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Railroad Bill

Buckeye Train Watcher
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2007
Messages
3,917
Location
Northern Ohio
[SIZE=14pt]Amtrak Florida Winter Trip 2015[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]January 14-21, 2015[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Cleveland-Washington DC-Winter Park-Apopka-Sarasota-Apopka-Winter Park Washington DC-Cleveland[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Wednesday Jan 14 [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]After checking Amtrak for OTP of our train CL #30 and determining it was running an hour late into Toledo, we decided to make our way to Cleveland, arriving at CLE around 1:30am. The temp outside is -2 degrees F but it’s nice and warm in the station. As usual the taxis are waiting in the parking lot and we were able to park under a bright light for security. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Our favorite agent said #30 had left Toledo and that was a good sign considering the crazy mess that engulfed our Cleveland trains this past summer and fall. Thought we might pick up the new Amtrak System TTs but agent said they probably would not be ready until February. There were about 14 people waiting in the station for the two Capitols and the Lake Shore westbound. Lots of freight traffic outside but too cold to do any rail-fanning on the platform. A large group of Amish young women and men arrive and they are quite jovial as they pass out cookies and talk of their trip to Washington. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]#29 arrives only 15 minutes late and they quickly board the small group of passengers and are on their way..We continue to wait and finally our CL 30 is called at 3:50am almost two hours late. It is a shorter train than usual since the diner and lounge car have been removed for servicing and replaced with a CCC diner café car. Our locos were 25 and 135. We find our Car 3000 and conductor opens door and directs us to our Bedroom E. Store our larger bags downstairs and find our room readied for sleeping. Wife hit the sack while I always like to sit up a while to watch our progress out of Cleveland.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We arrive in Pittsburgh around 6:30 and did make up about half hour in time from Cleveland. Time to get up and have breakfast. Our car attendant was Larry, who we have had on several trips. Nice guy and an efficient SCA. Breakfast was the cheese omelet with croissant, potatoes, Claudia has the grits. Car is pretty empty and we have no one eating with us this morning. We return to the room and Larry has it all made up for day service. We pass through Connellsville at 8:20, still over an hour down on the schedule. Lots of snowy, icy terrain and frozen river in places. A pristine winter scenic ride. Lots of old trestles from rail lines of the past. Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Youghiogheny RR line is now a bike and hiking path. We reach Confluence, Pa around 9am and note a branch line that runs across the river. Some old Western Maryland rail lines and bridges along the way. Crossing through the tunnels at Sand Patch around 10am.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We arrive in Cumberland, Maryland around 10:45. Our conductor opens the doors on the first coach for the smokers and so I jump off for some quick photos. He reminds us that we will be here for exactly two minutes and then he will shut the door. He continues to call off the seconds as the smokers puff wildly and I snap photos quickly. At 30 seconds he motions for everyone to board or be left behind. It is a funny scene as the smokers gasp for one last inhale and I jump on and up the stairs just in time. I notice that this first coach is actually a combo bag/coach car and that we are traveling sans a regular baggage car. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Check with Judy our LSA and she notes that a lunch will be served at 11:30 am with a limited menu and no desserts. We have the Amburgers, still pickles on the plate and lots of chips. A large glass of milk and we are ready to go. We were the only passengers to come down for the lunch. Good staff and a quiet private lunch as we pass through the woods heading for Martinsburg, WVa.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We arrive in Martinsburg around 12:20 and we are still running over an hour late. The sun peeks out at Harpers Ferry and we sit watching the ducks on the river. We quickly head into the tunnel and we are now in Maryland. Larry comes around to let us know we will be in Rockville soon and then a short ride into D.C. The SCA in the 3001 car is Phil, who we had on our August trip to DC. These two guys work together a lot and are both top notch SCAs. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Got some good photos of the station at Point of Rocks, the point where the old B&O line from Baltimore meets the Washington line to form the main B&O route westward to Pittsburgh. A large MARC station also takes passengers on their commuter runs into DC metro area each day. Our ride is complemented with Phil giving some history of the buildings in the DC area and points out the old coliseum where the Beatles once performed after their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in Feb 1964. Hard to believe that was 50 years ago.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We arrive in D.C. just 55 minutes down at 2:05 and say goodbye to Larry and Phil. We walk up the platform and up the escalator and I see that 40th Anniversary Engine #156 is sitting on the track next to our train. More photos are needed…smile. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We make it to the Acela Lounge and see the old storage rooms are back in service. Agents are friendly and tell us we need to be back for boarding the Silver Meteor by 6:30pm. It is very hot in the lounge and our heavy winter coats soon must come off to survive. Not sure why someone doesn’t turn down the thermostat and save some money..