Amtrak Spring 2011 Birthday Loop Tour
Cleveland-Chicago-Washington D.C. –Cleveland
April 14-18, 2011
Thursday April 14
We started our trip to Cleveland around 12:30am on a nice cool night. As usual there is hardly any traffic on I-71 and I-90 and with the newly completed three-lane highway, it is a nice drive of just over an hour. We arrived at the CLE and found a good place to park near the station entrance, unloaded our two suitcases and entered the station at around 1:45am.
Only about half a dozen people there and most were trying to catch some sleep. We took our reservation papers to the desk and had the agent print the tickets for both the CLE-CHI run on the Capitol and the Cardinal trip from CHI-WAS.
The agents in CLE are always friendly and this time there was a new young man we had not seen before. We did not have any bags to check since this would only be a four-day venture and we were packing light. I asked if the new Amtrak timetable book was available yet and the agent said probably in another week or so. She told us the Cap Ltd #29 was running on time and should be arriving around 2:50am. But the eastbound #30 was running a little late and that might cause a delay.
More people started filtering in to the station. Lots of NS freight traffic outside and decided to go out and take a look. This might also cause delays in Amtrak schedules since the dispatcher must allow only one train to cross the Cuyahoga River bridge and generally, NS gets the priorities. An announcement was made that the CL #30 would be arriving at around 2:15, but then just a few minutes later, that time was adjusted to 2:30, which meant our #29 might be delayed.
Went outside to take some night shots of the Cleveland skyline, which is quite nice in the middle of the night with the Terminal Tower building and Key Bank skyscrapers lit up in orange and green lights. Cleveland Browns Stadium is just north of the station, as is the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame and the Science Museum.
Finally, the CL #30 arrived and since not many people getting on or off, it didn’t stay long.
An announcement was made that #29 would be pulling by the station on the south track and then would back into the station on the north track. Went outside to watch this unusual movement. Locomotives #68 and #185 moved slowly west and had to stop to wait for an eastbound NS freight. Even with this delay the CL was still 12 minutes early when it backed into the station.
Since the sleepers were up front we didn’t have far to walk to our 2901 car. Walked up to the door, which was open and our attendant Jamaal was waiting to greet us. There was one woman departing the car and no one else getting on in sleeper class that morning. Jamaal asked if we would mind switching rooms from #6 to #8 because the woman who had just detrained had been in our #6 room. We said no problem as we were tired and wanted to go to sleep. He was very nice in explaining and said he would clean and setup #6 quickly if we wanted that room. I told him it wasn’t necessary and we would be fine in #8.
Put our bags on the side of the room, pulled off our shoes and in to bed we went. I, of course have the top bunk and with a little nudge from Mrs. RRB, I made it up there one more time** smile**. Our car was a refurbed Superliner 1 and not in bad shape considering its age.
At exactly 2:59 we pulled out of CLE and headed west. I was so tired that I don’t remember anything until we woke up around Waterloo, Indiana. We lost a little time along the way and were running about a half hour late. Jamaal had told us that breakfast would be served at 6:30, so decided to get straightened around and head down to the diner. The smell of fresh coffee, plenty of juice and clean restrooms in the morning were a sign that Jamaal was a top- notch car attendant. He greeted us as we walked down the hall and said he would have our rooms made up unless we wanted to sleep some more. We told him to make them up and thanked him for his service.
We walked through the 2900 car to get to the diner and noted that only one bedroom in that car was unoccupied. We were seated on the south side of the train with Barbara, a very interesting lady with a large hat and beautiful shell necklace. She had been wintering in Florida and was returning to her home west of Chicago. Her former husband had been a Metra train operator and she told of their early trips in and out of Chicago. Lots of good conversation.
I had the three-egg omelet with cheese, potatoes, sausage and a croissant, Claudia had the omelet with light vegetables and juice. Both were very good. Our server was Mike and his boss was Craig, a neat guy with a slight English accent. Service was excellent.
We returned to our room and took some photos as we entered Elkhart of the NYC museum and not much later we were in South Bend. Arrived in Chicago about 40 minutes late and noticed that, unlike our last trip, we did not back into the station. That meant a shorter walk to CUS. Walked into the Metropolitan Lounge, received our passes and were told to be back in the lounge by 5:15 for a 5:45 departure of the Cardinal. We stored our bags at the Red Cap room and went out to greet Chicago.
Decided to walk over to the Great Hall, where there were many people setting up for some sort of banquet. The benches were removed, round tables with yellow tablecloths were set up, speakers podiums, etc. Turned out to be a dinner for Green Cross Safety officials. It was interesting to watch the workers set up the room, bring in supplies and food. A pretty organized bunch.
We decided to get a day pass for the CTA, but as happened last time, the machine in the Metra ticket area did not have one day passes. I remembered reading that they could be purchased in stores but didn’t remember which ones.
It was a cold and windy day in Chicago (what’s new**smile**) but at least no rain. We walked down Jackson St to the EL station and climbed the stairs. The attendant told us we could buy a pass at the CVS drug store just a block away so we headed there and purchased two passes for $5.75@. Such a deal!!
Decided to ride the Blue Line out to O’Hare since we had not ridden this line before. Found the stairway to the Jackson station and the attendant was very nice in demonstrating how to place the card into the machine. We boarded the subway car, which was not that crowded, and rode underground for a while before we emerged to the surface. After a few stops we decided we didn’t want to ride all the way out to the airport and back, so detrained at Logan Square and headed back into town.
We detrained at Clark/ Lake Station and found ourselves in the James R Thompson Center and a large food court. Decided it was time for lunch. Enjoyed the all glass architecture, which brightened an otherwise cloudy day outside. Fun to watch the people, everyone from businessmen in suits to street people.
We decided to go back up to the EL station and ride a Purple Line train around the Loop. We waited and saw numerous Orange, Brown and Green Line trains, and even an occasional Pink Line, but NO PURPLE Line.?? According to my map, the Purple line was supposed to come by our station at Clark/Lake, but we never saw one. After waiting in the cold for half an hour we decided to opt for a Pink Line train. Rode it around to Washington /Wells and then traded it for an Orange Line train to Randolph/Wabash, where we detrained and walked to the Chicago Cultural Center.
There were some interesting art exhibits, and lots of activities in which locals were engaged in conversations, crafting, reading, etc. This was the former library building and had some great architecture to view. Spent about an hour there and then decided to walk back, catch a Pink Line train back to the Quincy Station, which is the nearest to our Jackson St access to CUS.
Walked back to the station and noticed that our favorite deli (Nino Panninos in the food court) was no longer there. Not sure if they moved or went out of business, but we sure enjoyed their sandwiches. Checked out the Great Hall and now everything was all set up for the banquet to come. My stomach needed some nourishment so stopped for a Mickey Ds cheeseburger and then we went back to the Metro Lounge. It was nearly 4 PM and all of the western trains had left so the lounge was fairly empty. We both were tired and decided to watch CNN on the TV and catch a few winks.
There were calls for the Illinois Service trains, Pere Marquette, Blue Water and Hiawatha trains and more people headed out of the lounge. But they were replaced with Capitol Ltd, Cardinal, and some CONO passengers who were drifting in. At 5 pm we decided to retrieve our bags and get ready for boarding. There was a large tour group of seniors who were given instructions by their leaders on what to expect on the Washington DC trip. At first we thought they were riding our Cardinal, but found out they were leaving on the Capitol Ltd later.
