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I went for a train ride round-trip from Durham to Charlotte Saturday just to see how things are looking these days on North Carolina's Piedmont Service.
I caught train 73 due out of Durham at 7:22am and returned on train 74 due out of Charlotte at 12:30pm. We had the same consist, the locomotive, the 'combine car', and four coaches in both directions.
All coaches were of the several times refurbished Heritage fleet cars bought new by the Kansas City Southern Railroad in the 1960's. Smooth sided and HUGE windows...... larger even than those in the superliner coaches I think.
The 'combine car' started life as a lounge car somewhere and has been renovated for the NCDOT to include a small checked baggage compartment, some lounge car tables, and a vending machine section selling snacks and sodas. Complimentary coffee and bottled water are provided. This particular car operates on trains 73, 74, 75, & 76.
There was a surprisingly large crowd.... about 100 people.... for so early on a Saturday morning waiting to board in Durham. The crowd included college students headed home for spring break, basketball fans going to either the ACC women's tournament in Greensboro or the CIAA men's tournament in Charlotte, families taking children to museums in Charlotte, or in some cases grandparents taking the children for a first train ride. The last coach was set aside for about 60 members of North Carolina's Volunteer Train Host Association riding to their annual meeting in Kannapolis.
I wound up taking an aisle seat as all window seats in the first three coaches were already filled with passengers who had boarded in Raleigh and Cary. I attempted first to discreetly snag a window in the car occupied by the train hosts but was politely asked to leave since I have not been an active train host since 1998..... and I did ask if I could stay on the grounds of being a Train Host Emeritus....
I later heard the 'on-duty' train host remark that the passenger load for that morning's Piedmont had topped 250...... it was a pretty full train at least as far as Kannapolis.
Our arrival in Charlotte was about 10 minutes late due to a little padding on the last lap in. We had spent most of the trip about 20 minutes late due mostly to slow orders between Durham and Burlington where a great deal of track work is going on..... mostly tie replacement and ballast scrubbing.
In fact, the midday Piedmonts (#74 and #75) are operating Fri-Sun only through mid-April to accomodate this maintanence blitz.
The trip back was not nearly as full...... perhaps 85 passengers on in Charlotte plus maybe a dozen of the train hosts back on at Kannapolis.... the rest were waiting to return later on train 76. At no point did the crew seat anyone in the rear coach on the return trip.... there was some overflow into the third coach at Greensboro.
This ridership pattern is consistant with what I observed during my own train-hosting days in the mid-1990's.... the Saturday morning crowd would pack the train but the return load would be lighter.
But in those days the Piedmont would run only two coaches weekdays and a third on weekends. The midday train has increased ridership on all three trains.
Stations - currently the Cary, NC station is being renovated and expanded. This station was built new in the 1990's and housed a DMV Driver's Licensing Office with a small indoor lobby for waiting Amtrak passengers. DMV has moved out for more spacious quarters down the street and Amtrak will be getting the entire building now. Plans even call for adding a ticket agent and checked baggage at Cary to take some of the stress off of the downtown Raleigh station where ridership demands have outgrown what the available space (station size, available parking) there can accomodate.
The other stations between Raleigh and Charlotte are either new constructions (Kannapolis), incredible renovations of classic train stations (Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury), or remarkable upfittings of other historic trackside structures (a tobacco warehouse in Durham, the 1800's steam locomotive shop building in Burlington).
One thing that stands out though is that the current Charlotte station is looking a bit down in the mouth. This structure was built north of downtown in the 1960's when the classic downtown station was razed. Now the increasing Amtrak ridership has outgrown the building and it's parking lot. Fine, this happens. I get that.
However, plans for a new intermodal Charlotte station downtown have been on the drawing board for about a decade now and, in that time, everything done towards keeping the existing Charlotte station up has been piecemeal and haphazard. Kind of a 'why bother, it's going to get torn down anyway' attitude. The parking lot is potholed, litter is sometimes picked up and sometimes not...... basically the building is starting to take on an unwanted stepchild kind of appearance. Not particularly bad until compared to the real gems elsewhere across North Carolina.
amtrak92 Member # 14343
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I would love to take the Piedmont one day. I agree on the CLT station. I rode on the extended one day gig of the Piedmont once. From Columbia SC. More of a test train. It was a good trip. Good report
Well, I must say, save the Amtrak signage, the Charlotte station looks no different than it did during my August 1962 SRY ride Atl-NY on The Crescent.
If NC is serious about their passenger train initiative, then that "Brosnanshack" needs to see the business end of some demolition machinery.
notelvis Member # 3071
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To be fair, some of North Carolina's windfall in the HSR sweepstakes is supposed to go towards new interchange infrastructure for the proposed intermodal station.
Translation - they need to new switches for additional tracks where the trains are going to stop.
I really believe that the expectation that something new is coming is what has prevented significant improvements being authorized for the Brosnanshack.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Thanks so much for the trip report, David. I hope to take the Piedmont some day too; it's one of those instate routes I've thus far never been on. . . .
palmland Member # 4344
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Interesting report David. I had no idea the Piedmonts now have 4 coaches in addition to the combine/lounge. We can only hope a slug of FL money will make the new station a reality sooner rather than later.
