quote:

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Originally posted by yukon11:
Which issue of TRAINS magazine, David? I made a quick perusal of the Sept and Oct issues and failed to see the article. Too bad it only will be temporary. After booking the Rocky Mountaineer dome car, I really can appreciate how much a dome car adds to the overall vista and scope of the train experience.

I did find an Amtrak article on the Adirondack dome car:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/News_Release_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1178294055169&ssid=180

I would like to see a dome car eventually added to some of the really scenic Amtrak routes such as the Empire Builder or Zephyr.

Richard

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quote:

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Originally posted by dns8560:
The airport is about 2 miles away from downtown. Here's a hotel you can try:

Plattsburg Days Inn Suites

8 Everleth Dr

Plattsburgh, NY, 12901
866-539-8063 Average Rating 4.1 Recommend 90% 42 Guest Reviews $67.96

Lowest avg. nightly rate

Price Match Guarantee

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Great info - thanks.

Final question - any idea of how easy it is to get a cab at the Amtrak station in Plattsburgh?

If I do this on a Monday I can get an Allegiant flight from Plattburgh to Sanford, FL (where my wife will be visiting in-laws) direct and non-stop IF the train is within 90 minutes of on-time and IF I don't wait like an hour for a cab like I did in Grand Junction, CO once.
 

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Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
 
Sounds like an opportunity to take AutoTrain, David.
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
Mr. Palmland, where would Mr. Presley obtain the auto needed in order to use Auto Train?
 

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Posted by City of Miami (Member # 2922) on :
 
2 "s"s, mr norman, 2 "s"s.
 

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Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
 
I could do a one-way rental since my own vehicle would likely be parked at the Greenville-Spartanburg airport!
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
Lest we forget, DPM once did just that.

Shortly after AT was inaugurated, he flew from KMKE to KDCA. There he rented an auto, drove to Lorton, had it loaded aboard, then next morning, drove it to KMCO where he turned it in before flying back to KMKE (he was also an airfan BTW).

Since back then, auto rentals had a mileage component in addition to the prevailing time component of today, he had to do a lot of explanin' when an auto rented in Wash was being turned in at Orlando with maybe 50 some miles driven.

His tale is documented in TRAINS.

Finally, Mr. Presley, I have to ask; are those 'cheapy cheap" airlines really worth it? While actual flight safety is "off the table", it would appear that a passenger would not have too many options at KSFB in the event of a last minute flight cancellation - especially if one had already surrendered their baggage and turned in their rental auto.
 

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Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
 
Hey Mr. Norman,

The airline issue here is one of who actually flies in and out of Plattsburgh, NY.

I began my research by going to the Plattsburgh airport's website to determine which airlines service Plattsburgh.

Imagine my suprise (and it was just that) to discover that Allegiant flies from Plattsburgh to Sanford NONSTOP two days a week and that one of those days just happens to be a day on which I could be coming off the northbound Adirondack.

The bonus here is that my wife will be at her mother's house that day AND the mother-in-law lives just 15 minutes from the Sanford Airport. It is her airport of choice whenever possible.

Allegiant flies full-sized airplanes and will nickle and dime you BUT when flying solo I don't need to check luggage and I don't need to select my seat in advance.

The only other viable option for Plattsburgh is Cape Air which offers three or four puddle-jumpers each day to/from Boston. I'm not above riding a puddle-jumper but prefer not to........REALLY prefer not to.

I also prefer to cram myself into only one airplane in a given day. Starting a trip from home just outside Asheville, NC, I will GLADLY drive up to four hours to an airport in order to find a non-stop, no change flight to my destination. Over the years I've flown out of Nashville, Knoxville, Atlanta, Greenville-Spartanburg, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh-Durham......all airports within my 4-hour circle. Haven't found an opportunity to use the Tri-Cities, TN airport yet but wouldn't hesitate to do so if it ever fits my plans.

Finally - If I pull the trigger and plan this trip, it would be with the full knowledge that I run the risk of an unexpected overnight stay in Plattsburgh and my need to make alternate travel arrangements.....which might include Cape Air after all......to start home the following day.
 

