8 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Folks, I have now taken two advance trips that have resulted in a lot of practical information for our intended Summer RailFest, known as the OTOL Atlantic Coast RailFest 2013.

In September of 2011, exactly a year ago this week, I took a trip down to Norfolk, going both ways by Amtrak to Newport News, then the Thruway bus thru the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel and Downtown Tunnel into Norfolk. I wanted to see where exactly the Amtrak bus stop is, where the Norfolk train station would be when it began, and of course ride the TIDE light rail to check out the system.

This past week history repeated itself on the anniversary of the Norfolk journey, as I took a trip that would not emulate the planned Fest activities per se, but would visit Richmond's Staples Mill Road Station to check out the area for potential lunch locations, visit Charlotte to get the lay of the land with regard to Amtrak and the LYNX light rail, and of course see where most of the major hotels and potential places to eat lunch or dinner are located. I wanted to ride one of the Piedmont trains to check out what type of "meals" we can expect from the vending machines. And then I paid a visit to the city of Raleigh, only because it would be a convenient place for me to change from the last Piedmont of the day to the northbound Silver Star with an overnight stay in a major city. But I also learned something about transfers between the Piedmont and Silver Star going in the other direction... which is our intent next summer only in the opposite order.

The trip overall was a success, as I found out a lot and feel comfortable in leading a group back there in 10 months. But the trip also contained some negatives, which can serve as eye openers to how things could go awfully wrong. We can discuss the odds of these things happening, and what contingencies we have if they do.

The interary I created is here. For now I can tell you that things worked very well the first two days, but went awry on the third, resulting in travel on an unplanned fourth day called Thursday.

That's just an introduction. I'll provide more details here on what I've found AND what happened to me.... in the next few days.

[steve4031]

Appreciate your hard work, Kevin. Wish I had been there to "help out".

[KevinKorell]

OK as promised here we go. I'll break down each aspect of what I was able to explore and learn.

Richmond, VA - Staples Mill Road station

The reason for the stopover here was to see the station and explore the area around it. Potentially on ACRF there would be several hours layover there in between trains.

The station is a decent sized building, with ample seating and two large ticket windows. There is a small food service place within the waiting room. No free Wifi is offered, but one can purchase online time from the food vendor.

The parking lot/driveway provides a rather long walk out to Staples Mill Road proper, also known as US 33. There is more than one might have thought available in the area, assuming that our inbound train isn't late and we therefore have ample time to venture from the station. I've compiled a list of restaurants no more than 2 blocks from the street entrance to the station driveway here. The McDonalds is a very short walk north once you get out to the street. Most of the other places are to the south, before one gets to the first cross street. A couple are across Staples Mill Road in a shopping center.

Charlotte

No Wifi in the Amtrak station. The current station location is about one mile north of Uptown (what would be called Downtown in most other cities). There are taxicabs available at the station. I am not sure if any other hotels offer complimentary shuttles, but mine did! The Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn share the same driveway, complex (with a condo building sitting in between them), and thus a complimentary van service that runs within a 3-mile radius including the Amtrak station.

Updated Charlotte hotel listing here.

There are a lot of office buildings uptown that have food courts within them. There is also the Epicentre, which is adjacent to the LYNX light rail's CTC/Arena station. The CTC itself, the major block-long Charlotte Transit Center bus terminal, also has some fast food eateries.

If one desires a sitdown steak, seafood, or Italian dinner, it will be costly but there are several major name eateries along the city's north-south main drag, Tryon Street.

Originally I had figured on having dinner on our 2013 fest at the Carolina Pavilions, a shopping center at the I-485 endpoint of the LYNX light rail line. My explorations yielded the following information. The Pavilions are a much larger comglomeration of stores and restaurants than one might think. Two of the places that had been on my list have since closed. The remaining eateries are a much longer walk than they appear on satellite maps. If people do wish to have a buffet dinner at Golden Corral, the walk is probably the equivalent of about 3 blocks but it's a roundabout walk since it sits up on a hill between the LYNX tracks and South Blvd. It's either that place, or eat downtown instead.

Updated Charlotte restaurant listing here.

Edited by KevinKorell, 18 November 2012 - 02:59 PM.

[KevinKorell]

The Carolinian

There was a day where they used Amfleet II cars, at very least as "Carolina Class" which was fancy Business Class. It's much more standard similar to what one would find on the Northeast Regionals. So with Amfleet I's, you've got Wifi.

