Three Rivers (Amtrak)
Encyclopedia
The Three Rivers was a daily Amtrak
train running between New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. It operated via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and Akron, Ohio
. The Three Rivers replaced the Broadway Limited
in 1995. The route was cancelled, with the last train running on March 7, 2005, due to loss of revenue from the loss of a United States Postal Service
contract on the line.
Service east of Pittsburgh continues to be provided by the Pennsylvanian
. The removed portion has no more passenger service, but the Capitol Limited
provides service between Pittsburgh and Chicago via Cleveland, Ohio
.
Highlights along the run included the famous Horseshoe Curve
near Altoona
, Pennsylvania Dutch Country
, and the Allegheny Mountains
. The entire trip took about 20 hours, with 2 hours between New York and Philadelphia, 2 hours between Philadelphia and Harrisburg
, 6 hours between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, and 9 hours between Pittsburgh and Chicago.
Services included Reserved Coach, Viewliner Sleeping Cars (morning wake-up with compilmentary meal and coffee, tea or juice), Dinette (serving meals, snacks and beverages), and Amtrak Express Shipping for selected stations. Smoking was prohibited in all cars. Overnight service was provided.
' consist did not use any single type of coach. The Three Rivers' consist was usually made up of any combination of Horizon Fleet and Amfleet
coaches and dinettes. In addition to this, there was usually a single Viewliner
sleeper towards the back of the train. The train was pulled by AEM-7s, HHP-8s and E60s north of Philadelphia, with P42s or F40s pulling the rest of the way. In addition to this jumble of cars, there were usually a number of freight and express cars and RoadRailer
s behind the passenger-portion of the train. Because the Three Rivers had such a varied consist of passenger and freight rolling stock, trains would look completely different from day to day.
Also unlike most other Amtrak trains with sleeper service, the Three Rivers did not have diner service. All other long-distance Amtrak trains - excluding the Cardinal - have dining cars, which made the Three Rivers unique. The reason for the absence of a diner was somewhat complicated; the most likely reason was that the Three Rivers started out as a coach-only train because there was not much long-distance traffic on the route. The traffic never increased very much, eventually warranting only one sleeper. One sleeper and a few coaches would not provide enough passengers for a dining car. As with any long-distance train, the Horizon or Amfleet café would have to stay on the train to provide a lounge and snacks for passengers, meaning that there would be two food service cars for only four passenger cars. The Three Rivers' schedule ensured that there would be very few meal times en-route, therefore a diner would not be used very much. Thus, the diner would be unnecessary, almost completely empty and unprofitable; in other words, the diner would be useless. Another difficulty was that adding a dining car would necessitate the addition of a crew dorm. Once a crew dorm and a diner were added, an additional engine would be necessary to power the longer train. For an average trip of 60 people, there would be a staff of eight or nine people, which would make the route overwhelmingly unprofitable for Amtrak.
When Amtrak extended the Three Rivers from Pittsburgh to Chicago, it was considered renaming it the Broadway Limited. However, Amtrak was not able to provide the same service that it had on the Broadway Limited due to a shortage of Viewliner sleepers and Heritage Fleet diners. Because Amtrak could not reinstate services which the Broadway had enjoyed, renaming the train did not make sense.
Amtrak had a contract with the US Postal Service on the Three Rivers, explaining the usually long string of RoadRailers, mail, and express cars on the back of the train. For a fee, Amtrak would carry mail in cars on the back of the train to various destinations along the route. The money that the Post Office gave Amtrak helped to offset the money lost on the unprofitable route, which was the only reason Amtrak didn't discontinue the route. However, Amtrak ended up losing the contract by 2005. Upon losing the contract, Amtrak started losing too much money to maintain the Three Rivers, and the train was discontinued.
