Jump to content


Photo

OTOL Atlantic Coast RailFest 2013 Trip Report


  • Please log in to reply
10 replies to this topic

#1 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:27 PM

Trip Report

OTOL Atlantic Coast RailFest 2013

Introduction

July 14-19, 2013

by Kevin Korell

Chapter 0: Introduction

Our big trip for the summer of 2013 was designed primarily to showcase the relatively new light rail lines in Charlotte, NC and Norfolk, VA. A trip down to Florida and back on Amtrak's Silver Service was added later to give participants some of the overnight Amtrak travel we've come to enjoy over the years. To fill out the week, travel on Virginia Railway Express (VRE) was incorporated into the event as well.

Naming of this Fest to tie the above elements together was discussed on our board, and Atlantic Coast RailFest 2013 was ultimately chosen from the many suggestions.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#2 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:35 PM

Chapter 1: Preparation

A tremendous amount of preparation went into the planning of this event. I took two solo preview trips in 2011 and 2012 to visit Norfolk and Charlotte respectively to learn more about the transit systems and the cities themselves. On the latter trip I also stopped at Richmond's Staples Mill Road Station since I knew that travel between Charlotte and Norfolk would necessitate a rather long layover there.

Participants were given a few choices for many elements of this Fest. A Jacksonville turnaround in Florida would entail over 13 hours between arrival from the north and our departure the same night northbound, so it was suggested that some might wish to travel further south in Florida. Jacksonville itself presented only the Skyway people mover as a rail-oriented activity.

Next, to get from Florida to Charlotte, one must transfer from the northbound Silver Star to a southbound Piedmont. The two routes meet at Cary, and that is where Amtrak's reservation system has passengers switch, unless they force the transfer at Raleigh instead with the multi-city option.

Two more choices had to be made regarding both our Richmond layover and the means we would travel between there and Norfolk. The Richmond layover involved arriving on the Carolinian from Charlotte and then taking a Northeast Regional train to the Hampton Roads area. With several hours layover time, there were some possibilities of taking the Carolinian further north and then taking another train back. And then at the end of 2012, a new option opened up with the start of the direct train to Norfolk, instead of the legacy way of getting to Norfolk via the train to Newport News and then a bus.

The Florida and North Carolina dilemmas were never really solved, as people just did their own things and met up again later. Those who didn't do the Jacksonville stopover instead went further south and dwelled for shorter period of time. In North Carolina, most of us made the transfer in Cary, one did it in Raleigh, and one managed to do both! The Virginia issues were resolved easier, as we all opted to remain in Richmond for the layover. Everyone also wanted to try the new direct Amtrak train to Norfolk.

The only evening that would give us the opportunity to have dinner together would be Tuesday in Charlotte. Again here after much discussion we did not reach a unanimous decision.

Nevertheless, with all the various scenarios documented on our homepage and our itinerary, the time quickly drew near to go out and execute our plans.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#3 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:36 PM

Chapter 2: Getting to the Fest

As has been the case for most of our summer events, some folks chose to incorporate our Fest travels into their own much longer trips.

Such was the case for Joe Gore and Joe Hess, who respectively live in Herrin, IL and Grand Rapids, MI, who together made their way to Florida a few days ahead of the rest of us aboard the Silver Meteor. They would board the Silver Star on Monday in Orlando to join us on that train.

Chris Wyatt ultimately started from Texas but had been all over the country by rail and air before hooking up with our group. He had plans to come in Chicago on Amtrak's California Zephyr, fly from there to Washington, DC, and meet us on the Silver Meteor on Sunday. However, with his train severely delayed, he ended up missing the intended flight, and he instead flew from Chicago to Jacksonville on Monday to meet us there.

Steve Weagant started out in his hometown Chicago on Saturday, July 13th, on Amtrak's Capitol Limited. In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Mike Hammond boarded the same train in Cleveland and travelled with him the rest of the way to Washington. They would meet us aboard the Silver Meteor that evening.

The rest of the participants originated from home during the period of the Fest, so we'll meet them as we go along.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#4 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:36 PM

Chapter 3: Sunday, July 14, 2013

Day One of our annual venture was our southbound trip on the Silver Meteor from various start points. Ultimately six people would be involved today.

Chapter 3.1: Amtrak Silver Meteor, Train #97(14), various northern points to various Florida points

The day started when Ed Findlay left Boston on a Northeast Regional train to New York. Once there, he met Grace Burden and then Alan in the Club Acela. The three left New York on the Silver Meteor at 3:21 PM, six minutes behind schedule.

Meanwhile, I was next. I had taken NJ TRANSIT from Cherry Hill, and was waiting in the Philadelphia Club Acela monitoring the Silver Meteor's progress. Once the lounge attendant sent me down to the platform, I boarded and was greeted by sleeper attendant Bianca. The train left Philly at 5:06 PM, eight minutes late. By that time the four of us had already gone to the dining car for dinner.

Dinner was good, however our old heritage dining car seemed to be rocking back and forth more violently than the rest of the train. Once we finished, we returned to our more stable accommodations to await the opportunity to stretch our legs at the Washington, DC station stop.

In Washington, we walked on the platform, and were soon joined by Mike and Steve. They brought our travelling party up to six. Amtrak's Cardinal was next to us on an adjacent track.

