Leaving on the Carolinian

Tomorrow, 2/3/2011, my partner and I will drive 1.5 hours to Charlotte, NC, and board the northbound Carolinian for that mid-winter vacation paradise, Washington, DC! :lol: I will plan to update this post with a trip report as our journey progresses.

We really are going for a vacation...to see an exhibition at the Smithsonian and several other things while we're there.

:hi: With the weather like it is hope you can get there, DC can close down in the winter when clouds blow across the Sun, the theory is the bridges might freeze and WAS doesnt do snow removal! Lots to do there of course but I for one don't miss the winters! -_-

jimhudson said:

:hi: With the weather like it is hope you can get there, DC can close down in the winter when clouds blow across the Sun, the theory is the bridges might freeze and WAS doesnt do snow removal! Lots to do there of course but I for one don't miss the winters! -_-

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For all it's problems, Washington does snow removal better than a lot of places. At least they have snowplows and salt trucks, and most sidewalks in the city get cleared pretty well. (OK, last winters storms were an exception, but 40 inches of snow in a week will shut down any city.) I'm working with a contractor from San Antonio. Last week they had a nasty little storm, some ice with a couple inches of snow on top. From what he told me, the city was pretty much shut down, and I don't blame them, they have no capability to make the roads passable other than waiting for the sun to come out and melt it all.

I have learned to prefer winter visits to DC for sightseeing. You can see a ton more in the absence of the big crowds. I was there in April during the Cherry Blossom Festival and was not prepared for the crowds. One day turned out to be in the top five ridership days for the Metro... ever!! Right up there with the last Inauguration.

We're back all safe and sound. The trip proper was great - sunny weather most days and not many (other) tourists. I'll post a trip report when I have time to clean up my notes.

It ended up on a rough note, though: train 79 The Carolinian was disrupted last night and terminated in Greensboro NC (with us aboard, of course). After an hour wait at the platform they detrained everyone and bussed us to our final destinations. I drew the short straw and ended up on the 'local' bus that went to all the intermediate stations before CLT. We were almost exactly 3 hours late arriving in CLT. Not the worst thing in the world, of course. It just adds to the adventure.

Does anyone know what caused the disruption? The trip to that point was quite smooth and on-time.

Thought I spotted a travel advisory about it, but realized that the bulletin isn't effective yet, then realized I don't think I can delete the post. Now I'm just rambling in the hopes of not looking like a complete idiot. :blink:

Here is my report on the CLT to WAS portion of our trip:

Trip to Washington, DC, to see the Hide/Seek exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. We left out of Charlotte, NC, rather than Columbia, SC, in order to enjoy a daylight ride.

Times are "arrival / departure" unless noted otherwise.

2011-02-03 Thursday

Left home @ 5:15 am to catch #80 leaving CLT @7:30. I missed our exit from I277. Charlotte does not readily forgive missed exits. 15 minutes of detouring later we found the station. Thank goodness for Google maps and a smartphone!

80 left the station right on time. They seated us in the rear car. Our Amcan had more than its share of rattles. At least the windows are pretty clean. Disappointed that the car has no footrests or legrests. Glad we're not doing overnight in it.

I asked the affable conductor if he would be with us to DC. He said that no, he gets off in Raleigh and brings a train back to Charlotte later in the day.

Kannapolis arrival @ 7:56. Very large buildings west of the station, Core Labs research facility.

China Grove arrival @ 8:04

Winter hills are pretty in their gray and browns.

Talked to a friend on the phone. She's jealous because I'm on a train and she isn't! I told her to pick some dates for a day trip to Savannah soon.

Amcoffee and a Quaker Oats cookie for breakfast.

High Point NC arrival @ 8:48. Platform is at a "low point" down in a cut, with a picturesque old canopy made of cast iron and timbers.

Greensboro @ 9:06 / 9:11

At the Greensboro station I saw the tracks diverge off to the north from our easterly route. There is a separate passenger platform for that set of tracks. I wondered if they were an artifact of discontinued rail service. Then wikipedia informed me that the station is also served by the Crescent, which goes north from there to Danville, VA. Mystery solved.

We would likely have taken the Crescent this trip save for that little matter of a 2:30 am departure. Maybe the next trip north, or a trip to visit Monticello in Charlottesville.

"No-brainer" is too strong, but originating the Carolinian in Columbia SC makes a lot of sense for several reasons. It opens up the Columbia market to Washington and the northeast with daylight service. It creates a new connection between Columbia and Charlotte, which already have economic and social links. It doesn't make sense politically for NC, which invests money developing pasenger rail routes, to support extending their train into SC, which not only invests no money but is indifferent or even hostile to passenger rail. It may make little sense economically, as I've read on the All Aboard forum that the existing line connecting the two cities is curvy and slow and below standard for good passenger service. Of course, one could say the same about US Highway 21 (curvy and slow), but that didn't stop the state from building I-77 at huge expense, in the 70s and 80s.

