Mountaineer (train)

Not to be confused with the train operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Not to be confused with the train operated by the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad.

Mountaineer
The Mountaineer at Welch, West Virginia in March 1975
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleWest Virginia
PredecessorPocahontas
First serviceMarch 24, 1975
Last serviceMay 31, 1977
SuccessorHilltopper
Former operator(s)Amtrak
Ridership53,400 (1977)
Route
TerminiNorfolk, Virginia
Chicago, Illinois
Stops18
Distance travelled968 miles (1,558 km)
Average journey time24 hours 40 minutes
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)54,55
On-board services
Class(es)
  • Coach
  • Sleeper
Sleeping arrangementsRoomettes and bedrooms
Catering facilitiesGrill diner
Observation facilitiesDome coach
Baggage facilitiesChecked
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)Norfolk and Western Railway

The Mountaineer was a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Norfolk, Virginia, and Chicago, Illinois, via Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the first train to use the Norfolk and Western Railway's tracks since the creation of Amtrak in 1971[1]: 248  and followed the route of the Pocahontas, the N&W's last passenger train. Service began in 1975 and ended in 1977. A new train, the Hilltopper, operated over much of the Mountaineer's route but was itself discontinued in 1979.[2]: 72–74 

  1. ^ Cox, Jim (2011). Rails Across Dixie: A History of Passenger Trains in the American South. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 9780786445288. OCLC 609716000.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference sanders was invoked but never defined (see the help page).