Silver Meteor, Train #97(14)


946 AEM-7 locomotive (NYP-WAS)

194 P-42 locomotive (WAS-MIA)

137 P-42 locomotive (WAS-MIA)

1705 Baggage

62031 Viewliner sleeper "Prairie View" *

62042 Viewliner sleeper "Sunrise View"

62044 Viewliner sleeper "Sylvan View" **

8521 Heritage diner

28024 Amfleet II lounge

25061 Amfleet II coach

25079 Amfleet II coach

25059 Amfleet II coach

25026 Amfleet II coach

25049 Amfleet II coach

* 9712 car: Grace & Alan (NYP-WPK), Steve & Mike (WAS-JAX), Kevin (PHL-JAX)
** 9710 car: Ed (NYP-JAX)

As we departed from Washington on time at 7:30 PM, Mike and Steve went to get their dinner while the rest of us watched the Virginia countryside go by.

Although we had made up the small tardiness from the Northeast Corridor by leaving Washington on time, we began to lose time once more in Virginia. We at one point stopped for a while as a grade crossing had to be flagged. At the same location we also passed Northeast Regional #66 which had to be flagged through the same crossing.

Another opportunity to take a quick walk outside came at 9:52 PM as we arrived in Richmond, though we remained close to the train since we were a bit late. The Silver Meteor departed Richmond at 10:06 PM, 16 minutes down. We were still 16 minutes late when we left Petersburg, the last station in Virginia.

It was right before I retired for the night that I discovered something that would become one of this Fest's big back stories. When I went to put my cell phone on its charger for the night, I realized that I had forgotten to bring it. I would therefore have to limit the phone's use for the remainder of the week.

Chapter 3.2: End of Sunday's activities

Our small group on the Meteor soon went to sleep in our accommodations so that we could arise early for breakfast and for most of us, prepare for our arrival in Jacksonville.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#5 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:37 PM

Chapter 4: Monday, July 15, 2013

Monday began with six of us arriving in Florida on the Silver Meteor. Five more would join the group within the state. Then our day ended with eleven of us aboard the Silver Star headed north.

Chapter 4.0: Amtrak Silver Meteor, Train #97(14), various northern points to various Florida points (continued)

By the time most of us arose for breakfast, we had traversed North Carolina and most of South Carolina overnight. We had not lost any additional time.

Breakfast on board Amtrak on our Fests is not usually done as a group unless we happen to arrive together. Since Grace and Alan would be going further south, they came to breakfast later than the 6:30 AM start time. Everyone had a good meal, although some found things to be slower than usual for an onboard breakfast routine. During our time in the diner, the train made its stop in Savannah, GA. We were 13 minutes late as we departed from there at 7:03 AM.

Jessup came at 7:58 AM, 14 minutes down. By now all of us were back in our rooms and ready for the final jog into Florida. At 8:45 AM we passed through Folkston, site of a rail junction and the southernmost town in Georgia we would pass through before entering Florida.

The next town we passed was Hilliard, FL at 8:54. Soon afterwards, the first announcements came that we were approaching Jacksonville. We said a temporary goodbye to Alan and Grace, who would be remaining onboard to Winter Park. Meanwhile, Mike, Steve, Ed, and I prepared to detrain. We arrived in Jacksonville at 9:20 AM, three minutes early thanks to this being a well padded time point.

Alan and Grace ended up displeased with the dining staff. They thought they had plenty of time to have lunch on the Silver Meteor before they would be detraining in Winter Park. However, the Lead Service Attendant (LSA) did not come around to ask what time they wanted lunch until the lunch period had already begun. The LSA was doubtful he could have them fully fed by the Winter Park stop. The sleeper attendant Bianca however said that was nonsense. She told them that they should go anyhow and get what they were entitled to. However, service was slow and disorganized, with people who had arrived after them and their seatmates having been served before them. Finally, when their destination station got too close and they still didn't have their food, they had to request that their food be prepared to go. They ended up eating the train's food inside the Winter Park station.

Chapter 4.1: In Jacksonville

Knowing we had over 13 hours in town, it was way too long to drag suitcases around. The four of us first sought to leave our larger luggage at the station. We would pick it up later before boarding the Silver Star. The baggage person was nice enough to allow us to put all of our luggage on one cart. We were charged one $5 storage fee for the group.

Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is the city's transit agency. They operate the bus system as well as the Skyway. To get between the Amtrak station and downtown, one must take either one of two bus routes. We took the CT4 bus leaving the Amtrak station at 9:53 AM.

This was half an hour earlier than originally planned, but then we had made some new impromptu plans that would fill at least the earliest portion of the long day.

Remember that missing phone charger? Seeing on the CT4 bus schedule that the route also serves a shopping mall, we decided to take this same bus there. It meant remaining on board after it passed the downtown hub, Rosa Parks Transit Center, and travelling east towards the ocean to the mall.

We got off the bus at the stop within the property of Regency Square, but immediately got the feeling this was a dead mall. There were literally no cars parked on this side of the mall despite the fact it was 10:44 AM. (Later we found out that the mall is still there, but it just wasn't that busy at the time.) We instead decided to go to an AT&T Store, which could not help me with my old phone, followed by a Best Buy. The latter sold me a charger and accompanying plug, but we later found that it didn't fit my phone so it was useless. (I'd later get a full refund when I got home.) So we had killed some time, but the mission was not accomplished. It was nevertheless time to go downtown, ride the Skyway, and have lunch.

The next bus that would take us back to downtown Jacksonville was on the AR7 route. It left Regency Square at 11:38 AM, and got to Rosa Parks Transit Center at 12:20 PM.

Please note that since this report was initially written, JTA has revamped and renumbered its entire bus system, so the route numbers referred to here no longer exist.

Chapter 4.2: JTA Skyway, Rosa Parks Transit Center to Convention Center

We decided to further shake up our itinerary, since we were now a little later thanks to the couple of hours we managed to kill with the extra bus rides and the time we spent near Regency Square. We'd go to lunch first, and then ride the rest of the Skyway. We left Rosa Parks Transit Center at 12:23 PM. But then it began to rain heavily. Since there is a 3 block walk between the Central station and the Jacksonville Landing, we decided to remain on board and ride the Convention Center leg of the system first, as planned. We got to the latter at 12:30 PM, and remained on board.

