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+--- Thread: Another Rail Innovater is Gone... (/showthread.php?tid=3604)
Another Rail Innovater is Gone... - Bob C - 12-30-2010
Eugene Kerik Garfield, Father of the "Auto-Train" has died at age 74...an article from the Miami Herald is here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/12/28/2717174_eugene-kerik-garfield-founded.html#ixzz19czqja7G ...another man who loved trains with foresight and courage to take a chance, when Rail was not as popular or politically correct as it has become today. Rest in Peace, Gene.
Re: Another Rail Innovater is Gone... - FCIN - 12-30-2010
Hate to hear that another railroad visionary has pasted. They don't mention in the article that Auto Train also operated out of Louisville, KY over the L&N. I went by the terminal several times in the 70's to photograph the U-Boats, including the unit with the "Smiley Face" on the nose. Unfortunately, it never really caught on, but I would have loved to have made the trip.
It's a shame that passenger service in this area just doesn't seem to attract many people. Amtrak operated out of Louisville to Indianapolis for a few years over the Louisville & Indiana, but the service was discontinued. The few times I saw the train leaving Union Station, it looked like it was packed, but at 35mph and operating in the dark both ways, it sure couldn't compete with I-65.