd appreciate finding out if there's like to call attention to a potential quired to clean up the mess. At the any way I could get my back pay problem with the Superliners .. . present time, the obstacles to such an from him. I've called him and he does namely backpacks . We get a lot of operation are too large. not return any messages or calls and them here in the northwest and I Q: Amtrak is enjoying the greatest it's been over a month. don't think they'll fit into the luggage year since its inception, yet there are A: Personnel records show no one racks in Superliners because they're fewer people working the trains. on either the active or inactive rolls by usually too thick . I'd like to see a Something should be done Im­ the names of Scoggins, Coggins, or directive come out saying that all mediately. any similar name combinations. We backpacks must be put into checked A: We know that to provide ade­ need more information before we can baggage. quate service to our increased fo llow up on this complaint. Please A: It would not be workable to patronage, we must provide addi­ call back . As noted above, the work check all backpacks because there are tional staffing. In fact, we've taken location you mentioned was inde­ many stations that do not have steps to do just that. Seventy-four cipherable. We could not understand checked baggage facilities. new employees were recently hired what you said. Passengers boarding Superliner over the system, have finished their Q: We're running out of supplies trains with overly large packs must be training and are now entering service. here, namely national timetables, directed by station people and train We have also requested 81 more new regional timetables and the San crews to the baggage-coach - each employees and are taking action to Diego-Los Angeles cards. We just got train set should be assigned one of hire and place them in service as soon our Spar order form back and, for these cars - where they can store the as possible. the second month in a row, we packs on the lower level. There's Q: At Union, Elmora and Lincoln haven't gotten anything. space in that car to house such bulky towers, New Jersey, the work loca­ A: Sorry, but our normal supply hand-carried baggage. When the con­ tions are bad. You can't even get your was depleted rapidly because of the sists are established for Superliner car in there going about two miles an increased demand for our services by trains, we will issue such instructions. hour. I'd like to see some changes. the energy situation. ARTS-equipped Q: Everett, Washington, was to get A: Access roads to Elmora and stations do have this information a scope but to date all we've gotten is Union towers have been graded, re­ available in the computer. a flurry of letters and no scope. Can stoned and rolled. To ease the demand, however, we you help us? We're doing good busi­ At Lincoln, the parking lot is fine. did reprint 300,000 timetables in June ness up here and a scope could help. However, because of construction at but because of back orders this sup­ A: In early 1977, we began a pro­ Metuchen station, the access road is ply was quickly exhausted. gram to install an ARTS CRT in being used by heavy equipment. It New timetables, dated July 29, are every station and a ticket printer in can't be fixed permanently until the now being received from the printers most major stations. This was later

