Basic Info:
Amtrak Hoosier State 851 (No longer operating)
May 29, 2019
LAF - CHI
Departure from LAF at 7:36 AM
Video:
Background:
A group of friends and I all purchased tickets about a month in advance, as we were planning on taking a day trip to Chicago the day after the school year was over. We chose to go by Amtrak, as it was only $44 round trip, the schedule worked for us, and seemed like something exciting, as most of us had never been on Amtrak.
The Hoosier State last ran between Indianapolis and Chicago on June 30, 2019, due to state budget cuts, which leaves Lafayette with the Cardinal stopping there 3 times a week. We were fortunate enough to go on the Hoosier State while it was still in service.
Before the train arrived:
We all met up across the Wabash River at a Panera where we ate breakfast, and then shortly crossed on the pedestrian bridge which feeds directly into the Lafayette train station. Greater Lafayette is a pretty nice area, with plentiful bike paths and good sidewalks, but the Lafayette station is one place where the maintenance is really lacking. It's clear that not much has been done to improve, or even maintain it since it's completion in the 90s.
Train:
At 7:29 AM, just on time, the train arrived from the south (Crawfordsville being the previous stop). It had three cars, one of which included a dining car and two regular, coach seating cars. We decided to sit on the last of the cars, where it was nearly empty.
At 7:36, again as scheduled, we left Lafayette headed north. We passed by various freight trains, as well as the old abandoned Monon rail shop. The train crossed the Wabash before heading through various small towns including Battle Ground, Brookston, and Reynolds before reaching Monon. At Monon, although there isn't a stop, the train does turn to the East. This switch enables the train to reach Rensselaer just under 20 minutes later. Although small, Rennselaer's station looked quite new and well-kept. Not many people, probably around 10, boarded here.
After Rennselaer, the view was mostly of fields and the occasional small town. Eventually, we reached the outskirts of Chicago, where we made a quick stop in Dyer. Like Rennselaer, Dyer's station also seemed pretty nice.
As we left Dyer and neared Chicago, we realized that our train was running slightly early, likely due to it not having been stopped at any point, as often happens. By 10:42, we were pulling into Chicago's Union Station. Pretty quickly, our train stopped and the doors open for the passengers to get on. Chicago's Union Station did not seem very nice nor did it seem particularly well maintained. The platform was what you'd expect from any large American station, but the seating and ticketing areas of the station seemed really cramped. We left the station, and then began our day in Chicago!
Thanks for reading, if you have any questions or comments feel free to reply!
Amtrak Hoosier State 851 (No longer operating)
May 29, 2019
LAF - CHI
Departure from LAF at 7:36 AM
Video:
Background:
A group of friends and I all purchased tickets about a month in advance, as we were planning on taking a day trip to Chicago the day after the school year was over. We chose to go by Amtrak, as it was only $44 round trip, the schedule worked for us, and seemed like something exciting, as most of us had never been on Amtrak.
The Hoosier State last ran between Indianapolis and Chicago on June 30, 2019, due to state budget cuts, which leaves Lafayette with the Cardinal stopping there 3 times a week. We were fortunate enough to go on the Hoosier State while it was still in service.
Before the train arrived:
We all met up across the Wabash River at a Panera where we ate breakfast, and then shortly crossed on the pedestrian bridge which feeds directly into the Lafayette train station. Greater Lafayette is a pretty nice area, with plentiful bike paths and good sidewalks, but the Lafayette station is one place where the maintenance is really lacking. It's clear that not much has been done to improve, or even maintain it since it's completion in the 90s.
Train:
At 7:29 AM, just on time, the train arrived from the south (Crawfordsville being the previous stop). It had three cars, one of which included a dining car and two regular, coach seating cars. We decided to sit on the last of the cars, where it was nearly empty.
At 7:36, again as scheduled, we left Lafayette headed north. We passed by various freight trains, as well as the old abandoned Monon rail shop. The train crossed the Wabash before heading through various small towns including Battle Ground, Brookston, and Reynolds before reaching Monon. At Monon, although there isn't a stop, the train does turn to the East. This switch enables the train to reach Rensselaer just under 20 minutes later. Although small, Rennselaer's station looked quite new and well-kept. Not many people, probably around 10, boarded here.
After Rennselaer, the view was mostly of fields and the occasional small town. Eventually, we reached the outskirts of Chicago, where we made a quick stop in Dyer. Like Rennselaer, Dyer's station also seemed pretty nice.
As we left Dyer and neared Chicago, we realized that our train was running slightly early, likely due to it not having been stopped at any point, as often happens. By 10:42, we were pulling into Chicago's Union Station. Pretty quickly, our train stopped and the doors open for the passengers to get on. Chicago's Union Station did not seem very nice nor did it seem particularly well maintained. The platform was what you'd expect from any large American station, but the seating and ticketing areas of the station seemed really cramped. We left the station, and then began our day in Chicago!
Thanks for reading, if you have any questions or comments feel free to reply!
I am right that when it operated till June 30th, that the Hoosier State did have a cafe car?
