In its own way ... it's a cool sight. I would like to see the entire train made up with New Jersey Transit Comets.
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From an old and long gone layout....
The prototype approach...
The fun approach...
As as aside, isn't the NJT excursions the last time the Greenbrier 614 operated?
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GG1 4877 posted:From an old and long gone layout....
The prototype approach...
The fun approach...
As as aside, isn't the NJT excursions the last time the Greenbrier 614 operated?
Yes, 1998.
Nothin' new. Back in the day... 100 year anniversary of commuter service.
Chicago to Aurora and return. 22 coaches. Sold out. Fares were a buck for adults, 50 cents for kids under 10 as I recall.
Rusty
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645 posted:But in 1964 there still was more public awareness of railroads and I'm sure many more steam fans existed then compared to 1996-1998. It is now 2017 - nineteen years later so I'm sure there are less steam fans around now. Truth is that there are not enough railfans around to fill a large excursion consist - the general public is who fills the majority of the seats.
OK, the Q's 100-year commuter anniversary trip charged a dollar per adult head in 1964. What was the fare for a Chicago-Aurora round trip aboard a standard diesel commuter train in 1964? Was it 25 cents making the anniversary trip's cost 4 times that of a regular commuter fare as in the NJ Transit example cited above? I would think it was higher than 25 cents for a round trip even back then.
Flip side is Metra offers a unlimited rides weekend pass for $8.00 today so even if one only rode Chicago to Aurora and back that's still a fair bargain considering inflation since 1964. A few of the coaches used on Metra's BNSF (Chicago-Aurora) line also date back to that 1964 trip - would be the cars numbered in the 700's / 800's. I do know the 800's were cab cars but believe Metra only uses them as regular coaches now with cab windows blanked off / horns removed.
I seem to recall Berwyn to Chicago (around 8-10 miles) was 50 cents one way around then.
I'm pretty sure on this trip, the general public outnumbered railfans. There were no photo runby's and it was essentially an over-glorified commuter run to Aurora, (the train was long enough it could load and unload at Oak Park Ave. and Harlem Ave. at the same time) where various pieces of equipment were set up for display.
Rusty