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We decide there is time to make a trip to the National Gallery for the El Greco exhibit so off across the city we go. It is a bit cold and windy but compared to Cleveland it was not bad. Along with El Greco there was a nice furniture exhibit, the Little Dancer by Degas, some interesting modern American and Italian prints and a Dutch gallery. Of course we always must take a run through the Impressionists. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We walk back to the station and decide to grab a quick Mickey D burger to tide us over before the late dinner on the Meteor. Return to the Acela Lounge and enjoy watching the commuters run for their Acelas after a long workday. We are notified that both the Crescent and Meteor are running late and hope there has not been an accident delaying the trains. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]At 7:45 we are finally called for boarding and we are led to Track 25. Sleepers are on the rear so it is a bit of a walk to our Car 9710. Our SCA is Reggie and he welcomes us aboard to Bedroom B. He tells us to go on down to the diner for supper and we are seated with Warren and Mickey who have traveled from Colorado for a three week vacation in Florida. Dining car crew is business-like but efficient. We have the steak and potatoes and of course that great cheesecake for dessert. Claudia has the chocolate mousse which is also excellent. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We returned to our room and watched people boarding in Richmond around 10pm. We had Reggie put our beds down and we tried to sleep despite the loud rattling door that separated the two bedrooms of the car. I tried to put some towels and other materials into the door openings without much success. 62033 Scenic View was the car name. I think it needed a new set of springs as well as a new door hinge. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Will certainly be glad when the new Viewliner IIs come on line as these old cars are pretty beat up. We arrived in Rocky Mount, NC around midnight and that will conclude our first day of riding Amtrak.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Thursday January 15. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We awaken around 6:00am, shower and are down to the diner for breakfast at around 7am just as we are pulling into Savannah GA. We have made up the small degree of lateness overnight and are now nearly on time into our destinations. We are seated alone for a few minutes and order our breakfasts, but we are then joined by Tracie who is on her way to Sebring, Fla to visit family. She lives near Savannah and missed her train yesterday, but managed to get a ticket for today. Claudia had the RR French toast and I had the omelet, both were very good. We talked with Tracie a while and then bid adieu. Reggie made up our beds and we settled in to watch the Georgia countryside as we moved toward Jessup. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We arrived in Jacksonville about 10 minutes early, affording plenty of time to walk the platform, more photos and a stop in the modern Amtrak station. I was surprised to see that our two locos were the same #25 and #135 that we had on the Capitol Ltd yesterday. They must have fueled and serviced and hooked them up on our train in DC. Also noted that we had lots of extra cars including 3 deadhead coaches, another baggage car, and an extra sleeper along with the regular consist. Likely headed to Hialeah for servicing. Still no sight of the new baggage cars that went to Florida a few weeks ago. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We left Jacksonville on time at 9:48am and moved quickly down the line to Palatka where a number of people detrained and boarded. Passed the Auto Train terminal in Sanford and started seeing some Sunrail cars moving along beside us. Reggie said we could get some lunch if we got down to the diner so we hurried over and had a couple of Amburgers. Our dining companions were heading to Orlando to visit with grandchildren who were dancers and softball players in tournaments. Proud grandparents indeed!![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We arrived in Winter Park about 5 minutes down and said goodbye to Reggie. We took a quick view of the new station, which is a showplace compared to the old rundown WPK station and noted the new Sunrail terminal across the tracks. Winter Park is a nice place to visit with many shops, museums and parks to enjoy. We noticed the MetLife Blimp was overhead and wondered if they were here to film our arrival.. Probably not.. The weather was nice at 68 degrees but some natives were bundled up during this COLD snap.. smile[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We called Enterprise and in about 15 minutes they picked us up and we arranged for our rental car. A 2015 Chevy Malibu in maroon. Nice car but a bit small for a person used to driving a Dodge Grand Caravan. We decided to return to Winter Park station and check out the new buildings and explore the city some more. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We walked down to the Winter Park Historical Society where a display entitled “Whistle in the Distance-The History of Winter Park Trains” was on exhibit. What luck!!. A nice film introducing the first trains and many lanterns, photos, memorabilia throughout the building. The docent for the day was informative and we eventually evolved into a discussion of college football. She, being a devout Florida State fan and me, of course, representing The OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, National Champions. Smile. An enjoyable conversation about trains and sports ensued.