Burlington arrival @ 9:33

Clean bathrooms! I'm used to boarding the long-distance Silver Star a good 12 hours into its journey, by which time the facilities are right malodorous. Today's Carolinian is nice and clean.

Durham @ 10:12 / 10:16

Slow between Durham and Cary?? Didn't last too long. I think a scanner would be interesting.

Passed a very ornate Angkor Wat-looking structure a few miles before the Cary station. What is it?

Cary @ 10:36-ish / 10:39

Going to get out in Raleigh to look over the train, take some pix, and stretch the legs.

Raleigh @ 10:50 / 10:57

Consist: baggage car, Amfleet business class, Cafe, 4 Amfleet coaches. Couldn't see locomotive.

So many passengers boarding in Raleigh that I couldn't exit until a minute before departure. But "nobody rides trains these days", remember?

An hour or so ago the intercom in the rear car got faint and crackly, then stopped entirely. I mentioned it to the new conductor who came on in Raleigh. Hope she compensates.

This train has "tour guides" associated with NC tourism. I've seen them passing through, but maybe you have to hang out in the cafe car to hear what they have to say. We're stuck in the back of the train, a bit of a hike to the cafe car...but then, the back of the school bus is where the bad kids always had fun.

Selma @ 11:26 / 11:31ish

At the big curve in Selma station I saw our locomotive, with 835 painted on the side.

Take a deep breath and exude some peace as the woman across the aisle preaches about christianity, apostasy, demon possesson, atheist relatives, islam...to a muslim woman.

Wilson 11:56 / 12:01

Rocky Mount departure @ 12:26

We adjourned to the cafe car for a high-class lunch of microwaved burgers, served with a side of "I've been doing this job for 10 years" attitude. It was an unpalatable combination. It seldom sits well to put a customer in his place. It seldom generates tips, either.

Upper NC has long areas of intriguing swamps, very flat here.

Near Emporia VA we stopped on a siding. It was about 1:30. After a couple of minutes the southbound Silver Meteor blew past on the main line. They were wasting no time. Unlike my last trip on the Meteor when we encountered many slowdowns and stops due to track work. This ride has been mostly smooth and comfortable.

Sprint's data network is quite variable along this part of the route. My smartphone switches to roaming, or to nothing, frequently.

Approaching Petersburg we slowed on a siding for the southbound passage of what I took to be the Carolinian. We were about 6:30 out of CLT, which would put the other train arriving in CLT around 8:30 pm.

VERY slow on into Petersburg.

Petersburg @ 2:20 / 2:21

Amtrak.com estimates arrival in WAS 5 minutes early. Hm, lets see THAT happen.

Solid Sprint signal as we approach Richmond. The woman who'd been preaching plugged in her iPod to enjoy some music. I think everyone likes it better that way!

I shot some video of the James River crossing into Richmond. No sign of snow yet - our friend wants pictures of it.

They got the intercom fixed! Cafe car is closed until we depart RVR.

RVR @ 2:53 / 3:00 - 17 minutes late

Crossed I-95 west to east and saw a large beaver pond immediately to the north of the tracks. The dam was probably 150 feet long.

Sleep...

Fredericksburg @ 3:59 / 4:01

Quantico @ 4:21 / 4:22

Alexandria @ 4:50 / 4:53

WAS @ 5:11

I'll put the return trip in a separate posting.

Here is the return trip WAS to CLT. It starts with an account of the Washington DC Metro:

2011-02-07 Monday

Blue line to Red line to Washington Union Station, boarded with 5 minutes to spare. Locomotive #73. Cafe car was marked "Northeast Regional". I remarked how good the track geometry was on the Metro Blue line. It's rather curvy leading south into Metro Central, but I could stand in the car without holding on. I only knew when the track curved by watching the car ahead.

At Metro Central station we tasted rush hour on the Metro. The train pulled in crammed with people, while the platform was crowded. I was relieved that a lot of people got off, but we barely got crammed in and the doors were closing when a beefy guy came plowing through from the middle of the car. "I have to get off!". He wrenched the doors open and squeezed through, pulling my partner's rolling duffel bag out with him. The door closed back and my partner struggled to get his bag - and his hand - back in. "That could put the train out of service!", a Metro employee yelled from outside. He helped Fred get the bag in just as the train started moving. Whew.

Departed WAS @ 10:54, 1 minute early. Saw traces of old granite walls as we pulled under the station.

Alexandria depart @ 11:11

Two conductors collected tickets, meeting in our car. I saw one ask for ID, the only time I've noticed that. Heard a new term, "tuck-n-roll". What does that mean?

