Long Train Runnin'
Engineer
Well here we go with my trip report. This is my first trip on Amtrak in almost exactly 3 months. It had been a large dry spell with school leaving me with only 2 short hops on commuter rail.
This trip will cover Amtrak Empire Service Train 281 from New York Pennsylvania Station to Niagara Falls, NY.
I was so excited for the trip that sleep did not come until about 2 A.M. I knew it was going to be tough since I was planning on getting up at 6 A.M. As usual the excitement of the train makes up for any lack of sleep. This trip would be our first family Amtrak ride in nearly 10 years. My mom and dad were joining me on this trip. Both my parents have done a decent amount of Amtrak travel. We took an NJT Commuter train from Metropark to New York Penn Station.
We arrived around 90 minutes before our train was scheduled to leave. We filled the time in Penn station getting breakfast and a few provisions for our trip.
Thanks to tips posted on the board I was successfully able to call our departure track. I knew it had to be 5-8 and there was an Acela boarding on 7 so I bet it would be track 5. Low and behold Empire Service 281 was called for boarding at 10:05 on track 5. It worked well as there were only a dozen or so people in front of us to board. By 10:10 the line was stretching almost the entire concourse. We took the escalator down to the track and were placed in the middle car since we would be going to NFL. There were only 4 people in the car we were assigned so getting good seats on the left hand side was easy.
It was made very clear before departure that this was going to be a very full train. They weren’t kidding. I walked toe length of the train a few minutes after we left NYP and there wasn’t an empty pair of seats. In the Niagara car though things are a little better as I and a few others are sitting in a pair to our selves.
About 15 minutes from Poughkeepsie I went down to the snack car which I had assumed would be staffed by our very own Guest_LSA* but I was wrong. The LSA was still very friendly and was moving the line along quickly and efficiently. Since it was still early I opted for a bagel with cream cheese.
The toilets in the first coach have fallen victim to someone flushing paper towels. A stern message from the conductor then came on to remind everyone to use the trash cans in the bathroom and that paper towels clog the toilet which can not be fixed.
I purchased Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009 with the GPS receiver last week to add to the collection of gizmos. I have enjoyed knowing our true speed as well as approach to the stations. It works well and I am seeing 5 more satellites. I was skeptical because this newer version no longer has the cord and suction cup for the window. Instead it plugs directly into the USB port. It came with a small extension wire, so far though I have seen no need to use it as it is working fine as it is. I echo what has been said a few times before on the board GPS adds a fun dimension to the trip, and Microsoft Streets and Trips works well.
We pulled into Rhinecliff right on time. This was where my last Amtrak adventure ended as I short turned on the Ethan Allen Express to the Lake Shore Limited here. This trip has been taken away by the new LSL schedule. I am eager to continue my journey further north. I have no memory of traveling this route 10 years ago when my family went to Sandusky, OH to ride roller coasters and Cedar Point. This was notably my first ever long distance train trip.
Making the run to Albany is really quite a treat you are right on the river bank so it provides great scenery. The GPS shows we are averaging around 85 miles an hour which I can believe based on looking at the track next to us. The ties are fuzzy and can’t be seen individually. Whoops we made our stop at Hudson again right on the money. I forgot about this stop :lol: . I was thinking it was smooth sailing in to ALB. Still quite a few miles to go on the entire trip, the younger children in the car are getting restless. I am just getting started
. Although these Amfleet ones are not the most comfortable in the world I think I will have no problems making it to Niagara Falls.
Pulled into ALB a good 10 minutes early which provided a nice long stretch break. Watched the fuel truck pull up and begin fueling our engine for the remainder of our trip. I think they changed the crew in the engine as well. Didn’t get there fast enough to see the engine crew change, just heard the door slam shut. Then I walked the length of the train and recorded the car numbers. I then returned to my seat and waited for departure. I was not expecting such a large repair facility at ALB and enjoyed snapping pictures of the various equipment stored there.
