From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Former Amtrak train between Washington, DC, and Cincinnati, OH
The
Shenandoah
was a daily passenger train operated by
Amtrak
between
Washington
and
Cincinnati
from 1976 until 1981.
History
[
edit
]
The
Shenandoah
began operating on October 31, 1976.
[1]
The name came from the
Shenandoah
, a
Washington
?
Akron
train operated by the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
until
Amtrak
took over the nation's passenger trains in 1971.
[2]
: 29
The former platform of the Parkersburg station once served by the
Shenandoah
Connecting service at Cincinnati to
Chicago
was provided by the
Mountaineer
/
James Whitcomb Riley
until 1977, after which it was provided by the
Cardinal
.
Amtrak discontinued the
Shenandoah
on September 30, 1981, citing low ridership. Amtrak considered the
Shenandoah
one of its weakest lines, and the Department of Transportation had recommended its discontinuance in 1979.
[3]
Service on the Washington?Cumberland segment of the
Shenandoah
was replaced by the new Washington?Pittsburgh?Chicago
Capitol Limited
.
[4]
: 126?127
The Cincinnati?Cumberland portion never regained passenger rail service, and
CSX
subsequently abandoned much of the track.
[5]
: 315
Equipment
[
edit
]
The
Shenandoah
originally operated with
Amfleet
coaches and a cafe car; one or two coaches were used west of Martinsburg, with two additional coaches on the more-heavily-used segment between Martinsburg and Washington, D.C. The original
GE P30CH
locomotives were replaced by new
EMD F40PH
locomotives in 1977.
[6]
: 70
Consists varied based on demand; many trains were just two to three cars long.
[7]
The 1978 switch to overnight service required the train to have sleeping facilities per
Interstate Commerce Commission
rules. Amtrak added two sleeping compartments each to a pair of Amfleet coaches (dubbed "Ampad"), which began service on May 3, 1978. A Congressional mandate resulted in a conventional 10-6 sleeper (10 roomettes and six double bedrooms) being added on October 28, 1979.
[6]
: 69
The sleeper was removed on April 26, 1981.
[6]
: 70
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Corridor Takeover, New Equipment, Highlight Amtrak's 1976
Amtrak News
January 15, 1977, page 1
- ^
Sanders, Craig (2007).
Akron Railroads
. Images of Rail. Charleston, SC:
Arcadia Publishing
.
ISBN
0-7385-4141-9
.
OCLC
123357483
.
- ^
"Shenandoah, Cardinal Make Final Runs: Congressmen Seek Ways To Keep Cincinnati Routes"
.
Toledo Blade
. October 1, 1981
. Retrieved
October 24,
2009
.
- ^
Reynolds, Kirk; Oroszi, Dave (2000).
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
. Osceola, WI: MBI.
ISBN
0760307466
.
OCLC
42764520
.
- ^
Schwieterman, Joseph P. (2001).
When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment, Eastern United States
. Kirksville, Missouri:
Truman State University Press
.
ISBN
978-0-943549-97-2
.
- ^
a
b
c
Sanders, Craig (2006).
Amtrak in the Heartland
. Bloomington, Indiana:
Indiana University Press
.
ISBN
978-0-253-34705-3
.
- ^
West Virginia Department of Transportation, State Rail Authority (March 12, 2013).
"West Virginia State Rail Plan: Intercity Service Review"
. pp. 4?6. Archived from
the original
on October 6, 2014.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Shenandoah (Amtrak train)
at Wikimedia Commons