Valpo Local

Valpo Local

The "Valpo Local" was a convert|43.6|mi|km|adj=on passenger train route operated by Amtrak between Chicago and Valparaiso, Indiana. Despite Amtrak's mandate to provide only intercity service, the "Calumet" was a commuter train. Transferred from Conrail in 1979, the full route was shared with Amtrak's "Broadway Limited" until 1990; the "Calumet" was discontinued the next year.

History

The service first ran August 30, 1869, called the Chicago-Valparaiso Accommodation, though usually colloquially referred to as the "Valpo Local" or "The Dummy",Christopher T. Baer, [http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1869%20June%2004.wd.pdf PRR Chronology - 1869] (PDF)] by the Pennsylvania Railroad on its Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, its main line from Pittsburgh west to Chicago. From April 1, 1871 until January 1, 1920, the Pennsylvania Company operated the line.Interstate Commerce Commission, [http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Corphist/pftw_c.html Corporate Genealogy - Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago] ] After that it returned to direct operation by the Pennsylvania Railroad until February 1, 1968, when the PRR was merged into Penn Central Transportation. With the May 1, 1971 startup of Amtrak, all Penn Central intercity trains were taken over by Amtrak, but Penn Central continued to run commuter trains in several metropolitan areas, including the Valpo Local. The formation of the Regional Transportation Authority in Illinois in 1973 did not help, as the service ran into Indiana.

A May 7, 1973 survey of customers revealed that 37% would not take the train if the fare was doubled. 28% would continue to pay, and 34% were undecided.Christopher T. Baer, [http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1973%20Jun%2005.pdf PRR Chronology - 1973] (PDF)] The bankrupt Penn Central merged into Conrail on April 1, 1976, which continued operations until 1979, at which point Amtrak took over. [http://hometown.aol.com/metrafan/ros70s.html Chicago Commuter Equipment from the Recent Past] ] The route was also served by the daily "Broadway Limited" to New York City, and on October 1, 1981 the daily "Capitol Limited" to Washington, DC began using it. At first the Valpo Local was served by two daily trains, the "Calumet" and the "Indiana Connection"; the "Indiana Connection" was discontinued first.

Due to Conrail's desire to abandon part of the former PRR main line, the "Broadway Limited" and "Capitol Limited" were rerouted respectively onto the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and New York Central Railroad lines on November 11, 1990, leaving about half of the "Calumet" route with no other service.Mike Schafer, Amtrak's atlas, "Trains" June 1991] Amtrak announced that it would discontinue the "Calumet" on December 31.Peter J. Visclosky, [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r101:E19SE0-264: Keep Commuter Rail on Track] (September 18, 1990)] Representative Peter J. Visclosky introduced [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c101:H.R.5660.IH: H.R. 5660] to require Amtrak to continue operations until July 1, 1991 to allow time for the State of Indiana to consider subsidizing the route. The date was changed to May 6 and the mandate was included in [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d101:SN03012: S. 3012] , an amendment to the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974, signed into law November 28, 1990 by George H. W. Bush as Public Law No. 101-641. Indiana decided not to pay the required $1.5 million a year,"The Times", [http://groups.google.com/group/rec.railroad/browse_frm/thread/7f19517849363d79/fdb0e8f7c69d8e27?lnk=st&q=valparaiso+amtrak&rnum=3&hl=en#fdb0e8f7c69d8e27 $1.5 million annually needed to keep Valpo-Chicago Amtrak] , November 22, 1990] and the weekday-only "Calumet" last ran Friday, May 3, 1991.Arrivals and Departures, "Trains" July 1991]

Commuter service from Chicago into northern Indiana is still provided by the South Shore Line, operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District over its own alignment, whose closest stop is 15 miles from Valparaiso, closer to Lake Michigan. On August 1, 2004 the Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad started freight operations over the old route of the "Calumet" and beyond.

tation stops

The "Calumet" and "Indiana Connection" were assigned numbers between 321 and 324, with odd numbers running westbound and even numbers eastbound. Trains made the following station stops (some of which closed prior to Amtrak's takeover of the route): [http://hometown.aol.com/metrafan/tt7pc.html March 3, 1971 and April 30, 1972 timetables] ] ;Illinois
*Chicago
*Englewood
*State Line;Indiana
*Whiting
*Standard
*Mahoning
*Indiana Harbor
*Buffington
*Gary
*Broadway (Gary)
*Hobart
*Wheeler
*Valparaiso

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Calumet (Amtrak) — The Calumet, also commonly called the Valpo Local, was a 43.6 mile (70.2 km) passenger train route operated by Amtrak between Chicago and Valparaiso, Indiana.[1] Despite Amtrak s mandate to provide only intercity service, the Calumet was a… …   Wikipedia

  • South Shore Line (NICTD) — NICD redirects here. For the agency in India, see National Institute of Communicable Diseases. South Shore Line Overview …   Wikipedia

  • Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority — is a regional public transit agency operating in Northwest Indiana s Lake and Porter counties. Established in 2000, it was known as Regional Transportation Authority until 2005.[1] The agency is responsible for improving public transit options in …   Wikipedia

  • ChicaGo Dash — Founded October 6, 2008 Service area Valparaiso to Chicago Service type express bus service Destinations …   Wikipedia

  • Phoebe Snow (character) — Phoebe Snow was a fictional character created to promote the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, and, in later years, the name of a pair of passenger trains.1900: The advertising campaignRail travel around the year 1900 was not pleasant.… …   Wikipedia

  • List of named passenger trains of the United States (S-Z) — This article contains a list of named passenger trains in the United States, with names beginning S through Z. v · A–B | C | …   Wikipedia

  • Michigan City Transit — Bus Route 3 stops near Carroll Avenue NICTD station Headquarters …   Wikipedia

  • Valparaiso University — Not to be confused with University of Valparaíso. Valparaiso University Motto In luce tua videmus lucem (Latin) Motto in English In Thy light we see li …   Wikipedia

  • Valparaiso University School of Law — The Valparaiso University School of Law (known colloquially as “Valpo Law”) is a law school located on the campus of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.HistoryIn the late 1870s, local attorney and Colonel Mark L. DeMotte, a resident of… …   Wikipedia

  • Porter County, Indiana — Infobox U.S. County county = Porter County state = Indiana map size = 150 founded = 1836 seat = Valparaiso | area total sq mi =522 area land sq mi =418 area water sq mi =104 area percentage = 19.84% census yr = 2007 pop = 160578 density km2 = 136 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”