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Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
 
David, Last year, when I took the dome car, I looked into going only as far as Plattsburgh. I opted to go all the way to Montreal after I decided to combine the visit with a quick one to one with my friends, who lives near Ottawa. For me it was a great trip; I went up mid-July on a Thursday. It was a tad rainy and overcast, so the foliage not quite as glorious as it would be on the return, but it was still a fun trip. There was a Rails and Trails person (not as knowledgeable as some out west!) but the dome car wasn't all that busy!!! The train got in to Montreal maybe 15 minutes late. I taxied to my hotel, had a light dinner, and had almost the whole next day in Montreal before my train left for Ottawa around 4PM. I went to Gare Centrale and left my luggage there, then went down toward the Old Port, which was kind of empty so early in the morning. I stopped at that glorious church there (I'm too lazy to look up name right now), the inside of which I'd never seen--they charge $6 but it was worth it. I went all the way down, then back up past the civic buildings and into the Plateau, where I walked around St. Louis Sq and went further east into the French neighborhoos with lovely parkside homes, then back onto the main drag, had a very nice meal at a French place there, then walked down Duluth I think and into the Parc of Mont Royal, then over to the English area near McGill . . . it was a glorious autumn day, really living up to Keats's description, and the maple leaves, Canada's symbol, were simply spectacular in the park!!! I got back to Gare Centrale and caught my train, and my friends met me in Ottawa.

I spent Friday evening and with them, stayed at their house, then woke up at the crack of dawn Sunday, when they DROVE me all the way back to Montreal (what good friends, eh?!!) in time to catch my southbound Adirondack. The day was gorgeous, and the train quite busy, with lots of fun rail fans in the dome car. The foliage was simply splendid on the southbound trip--one thing to keep in mind is that the views on the Adirondack are usually best on the Lake Champlain side (right facing forward northbound from around Fort Edward, left facing forward southbound from Plattsburgh), but with the foliage in full flush, the other side was very splendid, so being in the dome car was simply wonderful. But also BUSY!

The train was not appreciably late southbound either.

MANY of the people on the train had gone up Saturday and back Sunday with only 1 night in Montreal. Even getting in late, I think this is way to go, David--to Montreal, rather than Plattsburgh. You can certainly get a better meal, most restaurants are open late, and if you're up for it there are probably music venues etc to visit too. Some of the people drove to Albany and picked the train up there (there's a good parking lot), overnighting in downtown Albany apparently. Most got on and off in NYC; a few came in between, or from the west and boarded in Schenectady perhaps--I don't recall.

It's true hotels in Montreal will cost you more, esp with the taxes, but you will be in Montreal! Note that nowadays that means you will need your passport. Also, pick up a $5 Canadian calling card if you need to phone home; don't use your cell up there. You should also get some Canadian $$ although, if you are going just overnight, you can probably use American dollars for most taxis (esp at the train station) and tips to porters if any--they take credit cards for just about everything else.

As for when to go, the main thing is that if you are going only overnight, you want to avoid doing it on a Monday, when so many of the Montreal restaurants are closed. Note that one bad thing about leaving Sunday from Montreal is that Premiere Moisson, the excellent little bakery-cum-sandwich chain that has an outlet in Gare Centrale, is closed on Sunday; but still, there will be food enough in Gare Centrale to take on the train, if not quite up to Montreal's usual standards, still much better than the Amtak fare.

If you do decide to go to Plattsburgh, I spoke last year with the cab company up there that is said to run 24 hours. The phone number was 518-561-7777. The dispatcher recommended that I stay at the Best Western Inn at Smithfield, 446 Route 3, 518-561-7750. He said it was about 4 mi fr downtown Plattsburgh and the train station but was the best place to stay without a car because one could walk from there to the college campus & mall. The hotel had an indoor pool, included continental breakfast, and was very cheap in 2008 with an AAA rate, though I think it was higher on weekends (I was thinking of a Thursday overnight). The fellow said the cab fare should be under $10 but you had best check on that again! Also, I would think you need to phone for a taxi, but am not sure.

Note: What delays the train very often is the border crossing. Anything can happen in that regard, so I'm not sure checking train times matters quite as much.
 

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Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
 
Sorry, David, I just saw that you are thinking of flying and all sorts of other stuff . . . I should have read your posts more carefully! But anyway, the info I give is for anyone else interested in going both ways on the Adirondack.
 

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Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
 
Interesting. On other boards, I've heard 100031 is in revenue service on a Surfliner set, there being a shortage of California cars. She's with a mixed bag of Amfleet cars.

I think the proof this year will be someone seeing her arrive in Adirondack country.
 

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Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
 
Hey Sojourner....