Chapter 4.3: JTA Skyway, Convention Center to Central

Almost immediately, the Skyway car left Convention Center headed back the other way. This time when we got to Central, the rain had let up, so we detrained at 12:33 PM and went to get lunch.

Chapter 4.4: Lunch in Jacksonville

As planned, we had lunch at the Jacksonville Landing food court. We thought we'd spend much of our idle time here. However, after finding they had no electrical outlets for us to plug in our electronics, we did not hang around for long after we finished lunch.

Having been in travel for two overnights, Steve was tired and opted to take a hotel room for a few hours to catch up on sleep and use a stationary shower. He made a reservation at the Hilton Garden Inn (HGI), located a short walk from the Kings Avenue endpoint of the Skyway.

Walking from the Landing to the Skyway, we got caught in another of Florida's signature tropical downpours. We ducked into the Omni Hotel for about 15 minutes to wait out the storm, as we were in no hurry. Then we went onward to the Skyway station.

Chapter 4.5: JTA Skyway, Central to Kings Avenue

We boarded the Skyway at 2:05 PM, and then were treated to the scenic ride over the St. John's River. We went to the end of the line in the Southbank at Kings Avenue, and detrained at 2:13 PM. We then walked to the HGI.

Chapter 4.6: More In Jacksonville

While Steve took his nap, Mike and I waited in the hotel's lobby. Ed decided to go back and explore the area around the Convention Center, so he went off on his own. I was glad to have the shelter since there were a couple more heavy storms in the several hours we were there.

Later, when Steve came down, we had dinner at the same hotel. The young lady who served us was clearly overworked, as we saw her play the roles of waitress, bartender, room service, and probably more we didn't see behind the scenes. Yet she was still highly professional and very cordial despite being so busy.

The three of us then walked back the Kings Avenue Skyway station, and Ed was there to meet us.

Chapter 4.7: JTA Skyway, Kings Avenue to Rosa Parks Transit Center

Up to four people again, our group took our last trip on the Skyway, leaving Kings Avenue at 7:17 PM. We arrived at Rosa Parks Transit Center at 7:30 PM.

We had a little over a half hour to wait for our next connection. During that time, Chris arrived on a CT3 bus from the airport, and we were a group of five.

The next bus to the Amtrak station would be K2 bus at 8:06 PM. We left the downtown terminal on time, and took a different route to the Amtrak station. We got there at 8:33, giving us over two hours leeway before the Silver Star would arrive.

During our wait, we retrieved our luggage and kept in contact with what now amounted to the other half of our group. Our train was running on schedule so far. As the train arrived, we were told to line up and present our tickets to a conductor located at a desk by the door.

Chapter 4.8: Other Monday activities

As the long Jacksonville day unfolded as above, there were six other Fest participants within Florida. Bill Magee of Cherry Hill, NJ had flown from Philadelphia to Tampa that morning, and he was the first group participant to board the Silver Star as he did so in Tampa.

Grace and Alan, while having their lunch from the train in the Winter Park station, met Penny Jacobs, who had driven up from her home in Orlando to meet them. Penny then drove back to Orlando, and met up with Joe Gore and Joe Hess. The three boarded the Silver Star from Orlando. Grace and Alan later boarded the same train in Winter Park. That portion of our group had six people, who were able to enjoy an onboard dinner together at a leisurely pace at two adjacent tables.


Chapter 4.9: Amtrak Silver Star, Train #92(15), various Florida points to Cary, NC

As the Jacksonville group left the station building to board the train, there were Alan, Grace, Bill, and Penny to greet us. Joe and Joe were already asleep, so we would not see them until the following morning. After settling into our accommodations, we went back outside to chat for the duration of the scheduled layover. Our group would be at its peak of 11 people from here to Cary, with all but one of the 12 participants present on this train.

We left Jacksonville on time at 10:57 PM, with nine of us headed for North Carolina, and two going further. Chris was in the coach section, and the other ten of us were in various roomettes in the two sleeper cars. Those in the 9210 car had an attendant named Avia, who was quite friendly and had already put down all our beds since we were boarding so late.

Silver Star, Train #92(15)


76 P-42 locomotive (MIA-WAS)
189 P-42 locomotive (MIA-WAS)
1753 Baggage
62009 Viewliner sleeper "Evening View" *
62023 Viewliner sleeper "Mystic View" **
8512 Heritage diner
28022 Amfleet II lounge
25004 Amfleet II coach
25034 Amfleet II coach
25110 Amfleet II coach
25083 Amfleet II coach


* 9211 car: Grace & Alan (WPK-CYN), Steve (JAX-CYN), Mike (JAX-BAL)
** 9210 car: Ed (JAX-WAS), Bill (TPA-RGH), Kevin (JAX-CYN), Penny, Joe G, Joe H (ORL-CYN)
Chris rode in coach JAX-CYN.

Chapter 4.10: End of Monday's activities

After the late night reunion of our group, it was time to turn in. We needed our sleep so we could have breakfast early and prepare to arrive in Cary, where most of us were headed.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#6 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:38 PM

Chapter 5: Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Tuesday began with our group at its peak of 11 people aboard the Silver Star, and ended with nine of us in Charlotte, having ridden the Piedmont and LYNX light rail.

Chapter 5.0: Amtrak Silver Star, Train #92(15), various Florida points to Cary, NC (continued)

The group of eleven awoke on the Silver Star on Tuesday morning to find out we had lost almost an hour overnight. With a scheduled over four hours layover in Cary, and a little less for those going onward to Raleigh, it was a good thing for us.

