Cardinal from Charlottesville to Chicago

[DutchBoy]

Hi All,

Next month we are taking the Cardinal from Charlottesville to Chicago.



Charlottesville, Virginia (Cvs) to Chicago (Union Station), Illinois (Chi)

Sunday May 20, 2012 1:55PM - Monday May 21, 2012 10:05AM

Train: 51 Cardinal

Duration: 20H 10M

Will be the trip of a life time for me !



I have a few questions for you amtrekkies



-1- What are the high lights besides the New River Gorge ?

-2- Will it be day light during the part through the New River Gorge ?

-3- What is the best side (scenery/views) of the train ?

-4- Can't we pick our own seats ?

-5- Should we pick seats on the left or right side of the train ?

-6- What is the consist of the train ?

-7- At which stations is there time to get out and stretch the legs / get some fresh air ?

-8- Can we open the windows or are they locked ?

-9- We (2 persons) both have a coach seat but according to Amtrak we are currently at the top of the top of the list for a roomette (in case some one cancels). What are the odds of getting one ?



All other tips and suggestions are very welcome as well



DutchBoy

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Hi All,

Next month we are taking the Cardinal from Charlottesville to Chicago.

Charlottesville, Virginia (Cvs) to Chicago (Union Station), Illinois (Chi)

Sunday May 20, 2012 1:55PM - Monday May 21, 2012 10:05AM

Train: 51 Cardinal

Duration: 20H 10M

Will be the trip of a life time for me !

I have a few questions for you amtrekkies

- What are the high lights besides the New River Gorge ?

- Will it be day light during the part through the New River Gorge ?

- What is the best side (scenery/views) of the train ?

- Can't we pick our own seats ?

- Should we pick seats on the left or right side of the train ?

- What is the consist of the train ?

- At which stations is there time to get out and stretch the legs / get some fresh air ?

- Can we open the windows or are they locked ?

- We (2 persons) both have a coach seat but according to Amtrak we are currently at the top of the top of the list for a roomette (in case some one cancels). What are the odds of getting one ?

All other tips and suggestions are very welcome as well

DutchBoy

1. This should give you all the info you need: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Route_C&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241245652448. Be sure tp ptint out the route guide on the right.

2. Yes, it should be if the train is on time. If it is summer, you can see the gorge even if it is two hours late, but not if it is even more late.

3. Can't remember this one, so please ask someone else.

4. You can pick your own seats as long as they are empty when you boarded. A crewman will attach a yellow slip with your destination over your seats so someone else won't sit there.

5. The physical seats are the same on either side, so it's your choice.

6. Check the Consists thread in "First-Time Rider Info" for the latest information. I think it's now one locomotive, one baggage, three coaches, one Dinette (not real diner), and one Sleeper. The Sleeper might be at the front.

7. If you look at the schedule, you usually have enough time to get off and back on if there are multiple times for one station (Dep./Arr). For you, thpse are Charlottesville, HUN, CIN, and IND.

8. The windows are not "locked", per se, but they are fixed into the same frame as the railcar, just like plane windows, so they cannot be opened. If you open one of the emergency windows, you might be expelled from the train!

9. You probably won't get one as there is only one Sleeper and that has only 30 berths, but only 22 of those are open to passengers. You would have much better luck on the Capitol Limited, which has something like 100 passenger berths.

Be aware that the Card has no real diner, only a dinette which is a lounge car serving microwaved meals. They don't taste too bad but definately not as good as the excellent Capitol Limited diner. The Card is also the shortest Amtrak LD train, with only one locomotive (if it's dead your train is stuck) and it's poorly funded by the government. That is the same reason why there is only thrice-a-week service, no full dining car, and poor track conditions in West Virginia causing nearly unavoidable delays. Be prepared for these things to happen because the Card is the underdog of Amtrak LDs. Crying shame for such good scenery. Cosider the CL if you cannot stand the problems of the Card.

 

[DutchBoy]

Thanks a lot Swadian !

Cosider the CL if you cannot stand the problems of the Card.

The problems you described sound like adventure

And I like adventure !

But too bad the food is not as good as on the other trains.

 

[Michael061282]

Either side of the train is good. The Cardinal crosses back and forth across the river a couple of times so there is plenty of good scenery on either side of the train.

 

[jb64]

Either side of the train is good. The Cardinal crosses back and forth across the river a couple of times so there is plenty of good scenery on either side of the train.

I agree, I didn't find one better than the other.

