# Circling the Northeast by Rail



## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Planning 
About in November of last year my friend Christian/Jake from Germany decided he wanted to visit me here in the United States for his first visit to North America over his birthday. And he tasked me with planning a routing that he would enjoy because I know the USA better than he would. So I set off to create the best possible routing possible for a road trip. 

The first draft had us taking NJ Transit from New York to Trenton renting a car one way. And going to the Black River and Western Railroad, the Delaware River Railroad, and driving back roads to Reading, PA. To spend a few days hunting shortlines and visiting museums in PA. Before taking Amtrak to Roanoke, visiting the Virginia Museum of Transportation and driving down to Chattanooga with a few stops in between before arriving at my house in rural South Carolina. 

Well a few weeks prior and before we had made arrangements for rental cars I noticed the Ocean Limited (MTRL-HLFX) was running with an all Budd set. So we cancelled our road trip to South Carolina via Roanoke in exchange for riding the Ocean Limited. And with the demise of PV travel and work for me money has been far tighter than before so I planned the Canadian leg of our trip with economy on the mind. So in order to skip a hotel night and two meals we planned to take the Capitol Limited to Toledo, and the bus to Detroit. Skipping further meals on VIA because of our business class tickets. 

The last change I made was instead of staying in Reading for a few nights I decided to be more central in Pennsylvania by staying in Harrisburg. Which made adventures to Horseshoe Curve, the North Shore Railroad Group, the Reading and Northern, and steamtown. 

Lastly to get to New York I wanted to finish the route of the Lake Shore Limited so I planned that flying to Boston in the morning and catching the Boston section to Albany would be a fun scenic circle. 

Day 0: Packing

Well as usual I didn’t really pack in advance as many of you guys have learned in my previous reports. But this time we were done before midnight so that sounds like we made an improvement. 

Day 1: The New England Circle
My Piedmont Airlines flight was scheduled to leave at 6:00 AM sharp for Philadelphia from Columbia Metropolitan Airport which normally wouldn’t be a problem. But for all days for alarms not to go off as scheduled that would be this day. My dad who was my ride to the airport had a weird alarm that he slept thru. Luckily it woke up my mother who promptly woke him up. Then woke me up because my alarm didn’t even go off. This is at 435 in the morning and boarding the flight is at 530. 

So we threw everything in the car and took a ride down the interstate to the airport. Usually I get to hear his military stories on the ride but because of the short time I was fairly quiet and stressed about making the flight. We arrived at the airport around 520 and I ran to the security checkpoint which was surprisingly long for Columbia. The other issue being the people ahead of me were all first time flyers so they took forever to clear security. 

Whereas I fly at least twelve plus times a year so I have my boarding pass on the face page of my passport, larger electronics towards the top of my suitcase, have the belt off before reaching the detector, and clean pockets. Which wasn’t the case with this group but I still managed to get out of security by 540. I ran thru the small terminal to the lower level tarmac gate and gate checked my luggage. 

After dropping my luggage on the cart I walked over the tarmac and boarded my Piedmont Airlines ERJ145 and took my seat. Today I was lucky on the small aircraft and had the single seat on the left side of the aircraft. It was a fairly smooth flight and if I’m right it went right over the roof of my house. Which is definitely something I enjoyed. For the most part I tried to sleep, then when that wasn’t forthcoming played Risk on my phone. We landed in Philly a few minutes early and again disembarked onto the tarmac. 

After a short bus ride from the regional terminal to the mainline terminal I was waiting for my next flight American Airlines 1972 for Boston. I needed to charge my phone because I neglected to the night before however the outlets in Philly leave lots to be desired. The first outlet I found the charger kept slipping out of it. And the second wasn’t an outlet but instead one painted on the wall. I gate checked my bag again and shortly was off on the E190 flight. This time I had an aisle seat because my window seat was taken by first time flyers who didn’t realize they couldn’t sit together. And for the most part I don’t care because we all arrive at the same time. 

Uneventful and short flight and we were on the ground in Boston. I quickly walked over to baggage claim and waited fifteen minutes for my bag to arrive and then I grabbed the first bus out. Which turned to be the airport shuttle to the Blue Line. I bought a Charlie card and proceeded beyond the fare gates and waited for the next inbound train. The blue line is rather weird in my opinion. 

