I'm just back from my brief three-day Atlantic Seaboard Adventure.......a train riders' getaway of sorts. Upon my return home I see that NARP is appealing to the STB regarding horrendous handling of Amtrak trains by UP and CSX. At this point I can second that emotion.
On my trip I boarded a total of eight trains. The first was Amtrak's northbound Carolinian (#80) out of Greensboro, NC. Consist was the usual baggage car, amfleet II coach for business class, amcafe, and four amfleet I coaches. The onboard crew was pleasant and did a really fantastic job in explaining the many delays to us. And there were delays. We were 10 minutes late out of Greensboro and more than three hours late when I stepped down from the train in Richmond, VA. Delays were incurred by CSX crews fixing signals, CSX crews fixing track, CSX freight trains, other late Amtrak trains, the threat of high water, and the threat of rail kinks.....much of the trip north of Selma, NC was operated under heat restriction. All of these were the 'expected' delays. The surprise was that even the normally decent Norfolk Southern stuck us for an hour delay with a lame freight train just east of Durham. An older NS diesel had failed and we waited while that locomotive was shunted onto a sidetrack. Then we tailed the crippled freight the rest of the way into Raleigh.
At the Richmond Staples Mill Road Station (which has the ambiance of a fast food joint) things were a mess. Every train on the board was posted as 'DELAYED'. With the exception of one regional train from Boston which trailed in just 45 minutes late at 8:50pm, every train on the board was three to five hours late. I know this from calling the Amtrak 1-800 number and 'talking' to Julie. (Never has her pre-recorded "Hold On, I'll see if I can find your train' been more appropriate.) The disheveled station agents at Richmond had stopped even trying to post ETA's on all of the trains which someone had misplaced causing poor Julie to go look for them. (The crew at Richmond is trying valiantly to offer good service in an impossible situation.)
The northbound Palmetto trundled in three hours late, the former Colonial bound for Newport News limped in two hours late. The Thruway bus connection from the eastbound Cardinal at Charlottesville was more than three hours late and still had not arrived when I managed myself to escape Richmond on a three hour late train #66, formerly known as the Tidewater. I would have had time to visit Main Street Station after-all as this train was held in the station downtown for two hours waiting for a new engineer to become available. The previous engineer had 'become ill' according to the announcement and had to be taken from the train. I'm hoping that this did not turn out to be as serious as it sounds.
So.......at 9:20pm, just under 12 hours into my journey, I stepped down from #66 on the platform at Ashland, VA and walked across the street to the Henry Clay Inn. I found the key to my room in the late arrivals box and made my way upstairs for a shower and to settle in a bit. It all felt like it could have been 1906.....a trying day on crowded, slow trains ended by the welcome sight of a clean railroad hotel when we finally arrived. Oh......except that the Henry Clay is air-conditioned, a near-neccessity given how humid things are on the Atlantic Seaboard right now. As I turned down the bed covers and prepared to climb in, the southbound Silver Meteor charged through town......three hours late.
The next morning, Thursday, I made my way downstairs about 7:00am for the continental breakfast and to make my 'check-in' from the night before official. I walked across the street to the railroad station and to wait for my train, northbound regional #86. It pulled in just five minutes late at 8:15am. That would be impressive BUT since this train originates in Richmond, it was only 11 miles into it's trip! By the time I got off the train in Baltimore we had managed to lose another 30 minutes. All south of Alexandria on CSX. We maintained running times north of Washington but I was surprised that the Union Station crews were not able to shave any of the lost time. It took us the entire 25 minutes to swap engines and change crews.....probably because we had arrived on the markers of the four hour late northbound Silver Meteor.
In Baltimore I just missed the once every fifteen minute light rail shuttle over to the main stem of the system so I opted to walk the three blocks over to the Mount Royal light rail station. This is the way we used to do it when I was in graduate school before the extension into Penn Station had been completed so it was no big deal. I particularly liked the opportunity to have a look at the old B&O Mt. Royal Station as I walked past.
I rode the light rail down to the Camden Yards area and took the three-quarter mile hike out Pratt Street to the B&O Railroad Museum. Normally this would be an OK walk BUT the heat and humidity in Baltimore (the entire area actually) was just so powerful that my face was drenched in sweat by the time I arrived at the museum. It felt as if it would rain at any moment. Actually, no, it felt more like taking a hike in a canine's mouth.
The museum was very nice. The restoration to the roundhouse roof has it looking better than ever and, frankly, the B&O museum is one of the three or four best in the United States. There is a lot of 'stuff' and it's all pretty historically significant. Best of all, it's presented so as to be accessible to the hardened railfan as well as the young boy racing about with his toy Thomas the Tank Engine. Of course I am partial to the Clinchfield #1, a tiny 4-6-0 dating to 1882. This locomotive headed the first 'real train ride' I ever took......an all-day excursion from Marion, NC to Erwin, TN and back with my mother in about 1971 or so. I recommend this museum to anyone who has any railroad interest whatsoever.
