# Crescent Trip Report ATL>NYP



## Dovecote (Sep 19, 2010)

My wife and I recently completed an ATL-NYP trip starting the evening of September 15. The trip started from our home in Thomasville about a 4 1/2 hour drive north to ATL. Unlike our previous home in HFY, we certainly have to travel a lengthy distance to an Amtrak station. The JAX station is a shorter distance approximately a three hour drive for us. We chose to travel out of ATL on this trip for the purpose of seeing my cousin prior to the start of the trip.

We left Thomasville around 10:30 AM and arrived in the Atlanta suburbs around 3:00 PM. Our visit with my cousin and his wife was a short one but a quality visit none the less. My cousin drove us to the station and he dropped us off at approximately 7:30 PM. Waiting for us inside the station was AU member Bill Haithcoat. Bill and I made prior arrangements for a visit and true to his word Bill greeted us with a big smile on his face. This was our first time meeting Bill and we had a nice visit while waiting for the arrival of the Crescent. The little station was near capacity with passengers waiting for the Crescent. Bill was surprised at the crowd since it was on a weekday after Labor Day.

The train arrived about 30 minutes late into ATL. About 8:30 PM boarding began. We said our goodbyes to Bill and headed down to the tracks. Our sleeping car attendant Rob met us at car 2010 and we proceeded to roomette 5. The train departed around 8:50 PM and shortly afterwards Rob came to our room. He greeted us with a warm welcome and informed us to head to the dining car for dinner. Sherralyne, our Dining Car Steward, greeted us upon arrival of the dining car. We were seated with a retired couple from Griffin, GA. In all there were a total of seven passengers served during this seating. All seven passengers were from the sleeping cars. I assume that coach passengers were entitled to seating as well but on this evening they were a no show. All four passengers at our table chose crawfish etouffee. None of us were disappointed. We had a nice conversation with our seatmates, Ed and Susan, who were retired school teachers. Around 9:45 PM we departed the dining car and shortly afterwards were greeted again by Rob who gave us a formal introduction. We called it a night around 10:45. Rob prepared our sleeping quarters and brought my wife an extra pillow upon her request. I slept in the top bunk and enjoyed the spacious overhead area compared to the Superliner.

The train made up for the lost time during the night and by 7:20 AM it arrived in CVS on time. At that time we walked over to the dining car expecting to be seated for breakfast. Sherralyne informed us that there would be a wait and as it turned out the wait totaled 40 minutes. Patrons on the wait list were informed to wait in the lounge car. This car did not have any vacant seats as well although around 15 minutes later we were able to find a table for two to sit. We later were informed that at 6:30 AM, when the dining car opened, a group of 24 passengers were seated taking over half of the 13 available tables for dining. This group made very little effort to relinquish their tables in a timely fashion after their completion of breakfast. Some in the group departed the car as late as 8:00 AM when we were seated for breakfast.

Sherralyne apologized for the wait and maintained her pleasant disposition. She and her assistant were overwhelmed throughout the entire shift but they never let it get the best of them. Our tablemates were a nice retired couple from England who were here visiting their daughter’s family from Connecticut. They had made a side trip to NOL and were returning to see their daughter. Prior to placing our breakfast order we were informed that the kitchen was out of eggs (for the scrambled egg entrée), bacon, and the breakfast special entrée. We placed our orders and were served around 9:00 AM. The meal was above board and we had a nice conversation with Mike and Dawn. We left the dining car around 7:20 AM, as were pulling into ALE. Sherralyne forewarned us that the infamous group of 24 (minus 6) would be returning for lunch and to make decisive plans to arrive to the dining car before they do!

The train arrived into WAS early at around 9:30 AM and departed early around 10:00 AM. At 11:00 AM after departing BAL, the first and last announcement was made for lunch. We decided to utilize our sleeping car attendant to bring our lunch to the room in lieu of the alternative. Besides since we just completed breakfast, we would rather eat lunch later. Rob took our order, which consisted of the sandwich of the day, and brought it back to our room promptly. We waited until noon to eat lunch shortly after departing PHL. The train arrived into NYP at 1:15 about 45 minutes early. We said our goodbye to Rob, a most efficient attendant. Rob was one of our better attendants that we have come across and hopefully we will have him again on our return home. We then headed off to the LIRR to catch a commuter train to Manhasset. Lucky for us, we were heading east a few hours before the entire LIRR train line was closed after a freak tornado raised havoc on the tracks.

Overall we had an enjoyable trip on the Crescent. We had polite and efficient Amtrak employees serving us, met interesting people, and most importantly avoided the airlines once again!


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## Railroad Bill (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks for the great trip report. Glad you had a good experience on the Crescent. We enjoyed our trip on that train from NOL to NYP last year. Our only mistake was forgetting that the diner crew wants to serve lunch early and as we did not hear the announcement in the lounge car, we missed lunch call. 

Hope your return trip is just as nice.


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## Bill Haithcoat (Sep 20, 2010)

Dovecote,it was neat meeting you and your wife.

I had meant to PM you but will do this instead.

I did follow your timing and was relieved to see your early arrival in NYP.

We had discussed which trains came through Thomasville. You mentioned the Floridian and I said of course that would have been the former South Wind. I said I wuld look up addtional trains from the past.

There was one more train,a day local from Montgomery to JAK (the South Wind had been a night schedule.)

Not much of a train but then something interesting began happening in later years. It started handling streamlined through equipment from Montgomery attached in JAX to the West Coast Champion to NYP. I think it was a coach in the summer and a sleeper in the winter.

Anyway, Montgomery is not a place one would identify with the West Coast Champion, of all things--so highly identified with Florida- but nonetheless there it is.

Of course this would have given competition from Montgomery to NYC with the Crescent(old route)and the Piedmont Limited.


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## Sbaitso (Sep 25, 2010)

Very nice report. I always enjoy the reports that go into details about the trip and not just the technical information on the train.


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