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We had been stopped on the single track mainline for about 15 minutes when the conductor made this announcement: ‘A freight train broke down ahead of us in Big Bend tunnel. We can’t move until they pull it into a siding’. Was this going to be our trip from hell on the Cardinal?
It all started a few days before when my brother and I met in Philadelphia on our way to the National Model Railroad convention in Milwaukee. Since we were originally from this area, we were going to spend a few days revisiting places we knew from many years ago. We would then board the Cardinal in Wilmington for our trip to Chicago and on to Milwaukee on the Hiawatha service.
One of the railroad highlights of that brief visit included an excursion on SEPTA commuter trains from Paoli into Philadelphia. Paoli was the station for my first solo train ride at age 12. While we lived in near Wilmington, I boarded in Paoli so I could take a through New York to Nashville sleeper on Pennsylvania Railroad’s Cincinnati Ltd. Earlier our father had used Paoli for his weekly commute on the Broadway during the war to the Universtiy of Chicago while working for the duPont Co.
Septa service was excellent on all trips including our ride on the Girard St line that still uses PCC trolley cars. We took the commuter train into the nicely restored Reading Terminal. There, we caught one of those fake trolley buses used for tourist rides in cities. Here it was called the ‘Phlash’ route. But it was well worth it – a very scenic ride through Fairmount Park, past the Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (if you’ve seen the ‘Rocky’ movies, you’ve seen the museum) to their famous Zoo (and equally famous, for railfans, Zoo interlocking tower where the PRR line to Chicago splits from the line to Washington.)
After a return to Paoli we drove our rental to Strasburg RR. No Johnny come lately tourist line here. The 5 mile railroad was chartered in 1832 and has been in operation since then. Lately they have begun hauling freight again as well as their frequent passenger operations. Their shops now do specialized repairs on steam engines that are brought in from around the country. Across the street is the large Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania with an extensive collection of equipment. Even if you are not a railfan, it is worth a visit there. Nothing is more pleasant than sitting in an open window coach, listening to the soothing sounds of the steam engine while watching the Amish families work in the fields or trot down the road in their carriages.
To get in the right frame of mind for out Amtrak trip the next day, we splurged on dinner at the Hotel duPont’s Green Room. Sadly their Brandywine Room that has wall to wall Wyeth family (Andrew, Jamie, N.C.) original paintings is now only used for special occasions and pre theater buffets.
Train No. 51, the Cardinal was on the money on a bright sunny Sunday morning, July 11, in Wilmington. We had roomettes across the aisle from each other, a great way to be sure you don’t miss anything. After reading the reports and reviews on the Cardinal, our expectations were not very high. But, our car, Prairie View, had been recently refurbished. All the curtains were new, the Velcro was intact and worked, all lights burned brightly and it was clean with no squeaks or other noises. Wow, it looked as if we might have to alter our opinion. Surely the diner/café or on board employees would be lacking.
Jay Martin was our sleeping car attendant. He did a nice job of introducing himself, asked what time we wanted our beds turned down and a call in the morning, explained the operation of the roomette, and told us about the café car. While we had eaten breakfast in the hotel, we enjoyed a cup of coffee (the coffee maker was always ready) with the morning paper that Jay provided both of us as we rocketed along the NEC.
After an on time departure from Washington, it was good to be back on the Southern Ry. (NS). I don’t know why but there is something distinctive about their railroad. Maybe it’s the way the track is so well maintained, or the look of the signals, or perhaps the rolling green Virginia countryside. We had lunch shortly before arrival into Charlottesville.
While the café/diner is truly not suitable for a long distance train, the crew made the best of it. The tables next to the sleeper were in full operation (no supplies piled on tables or lounging employees). Craig, the LSA, did a masterful job with what he had. He was efficient, pleasant without being too familiar, and worked well with cook. With a full sleeper and three very full coaches, they kept up with the crowds. We were fortunately not seated at the tables with no windows, so lunch was very enjoyable. My chicken salad was excellent.
We left Charlottesville 15 minutes late due to the large crowd boarding there. Near the top of the grade over the Blue Ridge mountains, we met No. 50 at Afton. As we went into the siding for the meet, it delayed us another 15 minutes. Fortunately there were no other delays on this portion of the route operated by the Buckingham Branch RR. There have been reported problems with their dispatching and delays due to empty coal trains that CSX sends via this route.
I have felt that the Cardinal was primarily a NEC to West Virginia train with another set of riders primarily from West Virginia and Ohio into Chicago as well as a few leisure riders, like ourselves, that went the full route. Splitting the train into two daytime runs would make sense and provide better service to Cincinnati. Well, if this train was representative, I was wrong. There were maybe four or five people in roomettes as we left Washington. According to Jay, he had sleeper passengers boarding in Charlottesville, Prince!, Clifton Forge and Huntington that were heading to Chicago. Judging by the throngs on the platform, the coaches were the same. I do think, though that it would be worth it to put Superliners on this train, and let NEC passengers change in Washington, as do those on the Capitol.
As many of you know the route is gorgeous. Even with the trees fully leafed out the views of the New River were stunning in the late afternoon sun. This route clearly needs a Superliner Lounge car.
Now, getting back to that announcement of the stalled freight train in the tunnel. Was our increasingly favorable impression of the train ride going to be wiped out by a lengthy delay or, worse, an all night bus ride? Well, Big Bend tunnel (of John Henry fame) is only a short distance from the yard and crew change point of Hinton, WV. So it was not long before another crew from Hinton pulled the stalled freight into the yard and we were on our way. Still, we had lost another hour and by the time we arrived in Huntington and were getting ready for bed, we were down almost two hours.