The call came to meet at the rear door of the lounge for those on Train #50. There were only about four groups that came and the agent led us out the door to Track 18 at 5:20pm. We had to walk the length of the train since the one sleeper car 5000 is up front. I noticed there were five coaches on the train, which is two more than I expected. It turned out later that the last car was for Indianapolis coach passengers and was removed from the train there. I believe we also had two locomotives at that time, but when we awoke the next morning, there was only one #18.
Waiting at our car was Shawn, our car attendant, who seemed very young, as were many of the staff on this run. She asked if we needed help with the luggage and if we knew where our room was? We said we had traveled on Amtrak quite a bit, but this was our first ride on the Cardinal. She hoped we would have a nice time and would stop by later. I asked about dinner and she said it would begin around 6:30pm.
I noticed that the Capitol Ltd #30 was sitting on Track 16 and another Amtrak locomotive #90219 was sitting outside our window. We were in Roomette #1 which was on the right side of the train, a point that was a bit of a disappointment since that might not be the best side for viewing the scenic New River Gorge. The bedrooms were behind us, but as we would later learn, Bedroom #1 was never occupied. That would come in handy for those of us in the sleeper who wanted some nice views in West Virginia.
Across from us in Roomette #2 were John and Elizabeth, an interesting couple who lived near Chicago and were traveling to visit friends in Clifton Forge, Va. They had traveled all over Europe as Elizabeth was German and they visited relatives there. The other roomettes had two guys from Texas who had traveled on the Texas Eagle, (not together) and were on their first train ride. One was going to catch the Crescent back to New Orleans in a few days and then would take the Sunset back to Texas. The other gentleman was from Tyler, Texas and loved trains. Not sure of his ultimate destination.
Another couple was from Spokane, had traveled on the Empire Builder and were heading to DC to stay with friends. They would eventually travel to Fla on the Silver Star, where they were going to buy a car and drive it back to Washington state. They would be gone for 4-5 weeks.
The final member of our group was Ray, who was a sixth grade teacher from New Jersey. We had great conversations about education and our respective Republican governors. (neither of us are fond of the GOP**smile). Since four of the roomettes were taken by train crew members, our little band of Cardinal travelers became quite close and enjoyed a great trip.
As good as Shawn was in our sleeping car, the dining car situation was in complete disarray. Never did find out why, but the poor girl who was serving in the diner was also the cook. An older woman, who must have been the LSA, explained that Ms Jackson was on her first run and this would be a learning experience since she had no assistance in the kitchen. The LSA was helping the café car attendant with his rush of customers, but when finished she would come over and help K Jackson. Although K was a bit disorganized, everyone in the diner was trying to be patient and work with her.
Along with this was the fact that the food supplies had been short changed and there were limited choices. There were also no menus, just one that was found under a seat. We all passed it around but depended on the server to explain what was available. There were no potatoes, no steaks, no milk, no desserts other than ice cream. No tea and only Pepsi and Sierra Mist for a soft drink. The poor girl was running between her oven and the tables trying to get everyone served. As has been discussed, only half of this diner lite car was used as a diner and three of those booths were filled with supplies, cases of soft drinks, etc. The trash can was sitting in the aisle so we just tossed things in when we were done to help out.
So our merry band of sleeper passengers, along with the family traveling in Bedroom #2 had some fun conversations and tried to keep the server from having a heart attack**smile**.
She kept her cool and eventually got everyone served. I had the half chicken, rice and vegetables which were very good. Claudia had the pasta dish, which also was excellent. We both topped off the meal with some Haagen Das ice cream. Our dining companion was Ray from New Jersey and we had a great conversation about schools, educational funding and the students we taught in our respective careers.
I believe that the young man taking care of the café section was also new and it was decided that after the meals were served, the diner car would be closed until all the money was counted and they had a chance to eat. One could not move through the car during this time, so any attempt to walk the train was prohibited.
Although our train had left right on time, we would slowly lose time as we crossed Indiana. This is just a slow ride to Indianapolis even without any significant freight traffic on the line. After supper we went back to the room and watched as the light slowly dimmed. Shawn came around to ask when we wanted our beds turned down. We said we would probably be ready around 9:30 or so. We watched as a strange series of red flashing lights in the distance near Lafayette gained our attention. They seemed to go on forever and at first we thought it was an airport or UFOs. But alas, it was not an alien invasion, but a huge wind farm full of turbines. What a neat scene as the lights flashed in sequence for many miles.
We were very tired after having started our day at 2am in Cleveland. We finally hit the hay and by 10 were in bed and trying to get some sleep. Unfortunately, the rough track and many grade crossings made for a restless night. The locomotive’s horn sounded quite often as we cruised across southern Indiana. I vaguely remember sitting in the Indianapolis station but was off again until we reached Maysville, KY. the next morning. Very much hoped to see us crossing the bridge over the Ohio River in Cincinnati but fatigue finally won out.
Friday April 15.
We awoke near South Portsmouth, Kentucky at around 6:30 and decided it was time to shower and get ready for breakfast. There were plenty of towels, soap, etc and the shower worked well with plenty of hot water. We went down to breakfast just as we were entering Ashland and enjoyed my eggs and potatoes while Claudia had the oatmeal, albeit without any milk or fruit, but there was some yogurt and a croissant.
An enjoyable conversation with our new friends, John and Elizabeth from Chicago. He once worked for a railroad organization and they both traveled extensively on trains throughout Europe. We talked about our German ancestry and trains in general. Since they were just across the hall from us in the sleeper, we continued our talks throughout the day. Our server was doing a better job this morning as she had some additional help from the LSA. As we enjoyed our breakfast, we crossed the Big Sandy River and into Huntington, West Virginia
Shawn had our rooms made up when we returned and told us there would be an opportunity to get off the train since there was a large group boarding at Charleston and it would take awhile to get them seated. It was a nice sunny morning and so we all relished the chance to breathe some fresh air. We arrived in Charleston around 8:45, still about 35 minutes down on the schedule. I took some pictures of the city and our train as a few smokers lit up for their morning rush. There was a long line of people boarding the last coach but soon the conductor gave the “all aboard” and we quickly jumped back on the train.
As we left Charleston, we followed the Kanawha River, which flows westbound eventually reaching the Ohio. We reached Gauley Bridge where the New River Gorge will begin. There are some spectacular waterfalls in this area as the river is running full and fast. The trees have not leafed out yet so the view of the river and the nice rock formations was not significantly blocked. I believe a summer trip might find the views obscured in many places.
Since our room was on the south side of the train, I moved to the hallway outside Bedroom #1 and was able to get some shots out the north window without disturbing anyone. We passed over the bridge below Hawk’s Nest and then the train traveled on the north side of the river. Lots of beautiful scenery and some CSX freight traffic as we spent the day enjoying the sunshine and low 70s temps.
We reached Thurmond around 10am with its refurbished station and a nice long trestle bridge at the junction. The station is painted yellow and is a two-story wood structure. Would like to learn some more about this place. Saw lots of rushing waterfalls as we got closer to Hinton.
Arrived at Hinton around 11am where there was plenty of CSX action as this is a major rail yard, shop area. Wasn’t time to get off here as we were still running a half hour late, but we did open the window in the vestibule and get some clear shots of the station.
It was about time for lunch as we scheduled an 11:30 reservation. Claudia and I headed up to the diner and found it empty. We were seated in one of the “two seat” booths (the other filled with tablecloths and supplies). We ordered the Cardinal Cheeseburger, which was similar to the Angus Burger except smaller. Served with some chips, no salad or desserts available.
Others in our troop came in and we all had a good conversation across the aisle. K Jackson and the female LSA were serving and things were better organized. They had found access to a computer and printed off some menus. There was some wine and beer available, but the café car attendant had to gain access to them in the storage closet in the doorway area. Seems to be a need for some efficiency training here.