Quantico depart @ 11:42

Fredericksburg depart @ 12:05

South 20 minutes we pass an old concrete mile post marked 36. Track goes through beautiful swamps and wetlands this part of VA. Multitudes of Canada geese everywhere on the water.

Mile markers continue to count down. About 20 near the Kings Dominion amusement park. Where will 0 be?

Richmond @ 1:03 / 1:10 / 1:13 (pulled a few feet past the platform then stopped a couple minutes more).

Got my answer about the mile posts. They originate in Richmond, although not at RVR.

The older conductor on this train seems to be asking everyone for ID when he checks tickets. The other one doesn't.

Good view of the Richmond rail yard after leaving the station. It was mostly empty. A northbound passenger train passed us with three locomotives, probably the Silver Star.

The James River crossing remains one of my favorite spots. The sun was shining, and that water surely looked cold!

Petersburg depart @ 1:46

The old station in Petersburg crumbles picturesquely just south of the current utilitarian one. On the south bank of the river, our track crossed over another rail line.

I found the wetlands around the Virginia / North Carolina line very beautiful.

Rocky Mount NC @ 3:13 / 3:19

Saw graceful laminated wood arch bridge east of the rail bridge over the Tar River. Looked like a pedestrian bridge.

In the Rocky Mount NC Terminal I saw seven CSX locomotives of various types coupled together as a short train in the end of the yard. We blew through the yard pretty rapidly, no time to take a photo.

Wilson NC departed @ 3:39

Appealing sculpture on the platform of an elder woman waiting for the train, seated, valise by her side, wearing a yellow sweater and blue skirt, all done in mosaic.

Selma @ 4:05 / 4:08

Raleigh departure @ 4:50

Exited for a stretch and fresh air on the platform. Good crowd boarding. The staff moved a hand-operated lift to our car and used it to detrain an elderly man who used a walker. I wondered how they did this. For small numbers it works, at these multitudes of low-platform stations.

Cary departure @ 5:03

Sitting in the Cary station we saw a circus train pass through going north. It was Ringling Brothers, which has been in performing in Columbia for the last week.

Durham @ 5:23 / 5:26

Brilliant and ever-changing sunset paints the sky as we proceed SW from Durham. Loud earphone-less music and loud one-sided cellphone monolog from the seats before and after us.

Burlington @ 6:04 / 6:06

Greensboro @ 6:38 / 7:never

Long wait as northbound intra-state train arrived and departed across the platform, and a freight train departed across the station. An attendant announced a signal problem, that we were waiting for a signal from the dispatcher to proceed. 50 minutes into the wait we lost HEP for about 20 seconds.

Attendant just announced a minimum of one more hour before signals are restored and we leave. They will open the doors and break out emergency water.

I walked up the platform to the head of the train just in time for an the announcement that everyone would be detrained, moved into the station, and bussed to our final destinations. Busses are to arrive around 8:45. One an express for Charlotte, the other for all intervening cities and finally Charlotte.

And things were going SO smoothly.

Aboard the bus awaiting departure. We drew the short straw, got on the local bus that stops at all the intermediate towns. Gonna be a late one. Bend with the wind! I guess we could have elbowed to get on the express, but...we didn't.

Greensboro @ 6:38 / 9:02

To High Point via I-85 south

High Point @ 9:27 / 9:30

Just realized that we also have to pick up southbound passengers still waiting to go to CLT.

Salisbury @ 10:12 / 10:15

Kannapolis @ 10:41 / 10:45

CLT arrival @ 11:17, almost exactly 3 hours late.

Home to Columbia SC @ 1:18 a.m.

Despite a rough ending, this trip was generally terrific!

SCrails said:

Heard a new term, "tuck-n-roll". What does that mean?

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That's not one that I hear often, and most often it's from an absolutely wonderful First Class attendant on the Acela's (Wilson) who uses it jokingly.

However, the tuck-n-roll is what a conductor or RR employee might do to a bad passenger(s), but for laws & common sense. One key's the door on the car open while the train is moving at speed, gives the offending passenger a good swift kick along with the advice to tuck-n-roll as they hit the ground.

Ha! Hope I'm never on the receiving end of one.

What I heard was between two conductors, something like, "We've got a tuck-n-roll back here." "Ok, I'll take care of it."

Must have been in another car because I didn't notice anything unruly going on. We were approaching the Quantico station and I just figured it was a military thing.

Nice review, sorry to hear about the bustitution though. Every time I book a trip I think about the possibility of one until I'm back home again. So far luck has been on my side.

Locomotive 835...isn't that one of the rebuilt P40s? IIRC, they were numbered in the 800s...