Even though you will encounter some really rough track and you will experience some delays, the Westbound Cardinal seems to have better ontime performance than the eastbound. In fact, last month it was over an hour late picking us up in Staunton, but we got to Chicago early.

Think of the food as an adventure and you will be okay, or bring some food with you.

Some stations assign seats when you board, others do not. On the Card, they assigned seats to us when we boarded Staunton to Chicago but last fall I traveled from Culpepper to Charlottesville and they did not assign seats, so who knows. They do try to put groups together who are traveling together.

Depending on whether the train is running very late or not may determine your "fresh air" stops, the conductors are pretty good about letting people know. You may need to ask about the middle of the night stops, though. They stop announcements after 10 p.m..

Hope you have a great trip.!

 

[the_traveler]

And an FYI for everyone! The food is NOT paced in a Microwave oven - it is a Convection oven!

For the best side of the train (including the New River Bridge), sit on the left side (westbound). And of course, eastbound will be the right side. However, except for the Gorge area, either side is good!

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

And an FYI for everyone! The food is NOT paced in a Microwave oven - it is a Convection oven!

For the best side of the train (including the New River Bridge), sit on the left side (westbound). And of course, eastbound will be the right side. However, except for the Gorge area, either side is good!

Ooops! Sorry, DutchBuy! Could you tell us how you expect to get backhome from CHI?

 

[Linda T]

But too bad the food is not as good as on the other trains.

I always considered myself to have a discriminating taste, but neither my husband nor I can tell the difference between the Cardinal's food or any other Amtrak train. I think it must depend upon one's expectations. I remember eating at a 5 star restaurant in a Marriot hotel and having to pick aluminum foil out of my food. I guess that means the Cardinal isn't a five star restaurant since at least I've never had to pick anything out of my food.

As far as scenery Staunton to Montgomery is a combination of Shenandoah valley, cool tunnels, and of course the world famous New River gorge. If you're awake at 1:00 am you'll see the beautiful Cincinnati skyline and the city lights reflecting off the river. After that it's pretty much just farm and wood land. Though as the route guide will tell you, going west bound on the left you'll pass Tippecanoe Battlefield (War of 1812 Shawnee confederation vs Americans). Shawnee were defeated and crumbled the confederation which in turn spelled the impending doom of Tecumseh.

It is extremely hard to get a sleeper on the Card. The best chance is if you can arrange your trip upon it's availability. We just got a roomette between HUN and NYP and back by being flexible on our departure and arrival dates. Roomettes are far easier to get than bedrooms, so that is a plus for you, but no guarantee that one will open up.

I've been tracking the Card's ontime performance over the last few days into Huntington (I'll be leaving on it from HUN to CHI in just over a week now), and it's pretty consistant arriving in HUN about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes late, which means that you should be good to go with the gorge in daylight, since HUN is on the west side of the gorge . That said, one must always allow for major delays, one of the worst, in real recent memory, being five hours while the tornadoes ripped through Kentucky several weeks ago, and the Card sat safe at the HUN station. But of course, that's extreme and quite understandable.

 

[DutchBoy]

Ooops! Sorry, DutchBuy! Could you tell us how you expect to get backhome from CHI?

Sorry for what ?

I will stay with friends in Northern Illinois for a couple of weeks and then fly back to Europe.

 

[DutchBoy]

. . . I've been tracking the Card's ontime performance over the last few days . . . .

I have been doing that too. I don't really care about delays but the tracking is fun for me.

First I used the Amtrak Website's MYTRIP Tab, but now I found a better place:

http://www.amtrakdel...ngsoftware.com/

It lists the delays for the last 4 weeks !

Site is very basic but has the best info on the web (as far as I know)

 

[DutchBoy]

I have been making a map on GoogleMaps with markers at all stops and flag stops.

Would like to add markers for all tunnels. Of course I could follow the track, but I was wondering if there is a list. Therefore this 7th question

-7- Is there a list of all tunnels the Cardinal goes through from Charlottesville to Chicago ?

 

[Linda T]

-7- Is there a list of all tunnels the Cardinal goes through from Charlottesville to Chicago ?

The first will be the Allegheny Tunnel (after you go through Clifton Forge). The second is the Great Bend Tunnel (heard of John Henry?). You'll go through the GBT after Alderson. I think there's just two, that's all I remember. Route Guide on the right you'll see download a "printable route guide." Not all trains have enough route guides for everyone, so I'd suggest printing out the portion containing your trip.