When we headed to the just-opened dining car at 6:30 AM, most of us were there to get what we were entitled too, and we knew we had plenty of time to do it with the delay. We were handled okay by the crew, and we ate well knowing we would not be having lunch on our next train since meals don't exist on the Piedmont.

While most of us were still having breakfast, we made our stop at Hamlet, NC at 7:19 AM, which confirmed we were running 50 minutes late. Then after we were back in our rooms, we made our stop at Southern Pines, NC at 7:52 AM, 46 minutes down.

The announcement soon came that Cary would be next. We said goodbye to Mike, who would remain on board to Baltimore, and then fly home to Cleveland from BWI Airport. There was also a temporary farewell to Ed, who would not doing the Charlotte portion of our trip but he would be joining us again on the way to Norfolk. He would travel to Washington, DC on this train and then make his way up to Baltimore by other means.

Bill had purchased his Silver Star ticket to travel from Tampa to Raleigh, giving him the opportunity to switch with us at Cary had the train been very late. Since we still had plenty of dwell time until our next connection, he kept his reservation and continued onward to Raleigh.

So there were eight of us disembarking in Cary: Penny, Grace, Alan, Steve, Joe, Joe, Chris, and me. We arrived there at 9:05 AM, 50 minutes late. In this case, being late turned out to be a good thing as it reduced our downtime.

Chapter 5.1: In Cary

The Cary station looked fairly new. It was, in fact, upgraded a couple of years prior to our visit to double its size and accommodate the Silver Star stop in addition to the Piedmont and Carolinian. It contains modern amenities including Wi-Fi. The building is an intermodal transportation center, also handling local and regional buses.

Our eight people in Cary then turned to seven. Since the northbound Carolinian, Train #80(16) was soon due, Chris decided to gain some Amtrak Guest Rewards points by taking this train to Raleigh and joining Bill there. As things turned out, he had to chase down a conductor in Raleigh to get his ticket scanned and thus earn his 100 points.

We had to kill a few hours in town. We took turns taking walks around town while others remained behind in the station to watch everyone's luggage. As 11:00 approached, we also took turns getting lunch, with most of us going to Roma's Italian right across Harrison Street from the station. Everyone made sure they were back well before the scheduled 11:57 AM departure time.

We heard from Bill and Chris that #75 had departed on time from Raleigh. In advance of its arrival in Cary, announcements were made for passengers to go to the platform. The platform was fairly crowded; business at this station was very impressive.

Chapter 5.2: Amtrak Piedmont, Train #75(16), Cary, NC to Charlotte, NC

The seven of us boarded the Piedmont, joining Bill and Chris who were already aboard. We left Cary three minutes late at 12:00 Noon, and the nine of us settled back to enjoy seeing North Carolina through the train's large windows.

Piedmont, Train #75(16)


1810 F59 Locomotive "City of Greensboro"
400201 Baggage/Lounge/Bike/Vending "Pamlico Sound"
400007 Coach "Channel Bass"
400004 Coach "Long Leaf Pine" <-- We were here


The train was fairly crowded on this part of the route, as almost every seat was occupied. The ridership would thin out once we got to Greensboro.

During the trip some of us went and claimed the free bottle of water they offer in lieu of food, and some snacks bought from the vending machines. At all stations we called at between Durham and Kannapolis, we remained between two and four minutes late.

The final approach into Charlotte was soon announced, and we got ready to detrain there. We called for the hotel shuttle van to pick most of us up. Despite being slightly late throughout the trip, we arrived in Charlotte at 2:51 PM, four minutes early.

Chapter 5.3: In Charlotte

Bill caught a cab directly to the Marriott where he was staying. The rest of us had to wait for our hotel shuttle van, which was late in getting to us. A second call was necessary to convince them that we were in fact waiting for them at the station. The shuttle is shared between the Hilton Garden Inn (HGI) and the Hampton Inn, which are adjacent to one another in the same block. Chris caught the light rail from there to the Woodlawn area where he was staying; he would join us later during our official riding.

We had about an hour to relax in our hotel rooms before we would meet in the lobby of the HGI and walk together to the nearest light rail station.

Chapter 5.4: CATS LYNX Blue Line, 3rd St./Convention Center to 7th St.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) runs the buses and light rail in this city. The light rail is also known as LYNX. So far there is only one line, known as the Blue Line. It currently runs from 7th Street south to I-485/South Blvd. Ground was broken for a northward extension beyond 7th Street two days after we were there.

The first segment we rode was from 3rd St./Convention Center near our hotels, up to 7th Street so we would then be able to ride the line in its entirety. Bill walked over from his hotel, and the eight of us purchased our fares and then boarded a northbound LYNX train at 5:02 PM. It took three minutes to go two stations and four blocks. Arrival at 7th Street was 5:05 PM. We remained on board as we would soon be headed south on the same vehicle.

Chapter 5.5: CATS LYNX Blue Line, 7th St. to I-485/South Blvd.

We left 7th Street at 5:10 PM. Being rush hour the train was crowded, but most of us had seats since we had already claimed them on the short northbound trip. At Woodlawn Road we were joined by Chris, which briefly inflated our group total to nine. We got to I-485/South Blvd. at 5:36 PM. And here we split up for the remainder of the day.

Chapter 5.6: CATS LYNX Blue Line, I-485/South Blvd. to CTC/Arena

Most of the group (seven people) remained on this vehicle once more to head back Uptown for dinner. They left I-485/South Blvd. at 5:40 PM, and got to the CTC/Arena station at 6:03 PM. From there they walked a few blocks to their restaurant.

Chapter 5.7: Dinner in Uptown Charlotte

The group of seven ate at McCormick & Schmick's, which is located almost right on the city's main intersection at Tryon & Trade Streets. Afterwards they all walked to their respective hotels, except Chris who rode LYNX south to Woodlawn Road.

