Shortly after I got off Train 280 at Schenectady, I heard my name over the PA system. I was wanted at the ticket counter. That's odd, I thought. Could there be a family emergency? I bounded down the stairs. I went up to the window. "I'm David Sommer," I said.
The agent handed me an international baggage tag like the one I'd already been given at Syracuse. He told me to tear that one up and affix the new one he was issuing me. So there was no emergency after all! Relieved, I eyed the stack of current system timetables on the counter. I recalled how I used to collect timetables. I have a box full of them. I've been hanging on to them for years. Some of the really old ones are worth $20, like my minty PRR timetable from 1913. But I declined to take the latest issue. My house has enough clutter already. And besides, it disturbs me to compare old timetables with new ones. Trains are still disappearing or having amenities cut. I fear in ten years all we'll have is coach trains on a barebones route map. I wonder what will happen to my timetable collection in the end.
The elevator at Schenectady is infamously slow. I read about it in this forum. I just had to ride it. It goes from the lobby to track level. Sure enough, there was a sign above the call button that read "PLEASE BE PATIENT - ELEVATOR IS VERY SLOW". All I can tell you is that the elevator at Schenectady *is* very slow! I expected to see a futuristic skyline and hovercars and people wearing jetpacks when the doors finally opened trackside.
I had about an hour and a half to kill before the northbound Adirondack arrived. Two trains were due in the meanwhile, the southbound Ethan Allen and the westbound Maple Leaf. I took pictures of both. Here is a picture of the Ethan Allen, the train from Rutland, VT to New York City:
After the trains passed I left the station and walked to the Burger King across the street. I figured I could get lunch cheaper there than in the Adirondack's food service car. I ordered two Whopper Juniors, a medium fries, and a medium strawberry shake. They didn't have strawberry shakes, so they gave me a vanilla one for free. I thought that was peculiar. I should go in restaurants and order food they don't have more often!
The skies were disappointingly overcast. I took some more photos with my Canon XTi. One thing I find frustrating about the XTi is that I can't get a fast enough shutter speed to obtain sharp shots of moving subjects in anything but bright light. It's the same situation I had with my Canon S3 IS. I don't know why I traded up. The XTi's maximum shutter speed is 1/4000. When is it even useable at that speed? A solar flare? Increasing the ISO hardly makes a dent in increasing the shutter speeds. All I want is to shoot at f/8 or f/11 at 1/640s. I considered flinging the XTi against a cinderblock wall for a moment, but then thought otherwise.
Here is a picture I took of the CSX / CP switch at Schenectady Station:
I had plenty of free time, so my thoughts wandered. I thought about the hard situation Puff the Magic Dragon ended up with. Little Jackie Paper outgrew him and just kind of kicked him to the curb. Puff fell into a depression. Today you could say that New York State is outgrowing The Adirondack. The train may be gone soon, due to budget cuts. It's a subsidized train. It's not fast, it doesn't serve many people, it's a burden to the taxpayers. It's like Puff. But I learned a long time ago that a man shouldn't try to make present-day metaphors from nursery school rhymes.
So then I thought about that song "Morning Train" by Cathy Dennis. You know, "my baby takes the morning train / he works from nine to five and then / he takes another home again / to find me waiting for him." Now that sounds like a happy existence. But ask people who do it, and they may tell you otherwise.
The PA system crackled to life. "Attention Amtrak passengers. Train number 69 The Adirondack will be arriving shortly on Track 2. This train will make stops at Saratoga, Whitehall, etc., and Montreal, Canada." The main event was about to begin!
Amtrak locomotive #84, a GE P42DC, led The Adirondack into Schenectady Station. The coaches were all Amfleet I's. The conductor asked me where I was going. I told him Montreal. He told me to board and turn to my right. I entered the coach. It was extremely crowded. In fact, the train was sold out. I spotted two empty seats on the right side, though. I took it as a good sign!
The Adirondack slowly switched onto the CP's ex-D&H mainline immediately after leaving Schenectady. I noticed the signals looked different. They also looked inoperational. We started to accelerate. We were 10 minutes late. I settled back in my seat. I wouldn't be alone for long. It turned out I had a seatmate. He was maybe 19. He'd been in the Amcafe buying Brooklyn lagers. I asked him a few questions. We didn't have much in common. I think he was buzzed, anyhow.
Like The City of New Orleans in the Steve Goodman song, The Adirondack, "rolled along past houses, farms, and fields." It also passed murky swamps and country roads with no crossing gates. The old D&H infrastructure looked rusty and out-of-service. The sun came out. The train horn blew incessantly. There was constant foot traffic up and down the aisle. There was a group of about 60 seniors headed for Westport, NY. They were having a grand old time visiting one another. My seatmate nodded mostly and took sips from his beer. A lot of riders were watching movies on laptops. I waited for the scenery to become spectacular.
It was Adirondack's 35th Anniversary. A special $35 one-way fare was offered from New York City to Montreal. People were taking advantage of it. There also was a Rails-To-Trails guy onboard. He was there to answer any questions about the history of the line and the surrounding scenery. At one point he came through the coach and offered everyone 35th Anniversary chocolate bars. I took one, but I didn't eat it. It's in my refrigerator now. I'm going to sell it on ebay for $100 in fifty years.
TBC
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
I am so glad you got a seat on the right side. Boarding at Schenectady this time of year, that can be quite difficult!
I am waiting for the spectacular scenery to begin too. . . .
Posted by Judy McFarland (Member # 4435) on :
That Schenectady elevator is the scariest thing I've ever encountered. There is no sound & no sense of movement since the thing runs so slowly. You think you have entered a time warp when you try to ride it up to the platform.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
I have got to go Schenectady and ride that elevator before it goes the way of the Covered Wagon....
Posted by graynt (Member # 17) on :
Two questions maybe someone can answer: Is that $35 fare still available? The link from Amtrak is not working, and are there plans to bring the dome car back on the Adirondack this fall? We took it last year and it was spectacular.
Posted by Carl@trainweb.com (Member # 4654) on :
David Sommer:
What a Great, Great travelogue! You must be a professionally trained writer! I learned of your posting from Steve Grande of TrainWeb.com. I write for TrainWeb.com, and only wish I could write like you, very informative and insightful. Keep up the good work and posts to the RailForum. My work is at TrainWeb.org/carl
Carl Morrison, Carl@TrainWeb.com
Posted by dns8560 (Member # 15184) on :
Carl: Thanks for the compliment! You could say my effort was fueled by a passion for trains. I don't know if I could write the same way if the topic was cultivating soy beans! I do have a bachelors degree in creative writing. I'll check out your writing.
graynt: The $35 fare was a special offer valid only on August 5th, the 35th anniversary day of the Adirondack.