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We walked back to the station as it began to rain so we decided it was time to head to Apopka where we would be staying this evening at the Hampton Inn. Traffic in the Orlando area is a nightmare and I-4 was an example of NASCAR driving at its worst. Glad we only had a couple of exits to drive before getting off the interstate and into a more controlled chaos on city streets. We later saw on the news where a major accident had happened near our exit just an hour later resulting in a fatality. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We checked into our hotel and proceeded down the road to Café Positano, a nice Italian B&G where we have eaten on previous occasions. Very good lasagna and pizza and the service was also very good. Had some chocolate chip cookies provided by the hotel and then some Pawn Stars and Elementary watching before bed. Another grand day of train riding and some warmer weather to enjoy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Friday January 16[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Started the day with that good Hampton Inn Breakfast and then packed up and headed to Mt Dora for the Renninger Antique Show, an annual event for our last few trips to Florida. It had rained hard overnight and many dealers were slow in getting their booths opened for the 8am starting time. But is always a nice walk up and down the hillsides looking for bargains in this excellent antiques and collectibles show. This year even found a rare railroad lantern for my collection from the Troy and Boston RR 1877. Such a deal. We ran into two former Ohioans who also collect RR memorabilia and who I have seen at shows back in Ohio. Good conversations about retirement in Florida and RR history in general. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We decided to leave the show around 12:30 after some lunch at the food venders. Headed west to Wildwood and a couple of antique malls before driving south on I-75 to Sarasota and our next destination. Lots of road construction and heavy traffic around Tampa. We arrived at Hampton Inn Bee Ridge Road and get checked into our room. Lots of restaurants nearby. Decide on Chilis for supper. Mediocre meal at best. Returned to the hotel, sat around the pool, interesting conversations about high school golf schools in Florida, some TV and resting up from an interesting day in the sunshine.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Saturday January 17[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]After a great breakfast at the Hampton Inn we headed for Siesta Key to explore the beaches considered the best in the U.S. It is about a seven mile trip to the coast from our hotel but traffic was not too bad and we made good time. Stopped at Siesta Beach and were impressed with the sand, the large beach area, four brightly colored lifeguard stations, clean restrooms and a reasonably priced eating area. Spent the morning and early afternoon walking a mile + of beach shoreline. Observed some Amish folk in swimming which was interesting. Drove on down the key to Turtle Beach but it was very small and was not that nice. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] After lunch we drove to downtown Sarasota for an art show. Many dealers with unusual crafts, artwork, glass, ceramics, etc. and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and the talent of the venders. Drove back to our hotel that evening and had dinner at the Sarasota Ale House, a nice B&G sports bar with 20 large screen TVs and a menu that is sure to satisfy. I had chicken parmesan, and a great salad while Claudia had the Cajun chicken pasta. Large servings were quite filling and the atmosphere lively with several games going on. Downside is that bars in Florida allow smoking and although there were only a few smokers, it doesn’t take long to appreciate our Ohio restaurants and bars that now ban smoking. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Sunday January 18.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Sunday morning we left after breakfast for the Ringling Estate Museums in downtown Sarasota. This huge complex was the mansion home of John Ringling of circus fame. Although the admission is $25, there are so many things to see and do at the grounds. We first watched an introductory film and then walked along palm lined paths through the lakes and gardens of the estate to the Ca’d’zan, the mansion of the Ringling family. An impressive structure both inside and out. A self guided tour of the first floor was very interesting with massive rooms for dining, entertaining, and a back porch overlooking the bay. Lots of circus tickets paid for this extravagant home. As the story goes, John Ringling lost nearly everything in the Great Depression.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We then went to the two circus museums. The first one contained the private rail car named Wisconsin owned by Ringling. A complete restoration has successfully brought this elegant car back to life. Also there were many circus wagons and displays of posters and circus memorabilia that were an important part of circus history.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The second building housed the tremendous collection of over 44,000 circus figures created by Howard Tibbals who spent 40 years of his life creating one of the greatest model displays I have ever seen. From the train cars to the circus wagons, to the various tents full of figures hand carved by Tibbals. [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]·[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] It consists of eight large tents, 152 circus wagons, 1,500 workers and performers, 7,000 folding chairs and more than 500 hand-carved animals. Everything can be packed up into the 55 train cars, also individually hand-crafted. The display includes seven miniature video stations positioned in various tents with documentary footage of circus life from the 1920s and 1930s. We spent several hours in this building and could spend more just admiring the work of this modeler genius. [/SIZE]