Engine
Baggage
Amfleet I Business Class
Cafe
4 Amfleet I coaches

The Piedmont

Engine
Baggage/Snack Car
2 coaches

And that's it. As you probably know this train uses different equipment owned by North Carolina DOT. In the past it did have a food service car similar to the Amfleet cafe cars. I knew that only vending machines could be expected this time around, but I thought perhaps they would vend hot food or something substantial like sandwiches given that it operates during prime meal times. Nope. The vending machines will sell you canned soda, candy, chocloate bars, and chewing gum. Every passenger also gets a complimentary small bottle of spring water. We need to either find a way to bring food aboard, or eat at odd times either before or after riding this train.

Regarding transferring between the Piedmont and Silver Star, I was riding the Piedmont in the opposite direction we expect to do next summer. The crew of the Piedmont when announcing the Cary stop told everyone who was planning to transfer to the Silver Star (#76 to #91) to get off there and wait in the station building. I would assume that our intended transfer (#92 to #75) would be the same. That lets out Raleigh, unless the transfer there is forced by ticketing them separately.

I of course did not get to see what the Cary facility looks like since I was overnighting in Raleigh. RGH however does have a first class lounge, which is akin to those found in Miami and New Orleans. It's a small room with a couple of sofas, a TV, and 2 desks, no Wifi.

The schedule for the Fest allows 3 hours 2 minutes dwell in Raleigh, but since it's more than likely the change of trains has to take place in Cary, it's 3 hours 42 minutes. Seems like ample time with plenty of time for a meal, right? Well not when the Silver Star is running well over 5 hours late, as happened to me. An incident in Florida with the crew that required them to be relieved on the spot caused this huge delay while the train waited for a new crew to be brought in. While such delays are not the norm, it was an eye opener that they can happen. And if #92 was delayed in this manner on the day of our Fest, I don't think they would hold #75 for us. There does exist a later train, the Carolinian (#79), and they would probably send us on that. That in turn would kill our time in Charlotte, since we are supposed to leave early the next morning on the Carolinian (#80). Only way to salvage things would be a nighttime run on the light rail, which takes about an hour round trip.

[KevinKorell]

Now let me go back a year and recount my findings in Norfolk.

Norfolk

The Amtrak Thruway bus stop in Norfolk is currently at a large underused parking lot area a little north of the downtown core. It is about a 7-block walk to where the closest light rail station is, as well as the few downtown hotels. This may change once the Amtrak station opens in Norfolk.

Again there are a few chain hotels downtown. There is another cluster of them about 4 blocks walk north of the current eastern endpoint of The TIDE light rail at Newtown Road. They are positioned close to I-264, the highway that runs between Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

There are a lot more hotels of course at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. In one direction you might be able to easily access them by remaining on the Amtrak Thruway bus beyond Norfolk to its Virginia Beach stop. To get back to Norfolk you would then have to take HRT's #20 bus between there and the Newtown Road TIDE station.

We will probably have our Norfolk lunch in MacArthur Center, a downtown mall with food court.

Norfolk restaurants
Norfolk hotels

With the advent of the new Norfolk Amtrak train, we will need to decide whether we will take it (#125, longer Richmond wait, later Norfolk arrival) or the current existing method (#95, shorter wait in RVR, change to bus at NPN, earlier arrival in NFK).

The return trip, which would be Norfolk to Washington, would have to be with the Thruway connection changing at Newport News then Train #66.

[steve4031]

IIRC the coaches on the piedmont are refurbished heritage fleet cars with bigger windows. I'll enjoy the ride assuming I eat before getting on the train.

[KevinKorell]

IIRC the coaches on the piedmont are refurbished heritage fleet cars with bigger windows. I'll enjoy the ride assuming I eat before getting on the train.

Yes, they are HUGE windows. Just that you're starving while looking through them. I don't think they are from Amtrak's heritage fleet. You almost get the feeling you're on a tourist train.

[AlanB]

Well if we're running late enough that we won't have time in Cary to do anything, then the emergency alternative at least in my mind is to buy something that doesn't need heating from the cafe car on the Silver Star to eat for lunch while on the Piedmont.

[BillMagee]

IIRC the coaches on the piedmont are refurbished heritage fleet cars with bigger windows. I'll enjoy the ride assuming I eat before getting on the train.

Yes, they are HUGE windows. Just that you're starving while looking through them. I don't think they are from Amtrak's heritage fleet. You almost get the feeling you're on a tourist train.

Here is some info on the NCDOT cars:

http://www.bytrain.org/quicklinks/pdf/refurb_rebuild.pdf