[SIZE=14pt]Amtrak Florida Winter Trip 2016[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]January 13-21, 2016[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Cleveland-Washington DC-Winter Park-Apopka-Orlando-Winter Park Washington DC-Cleveland[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Wednesday Jan 13 [/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]After checking Amtrak for OTP of our train CL #30 and determining it was running nearly on-time at Waterloo, Indiana, we decided to make our way to Cleveland a bit early since a forecast of lake effect snow might cause delays in driving. We had a smooth travel on I-71 and arrived at CLE around 12:30am. The temp outside is 5 degrees F, but it’s nice and warm in the station. Only a few passengers were waiting at the station and one lonely cab outside.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=12pt]Our favorite agent said #30 had been delayed and was now running nearly an hour late at Toledo. So much for our efforts to avoid a long wait at CLE. Thought we might pick up the new Amtrak System TTs which had a nice photo of an Acela near BWI. We checked our large bag to WPK. There were a few more people arriving as many had been informed of the delays on their smartphones. Freight traffic from NS was minimal, perhaps an indication of the lower volume of traffic due to the economic slowdowns. CL 29 was running nearly on-time and came in at 2:30am. Our agent let us know he expected our #30 to arrive within the half hour. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We continue to wait and finally our CL 30 is called at 3:00 am about 90 minutes down . It is a shorter train than usual as I notice that the first coach is actually a combo bag/coach car and that we are traveling sans a regular baggage car. The CCC diner is serving as both café and diner for this trip. The SSL is still on the train, which is nice for those who want to get out of their seats. We also had only one locomotive since our six-car consist was a bit of a lighter load. There are only two sleepers and the 3001 car is serving as a dorm sleeper for some of the crew members. Our loco was P-42 #89. We find our Car 3000 and conductor opens door and directs us to our Bedroom E. We climb the stairway and find our room ready for sleeping. Wife hit the sack while I always like to sit up a while to watch our progress out of Cleveland.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We arrive in Pittsburgh around 5:45 and did make up about half hour in time from Cleveland. Time to get up and have breakfast. Our car attendant was Larry, who we have had on several trips. Nice guy and an efficient SCA. We noticed that our water faucet in the sink was only producing air pressure and very little water. Larry said our car had just come out of Beech Grove for rehab, but that they had been experiencing water leakage problems. The crews had attempted to refill the water tanks in both Toledo and Pittsburgh with little success. Breakfast was the cheese omelet with croissant for me and Claudia had scrambled eggs and the grits. Car is pretty empty and we have no one eating with us this morning. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Our server is Michael who is friendly and efficient. We return to the room and Larry has it all made up for day service. But he informs us that now the restrooms in our car were no longer working, along with the water so no showers or water to wash our hands. Larry said we could use facilities in the 3001 car. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We pass through Connellsville at 7:30, having made up a little more time on the schedule. Lots of snowy, icy terrain and frozen rivers in places. A pristine winter scenic ride. Lots of old trestles from rail lines of the past. Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Youghiogheny RR line is now a bike and hiking path. Some old Western Maryland rail lines and bridges along the way. Crossing through the tunnels at Sand Patch around 8:20am. and good memories of my railfan trip with my brother last spring through this CSX territory. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I decide to go up to the SSL where there are plenty of seats available to view the wintery scenery along our pathway. I stop at the diner to check on possibilities for lunch, but am informed that there will be no time for lunch. Only one morning meal will now be served between 6:30 and 11:00. No more Amburgers before D.C.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I enjoy the sunny morning as we make our way from Hyndman PA down the slopes to Cumberland, Maryland. Farms and small towns abound and the wind generators and high trestles make for some interesting contrasts.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We arrive in Cumberland, Maryland around 10:20 . Our conductor opens the doors on the first coach for the smokers but I decide to stay in the SSL and enjoy the view. We lost a little more time and are now back to an hour late. Lots of morning CSX traffic leaving the CUM yards. A nice ride along the upper reaches of the Potomac River and then inland toward Martinsburg, WVa. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We arrive in Martinsburg around 12:00 and we are still running over an hour late. The sun peeks out at Harpers Ferry and we sit watching the ducks on the river. We quickly head into the tunnel and we are now in Maryland. Larry comes around to let us know we will be in Rockville soon and then a short ride into D.C. He apologizes for the restroom and water situation and is frustrated that his car is causing such problems. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Got some good photos of the station at Point of Rocks, the point where the old B&O line from Baltimore meets the Washington line to form the main B&O route westward to Cumberland. A large MARC station provides trains to take passengers on their commuter runs into DC metro area each day. Lots of Virginia Rail trains waiting in the D.C. yards after their morning runs. Enjoyed our first ride on the VRE at the Gathering last October. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We arrive in D.C. just 45 minutes down at 1:48 and say goodbye to Larry. We walk up the platform and up the escalator and make it to the Acela Lounge. Agents are friendly and tell us we need to be back for boarding the Silver Meteor by 6:15pm. We are very hungry since there was no lunch on the Cap so we go downstairs to the food court and indulge in some TACOS BELL. Smile. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We decide there is time to make a trip to the Library of Congress to see some exhibits we missed on our last visit. It was very cold and the wind was blowing, so an uncomfortable walk across Capitol Hill. There are virtually no tourists around the Capitol Building, just a few security guards and some Congressional staffers entering the private doors. We check out some of the exhibits on old maps, the Civil Rights movement and the fascinating Jefferson Library. We decide to return to the Union Station around 4pm and another long cold walk down the hill. Should have taken the Metro and saved some walking. [/SIZE]
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[SIZE=12pt]Return to the Acela Lounge and found it crowded with passengers waiting to board the evening Acelas. Our boarding call for the Silver Meteor was at 7pm and we were directed to Track 24. Sleepers are on the front so we have a shorter walk to Car 9710. Our SCA is Billy and he welcomes us aboard to Bedroom B. He tells us our dinner reservation is for 8:00pm. A loud screaming little boy is throwing a tantrum as he climbs the stairs in our car. This continues for 15 minutes or so until it is determined they actually belong in the 9711 Car. Thank goodness for that.. After the new locomotives are added to our train.. P-42 #17 and #182. We leave WAS about 20 minutes late. As we leave Washington and cross the Potomac River, the lights of the city glow in the night. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]At 8pm we move next door to the diner. Our dining car crew is business-like but efficient. We have the steak and potatoes and of course the cheesecake for dessert. Claudia has the chocolate mousse which is also excellent. Our dinner mates were Al & Gloria from near Ann Arbor Michigan. They have a mid- 19th century farm house and raised several children as they farmed the land. They now spend their winters in Florida near one of their sons and grandchildren. They had been on our CL 30 this morning and after their bus ride to Toledo were quite unhappy with the circumstances regarding our lack of restrooms and water. We had an enjoyable conversation about their life in Michigan and riding Amtrak. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We returned to our room and watched people boarding in Richmond around 10pm. We had Billy put our beds down and we tried to sleep despite the rough track in the Carolinas. Will certainly be glad when the new Viewliner IIs come on line as these old cars are pretty beat up. We arrived in Rocky Mount, NC around 12:30 am and that will conclude our first day of riding Amtrak.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Thursday January 14. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We awaken around 7:30, shower and are down to the diner for breakfast at around 8am just as we are pulling into Jessup, Georgia. We are still about a half hour late but there is plenty of padding with our upcoming stop in Jacksonville. We are seated alone and order our breakfasts, the omelets and croissants. Billy made up our beds and we settled in to watch the Georgia countryside as we moved toward JAX. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We arrived in Jacksonville about 15 minutes late, affording a little time for me to walk the platform, more photos and a stop in the modern Amtrak station. Our new engineers and conductors were ready to go, our train fueled, and after a brief conversation with the conductor in the new baggage car. (He says there are good things and bad things about the new cars, but was not specific ). We actually had two new baggage cars on the train 61017 and 61029. He did not know why other than possible repair scheduled in Miami facility. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We left Jacksonville on time at 9:40am and moved quickly down the line to Palatka where a number of people detrained and boarded. Passed the Auto Train terminal in Sanford and started seeing some SunRail cars moving along beside us. Billy said we could get some lunch if we got down to the diner so we hurried over and had a couple of Amburgers. We ate lunch with a mother and daughter from New York City who were going to Florida to visit an ill relative. The daughter was an architectural designer and was an interesting person to speak with. Billy was a little panicked when we neared WPK and were not in our room. He found us in the diner and we rushed to get our luggage ready to detrain. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We arrived in Winter Park on time and said goodbye to Billy. We took a quick view of the new station, which is a showplace compared to the old rundown WPK station and noted the new Sunrail terminal across the tracks. Winter Park is a nice place to visit with many shops, museums and parks to enjoy. We noticed the MetLife Blimp was overhead and wondered if they were here to film our arrival.. Probably not.. The weather was nice at 70 degrees. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We called Enterprise and in about 10 minutes they picked us up and we arranged for our rental car. A 2016 white Chevy Impala. One of the Enterprise clerks was a young girl who grew up just a few miles from our home in Ohio and had attended high school at a rival of my home school where I taught history. Small world. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We decided to return to Winter Park station and check out the new buildings and explore the city some more. Since the SunRail schedule worked in our favor we decided to take our inaugural ride on this new commuter line. A friendly SR assistant showed us how to get our tickets, the tap on validation system, and provided a schedule. We decided to ride down to Orlando Amtrak station and return. The train arrived within fifteen minutes and we were on our way. Very nice double deck cars, clean and quiet. It was a quick ride into downtown Orlando and certainly easier than driving in the wild and crazy traffic. We explored the old refurbished Orlando station, once operated by Seaboard Coast Line. A real treasure for the city with nice lighting and seating and a broad arched façade that added to its historical significance. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]As we waited for our return ride, a CSX freight pulled by two C40-8Ws made its way past our platform hauling a long load of hoppers belonging to Conrad Yelvington, a stone and ballast supplier from the Sanford area. I believe this train had just returned from the construction area where SunRail is extending its line to the Orlando airport. Our SunRail train arrived on time and we took another quick ride back to Winter Park, arriving around 3pm. Grabbed our car and started toward our hotel in Apopka. Traffic in the Orlando area is a nightmare and I-4 is an example of NASCAR driving at its worst. So we used some back roads to maneuver our way northwest to the Hampton Inn on Semoran Blvd. The friendly staff is always a pleasure to deal with and this stay was especially good since we used Hilton Points for our two night stay. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We checked into our hotel and proceeded down the road to Café Positano, a nice Italian B&G where we have eaten on previous occasions. Very good lasagna and pizza and the service was also very good. Had some chocolate chip cookies provided by the hotel and then some Pawn Stars and Elementary watching before bed. Another great day of train riding and some warmer weather to enjoy.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Friday January 15[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Started the day with a good Hampton Inn breakfast, while waiting for a significant thunderstorm and rain event as it moved across central Florida. Our plan to attend the Mt. Dora Antiques Extravaganza was delayed since few dealers would want to set up in this rain deluge. But around 11am the rain stopped, the sun came out and it turned out to be an enjoyable afternoon. On the way to the show we passed a few Ringling Bros Circus cars on a siding that were being stored while the circus performed in Orlando that weekend . [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt] The grounds where the show took place was flooded in many rows by the heavy rain volume, but it eventually soaked into the sandy soil and dealers opened their booths for business. It is always a nice walk up and down the hillsides looking for bargains in this excellent antiques and collectibles show. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We decided to leave the show around 4:30 after some lunch at the food venders. Headed back to Apopka and then to Café Positano for an excellent hand thrown pizza. After dinner we stopped at a Bealls store to pick up some summer outfits and then returned to the hotel for some TV, those good chocolate chip cookies at the desk and to bed for the evening. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Saturday January 16[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]After a great breakfast at the Hampton Inn we headed east to New Smyrna Beach. A nice sunny day in the 70s as we walked along the beach that was full of birds, and vehicles, which are allowed to drive on the beach. A nice resort town along with a few antique malls to visit. I found the Florida East Coast rail yards full of red and yellow locomotives and was able to get close enough for a few photos. After lunch we drove down to Cocoa Beach and then back toward Orlando. Unfortunately we ran into lots of road construction and took over an hour to reach our destination near International Drive. After a rather confusing set of directions we reached our hotel at the Hilton Grand Vacations Resort at Tuscany Village. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We secured a one bedroom suite with full kitchen and dining area, living room, balcony porch and a bathroom with Jacuzzi. Separate adult pools, a beautiful lake and walking trail and other amenities that made our three days here a pleasure. Supper at Carrabba’s Italian for lasagna and pork tenderloin and a nice walk around the lake finished a very busy day. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Sunday January 17.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Sunday morning produced a rather violent thunderstorm that moved across central Florida with tornadoes that killed several people around Sarasota. It was nice to have our room safe from the destructive winds and glad we had stopped for breakfast items and snacks for the kitchen the day before. After the storm passed we decided to drive over to Downtown Disney to spend the day looking at the shops, dinner at the Earl of Sandwich, and trying to keep warm on this chilly, windy day. Although it was 63 outside it felt cooler. Still better than 5 degrees back in Ohio.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Stopped at Freddy’s Frozen Custard for a chicken sandwich and ice cream. An interesting place with photos of the original owner and his life story and rise to entrepreneurship in the restaurant business. Was going to stop at the outlet mall but the parking spaces were all taken and the crowds a bit discouraging so we returned to our hotel room to watch some good football games on TV and enjoy the view from our balcony. A nice sunset finished the busy day. [/SIZE]
Monday January 18
After breakfast we prepared to attend a meeting sponsored by Hilton Resorts dealing with ownership of their properties. Since we had not attended one of these “time share” events before we were a bit skeptical of how things would go. But it was not as negative as I expected and our guide was personable and we gained valuable information about these interesting means to travel and stay in high end facilities. Two hours of questions and touring did not convince us to “put our money down”. Perhaps if we were younger this idea might make more sense, but not now.