My first encounter with CLT was in 1966. I had a summer job in Camden and drove there to get on the southbound Crescent in the middle of the night (in those days bizarre arrival and departure times were no big deal). I remember thinking how new and modern the station looked. I was quite impressed. Of course it was nice to board the train and slip into a bedroom where my father who boarded in DE was loudly snoring away.
I guess this shows how fast things (and people) age. I hope I outlast the station though!
notelvis Member # 3071
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Interesting point Palmland -
I first used the Charlotte station catching the still Southern Crescent northbound the spring after the original Piedmont was discontinued.... that would have been 1977..... and thought that it was remarkably modern at that time as well.
But even that was nearly 35 years ago now.
The fact is, Amtrak with a huge assist from the NCDOT, has actually outgrown the station in Charlotte. Parking is a challenge and the lot is packed with taxis and vehicles picking folks up at train time.
George Harris Member # 2077
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When we look at where things were along this whole Charlotte - Greensboro - Raleigh line before the state got started on the service, the results are nothing short of amazing. If someone had told you 20 years ago that there would be three trains a day along this route running faster schedules and carrying more people that ever rode during Southern Railway days you would have asked them what they had been smoking.
notelvis Member # 3071
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The portion between Cary and Greensboro in particular has never been in better shape.
Sidings have been extended and returned to service, a few curves have been realigned and others superelevated, and the line is now signaled where before it was train order controlled only.
amtrak92 Member # 14343
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The state of north carolina has put a lot of money into their railroads. I think that the new station will happen soon. And that is what is causing this old one to be still used.
notelvis Member # 3071
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I agree that it will happen eventually....... just not as quickly as originally believed. The attitude (if you will) surrounding the current Charlotte station is just patch things up to hold 'em together until that great new station becomes a reality.
What exists in Charlotte presently is still superior to the only recently replaced St. Louis Union Trailer or the also only recently replaced temporary Albuquerque, NM facility.
Just wish they would fix the potholes in the parking lot.
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
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David, THANKS for bringing back some wonderful memories of the many times I rode the Piedmont from Salisbury to Charlotte. I spent some fun times on the short ride and day trips to visit the museums, see a game, or have a walk through downtown to Matts Chicago Dogs for a authentic dog with all the trimmings. I hope you don't mind if I add 'visuals' of some pictures I took 'back in the day':
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
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And a not very good one of the inside:
notelvis Member # 3071
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Great pictures.
The cars have been refurbished once more since these pictures were taken. The inside looks much the same but now the exterior of the NCDOT cars are dark blue from the windows down..... still platinum mist above.
And you should see the lovely shelter that has been constructed over the Salisbury platform now too.
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
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quote:Originally posted by notelvis: Great pictures.
The cars have been refurbished once more since these pictures were taken. The inside looks much the same but now the exterior of the NCDOT cars are dark blue from the windows down..... still platinum mist above.
And you should see the lovely shelter that has been constructed over the Salisbury platform now too.
I actually miss Salisbury nowadays. Been over five years since I have been back. Maybe this year I'll get back down there are ride the rails again....
amtrak92 Member # 14343
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The Piedmont looks pretty good I think
notelvis Member # 3071
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I like dmwnc1959's interior photo -
Look out those windows - kudzu on one side, an abandoned textile plant on the other. This could be nearly anywhere between High Point and Concord.
palmland Member # 4344
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Anyone know if there is long term parking (2 weeks) within walking distance, or short cab ride, from the Raleigh or Cary stations?
Planning a trip, mostly by air, but might need a Piedmont ride to connect the dots.
notelvis Member # 3071
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There is plenty of free and relatively safe parking at the Cary station..... right across the tracks from city hall. Cary is nearer to the RDU airport than the downtown Raleigh station if your trip involves a cab to/from the airport.
While the Raleigh station is staffed, I would be reluctant to leave a car in the lot there for two weeks.
SilverStar092 Member # 2652
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Thanks for the great report, David. Our last ride on the Piedmont a couple years ago was great. We left the car overnight at the CLT station and found no problem parking as long as we navigated away from the potholes. Our hotel in Cary picked us up at the station..a great station location and quite busy on a Saturday morning for the morning westbound. Has there been any more talk about service to Asheville?
palmland Member # 4344
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Thanks David.
SS92, what hotel did you use in Cary?
SilverStar092 Member # 2652
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Homewood Suites in Cary. It was probably about 3 or 4 miles from the station but they gladly transported us both ways even for the early morning train.
George Harris Member # 2077
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quote:Originally posted by SilverStar092: Has there been any more talk about service to Asheville?
Unless someone drops a large pot of money on the state and that money designated for this service, talk is a far as it is likely to get for a long time to come.
amtrak92 Member # 14343
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It is more likely to have a service to Wilmington, as they haven't cancelled anything that way yet.
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