The outbound train came in first by third rail and left by raising a pantograph. Which I can’t honestly think of any place I’ve ever seen like that. Shortly thereafter my train came in and we were off to Boston. I decided with Phase III No. 406 running on the Downeaster I would check out North Station. So I transferred to Orange Line at State street and went up to North Station. I photographed the Downeaster painted NPCU before returning back underground to head to South Station. 

I waited on a second Red Line Train because the first had so many rust spots I felt like it might be the safer move. Arrived a few minutes later at South Station where I decided I didn’t have enough time to sightsee much less with bags. So I railfaned around the station which is surprisingly accessible for a major station. I had lunch at the McDonalds in the station because I didn’t want to miss the only train west. Around 1235 we began boarding the Lake Shore Limited which had two P42s, a deadheading sleeper, two coaches, and a split cafe. 

We departed promptly at 1250 PM and started off west. I had a seat mate bound for Pittsfield who is a finance student at Harvard. Our two coaches were full the entire way with very few empty seats. I was the first on board so I chose a decent window seat on the engineers side. It’s a very scenic yet under rated run. We made great time. I stepped off for fresh air in Springfield as Vermonter pulled out. I was amazed at how short the platform actually was. Especially considering back in the day Springfield Union Station catered to multiple eight and nine car trains daily. 

I talked briefly to my seat mate on the way into Pittsfield. I was really surprised to see how much work the train did in Pittsfield. We lost forty passengers and picked up at least forty. I don’t know what’s in Pittsfield but it must be something special. Shortly after Pittsfield we met the eastbound counterpart as we continued westbound. 

The Post Road Branch seamed frightfully slow. Very scenic coming down into the valley but it seamed incredibly slow. We arrived into Albany a few minutes early as did the New York section a few minutes after we arrived. I watched from the platform as the two sections combined, as well as the Adirondack and Maple Leaf arrive. After a few minutes of standing and shivering from the cold wind I went over to the other platform and boarded a mostly empty Coach for my ride into the city. 

Shortly after departure we were running a hundred miles an hour down the Hudson at sunset and I attempted to take pictures of the sunset over the valley. My good friend Tyler boarded at Rhinecliff and we talked away the miles into the City. A lot of time was spent talking about politics as we are both political science majors, the state of railroading today, and our mutual hatred of the current Amtrak administration. 

We arrived into the city slightly off the advertised and went over to a nearby diner for dinner. It was fairly good and had a nice view of the Empire State Building. Afterwards we took the LIRR out to Jamaica and connected to the airtrain to reach our hotel out at JFK. Tyler and I waited for about an hour for the hotel shuttle to arrive forcing us to arrive shortly after midnight. We then met up with Christian/Jake from Germany and went to bed. 

Due to a mixup we ended up with one king bed so I volunteered to sleep on the floor using my camera bag for a pillow it wasn’t the most comfortable but it was doable.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

The Piedmont Airlines Embraer at Columbia Metropolitan Airport 



The Blue Line at the airport station in Boston. 



The MBTA Orange Line. 



The Downeaster at North Station. 



MBTA Red Line. 



Downtown Boston across the street from South Station. 



Boston South Station



The Lake Shore Limited Boston Section at South Station. 



Three generations of MBTA motive power. 



Two Acela sets sitting in Boston.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

A view along the B&A before Worcester . 



Worcester Union Station. 



I’m not sure where this is. 



The Lake Shore Limited and Vermonter at Springfield. 



The Massachusetts Fire Department training train. 



A view in western Mass. 



Both Lake Shore Limited sections. 



The Maple Leaf arriving into Albany. 



Our P32 rolling along the Lake Shore Limited. 



Sunset along the Hudson.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Sunset along the Hudson



Sunset under the bridge. 



The Maple Leaf at Penn Station. 



The Empire State Building


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Day 2: Keystone and the first car problem. 