We passed White Sulphur Springs while we were eating so I missed getting a shot of the nice station there. This resort was once owned by the C&O Railway and has a great golf course that I would like to play someday.
We passed through several tunnels, some very long, as we crossed the mountains into Virginia. At around 1PM we reached Clifton Forge, VA. and said goodbye to John and Elizabeth who were detraining here. The yards there were full of CSX equipment, an old coaling tower and the red and black locomotives of the Buckingham Branch Railroad, which is a local independent line. BB Engines #6 & #7 were fired up and ready to go after we passed them in the yard. The Clifton Forge station is a large two-story structure of gray and white color with a large parking lot for patrons.
As we pulled out of the station, we were in a brief “drag race” with a CSX freight on the track beside us. We also passed a nice old freight station, a C&O caboose that had been restored as well as a C&O passenger car in the yard. Perhaps a local historical society’s project?
We moved on northward through part of the Shenandoah Valley toward Staunton, passing through little towns of Bells Valley and Craigsville along Va Rt 42. I was told this track belonged to the Buckingham Branch line? We arrived in Staunton around 2pm and were still about 40 minutes down. We saw more Buckingham Branch locomotives there, some steel passenger cars on a siding in the yard and what looked to be a shop area with BB locomotive #8 being serviced inside. We passed the Stonewall Jackson Hotel on the hillside as we entered the city.
By 3 PM we were in Charlottesville. We passed many buildings of the University of Virginia, which is one of the best places to study American history. Of course, Thomas Jefferson is resting on the hillside above so they should maintain their high standards of excellence. **smile**
Shawn said we could step off the train since there was a large group of passengers boarding at the station. Unfortunately, our sleeper was quite a distance up the platform from the station as the coaches were spotted to receive the new riders. I did get some photos of our locomotive #18 and the staff as they rested from their lunch breaks. We had a nice fifteen-minute walk until the long line of travelers were on board. This looks like a good area where a wait for the southbound Crescent could be passed without being too bored.
Dinner was served starting at 4pm so we decided to get our last meal on the train. We sat with the couple from Spokane, WA who would also get off in Washington and be staying with friends in Georgetown for a few days. I chose the pasta dish, salad and roll, Claudia had the chicken. It was a little dry but my pasta was good. We had a quick ice cream to finish off the meal and spent the next hour talking with the people we had spent the last 24 hours with in the sleeper. The countryside was full of old farms and ghosts of Civil War history from 150 years ago.
At about 5:30, we reached Manassas, home to those two Civil War battles known as Bull Run 1 & 2. Still find it interesting that people would ride out in their carriages to watch a battle where soldiers would be killed. Not exactly a sport I would want to watch!!
We were nearly an hour late when we left Manassas, but because of padding we would make up much of that time. When we arrived in Alexandria, we could see that the Potomac River was running near flood stage. Storms were predicted for tonight and tomorrow. Lots of planes landing at Reagan National Airport and lots of people riding the MARC trains beside our tracks.
We crossed the river and passed the Jefferson Memorial and headed into the long tunnel that opened up at the Washington Union Station. We were only 21 minutes late (such a deal on that padding!) We said goodbye to Shawn, who lives in Philadelphia and would have a trip from NYP home late this evening, but then have some days off before her next trip to Chicago. She was a good car attendant. A nice tip was afforded.
We made our way up the escalator to the main station area. Lots of people on a Friday night catching trains of all sorts. Decided to stop by the Amtrak information booth to verify that there might be computer shutdowns on Sunday. The agent said we should get our return tickets for the Capitol before the ticket offices closed on Saturday night. Glad the AU group informed us of that problem as we usually don’t have our tickets printed until the day we leave.
We grabbed our bags and headed out to our hotel, The Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on New Jersey Avenue. It was only a two-block walk and with weekend rates being very reasonable, we decided to stay in town. The hotel was filled with bike riders from all over the country for some sort of Bike Marathon. Also several conventions and lots of families and student tour groups to fill the 800 room hotel. Our desk clerk was a young woman who said she grew up in Celina, Ohio and went to Lorain Community College. She was very nice and told us she could extend our checkout on Sunday until 1:30pm so we could tour DC before bringing our bags to the station.
We were in Room 870 and although we only had a view of a large office building across the street, it was interesting to spy on those employees still working at 7pm on a Friday night. (Climbing the corporate ladder? – or they have no life?** smile**)?
We got settled and decided to take a walk down toward the Mall to get some exercise. Strolled over to the Capitol, where our hard working legislators had abandoned the city after saving us from economic disaster today. Took a walk by the statue of our famous Ohio Senator Robert Taft and then headed back to the hotel. Some refreshments from the gift shop, a little TV and then a long comfortable sleep in a bed that was not moving. Looking forward to a day of touristing in DC tomorrow.
Saturday April 16.
Without further detail let it be said that Saturday was a rainy and stormy day. We rode the Metros around the city, visited the Holocaust Museum, The American Indian Museum, The Air & Space Museum, Botanical Gardens and spent some time in Union Station shopping and watching the crowds. At around 5pm we decided to walk back to the hotel.
About half way to Louisiana Avenue, the clouds opened up and the rain came down hard. By the time we reached our hotel, we were both pretty wet. Spent some time drying off and then watched some news reports of tornadoes in North Carolina and Virginia. A tornado watch was up for D.C. until 9pm.
Around 6 we decided to go over to Union Station and have supper. Stopped at an Italian deli and I had some lasagna, while Claudia had the fettuccini alfredo. We shared a salad and bread. Lots of people in the station and decided to look into some of the shops.
Also needed to get our tickets for our return trip on the Capitol Ltd tomorrow. The agent was a young man who seemed to be bothered that we disrupted his day? He printed off the tickets, stood and stared at our Ids for several minutes and then pushed the tickets at us, no staples, no envelopes, no thank you. Will need to send him to Cleveland for agent training public relations class **smile**.
Since the rain stopped and it was starting to get dark, we decided to head back to the hotel. Picked up some birthday ice cream for Claudia and celebrated in the room while watching some TV and viewing the destruction of today’ tornadoes and flooding.
Sunday, April 17
We awoke to a partly cloudy day and quite cool outside. We had arranged for a late checkout from the Hyatt, so we headed over to Union Station for breakfast. Took some photos of the station and then headed to the Metro station where we took a short ride over to Judiciary Square. There is a nice park area surrounding the various Federal courts. Flowers were blooming and few people are walking around on this Sunday morning. We make our way past the Canadian Embassy with its maple leaf flags flapping in the wind. There are some interesting statues in the square (lions and cubs) (men playing chess) (John Marshall, Chief Justice) (Golden lady w/gazelle?) and a few street people who took up residency on the benches. Very little traffic on the street, but security guards around the court buildings.
We walk over to the National Gallery of Art, but find they don’t open until 11 on Sundays so we have an hour to kill. We walk over to the Mall and find a bench to watch the people. There are plenty of runners of varied abilities and ages, and a soccer game going on in the muddy grass in front of us. It is a bit windy and chilly so glad we brought our coats.
At 11 we walked over to the West Hall and found a line already forming. Token security checking handbags and we headed for the Gauguin exhibtion on the second floor. Titled “Gauguin, Maker of Myth”, the rooms were filled with many artworks of the famed French artist from all over the world. It explored his mystical personality, his desire for recognition in the art world, his travels to the South Pacific, and much more. An interesting exhibition although the huge crowds made it difficult to get close to the art works at times. Misbehaving children also contributed to a mixed experience.
