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Saturday morning, January 2nd I took a morning joyride from Durham, NC to High Point, NC and back to get a 'State of Affairs' look at North Carolina's state supported trains. I'll call this the 'hardwood delight' trip because there are far fewer pine trees as you move westward into the Piedmont region of North Carolina as opposed to the mostly pine tree filled routes traversed by the Silver Service trains.
So......At 7:10am on a cold, cold.....almost Chicago-like.....winter morning, I drove into the parking lot at Durham, NC's recently opened passenger station. The facility is in a century-old brick tobacco warehouse where the third of the long, rectangular building nearest the tracks has been tastefully restored with a large waiting room, restrooms, and vending area. A large display of 12 or 13 historic Durham photos (minor league baseball team, the old train station, a steam locomotive, the town band circa 1913.....) is a really nice touch to a tastefully restored facility. With the mid-summer opening of the Durham station, every station in North Carolina currently served by Amtrak has gotten a new......or newly renovated station facility within the last 12-15 years....with the lone exception of Gastonia.
But I digress......the Piedmont rolls in with a locomotive and four passenger cars. The entire consist has come back in recent months from it's sencond renovation since entering service for the NCDOT. The cars now sport a new paint scheme...platinum mist silver on the bottom half, dark blue from the windows up. The rear three cars were all lightweight coaches originally delivered to the Kansas City Southern in the mid-1960's. The first car was a the Albemarle Sound......a just reconfigured lounge car. The car now sports a small baggage section (maybe a quarter of the car) and also a section for vending machines (perhaps a third of the car). The remaining space is still booths for lounging, etc.
I'm a bit hesitant about vending machines on moving trains BUT the Piedmont has not had an attendant for snack service for sometime. If they can keep it clean and working....well.....we'll see.
On-Board crew was friendly and efficient. I did not see an NC Volunteer Trainhost BUT then three coaches were about 85% full. That's a heavier load than was typical for the Piedmont a decade ago when I was still a volunteer train host myself. I also noted that the demographic had changed. More college-age and single young adults. Fewer families with young kids just out for a first-train-ride. Maybe this was more of the holiday travel season winding down and not the norm.
Passenger off-loading and on-loading was steady at every stop.
We arrived in High Point after rushing down the new double-track from Greensboro about 5 minutes late.....minor tardiness account mostly heavy passenger loads at each station.
I took the elevator up to the station and was shocked......absolutely shocked.....to see about 50 passengers waiting for the northbound Carolinian. A decade ago there may have been 10 or 12 on the northbound Carolinian at High Point on a Saturday. The 50 or 80 would have ordinarily been waiting in Greensboro......and they were.
The Carolinian also was about five minutes tardy......and carrying five coaches instead of the normal four (plus lounge, business class car, and baggage) in it's consist. Four of the coaches were full......being a 'short' I was directed to the one coach that was nearly entirely empty which was being held for the crowd expected to board in Raleigh.
All in all, I pleasant quick trip. Essentially the NCDOT trains are still growing ridership, still in good shape, and hopefully laying the foundation for ....well.....more and better service.
-------------------- 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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Fear not Mr. Presley; I'm not about to coin an "If you've seen one Dogwood in bloom.....'
To watch The Masters, followed by my regular mid-April journey to the Atlanta area, I know that spring is here - even if not quite in the Chicago area.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Glad to hear train service in NC is doing well. Let's hope the third train starts this spring.
The last time I was on the Piedmont, they had complimentary coffee and, I think, a small snack. Have the vending machines replaced this? Still, it sounds like NC continues to run an operation far better than Amtrak and the stations are so well done. Those KCS cars are much better than Amfleet. I hope Virginia is taking lessons so that their trains will prosper too. Not much hope for SC, I'm afraid.
I did notice on our return trip from the northeast that there is some serious water damage on the walls at the Selma station. I hope the state holds the contractor's feet to the fire to fix before there is further damage.
Yes, the vending machines on the Piedmont have replaced the complimentary soft drink/snack. I didn't bother with the snack machine but I did purchase a Diet Pepsi in the 12 ounce can for a reasonable 50 cents. Complimentary coffee is offered from a pot across the aisle from the vending machines. I'm uncertain who is responsible for the joe.....perhaps the assistant conductor.
I never experienced the much maligned SP automat but I do recall vending machines on the ground floor of a former Santa Fe bi-level coach as the 'food/beverage' service aboard the short-lived Kentucky Cardinal.
I'll say only that the NCDOT has done such a nice job with it's ongoing infrastructure improvements and station renovation program that perhaps they will be able to make the vending machine on a train concept at least tolerable.
As for the Piedmont, the consist in it's new scheme looks very nice. The cars simply gleam in the moning sun.....and those 1960's KCS coaches offer the BEST windows of any regularly scheduled passenger train in the United States. The talgos and acela are nice but the KCS coach windows are even bigger......the way they used to be.
-------------------- 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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Several years back, when California added trains down the Central Valley, the ridership PER TRAIN increased. Now with 6 trains down the valley each way, the trains have again become part of the mindset of "This is my normal neast of travel" for many people, despite having to access both San Francisco by connecting bus service, and the trip from Merced south to San Fran being about one hour longer than best-case driving time. (It can still be faster than congested hours driving time.)
I would expect to see the same happen in North Carolina with the third frequency. If so, the state may see the advantages of going to additional frequencies. Maybe some issues with NS south of Greensboro, but Greensboro to Raleigh has been so much upgraded at state expense, it is hard to see how they could quibble about that part of the route.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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One operative factor here is that the state of North Carolina owns the track between Raleigh and Charlotte. The state has always owned the track.
Southern Railways and now Norfolk Southern have operated both east and south of Greensboro as a leasor dating back to 1896.
The state has taken the approach of partnering with Norfolk Southern to prioritize the improvements in such a way that it benefits both NS and North Carolina's fledgling passenger operation.
With the most recent round of impovements completed last month, any bottlenecks remaining have been pushed south of High Point.
Speaking of the Raleigh - Greensboro segment, I would call your attention to Mebane, a proud former textile and furniture town just east of Burlington. Trains once crawled through Mebane at 25mph. Amtrak, at least, now flies through 60mph perhaps up to 69. There is an extended passing track just outside town, new signals on the entire route, and the grade crossings are now protected by four-quadrant crossing gates....it's something.
I am hopeful that with the anticiapated midday train, things will really take off.
-------------------- 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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