We left the yard area and crossed the river and onto a single track CSX mainline. Made a short stop in Schenectady which looked like a pretty nice smaller station. I thought this was the 110 mile an hour part of the trip, but have no recorded a speed over 60 m.p.h. The new conductor is younger, and not very personable. He is pacing the train and has now triple checked this one man’s seat check 3 times in a half hour.
It’s now time for a lunch break. The café has started to run out of things, so I suppose its best to get what I want now then being stuck with something later when I am starving. Well held out on lunch until after Amsterdam, NY. Its not nearly 2 P.M. and I am starving at this point :lol: .
I had a nice lunch at the café car consisting of a mini pizza, chips, and a Pepsi. I personally love Amtrak frozen Pizzas. I am not sure what about them that I like so much, but I never miss an opportunity to have one. The LSA said he had enough stock of everything else to last the trip just that the salads had sold faster then usual. The meal was fine the mini pizza was identical to any other I’ve ever head on Amtrak.
We had our first meet with a freight train at mile post 214 as a CSX tanker train rolled by on the other track. I have my scanner I just haven’t used it yet on this trip, because I wasn’t expecting much freight action, and CSX defect detectors are pretty plain compared to all the information a UP detector has. I am hoping there is another long stop somewhere along the line as there are still 5 hours left, and it would be nice to get out and stretch.
Utica finally came around I thought we would never get there since it was almost 100 miles and we never exceeded 50 M.P.H. It’s the hardest part mentally when there are no stops for a long time it feels like you are not making progress. There was a ton of great old NYC stuff around. An old NYC diesel switcher and a small NYC steam locomotive from days long gone. Of course as I was getting ready to take pictures of the steam loco our second freight meet of the day occurred. A long slow moving mixed freight rolled by for the duration of the station stop and for a few minutes after we pulled out.
Rome, NY was the next stop and it was only about 25 minutes away. I went back to the snack car to get a box of cookies, and felt guilty as the LSA was sitting casually listening to an iPod and doing a crossword puzzle. I sat in a booth and waited for another patron to enter to make his job just a little easier. Then returned to my seat, cookies in hand, as we were slowing down to make our stop in Rome, NY. This is my longest coach trip, and I’m starting to feel it. The lack of a footrest is what is bothering me the most. I think the seat would be 80 times better if there was a small footrest.
I broke out the scanner on the approach to Syracuse, NY because watching the GPS crawl along at 30 M.P.H. with no end in sight was starting to get a tad depressing. The scanner of course made things more interesting. There was surprising volume of CSX trains that were in the area. After meeting two more CSX freights we rolled to a stop in Syracuse I didn’t check the time, but I knew we lost some time. After pulling out of Syracuse the dispatch gave us a slew of slow orders and track work notices. I could tell we were not going to be making an on time arrival into Niagara Falls anymore.
About 25 minutes outside of Syracuse we found ourselves in the hole, waiting for an Eastbound CSX Intermodal. We got moving again albeit slowly. Somehow we lost more and more time, and we are falling further and further off the advertised schedule. I hope there is some major league padding at the end of this schedule. We are going to need it to anywhere close to on time.
At this point my dad comes and joins me in the empty seat and admits that for a run this long Business Class would be the better choice. I couldn’t agree more, I was going to upgrade myself this morning, but in the name of family togetherness was told I could not. Now my parents see my logic and my love for 2-1 Club Dinette cars. Our return trip tickets are already printed, so I think getting things changed will require going back to the station tomorrow, or hoping to upgrade onboard. This trip has been a good learning experience I know I am missing the harder part of overnighting in coach, but I have handled 10 hours in an Amfleet 1 car pretty well so I think I could probably do a single overnight trip like on the LSL without to much trouble, I guess that’s another advantage of being young. My body doesn’t get aches and pains quite yet, and I can recover from a trip like this with little effort.
Finally, we crawled into Rochester after waiting for endless freight traffic to clear. We are 1 hour and 20 minutes behind the schedule. From what I hear on the scanner things are only going to get worse from here on out. I guess this means it will be another meal back in the café car.