We moved on to the next exhibition entitled “ Venice, Canaletto And His World” A group of Italian artworks that didn’t quite peek our interests. Near the doorway of the West Hall was a very interesting exhibition of “Small French Paintings” that was in a quiet corner of the museum. Filled with great artworks, many from the Impressionist period. We sat and enjoyed the great art and peace. Unfortunately, the late opening of the museum made for a rather brief stop since we needed to return to the hotel to check out and take our bags to the station. A missed opportunity to see some other fine art as we should have taken our bags to the lounge in the morning and then had the remainder of the day to explore.
We walked back to the hotel, did some final packing and went downstairs to check out. The bike race was over and many of the guests we had encountered when we checked in on Friday were also moving on. The hotel was very nice and would consider staying here again if the rates were right. It certainly was very convenient to Union Station, the Metros and the Mall. And the 500 Guest Rewards Points were also a plus.
We walked to the station around 1pm and went to the Acela Lounge. After a bit of highjinx with the door system, I finally figured out how to get in. We were greeted by a boisterous hello and after checking our tickets, the agent told us where we could store our bags, where the refreshments and restrooms were located, etc. This was our first time in this lounge and we found it a pleasing experience. Although not as large as the Metro Lounge in Chicago, it had a professional look with artwork, lamps and plants to give it some class. Plenty of refreshments and seats when we entered.
The bag storage is near the front and has some privacy, but there is no Red Cap to watch the bags. AU members stated they had never had a problem with baggage tampering so we felt comfortable in leaving our three bags there and our coats on the hangers provided.
I was getting pretty hungry so we went to the Food Court in the station. We found the Sbarros and decided on some pizza for lunch. It was pretty good but not exactly hot. We finished our meal and decided to head over to the Postal Museum across the street for the remainder of the afternoon before our 3:45 boarding call for the Capitol Ltd.
The museum was once the post office and is a huge building. The main entrance had security guards with scanners, but few people coming in so there was no line. We observed the remnants of the former postal facility with its old glass windowed doors and high ceilings. There was an information booth that had some handouts and instructions on the displays.
Moving downstairs we could see the large display of old airplanes hanging from the ceiling used in mail service throughout history. There were also an old stage coach, a neat Model A postal truck and a railroad baggage mail car that you could walk through.
Inside the rooms were multi-media displays of the history of mail delivery, pony express, old equipment and mail boxes (much of this old stuff we could remember--*smile*). Also a nice display for the Postal Inspector Service, Pony Express, old post offices, etc. Claudia was disappointed that the rural mail carrier history was rather lacking, but overall it was an interesting museum.
We headed back to the Acela Lounge and watched some TV as the rooms began to fill up. Several NE Corridor trains were leaving including an Acela headed for Boston. We grabbed our luggage and waited at the west door when the announcement was made for boarding Train 29, Capitol Ltd. Unlike the Chicago lounge, there was no one to lead us out to the platforms so we just followed the crowd until a person guided us to the correct platform.
We were in Roomette #3 in the 2901 Car, the same car we had when we left Cleveland to Chicago. We would be on the south or left side of the train with some good views of the Potomac as we headed northwest out of Washington DC. There would be one car between us and the diner, but again it made for less traffic in our hallway. Our SCA was Emmanuel, a stately gentleman who was very polite and friendly. He came around to our room, brought extra ice for our drinks and made us feel comfortable in his car. Restrooms were kept immaculate and there was always plenty of juice and coffee brewing. He looked familiar and I believe we may have had Emmanuel on a previous trip.
Stephanie was our LSA and she came around to take dinner reservations. We opted for the first one at 5PM and glad we did since the train was very full and I suspected they would be busy in the diner this evening. The train left on time and we soon headed out of the station passing some Acela locomotives and many MARC trains on the sidings.
Our first stop was a brief one at Rockville. We remembered this station as the one we detrained from on our trip in 2007. We followed the Red Line up to Shady Grove and also remembered our trip here and our hotel across the parking lot. We soon began to turn more northwest and left the metropolitan areas for the Potomac River and the old C&O canal. The water was very high and we had heard of flash flooding the night before due to heavy rain from storms. The leaves were coming out on the trees and the views were somewhat limited at times.
Our call to dinner came at 5pm and we were seated on the south side of the car with a man and his five- year-old grandson who were traveling from Virginia to Chicago where they were to visit with relatives and take in a Cubs game. The little boy’s name was Isaac and he was a real corker. He loved the trains and liked to talk. We had an interesting talk with his grandfather, (who was our age) about his life and his love for trains. It was nice to see that the CCC cars were no longer being used on the CL and the regular diner made for more comfortable seating.
Our server was Robin, a matter-of-fact person who was very efficient in her work habits, and was good at getting lots of food on the table for the large crowds in the diner. Claudia and I opted for the steak dinner. Mine was very good with baked potato and mixed green vegetables. Claudia’s steak was o.k. and she opted to give me her green beans. We had ice cream for dessert.
While dining we passed through Harpers Ferry and I pointed out the historic areas that we had visited on earlier trips. We followed several small streams that were out of their banks and eventually passed through the large CSX yards outside of Martinsburg, WVa. Also lots of MARC trains here as this is the western terminus of their route. Many people boarding in Martinsburg at the nicely refurbished station.
We spent the remainder of the evening watching the scenery go by along the West Virginia and Maryland border as we approached Cumberland. Emmanuel came by to see when we wanted our beds put down and we thought we would wait until after 9 which would bring us near Connellsville, Pa.
There was an announcement that we would be stopping in Cumberland for a few minutes and that passengers wanting to step off to smoke could do so. Since we had not had a smoke stop since leaving Washington, I figured there would be a lot of jittery smokers needing a fix. I was hoping to get off and get some photos of our engines and the train. But it was also announced that the doors would not be opened on any of the sleepers, only the coach car on the other side of the lounge.
As we slowed down I tried to make my way to the coach but the line was nearly out to the lounge vestibule and it was obvious that there would be no time for pictures. On the way back to our car I talked to the dining car staff that was still serving dinner at 7:45pm. As it turned out, they were still at it at 8:30 with three sleepers and many people in coach apparently wanting dinner as well.
As the train climbed out of Cumberland and up the Appalachian Mts. toward Connellsville, we took a winding course over bridges and through several tunnels including the one at Sand Patch where my railfan friends gather to take photos on the old B&O line. When we reached Connellsville we were only about 15 minutes down. We passed several Wheeling & Lake Erie locomotives there, as this is where the old P&WV extension line ended for the Wheeling. It was time to go to bed and hopefully get a little sleep before we arrived in CLE early tomorrow morning.
I must have slept pretty well because I don’t remember being in Pittsburgh and only awakened when the conductor knocked on the door about a half hour before we reached Cleveland. Claudia said she remembered crossing the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh and then fell back to sleep. It was a nice ride with an excellent crew and good food on the train.
We arrived in Cleveland a little early and made our way to our car in the parking lot. We made our way up the Shoreway and onto I-90/71 and after an hour and half drive were back in Ashland. Mr Gato was glad to see us and there was a need for some playing before we hit the sack.
Overall, this was a nice four-day adventure. The crews were very good and food also. Probably missed some opportunities to see a museum in Chicago instead of riding the EL so much. Sorry to see that Nino Panninos Sub shop was no longer in the Union Station food court.
The Cardinal was a good ride but the dining car staff was ill trained for this venture. There was a limited menu and space in the diner car and with no lounge car, one must depend on getting photos from the room or hallway. But it was a scenic trip on a new train for us.
Washington DC is always interesting and we saw some new museums and revisited some we had not viewed for several years. This was probably the best train staff we have had on the Capitol Ltd and restores my faith in our Cleveland trains. Looking forward to future trips coming up to Boston & NY and to New Orleans later in the fall.
