Editing Streamliner (section)

==== United States ====
High-speed steam service continued in the United States after World War II, but became increasingly uneconomical. The New York Central's [[New York Central Hudson|Super Hudsons]] went out of service in 1948 as the line converted to diesel for passenger service. The Milwaukee Road retired its high speed [[Hiawatha (Milwaukee Road trains)|Hiawatha]] steam locomotives between 1949 and 1951. The last of the Pennsylvania Railroad's short-lived [[Pennsylvania Railroad class T1|T1 class]] locomotives went out of service in 1952. All of those iconic locomotives were scrapped. The last steam streamliners built were three Norfolk and Western [[Norfolk and Western Railway class J (1941)|class J]] locomotives in 1950, which operated until 1959.

In 1951, the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] implemented regulations restricting most trains to speeds of {{cvt|79|mph}} or below unless [[automatic train stop]], [[automatic train control]], or [[cab signalling]] were installed.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=4424 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100624120252/http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=4424 |url-status=dead|archive-date=24 June 2010|title=Ask Trains from November 2008|date=23 December 2008|publisher=Trains Magazine|access-date=29 December 2009}}</ref> The new regulations minimized one of the key advantages of rail travel over the automobile, which became an increasingly attractive alternative as postwar construction of highway systems progressed. Rail operators marketed their services on the basis of luxurious sightseeing, as airlines increasingly competed with rail lines for long-distance travel.

In the mid-1950s, there were several attempts to revive the lightweight custom streamliner concept. None of these projects achieved any lasting impact on passenger service.

[[File:New York Central Aerotrain 1956.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1|[[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]]'s ''[[Aerotrain (GM)|Aerotrain]]'' at the [[Buffalo Central Terminal]] in 1956]]

The ''Train X'' project, first promoted by [[Robert R. Young]] no later than 1948,<ref>{{Citation|last=Young|first=Robert R.|title=Why "Train X"?|periodical=Railway Progress|date=May 1948}}</ref> resulted in low-profile [[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]] [[Baldwin RP-210|RP-210]] locomotives paired with articulated aluminum cars from [[Pullman Company|Pullman-Standard]]. Two trainsets were built in 1956 for the [[New York Central Railroad]]'s ''[[Xplorer (New York Central Railroad train)|Ohio Xplorer]]'' and the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]]'s ''[[Dan'l Webster (train)|Dan'l Webster]]''. The pair were problematic and were withdrawn from service by 1960.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|author=Train Lover|date=4 March 2013|url=http://streamlinermemories.info/?p=2287|title=Dan'l Webster and the Xplorer|work=Streamliner Memories|access-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106150720/http://streamlinermemories.info/?p=2287|archive-date=6 January 2020|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=http://yardlimit.railfan.net/baldwindiesels/rp210/|title=RP210 - Lightweight Streamlined Locomotives|work=The Baldwin Diesel Zone|publisher=railfan.net|access-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916131816/http://yardlimit.railfan.net/baldwindiesels/rp210/|archive-date=16 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[General Motors|GM]]'s project, originally called ''Train Y'',<ref>{{Citation|title=The train that rides on air|periodical=Look|date=14 June 1955}}</ref> was marketed as the ''[[Aerotrain (GM)|Aerotrain]]''. It featured a futuristic, automotive-styled [[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]] [[EMD LWT12|LWT12]] diesel–electric locomotive pulling aluminum coaches adapted from GM's long-distance bus design.<ref name=History>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.american-rails.com/aero.html|title=GM's "Aerotrain": History And Operation|publisher=American-Rails.com|access-date=13 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513070851/https://www.american-rails.com/aero.html|archive-date=13 May 2020|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|last=Knight|first=Nick|date=4 May 2016|url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/05/04/streamliners-died-aerotrain-failed-capture-imagination-american-public|title=When Streamliners died! Aerotrain failed to capture the imagination of the American public|work=The Vintage News ]|access-date=9 May 2020|archive-date=8 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508110742/https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/05/04/streamliners-died-aerotrain-failed-capture-imagination-american-public|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.carofthecentury.com/the_aerotrain.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050728153804/http://www.carofthecentury.com/the_aerotrain.htm |archive-date= 28 July 2005 |url-status= dead |title= The 'Aerotrain': GM's Most Modern Train |access-date= 16 October 2020 }} ''In'' {{cite web |url= http://www.carofthecentury.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050727085603/http://www.carofthecentury.com |archive-date= 27 July 2005 |url-status= dead |title= Automotive Hollywood: The Battle for Body Beautiful |access-date= 16 October 2020 }}
* {{cite web|author=GUSTAVTIME|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V04DzE-VIY | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211110/0V04DzE-VIY| archive-date=10 November 2021 | url-status=live|title=High Speed Aerotrain!|format=video|date=6 December 2018 |access-date=18 May 2020|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} 10:39 minutes video showing internal and external views of a demonstration ''Aerotrain'' traveling at speeds of up to 80 miles (129 km) per hour as [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] No. 1000 and external views of ''Aerotrain'' No. 1001 traveling on the [[Sacramento Northern Railway]].</ref> Two trainsets were produced in 1955 and were trialed by several railroads, but no orders were forthcoming. The two demonstration units were eventually sold to the [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad|Rock Island Line]], which was already operating an EMD LWT12 paired with [[Talgo#Talgo II|Talgo II]] cars from [[American Car and Foundry Company|ACF Industries]] as the ''Jet Rocket''. Rock Island operated them in commuter service until 1966.