We got into Buffalo-Depew at 7:50 90 minutes off the advertised. Things only got worse. We were stopped for two Canadian Pacific trains that were heading the other way. I guess it’s like they say a late train only gets later. It’s taking us 44 minutes to go the 7 miles between the two buffalo stations. The dispatch is clearly NOT giving priority to Amtrak here. I am not happy about the way we are being handled. Engineer says the switch is set but all the signals are red. The top light of the signal is burnt out. Come on CSX this is shameful. Finally permission to proceed past the red signal but we can’t exceeded 10 M.P.H. If we just go the priority signals we could get to Niagara Falls and get out of their way. Instead they will just prolong our train by putting speed restrictions on us.
After Buffalo station I simply put the scanner and GPS away. Knowing how long it would take would only make it feel longer, so I took the what you don’t know can’t hurt you approach. I just watched out the window and counted mile posts. The conductor came around to collect seat checks I tried to strike a conversation. He assured me that CSX usually doesn’t handle Amtrak this bad, just that there was a heat restriction in place limiting trains to 59 M.P.H. CSX then used that to their advantage and danced freight trains all round us, since “we were already going to be late”. He was pleasant about it, and was surprised I picked so much up on the scanner. I was happy to hear that CSX isn’t usually that bad.
Anyway the trip ended 90 minutes late with a 20 minute back-up move! This was my first ever back-up move aboard an Amtrak train. It was an interesting experience. No time to check out the station, just grabbed a cab and checked into the hotel for the night. Then walked down to the falls and of course forgot my camera.
DISCLAIMER: I can’t write please overlook any grammatical errors and just try and enjoy the report
Photos and videos to follow.
Thanks for reading!
The Consist for those who keep score
717 P32AC-DM
82731 Amfleet I Regional Coach Class
82603 Amfleet I Regional Coach Class
82601 Amfleet I Regional Coach Class
82611 Amfleet I Regional Coach Class
48151 Amfleet I Club-Dinette
This trip will cover Amtrak Empire Service Train 281 from New York Pennsylvania Station to Niagara Falls, NY.
I was so excited for the trip that sleep did not come until about 2 A.M. I knew it was going to be tough since I was planning on getting up at 6 A.M. As usual the excitement of the train makes up for any lack of sleep. This trip would be our first family Amtrak ride in nearly 10 years. My mom and dad were joining me on this trip. Both my parents have done a decent amount of Amtrak travel. We took an NJT Commuter train from Metropark to New York Penn Station.
We arrived around 90 minutes before our train was scheduled to leave. We filled the time in Penn station getting breakfast and a few provisions for our trip.
Thanks to tips posted on the board I was successfully able to call our departure track. I knew it had to be 5-8 and there was an Acela boarding on 7 so I bet it would be track 5. Low and behold Empire Service 281 was called for boarding at 10:05 on track 5. It worked well as there were only a dozen or so people in front of us to board. By 10:10 the line was stretching almost the entire concourse. We took the escalator down to the track and were placed in the middle car since we would be going to NFL. There were only 4 people in the car we were assigned so getting good seats on the left hand side was easy.
It was made very clear before departure that this was going to be a very full train. They weren’t kidding. I walked toe length of the train a few minutes after we left NYP and there wasn’t an empty pair of seats. In the Niagara car though things are a little better as I and a few others are sitting in a pair to our selves.
About 15 minutes from Poughkeepsie I went down to the snack car which I had assumed would be staffed by our very own Guest_LSA* but I was wrong. The LSA was still very friendly and was moving the line along quickly and efficiently. Since it was still early I opted for a bagel with cream cheese.
The toilets in the first coach have fallen victim to someone flushing paper towels. A stern message from the conductor then came on to remind everyone to use the trash cans in the bathroom and that paper towels clog the toilet which can not be fixed.