Cleveland-Chicago-Washington D.C. –Cleveland
April 14-18, 2011
Thursday April 14
We started our trip to Cleveland around 12:30am on a nice cool night. As usual there is hardly any traffic on I-71 and I-90 and with the newly completed three-lane highway, it is a nice drive of just over an hour. We arrived at the CLE and found a good place to park near the station entrance, unloaded our two suitcases and entered the station at around 1:45am.
Only about half a dozen people there and most were trying to catch some sleep. We took our reservation papers to the desk and had the agent print the tickets for both the CLE-CHI run on the Capitol and the Cardinal trip from CHI-WAS.
The agents in CLE are always friendly and this time there was a new young man we had not seen before. We did not have any bags to check since this would only be a four-day venture and we were packing light. I asked if the new Amtrak timetable book was available yet and the agent said probably in another week or so. She told us the Cap Ltd #29 was running on time and should be arriving around 2:50am. But the eastbound #30 was running a little late and that might cause a delay.
More people started filtering in to the station. Lots of NS freight traffic outside and decided to go out and take a look. This might also cause delays in Amtrak schedules since the dispatcher must allow only one train to cross the Cuyahoga River bridge and generally, NS gets the priorities. An announcement was made that the CL #30 would be arriving at around 2:15, but then just a few minutes later, that time was adjusted to 2:30, which meant our #29 might be delayed.
Went outside to take some night shots of the Cleveland skyline, which is quite nice in the middle of the night with the Terminal Tower building and Key Bank skyscrapers lit up in orange and green lights. Cleveland Browns Stadium is just north of the station, as is the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame and the Science Museum.
Finally, the CL #30 arrived and since not many people getting on or off, it didn’t stay long.
An announcement was made that #29 would be pulling by the station on the south track and then would back into the station on the north track. Went outside to watch this unusual movement. Locomotives #68 and #185 moved slowly west and had to stop to wait for an eastbound NS freight. Even with this delay the CL was still 12 minutes early when it backed into the station.
Since the sleepers were up front we didn’t have far to walk to our 2901 car. Walked up to the door, which was open and our attendant Jamaal was waiting to greet us. There was one woman departing the car and no one else getting on in sleeper class that morning. Jamaal asked if we would mind switching rooms from #6 to #8 because the woman who had just detrained had been in our #6 room. We said no problem as we were tired and wanted to go to sleep. He was very nice in explaining and said he would clean and setup #6 quickly if we wanted that room. I told him it wasn’t necessary and we would be fine in #8.
Put our bags on the side of the room, pulled off our shoes and in to bed we went. I, of course have the top bunk and with a little nudge from Mrs. RRB, I made it up there one more time** smile**. Our car was a refurbed Superliner 1 and not in bad shape considering its age.
At exactly 2:59 we pulled out of CLE and headed west. I was so tired that I don’t remember anything until we woke up around Waterloo, Indiana. We lost a little time along the way and were running about a half hour late. Jamaal had told us that breakfast would be served at 6:30, so decided to get straightened around and head down to the diner. The smell of fresh coffee, plenty of juice and clean restrooms in the morning were a sign that Jamaal was a top- notch car attendant. He greeted us as we walked down the hall and said he would have our rooms made up unless we wanted to sleep some more. We told him to make them up and thanked him for his service.
We walked through the 2900 car to get to the diner and noted that only one bedroom in that car was unoccupied. We were seated on the south side of the train with Barbara, a very interesting lady with a large hat and beautiful shell necklace. She had been wintering in Florida and was returning to her home west of Chicago. Her former husband had been a Metra train operator and she told of their early trips in and out of Chicago. Lots of good conversation.
I had the three-egg omelet with cheese, potatoes, sausage and a croissant, Claudia had the omelet with light vegetables and juice. Both were very good. Our server was Mike and his boss was Craig, a neat guy with a slight English accent. Service was excellent.
We returned to our room and took some photos as we entered Elkhart of the NYC museum and not much later we were in South Bend. Arrived in Chicago about 40 minutes late and noticed that, unlike our last trip, we did not back into the station. That meant a shorter walk to CUS. Walked into the Metropolitan Lounge, received our passes and were told to be back in the lounge by 5:15 for a 5:45 departure of the Cardinal. We stored our bags at the Red Cap room and went out to greet Chicago.
Decided to walk over to the Great Hall, where there were many people setting up for some sort of banquet. The benches were removed, round tables with yellow tablecloths were set up, speakers podiums, etc. Turned out to be a dinner for Green Cross Safety officials. It was interesting to watch the workers set up the room, bring in supplies and food. A pretty organized bunch.
We decided to get a day pass for the CTA, but as happened last time, the machine in the Metra ticket area did not have one day passes. I remembered reading that they could be purchased in stores but didn’t remember which ones.
It was a cold and windy day in Chicago (what’s new**smile**) but at least no rain. We walked down Jackson St to the EL station and climbed the stairs. The attendant told us we could buy a pass at the CVS drug store just a block away so we headed there and purchased two passes for $5.75@. Such a deal!!
Decided to ride the Blue Line out to O’Hare since we had not ridden this line before. Found the stairway to the Jackson station and the attendant was very nice in demonstrating how to place the card into the machine. We boarded the subway car, which was not that crowded, and rode underground for a while before we emerged to the surface. After a few stops we decided we didn’t want to ride all the way out to the airport and back, so detrained at Logan Square and headed back into town.
We detrained at Clark/ Lake Station and found ourselves in the James R Thompson Center and a large food court. Decided it was time for lunch. Enjoyed the all glass architecture, which brightened an otherwise cloudy day outside. Fun to watch the people, everyone from businessmen in suits to street people.
We decided to go back up to the EL station and ride a Purple Line train around the Loop. We waited and saw numerous Orange, Brown and Green Line trains, and even an occasional Pink Line, but NO PURPLE Line.?? According to my map, the Purple line was supposed to come by our station at Clark/Lake, but we never saw one. After waiting in the cold for half an hour we decided to opt for a Pink Line train. Rode it around to Washington /Wells and then traded it for an Orange Line train to Randolph/Wabash, where we detrained and walked to the Chicago Cultural Center.
There were some interesting art exhibits, and lots of activities in which locals were engaged in conversations, crafting, reading, etc. This was the former library building and had some great architecture to view. Spent about an hour there and then decided to walk back, catch a Pink Line train back to the Quincy Station, which is the nearest to our Jackson St access to CUS.
Walked back to the station and noticed that our favorite deli (Nino Panninos in the food court) was no longer there. Not sure if they moved or went out of business, but we sure enjoyed their sandwiches. Checked out the Great Hall and now everything was all set up for the banquet to come. My stomach needed some nourishment so stopped for a Mickey Ds cheeseburger and then we went back to the Metro Lounge. It was nearly 4 PM and all of the western trains had left so the lounge was fairly empty. We both were tired and decided to watch CNN on the TV and catch a few winks.
There were calls for the Illinois Service trains, Pere Marquette, Blue Water and Hiawatha trains and more people headed out of the lounge. But they were replaced with Capitol Ltd, Cardinal, and some CONO passengers who were drifting in. At 5 pm we decided to retrieve our bags and get ready for boarding. There was a large tour group of seniors who were given instructions by their leaders on what to expect on the Washington DC trip. At first we thought they were riding our Cardinal, but found out they were leaving on the Capitol Ltd later.
The call came to meet at the rear door of the lounge for those on Train #50. There were only about four groups that came and the agent led us out the door to Track 18 at 5:20pm. We had to walk the length of the train since the one sleeper car 5000 is up front. I noticed there were five coaches on the train, which is two more than I expected. It turned out later that the last car was for Indianapolis coach passengers and was removed from the train there. I believe we also had two locomotives at that time, but when we awoke the next morning, there was only one #18.