We awoke at four thirty in the morning in order to catch our regional train No. 661 for Harrisburg. We took the hotel shuttle bus which dropped us off at the Delta terminal and took the air train to Jamaica. Caught the next inbound LIRR and arrived in Penn with a few minutes to spare before boarding. We said our goodbyes to Tyler who took Metro North out of town, and we boarded our train. 

We rode in one of the oldest Amfleet type cars which predates Amtrak. One of the Cab Cars from the original Metroliner. Taking a seat on the fireman’s side to Philly and engineers side beyond. I pointed out various NEC sights between small naps in the seat. At Philadelphia I photographed both ends of our train before reboarding and we headed off to Harrisburg. I was surprised how scenic this part of Pennsylvania was. 

We arrived a handful of minutes ahead of schedule and photographed the GG1 on the adjacent track. Before we walked over to the rental car location in a shady side of town. While walking the Illinois Terminal Heritage unit went by on a eastbound freight. When we reached enterprise we learned because he did not notify his credit card company they reduced his limit to $160. And our rental charge was about five hundred and me being responsible has paid his card off and gotten rid of it and they wouldn’t use my debit card. 

So without a car that eliminated my plan of visiting Strasburg and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. So instead we walked over to the State Capitol found a burger joint for lunch. I charged my phone while we had a relaxing lunch before we went out to the Art Market on Front Street. Most of the items weren’t in my price range but he atmosphere was lovely. 

After that we went for a walk across the Susquehanna River before settling into a train watching place on City Island at the boat launch with a view of the River line to Perryville, and the Lurgan branch which is part of the crescent corridor. Almost more entertaining than the handful of Norfolk Southern trains were the people launching their boats. Jake constantly retold the story of the family with their new boat backing into the water. 

And how when the women would say go left, she would then say the other left once her husband started backing up. I had to get into the water to help them get the boat off the trailer but all in good fun. Next was a husband and wife where the husband takes the boat for the weekend and just goes out without his wife. They did it in one try. After awhile the Training our First Responder Train went by us. 

Afterwards we walked back to the Amtrak station and took a twenty five dollar cab ride to our hotel on the south shore. Our hotel was crowded with people from a youth sporting event but check in was effortless. Afterwards we walked over to a local “grocery store” which was basically like the gas station stores without the pumps. He was fascinated with the why the small Nestle water cost more than a gigantic gallon jug marked water. He bought two gallons. 

We then went to a small pizzeria which was very friendly and they made us feel welcome. Afterwards we walked back to the hotel and I tried to make contact with the Turo car owner to no avail before drifting off to sleep.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

The Long Island Railroad at Jamaica. 



Sunnyside Yard New York. 



Our Keystone No. 661 at Penn station. 



Save Amtrak



Fire Anderson 



Train No. 661 at Philly. 



The Evil Empire at Race Street Yard



Train No. 661 at Harrisburg with a GG1



Norfolk Southern and a GG1. 



Downtown Harrisburg.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

The Pennsylvania State Capitol. 



St. Peter’s Harrisburg. 



Market Street Bridge to City Island 



Norfolk Southern heading towards Hagerstown. 



Christian/Jake photographing Norfolk Southern 



A Norfolk Southern freight going northbound off the Lurgan Branch 



The Training Our First Responders train on the Lurgan branch. 



A close up on the Training Our First Responders locomotive.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Day 3: Trying to salvage a bad day. 

So I slept in a bit because we were supposed to pick up our Turo car at ten so I slept in till nine which was a nice relief. I tried to make contact with the owner again and got no where. Christian/Jake came back from breakfast and we ubered across town to a sketchy feeling apartment complex. Christian/Jake walks around the parking lot and looks for the car to which he doesn’t find a car of that make or model. I look at the mailboxes and our host’s name isn’t listed. 

Hence I’m suspicious and I call him and still get no answer. Now realizing I’m in a particularly dangerous situation in a sketchy neighborhood and no sign of the reason I was there. Fresh with the memories in my head of the girl killed in a scammers ride share in my home town. So I called another Uber to take us to the Amtrak station. While waiting fifteen minutes for the nearest Uber to come I called Turo support. 