Another fact which made the Three Rivers unique was that, while the sleeper was a Viewliner
in the later days of operation, the original sleepers were the last standard 10-6 sleepers in Amtrak operation. Whereas most 10-6 sleepers were either retired or converted to crew dorms, four sleepers were painted in the Phase IV paint scheme and refurbished for use on the Three Rivers. Up to five years after all other sleepers were retired, the Three Rivers could be seen with a Heritage Fleet
sleeper. Eventually, there were enough Viewliners to replace the 10-6 sleepers. Most likely, the Viewliners were freed up by the discontinuance of the sleeper service on the Twilight Shoreliner
, the discontinuance of the Silver Palm
, and at the time, loss of traffic on the Lake Shore Limited
, which warranted the abandonment of the Boston through-sleeper.
Even if Viewliners had not been free for the Three Rivers, Congress ensured that the Heritage sleepers would leave the train. The reason for this was that the 10-6 sleepers were direct-dump, the waste from the toilets was scattered onto the rails below. Waste on the tracks was unappealing and unsanitary, made the rails messy and hard to clean, and lured more animals onto the tracks, which slightly increased the amount of railkill (roadkill
). Thus, the mandate from Congress could not allow Amtrak to keep using the Heritage 10-6 sleepers.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
train running between New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. It operated via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. The Three Rivers replaced the Broadway Limited
Broadway Limited
The Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad's premier named passenger train, operating daily in each direction between New York City and Chicago, via North Philadelphia. It replaced its predecessors, the Pennsylvania Limited and the Pennsylvania Special...
in 1995. The route was cancelled, with the last train running on March 7, 2005, due to loss of revenue from the loss of a United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
contract on the line.
Service east of Pittsburgh continues to be provided by the Pennsylvanian
Pennsylvanian (Amtrak)
The Pennsylvanian is a 444-mile daytime Amtrak train running between New York and Pittsburgh via Philadelphia. The trains travel through Pennsylvania's capital, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, suburban and central Philadelphia, and pass through New Jersey up to New York. Trains run once daily in...
. The removed portion has no more passenger service, but the Capitol Limited
Capitol Limited (Amtrak)
Amtrak's Capitol Limited is one of the railroad's two routes connecting Washington, D.C. to Chicago, running via Cleveland, Ohio . Service began in 1981 and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Capitol Limited which ended in 1971 upon the formation of Amtrak...
provides service between Pittsburgh and Chicago via Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
Highlights along the run included the famous Horseshoe Curve
Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)
Horseshoe Curve is a famous railroad horseshoe curve in central Pennsylvania, near Altoona in the United States. Called an "engineering marvel", it was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad...
near Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
, Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania, United States that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Pennsylvania Dutch inhabitants. Religiously, there was a large portion of Lutherans. There were also German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and...
, and the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
. The entire trip took about 20 hours, with 2 hours between New York and Philadelphia, 2 hours between Philadelphia and Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, 6 hours between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, and 9 hours between Pittsburgh and Chicago.
Services included Reserved Coach, Viewliner Sleeping Cars (morning wake-up with compilmentary meal and coffee, tea or juice), Dinette (serving meals, snacks and beverages), and Amtrak Express Shipping for selected stations. Smoking was prohibited in all cars. Overnight service was provided.
Consist
Unlike most Amtrak trains East of Chicago, the Three RiversAmfleet
Amfleet is a series of intercity railroad passenger cars built for the operator Amtrak by the manufacturer Budd Company in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, Amfleet cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western United States...
coaches and dinettes. In addition to this, there was usually a single Viewliner
Viewliner
The Viewliner is a single-level car type used by Amtrak on eastern routes. With the exception of a prototype dining car named "Indianapolis" , all cars built so far are sleeping cars and are assigned names that include the word "View."- Early design :...
sleeper towards the back of the train. The train was pulled by AEM-7s, HHP-8s and E60s north of Philadelphia, with P42s or F40s pulling the rest of the way. In addition to this jumble of cars, there were usually a number of freight and express cars and RoadRailer
Roadrailer
In railroad terminology a Roadrailer or RoadRailer is a highway trailer, or semi-trailer, that is specially equipped for use in railroad intermodal service.- Overview :...
s behind the passenger-portion of the train. Because the Three Rivers had such a varied consist of passenger and freight rolling stock, trains would look completely different from day to day.
