North Carolina Route?

[Rail Freak]

Looking at THE AMTRAK SYSTEM on the inside cover of Amtrak's brouchures.

What is the segment between Selma and Greensboro?

Trying to get to NOL without flying or taking the Silver to DC from Tampa!

 

[PetalumaLoco]

Look like that's covered by the Carolinian.

 

[Rail Freak]

Look like that's covered by the Carolinian.

Thanx,

I'm so new at this,

I'm trying to do short cuts already

How's the scenery on the Crescent between DC & Greensboro?

 

[planetcadillac]

Looking at THE AMTRAK SYSTEM on the inside cover of Amtrak's brouchures.What is the segment between Selma and Greensboro?

Trying to get to NOL without flying or taking the Silver to DC from Tampa!

Somewhat convoluted - you take Silver Star from Tampa to Raleigh. Carolinian from Raleigh to Greensboro and then the Crescent from Greensboro to New Orleans. However your better bet is to take the Silver Star to Raleigh, then the Carolinian from Raleigh to Charlotte and then get the Crescent out of Charlotte. The Star is always late. You only have to wait 4 hours in Charlotte. As opposed to 6 hours in Greensboro. There is really not an easy way.

 

[BobWeaver]

Look like that's covered by the Carolinian.

Thanx,

I'm so new at this,

I'm trying to do short cuts already

How's the scenery on the Crescent between DC & Greensboro?

You won't be able to see much, as much of that portion of 19's trip is traveled at night.

 

[Rafi]

You won't be able to see much, as much of that portion of 19's trip is traveled at night.

This is too true, unfortunately, especially in winter months. In the summer, you'll get good views of the Washington Monument, Capitol Building, Jefferson Memorial, Potomac River, and Alexandria's Masonic Temple. The sun will also set behind the blue ridge mountains as you work your way down to Culpeper during those summer months, and that's quite scenic. Beyond Culpeper, though, the it'll get too dark to really see anything past Orange, VA (not on the timetable). Heading north, you've got good Blue Ridge mountain and farming scenery from Danville/Lynchburg all of the way up to DC.

-Rafi

 

[Shotgun7]

Whether or not you go all the way up to DC, you're still on the same day's Crescent to New Orleans. In other words, if you plan to take the Crescent south from N. Carolina on say August 8th, you could be on that day's exact same train if you just went all the way to DC and transfered to the Crescent due to all the long connection times between 3 trains in N Carolina.

 

[VentureForth]

Of course, cutting the miles results in a reduced fare, but you could also miss connections, be bored in a station, and wish you were back on a train...

Interestingly, the savings is upwards around $79. You WILL have to do a lot more waiting around - about 8 hours in Raleigh and 6 in Greensboro. But you CAN book it through without having to resort to using multi city function on amtrak.com. As mentioned before, though, you will still depart and arrive on the same train.

 

[planetcadillac]

Of course, cutting the miles results in a reduced fare, but you could also miss connections, be bored in a station, and wish you were back on a train...
Interestingly, the savings is upwards around $79. You WILL have to do a lot more waiting around - about 8 hours in Raleigh and 6 in Greensboro. But you CAN book it through without having to resort to using multi city function on amtrak.com. As mentioned before, though, you will still depart and arrive on the same train.

I would say go to DC and wait it out there and then take the Crescent. While Raleigh and Greensboro have attractive terminals really the only place to spend time is DC. Union Station is like a destination unto itsself. Shops restaurants a movie theatre plus if its decent temps outside you can check your baggage (even carryon) and walk to the Capitol 2 blocks away.

Lastly I would book the Crescent in DC simply because even if you don't get a sleeper you will be able to park yourself relax and eventually sleep straight through instead of having to wait to go to bed on the Crescent in the middle of the night. The Crescent arrives in Greensboro at like 1230AM and Charlotte around 2AM.

Once the Carolinian was so late because we hit something on the way down from DC that by the time we arrived in Charlotte pax for the Crescent were already lined up at the station ready to go. Even though Charlotte isn't much of a station for the size of the city and the Crescent goes through in the middle of the night - the stop in Charlotte is a substantial stop on the run usually receiving or discharging 25-50 + each day.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Train stations are destinations in and of themselves, especially on busy routes.

 

[BobWeaver]

Train stations are destinations in and of themselves, especially on busy routes.

For the record, there isn't much to see at the present Charlotte station, as the platform is restricted to ticketed passengers during boarding and unloading.

