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Happy National Train Day! Some may remember it. It usually took place on or around May 10th.
Happy National Train Day!
- Thread starter Rasputin
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I have many fine memories of National Train Day and the AU group that met up at that time. That's going back about 10 years or so. There would be free tours of Private, Amtrak, SEPTA and NJT train cars. There were model train exhibits, talks on trains, handouts of posters and even cooking demonstrations by Amtrak Chefs. They drew large crowds especially so at PHL 30th st station. Those were fun days and well attended by the public. Its seemed that NTD was a helpful and useful marketing promotion of the service but apparently the powers at large disagreed.
Is there even a NTD anymore? Certainly not like when it was a truly coordinated nationwide effort by Amtrak.
It has been ten or more years since the last National Train Day in Los Angeles, that I recall.
LA Union Station had a "Train Festival" last September organized by LA Metro (owners of Union Station).
It has been ten or more years since the last National Train Day in Los Angeles, that I recall.
LA Union Station had a "Train Festival" last September organized by LA Metro (owners of Union Station).
- Joined
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According to a post on the RPA hotline which I saw after my initial post, National Train Day was started by Amtrak in 2008 and continued each year until about 2015 when it was dropped from Amtrak's official marketing budget. It is still celebrated by a number of organizations but is not apparently recognized by Amtrak.
As far as I can see, it had proven to be much too successful, just like the Pacific Parlour Car and business class on some trains, so it had to be discontinued. More importantly, the funds required for National Train Day celebrations took away from the funds available for management bonuses.
As far as I can see, it had proven to be much too successful, just like the Pacific Parlour Car and business class on some trains, so it had to be discontinued. More importantly, the funds required for National Train Day celebrations took away from the funds available for management bonuses.
NorthShore
Conductor
One year, at Chicago Union Station, the stationmaster was so proud of an historic Pensy engine he had managed to bring in for the event ("they said I'd never get it!") that he invited and escorted fans to its platform after the event ended to watch it run out of the station and return to the yard ("Come on! You're going to want to see this!). I think I still have a special sign printed for one of the private cars, as staff was happily handing them off as the day ended. In Chicago, Train Day celebrations were truly grand.
National Train Day attracted big crowds, families and those unacquainted with Amtrak. It was a great occasion to show the general public what train travel is all about. Why this beneficial marketing event was cancelled is a mystery to me. For a company that does so little advertising NTD seemed an ideal marketing tool. Today Amtrak survives with many cuts and even the paper timetables have been eliminated. I call this move "penny wise and dollar foolish".
