Did you know?

Since the beginning, even-numbered trains have traveled north and east. Odd-numbered trains travel south and west. Among the exceptions are Amtrak's Pacific Surfliners, which use the opposite numbering system inherited from the Santa Fe Railway, and some Empire Service trains.

The Auto Train, which travels between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla., is the longest passenger train in the world, with two engines and 40-plus passenger rail cars and vehicle carriers.

Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is the busiest railroad in North America, with more than 1,700 trains operating over some portion of the Washington-Boston route each day.

Seventy percent of the miles traveled by Amtrak trains are on tracks owned by other railroads. Known as “host railroads,” they range from large, publicly traded companies based in the U.S. or Canada, to state and local government agencies and small businesses. The six largest host railroads for Amtrak trains are:

• BNSF Railway, 6.5 million train miles
• CSX Transportation, 5.54 million train miles
• Union Pacific Railroad, 5.43 million train miles
• Norfolk Southern Railway, 2.27 million train miles
• Metro North Railroad, 1.30 million train miles
• CN railway, .98 million train miles

Fourteen states contract with Amtrak for the operation of trains that supplement the national Amtrak network by extending the reach of passenger rail services or providing additional frequencies on Amtrak routes. These states are: California, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Of the 391 national park sites, how many are within 100 miles of an Amtrak route or station? If you answered 248, give yourself a gold star. Trains bring visitors to a variety of national park areas for their history, culture and unparalleled recreational activities. Whether you like to listen to cool jazz or hike along a cool mountain spring, there’s a national park for you and a train to help take you there.

Trains Go Hollywood

There have been dozens of train movies over the years. A few titles are listed below. Some have “train” in the title; others are set on a train; some movies simply have a memorable or crucial scene on a train. How many have you seen?

Train Movies

Whistle a Train Tune

There are even more train songs than there are train movies. Some train songs are so well known they’ve become a part of Americana, while new train songs are written every year. Check out the train songs below. Some are lonesome blues about the life of a hobo. Others imitate the clickety-clack rhythm of the rails. And others make you want to get up and shake your caboose on the dance floor. How many do you know and love?

Train Songs