We had lunch and then visited with my mother’s cousin for a few hours and then returned to the Ringling for more circus highlights. We had supper at Joey D’s for Italian and watched the NFL game Seattle vs. Green Bay. Packer fans were disappointed, but an exciting game to watch. Returned back to our hotel to watch the New England – Indianapolis game and started packing for our trip back to Apopka and our return trip home on Amtrak.

[SIZE=12pt]Monday January 19[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]After breakfast we packed and started up I-75 to US 301 and stopped in Parrish, Fl to check out the Florida Railroad Museum. Although the museum and train ride are closed on Mondays, we were still able to photograph several of their static displays including a couple of old steam switchers, PRR sleeper car, and some other rolling stock. Perhaps a ride on this line will be in order for our next trip. Lunch in Dade City, FL and a trip to a couple of antique malls there. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Stopped by the Dade City depot which has been refurbished and is used by the city government. A couple was waiting for the AmBus to take them to Lakeland. The bus was already a half hour late and they were a bit concerned with making their connection to Silver trains. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Stopped at the Dade Battlefield State Park which commemorates the attack by Seminole Indians on a troop of soldiers along the road from Tampa to Ocala. All but three of the soldiers were killed, but the later war eventually forced nearly all of the Native American tribe to Oklahoma except for a band that fled into the Everglades and they are part of several reservations in south Florida today. An interesting museum with historic artifacts.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Drove up to Wildwood and took in another antique mall before moving east to Apopka and our hotel at the Hampton Inn. Dinner at Café Positano and some TV before retiring for the evening.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Tuesday January 20. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Breakfast at Hampton Inn and then a drive to Winter Park. Stop at Post Office to mail a package. Some railfanning at the station as we saw the southbound 97 Silver Meteor with a private car on the rear named Silver Foot. Nice car owned by a medical group in Chicago. Has been seen several times on the rear of 98 and other Amtrak trains. A group sitting in the vestibule waving as the train passed through Winter Park. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Took a video of the SunRail train coming north at WPK and then walked up to Panera Bread to grab a bite while we waited on our 98 train. Took the rental car back to Enterprise and then unloaded luggage at station and waited for our train. Agent said it was leaving Orlando so we had only a few minutes left to enjoy the sunshine of Florida. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]At about 2pm the train pulled in and I got a passing shot of our locos including #42 the Amtrak Veterans Commemorative Unit following #142. We boarded our 9810 car with SCA Marcus at the helm. He directed us to Room B which unfortunately was the exact same car as the rattling bucket of bolts we had on 97 last week. What kind of luck is that? Marcus said we could go up to the diner and catch lunch so we walked to the diner and sat with Alice and Siegfried who we had seen at the WPK station. They were heading to Philadelphia after a trip to see relatives in Florida. Siegfried had come to the US in the 1960s and was from the Hamburg area. Talked about European trains and their trips to Switzerland on the train. We had burgers and salads and desserts were available. Cheesecake for me, chocolate mousse for Claudia. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We actually had our ticket scanned by the conductor for the first time on this trip. The LSA came around for dinner reservations and we decided on a later dinner at 6:30 since we had a late lunch. We were 10 minutes early into Jacksonville so plenty of time for more roaming photography of the Veterans engine and our train. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We lost a little time between JAX and Savannah but stayed within the half hour range during the period. We had supper with Robert, an older gentleman who was on his way home to Prince Edward Island in Canada after a long cruise in the Caribbean. He was French and was a bit quiet until we finally broke the ice about train travel. An interesting person and our first traveler encounter from PEI.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We decided to turn in early since we would be leaving at DC pretty early in the morning and wanted to shower on the train. We had Marcus put our beds down after Savannah and thankfully he had wedged our door so that it did not rattle nearly as much as the southbound trip. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Wednesday January 21[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]I awoke around 2 am in Rocky Mt, NC and we were running on time there. Fell back to sleep and we finally got up at Richmond. We talked to Marcus about breakfast but he said they would not be serving until 6:30 and we probably would not have time since the train might actually get into DC early. So we opted to wait and get something later. As it turned out the train did not arrive in DC until 7:15 and we may have had time to grab something, but Oh well. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]It was a cold morning as we left the train and headed up the escalator to the Acela Lounge. It was still hotter than Hates in there but they did have plenty of Danish in the snack baskets so we had a quick breakfast, checked our Emails, and watched a little TV in the lounge.