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Hilltopper (train)

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Hilltopper
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleEastern United States
PredecessorMountaineer
Former operator(s)Amtrak
Route
TerminiBoston, Massachusetts
Catlettsburg, Kentucky
Stops34
Distance travelled1,674 miles (2,694 km)
Average journey time26 hours 35 minutes
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)66, 67
On-board services
Class(es)
  • Sleeping car service (Boston-Washington)
  • Reserved and unreserved coach
Catering facilitiesOn-board cafe
Technical
Rolling stockAmfleet coaches
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)Amtrak, RF&P, N&W

The Hilltopper was a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It ran daily from South Station in Boston, Massachusetts to Catlettsburg, Kentucky. The 1,674 mi (2,694 km) run made 34 stops in 11 states and the District of Columbia.[1] The Hilltopper replaced the discontinued Mountaineer on June 1, 1977.[2][3] Initially it terminated at Washington, D.C., but on January 8, 1978 was combined with the Night Owl and extended to Boston.[4]: 73  The train was discontinued October 1, 1979 and service has not returned to many of its stops in Southwest Virginia and West Virginia.[2]

The Hilltopper had a warm supporter in West Virginian congressman Harley Staggers, but it was "cited by critics as an example of everything that was wrong with Amtrak" and was one of several routes cut in October 1979 as part of a reorganization by the Carter Administration.[5][6]: 51 

Notes

  1. ^ "Amtrak Hilltopper Timetable". Amtrak. 1979. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Sturgeon, Jeff (July 22, 2008). "Can passenger rail return to Roanoke?". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  3. ^ "Hilltopper Begins Service". Amtrak NEWS 4 (11). June 15, 1977. Retrieved February 4, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
  5. ^ Dilger (2003), 91.
  6. ^ Solomon, Brian (2004). Amtrak. Saint Paul, Minnesota: MBI. ISBN 978-0-7603-1765-5.

References

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