I spent just under three hours at the museum....including a few minutes spent with a bad slice of pizza from the museum cafe....I didn't want to squander any time over a sitdown lunch elsewhere.....and then started back to the light rail station. About a block before I got there the long-anticipated rain came....in buckets. I had a rain jacket with me but did not want to wear it......it was already SOOOOO HOT.
Drenched, I made it back to Penn Station (changing light rail trains at Mt. Royal) and slogged into the waiting room. I had considered light rail exploring but with the heat and rain I just wanted to get on a train and leave town. Good news. There was a MARC Express leaving for Washington in just 10 minutes. Light bulb time - Take the commuter train to DC and with the 90 minutes there before my train back to Ashland goes I could have a nice sit-down meal. Wow. Am I glad I did this! The MARC train stopped only at BWI and New Carrollton. It was the fastest, cleanest, least crowded train I rode on my trip. We made it into Union Station in less than 45 minutes. On-Time! Not on-time looking at the monitors would be the Capitol Limited four hours late from Chicago, the Silver Star ten hours late from Miami, and the Carolinian two hours late from Charlotte.
After a nice meal at the Chineese place in the food court, I boarded #93 back to Ashland. We left on-time but were delayed by signal work and heat restrictions......Ashland arrival was at 8:20pm, about 30 minutes late. I did take an evening stroll in Ashland. Interestingly, the model train store there has MOVED. Right across the street and railroad tracks. It is nearly exactly opposite it's old location!
Friday morning I'm up and out of the hotel in-time to catch southbound regional #67 into Richmond. Things are looking better as the train rolls in just 20 minutes down. While waiting I had the pleasure of seeing the northbound Silver Meteor pass through town......five hours late.
Back in the Richmond Hardees......er......Amtrak station I am catching the southbound Plametto (#89) to Selma, NC. Amazingly we leave just 18 minutes late.....meeting the two hour late northbound Silver Star on our way out of town. I had shortly before that seen the northbound Auto-Train five hours late.
Just south of the Richmond freight yard we hit the CSX black hole. Stop. Wait. Crawl. Go slow. In the roughly 150 miles to Selma we lose another hour and forty minutes......including 30 minutes just sitting at the Rocky Mount station for no apparant reason. The car attendant did a great job trying to keep our spirits up in a cynical kind of way. We'd stop. She'd groan "People, here we go again. We are gonna be late. Get on your cell phone and warn whoever is picking you up." And out of Rocky Mount where we sat in the station for thirty minutes being passed by a southbound freight train, "People, we are now one hour and forty-eight minutes late." She pulls a spindled timetable out of her pocket and holds it up saying "This piece of paper is a JOKE. That's why I don't pass it out to you. If you had it you'd call me over and say 'it says we're supposed to be here at such and such a time'. People, we will get there when we get there."
The Selma train station is another gem restored for us by the North Carolina DOT. Good antique shops close by. Ya'll come see us sometime....warning though, it's downright hot here in July and August.
For my last hop I boarded the two hour and thirty minute late #79, southbound Carolinian back to Greensboro.
So.......we have learned that the timetable is a joke. Accept that premise if you are considering a ride on any of the Atlantic Coastal region trains. Make no plans the same day as expected arrival. The train rides themselves were fine when we were moving. The AC worked, the interiors of the cars were reasonably clean (OK, the Palmetto was a little grungy except for the car the attendant was riding in.....I was fortunate to be in that one.), and getting a look at some of the small towns in that part of the country certainly worthwhile. What ASTOUNDS me is that every Amtrak train (save for the two regionals south of Washington)I rode was loaded to about 90% capacity. These trains continue to be popular with people seeking basic transportation regardless of the fact that their over-the-road performance is.....abysmal. Surely though this isn't going to continue much longer. The legions of people who swear off rail travel forever are growing. I met a few on every train (except the MARC) I rode and in every station I entered. I continue to ride the Carolinian from time-to-time out of curiousity BUT I would not recommend it or the Palmetto to anyone considering rail travel for the first time. I wouldn't even use them on a family trip. Instead we would opt for driving to Ashland and taking the regional trains north from there.
So it goes. Respectfully submitted.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Ahh David: Reading your - very thorough and easy to follow and interesting - report I am struck by how resilient you are in the face of the various obstacles - late trains and heat. Didn't let those ruin your trip, but at the same time retaining a realistic awareness of the implications for LD trains and for first time riders.
And with gas going up and staying up for the summer - and longer I suspect - it seems the nation would cry out for intercity mass transit relief. Alas we do not.
Anyway - thanks again. I appreciate what a rail fan you are and how you articulate as well.
Ira
Posts: 300 | From: Denver, CO USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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Oh, David, that is unfortunate about the trains. I'm surprised the Regionals were late too, and I didn't realize the NC trains were quite so bad! (I am not surprised about the Florida service.)
But I am glad you had a reasonably nice time, in spite of delays and heat. Gotta go someplace cooler next summer--how about Jerome Nicholson's Vermont/Chaleur/Ocean trip (see other strand)? Although it's disgustingly humid up here ths weekend, so Vermont probably isn't too cool either!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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I feel your pain David. Sorry you had to miss out on the front porch at Ashland and a good dinner at the Ironhorse. Great report though.
