Hi from another Virginian

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VAtrainfan

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
256
Location
Portsmouth, VA
Hi all. :hi:

I stumbled onto this forum last night after doing a Google search for "Where does the Norfolk Amtrak train spend the night?" I didn't find a definitive answer (I'm assuming the NS Lamberts Point yard) but I did find a lot of answers to a lot of questions I didn't know I had :D

I'm relatively new to Amtrak travel. So far the only Amtrak routes I've had the pleasure of riding are the NER and Keystone. NFK-LNC (via PHL) is a route I've done 4 times now. I'd love to experience more long-distance trains but as I'm sure you all know, the Norfolk and Newport News trains are optimized for NEC travel and not convenient connections to anywhere else.

Looking forward to getting to know this community better. I've met some very interesting folks on my few Northeast Regional trips.
 
the Norfolk and Newport News trains are optimized for NEC travel and not convenient connections to anywhere else.
Certainly not to Charlottesville VA! I'd love to come over for the opera right now plus get to know the Hampton Roads area somewhat, but no dice with Amtrak. So I'll have to settle for Richmond which is only an hour away on Amtrak Thruway bus or greyhound.
 
The Norfolk train spends the night in a dedicated yard by St. Julian Ave. Basically there's a line that heads off towards the airport and then Little Creek Amphibious Base...as a matter of trivia, this was once the southernmost part of the Pennsylvania Railroad IIRC. The bit at Little Creek is where the rail barge to Cape Charles leaves from.

As to the trains being optimized, Newport News to points west is arguably passable via the Cardinal (notwithstanding the less-than-daily service there), but your point is taken...connections to Florida are a mess at RVR (which wouldn't be so bad if RVR wasn't so poorly placed...if I could do the wait at RVM instead, I know of a very nice Cuban restaurant a block away where I once waited out the time from the Star to the Meteor when I missed the latter due to traffic).

One thing you might want to consider is driving to Richmond (or possibly Petersburg) and catching one of the Florida trains to points "up north". It's more of a drive, yes, but it's also what I've done for years in spite of living quite close to NPN: The parking is better, I've got more schedule selection, and the Star and Meteor have better accommodation options (and food/beverage options) than the Regionals do. If you play your cards right, the Star in a room can even be far cheaper than a Regional (at least at last check).
 
I wondered about that branch. Looking at Google Maps, that yard at St. Julian is the end of that line now, the tracks are abandoned along Cape Henry Ave between McKann and Ingleside.

And I have considered driving to Richmond for a lot of things. Flying out if RIC is now a lot cheaper than ORF/PHF since AirTran shut down.
 
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