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| Amtrak Cascades  The evening northbound Amtrak Cascades at Stanwood, Washington, USA.  Introduction Amtrak is an American federal government corporation officially known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation offering intercity passenger train service in the United States. It employs nearly 19,000 people operating passenger service on 21,000 miles (34,000 km) of track primarily owned by freight railroads connecting 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces.
About an hour and forty-five minutes later, and warmer, we were in better spirits as we pulled into King Street Station in Seattle. Somewhere on the World Wide Web there is a web site devoted to the renovation of this glorious station. One little corner of the station near King Street has been renovated and returned to the glory of its original construction. The work looks good and gives a hint of the possibilities to come. The gloomy main waiting room is another story however. Sometime many years ago this expansive space was fitted with a drop ceiling thereby lowering the height by at least half. Around the edges dirty ceiling panels have been removed so if you peer upwards into the dark interior above you can just make out some of the architectural embellishments that were left in place above the drop ceiling. Where the ornate columns drop down below the ceiling panels the ornate columns have been covered over, probably with wall board, so they are a simple box structure. In some places the columns are chiselled away leaving an ugly scar at the drop ceiling junction. WSDOT FAC (Frequently Asked Questions)What are Talgo trains? What is pendular Talgo technology? Why do we need these types of trains in the Pacific Northwest? What train cars are included in a typical Amtrak Cascades train? Where were the Amtrak Cascades trains built? Are more Amtrak Cascades trains needed? Do the Amtrak Cascades tail fins serve a purpose? News Articles15 Apr 1999 - Amtrak Cascades Makes Tracks in Comfort and Style 20 Jun 2005 - King Street Station on Track to Return to... 25 Aug 2006 - Train Derails at Low Speed in Tacoma 20 Mar 2009 - Amtrak Cascades to Celebrate 10 Years of Service 9 Oct 2009 - Gov. Gregoire, Premier Campbell Celebrate 2nd... 23 Nov 2009 - Amtrak Trains Now Arriving at $5 Million Stanwood Station 3 Dec 2009 - Amtrak Cascades Renovations - First Look 26 Feb 2010 - ODOT Purchases Passenger Trains 16 Apr 2010 - Amtrak Cascades Starts 2010 with Record Ridership Growth 21 April 2010 - Amtrak Service to B.C. Will Continue Through September 18 May 2010 - DOT Improving Seattle-Portland Amtrak Service BibliographyAmtrak Brian Soloman - 2004 160 pages - ? photos - ? drawings - ? maps - hardcover 8.6 x 10.7 inches - 22 x 27 centimetres MBI Publishing US$36.95  This pictorial history is only the second of its kind to trace the 30-plus-year history of Amtrak, beginning with a look at the rise and fall of privately run passenger train service followed by a look at Amtrak's infant stage from 1971 through 1976. Also examined is the period from 1976 to 1991, when Amtrak finally established an image, buying new equipment, refurbishing old, and grew its ridership despite a severely limited budget. Modern and period color photos illustrate such aspects of Amtrak as its motive power, including the high-speed Acela Express, its diverse array of rolling stock and equipment, famous long-distance trains past and present, and short-haul corridors. The formation of Amtrak in 1971 heralded the end of privately operated passenger train service and ushered in an era of intercity train travel financed on a budget that has vacillated between the virtually non-existent and the barely adequate. Associated Web SitesAmtrak Amtrak Cascades Talgo America King Street Station |
Talgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles but with an American manufacturing component. TALGO is the acronym for "Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol" or Train Articulated Light Goicoechea Oriol. Alejandro Goicoechea and Jose Luis Oriol being the founders of the company. Talgo patents were originally incorporated in 1942. 
We took a short trip on Amtrak's Cascades train between Stanwood and Seattle, Washington for a day of sight seeing and shopping in the big city. The first southbound train out of Vancouver, British Columbia, was scheduled to arrive in Stanwood, Washington, station at 09:18. The day was overcast with light drizzle and a cold blowing wind. Stanwood is an un-manned depot with no shelter except for a couple of expensive stylish roofs which the rain ignores when the wind blows. Amtrak Cascades arrived an hour and ten minutes late. Cold and having had no breakfast we headed for the dining car hoping for a hot meal. Don't be fooled. The car is plainly labeled as a dining car on the exterior but there is no food service in the dining car. Onboard staff call it a "lounge". Next to this "lounge" is the Bistro car. Here you can purchase microwaved rubber food. If you wish you may then take it to the "lounge" for consumption.