Although they were disappointed in our rejection, they met their responsibilities and provided a $200 voucher for a future hotel stay and a very nice hotel for three nights at a highly discounted rate. Glad we had the experience, although I doubt we would do it again. We found a Golden Corral near our hotel and decided to have supper there. We made it in time for the lunch discount so it was a formidable meal for a very reasonable cost. Food and service were good. Back to our hotel for one last walk around the lake before retiring for the evening. It has been a nice three days in Orlando, albeit a bit chilly these last two days.
Tuesday January 21.
Our checkout time this morning was 9am and we wanted to do some sightseeing back in Winter Park so we packed, stopped at BK for breakfast and then headed north and east to WPK. I-4 was its usual mess so we opted to again use the state and county roads to return to Winter Park. Past Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill golf resort and eventually arriving back at the WPK station by 10am. The agents at WPK had allowed us to store our small duffles behind the desk, so I took the car back to Enterprise and they returned me to the station.
While roaming outside the depot we were surprised to run into our AU friend PennyK who had just returned from a trip to New York on the SM 97. She was waiting for the next SunRail train and unfortunately it arrived too quickly for us to have any concerted conversation. I think from her attire that she was rather cold in this Florida air today.. smile.
We walked over to the Winter Park Historical Society where their train history display was still exhibiting. A nice railroad t-shirt for my collection. Walked past the shops and restaurants on Park Avenue and on up to Casa Feliz, an interesting Spanish style house north of the downtown that had been designed in the 1930s, nearly lost in a demolition effort and then moved to its present location near a golf course. The docent explained some of the house’s history and allowed us to roam the two stories admiring the architecture and the grounds.
We walked back to town, a stop at Panera Bread for their great mac & cheese and bagels, and a stroll through the beautiful park that adjoins the station. The agent noted that the Silver Meteor 98 was running over an hour late due to freight traffic congestion and track work around Sebring, FL so we did not need to be ready to board until around 3pm.
Our Silver Meteor 98 arrived shortly after 3 pm and we were welcomed aboard by our SCA Leo. A great guy who sang and joked and seemed to really enjoy his job. He had arranged for us to still get lunch at this late hour so an Amburger and chips were provided. We sat across from some other ex-Ohioans and a group of Amish/Mennonites from Iowa who had traveled to Sarasota for a three week vacation. I remembered that we had seen some Amish on the beach at Sarasota on last year’s trip. We were not offered dessert so we headed back to our room, Car 9810 Room B, to enjoy our last hours in Florida. We stopped again outside the Auto Train Terminal at Sanford and then made good time toward Jacksonville, although still over an hour down.
Our locomotives were P-42s #87 w and were pulling a very long train with six extra Viewliner coaches heading back to Washington. This caused some problems when we arrived at stations with this elongated consist. We scheduled supper for 7pm since we had eaten a late lunch.
After a stop in Jacksonville we quickly headed toward Georgia. We both had the steaks and potatoes for supper and were seated with a couple who were returning north from a trip to Florida. They lived near Lancaster Pa and were accustomed to Amish in their environs as are we. She tried the crab cakes and thought they were o.k. He joined us for steak, which all were very good as per usual. Cheesecake followed for dessert. Our dining crew was friendly and efficient. We arrived in Savannah around 8:30, still an hour behind schedule and so we asked Leo to put our beds down as we would have an early departure in Washington DC tomorrow morning. Our ride seemed a bit smoother and after Leo fixed our loud connecting door by jamming a large hanger in the space, a quiet ride as well.