I purchased Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009 with the GPS receiver last week to add to the collection of gizmos. I have enjoyed knowing our true speed as well as approach to the stations. It works well and I am seeing 5 more satellites. I was skeptical because this newer version no longer has the cord and suction cup for the window. Instead it plugs directly into the USB port. It came with a small extension wire, so far though I have seen no need to use it as it is working fine as it is. I echo what has been said a few times before on the board GPS adds a fun dimension to the trip, and Microsoft Streets and Trips works well.
We pulled into Rhinecliff right on time. This was where my last Amtrak adventure ended as I short turned on the Ethan Allen Express to the Lake Shore Limited here. This trip has been taken away by the new LSL schedule. I am eager to continue my journey further north. I have no memory of traveling this route 10 years ago when my family went to Sandusky, OH to ride roller coasters and Cedar Point. This was notably my first ever long distance train trip.
Making the run to Albany is really quite a treat you are right on the river bank so it provides great scenery. The GPS shows we are averaging around 85 miles an hour which I can believe based on looking at the track next to us. The ties are fuzzy and can’t be seen individually. Whoops we made our stop at Hudson again right on the money. I forgot about this stop :lol: . I was thinking it was smooth sailing in to ALB. Still quite a few miles to go on the entire trip, the younger children in the car are getting restless. I am just getting started
. Although these Amfleet ones are not the most comfortable in the world I think I will have no problems making it to Niagara Falls.Pulled into ALB a good 10 minutes early which provided a nice long stretch break. Watched the fuel truck pull up and begin fueling our engine for the remainder of our trip. I think they changed the crew in the engine as well. Didn’t get there fast enough to see the engine crew change, just heard the door slam shut. Then I walked the length of the train and recorded the car numbers. I then returned to my seat and waited for departure. I was not expecting such a large repair facility at ALB and enjoyed snapping pictures of the various equipment stored there.
We left the yard area and crossed the river and onto a single track CSX mainline. Made a short stop in Schenectady which looked like a pretty nice smaller station. I thought this was the 110 mile an hour part of the trip, but have no recorded a speed over 60 m.p.h. The new conductor is younger, and not very personable. He is pacing the train and has now triple checked this one man’s seat check 3 times in a half hour.
It’s now time for a lunch break. The café has started to run out of things, so I suppose its best to get what I want now then being stuck with something later when I am starving. Well held out on lunch until after Amsterdam, NY. Its not nearly 2 P.M. and I am starving at this point :lol: .
I had a nice lunch at the café car consisting of a mini pizza, chips, and a Pepsi. I personally love Amtrak frozen Pizzas. I am not sure what about them that I like so much, but I never miss an opportunity to have one. The LSA said he had enough stock of everything else to last the trip just that the salads had sold faster then usual. The meal was fine the mini pizza was identical to any other I’ve ever head on Amtrak.
We had our first meet with a freight train at mile post 214 as a CSX tanker train rolled by on the other track. I have my scanner I just haven’t used it yet on this trip, because I wasn’t expecting much freight action, and CSX defect detectors are pretty plain compared to all the information a UP detector has. I am hoping there is another long stop somewhere along the line as there are still 5 hours left, and it would be nice to get out and stretch.
Utica finally came around I thought we would never get there since it was almost 100 miles and we never exceeded 50 M.P.H. It’s the hardest part mentally when there are no stops for a long time it feels like you are not making progress. There was a ton of great old NYC stuff around. An old NYC diesel switcher and a small NYC steam locomotive from days long gone. Of course as I was getting ready to take pictures of the steam loco our second freight meet of the day occurred. A long slow moving mixed freight rolled by for the duration of the station stop and for a few minutes after we pulled out.
Rome, NY was the next stop and it was only about 25 minutes away. I went back to the snack car to get a box of cookies, and felt guilty as the LSA was sitting casually listening to an iPod and doing a crossword puzzle. I sat in a booth and waited for another patron to enter to make his job just a little easier. Then returned to my seat, cookies in hand, as we were slowing down to make our stop in Rome, NY. This is my longest coach trip, and I’m starting to feel it. The lack of a footrest is what is bothering me the most. I think the seat would be 80 times better if there was a small footrest.