I will give them credit that their customer service is second only to Disney. They tried without success to reach our host before trying to find another car. However they weren’t successful at that. In order to salvage a bad day and to avoid spending another dull day in Harrisburg I bought us Amtrak Tickets to Lancaster where we could get a cab to Strasburg Railroad. 

On board Amtrak No. 666 I made calls to all my local friends trying to see if anyone could help us out. Our problem being we had tickets on a RDC car the next day departing at nine an hour away. And the rental car places don’t open till eight. And no buses were running at the right time. Luckily my good friend Chris Lockwood from the real New River Train agreed to drive up six hours from Huntington, WV to help us out. In exchange I bought him excursion tickets, gas, food, and hotel. 

So fresh with that knowledge the scenic but long $35 cab ride to Strasburg from Lancaster wasn’t as bad. Christian/Jake had trouble trying to understand our driver who I believe was probably driving under the influence of marijuana. But we were desperate and take what we get. 

We arrived at the Strasburg Railroad and if it weren’t for the cars in the parking lot it could have been the early 1900s or late 1800s with the wooden cars, and steam locomotives. I bought our tickets on the 1 PM train with an entry to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania next door. We boarded a wooden car shortly after the train arrived in and took our seats. 

And for the first time on this day I was able to relax and unwind as Amish country scenery drifted by at 15 miles an hour. All too soon that ride was over and we walked across the street to the museum. We then ambled around one of the best museums of railroading I’ve ever been to. They have a good variety of equipment inside that’s in perfect shape, and plenty of different locomotives and cars open for tours during our visit. 

After our visit we walked to the Caboose Motel and watched the inbound Strasburg Railroad train pass us before calling an Uber to take us back to Lancaster. Our ride this time was a large truck actually and the driver was so nice. We struggled explaining what the Amish are to Christian/Jake who thought they were a tourist attraction. But it was a very enjoyable ride. We purchased our tickets at the Lancaster Station and proceeded to wait on Train No. 667 which was running about fifteen minutes behind which was no big deal. 

Especially with Chris still several hours away. We settled in for the brief but enjoyable ride back into Harrisburg before settling into railfan on the Mulberry Street bridge. I don’t think it’s the safest area but we were left alone for the most part. And we saw roughly five trains before I moved us to City Island Park where I felt far safer. Chris arrived at the tail end of the Harrisburg Senators baseball game fireworks show. 

We then drove over to a diner across the street from Enola yard and had a decent dinner it wasn’t my favorite place of the trip but it was Christian/Jake’s. It was an enjoyable evening and we spent time catching up with Chris. Afterwards we went back to the hotel and I slept on the floor again because I felt Chris deserved to have the bed after driving so far.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

A center cab along the Keystone line. 



A NS local at Lancaster. 



The railroad museum of Pennsylvania. 



Francis L Sutter an Amtrak certified PV based at Strasburg. 



The Strasburg Railroad arriving. 



The small train at Strasburg. 



Strasburg Railroad leaving Strasburg. 



Amish Country. 



A steam engine alongside the Keystone Corridor. 



Heading back into Strasburg


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

The Strasburg Railroad backing down between two cuts of cars. 



Inside the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. 



Second generation diesels and electrics. 



The only remaining E7 left in the world. 



Steam facing off against an E60



Two massive Pennsylvania Steam engines. 



The first and second generation of NEC power. 



Inside the museum at their train station set. 



The Solari Board from 30th Street Station. 



The Strasburg Railroad.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

A Keystone at Lancaster. 



The Keystones at Harrisburg. 



Norfolk Southern at Harrisburg Station. 



Keystones at Harrisburg Station. 



A Norfolk Southern local at Harrisburg. 



Fulton Bank Building Harrisburg. 



Sunset on the Susquehanna 



Downtown Harrisburg from City Island. 



Sunset from City Island.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Day 4: The Reading and Northern

All of us woke up after a restful night around seven and went to Chris’s truck and started driving for Pottsville, PA on Christian/Jake’s 30th Birthday. We stopped at a drive thru on the way in and made remarkably good time and we’re sitting on board todays train ride 30 minutes prior to departure. About this time the Turo Car host from the day before sent a “Got Ya” meme. 