Chapter 5.8: Dinner in South Charlotte

Meanwhile, Steve and I had originally planned to have a buffet dinner at the Golden Corral near the I-485/South Blvd. station. A last minute decision changed our minds and we instead went to Hooters, which was about an equal walk in the other direction.

Chapter 5.9: CATS LYNX Blue Line, I-485/South Blvd. to Tyvola

After dinner, Steve and I walked back to the I-485/South Blvd. station, and took the next northbound LYNX light rail train, which left at 7:00 PM. We decided to make a stop along the way at a Radio Shack as a last attempt to find a charger to fit my phone. We got off at the Tyvola station at 7:08 PM and walked across South Blvd. to the store. Results remained negative, so I would remain with low power until getting home on Saturday.

Chapter 5.10: CATS LYNX Blue Line, Tyvola to 3rd St./Convention Center

Twenty minutes after we had detrained there, we were on the next train headed towards Uptown, departing Tyvola at 7:28 PM. We were back at the 3rd Street/Convention Center station at 7:42 PM, at which time we walked back to the hotel and called it a night.

Chapter 5.11: End of Tuesday's activities

Our mission completed in Charlotte, we spent our first night in hotels since the Fest began. All but one of us had an early rise the following morning, so we enjoyed what we could of the evening.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#7 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:40 PM

Chapter 6: Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Eight of us would depart from Charlotte, riding the Carolinian to Richmond. Nine people would end the day in Norfolk.

Chapter 6.1: Amtrak Carolinian, Train #80(17), Charlotte, NC to Richmond, VA

Bill was done with his Fest participation, and this morning he would fly back to Philadelphia from Charlotte. Our day therefore would begin with eight people leaving town very early on this morning's Carolinian.

We had arranged to make use of the hotel shuttle van when it started service at 6 AM. The seven who had stayed in either the Hampton Inn or the HGI met in the lobby of the HGI, along with Chris, who had come up from Woodlawn on the light rail.

We got to the station around 6:20, and had about half an hour to wait until the boarding call came for Train #80. Our train left on time at 7:00 AM.

Carolinian, Train #80(17)


90 P-42 locomotive (SAV-WAS)
1721 Baggage
81542 Amfleet I Regional Business Class
43377 Amfleet I Full Dinette
82655 Amfleet I Coach Class
82515 Amfleet I Coach Class
82606 Amfleet I Coach Class
82717 Amfleet I Coach Class


By the time we left the first stop up the line, Kannapolis, we were already four minutes late. Again we remained a few minutes late at all stations through North Carolina. At Cary, where we had been 24 hours earlier, we were five minutes late. But then with some padding at Raleigh, we arrived on time and departed exactly on time. While sitting at Raleigh, Bill tweeted that he was flying over Raleigh at the same time.

Around 11 AM some of us began going to the cafe car for an early lunch, since many had missed breakfast and planned on an early dinner. At Selma-Smithfield, Wilson, and Rocky Mount we were just one minute off the advertised. It was 11:53 AM when we left Rocky Mount, the last North Carolina station. An hour later, we were passing through Emporia, VA.

Just south of Petersburg, VA, we passed Train #89, the Palmetto headed for Savannah. We got to Petersburg eight minutes late, so somewhere along the line we were delayed. Then at 1:41 PM, between there and Richmond, we also passed our train's counterpart, the southbound Carolinian. With Richmond being a crew change stop, the padded schedule allowed us to arrive at 2:06 PM, just one minute late. All eight of us detrained here.

Chapter 6.2: In Richmond

We had several hours to spend in Richmond. During that time we figured we would have an off-hours meal and do some train watching at the station. I particularly wanted to see the southbound Auto Train come through, figuring on it passing between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. So I definitely was interested in an early dinner.

Penny, Grace, Alan, Steve, and I decided to try the adjacent Anthony & George's Steakhouse (now closed), accessible from the south side of the station's parking lot. We had a very friendly waitress, and in fact at times the whole staff talked with us and made us feel very welcome. We thought it might resemble one of the major chain steakhouses, but it was more of a family restaurant with a quite varied menu.

During our meal, we were joined by Chris, Joe, and Joe, who had first visited another restaurant but patronized this place to wash down what they had eaten elsewhere.



ag.jpg


When it got close to 5:30, we began to make our way back to the station. We found the place to be a bit crowded, as there were delays to many southbound trains. Having tracked the progress of our #125, we knew it was running late. But the hot weather had put the whole Northeast Corridor in disarray.

A large group of teenage girls from a summer camp in the Richmond area was waiting for the Silver Star, which was also severely delayed. When it became apparent they would not be boarding the train with ample time to eat, their chaperones took them to the adjacent McDonald's restaurant.

Meanwhile, we got to see some other Amtrak trains arrive and depart, and in the case of the Auto Train, pass by.

Chapter 6.3: Amtrak Northeast Regional, Train #125(17), Richmond, VA to Norfolk, VA

Ed boarded Northeast Regional #125 in Washington, so he got to experience the delay there. So he was already aboard this train when it got to Richmond. We would therefore be a group of nine again from here through Norfolk and Thursday's trip back to the Washington, DC area.


Northeast Regional, Train #125(17)



203 P-42 locomotive (WAS-NFK)
81595 Amfleet I Regional Business Class
82536 Amfleet I Coach Class
82988 Amfleet I Coach Class
43348 Amfleet I Full Dinette
82750 Amfleet I Coach Class
82790 Amfleet I Coach Class
82597 Amfleet I Coach Class
81522 Amfleet I Regional Business Class (not in use)


Our train left Richmond at 7:51 PM, one hour 25 minutes late. Finally on our way, we settled back for our intrastate run to Norfolk. The trip down to Petersburg was familiar, but then we watched after the Petersburg station for our gradual left turn onto Norfolk Southern for the jog to the northeast into the Norfolk area.