 

[Crescent Mark]

Train stations are destinations in and of themselves, especially on busy routes.

For the record, there isn't much to see at the present Charlotte station, as the platform is restricted to ticketed passengers during boarding and unloading.

Yep. I was there last week and I was quite bummed they wouldn't let me on the platform before the train arrived or anything.

However, I went outside and to the right, up to the fence and got a ton of great video and pics. I was on the northbound Crescent, so I got off, watched the southbound come through, watched some freights. Got some sleep and then watched the Carolinian back up to the wye at 5am, watched some more NS freight, then hopped on the Carolinian at 8.

I prefer Charlotte WAY over Greensboro. It has a TV. Greensboro is new, but it's in the GHETTO. Security came in multiple times last night to remove homeless people from inside the station. Nice station but the location is pretty bad. Charlotte gets absolutely packed and I think it's a cool station, but I wasn't head over heels for Greensboro at all. Station isn't in a good part of town and when the Crescent arrived, I went in and found not a single person at any of the desks for nearly 45 mins to an hour after we got there.....

We picked up 40 something last night in Charlotte. Even at 2am, it's a huge stop. Next time I go to NC, I'll be sure to have the Charlotte layover going up, and make sure on the way back to book Raleigh -> Charlotte, then Charlotte -> Atlanta instead of the Greensboro layover....

 

[planetcadillac]

Train stations are destinations in and of themselves, especially on busy routes.

For the record, there isn't much to see at the present Charlotte station, as the platform is restricted to ticketed passengers during boarding and unloading.

If you go over to the side where additional parking is you can get within about 30 feet of the track along the fence. Its not the same as being on the platform but since the train is mostly exposed along the fence you can see most of it. Usually half-dozen or so people watch the train pull away in the morning at 740AM.

I guess maybe I am picky because I live here and haven't been to too many small stations - but the Charlotte station isn't much for anything. Especially given the new light rail that we have as well as the fact that the city is growing huge and white collar with a lot of nice and interesting facilities for other things. Word has it that eventually there will be Transportation Center downtown that Amtrak will relocate. The Charlotte station is in an industrial part of town it could be classified as ghetto but there isnt too much residential in the immediate vicinity. The station is set back from the road and there is not much around it that you can walk to. Yes the station has a TV but little else so I am not keen on spending more than about an hour waiting. A few weeks ago I got to the station too early, just after 6am, for the 740AM departure but did get to see them back the train up to the platform.

I am more than happy to help people out if they get stranded in Charlotte.

 

[jackal]

Train stations are destinations in and of themselves, especially on busy routes.

For the record, there isn't much to see at the present Charlotte station, as the platform is restricted to ticketed passengers during boarding and unloading.

If you go over to the side where additional parking is you can get within about 30 feet of the track along the fence. Its not the same as being on the platform but since the train is mostly exposed along the fence you can see most of it. Usually half-dozen or so people watch the train pull away in the morning at 740AM.

I guess maybe I am picky because I live here and haven't been to too many small stations - but the Charlotte station isn't much for anything. Especially given the new light rail that we have as well as the fact that the city is growing huge and white collar with a lot of nice and interesting facilities for other things. Word has it that eventually there will be Transportation Center downtown that Amtrak will relocate. The Charlotte station is in an industrial part of town it could be classified as ghetto but there isnt too much residential in the immediate vicinity. The station is set back from the road and there is not much around it that you can walk to. Yes the station has a TV but little else so I am not keen on spending more than about an hour waiting. A few weeks ago I got to the station too early, just after 6am, for the 740AM departure but did get to see them back the train up to the platform.

I am more than happy to help people out if they get stranded in Charlotte.

Too bad I wasn't more active on this board when I did my trip last August. I spent about eight hours of my life in the CLT station--about four hours waiting for a [delayed] NB Crescent after landing at the airport at 11pm and another four hours waiting after getting off the SB Crescent waiting for the rental car agency to open. Some Southern hospitality would have been welcome!

In any case, I agree: not much to see in the station (wish I'd'a known about the fence to the right, since I could hear NS freights thundering by and would have liked to have seen some) or in the surrounding area. For such a large city, CLT really isn't all that fun for a tourist to visit. Maybe I'm wrong about that--planetcadillac, is there anything that's a must-see in your hometown? Delta kept having cheap fares from here to there last year and I ended up passing through three times in six months but never really felt that there was much worth stopping and seeing...would love to return if there is something I missed!