July 25, 2007

Amtrak Fiasco 2007, Part VI:

Epilogue

By Stan Dyer

There certainly was an interesting response to this series of articles. Many people were as indifferent about the stories as they are about the trains I wrote about, but others definitely took sides. Those who voiced opinions were either entirely on my side as if I were the voice of their own experiences, or they were entirely opposed as if I were dragging the family skeletons out of the closet. Personally, I just wanted to take the train to add a historic touch to my trip to Washington, D.C. I had no idea what I would encounter, or that my experiences were commonplace, but at least I got the taste of history I sought.

Riding the modern train with its modern conveniences makes a person wonder what the trains were like in the early days. Before the Westinghouse Brake, there used to be men called, interestingly enough, the brakemen. Their job was to run along the top of the moving train to engage each brake on each car by hand whenever it was time to slow or stop the train. It is not surprising that many fell off and suffered grave accidents.

Modern train passengers also enjoy the comfort of modern heating and air-conditioning. The first trains used wood stoves for heating. You can imagine what a hazard that might be in a wooden car, especially if the train derailed. The only air-conditioning on the early trains was provided by any available windows, and this was during an era of limited hygiene. We all wax nostalgic about train history, but when you get down to it; early trains were probably very uncomfortable, very cramped and very smelly, in addition to being very dangerous. No matter what you encounter on a modern American train, the level of comfort is greatly improved.

During my adventure, one thought kept slapping me in the face. I kept thinking about the Comstock Lode. If you don't know about the Comstock Lode, the best part of the story starts in 1859. A man nicknamed, "Old Pancake", Henry T. P. Comstock, and others, bought a marginally successful Gold Mine from a pair of Pennsylvania brothers. I suppose they were bringing some gold out of the mine, but they kept complaining about all of the bluish sand that kept getting in the way and impeding their progress.

One day, someone got the notion to assay the bluish sand and history was made. That sand contained a high concentration of silver. The men were digging for gold in a silver mine, and not just any silver mine. The Comstock Lodeturned out to be richest known silver deposit ever in the United States, yielding over one billion dollars in silver in the 11 years before the price of silver dropped in 1870. Could it be that Amtrak is the modern Comstock Lode? Could it be Amtrak is trying to mine gold from a silver mine? How many places in America can we see examples of people doing things the same old ways but expecting new, and different results? For Amtrak, maybe it is time to stop trying to mine gold and assay some of that bluish sand.

No matter where you stand on the debate, you cannot deny that Amtrak has problems. So, do you push the bluish sand out of the way, or do you find a way to make the bluish sand profit? Amtrak can't push their problems out of the way. They are going to have to share the rails and that will almost certainly make staying on time difficult at best. They need to turn that disadvantage into their Comstock Lode and I propose they do it by creating the Rail Cruise. The possibilities are unlimited.

One idea for a first Rail Cruise is the Mystery, or Agatha Christie cruise. It would take a bit of planning, but cruisers would book a train ride for a general period of time with no exact destination and be given a mystery to solve. Clues would be planted at each train stop, left on the train, or offered by the Amtrak steering committee. This type of Rail Cruise would ensure a group of passengers with common interests and a mutual subject to discuss. With something to engage the passengers, few would even care if the train had to pull over to the side to wait for a passing freight. Running out of food or completely missing a stop would just add flavor to the adventure. It also eliminates the need to be on time at a specific destination and allows extra freedom to change plans as the situation dictates. It is pure gold, or should I say silver?

Another idea is the History Cruise. Many of the small towns along the rails not only offer a chance to glance back at an early time in America, they also have landmarks and architecture of note. A perfect example is Minden, NE. Minden is 17 miles off I-70, but it is right along the rail line. Minden is the home of the Pioneer Village, which is one of the best, private collection museums in the West. Minden isn't enough to be a destination in itself, but it would be a great stop along the way. Besides, if Amtrak started working this idea, who knows what entrepreneurs would come up with along the way to enhance the trip. It could turn out to be as big as the zenith of family road trips in the early days of the highways.

Other ideas include, Reunion Cruises, Random Cruises, Singles Cruises, Family Cruises, Wine Tasting Cruises, Jazz Cruises, Music Cruises, and a host of others. Any number of ideas marketed properly, priced fairly, and presented professionally have the potential to make Amtrak the next Comstock Lode. The choice between gold and silver, however, is not mine to make. It is up to Amtrak to decide whether to keep doing things the old way expecting new results, or to go with the flow and offer a product that consumers can enjoy.

Well, the train vacation did not go quite as expected, but I did enjoy sharing this series with you, my readers. I hope I was a voice for those with similar experiences who needed to vent, and I hope I raised some eyebrows on the faces of my opposition. For those disinterested parties who think trains are passé and ancient history, I hope there's a Rail Cruise in the future.