Well the facts surrounding the Ski Train dispute were that Mr. Ellis claimed that he had a solid committment from Amtrak to proceed and that Amtrak dealt in bad faith.

Mr. Ellis ( Iowa Pacific) took the matter to court and a jury found him to be right and awarded I.P. $ 1.2 million dollars in damages citing " Amtrak's bad faith dealings".

Those are the facts.

Ross Rowland

Looks like the Pullman arm of Iowa Pacific is about to start operations in a few days; the inaugural run is for October 29, according to this site. Routing is Chicago-New Orleans, and with a paint scheme from the old Illinois Central. Can anyone confirm this, or can say they've seen anything of this?

http://www.travelpullman.com/

What looks like an inaugural car roster:

http://www.travelpullman.com/Restoration.aspx

http://www.travelpullman.com/Explore.aspx

It looks like it will be pricey, but not quite as extreme as American Orient Express or successor Grande Lux (although still way too pricey for me). It's worthy of note, at least to me, that rather than a faux "European" feel, this company is going for an American style--and that includes sections! I wonder how well those will sell!

http://www.travelpullman.com/pdf/IPH-02 ... 1_REV2.pdf

More floor plans in the link below:

http://www.travelpullman.com/Media.aspx

I've booked a Deluxe bedroom for the inaugural roundtrip leaving Chicago on 10/29 for New Orleans and am very much looking forward to it.

If this service is up to the standards that I.P. has achieved in its other operations I'm sure that given time, they'll make a success here.

I'll report back to share my experience after the journey.

All aboard!!

Ross Rowland

For those of you who have more than a passing interest in this new service, it should be noted that the inaugural run southbound on the 29 and northbound on the 31 are both discounted by 50% according to a press release on the Pullman website. For an upper berth, this makes travel only $300 one way, which is a steal considering the regular Amtrak fare is around $120.

http://www.travelpullman.com/pdf/Pullma ... 0-2012.pdf

pre-order is pretty common in other arena's, guarantees a seat.

Back in July, a weekly alternative newspaper in Vermont published a good background story about the debate over the Adirondack railroad corridor:
Seven Days (weekly newspaper): Rails or Trails? New Yorkers Clash Over the Future of an Adirondack Train Line (July 18, 2012)

And here are two more recent articles on the pro-train side... the first article describes how 200-people turned out for a pro-train rally in Saranac Lake, population 5,400:
Adirondack Daily Enterprise: 200 people at railroad rally - Groups tout trains’ value and potential (October 26, 2012)

The second article also covers the same rally, and has ridership numbers for the current season - according to a Preservation Society officer, ridership was up 8 percent this year and 22,500 passengers had ridden the train between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid:
Press-Democrat: Railroad rides 'Bound for Glory'-Railroad rides 'Bound for Glory' (October 28, 2012)

Did the New Orleans trips run as planned ?

SAA

Units were photographed in Willard on their way West over the weekend.

Here is an article that was just posted on the website of the Utica, NY Observer Dispatch newspaper:

Utica, NY Observer Dispatch: Adirondack Railroad expansion discussed (Nov 17, 2012)

Utica is where the Adirondack Railroad connects with the former New York Central (now CSX) water-level-route mainline.

Hi Guys - This may or may-not be off topic, but if Iowa Pacific is planning to run out of Grand Central, you think they could work out a deal with the owners of ex Grand Cnetral Electrics NYC 600 & NYC 278 currently at Glenmont, on the south side of Albany? Even if they are stuffed and mounted at GCT, they would add something to the whole Pullman experience and at least, get them out of the elements. If you can’t have a Hudson, at least you can have an S motor! Just a sugestion Ed! Have fun - David Notarius, London UK, ex New Hope PA