Oh yeah, you'll also cross the Eastern Great Divide! That's cool too.

BTW, the Great Bend tunnel is over a mile long, according to trainorders.com.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Ooops! Sorry, DutchBuy! Could you tell us how you expect to get backhome from CHI?

Sorry for what ?

I will stay with friends in Northern Illinois for a couple of weeks and then fly back to Europe.

So you ARE Dutch! I guess you guys in Europe have some understanding for my username. I was sorry about saying it was microwaved. Also, there is no actual Great Eastern Divide, Linda was just joking.

 

[DutchBoy]

. . . . . .. I think there's just two, that's all I remember.. . . . .

Thanks a lot Linda. While checking those tunnels on google map I found anonther one East of Alleghany, the Lewis Tunnel !

I was gonna check out that Estern Divide, till I read the previous post,

 

[SouthernServesTheSouth]

There is a tunnel about 20 minutes West of Charlottesville as you cross the Blue Ridge Mtns.

 

[ParrotRob]

Ooops! Sorry, DutchBuy! Could you tell us how you expect to get backhome from CHI?

Sorry for what ?

I will stay with friends in Northern Illinois for a couple of weeks and then fly back to Europe.

So you ARE Dutch! I guess you guys in Europe have some understanding for my username. I was sorry about saying it was microwaved. Also, there is no actual Great Eastern Divide, Linda was just joking.

Um, there most certainly IS an Eastern Divide. Here is a map of all the North American divides: http://en.wikipedia....aterDivides.png

And here is a picture of the Eastern Divide at some point or another along it:

 

[ParrotRob]

Little more information - the Eastern Divide runs along the Virginia / West Virginia border at the point the Cardinal crosses it through the Allegheny Tunnel. If you use Google Maps or Google Earth, you'll find it at 37° 44.934'N 80° 15.557'W. From the Cardinal route guide:



Allegheny Tunnel The former Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) and Virginia

Central railroads traversed this mountainous region over a large

portion of both main and branch lines; tunneling was necessary, and

many survive in some form today. Leaving Clifton Forge, assault on the

Allegheny Mountains required several tunnels. The Allegheny Tunnel

runs under their crest and marks the boundary between Virginia and

West Virginia, as well as the Eastern Continental Divide.

 

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

So no river crosses the Eastern Continental Divide?!

 

[Ispolkom]

That's kind of the definition of a divide.

 

[ParrotRob]

1334376365[/url]' post='360795']So no river crosses the Eastern Continental Divide?!

Of course not, by definition. Waters to the east of it flow to the Atlantic Ocean, and waters to the west of it flow to the Gulf of Mexico, mostly via the Mississippi River.

 

[Eric S]

So no river crosses the Eastern Continental Divide?!

The map on the Wikipedia link ParrotRob posted shows the various North American Continental Divides. Parts of the contiguous US drain into the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence River, and Hudson Bay (plus the Great Basin which drains to no ocean.

 

[Linda T]

Also, there is no actual Great Eastern Divide, Linda was just joking.

Thanks everyone for answering this. There truly is an eastern great divide as has already been shown.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Mr. Swadian was absent that day in geography class when I went over that lesson. :giggle:

We even have a "divide" in Ohio. And I live almost on top of it. Rivers flown north from that point to Lake Erie, while rivers flow south to the Ohio River or its tributaries.

And now back to Amtrak News!! :lol:

 

[ParrotRob]

Mr. Swadian was absent that day in geography class when I went over that lesson. :giggle:

We even have a "divide" in Ohio. And I live almost on top of it. Rivers flown north from that point to Lake Erie, while rivers flow south to the Ohio River or its tributaries.

And now back to Amtrak News!! :lol:

There are actually lots of divides, even more than on the map I posted. At the highest level, water flows into three oceans in North America, the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic. They all meet at something called a hydrologic Apex (which is on a mountain called Snow Dome in the COlumbia Icefield between Banff and Jasper national parks). Within each of those three drainage basins are subdivides - for instance, the Eastern divide separates the waters that go directly to the Atlantic Ocean from those that go to the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf of Mexico. You could subdivide that further - for instance, you could subdivide the Atlantic basin into the Hudson River, Chesapeake Bay, etc. There's really no limit to how far you can go with it.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Well, I m extremly confused now. If rivers do flow across the Eastern Continental Divide, how can the waters on both sides flow in different directions? Do the river peak at the divide, with waters on either side flowing in different directions?