Waiting at our car was Shawn, our car attendant, who seemed very young, as were many of the staff on this run. She asked if we needed help with the luggage and if we knew where our room was? We said we had traveled on Amtrak quite a bit, but this was our first ride on the Cardinal. She hoped we would have a nice time and would stop by later. I asked about dinner and she said it would begin around 6:30pm.
I noticed that the Capitol Ltd #30 was sitting on Track 16 and another Amtrak locomotive #90219 was sitting outside our window. We were in Roomette #1 which was on the right side of the train, a point that was a bit of a disappointment since that might not be the best side for viewing the scenic New River Gorge. The bedrooms were behind us, but as we would later learn, Bedroom #1 was never occupied. That would come in handy for those of us in the sleeper who wanted some nice views in West Virginia.
Across from us in Roomette #2 were John and Elizabeth, an interesting couple who lived near Chicago and were traveling to visit friends in Clifton Forge, Va. They had traveled all over Europe as Elizabeth was German and they visited relatives there. The other roomettes had two guys from Texas who had traveled on the Texas Eagle, (not together) and were on their first train ride. One was going to catch the Crescent back to New Orleans in a few days and then would take the Sunset back to Texas. The other gentleman was from Tyler, Texas and loved trains. Not sure of his ultimate destination.
Another couple was from Spokane, had traveled on the Empire Builder and were heading to DC to stay with friends. They would eventually travel to Fla on the Silver Star, where they were going to buy a car and drive it back to Washington state. They would be gone for 4-5 weeks.
The final member of our group was Ray, who was a sixth grade teacher from New Jersey. We had great conversations about education and our respective Republican governors. (neither of us are fond of the GOP**smile). Since four of the roomettes were taken by train crew members, our little band of Cardinal travelers became quite close and enjoyed a great trip.
As good as Shawn was in our sleeping car, the dining car situation was in complete disarray. Never did find out why, but the poor girl who was serving in the diner was also the cook. An older woman, who must have been the LSA, explained that Ms Jackson was on her first run and this would be a learning experience since she had no assistance in the kitchen. The LSA was helping the café car attendant with his rush of customers, but when finished she would come over and help K Jackson. Although K was a bit disorganized, everyone in the diner was trying to be patient and work with her.
Along with this was the fact that the food supplies had been short changed and there were limited choices. There were also no menus, just one that was found under a seat. We all passed it around but depended on the server to explain what was available. There were no potatoes, no steaks, no milk, no desserts other than ice cream. No tea and only Pepsi and Sierra Mist for a soft drink. The poor girl was running between her oven and the tables trying to get everyone served. As has been discussed, only half of this diner lite car was used as a diner and three of those booths were filled with supplies, cases of soft drinks, etc. The trash can was sitting in the aisle so we just tossed things in when we were done to help out.
So our merry band of sleeper passengers, along with the family traveling in Bedroom #2 had some fun conversations and tried to keep the server from having a heart attack**smile**.
She kept her cool and eventually got everyone served. I had the half chicken, rice and vegetables which were very good. Claudia had the pasta dish, which also was excellent. We both topped off the meal with some Haagen Das ice cream. Our dining companion was Ray from New Jersey and we had a great conversation about schools, educational funding and the students we taught in our respective careers.
I believe that the young man taking care of the café section was also new and it was decided that after the meals were served, the diner car would be closed until all the money was counted and they had a chance to eat. One could not move through the car during this time, so any attempt to walk the train was prohibited.
Although our train had left right on time, we would slowly lose time as we crossed Indiana. This is just a slow ride to Indianapolis even without any significant freight traffic on the line. After supper we went back to the room and watched as the light slowly dimmed. Shawn came around to ask when we wanted our beds turned down. We said we would probably be ready around 9:30 or so. We watched as a strange series of red flashing lights in the distance near Lafayette gained our attention. They seemed to go on forever and at first we thought it was an airport or UFOs. But alas, it was not an alien invasion, but a huge wind farm full of turbines. What a neat scene as the lights flashed in sequence for many miles.
We were very tired after having started our day at 2am in Cleveland. We finally hit the hay and by 10 were in bed and trying to get some sleep. Unfortunately, the rough track and many grade crossings made for a restless night. The locomotive’s horn sounded quite often as we cruised across southern Indiana. I vaguely remember sitting in the Indianapolis station but was off again until we reached Maysville, KY. the next morning. Very much hoped to see us crossing the bridge over the Ohio River in Cincinnati but fatigue finally won out.
Friday April 15.
We awoke near South Portsmouth, Kentucky at around 6:30 and decided it was time to shower and get ready for breakfast. There were plenty of towels, soap, etc and the shower worked well with plenty of hot water. We went down to breakfast just as we were entering Ashland and enjoyed my eggs and potatoes while Claudia had the oatmeal, albeit without any milk or fruit, but there was some yogurt and a croissant.
An enjoyable conversation with our new friends, John and Elizabeth from Chicago. He once worked for a railroad organization and they both traveled extensively on trains throughout Europe. We talked about our German ancestry and trains in general. Since they were just across the hall from us in the sleeper, we continued our talks throughout the day. Our server was doing a better job this morning as she had some additional help from the LSA. As we enjoyed our breakfast, we crossed the Big Sandy River and into Huntington, West Virginia
Shawn had our rooms made up when we returned and told us there would be an opportunity to get off the train since there was a large group boarding at Charleston and it would take awhile to get them seated. It was a nice sunny morning and so we all relished the chance to breathe some fresh air. We arrived in Charleston around 8:45, still about 35 minutes down on the schedule. I took some pictures of the city and our train as a few smokers lit up for their morning rush. There was a long line of people boarding the last coach but soon the conductor gave the “all aboard” and we quickly jumped back on the train.
As we left Charleston, we followed the Kanawha River, which flows westbound eventually reaching the Ohio. We reached Gauley Bridge where the New River Gorge will begin. There are some spectacular waterfalls in this area as the river is running full and fast. The trees have not leafed out yet so the view of the river and the nice rock formations was not significantly blocked. I believe a summer trip might find the views obscured in many places.
Since our room was on the south side of the train, I moved to the hallway outside Bedroom #1 and was able to get some shots out the north window without disturbing anyone. We passed over the bridge below Hawk’s Nest and then the train traveled on the north side of the river. Lots of beautiful scenery and some CSX freight traffic as we spent the day enjoying the sunshine and low 70s temps.
We reached Thurmond around 10am with its refurbished station and a nice long trestle bridge at the junction. The station is painted yellow and is a two-story wood structure. Would like to learn some more about this place. Saw lots of rushing waterfalls as we got closer to Hinton.
Arrived at Hinton around 11am where there was plenty of CSX action as this is a major rail yard, shop area. Wasn’t time to get off here as we were still running a half hour late, but we did open the window in the vestibule and get some clear shots of the station.
It was about time for lunch as we scheduled an 11:30 reservation. Claudia and I headed up to the diner and found it empty. We were seated in one of the “two seat” booths (the other filled with tablecloths and supplies). We ordered the Cardinal Cheeseburger, which was similar to the Angus Burger except smaller. Served with some chips, no salad or desserts available.
Others in our troop came in and we all had a good conversation across the aisle. K Jackson and the female LSA were serving and things were better organized. They had found access to a computer and printed off some menus. There was some wine and beer available, but the café car attendant had to gain access to them in the storage closet in the doorway area. Seems to be a need for some efficiency training here.