The ''Speed Merchant'' project also produced only two examples. They consisted of [[Fairbanks-Morse]] [[FM P-12-42|P-12-42]] locomotives paired with Talgo II cars from ACF Industries, and were used by the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] for [[Speed Merchant (train)|commuter service]] and by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad's ''[[John Quincy Adams (train)|John Quincy Adams]]''. Both were retired by 1964.

In 1956, the [[Budd Company]] produced a single streamlined, lightweight, six car [[diesel multiple unit|DMU]] trainset that the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad operated as the ''[[Roger Williams (train)|Roger Williams]]''. After a short period of time in high speed service, the train was split up and the cars were used in service with the New Haven's other [[Budd Rail Diesel Car|RDCs]].

The advent of jet air travel in the late 1950s brought forth a new round of price competition from airlines for long-distance travel, severely affecting the ridership and profitability of long-distance passenger rail service. Government regulations forced railroads to continue to operate passenger rail service, even on long routes where, the railroads argued, it was almost impossible to make a profit.

Unlike air and automotive infrastructure, which federal and state governments subsidize, operating revenues entirely support privately-owned rail infrastructure in the United States.  By the late 1960s, most rail operators were therefore seeking to completely discontinue passenger service.

The lightweight custom streamliner concept was revived again in the 1960s with the [[United Aircraft|UAC]] [[UAC TurboTrain|TurboTrain]].  These articulated trainsets used [[gas turbine]] engines instead of reciprocating diesel engines for traction power.  They were operated by [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]] and then [[Amtrak]] from 1969 to 1976, and in Canada by [[Canadian National Railway|Canadian National]] and then [[Via Rail]] from 1969 to 1982.

Some [[Pennsylvania Railroad class GG1|GG1]] electric locomotives that the Pennsylvania Railroad once operated remained in service until 1983. The last EMD [[EMD E-unit|E-units]] in regular service were retired in 1993.

[[File:Acela Express at Union Station.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|An Amtrak ''Acela Express'' at [[Washington Union Station|Washington, D.C.'s Union Station]] in 2018]]

Amtrak has operated nearly all long-distance passenger rail systems in the United States since 1971. The [[Public transportation in the United States|publicly-financed rail company]]'s quest for greater fuel efficiency has led them to acquire and operate [[GE Genesis]] diesel-electric locomotives. In so doing, Amtrak reintroduced the lightweight, aerodynamic carbody construction that the ''Zephyr'' had pioneered in the 1930s.

Since 2000, Amtrak has operated high-speed ''[[Acela]]'' (named ''Acela Express'' until 2019) passenger trains that travel at speeds of up to {{cvt|150|mph|km/h}} in the [[Boston]] - [[Washington, D.C.]] [[Northeast Corridor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dms.ntsb.gov/public/58000-58499/58167/585182.pdf|title=Northeast Corridor Employee Timetable #5|page=110|date=7 June 2020|publisher=National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)|via=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=24 December 2017|archive-date=7 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607005033/https://dms.ntsb.gov/public/58000-58499/58167/585182.pdf|url-status=dead}}.</ref> State governments and others in many areas throughout the United States have considered the construction of new high-speed lines, but rail travel is much less common in the U.S. than in Europe or Japan.

In 2008, California voters approved bonds to initiate construction of the [[California High-Speed Rail]] line, which would connect the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] and [[Southern California]]. Construction of the first segment, between [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] and [[Merced, California|Merced]] in the Central Valley, began in 2015.