Shortly after departure we started talking with the people around us and I learned they like the same XM DJ that I do. Which made for pleasant conversation. We made a quick passenger stop at Schuylkill Haven, and Port Clinton before starting our long non stop trek up the mainline. Today’s train was made up of an RDC-1, and an RDC-3 with its baggage room turned into a cafe car. We made remarkably good time with about sixty passengers aboard. 

We went over the High Bridge and I took a really cool photo from the open window inside a tunnel before we passed the construction site. Where the first new mainline railroad bridge over a major river built since the 1950s is being constructed according to the crew. We retrained at the Central Railway of Pennsylvania (Central Railway of New Jersey’s subsidiary) station in Jim Thorpe formally Mauch Chunk, PA. We went over to a local bar and had a nice bite to eat before boarding the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (Also the Reading and Northern) for a quick scenic ride to Old Penn Haven. 

The ride in the open air car was nice and enjoyable paralleling the ex Lehigh Valley Railroad most of the way. After we returned the three of us explored Jim Thorpe also known as Pennsylvania’s Switzerland before returning to our RDC train. Shortly before departure the crew learned the HVAC unit on our car had gone out. However with all open windows the car wasn’t bad on the return trip. For the most part we all did our own thing on the return trip which was alright by all of us. 

After we arrived back into Pottsville I asked the conductor when they would leave to see if we could chase it and I was told as soon as possible. So we made a bee line six miles to Schuylkill Haven where we photographed their freight train and then the RDC pausing at the Reading Station decked out for Memorial Day. After that we drove to Port Clinton and caught the RDC at the headquarters of the Reading and Northern. Then we drove back to Harrisburg. 

Everyone wanted steak so we went to the cheapest steakhouse we could think of the Longhorn and had a lovely dinner. Chris and I had to explain the American injustice in why we must tip waiters to Christian/Jake. After that we drove back to the hotel and relaxed a little bit before going to sleep.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Our RDC at Pottsville Union Station 



Open windows on an RDC!



A former Milwaukee Road Super Dome



Reading and Northern GP30s



Reading and Northern freight power. 



Looking out the open window in a tunnel. 



The high bridge. 



A gigantic lake along the line. 



Jim Thorpe PA



Our RDC at the Central Railway of Pennsylvania Station in Jim Thorpe.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Jim Thorpe 



The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway. 



The bridge construction site on the Lehigh River. 



Running around the train



Arriving back into Jim Thorpe. 



Jim Thorpe street side. 



Both Reading and Northern excursions passing each other. 



The high bridge. 



A former Reading System Station. 



Reading and Northern freight power.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Reading and Northern freight train



Arriving into Schuylkill Haven. 



The RDC at the beautiful Schuylkill Haven Station. 



The RDC at Port Clinton.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Day 5: Finally the Great Pennsylvanian Road Trip

This morning Chris has to drive back to Huntington but he took us to the airport and we were finally able to get a car. So I set my GPS for the Lycoming Valley Railroad which paints all of their equipment in a Reading System inspired paint. We drove up the Susquehanna River for a good while. We stopped in an Aldi because Christian/Jake wanted to see if our Aldi’s were different than his. 

So he grabbed us a quick breakfast there and we were on the road again. We accidentally found a train on the North Shore System’s Union County Industrial Railroad after that which we photographed before driving into a blinding rain storm. Shortly thereafter we photographed the Lycoming Valley Railroad at their shop before turning east to go to Steamtown National Park. 

We had some really nice conversations on our backroad route to Scranton. Upon arrival in Scranton we watched a triple unit Alco set pull a freight train out of Scranton before arriving at Steamtown National Park. We arrived at steamtown where both of us split off for most of the day. And I wandered around the railyard photographing what I’ll dub the junkyard of passenger cars and steam locomotives. 

We checked in at the visitors center and both of us joined the guided shop tour which felt like it would drag on forever. Especially when a former colleague started calling my phone repeatedly to tell me something. I texted him to figure out what was up. Turned out he won two railcars at auction and wanted to know if I wanted one. 

