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/2010/12/28/2...z19czqja7G ...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.

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.