We passed White Sulphur Springs while we were eating so I missed getting a shot of the nice station there. This resort was once owned by the C&O Railway and has a great golf course that I would like to play someday.
We passed through several tunnels, some very long, as we crossed the mountains into Virginia. At around 1PM we reached Clifton Forge, VA. and said goodbye to John and Elizabeth who were detraining here. The yards there were full of CSX equipment, an old coaling tower and the red and black locomotives of the Buckingham Branch Railroad, which is a local independent line. BB Engines #6 & #7 were fired up and ready to go after we passed them in the yard. The Clifton Forge station is a large two-story structure of gray and white color with a large parking lot for patrons.
As we pulled out of the station, we were in a brief “drag race” with a CSX freight on the track beside us. We also passed a nice old freight station, a C&O caboose that had been restored as well as a C&O passenger car in the yard. Perhaps a local historical society’s project?
We moved on northward through part of the Shenandoah Valley toward Staunton, passing through little towns of Bells Valley and Craigsville along Va Rt 42. I was told this track belonged to the Buckingham Branch line? We arrived in Staunton around 2pm and were still about 40 minutes down. We saw more Buckingham Branch locomotives there, some steel passenger cars on a siding in the yard and what looked to be a shop area with BB locomotive #8 being serviced inside. We passed the Stonewall Jackson Hotel on the hillside as we entered the city.
By 3 PM we were in Charlottesville. We passed many buildings of the University of Virginia, which is one of the best places to study American history. Of course, Thomas Jefferson is resting on the hillside above so they should maintain their high standards of excellence. **smile**
Shawn said we could step off the train since there was a large group of passengers boarding at the station. Unfortunately, our sleeper was quite a distance up the platform from the station as the coaches were spotted to receive the new riders. I did get some photos of our locomotive #18 and the staff as they rested from their lunch breaks. We had a nice fifteen-minute walk until the long line of travelers were on board. This looks like a good area where a wait for the southbound Crescent could be passed without being too bored.
Dinner was served starting at 4pm so we decided to get our last meal on the train. We sat with the couple from Spokane, WA who would also get off in Washington and be staying with friends in Georgetown for a few days. I chose the pasta dish, salad and roll, Claudia had the chicken. It was a little dry but my pasta was good. We had a quick ice cream to finish off the meal and spent the next hour talking with the people we had spent the last 24 hours with in the sleeper. The countryside was full of old farms and ghosts of Civil War history from 150 years ago.
At about 5:30, we reached Manassas, home to those two Civil War battles known as Bull Run 1 & 2. Still find it interesting that people would ride out in their carriages to watch a battle where soldiers would be killed. Not exactly a sport I would want to watch!!
We were nearly an hour late when we left Manassas, but because of padding we would make up much of that time. When we arrived in Alexandria, we could see that the Potomac River was running near flood stage. Storms were predicted for tonight and tomorrow. Lots of planes landing at Reagan National Airport and lots of people riding the MARC trains beside our tracks.
We crossed the river and passed the Jefferson Memorial and headed into the long tunnel that opened up at the Washington Union Station. We were only 21 minutes late (such a deal on that padding!) We said goodbye to Shawn, who lives in Philadelphia and would have a trip from NYP home late this evening, but then have some days off before her next trip to Chicago. She was a good car attendant. A nice tip was afforded.
We made our way up the escalator to the main station area. Lots of people on a Friday night catching trains of all sorts. Decided to stop by the Amtrak information booth to verify that there might be computer shutdowns on Sunday. The agent said we should get our return tickets for the Capitol before the ticket offices closed on Saturday night. Glad the AU group informed us of that problem as we usually don’t have our tickets printed until the day we leave.
We grabbed our bags and headed out to our hotel, The Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on New Jersey Avenue. It was only a two-block walk and with weekend rates being very reasonable, we decided to stay in town. The hotel was filled with bike riders from all over the country for some sort of Bike Marathon. Also several conventions and lots of families and student tour groups to fill the 800 room hotel. Our desk clerk was a young woman who said she grew up in Celina, Ohio and went to Lorain Community College. She was very nice and told us she could extend our checkout on Sunday until 1:30pm so we could tour DC before bringing our bags to the station.
We were in Room 870 and although we only had a view of a large office building across the street, it was interesting to spy on those employees still working at 7pm on a Friday night. (Climbing the corporate ladder? – or they have no life?** smile**)?
We got settled and decided to take a walk down toward the Mall to get some exercise. Strolled over to the Capitol, where our hard working legislators had abandoned the city after saving us from economic disaster today. Took a walk by the statue of our famous Ohio Senator Robert Taft and then headed back to the hotel. Some refreshments from the gift shop, a little TV and then a long comfortable sleep in a bed that was not moving. Looking forward to a day of touristing in DC tomorrow.
Saturday April 16.
Without further detail let it be said that Saturday was a rainy and stormy day. We rode the Metros around the city, visited the Holocaust Museum, The American Indian Museum, The Air & Space Museum, Botanical Gardens and spent some time in Union Station shopping and watching the crowds. At around 5pm we decided to walk back to the hotel.
About half way to Louisiana Avenue, the clouds opened up and the rain came down hard. By the time we reached our hotel, we were both pretty wet. Spent some time drying off and then watched some news reports of tornadoes in North Carolina and Virginia. A tornado watch was up for D.C. until 9pm.
Around 6 we decided to go over to Union Station and have supper. Stopped at an Italian deli and I had some lasagna, while Claudia had the fettuccini alfredo. We shared a salad and bread. Lots of people in the station and decided to look into some of the shops.
Also needed to get our tickets for our return trip on the Capitol Ltd tomorrow. The agent was a young man who seemed to be bothered that we disrupted his day? He printed off the tickets, stood and stared at our Ids for several minutes and then pushed the tickets at us, no staples, no envelopes, no thank you. Will need to send him to Cleveland for agent training public relations class **smile**.
Since the rain stopped and it was starting to get dark, we decided to head back to the hotel. Picked up some birthday ice cream for Claudia and celebrated in the room while watching some TV and viewing the destruction of today’ tornadoes and flooding.
Sunday, April 17
We awoke to a partly cloudy day and quite cool outside. We had arranged for a late checkout from the Hyatt, so we headed over to Union Station for breakfast. Took some photos of the station and then headed to the Metro station where we took a short ride over to Judiciary Square. There is a nice park area surrounding the various Federal courts. Flowers were blooming and few people are walking around on this Sunday morning. We make our way past the Canadian Embassy with its maple leaf flags flapping in the wind. There are some interesting statues in the square (lions and cubs) (men playing chess) (John Marshall, Chief Justice) (Golden lady w/gazelle?) and a few street people who took up residency on the benches. Very little traffic on the street, but security guards around the court buildings.
We walk over to the National Gallery of Art, but find they don’t open until 11 on Sundays so we have an hour to kill. We walk over to the Mall and find a bench to watch the people. There are plenty of runners of varied abilities and ages, and a soccer game going on in the muddy grass in front of us. It is a bit windy and chilly so glad we brought our coats.
At 11 we walked over to the West Hall and found a line already forming. Token security checking handbags and we headed for the Gauguin exhibtion on the second floor. Titled “Gauguin, Maker of Myth”, the rooms were filled with many artworks of the famed French artist from all over the world. It explored his mystical personality, his desire for recognition in the art world, his travels to the South Pacific, and much more. An interesting exhibition although the huge crowds made it difficult to get close to the art works at times. Misbehaving children also contributed to a mixed experience.
