In case anyone is interested in shooting this Amtrak special..... Lance Wales, Rockford, IL.
The "millenium national capitol Christmas tree," which was cut in northern Wisconsin recently and has been touring the state, will depart for Washington, D.C., from Milwaukee's Amtrak station Saturday morning November 27 on a special train. The consist will be P42 locomotive 77, conference car 9800, Viewliner sleeper 62022, Amfleet II lounge 28001, biz car Beech Grove, and a Canadian Pacific XXpressway flatcar carrying a truck trailer bearing the tree plus a portable ramp for loading and unloading the trailer. The train will leave Milwaukee at 950 a.m.; leave Chicago at noon on the Capitol Limited route; leave Toledo at 830 pm, Pittsburgh at 350 a.m., and is due into Washington at 230 p.m. on Sunday. Below is a message partially from a CP dispatcher and partially from an unknown Amtrak source, forwarded, regarding special media accommodations on the Milwaukee-Chicago leg, and info from other sources about the handling once in Washington. Schedule: > > Equipment will Deadhead on rear of train #333 on Friday > Nov. 26 and will be positioned backwards. > > Lv Chicago 1030 AM > Ar Milwaukee 1202 PM > > > Once in Milwaukee expressway car will be connected and > flatbed trailer loaded on track #7. > > Once loading complete, train will move to track #1 for overnite > storage. > > > Saturaday November 27,1999 > > Sendoff event from 9:00 AM to 9:50 AM CT > > Special Train #900 > Lv Milw 9:50 AM Central time > Ar Chi 12:00 PM Detrain psgrs > > (Note: Train limited to 55 mph) > > Dp Chi 12:15 PM NS > Ar Toledo 8:30 PM ET- Change engineer > Lv Toledo 8:40 PM > > Sunday November 28, 1999 > > Ar Pittsburgh 3:40 AM Change crew > Lv Pittsburgh 3:50 AM CSX > Ar Washington 2:30 PM > > Psgrs will detrain at stn, trn to move to Ivy City. > All eq except flatbed will be offloaded from expressway car. > P-42 swapped for AEM-7 to reduce noise for arrival. > Temp decals of US forest service will be applied to motor. > > Monday November 29, 1999 > > At approx. 9:30 AM, Dignitaries and invited guests will > board a reduced consist at Ivy City. Trn will depart for a 10:00 > AM arrival on track 12 at WUS. > > After brief ceremony on platform, guests will move to Starlight > lounge for formal reception from 1000-1100. After reception, trn > will move back to Ivy City where flatbed immediately unloaded for > final trip by truck to Capitol Hill. > > > SUBJECT: Millennium Tree Move Transportation *** UPDATE 2 *** > ---------- > AMTRAK is requesting TV video shots as train is enroute. Expected > to be seen around the world. > > Stops will increase scheduled run time slightly on CPR trackage at > Monomonee and Sturtevant. Departure is still 0950 AM out of Milwaukee on > Saturday Nov. 27, 1999. > > Train will leave depot on east end and TV video crew will film > train leaving Milw depot from their location at Plankinton Ave. > > Train will stop at Menomonee to take off temp banners then > proceed to Sturtevant depot and stop. (Request made to have train on >track #2 > into Sturtevant) > > TV video crew will be transported by van from Milwaukee Plankinton) > to MP 62 just west of Sturtevant to film train as it approaches station. > > TV video crew drives to Sturtevant depot and boards train. NOTE: This > special train to follow #334 out of Sturtevant. > > TV video crew will conduct interviews onboard. Train will > stop at Glenview where TV video crew will board engine and film engineman > dressed in Santa suit operating train (rumored to be some of us Milwaukeeans > know well). > > Train will stop somewhere outside of immediate Chicago Union > Station for TV video crew to detrain and proceed filming. > > There is no ramp available at Washington, DC so ramp will > have to accompany special train. Ramp will be tied down on section just > behind the xmas tree. Road move by truck would be almost impossible as > wide load permits need to be secured. > > AMTRAK has advised there is a crane in place next to the expressway > car already at Milwaukee. They will advise all concerned to have crane stay > Friday night until such time as all equipment loaded and secured for special > train move. >