FANTASTIC information and just what I'm looking for re: Plattsburgh......and I've not ruled out going both ways via train yet.

Montreal - Very, very tempting. My passport expired in 2007 though. I wonder what the turnaround time for renewing that is now? The backlog was something like 6 months at one point a couple of years ago which, frankly, is why I just put it off. It's not like I used my passport frequently. I'll renew my passport at some point. THIS may be the inspiration to do just that.

Pullman - the 100031 has been on the west coast in the extra surfliner set for three or four years now BUT Amtrak has faithfully brought it east for the fall color season on the Adirondack for about the past three years. Given that the publicity on it came from an Amtrak press release, it seems that this is the plan again this fall.

But yes, seeing is believing.
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by notelvis:
The only other viable option for Plattsburgh is Cape Air which offers three or four puddle-jumpers each day to/from Boston. I'm not above riding a puddle-jumper but prefer not to........REALLY prefer not to.

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quote:

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Originally posted by palmland:
Just a note of caution on Allegiant, they recently announced cancellation of service from Columbia to Orlando/Ft. Lauderdale. It has been operating less than a year. Supposedly the two or three days a week they operated wasn't on a schedule that made sense for those going to Disney. But why not Southwest Raleigh to La Guardia or Albany?

Although I still think driving your wife to Sanford then Auto Train to Lorton, make the short drive to BWI, then Southwest to Albany and return and drive home might be feasible - for the truly hopeless Amtrak enthusiast.

Stopped at Lynchburg, again, on a quick trip to see our granddaughter. Looks like it should be done in time for the start up of the new train.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman:
An additional Cape Air thought; I hope that standing on a scale with your carry on items will not prove embarassing.

That's the drill - at least at KBOS.

Oh and a final observation; your carry on items will be lifted as you board and stowed in the engine nacelles. That could have been unfortunate for me, as I sometimes have ear blockage problems and I like to have a shot of a perscription nasal spray (Flonaise; well actually a generic as my Lady Doc knows I'm cheap) before a flight

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There is a link on the Cape Air website which reads -

"Customers Weigh In"

I don't even want to contemplate what that could mean!
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
Actually, Mr. Presley, I did not have to hit the scale; they will ask you "what do you weigh' and if believable they will accept it. (I weigh 170 and that's what I told them). However, if Oprah walked up (I'll bet she has been their passenger somewhere along the way - Martha's Vinyard KMVY - where quite a number of successful high profile African-Americans vacation - is served by Cape Air) and said she was a size 5 and 110 - well that's what the quite visible scale is all about. Your carry on items are weighed and again, as I noted earlier, become nacelle baggage.
 

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Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
 
Having a weight limit for baggage is one thing, but if there is now a weight limit for the passengers themselves, that sounds to me a bit discriminatory....... especially since both my wife and I are no longer slim and trim 20-year olds, and we both have our own personal "excess baggage"
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
RRRICH, I don't think any air carrier imposes a personal weight limit; those flying small aircraft, such as used by Cape Air, want to know so that flight safety is not compromised.

I'm certain they would accommodate Cedric the Entertainer or a "Biggest Loser" contestant, but not likely on the same flight. There is also a distinct possibility that some baggage could be left behind - that happened to someone on my KBOS-KACK flight.

On the Bombardier aircraft that SkyWest operates for United KORD-KHPN, after all passengers have boarded, a Flight Attendant will direct (level of tact may vary) some passengers to "sit here' or "sit there'. This likely done, not because of a potential flight safety compromise, but rather to maximize fuel economy. However, since we have both pilots and Flight Attendants around here, I shall defer to their knowledge.

Finally, let us note that several major carriers have 'suggested" they would consider an imposition of a surcharge for overweight passengers, but somehow, I think that would run amok of what Mr. Rich notes.
 

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Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
 
Out of curiousity, I checked Cape Air's 'Customers Weigh-in' link.

In this instance it's merely a series of testimonials from satisfied customers!

Personally though, I would be hesitant to fly on any aircraft so small that the weight of the passengers.....myself and all others..... is a significant part of the flight safety equation.
 

