Amtrak at Auburndale, FL - Now and Then

[becauseisaidso15]

What kind of bastard would press the dislike button on a informational video. That is just wrong. The video is great the voice, the footage, and the trains.

[likestallwomen]

Yeah and with the Meteor doin' the work in Jacksonville a few years later and the Star doin' the same drill until they swutched it also to Jacksonville in the mid 90s! Kinda sucks how they are now!

[distantsignal]

Well this is why knowing some facts helps.

I visit Tampa Union Station about twice a week for lunch and once after work.

On average about 50 people get off 91 and 40 or more get on.

On 92 an average of 30 get off and 60 get on.

People somehow feel that Orlando is larger and Miami is the capital of Florida.

The Tampa market is larger than either Miami or Orlando. (especially if you count only English speaking people)

DH

Tampa

[howardkevinm]

I still have no clue why they did all this. or why they use Tampa at all. how many people get on at tampa each day? like what 5? lol why waste the time and energy for a meger number of pasengers. why dont they just bus them. i mean thats what they did with the palmetto cuz no one used ocala line.

[terryw666]

I can't believe Auburndale is on the internet. Yeah....

[Jsouthwell2006]

that video was made a couple of months before i was born in 88 ;]

[jackcolbypi]

I first rode The Meteor from St.Petersburg in February 1983. I spent the next year dreaming of how I would get back to Fla. & was glad to find back copies of Rail Classics dealing with Auburndale. I shot some video from the Silver Star from NY to Tampa and back to NC. I will load on here sometime !....Thanks for this look back .

[scarlettschmeeda]

I can't believe it's been 40 years.

[jfsa380]

do all cars have the whistle? and why couldn't you just connect the two train together leaving the engines and baggage cars in their places?

[jfsa380]

couldn't they just run the b32 on the rear, or on trains without one, a genesis?

[Millenniumforce]

Love it!!!!

[kellbros2]

The Amtraks in pa are all electric once they were locomotives no everytime im out fishing i see an electric amtrak

[justkiddin08]

Nice video.

[pampers1919]

Auburndale looks badass! like somewere in VA or something

[CoastStarlight11]

Intense stuff!!!!

[SightseerLounge]

1988, with a Phase 2 baggage! WOW! Freight engines in the Seaboard System colors, Montgomery Ward cameras! I'm getting old!

[SightseerLounge]

@SightseerLounge How could I forget about the CABOOSE!

[lynntwill06]

I use to ride this train from Florence SC to Ft Lauderdale it was very long but I do miss it. What does it do now when it gets down there.

[Hardboyization]

hey today in los angeles i saw this train at 2:00 the side has nothing but in the front it had the mtrak there was people on bord

[northlanderdude]

ditch lights became an FRA requirement in Canada in the 1960's !

[howardkevinm]

stupid question but can someone explain why they flip flop the trains like that?

[AdmiralArcher]

Now who made these locomotives?

[howardkevinm]

@AdmiralArcher GE

[AdmiralArcher]

@howardkevinm What about the propulsions?

[howardkevinm]

@AdmiralArcher he didnt ask that he asked who made the locomotives, not the engines. those are F40s which were made by EMD divison of GE

[metroliner89]

Love the F40PH's Theyre awes

[FGLK1751]

great job! I never knew they have to that in 1988!

[MungoPoPo]

Awesome video and powerful too! T.C. 5-7-2010

[zc456]

Really great look at Amtrak and how it was over there back then. I love the footage too.

[webecomets]

Great video. It was very professional. I hope you make many more as I want to watch more. Keep on with the good work. By the way great voice

[amtrak706]

Pause the video at 1:41. You can clearly see that the 2nd engine is not a P42DC, but a P40DC, since the number is 840. I didn't know these got repainted into Phase V. I thought they were retired and rusting away in some shop?

[justmejie]

@amtrak706 they sold a few the state of connecticut and a few to new jersey transit and with stimulus money are returning  15 p40s to service

[1985MANAmericana]

@justmejie at least six of them are back in service

[orion938]

Very cool ... I guess I always *assumed* they did all the fancy foot work in Jax for some reason. I suppose we all learn something new every day!

[tallflguy]

@orion938 In the 90's they did join both northbound trains in JAX and the separation process for the Southbound train

[Coastergeekperson04]

Note the use of first person at the beginning. Not only can this guy narrate, but he is a great videographer!

[firefighter1811]

that old vhs did very clear video for it being so old.