Also unlike most other Amtrak trains with sleeper service, the Three Rivers did not have diner service. All other long-distance Amtrak trains - excluding the Cardinal - have dining cars, which made the Three Rivers unique. The reason for the absence of a diner was somewhat complicated; the most likely reason was that the Three Rivers started out as a coach-only train because there was not much long-distance traffic on the route. The traffic never increased very much, eventually warranting only one sleeper. One sleeper and a few coaches would not provide enough passengers for a dining car. As with any long-distance train, the Horizon or Amfleet café would have to stay on the train to provide a lounge and snacks for passengers, meaning that there would be two food service cars for only four passenger cars. The Three Rivers
When Amtrak extended the Three Rivers from Pittsburgh to Chicago, it was considered renaming it the Broadway Limited. However, Amtrak was not able to provide the same service that it had on the Broadway Limited due to a shortage of Viewliner sleepers and Heritage Fleet diners. Because Amtrak could not reinstate services which the Broadway had enjoyed, renaming the train did not make sense.
Amtrak had a contract with the US Postal Service on the Three Rivers, explaining the usually long string of RoadRailers, mail, and express cars on the back of the train. For a fee, Amtrak would carry mail in cars on the back of the train to various destinations along the route. The money that the Post Office gave Amtrak helped to offset the money lost on the unprofitable route, which was the only reason Amtrak didn't discontinue the route. However, Amtrak ended up losing the contract by 2005. Upon losing the contract, Amtrak started losing too much money to maintain the Three Rivers, and the train was discontinued.
Another fact which made the Three Rivers unique was that, while the sleeper was a Viewliner
Viewliner
The Viewliner is a single-level car type used by Amtrak on eastern routes. With the exception of a prototype dining car named "Indianapolis" , all cars built so far are sleeping cars and are assigned names that include the word "View."- Early design :...
in the later days of operation, the original sleepers were the last standard 10-6 sleepers in Amtrak operation. Whereas most 10-6 sleepers were either retired or converted to crew dorms, four sleepers were painted in the Phase IV paint scheme and refurbished for use on the Three Rivers. Up to five years after all other sleepers were retired, the Three Rivers could be seen with a Heritage Fleet
Heritage Fleet
Heritage Fleet was a program started by Amtrak in 1977 to convert its older, mainly streamlined, cars from steam heating to head end power. Head end power conversions were performed at Amtrak's heavy repair center in Beech Grove, Indiana, outside of Indianapolis...
sleeper. Eventually, there were enough Viewliners to replace the 10-6 sleepers. Most likely, the Viewliners were freed up by the discontinuance of the sleeper service on the Twilight Shoreliner
Twilight Shoreliner
The Twilight Shoreliner was a sleeper train operated by Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor. The Federal replaced the Twilight Shoreliner and eventually became just another regional train.- Consist :The Twilight Shoreliner's consist initially was:...
, the discontinuance of the Silver Palm
Silver Palm (Amtrak)
The Silver Palm was the name of two former passenger trains operated by Amtrak serving the U.S. state of Florida.- History :Amtrak introduced the first Silver Palm as a single round trip service between Miami, Florida and Tampa, Florida on November 20, 1982. The train was subsidized by the Florida...
, and at the time, loss of traffic on the Lake Shore Limited
Lake Shore Limited
The Lake Shore Limited is a daily passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. The train runs between Chicago and Albany, NY, where it divides into two sections that provide thru-service to New York and Boston...
, which warranted the abandonment of the Boston through-sleeper.
Even if Viewliners had not been free for the Three Rivers, Congress ensured that the Heritage sleepers would leave the train. The reason for this was that the 10-6 sleepers were direct-dump, the waste from the toilets was scattered onto the rails below. Waste on the tracks was unappealing and unsanitary, made the rails messy and hard to clean, and lured more animals onto the tracks, which slightly increased the amount of railkill (roadkill
Roadkill
Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by motor vehicles. In the United States of America, removal and disposal of animals struck by motor vehicles is usually the responsibility of the state's state trooper association or department of transportation.-History:During the...
). Thus, the mandate from Congress could not allow Amtrak to keep using the Heritage 10-6 sleepers.