Dinner was another good meal, braised beef. So it seems that if the cook knows what he is doing (and cares) it is possible to produce decent food from that sorry excuse of a diner. As we went to bed, we were wondering if we would be in time to make our 1 pm connection in Chicago to the Milwaukee train, especially since Amtrak had recently taken a half hour of padding in Indianapolis out of the schedule.
We sat down in the diner for breakfast about the time we arrived in Crawfordsville, IN – and miracle of miracles, we were only 40 minutes late. So either we exceeded the speed limits, or there is still generous padding - but we were pleased. Now we just had to run the gauntlet of congestion and route changes in the Chicago area on a busy Monday morning. Breakfast was the old reliable hot cakes. In checking the train on one of the curves, we were surprised to see that three coaches had been added in Indianapolis, rather than two. So as we began to thread our way into Chicago, we had a very respectable nine car train (6 coaches, diner, sleeper, baggage).
The gods of the high iron were looking out for us as we made left and right turns over various railroads to enter the city. No stops, no delay. Scheduled arrival was 10:05. We arrived at 10:07. In fact we were in time to make a 20 minute connection to an earlier Milwaukee train, barely. Well done, Amtrak.
Our early arrival allowed us to take make an early convention tour to the Kalmbach Publishing offices – very interesting, especially the David P. Morgan library (not open to the public). The next day we had another tour to Walthers, manufacturer of model railroad equipement. With over 120,000 square feet of warehouse, it was fun to walk down the aisle stacked with all of our favorite models. Phil Walthers and his staff make the first public announcement to us of their new models for 2011: The complete train of the 1953 Broadway Limited and, including a detailed prototype, of their model of Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. Very cool. Walthers also said that later in the week they were sponsoring an open house at the station on the Milwaukee Road’s Sky Top observation lounge and Great Dome car.
It was hard to sit in those cars and compare them to our amfleet dinette, but we should be thankful that 50 years later we can still travel by rail, and in some style, if not luxury.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Thank you so much for your trip report, Palmland. It is good to hear a good report on the Cardinal again! And I too am hoping Superliners will be back on the route some time.
palmland Member # 4344
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Thanks, Sojourner. I do wonder what Amtrak will do since the train is on their list of trains slated for a performance review this year. Surely it is more than adding the baggage car.
train lady Member # 3920
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I am happy to hear that he tracks are now well maintained. The last time we took the Cardinal some years baack the tracks between Cville and Staunton were so bad we had to hang on to the arm rests to keep from being tossed out. That is why we finally took only the Cap.
rresor Member # 128
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My last trip on the Cardinal was when it still had Superliners -- about eight years ago, IIRC. It also had a Sightseer lounge. I boarded in Charleston and, despite it being a mostly day trip, I had booked a roomette (it was a business trip). I had an enjoyable ride, a good lunch, and for dinner the prime rib was better than what I had been served the previous night in the Outback Steakhouse in Beckley, WV.
I think my next trip on the Cardinal will wait until the Superliners return (if they ever do).
smitty195 Member # 5102
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quote:Originally posted by palmland: One of the railroad highlights of that brief visit included an excursion on SEPTA commuter trains from Paoli into Philadelphia. Paoli was the station for my first solo train ride at age 12. While we lived in near Wilmington, I boarded in Paoli so I could take a through New York to Nashville sleeper on Pennsylvania Railroad’s Cincinnati Ltd. Earlier our father had used Paoli for his weekly commute on the Broadway during the war to the Universtiy of Chicago while working for the duPont Co.
Paoli....so close to my old stomping grounds when I was a kid. Are you familiar with Broomall? Just about 15 minutes from there. I was born in Delaware County Hospital.
palmland Member # 4344
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Hi Train Lady - Actually the tracks I was referring to only run from Washington to just north of Charlottesville - the small town of Orange. There it gets on a little used line for about 10 miles to Gordonsville and then west through Charlottesville. That 10 mile stretch is slow and bouncy. But once on the former C&O line at Gordonsville the track to Clifton Forge is not great, but ok (mostly welded rail), at least for our short mid day run on it.
rresor- I do wonder why it takes Amtrak so long to make a change. With the increased number of cars now available, Superliners should be available. I think the argument that ridership would decline if it was not through to NYC is somewhat misleading.
Yes, there may be fewer passengers from NYC to Alexandria or Charlottesville, but, based on what I saw, there were plenty of riders that were getting on for the long haul - higher revenue per passenger sounds like a good swap for maybe slightly fewer passengers. Those short haul passengers of course now have another option with the daily Lynchburg train.
It was gratifying to see many use the train in the smaller towns for basic transportation and just not a bunch of leisure riders, like ourselves.
Smitty - I saw signs for Broomall on the road. I understand Paoli station is slated for a major overhaul, so it was good to see it as it was. On our return we departed from 30th St. station -upper level after arriving on the 69th st. EL -a first. I would rank 30th st. as the second best station on Amtrak, behind Washington.
jp1822 Member # 2596
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The sleeper sells out MONTHS in advance, yet Amtrak continues to ignore the potential revenue they could get by adding another Viewliner sleeper to this train. Amtrak has 11 Viewliners in reserve. I think it could afford to put two additional ones in service for a tri-weekly train - and perhaps as demand allows.
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