I Proposes Operating "Contract" with Congress
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Vol. 5, No. 12 December 1978 Amtrak's Board Issues Mission Statement, __----, I Proposes Operating "Contract" With Congress Amtrak's board of directors has and financing." lems and works under daily handi proposed that Amtrak make a "con Essential to Amtrak's proposed caps that make its future uncertain tract" with Congress to run the new relationship with Congress and unless changes are made. nation's intercity passenger rail the Executive Branch must be a gen "If the present situation persists system. Congress should decide the eral understanding that Amtrak is a without substantial improvement, basic level of service the nation needs "public servive" rather than a "for there is no reason to believe that Am and Amtrak would agree to run the profit" enterprise, Boyd and Jacobs trak will survive for much longer in trains at a specified cost. stressed. its present form," the board members The recommendation was part of a " Once this fact is recognized, and said in their statement. new Amtrak "Statement of Mission" once some serious political judgments The board rejected the possibility which was made public at a press con a re made with respect to the nature of that the intercity rail passenger sys ference held in Washington on Wed the service to be provided to the tem would peris h completely, but nesday, December 13 , by Amtrak American public, then funding levels added, "It is more likely that Amtrak President Alan S. Boyd and Dr. can be realistically establi shed." will be 'nationalized' if it is unable to Donald P . Jacobs, chairman of Am In the mission statement, Amtrak's improve on existing operations. trak's board. Boyd is also a member board members cited their strong be " But there is no reason to believe of the board. lief that Amtrak can make a signifi that Amtrak wi ll run better under the If the board's recommendations cant contribution to the nation's weight of another federal bu are adopted, Amtrak "will function transportation needs, but they em rea ucracy. " essentially as an operating entity with phasized that the seven-year-old T he I2-page mission statement is Congress establishing basic structure quasi-public corporation faces prob- (Continued on page 11) Amtrak To Take Over Southern Crescent Amtrak and the Southern Railway "We recognize that the Crescent is trains. " have reached agreement that Amtrak an institution in the area it serves," Boyd said that initial changes to the take over operation of the Southern said Amtrak President Alan S. Boyd, Crescent 's operation and staffing Crescent beginning February I. "and we intend to see that it remains would be minimal and that the train The agreement is contingent on one of America's finest long-distance (Continued on page 10) Southern's being relieved, by the In terstate Commerce Commission, of it s obligation to provide the passenger service. Final agreement came on Wednes day, December 13 , when Amtrak's board of directors, at it s regular monthly meeting, approved a con tract with the Southern for the Cres cent's takeover. Both companies' management teams had agreed earlier on the terms which had been worked 0:: out over months of negotiations. The Southern Crescenr operates daily between Washington and At lanta, with tri-weekly service on to New Orleans. SR '5 Southern Crescent is the last o vernight train to be operated by a private railroad. Chicago Yard Work Continues, [ Significant Results Highlight Year As 1978 comes to a close, work The seven servicing tracks, on the The building will have three run done this past summer during Chi east side of the yard and stretching through tracks in the repair section cago's multi-million dollar yard up south from Roosevelt Road, each will and be able to do most of the heavy grading program has produced some accommodate approximately 16 cars. repair work needed by Amtrak's significant results. As trains come into Chicago, their diesel locomotives. What has happened in Chicago is: cars are switched to the new coach The building is served by three • A portion of the new coach yard yard for cleaning and servicing. Small overhead cranes. One is rated at 35- consisting of seven servicing tracks repairs are made on the spot, al ton capacity, the other two at 15 tons has been completed and is in use. though cars with major troubles are each. • Work is about 90 per cent com switched to another portion of the The shop is also equipped with a plete on the diesel locomotive repair facility. drop table to facilitate changing of facility. The cars are accessible to work per locomotive truck assemblies. • Work has begun on construction sonnel via new concrete platforms be The new building is directly east of of the car shop building. tween the tracks. These can be used the new refueling facility, opened • The old engine house-the orig by motorized vehicles. earlier this year. inal structure in what will now be a Each platform has electrical and Also, the original engine house was three structure complex-was water cabinets providing 110 and 220 reroofed during this past summer. reroofed. volt a.c., compressed air for testing The old arch type roof was removed Bids will soon be asked for the car brake systems and potable water. and replaced with one that matches washer, the wheel truing machine and There are separate electrical stations that on the new structures. for th e warehouse-commissary for the 480 volt current used as At the same time, new lighting and building. standby power for Amfleet cars and, a new heating system were installed Says Ted Jordan, resident engineer later, the new Superliners. which include heat recovery units. on the project, "We've been pretty About all that remains-to- be~dune i hese, as part ofThe ventilaTion syS busy here in Chicago during the past in this area is completion of the main tem, capture a portion of the heat few months and the results of our ef north-south drive just east of the from diesel exhausts and recycle it to forts are beginning to show." tracks. T his is being held up because help heat the builidng. of ci ty work on a local flood control Another facet of the project is the program. construction of a new pollution con [ Disco To Montreal [ Work began in August on the new trol building. Work on this was begun 140-by-320-foot car repair shop. This in July and should be completed by Some 200 New Yorkers climbed building will be a multi-story struc the end of the year. When finished, aboard Amtrak's Man/realer in early ture with a portion of it one story the building will process drainage October to "disco" their way to high while the rest rises three stories. from the car and diesel shop areas as Montreal. Locker rooms and shower facilities well as waste from the car washer. Added to the normal consist of the for personnel, as well as offices, will Additional funding will be made train were three Amcoaches, a sleeper be located in the elevated portion of available in fi scal years 1979 and 1980 plus an Amlounge to accommodate the building, as well as the operating for the completion of the project, tar the dance fans. tower for the entire yard. geted for June 1981. The Amlounge was rigged with The masonry and metal building At that time, all of Amtrak's Chi professional disco audio equipment will have three through tracks, one cago car and diesel repair and main and the all-night party was hosted by stub track, accommodate nine cars tenance work-for trains using the three professional disc jockeys. and handle all major car repairs in south side of Union Station-will be Amlounge attendants were Paula Chicago. The facility will also have centered in the upgraded 12th and Hornbaker and Larry Cullop. Ac two drop tables for use in changing 16th street area. companying the dance fans were wheel sets. Amtrak maintenance of way em Sherman Hill, sales representative, The 80-by-250-foot diesel repair fa ployees have constructed all of the and Sam Johnston, district sales man cility should be open for use by Janu new tracks and have made the neces ager, New York. a ry. Work has been slightly delayed sary modifications to various facili The tour was arranged by Yvon on this project because of a shortage ties to keep the yard in operation dur Maye Travel, of New York City. of concrete in the Chicago area. ing the reconstruction period. 2 A porrion of rhe new coach yard, srrerching sourh of Roosevelr Road and consisring of seven rracks, has been completed and put inro use . • The new diesel repair building will do mosr of rhe heavy repair work on Amrrak 's diesel fleer. Mobile unirs use concrere ramps berween rracks ro reach cars for servicing. Roy Simmons works on an Amfleer car. The car repair shop, only rhe west wall sranding here, will ac commodare nine cars and handle all major repairs in Chicago. A drop rable will facilirare changing of locomorive rruck assemblies Mickey Mouse Picks Amtrak I To Celebrate 50th Birthday Amtrak's most famous passenger The following day, Mickey con In picking the Southwest Limited in November was, without doubt, tinued his journey to New York for the first leg of his journey, Mickey Mouse who rode the rails all aboard the Minute Man, waving to Mickey used both good taste and the way from Los Angeles to New crowds at Aberdeen, Baltimore, tradition.