I broke out the scanner on the approach to Syracuse, NY because watching the GPS crawl along at 30 M.P.H. with no end in sight was starting to get a tad depressing. The scanner of course made things more interesting. There was surprising volume of CSX trains that were in the area. After meeting two more CSX freights we rolled to a stop in Syracuse I didn’t check the time, but I knew we lost some time. After pulling out of Syracuse the dispatch gave us a slew of slow orders and track work notices. I could tell we were not going to be making an on time arrival into Niagara Falls anymore.
About 25 minutes outside of Syracuse we found ourselves in the hole, waiting for an Eastbound CSX Intermodal. We got moving again albeit slowly. Somehow we lost more and more time, and we are falling further and further off the advertised schedule. I hope there is some major league padding at the end of this schedule. We are going to need it to anywhere close to on time.
At this point my dad comes and joins me in the empty seat and admits that for a run this long Business Class would be the better choice. I couldn’t agree more, I was going to upgrade myself this morning, but in the name of family togetherness was told I could not. Now my parents see my logic and my love for 2-1 Club Dinette cars. Our return trip tickets are already printed, so I think getting things changed will require going back to the station tomorrow, or hoping to upgrade onboard. This trip has been a good learning experience I know I am missing the harder part of overnighting in coach, but I have handled 10 hours in an Amfleet 1 car pretty well so I think I could probably do a single overnight trip like on the LSL without to much trouble, I guess that’s another advantage of being young. My body doesn’t get aches and pains quite yet, and I can recover from a trip like this with little effort.
Finally, we crawled into Rochester after waiting for endless freight traffic to clear. We are 1 hour and 20 minutes behind the schedule. From what I hear on the scanner things are only going to get worse from here on out. I guess this means it will be another meal back in the café car.
We got into Buffalo-Depew at 7:50 90 minutes off the advertised. Things only got worse. We were stopped for two Canadian Pacific trains that were heading the other way. I guess it’s like they say a late train only gets later. It’s taking us 44 minutes to go the 7 miles between the two buffalo stations. The dispatch is clearly NOT giving priority to Amtrak here. I am not happy about the way we are being handled. Engineer says the switch is set but all the signals are red. The top light of the signal is burnt out. Come on CSX this is shameful. Finally permission to proceed past the red signal but we can’t exceeded 10 M.P.H. If we just go the priority signals we could get to Niagara Falls and get out of their way. Instead they will just prolong our train by putting speed restrictions on us.
After Buffalo station I simply put the scanner and GPS away. Knowing how long it would take would only make it feel longer, so I took the what you don’t know can’t hurt you approach. I just watched out the window and counted mile posts. The conductor came around to collect seat checks I tried to strike a conversation. He assured me that CSX usually doesn’t handle Amtrak this bad, just that there was a heat restriction in place limiting trains to 59 M.P.H. CSX then used that to their advantage and danced freight trains all round us, since “we were already going to be late”. He was pleasant about it, and was surprised I picked so much up on the scanner. I was happy to hear that CSX isn’t usually that bad.
Anyway the trip ended 90 minutes late with a 20 minute back-up move! This was my first ever back-up move aboard an Amtrak train. It was an interesting experience. No time to check out the station, just grabbed a cab and checked into the hotel for the night. Then walked down to the falls and of course forgot my camera.
DISCLAIMER: I can’t write please overlook any grammatical errors and just try and enjoy the report
Photos and videos to follow.
Thanks for reading!
The Consist for those who keep score
717 P32AC-DM
82731 Amfleet I Regional Coach Class
82603 Amfleet I Regional Coach Class
82601 Amfleet I Regional Coach Class
82611 Amfleet I Regional Coach Class
48151 Amfleet I Club-Dinette
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