Wednesday January 20
I awoke around 12:30 am in Florence, SC to find the Auto Train parked on the other track and just pulling out of the station. The AT changes crews and fuels engines here before it heads into the night for Sanford, FL. We were still running an hour late. Fell back to sleep and woke up again at Rocky Mount, N.C. where our train had some changes in crews, etc. As we entered Richmond around 5:30 it was time to get a shower and get ready for breakfast. Leo came around to let us know the restrooms in our car were not working *again* and that we could use a room in the 9811 car. This restroom thing has become a real problem for us on our last few trips. Certainly not a good selling point for bringing in new customers.
Leo said we should have time with the estimated 7:30 departure in DC to get a quick breakfast at 6:30am. We enjoyed dining with Maggie who was a former teacher and who was accompanying her grandson back home to DC where his father would meet them for a trip back to West Virginia. We had eggs as we talked about school experiences and life in general.
As the train came into Alexandria, the sunrise was blunted by some high clouds. It was a cold morning as we left the train and headed up the escalator to the Acela Lounge. Checked in and stored our bags. We planned to ride the Metro Red Line to Metro Center and then switch to the Orange/Blue line to L’Enfant Circle for a shorter walk to the Air & Space Museum. We had tried a visit here last spring but there were so many school groups that we could not take the time to enjoy the exhibits. Today there were hardly any tourists at all at 10am and we really enjoyed seeing the displays and attending a lecture on the Mars Space Mission. After lunch we continued our exploring of the museum and then headed back to the subway for the return trip to Union Station.
The chatter in town was all about the impending snow storm that was heading toward the east coast. D.C. does not handle snow very well and there were predictions of doom from locals on the news programs. We sat in the lounge waiting for our boarding call on the Capitol Limited 29 and about 3:30 we were summoned to line up at the west doors. One man thought he might crowd the line but the attendant nicely told him to show respect for other passengers. *It wasn’t like the train was going to leave without him”
We walked to the front of the train and found our Car 2900 and our SCA, Cliff, welcomed us and we headed to Room E to unpack and get situated. I walked up the platform to get photos of our P-42 #196 and several ACS-64s and MARC locos nearby. An Amtrak police officer came up the platform while I was photographing but he just waved and moved up to talk to the car attendants.
We pulled out of WAS on time at 4:05 and retained our great OTP throughout the entire trip. We had supper at 6 with a nice couple from Hiram Ohio who also would be detraining in CLE with us. They were volunteers for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Rwy and knew some people who also volunteered from our town. Claudia and I decided to experiment for dinner as I had the lasagna and she had the black bean burrito special. Although the lasagna tasted good, it did not agree with my sensitive stomach later in the evening. Claudia thought her meal was good but agreed we probably would stick with the steak or chicken dishes on future trips. We enjoyed talking with our friends about railroad history in Ohio.
We had our beds turned down at 7pm and a nice easy ride arriving in Cumberland shortly afterward, and early at that. A nice long smoke stop for those addicted ones. We made good time as we were 25 minutes early into PGH and eventually arrived in CLE seven minutes early at 2:45am. The conductor let us off the train and we were pleased to find very little snow on the ground and that our car started right up after sitting out for over a week. We picked up our checked bag and told our favorite agent I would see him in April with my model railroad gang taking the train to Denver CO for a railfan trip. He noted he would be retiring soon after that and will miss our smiling faces.
After an hour long trip back to our hometown, a 4am stop at Mickey D’s for breakfast and a welcoming fur rubbing for our little cat, we tried to get a little sleep before dawn.
We had a good time on this trip. Enjoyed the Amtrak staffs and food. Equipment is continuing to get old and shabby. We lost our restroom facilities on both 30 and 98 and since we used lots of points to get these rooms I felt we should have some compensation. I have not asked for any rebate on any of our trips since 2007 so did not feel we were gouging Amtrak here. Look forward to the new Viewliner equipment coming on line. Saw lots of interesting historical and cultural exhibits and really enjoyed the warm sunshine of Florida. (Penny, Jis and Dick have all the fun). Our train trips and some of our hotels were free with points so it saved lots of money by using the cards.
Now it’s time to plan our next Amtrak adventure in Denver in April and perhaps a return trip to Arizona later in the year.
P.S. I did call Amtrak Guest Relations when we returned home and explained what happened on our two trains. They were very understanding and offered a $300 travel voucher for our troubles which I thought was very fair.
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