We moved on to the next exhibition entitled “ Venice, Canaletto And His World” A group of Italian artworks that didn’t quite peek our interests. Near the doorway of the West Hall was a very interesting exhibition of “Small French Paintings” that was in a quiet corner of the museum. Filled with great artworks, many from the Impressionist period. We sat and enjoyed the great art and peace. Unfortunately, the late opening of the museum made for a rather brief stop since we needed to return to the hotel to check out and take our bags to the station. A missed opportunity to see some other fine art as we should have taken our bags to the lounge in the morning and then had the remainder of the day to explore.
We walked back to the hotel, did some final packing and went downstairs to check out. The bike race was over and many of the guests we had encountered when we checked in on Friday were also moving on. The hotel was very nice and would consider staying here again if the rates were right. It certainly was very convenient to Union Station, the Metros and the Mall. And the 500 Guest Rewards Points were also a plus.
We walked to the station around 1pm and went to the Acela Lounge. After a bit of highjinx with the door system, I finally figured out how to get in. We were greeted by a boisterous hello and after checking our tickets, the agent told us where we could store our bags, where the refreshments and restrooms were located, etc. This was our first time in this lounge and we found it a pleasing experience. Although not as large as the Metro Lounge in Chicago, it had a professional look with artwork, lamps and plants to give it some class. Plenty of refreshments and seats when we entered.
The bag storage is near the front and has some privacy, but there is no Red Cap to watch the bags. AU members stated they had never had a problem with baggage tampering so we felt comfortable in leaving our three bags there and our coats on the hangers provided.
I was getting pretty hungry so we went to the Food Court in the station. We found the Sbarros and decided on some pizza for lunch. It was pretty good but not exactly hot. We finished our meal and decided to head over to the Postal Museum across the street for the remainder of the afternoon before our 3:45 boarding call for the Capitol Ltd.
The museum was once the post office and is a huge building. The main entrance had security guards with scanners, but few people coming in so there was no line. We observed the remnants of the former postal facility with its old glass windowed doors and high ceilings. There was an information booth that had some handouts and instructions on the displays.
Moving downstairs we could see the large display of old airplanes hanging from the ceiling used in mail service throughout history. There were also an old stage coach, a neat Model A postal truck and a railroad baggage mail car that you could walk through.
Inside the rooms were multi-media displays of the history of mail delivery, pony express, old equipment and mail boxes (much of this old stuff we could remember--*smile*). Also a nice display for the Postal Inspector Service, Pony Express, old post offices, etc. Claudia was disappointed that the rural mail carrier history was rather lacking, but overall it was an interesting museum.
We headed back to the Acela Lounge and watched some TV as the rooms began to fill up. Several NE Corridor trains were leaving including an Acela headed for Boston. We grabbed our luggage and waited at the west door when the announcement was made for boarding Train 29, Capitol Ltd. Unlike the Chicago lounge, there was no one to lead us out to the platforms so we just followed the crowd until a person guided us to the correct platform.
We were in Roomette #3 in the 2901 Car, the same car we had when we left Cleveland to Chicago. We would be on the south or left side of the train with some good views of the Potomac as we headed northwest out of Washington DC. There would be one car between us and the diner, but again it made for less traffic in our hallway. Our SCA was Emmanuel, a stately gentleman who was very polite and friendly. He came around to our room, brought extra ice for our drinks and made us feel comfortable in his car. Restrooms were kept immaculate and there was always plenty of juice and coffee brewing. He looked familiar and I believe we may have had Emmanuel on a previous trip.
Stephanie was our LSA and she came around to take dinner reservations. We opted for the first one at 5PM and glad we did since the train was very full and I suspected they would be busy in the diner this evening. The train left on time and we soon headed out of the station passing some Acela locomotives and many MARC trains on the sidings.
Our first stop was a brief one at Rockville. We remembered this station as the one we detrained from on our trip in 2007. We followed the Red Line up to Shady Grove and also remembered our trip here and our hotel across the parking lot. We soon began to turn more northwest and left the metropolitan areas for the Potomac River and the old C&O canal. The water was very high and we had heard of flash flooding the night before due to heavy rain from storms. The leaves were coming out on the trees and the views were somewhat limited at times.
Our call to dinner came at 5pm and we were seated on the south side of the car with a man and his five- year-old grandson who were traveling from Virginia to Chicago where they were to visit with relatives and take in a Cubs game. The little boy’s name was Isaac and he was a real corker. He loved the trains and liked to talk. We had an interesting talk with his grandfather, (who was our age) about his life and his love for trains. It was nice to see that the CCC cars were no longer being used on the CL and the regular diner made for more comfortable seating.
Our server was Robin, a matter-of-fact person who was very efficient in her work habits, and was good at getting lots of food on the table for the large crowds in the diner. Claudia and I opted for the steak dinner. Mine was very good with baked potato and mixed green vegetables. Claudia’s steak was o.k. and she opted to give me her green beans. We had ice cream for dessert.
While dining we passed through Harpers Ferry and I pointed out the historic areas that we had visited on earlier trips. We followed several small streams that were out of their banks and eventually passed through the large CSX yards outside of Martinsburg, WVa. Also lots of MARC trains here as this is the western terminus of their route. Many people boarding in Martinsburg at the nicely refurbished station.
We spent the remainder of the evening watching the scenery go by along the West Virginia and Maryland border as we approached Cumberland. Emmanuel came by to see when we wanted our beds put down and we thought we would wait until after 9 which would bring us near Connellsville, Pa.
There was an announcement that we would be stopping in Cumberland for a few minutes and that passengers wanting to step off to smoke could do so. Since we had not had a smoke stop since leaving Washington, I figured there would be a lot of jittery smokers needing a fix. I was hoping to get off and get some photos of our engines and the train. But it was also announced that the doors would not be opened on any of the sleepers, only the coach car on the other side of the lounge.
As we slowed down I tried to make my way to the coach but the line was nearly out to the lounge vestibule and it was obvious that there would be no time for pictures. On the way back to our car I talked to the dining car staff that was still serving dinner at 7:45pm. As it turned out, they were still at it at 8:30 with three sleepers and many people in coach apparently wanting dinner as well.
As the train climbed out of Cumberland and up the Appalachian Mts. toward Connellsville, we took a winding course over bridges and through several tunnels including the one at Sand Patch where my railfan friends gather to take photos on the old B&O line. When we reached Connellsville we were only about 15 minutes down. We passed several Wheeling & Lake Erie locomotives there, as this is where the old P&WV extension line ended for the Wheeling. It was time to go to bed and hopefully get a little sleep before we arrived in CLE early tomorrow morning.
I must have slept pretty well because I don’t remember being in Pittsburgh and only awakened when the conductor knocked on the door about a half hour before we reached Cleveland. Claudia said she remembered crossing the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh and then fell back to sleep. It was a nice ride with an excellent crew and good food on the train.
We arrived in Cleveland a little early and made our way to our car in the parking lot. We made our way up the Shoreway and onto I-90/71 and after an hour and half drive were back in Ashland. Mr Gato was glad to see us and there was a need for some playing before we hit the sack.
Overall, this was a nice four-day adventure. The crews were very good and food also. Probably missed some opportunities to see a museum in Chicago instead of riding the EL so much. Sorry to see that Nino Panninos Sub shop was no longer in the Union Station food court.
The Cardinal was a good ride but the dining car staff was ill trained for this venture. There was a limited menu and space in the diner car and with no lounge car, one must depend on getting photos from the room or hallway. But it was a scenic trip on a new train for us.
Washington DC is always interesting and we saw some new museums and revisited some we had not viewed for several years. This was probably the best train staff we have had on the Capitol Ltd and restores my faith in our Cleveland trains. Looking forward to future trips coming up to Boston & NY and to New Orleans later in the fall.