9 changed because of limited funding. In 1978, an alternate program began. ARTS equipment would be Keeping Track Of Amtrak removed from the lowest volume ARTS stations and moved to stations Inter-American Sleeper where the train operates during the where business was greater. daytime. Everett was ranked number 17 in Daily sleeping car service went into The train had been shifted from its line for an ARTS terminal. To date, effect on the Inter-American between tri-weekly schedule to a daily summer ten stations on the list have received Chicago and Fort Worth beginning schedule beginning June 15, but be­ their ARTS scopes. If and when addi­ Sunday, July 29. cause of equipment shortages the tional ARTS equipment becomes At the same time, sleeping car ser­ sleeping service remained tri-weekly. available, we 'll keep paring that list. vice was suspended on the Fort By suspending the sleeping car Worth-Laredo portion of the run service south of Fort Worth, the Q: Why can't employees be paid equipment became available for daily the Thursday before they go on vaca­ service in the overnight portion of the tion? To come back on Monday costs without the need for special ordering. run north of Fort Worth. the employee fuel and vacation time. I'd be happy to elaborate further on The Inter-American will revert to a Other companies do such things. menu suggestions, since I have a lot tri-weekly schedule after Labor Day Why can't Amtrak? of interest in improving and expand­ with sleeping cars again provided A: Checks are distributed to ing our food service. over the entire route. payroll locations as soon as possible A: (1) Such attendants would cost after they have been printed but we more than they would contribute. San Joaquin Flip-Flopped cannot assure anyone that they will Superliner lounge cars will have always be available a specific number "play space" in the lower level. (2) At the request of the California De­ of days before payday. We just don't have enough baggage partment of Transportation, Cal­ So, sometimes, under special cir­ cars and haven't had capital funds to trans, the schedule of the San Joa­ cumstances, early check delivery is buy new ones. (3) -type quin has been "flip-flopped" to pro­ possible. Check with your supervisor accommodations will be available on vide inbound service to Oakland/ San and he will advise you if you can, in­ the Superliners. (4) It would be too Francisco in the morning and evening deed, get your check early. costly to stock every food service car service back to the valley. The change Q: We've got a problem here in the all the time with special dinners. Such went into effect on Sunday, July 29. Chicago diesel shop. The exhaust special dinners are available on re­ The train now departs San Joaquin system was recently removed, re­ quest when reservations are made. valley points in the morning and ar­ designed and reinstalled. Now, dur­ We are constantly seeking sugges­ rives in Oakland at 12:40 p.m. Return ing the day, the locomotive exhaust tions from all employees on service in late afternoon permits valley fumes are at the point of being improvements. We welcome your fur­ residents several hours in the Bay area unbearable. The walls are coated with ther comments on menu suggestions. before returning home. soot and the system just isn't expell­ Please contact Gene Makowski, Caltrans Director Adriana Gian­ ing fumes. manager, on-board services, 400 N. turco suggested that the new schedule A: We are aware of the problem Capitol St., NW, Washington, 20001. would better serve valley residents and are trying to get some quotations Q: Why doesn't Amtrak make use and Amtrak agreed to the experimen­ on installing additional ductwork to of more Yellow Pages advertising so tal change. rectify the problem. We also intend to that persons wanting to get train re­ The new schedule also permits con­ train personnel in using the exhaust servations can get the 800-series nections to and from the San Francis­ system that is already in place. Recent number direct? co Zephyr at Oakland or Martinez, instructions that locomotives not be A: Such trademark ads cost in the allowing same day access to Reno and allowed to idle inside the shop should neighborhood of $200 each and, con­ points east. also help the situation. sidering the number of telephone The San Joaquin experienced a Q: I have several suggestions: (1) books around the country, could add surge in ridership in June, carrying Child care attendants or a special car up to a considerable sum. In the case some 40 per cent more riders than it on long-distance trains for child care, of the station handle}! by this ques­ did in June 1978. (2) Baggage cars on all San Diegans, tioner, the two books that cover his (3) on the Sunset territory have already been "closed" Lose Your Privilege Card? Limited, Starlight and Southwest for this year and Amtrak could not be In case of loss or theft of an em­ Limited, and (4) A wider variety of included until the Summer 1980 issue. ployee's rail travel privilege card, the meals and snacks, including a few In any case, Amtrak does plan to employee must immediately notify items for people on special diets. make more use of the Yellow Pages in the company so that unauthorized use Those should be available at all times, the future. of it will not occur.