Unfortunately because of the train's delay before it got to us, most of this trip was in darkness so we could not appreciate it. We did move at a good clip, so much so that we did not lose any more time. We arrived in Norfolk at 10:15 PM, one hour 25 minutes late.

Given the late hour, the six people staying downtown chose to share cabs to their respective hotels. That left Ed, Chris, and myself who would be staying at three different hotels in the Newtown Road area. After wavering a couple of times whether to share a cab or take the light rail, we decided on the latter since the cab fare for that distance was unknown and the light rail was just across the parking lot. While our walks on the other end of the light rail ride were longer, we still saved some money by doing it that way.

Chapter 6.4: End of Wednesday's activities

We relaxed in our hotels in the Norfolk area after a very long day. Luckily the next day of fun would not start as early so we could sleep longer.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#8 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:41 PM

Chapter 7: Thursday, July 18, 2013

Our group totaled nine again today, as we did our Norfolk activities, and then made our way via bus and train to the Washington, DC area.

Chapter 7.1: HRT TIDE, MacArthur Square to EVMC/Fort Norfolk

Hampton Roads Transit was our host today as we would be taking our official rides on their light rail line known as the TIDE. It's a single line that runs from the city's medical center west of downtown, through the downtown area, and then parallel to the highway that runs between Norfolk and Virginia Beach. It however dead ends at the border between the two cities. There are plans to extend it on both ends to access the Norfolk Naval Base and the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

Chris, Ed, and I met at the Newtown Road station at 10 AM. We would board the TIDE trip leaving at 10:23 AM in order to meet the rest of the group downtown. At 10:40 AM when we stopped at MacArthur Square, the rest of the group boarded there to join us. We continued west through the city, ending up at the EVMC/Fort Norfolk station at 10:49 AM. Once there, we remained on board to take advantage of the air conditioning.

Having just ridden LYNX in Charlotte this week, it was immediately apparent that TIDE has identical equipment. Both agencies got their equipment from Siemens.

Chapter 7.2: HRT TIDE, EVMC/Fort Norfolk to Newtown Road

TIDE Round Two was a complete end to end eastbound ride from EVMC/Fort Norfolk to Newtown Road. We ran precisely on time, leaving at 11 AM and arriving Newtown Road at 11:26 AM.

hrt.jpg

The dwell time at Newtown Road allowed us to do a group photo pose before our return westbound trip. Once that was completed, we all reboarded once more to get out of the heat.

Chapter 7.3: HRT TIDE, Newtown Road to MacArthur Square

Our final official TIDE run took us from Newtown Road back to downtown Norfolk. Leaving on time at 11:38 AM, we arrived at MacArthur Square and our lunch stop at 11:55 AM.

Chapter 7.4: Lunch in Norfolk

The nine of us had different ideas regarding where to eat lunch. We all ate in the vicinity of the downtown mall known as MacArthur Center. Most ate at its third floor food court, but others opted for restaurants at or near the mall at street level.

After eating, folks went on their ways, some to retrieve luggage from hotels before leaving town. We later all met at the Amtrak station after taking either taxis or one more trip on the TIDE light rail.

The Amtrak station at Norfolk was temporarily in a trailer on the north end of the stadium parking lot while the permanent station was being built closer to the platform. For those who took the light rail, it was a rather long walk that now is shorter since the permanent station is in place.

Chapter 7.5: Amtrak Thruway Bus #6066(18), Norfolk, VA to Newport News, VA

The Thruway bus arrived at the Norfolk station at around 2:45 PM after arriving from its only other pickup stop in Virginia Beach. Aside from the improved boarding location, two things were immediately different to me from my past encounters with the bus. In the past there had been a male-female team, where the woman drove and the man handled the luggage; now there was a lone male driver. Also, the bus was a newer model and it was painted in Amtrak Thruway livery whereas it previously carried the colors of its owner, James River Bus Company.

After everyone's luggage was loaded underneath, our driver came through the bus to collect our tickets (which had to be the older paper tickets on Amtrak stock since e-ticketing has not yet rolled out to Thruway buses).

We departed from the Norfolk station exactly 3:00 PM. The trip through the Downtown Tunnel into Portsmouth was the same as it had been save for the different Norfolk origin point, but this driver took a completely different route on arterial streets rather than a freeway through Portsmouth. We still had to travel via the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel to get across the water to Newport News. And then finally, we took a different route through Newport News between the Bridge-Tunnel and the Amtrak station. It seemed like a longer way to go than before, but we still completed the entire trip in 50 minutes, ten minutes shorter than the timetable calls for.

Had we been delayed a bit or had taken an even longer route, we still would have made our train, as there was plenty of dwell time in the cramped Newport News station before the scheduled departure of our train.

Chapter 7.6: Amtrak Northeast Regional, Train #66(18), Newport News, VA to Washington, DC

Northeast Regional, Train #66(18)

90 P-42 locomotive (NPN-WAS)
1857 Baggage
82730 Amfleet I Coach Class
82784 Amfleet I Coach Class
82527 Amfleet I Coach Class
82790 Amfleet I Coach Class
82669 Amfleet I Coach Class
48195 Amfleet I Club-Dinette


Astute readers will notice that today's Train #66 had the same engine 90 that took us on the Carolinian from Charlotte to Richmond just one day earlier. The rest of the consist was different. We would encounter the remainder of Wednesday's Carolinian consist again before the week was over.

