NS VIA Fan
Conductor
In 1976 Amtrak introduced the USA RailPass.....I could get 14 days of unlimited travel for a set price of $165 so I just had to try it out!.......Here's my itinerary:.
Oct 3 #169 Minute Man: Boston - New York
Oct 3 #115 Metroliner: New York - Washington
Oct 3 #51 James Whitcomb Riley: Washington Chicago
Oct 5 #5 San Francisco Zephyr: Chicago Oakland
Oct 8 #11 Coast Starlight: Oakland Los Angeles
Oct 8 #4 Southwest Limited: Los Angeles Chicago
Oct 11 #301 Ann Rutledge: Chicago St Louis
Oct 11 #304 Ann Rutledge: St Louis Chicago
Oct 12 #9 Twin Cities Hiawatha: Chicago Minneapolis
Oct 13 #8 Empire Builder: Minneapolis Milwaukee
Oct 13 #326 Turboliner: Milwaukee - Chicago
Oct 13 #57 Floridian: Chicago Tampa
Oct 15 #88 Champion: Tampa Washington
Oct 16 #170 Minute Man: Washington Boston
.....and for anyone who wants to follow along with that 1976 timetable, here's a link to it at the Museum of Railway Timetables site:
http://www.timetables.org/browse/?group=19760615&st=0001
Usually I would have taken CNs Ocean or Scotian from Halifax to Montreal and started my Amtrak travels there on either the Montrealer or Adirondack. But this time I wanted to cram as much Amtrak riding into my 2 week vacation as I could so I hopped on an Air Canada DC9 Saturday evening for a quick 1 hour flight to Boston.
I was at South Station early the next morning with plenty of time to pick up my pass and the tickets I needed. Unlike the Eurailpass (just show and go)......on Amtrak you still had to obtain a ticket for each train you rode. But no advance planning was required. You could make reservations if you wanted but if a seat was available......you got it. You could even upgrade to a sleeper by paying the difference.
My first train was the Minute Man and an opportunity to sample a new Amfleet consist. The cars were brand-new and what an improvement over the xPenn Central clunkers I had been riding in the corridor in previous years.
At NYP I upgraded to a Metroliner for an additional $6 which got me into Washington a half hour before the Minute Man would have and a better connection to my next train......the James Whitcomb Riley. At Washington as I was taking the following picture, I was quickly stopped by the police and told No Photography (and this was 1976!)
I remember waking during the night as our train was being switched and then getting off early the next morning in Cincinnati to see a Dome Car had been added. We had picked up the Mountaineer through from Norfolk at Russell KY.
Oct 3 #169 Minute Man: Boston - New York
Oct 3 #115 Metroliner: New York - Washington
Oct 3 #51 James Whitcomb Riley: Washington Chicago
Oct 5 #5 San Francisco Zephyr: Chicago Oakland
Oct 8 #11 Coast Starlight: Oakland Los Angeles
Oct 8 #4 Southwest Limited: Los Angeles Chicago
Oct 11 #301 Ann Rutledge: Chicago St Louis
Oct 11 #304 Ann Rutledge: St Louis Chicago
Oct 12 #9 Twin Cities Hiawatha: Chicago Minneapolis
Oct 13 #8 Empire Builder: Minneapolis Milwaukee
Oct 13 #326 Turboliner: Milwaukee - Chicago
Oct 13 #57 Floridian: Chicago Tampa
Oct 15 #88 Champion: Tampa Washington
Oct 16 #170 Minute Man: Washington Boston
.....and for anyone who wants to follow along with that 1976 timetable, here's a link to it at the Museum of Railway Timetables site:
http://www.timetables.org/browse/?group=19760615&st=0001
Usually I would have taken CNs Ocean or Scotian from Halifax to Montreal and started my Amtrak travels there on either the Montrealer or Adirondack. But this time I wanted to cram as much Amtrak riding into my 2 week vacation as I could so I hopped on an Air Canada DC9 Saturday evening for a quick 1 hour flight to Boston.
I was at South Station early the next morning with plenty of time to pick up my pass and the tickets I needed. Unlike the Eurailpass (just show and go)......on Amtrak you still had to obtain a ticket for each train you rode. But no advance planning was required. You could make reservations if you wanted but if a seat was available......you got it. You could even upgrade to a sleeper by paying the difference.
My first train was the Minute Man and an opportunity to sample a new Amfleet consist. The cars were brand-new and what an improvement over the xPenn Central clunkers I had been riding in the corridor in previous years.
At NYP I upgraded to a Metroliner for an additional $6 which got me into Washington a half hour before the Minute Man would have and a better connection to my next train......the James Whitcomb Riley. At Washington as I was taking the following picture, I was quickly stopped by the police and told No Photography (and this was 1976!)
I remember waking during the night as our train was being switched and then getting off early the next morning in Cincinnati to see a Dome Car had been added. We had picked up the Mountaineer through from Norfolk at Russell KY.
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