Tuesday, April 14, 2009:
At around 6:30 AM, I arrived at the Amtrak Dearborn Station. There, I waited until the door to the platform was unlocked, then I went out into a typical Michigan early spring cold, dark teal skies, waiting for Train #351. At approximately 7:10 AM, Train #351 arrived at the Dearborn Station. The consist for today's train is as follows:
Engine/Car Type; Paint Scheme; Notes
P42DC; Phase V; Power
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished) (My Car)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished)
Amfleet I Cafe Car; Phase IVb; Cafe/Business Class Car (Refurbished)
I boarded the very center of the consist, a refurbished Horizon Coach Car (with the blue interior). The train did not stop at Greenfield Village (which is a flag stop, the train only stops there if some of the passengers are visiting the Henry Ford) and passed an NS freight shortly after crossing the Wayne diamonds. We passed the lush green rural landscape of western Wayne County, then we passed through Ypsilanti and hugged the Huron River. Then we made our stop at Ann Arbor. Shortly afterward, we passed under the Ann Arbor Railroad. Then it was a beeline through rural southern lower Michigan. Then we stopped at Jackson. We did not stop in Albion. We stopped twice in Battle Creek, the first was right next to a large factory somewhere around where the CN mainline from Port Huron merges, the second was the actual station stop. Then we stopped twice in Kalamazoo. The first stop was the actual station stop, which for Train #351 would be the last in Michigan, the last in the Eastern Time Zone and also the last before Chicago. Then we passed through the campus of Western Michigan University, then shortly after we stopped again. It was during that stop that our eastbound counterpart, Train #350, passed. After that stop, we zipped passed small towns on our way to Chicago, somewhere around New Buffalo that was when Lake Michigan was first sighted on this trip. Then we paraelled US 12, while doing so we crossed into Indiana. An announcement made somehwere around Michigan City told us we were now in the Central Time Zone. Then after passing through Portage, we were next to the tracks of NICTD's South Shore Line up to Gary, we crossed into Illinois - and Chicago - we were next to the Skyway (I-90), the great Chicago skyline, complete with the Wilis Tower (this was back when it was still known as the Sears Tower), rose as we crossed the mighty Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/I-94), through the NS 51st Street Yard (strangely enough, there were a couple of CSX units near the south end of the yard), past US Celluar Field, home of the White Sox, then we crossed the BNSF mainline from LA, over the Chicago River and through the Roosevelt Road coach yard, then we went into the darkness that was Chicago Union Station.
Thursday, April 16, 2009:
Got up around 7:00 AM, took a taxi back to Union Station (the driver dropped us off at the Metra entrance on Madison Street). Walked through to the Amtrak portion, waited for the boarding call for the train home, Train #350. This was the consist:
Engine/Car Type; Paint Scheme; Notes
Non Powered Control Unit; Phase III, Power (Former F40PH)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished) (My Car)
Horizon Cafe Car; Phase IVb; Cafe/Business Class Car (Refurbished)
We passed under the CTA elevated rail lines, stopped at Hammond-Whiting, Indiana. During that stop, an NS intermodal train passed. Then we stopped at Michigan City, then it was back into Michigan and the Eastern Time Zone. We stopped at Niles, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. Then a few miles before Jackson, we were running very slowly! There, an announcement was made that since the train was running so late, it would have to end it's run at Detroit, a bus would take over from there. So we made our stops in Jackson, Ann Arbor. I then got off at Dearborn, over two hours late!!!
At around 6:30 AM, I arrived at the Amtrak Dearborn Station. There, I waited until the door to the platform was unlocked, then I went out into a typical Michigan early spring cold, dark teal skies, waiting for Train #351. At approximately 7:10 AM, Train #351 arrived at the Dearborn Station. The consist for today's train is as follows:
Engine/Car Type; Paint Scheme; Notes
P42DC; Phase V; Power
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished) (My Car)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished)
Amfleet I Cafe Car; Phase IVb; Cafe/Business Class Car (Refurbished)
I boarded the very center of the consist, a refurbished Horizon Coach Car (with the blue interior). The train did not stop at Greenfield Village (which is a flag stop, the train only stops there if some of the passengers are visiting the Henry Ford) and passed an NS freight shortly after crossing the Wayne diamonds. We passed the lush green rural landscape of western Wayne County, then we passed through Ypsilanti and hugged the Huron River. Then we made our stop at Ann Arbor. Shortly afterward, we passed under the Ann Arbor Railroad. Then it was a beeline through rural southern lower Michigan. Then we stopped at Jackson. We did not stop in Albion. We stopped twice in Battle Creek, the first was right next to a large factory somewhere around where the CN mainline from Port Huron merges, the second was the actual station stop. Then we stopped twice in Kalamazoo. The first stop was the actual station stop, which for Train #351 would be the last in Michigan, the last in the Eastern Time Zone and also the last before Chicago. Then we passed through the campus of Western Michigan University, then shortly after we stopped again. It was during that stop that our eastbound counterpart, Train #350, passed. After that stop, we zipped passed small towns on our way to Chicago, somewhere around New Buffalo that was when Lake Michigan was first sighted on this trip. Then we paraelled US 12, while doing so we crossed into Indiana. An announcement made somehwere around Michigan City told us we were now in the Central Time Zone. Then after passing through Portage, we were next to the tracks of NICTD's South Shore Line up to Gary, we crossed into Illinois - and Chicago - we were next to the Skyway (I-90), the great Chicago skyline, complete with the Wilis Tower (this was back when it was still known as the Sears Tower), rose as we crossed the mighty Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/I-94), through the NS 51st Street Yard (strangely enough, there were a couple of CSX units near the south end of the yard), past US Celluar Field, home of the White Sox, then we crossed the BNSF mainline from LA, over the Chicago River and through the Roosevelt Road coach yard, then we went into the darkness that was Chicago Union Station.
Thursday, April 16, 2009:
Got up around 7:00 AM, took a taxi back to Union Station (the driver dropped us off at the Metra entrance on Madison Street). Walked through to the Amtrak portion, waited for the boarding call for the train home, Train #350. This was the consist:
Engine/Car Type; Paint Scheme; Notes
Non Powered Control Unit; Phase III, Power (Former F40PH)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished)
Horizon Coach; Phase IVb; Coach (Refurbished) (My Car)
Horizon Cafe Car; Phase IVb; Cafe/Business Class Car (Refurbished)
We passed under the CTA elevated rail lines, stopped at Hammond-Whiting, Indiana. During that stop, an NS intermodal train passed. Then we stopped at Michigan City, then it was back into Michigan and the Eastern Time Zone. We stopped at Niles, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. Then a few miles before Jackson, we were running very slowly! There, an announcement was made that since the train was running so late, it would have to end it's run at Detroit, a bus would take over from there. So we made our stops in Jackson, Ann Arbor. I then got off at Dearborn, over two hours late!!!