Regional #66 left Newport News on time at 5:20 PM. But our good timekeeping was short-lived. By the time we departed from Williamsburg at 5:45 PM, we were three minutes down. Meanwhile, many of us took turns going to the cafe car for dinner.

One daily ritual every weekday evening on the Newport News trains is the meet between Regional Trains 66 and 95. The meet location varies between several possible sidings, and depends on both trains' timekeeping. (The same thing happens on weekday mornings between Trains 67 and 94). The location chosen during our trip was Providence Forge. However, because Train 95 was running late, we had to wait in the siding about 25 minutes until the other train arrived. In hindsight, it may have been possible to stage the meet at another siding further west near Byrd International Airport where I've seen it done a couple of times before.

How late we had become was revealed when we left Richmond's Main Street Station at 7:06 PM. We were now 36 minutes off the advertised. We had therefore lost some more time on the approach into Main Street Station. But our fun had only begun.

The timetable allows for 28 minutes getting across Richmond from Main Street Station to the more established Staples Mill Road station north of the city. We needed every bit of it. Somehow, on approach to the station, CSX had aligned its switches so that we would be headed on tracks that do not serve the station. The mistake was caught by our crew after we had already started onto the improperly aligned routing. We stopped immediately, sat for a while as things were figured out, and then we reversed about a quarter of a mile to clear the improperly aligned switch. Finally, we moved forward once more -- this time on the correct routing leading us to Staples Mill Road Station.

After a fairly brief stopover, we continued our northbound trek towards the Washington, DC area. We left Richmond-Staples Mill at 7:43 PM, which now put us 43 minutes late. Ashland came at 7:55 PM, 42 minutes down. By the time we left Fredericksburg at 8:41 PM, it was just about totally dark outside and we were still 44 minutes down. However, some of us would get to see Fredericksburg by daylight the following afternoon.

Quantico came next at 9:02 PM, 40 minutes late. With Alexandria coming up next, we began to say some goodbyes as our group of nine for the day would begin to disperse. We would not be seeing Ed anymore as he was continuing on this train all the way back to Boston. Joe Gore and Joe Hess would also not be partaking of the Friday activities, and Penny wasn't sure yet if she would be joining us or not. Steve and I would be getting off this train in Alexandria, to ride Metro to our hotels in Arlington, while the rest would detrain in Washington.

Alexandria northbound arrivals are often padded, so upon the arrival of Train 66 at 9:27 PM, we were 36 minutes late. Steve and I detrained here. The folks headed to Washington, DC got there at 9:45 PM, just 25 minutes late.

Chapter 7.7: End of Thursday's activities

Steve and I walked to the King Street Metro station adjacent to the rail station. Since he was headed for Rosslyn, he had to wait for a Blue Line train. I was lucky enough to get a Yellow Line train to Crystal City sooner, so we went our separate ways.

Once in Washington, DC, those who detrained broke up and went via the Red Line to their respective hotels. Once settled in, we went to sleep looking forward to our final day together.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#9 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:42 PM

Chapter 8: Friday, July 19, 2013

The sixth and last day of our event would involve travel from Washington to Virginia on Virginia Railway Express (VRE), and then boarding the Amtrak Carolinian from there to points north. The day began on our own, as we planned to meet at lunchtime for our midday VRE ride. Six people were involved in these activities.

Chapter 8.1: Lunch in Washington, DC

Steve and I met up aboard Metro and went back to Alexandria to ride Amtrak Northeast Regional 174 into Washington, essentially finishing up the trip we didn't complete the night before and gaining another Guest Rewards tier qualifying segment in the process.

We met the other Friday participants in the Club Acela at Washington Union Station. Penny, who had chosen to visit with her sister in the area, would not accompany us to Fredericksburg. She did however spend some time in the Club Acela with us as she negotiated by phone with her sister where they would meet. We were also joined by Piotr Dzwonek, who had come down from New Jersey on a Regional train to join our travels today. When all was settled, we would have six people involved with today's official Fest travels: Grace, Alan, Piotr, Steve, Chris, and me. The six of us, plus Penny, went in separate groups to find lunch around Union Station, and then returned to the Club Acela.

Chapter 8.2: Virginia Railway Express, Train #301, Washington, DC to Fredericksburg, VA

The half dozen of us left the lounge and headed for Gate L, in order for those who had not yet purchased their VRE tickets to do so. We were in that area for a while, as the train was not yet ready for boarding. About ten minutes before the train's scheduled 12:55 PM departure, the train was announced and we were able to take the escalator down to track level and board.

VRE has always had a diverse fleet, much of it garnered from other commuter rail properties. Our ride today would be aboard ex-Metra gallery cars from Chicago. We departed Washington's Union Station right at the advertised time.

There were many empty seats as we began our trip towards Fredericksburg. Because many choose to connect via Metro to VRE from other points in the Washington area, the commuter carrier does good business at its L'Enfant Plaza, Crystal City, and Alexandria stations. A good portion of our total ridership boarded at those three locations.

It was another hot day with temperatures around 100 degrees and high humidity. That led our host CSX to impose slow orders which did not adversely affect us, as we ultimately arrived into Fredericksburg just several minutes late at 2:30 PM.

Chapter 8.3: In Fredericksburg

Having been to Fredericksburg before, I had already witnessed an issue there with the lack of clarity as to which track an Amtrak train will show up on. Because the elevated station has two side platforms, one must travel through an underpass to walk from one to the other. Amtrak trains have been known to arrive on either platform, depending on what freight trains are in the area, and also the VRE schedule. During the afternoon rush hour, many trains in both directions operate in a left-handed fashion, since many of VRE's platforms are only on one side of the right-of-way. Since Fredericksburg does not have any Amtrak presence (its station was long ago converted into a Bavarian restaurant), there is nobody to ask about which track to wait on for a departing train. Last minute confusion could cause one to miss their train entirely. I had asked a few people about this in advance of our Fest, but the consensus was that there really is no real good answer.