Sadly, I think you are right about driving to Ashland to catch the train north. That is what we are doing now on our frequent trips to see our son and familly in Morristown, NJ. No matter how bad Amtrak (or CSX) is, it's still a whole lot better than the DC beltway or NJ Turnpike.
Let's see, when will it be cool enough for no heat restrictions, warm enough for switches not to freeze, dry enough for no washouts or signal problems, with no curfews planned. Lets try the Palmetto again the first week of November or maybe the last week of March.
Tom Rice, Graham Claytor, or for that matter Dan Willard would have them all run off by now.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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I think those are the optimal couple of weeks! You left out plagues and pestilence as reasons cited for delays on CSX! I did at least get to watch trains on the way up BUT the front porch of the Henry Clay would have been nicer than the station at Staples Mill Road!
The thing is, I went into this knowing full well what could happen and I was able to roll with it. (Although I did ask on my way up if the northbound Palmetto could add a stop in Ashland for me......they did reaccomodate all of the train 66 passengers booked for points Alexandria - New York on the Palmetto. They said no but I figured it didn't hurt to ask.) It's the people who expect a reasonably normal travel experience who are blindsided when things go horribly wrong.
Sojourner,
The Piedmont is still consistently very good but one must really juggle the itinerary to work it in. It had always been a more pleasant ride than the Carolinian anyway.
For what it's worth, CSX is undertaking a great deal of track and signal work right now. I lost count of how many times we passed areas (at 10 mph) where there were guys in hard hats working on a signal or spreading new ballast, etc. The regional trains are getting hit by signal work between Richmond and Doswell as well as by the heat restrictions. I have reason to believe that things will improve once this work is completed. Who knows how much or how soon though?
Of course much of the need for this work as well as the imposing of heat speed restrictions can be traced to years of substandard maintenance at CSX in the first place. Coupled with their decision back in the 1980's to abandon some parts and downgrade the rest of the parallel Seaboard main line and you wind up with exactly what they have.......a choked railroad.
Nova Scotia has some promise for next summer.....or perhaps a driving tour taking in tourist railroads in West Virgina, Western Maryland, and Pennsylvania.....places where ther are mountains!
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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David, I just came off a 3 week driving vacation in Tennessee, Missouri. Illinois, Indiana. Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. And the mountains in Western Pennsylvania were cool and rainy like an early Spring day in our states. God, it was refreshing! And driving is no bed of roses on I-95 either, what with the replacement of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Springfield Interchange near DC. It's just a bad year for travel in ANY mode. I hadn't given up on trains- I just strung together a bunch of places I'd been meaning to visit that were best reached by car- Nashville, Auburn, Chattanooga, Metropolis, Fallingwater & others. But I did get to ride the Tennessee Central and Cuyahoga Valley Railroads. So better trip next year. Who knows? Maybe CSX will have its tracks in good order.
Posts: 510 | From: Richmond VA USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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I know a lot of us like to spend a lot of time on the train, but that's IF the train is MOVING! Sounds like a journey with its share of frustrations. It seems were at the time of year when travel in the Eastern seaboard is not too pleasant.
I had originally planned my little trip in August, but will now likely push it back, as my resources are going into my partially paid for Chicago trip in September. I may simply go out and ride the WMSR next month to cure the train ride bug that's growing in me.
-------------------- History of Baltimore and Baltimore Transit - Visit http://www.btco.net ! Posts: 86 | From: Baltimore | Registered: Feb 2006
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Perhaps it's because I am retired and have no time constraints --- but it matters not whether the train is moving or not. If the scenery is less than appealing -- then it is time for the book I brought along. If it means a missed connection --- Amtrak has always been super about rescheduling with equal or upgraded accomodations. (And overnite accomodations where needed). If the delay means a problem with a hotel reservation -- a cell phone call can solve the problem. If relatives or friends are picking me up - then a cell phone call to advise them (and the advice to call Julie is always good advice.)
One thing that helps in all of this is I never plan anything set in concrete for the first day in my destination city. I have oftened experienced the non-moving train episode in or close to a major city at about meal time -- so I can legitimately say that -----
I have "dined" in - Albuquerque Salt Lake City Cleveland and many small towns in America.
Moving or not I have enjoyed my time on the train.
Dee
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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not elvis, Yup that Staples Road Station is travesty. Last month I drove a rental truck from CT to Richmond, do you know of all the rest stop facilities, CT, NJ, DEL, MD and VA Virginia has the worst least updated and most sparse (just vending machines.) Any how I dropped off the truck and took Amtrak back. When ever I take the train to and from Richmond it is the Richmond - DC portion is where the delays most often happen. You should have visited the Main Street Station it is a gem. Also not far from the Staples station is the Richmond Union Station. this station is know a Science Museum but it has retained much of the Train Station signage and ambience, the old platform and a Steam locomotice and old coaches in the rear. "The true character of a town can be seen by how it cares for its Train Stations." I'm heading to Baltimore next month for a Baseball game at Camden Yards, I will try to make it the B&O Museum, and the Babe Ruth Museum.
Posts: 516 | From: New Haven, CT USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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