Amtrak's Shortest Lived Train - The Campus

Amtrak has had some weird trains during its existence, and all of them pretty much failed in similar ways. Some good examples are the Kentucky Cardinal, Lake Shore Limited, Black Hawk, Hilltopper and Shenandoah. Routes like this were cut in the 80s and 90s because of either Amtrak losing money, or the merging of another shorter route to create a longer one as its successor. After extensive research, I found the shortest-lived Amtrak route. Let’s talk about… Amtrak’s Campus.
Amtrak's Campus is the shortest-lived Amtrak train that lasted only 3 months! Its first run was on Nov 14, 1971 and its last run was on Mar 5, 1972!
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_...
www.timetables.org/full.php?gr...
www.timetables.org/full.php?gr...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illini_...
• 1970s Early NYS/NE Amt...
• NJ Transit & Amtrak At...
Music:
• C418 - Stal (Minecraft...
• Winter's Love
• Super Mario 64 - Main ...
• otherside
• Morning
Thanks for watching this video, ladies and gentlemen!

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Man, you've got an absolute genius for finding the obscure! VERY impressive! Every time you post I learn something new. Thanks for the video!

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Thanks so much!!

[@centredoorplugsthornton4112]

There's a major state university at Champaign-Urbana, hence trains between there and Chicago. Canadian National currently requires passenger trains on its former Illinois Central line to Carbondale and New Orleans to run with Superliners only, no other equipment allowed. Plus a minimum of 30 axles. So you'll see the 2 Carbondale trains with extra Superliners including lounge cars and sleepers just to meet the axle count requirements.

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

I think they also do that to comply with the minimum weight requirement to activate the signal crossings?

[@markfisher1392]

@@westofhudsonstudios4726 Yes and no on the weight ... the actual track circuits are electrical sensors that detect a "shunt" (or dead short) across the rails by the trains' axles. Amtrak shapes the wheels of their passenger cars to handle better at speed and cause less rolling resistance. Unfortunately, it also causes the cars to have less physical contact with the rails, reducing the likelihood the electrical circuit will detect the train. CN requires the heavier Superliners (and more of them than needed for passengers) to ensure the circuits work reliably. So, the weight does play into it as it makes better electrical contact with the rail. Why is CN so different than most other railroads (UP does require extra cars on the River Runner across Missouri but doesn't mandate Superliners.) Inquiring minds want to know! BTW, Amtrak has experimented for a couple of years with locomotive-mounted technology to "induce" a shunt to trigger signals -- no commitment to the technology yet. That would let Amtrak go back to Horizon, Amfleet and/or Venture cars and release the Supeliners back to the long-distance pool of cars.

[@videothen]

Good on you for finding such a deep cut! I had no idea this train even existed. The station shown at 2:23 and 2:38 is actually Chicago's Grand Central Station, which hosted the Baltimore & Ohio, Pere Marquette, Soo Line and Chicago Great Western. It closed in 1969 when the B&O (Chessie System by then) moved their last few trains to the Chicago & North Western Station, and was demolished shortly thereafter. The station at 2:44 is Grafton, West Virginia, on the B&O's Cumberland - Cincinnati line.

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

Now I have to look at a map to figure out how a train coming from the east would get to the C&NW terminal or Vice versa, because that is completely the wrong direction for those trains! Edit: I am guessing that eastbound trains turned south at Western Avenue, with westbound trains doing the opposite. I guess tolls at the C&NW Chicago Passenger Terminal were enough cheaper than at Union Station to justify a more convoluted routing.

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Good eye, I struggled to find images of the actual Chicago Central station so I used Grand Central as the closest option. Thanks for noticing!

[@rrdispr2919]

@@westofhudsonstudios4726 Yeah, Amtrak never operated out of Grand Central Station - that was the Illinois Central's Central Station .

[@Guytrains]

Nice shots

[@FaLO66traintravels]

Excellent presentation!! Thank you. I subscribed.

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Thanks so much!!!

[@SleepTrain456]

I knew about the _Campus,_ but I didn't know it was the _shortest-lived_ Amtrak train without a successor! Thanks for the video! I'll subscribe!

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Welcome aboard, thanks for subbing!

[@SleepTrain456]

@@westofhudsonstudios4726, you're welcome!

[@MetroCSN]

The campus operated with former Chicago & NW push-pull cars. Since it had a diner, I assume it might have been the former C&NW 400 cars, since the C&NW had spare cars of long distance, since the Northwestern never ran Amtrak trains (left-hand running).

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Amazing how you remembered the consist!

[@robinrichards72]

Imagine an Amtrak route from: ATL to Athens to Clemson to Charlotte DC to Charlottesville to Blacksburg (And others) to accommodate college kids. They may well make money.

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

This could work actually, but I wouldn't imagine it getting better money than most of its long distance services.

[@johncamp2567]

Nicely presented and researched! (new subscriber, Virginia)

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Thanks so much, welcome aboard!

[@mrrockdaddy100]

I love how you put video of Newark Penn 🎉

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Thank you!

[@mrrockdaddy100]

@@westofhudsonstudios4726 your welcome ps can you do the Newark bus system next thank you 🙏

[@AtomicBuffalo]

My family from the area always pronounced Rantoul as "ran Tool"

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Oh cool!

[@tazareal]

The station photos you are showing are of Grand Central (B&O/C&O), not Central Station (Illinois Central). No Amtrak trains ever went to Grand Central

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

I'm aware, I couldn't find much good images of the actual central station it used so Grand Central was my closest option. Hope that clears things up!

[@NewYorkRecordingsNYC]

But what was the even shorter one?

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

The Las Vegas Limited (it was mainly an event-only train that got discontinued in less than 3 months with the Desert Wind becoming its successor)

[@ShluffyMonster]

Pigstep >>>

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Based >>

[@InventorZahran]

Wubwubwubwubwu

[@NikonF5user]

What are those sister trains that are still running?!?

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Illini & Saluki

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Why did you list the Lake Shore Limited in the description?

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

Did the link not work or something?

[@Chescat124]

Can you do something on the Floridian

[@westofhudsonstudios4726]

In the foreseeable future, maybe!

[@A20A-]

What was the purpose of this train if it only ran for 112 days? In my opinion I think this route really sucked.