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Does Amtrak stop or slow any trains at night to allow more convenient times at intermediate stations? The only ones I can think of are the long dwell times for #66 & #67 in Penn Station, New York to allow a more reasonable arrival at Boston and Washington.
VIA’s overnight trains between Montreal and Toronto actually wait on sidings outside stations for a couple of hours each night. The “Enterprise” leaves Montreal at 11:30 pm and arrives in Kingston at 3:30 am. Here it backs into a siding and sits until 5:30 am when it attaches to the “commuter section” that had arrived from Toronto the previous evening as #48. It then departs Kingston and arrives in Toronto at 8:20 am.
It’s eastbound counterpart departs Toronto at 11:30 pm, Kingston at 2:40 then proceeds to a siding just west of Brockville where it stops at approx 3:30 am. At 5:30 it heads into the Brockville station and departs for Montreal arriving there at 8:10 am.
Fastest daytime train does the same distance in 3:59 where the overnight train takes nearly 9 hours!
The “Enterprise” consists of the new “Renaissance” coaches, sleepers and lounge equipment.
Posts: 239 | Registered: Feb 2004
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If any AMTRAK trains are stopped for an extended period of time overnight, it is most likely to change crews or service the loco -- they do not stop to "allow more convenient times at intermediate stations." #66 and 67 are good examples of this -- also the Empire Builder stops in Spokane for quite a while overnight, but that is to combine or uncombine the Portland and Seattle sections.
It is interesting to know that VIA Rail still does this between Toronto and Montreal -- I knew they did that many years ago, but did not know they still do it.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Oh, let me add one P.S. to the above reply -- many years ago I rode the Texas Eagle from Chicago to Dallas to attend a convention, and it happened to be the night in the fall when we change from daylight time back to standard time. On that night, the train DID stop for an hour somewhere near Poplar Bluff, MO, in order to arrive at the morning stations at the "right" time.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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The Texas Eagle Though Cars layover in San anotonio westbound from the time they arrive at like 11:30 PM until when the Sunset Limited arives. one time that was until 2:00 PM allowing me to see the Alamo, Riverwalk, Tower of the Americas and the Alomadome with time left over for ice cream. that is in my Janesville Juant story on my web site.
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