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Posted by City of Miami (Member # 2922) on :
 
Years ago I boarded a smallish plane in Tunis. The plane was full and the officials made us all get off and weighed us individually on an antediluvian set of scales and we got back on. All this to a lot of arm waving and jabbering in the unintelligible native tongue. They must've decided we were under the limit after all since we headed for the runway. There was dead silence and white knuckles as we lurched and heaved along the tarmac until the plane finally struggled off the ground
 

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Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
 
The reason small airliner crews move passengers around is not so much to save fuel as it is to enhance safety, to have the greatest weight closest to the center of gravity. (Pilots call this "weight and balance," and they compute it before each flight.)

Once at KCWA (Wausau Central Wisconsin) I was a rider in a 12-passenger Swearingen commuter turboprop when the pilot tromped on the left brake, gunned the right engine and rapidly swung the plane around 360 degrees. It startled me -- because I hadn't heard the pilot say he was going to do so to redistribute fuel from one wing tank to the other to achieve better lateral balance. There are pumps for this procedure, but they take a while, and the old barnstormer's trick does it quickly.
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
While at first blush, it would appear that this topic has been hijacked away from any relevance to a rail forum. I don't think so, in as much as many here travel just to travel. If the trip is to be of a train one fly the other way genre', and ever increasiingly there is a likelihood that the flight portion will be on a puddle jumper, this topic becomes quite relevant.
 

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Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
 
A couple of comments on the weight in:

When boarding the plane for my trip to that lovely SE Asian vacation experience in 1971, everybody was asked their weight as we boarded. No possibility of being given some cash for accepting a delayed departure.

Temperature can have a lot to do with allowable takeoff weight in a place like Tunis. It is no accident that a lot of departures for truly long haul flights, particularly those with tropical origina are late at night. The hotter is is, the less the air supports. Had that experience several years ago leaving Taipei. This was a United flight with a near noon departure. They announced the need to make a weight adjustment. We heard bumps and thumps indicating they were unloading freight. They then announced that there would be no need to ask for volunteer for deboarding, but that special takeoff procedures would be implemented. That meant go to end of runway, stop, and wind up the engines until the plane was creeping even with the brakes on, then knock off the brakes and use up most of the runway to clear the ground.
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
I must say, Mr. Harris, I had forgotten that I was asked my weight prior to boarding my little "puddle jump' 11JUL67 KSUU-PWAK-RODN-VVTS
 

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Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
 
Not to be sexist, but I wonder if female passengers sometimes lie about their weight.

To be honest, I always ask the nurse weighing me before a physical exam if she can be bribed to knock off a few pounds.
 

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Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
 
I would say that being less than truthful about one's weight is not limited to women.

I have memories of my Army days where I was always 'just under the wire' in terms of allowable weight for my age and height. I remember being required by my commander to weigh in every time I returned from leave. Just the Army's way of keeping me honest and on the healthy-eating, get some exercise each day regiman even when I was on vacation. I guess my point is that while I might have been tempted to lie about an extra 3 to 5 pounds, the scale tells the awful truth.

Could have been worse though - at least I wasn't subjected to urine testing upon my return from a leave as some people in my unit were.
 

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Posted by MontanaJim (Member # 2323) on :
 
Its official:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/News_Release_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1189639716444&ssid=180
 

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Posted by MontanaJim (Member # 2323) on :
 
not to hijack this thread, but since we are talking about the dome being used on the adirondack i will post a question here. im planning to take the trip one of the weekends its running. any tips on getting a good seat in the dome at albany? ill already be on the train coming from nyc. i guess ill just stand at the entrance of the car once they hook it on and head for a seat. where do they put the dome in the consist?
 

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Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by MontanaJim:
not to hijack this thread, but since we are talking about the dome being used on the adirondack i will post a question here. im planning to take the trip one of the weekends its running. any tips on getting a good seat in the dome at albany? ill already be on the train coming from nyc. i guess ill just stand at the entrance of the car once they hook it on and head for a seat. where do they put the dome in the consist?

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quote:

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Originally posted by sojourner:
It was first both ways last year when I took it.

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quote:

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Originally posted by palmland:
. The IC added a sleeper to the Panama Ltd in Memphis in 10 minutes....Too bad Amtrak forgot how to do the basic things.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman:

quote:

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Originally posted by palmland:
. The IC added a sleeper to the Panama Ltd in Memphis in 10 minutes....Too bad Amtrak forgot how to do the basic things.

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.......Amtrak, being a separate entity, does not have the capacity to do that, save either an emergency or a specific agreement like they have at MSP with a Short Line to handle their switching. HEP and additional FRA mandated procedures make the process of adding and cutting cars more complicated than in past.

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