CUS Metropolitan Lounge is nice but LAX has better customer service. For instance, at LA the Redcap will check your bag and get it to the train. In CHI they send you to stand in the ticket lines to check your bag. Of the 14 tickets counters I think 5 were open.
We boarded at 8:30 and I saw my first Viewliner. Car 4811 Room B for us. The car itself seems newer than the Superliners. The bedroom is smaller in floor space. The bathroom door opens only part way as it hits the chair so it is quite a squeeze to get in the bathroom. That was until morning when Maria showed us how to turn the chair aside. But the upper bunk is roomier.
Maria is our room attendant and Hector handles the dining car. Both were very friendly. Nice wine and cheese and left town on time. Moved our clocks ahead and settled in for the night. We actually slept. I woke up in Toledo which was at 3:00 am. Then arose in Erie at 7:00.
The morning scenery is gray and brown with gray clouds. So different from home where everything is blooming. No leaves here much less blooms. Border Patrol, six vehicles, six men, boarded at Buffalo. No delays there. All looks pretty dreary.
The trip east from Buffalo through the woods would be prettier in summer or fall. Right now it is all water - rivers, lakes, ponds, bogs and swamps. A little warmer and it would be mosquito heaven. For now there is still some patchy snow on the ground and it is raining.
Special lunch on this train of Boston Clam Chowder, roll and salad. Quite good but the cardboard bowl detracts from the ambiance. Met a business traveler who is allowed to use the train as long as it is cheaper than air.
The trains were separated in the yard at Schenectady and then we proceded to the Albany station. Despite booking this train many months ago we are in a NY sleeper so we had to change cars. The staff at the station seemed quite confused by this but eventually Maria appeared and told them to unlock the elevator and send us down to our train. We sucessfully boarded 4820 Room B and met Anthony, our new caretaker. Very nice fellow.
This car has removed the no longer used controls for the former tv set and also has a button to call the attendant. But never fear, Anthony says the call button doesn't work.
We started out on time but soon stopped and backed up quite a ways. After about 1/2 hour of silence the conductor explained that a freight had a problem up ahead on our detour route. Once it is cleared we can proceed. Meanwhile we sit on my least favorite thing - a trestle.
Diner was in the lounge car, choice of braised beef or vege pasta with brownie dessert. It was fine. We got going 1 1/2 hours late with hopes of making up some time. We see that the 44 miles from Worcester to Boston is allotted two hours. Sounds like the generous end of the Coast Starlight.
Still some snow here and ice on lakes. Very scenic and too bad we were deprived of an hour of daylight. Our consist now is two engines, one sleeper, two coach, one lounge. Coaches are sparsely populated.
Arrived BOS only about 15 minutes late. Neat station but cab stand not well marked and did require dragging the bags down a short flight of steps. Harborside Inn very nice and it feels great to be "on land".
We really liked the LSL. Staff on both legs were great. interesting sights, all those pretty New England towns. The Viewliner is fine. It's rather nice not having to climb stairs. �
Posted by amtrak92 (Member # 14343) on :
Great report. The Viewliners are fairly new still, And we are getting some more. I want to ride the LSL. Glad to know your trip is going well
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
So glad you made up the time Miss Vicki. Interesting you took a detour route; didn't know there was one! Did they say how you went? Did you go through Pittsfield MA? Springfield MA? Ordinarily, the train stops in both and quite a few coach passengers get on and off in Springfield, but that is westbound; coach is often quite busy westbound with people going to western NY, but I think because of the times they come back via NYC. It's most odd that you had to move sleepers. I suppose had we known the number of your car, we might have told you in advance; the Boston branch has a 4 in front of it (448 eastbound).
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
First Miss Vickie, glad to learn that you had a "budget cut" on your "sleep deficit". If your attendant Maria was a likely "sixtysomething" Hispanic woman, then she was my Attendant for a 2003 PHL-CHI trip on now deceased #41, Three Rivers - very attentive as I recall.
If I had occasion to have seen your tickets during our meet-up, I would have wondered why you had two coupons and separate cars, but probably just as well I didn't. Possibly it is one of the vagaries of redeeming Guest Rewards points. I know people who have redeemed airline "miles" and have found themselves on rather diverse routings. An example is a woman who is with a former child welfare agency client and was traveling with her husband KORD-KRNO and return on United and using "miles'. United obviously has non-stops in that market, but their routing was KORD-KMSN-KDEN (puddle jumper as she "joyfully" recalled); KDEN-KRNO. I don't recall (maybe "just didn't get into") her return routing. But glad the outcome went well - and with Maria (if one in same) calling the plays no wonder it did.
As I've learned, the "Post Road" between the Hudson Division and the B&A that was restored to service during the later '70's at Amtrak expense (Conrail did not for their freight operations so it was gone) has been removed account flooding damage. Therefore 448 is backed down the Hudson to Casselton and access to the B&A, which is what the Lake Shore did until the trackage noted was restored by Amtrak.
Vicki -- I don't understand why they switched the cars out in Schenectady rather than at Albany-Rensselaer, since you indicated that you went through Albany-Rensselaer anyway, in spite of the "detour" route (and where exactly was the detour route?). And why did you change into another sleeper at Albany, rather than just take coach for the short daytime jaunt between ALB and BOS?
Posted by 20th Century (Member # 2196) on :
Yes,I was also surprised to read that they switched the cars out in Schenectady. Vicki,thanks for the LSL report. Enjoy Boston! If it's cold here in New Hope today, I'm sure it's cold in Boston. Bundle up! In contrast, yesterday morning was warm and humid and as the day went along the weather changed.
Posted by HopefulRailUser (Member # 4513) on :
The cars were switched in the train yard. I knew I was switching cars when I left, my two tickets showed that. It was no problem.
As to switching to coach, we would have had to do that during the night at Cleveland to avoid the three zone AGR point expense. Not worth doing that.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Have a great day in Boston and say hello to Tom Black for us!
Frank in sunny but cool SBA
Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
Frank, We get Vicki and Art out to the house for dinner tomorrow night. If I recall from Miss Vicki's previous report, Art was gypped out of his hot dog on the SW Chief. Maybe we should serve hot dogs? (just kidding, Vicki!)
Tom
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Tom--
The last time they visited here they seemed happy with burgers from "The Spot" in Carpinteria so I think they'd be fine with the hot dogs.
Enjoy your evening.
Frank in sunny but cool SBA
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Have a chacarero for lunch! Downtown Boston, w places, both near train station. Get the BBQ one--delicious. They are huge--big enough to split.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Re change engines--I think that's not in Schenectady, it's just short of Albany. It's where the old sttion used to be.
Re points--if you were getting points to end a zone, would be Toledo, not Cleveland--even worse, even more in middle of night.
But it's odd they didn't give you a through ticket CHI to Boston on the same sleeper.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
One of the many things I enjoy about this board is the information that I glean about things I've never heard of. Chacareros!! And I've been to Chile!! They sound great and I will be looking for them the next time I'm in BOS.
Thanks, Sojourner for the heads up!
Frank in blustery, showery, cool SBA
Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
Frank,
The next time you're in BOS you'd better be thinking about eating chez Black.