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We decided to go over to the Capitol Bldg and take the tour since we had not done so since back in the 1980s. Tours began at 8:30 so we headed up the hill on this chilly morning. DC was on a weather alert since they might get an inch of snow (total disaster for these people..smile). We got in a short line and unloaded our pockets of everything metal and cleared security without a hitch. We joined a small tour group with a nice girl acting as our guide. It is amazing how much they know about all the statues, paintings and architecture of the Capitol. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Because we were a smaller group we were able to go into the old Supreme Court chamber and the original Senate Chamber which is not generally open to most of the tours. They had large scaffolding all over the dome so we could see some of the work they were doing from the inside perspective. We did not get tickets from our state reps so no tour of the House and Senate chambers today. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Afterward we went through the tunnel to the Library of Congress Jefferson Building and were impressed with the art, sculpture and exhibits there. Spent a couple hours there with the tour guide. Plenty to see here and an impressive building appreciated by this former reference librarian. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Decided it was time to return to Union Station and the snow was now coming down pretty hard. Got very snowy and wet on our walk but it gave a nice aura for DC in the snow. Stopped by Sbarro for a pizza slice and then back to the Acela Lounge to await our boarding call. Always interesting watching the Acela crowd running for their trains. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]At 3:45 we were called to the West Doors to line up for boarding. First time we were boarded by our car number in roped off rows. As #2900 we got to go first, although I did not see what made the difference. Our train was unusually short with no baggage car, no diner, no lounge car, only 2 sleepers and 2 coaches. The 2901 sleeper was being used by many of the dining car staff. And we only had one locomotive for our five car train. P-42 #94 was serving as total power for the train. Our SCA was Darrell. Water was available but no juice or coffee brewing. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We took the 5pm dinner seating and were called just before arriving in Harpers Ferry. Dinner was with an Amish couple from Colorado who were returning after a vacation and visitation with relatives in Sarasota. In fact, I think we saw them on the beach when we were there. They had 10 children and 28 grandchildren. She had once lived near Plain City, Ohio near Columbus. We had good conversations. They had the tilapia and we had the steaks. Our LSA was Sonja and server was Perry and both were very good at their jobs. Jordan ran the café and he made numerous announcements about the availability of the café menu. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We stopped early into Cumberland where several people in coach detrained. We had Darrell put our beds down then and we slept pretty well into Pittsburgh and across the Ohio border. We arrived in Cleveland 10 minutes early (should have been declared another national holiday in celebration..smile). It had snowed enough to have to spend a few minutes clearing our car windows but everything started well and we were home to our lonely cat in about an hour. Of course an hour of head rubbing was necessary before he would let us get some sleep.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]We had a good time on this trip. Enjoyed the Amtrak staffs and food. Equipment is continuing to get old and shabby. Look forward to the new Viewliner equipment coming on line. Saw lots of interesting historical and cultural exhibits and really enjoyed the warm sunshine of Florida. (Penny, Jis and Dick have all the fun). Our train trips and some of our hotels were free with points so it saved lots of money by using the cards. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Now it’s time to plan our next Amtrak adventure in Chicago, St Louis, Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans for this spring. Hope you have enjoyed our rides. [/SIZE]
 
As usual a great trip and report, thank y'all for sharing!

The Amish swimming @ the Beach is interesting, did they go in with their regular clothing or have suits??

Also I've noticed a preference for Italian food which I share!

And I'm ready for the New Viewliners also, lots of the Is are getting worn and ratty as you said just like the Superliner IIs which might get rehabbed or replaced in my grandaughter's lifetime! ( she's 13!!!)

Are you going to post any of your pictures, I know your a good photographer??
 
As usual a great trip and report, thank y'all for sharing!

The Amish swimming @ the Beach is interesting, did they go in with their regular clothing or have suits??

Also I've noticed a preference for Italian food which I share!

And I'm ready for the New Viewliners also, lots of the Is are getting worn and ratty as you said just like the Superliner IIs which might get rehabbed or replaced in my grandaughter's lifetime! ( she's 13!!!)

Are you going to post any of your pictures, I know your a good photographer??
Hi Jim,

Yes the Amish men and women had their long dresses and pants on and hats. quite an interesting scene. We had dinner on the Cap with one couple who were there that day.. yes, I am weeding photos and will post a few this next week.
 
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