I expressed this again to the others as we arrived into Fredericksburg on the VRE train. Much of our dwell time in town was spent trying to figure out where to stand. The two tracks are numbered 2 for what would normally be the northbound track in a right-handed operating mode, and 3 for what one would expect to be the southbound track in the same mode.

Having arrived on Track 2, which was against the grain and perhaps an indication that VRE was already in its rush hour mode, we first found ourselves on the platform for Track 3. While we were up there, a southbound freight train came by on this track. We then noticed that more people seemed to be waiting on the Track 2 platform. So eventually we made our way over there to join them. Remember it was about 100 degrees and humid, so each walk (no matter whether we used stairs or ramps) was tough -- especially for those dragging luggage with us for our eventual trips home.

Train 80 was due at 3:12 PM, and by that time we would have been very happy to have been aboard it. But again due to the lack of any human presence such as a ticket agent, just like there was nobody physically here to announce which track the train would arrive on, we also had no clue about its status (OK some of us did find out it was running late from Amtrak's phone and internet sources). Then around 3:15, we heard an announcement being made. We never figured out where it was being made from, or who was making it, but the voice said that Train 80 would be boarding on Track 3 today. All of the waiting passengers on the Track 2 platform now went downstairs to the tunnel, and up again to Track 3. Just as everyone got there, the same voice made another announcement that the train would be on Track 2. Back everyone went, naturally grumbling with good reason to do so. My advance prognostication of an issue in Fredericksburg certainly had come true.

Chapter 8.4: Amtrak Carolinian, Train #80(17), Fredericksburg, VA to various points


Carolinian, Train #80(19)



9 P-42 locomotive (CLT-WAS)
651 HHP-8 locomotive (WAS-NYP)
1721 Baggage
81542 Amfleet I Regional Business Class
43377 Amfleet I Full Dinette
82655 Amfleet I Coach Class
82515 Amfleet I Coach Class
82606 Amfleet I Coach Class
82717 Amfleet I Coach Class


The six of us, along with the other sweating boarding passengers, were happy to see the Carolinian arrive. Upon boarding we were assigned by the crew to the few available seats, so were not initially able to sit together. Nevertheless we were glad to be aboard the air conditioned train. When we departed from Fredericksburg at 3:30 PM, we were 18 minutes late.

Again having made note of our consists throughout the week, it was immediately obvious that except for engine 9, this was the same Carolinian consist as we had on Wednesday's trip from Charlotte to Richmond.

The same slow orders that had delayed our VRE trip were still in place, hence this train's tardiness. Thus things would only get worse up the line as we went along. We got to Quantico at 3:59 PM, now 25 minutes down.

After leaving Quantico, the string of final farewells for this Fest began. Steve and Chris would be detraining in Alexandria to transfer to Metro. Despite the usual schedule padding into Alexandria, we were 33 minutes late when we got there at 4:39 PM.

Now down to four people, we continued into Washington, DC. We got there at 4:56 PM, and then settled in for the engine change. It was so hot outside that we had no desire to venture out to the platform to watch the engine change. However, because of that engine change we cooked for a while within the train as the power was off. Since most of the other passengers in our coach had detrained in Washington, we moved to sit closer for the rest of our respective trips.

The northbound Carolinian discharges only from this point north, so we did not gain any new passengers there or up the line. We were five minutes late when we departed Washington at 5:20 PM, happy to once again have air conditioning.

Heat restrictions continued, as we would lose time again between stations up the Northeast Corridor. In Baltimore, we made a rare stop on Track 4 (usually northbound Amtrak trains use Track 6) at 6:04 PM, now 13 minutes late.

I was the next one to leave the remaining small group, as I would be detraining in Wilmington. We got there at 6:53 PM, ten minutes off the advertised. Only three remained to continue north.

Piotr got off in Trenton at 7:47 PM, four minutes late. He switched to NJ TRANSIT to get where he had originated that morning, Metropark. And that left Grace and Alan, who arrived into New York City at 8:34 PM, nine minutes early. After all that tardiness en route, the train more than made up its deficits at the end.

Chapter 8.5: End of Friday's activities

Our Fest was over as the last of us detrained from the Carolinian at our various stops.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#10 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 02 April 2016 - 02:42 PM

Chapter 9: Getting home from the Fest

With the official Fest travels having ended on Friday, some of us would still be in travel until we all got home. Steve remained another night in the Washington area, and then on Saturday he rode Acela Express to New York City, followed by the Lake Shore Limited. But upon his arrival in Chicago on Sunday, he wasn't done yet. He continued in his travels by taking that day's Texas Eagle, and arrived in El Paso, TX on Tuesday afternoon. He flew back to Chicago from there that day.

The two Joes remained in the Washington, DC area from Thursday until Sunday, at which time they left on the Capitol Limited to eventually return to their respective Midwestern hometowns. Chris, after detraining in Alexandria from the Carolinian on Friday, took Metro to Reagan Airport, and then flew home to Texas.

Penny began her return to Orlando on Friday evening, on a bad night for Amtrak that saw many southbound trains delayed due to heat and equipment issues. The Club Acela gave Penny and her fellow boarding first class passengers $25 to purchase dinner since they would not be able to get it aboard the Silver Meteor. Her train finally left Washington about 3 hours late, and remained that late until she arrived in Orlando on Saturday.

After spending the night in Wilmington, I completed my return to Philadelphia by taking Northeast Regional #162 on Saturday morning. After taking an NJ TRANSIT train to Cherry Hill, I drove home to Howell and was reunited with my phone charger.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ





0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users