[NickoMcbrainRules]

crazy switching ftw

[BudmanPackfan]

What a great video Danny. And thanks to Steven for giving you access to this video to share with all of us. What a convoluted operation that was!

[ffairlane57]

Orange Blossom Special.

[trackboi27]

GREAT speaking voice!

[Kjr0se]

That was a cool consist for that train back in 1988, I liked the order the cars were coupled together too, it looked pretty cool to me.

[magicalfingers33]

didnt the star seperate in jacsonville or somewere before orlando coming from ny?

[howardkevinm]

not exactly. the Palmetto originally went to Tampa via Waldo, Gainesville, and Ocala. Then it went to Tampa. The same spot they go south in the video. the Palmetto came from the northern part of the diamond.

[DJGENEX71]

Awesome! 5*****!

[jhf0551]

Will the Palmetto come back to Florida in the future?

[howardkevinm]

first things first they gotta reinstate the Sunset Limited and thats a slim chance long shot.

[andybowe]

does Amtrak still do the crazy switching moves in Auborndale 21 years later and are there east coast and west coast sections now or is it one section?

[theexplorerc]

andybowe I don't think they do now it's all one train

[fleecejackets]

Awesome video as always!

[aaron13133]

whats the difference between the B32-8? and the ac4400 and the ES44AC? they all look the exact same

[fleecejackets]

Aside from prime movers, the D8-32 is a four-axle engine -- only 49 were made. 20 B32-8WH's were built for Amtrak in 1991. They are equipped with Head End Power for passenger service. The AC4400 and ES44AC are six-axle engines and are used on freight.

[pengapop12]

now they look like diet pepsi cans

[airRail76]

Wow! When I was a teenager I rode this train up to Virginia several times... Back and forth-back and forth....lol cool video! I love the Seaboard Sysytem loco. Cool!

[murjax]

I think I just learned something I didn't know about before. There was a west coast Silver Meteor? Where did that originate? Naples or something? I was pretty sure the west coast line hadn't been used in over 30 or 40 years. BTW nice catch of P40 840 at 1:35. P40s are pretty rare these days. I know quite a few of them have been sold to CDOT (Connecticut Department of Transportation) for Metro North and Shore Line East service.

[airRail76]

The section that was picked up came from Miami... Venice/Ft. Myers service ; taken from Larry Goolsby's " Atlantic Coast Line- The Postwar Years" Service down to Venice / Ft. Myers ceased when Amtrak was created...1972. Not sure about the month... Take care- Rich Hill

[murjax]

I know that east coast section came from Miami, but where did this west coast section come from?

[howardkevinm]

lol Tampa and Lakeland. the Silver Star is the only train in the entire amtrak system that actually has two seperate stations (one for discharge one for rceive)

[murjax]

Two stations are you sure? Because I've never seen this second station. What I do know is that there are two station codes, one for discharge and one for receive, but I'm pretty sure it's for the same station.

[howardkevinm]

thats what i meant. thjey use the station twice. not having two stations.

[FortegoLite]

Wonderfully done Danny! Can't wait to see your next video!

[FastDashEight]

The new Dash 8 paint somewhat resembles the new Pepsi look...

... well, so do the P42s

[ollieahokas]

Another great video.... wow!!!

[amtrakatsfnyc]

Great vodeo . i have witnessed this switching from the NB Miami section . THANK YOU

[HyperActive7]

I was four years old back then!

Whoa!

No AC in the South? Oh dear..

I bet passengers who traveled that line in those days are grateful Amtrak thought twice about what they were doing.

Talk about a complex mess!

[cobras84robinjd]

Awesome job Danny, and much thanks to Steve as well.

5 stars!

[FlatBlackXtreme]

that was good

[OhioRails]

cool

[PW3905]

Nice catch on P32-8 I wish we had that in the northeast.

PW3905

[brickbuilder711]

Awesome video, Danny! I like the footage Steve sent you. Was an interesting ritual back then.

[ChessieStorm]

Nice Video again. Love your material.

Steve had a nice catch of those old U18B's and Family Lines caboose.

[trainengineer2]

You always make the best train vids i have ever seen on you tube!

[FloridaTrainKid]

Great video Danny! Very interesting how Amtrak used to combine two Silver Meteors at Auburndale to run to New York.

[hallcert]

is this a rerun?:)

[distantsignal]

Yes, I fixed a couple of errors in it and re-posted.

DH

[pengapop12]

now the dash 8s look like diet pepsi cans to me