10 Ken Boylan, administrator of the related illnesses per 200,000 man­ Amtrak to transfer to the state some pass bureau, notes that there is a toll­ hours. All injuries that require more of the eight RDCs now in service on free telephone line available for just than mere first aid are counted. the line for use on either the Danbury this purpose. or Waterbury branch lines or else­ Said Boylan, "If an employee loses All-Star Connection where. his pass , he should immediately call Amtrak had two connections to Present at the ceremony were Con­ 800-424-0225 and let us know. There baseball's All-Star game this year necticut Governor Ella Grasso; John is no charge for this call and the num­ which was played in Kingdome Sta­ Lombardi, Amtrak's senior director ber is good from anywhere in the dium, Seattle. for government affairs; Arthur country except the District of Colum­ Andrea McArdle, daughter of Paul Powers, state transportation commis­ bia. McArdle, labor relations analyst in sioner; members of the " D.C. employees should call Philadelphia, and the girl who played General Assembly and Public Trans­ 383-2224 or 2225." "Annie" for so long on Broadway, portation Authority; and officials of When employees do call, they sang the Star Spangled Banner and the Budd Company. should have available their Social Se­ Canadian national anthem before the curity number. thousands in the stadium and millions Immediately on being notified of a on television to open the game. Book Review loss, the pass bureau will enter the in­ And Ron Guidry, of the New York Steam Passenger Service Directory, formation into the ARTS system to Yankees, was dubbed the losing invalidate the pass. 1979 Edition: 168 pages, 5 '/2 -by-8'/2 pitcher when he walked in what inches, paper cover, $4.00 postpaid, proved to be the winning run in the Safety Standings Published by Empire State Railway ninth inning. Guidry came into the M useum, P. O. Box 666, Middletown, St. Louis division continued its safe game with bases loaded. New York 10940. work practices and thus won the top Guidry's father, " Rags, " is a con­ What is there to say about this spot in the division category of the ductor on the Sunset Limited. year's issue that hasn't been said be­ President's Safety Contest for June SPVs For Connecticut fore? The book doesn't change from with a 2.8 safety ratio. year to year, except to update the in­ St. Louis was followed closely by Amtrak and the state of Connecti­ fo rmation on the many steam and the Western division with a 3.6 ratio cut officially signed an agreement on trolley museum operations strewn and the Southern with 4.3. July 6 in Hartford's Union Station to across this land of ours. The New Haven shops went make Connecticut the first state to H you are going to travel around through the entire month without any purchase new equipment for Am­ the United States and want to know injuries resulting in a zero ratio. Si mi­ trak's use. where you can see and ride behind a larly, seven mechanical facilities­ Under the agreement, Connecticut steam locomotive or aboard an elec­ Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas­ will buy 13 self-propelled SPV-2000 tric trolley, you need this book. Fort Worth, Houston, New Orleans, rail cars from the Budd Company for It's the usual good product that Boston and Jacksonville - worked $12.9 million and then lease 12 of we've come to expect each summer. the entire month with no injuries to them to Amtrak for use on the New earn their zero ratios. Haven-Hartford-Springfield line; AMTRAK NEWS For the first six months of 1979, St. The new cars will permit an in­ Louis leads the other eight divisions crease in daily round trips from nine Published once a month for em­ with a 3.3 ratio. However, it is trailed to 14, including more frequent service ployees of the National Railroad closely by Philadelphia with a 5.2 during peak hours. There will also be Passenger Corporation and those ratio, the Western with 5.3 and the additional through service to New of partiCipating railroads engaged Southern with 5.4. York. The cars are scheduled for de­ in rail passenger service. New Haven leads the shops for the livery beginning next spring. STAFF Editor first half of 1979 with a 10.6 figure. The equipment will be operated Ed Wojtas Two mechanical facilities - De­ and maintained by Amtrak under a Circulation troit and Buffalo - did suffer injur­ lease arrangement with the state. Am­ Marguerite Broyhill ies during June dropping them from trak will provide the new service with­ Reporter the list of locations that had no in­ out any operating subsidy from Con­ Debbie Marciniak juries at all since the beginning of the necticut. year. Remaining on that elite list - The new 85-seat cars will replace Amtrak News is a member of the with their zero ratios - are Minneap­ the older Budd-built RDCs and be I_In liJiii1 Associa ti on o f Ra ilroad Edito rs. olis, Kansas City and Jacksonville. capable of operating either individu­ Materia l in Amtra k News is not copyrighted. The safety ratio is a figure that de­ ally or as multi-car trains. Readers may use what they wish with proper a t­ notes the number of injuries or job- The agreement also provides for tributio n to Amtrak News.

11 Ten Gallon Pins_-----,

I Awarded To Two (Left) Luella Wells, coordinator, blood Amtrak employees Jack Harris and program volunteas, Angelo Colaianni recently were ARC, "pins" Jack Harris. (Below) In awarded pins and key chains by the Baltimore, Angelo American Red Cross in appreciation Colaianni shows his of their lO-gallon blood donations. award. Flanking him are Gertrude The well-deserved honors follow Fryer, chairman of years of participation in various the Amtrak-Conrail blood donation programs, including blood bank, and George Sharp, then those conducted at Amtrak. Baltimore division Harris, director of Amtrak's police manager. and security, with headquarters in Washington, became a donor 30 years ago when he began donating re­ gularly to a program at the Better Business Bureau where he then worked. Since then he has given blood to many causes, including friends and relatives in need of fast transfusions. Realizing the importance of blood availability, Harris feels his is "a small contribution" to the communi. ~ c ty. .~ i "My family has always supported .j! .0 blood programs," he says. "It's just ~ one of those things you do for your }; community. " :g<3 Colaianni, communications and 0.. signal maintainer on the Baltimore on for emergency donations. His organization in the Baltimore area division, has been a donor for over 20 wife, incidentall y, has AB-negative that is known as Pulse. Members, years. Because he has O-negative type blood which is found in less than many of whom have rare blood types, blood, a type found in only seven per one per cent of a ll people. are on 24-hour call for emergency cent of all people, he is often called In 1964, Colaianni helped fo und an situations.

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