Of course I want a railcar because I really need a hole in my head. So I unfortunately ignored most of the tour choosing to text on my phone everyone I know to see if I could find financing. And after the tour ended I started making several calls. Which just so happened to coincide with the Delaware and Lackawanna ALCOs switching in the yard making talking on the phone rather difficult. I made a point to walk back towards the City of Lima and Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society private cars to look at them. 

After awhile we left the museum and started driving back to Harrisburg shortly before they closed. It was a pretty easy uneventful drive down the interstate back to the Harrisburg region. I rerouted us to Rockville so he could see the Rockville Bridge. And we waited forever for a train in the rain till one showed up going eastbound. Afterwards we went to Christian/Jake’s favorite diner in Enola again before returning our rental car and ubering back to the hotel.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Driving up the Susquehanna River. 



The Union County Industrial Railroad



Lycoming Valley



Welcome to the open road. 



Welcome to the open road. 



Scranton, PA. 



A Big Boy at steamtown. 



A Steamtown Alco 



A yard scene at steamtown. 



A Reading System F unit


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Illinois Central 790



Nickel Plate Road Berkshire. 



Grand Trunk and Western Steam. 



City of Lima sleeping car. 



Ringling Brothers circus sleeper. 



Steamtown’s deadline. 



The Delaware and Lackawanna ALCOs



Steamtown National Park 



ALCOs of two generations. 



Lackawanna Station in Scranton.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Rockville Bridge. 



NS on the Rockville Bridge.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Day 6: Northeast Cities

We awoke up three thirty AM so we could take an Uber from our hotel to the Amtrak station in time for Train No. 640 that we were taking to Philadelphia. Boarding for the five am departure occurred at 4:50 AM and we departed on time. It was a fairly uneventful ride till the end with very few delays. They had a strong thunderstorm the night prior so the Keystone Connection catenary has been blown down. So we took the rare milage NY Subway that was a part of the original Broadway Limited’s route and backed into 30th Street. 

We arrived roughly twenty minutes late into Philadelphia where we decided we would walk to Independence Hall with our luggage. So we walked across the River and towards City Hall. Pausing every once in awhile to take a photo before passing Reading Terminal and arriving at Independence Hall around 755 in the morning. A homeless amazon employee approached us asking if we could food pantry to which I happily researched. Had I been thinking I would have given him some money but I was a bit scatter brained. 

We then took SEPTA back to 30th Street Station and arrived twenty minutes prior to our departure on the Carolinian No. 79. We had a time trying to find seats together for our short trip to Baltimore, MD. It really wasn’t a memorable ride because I’ve done the route hundreds of times and it was average. We arrived in Baltimore a few minutes early. Stored our bags for $10 at the baggage station before buying tickets for the MTA to visit the B&O Museum. 

We watched the Carolinian depart from the light rail train before we departed. I learned our ticket we bought did not include the bus transfer so we couldn’t get the bus to B&O without getting change. Went to a McDonalds and attempted to buy a dollar menu item with a $20. And they refused to take the $20. For the charm city I really wasn’t feeling the charm. So we walked to the museum because none of the local businesses would break my twenty. After a long somewhat sketchy walk we reached the B&O Museum in 90 degree heat. 

We paid for admission including the Mile One Express ticket. And then we wandered around the roundhouse. In my honest opinion I think the museum is a bit disappointing because it feels like they are trying to be a civil war museum when in fact they are a railroad museum. That and most of the equipment I care about is in horrible condition in the elements. Honestly there are two solutions to that have fundraisers to raise money to restore the equipment or better shelter it. Or B sell it off to other museums or individuals with a credible preservation plan. 

The Mile One Train was remarkable for the feat of being unremarkable. All of the cars still have their MARC interiors despite having a nice paint scheme on the outside. And one window had a bullet hole which is also interesting. The museum was fun as always but I still find it a bit over rated. We ubered back to Pennsylvania Station and proceeded to wait for about an hour for our Regional Train No. 125 for Washington, DC. 

Again I made several phone calls due to the pending railcar purchase to work on financing because things always occur at bad times like when you are traveling. The train arrived about twenty one minutes behind schedule. And again the only really remarkable thing was how unremarkable the trip was. The train arrived in DC 22 minutes late because we paused several times due to track work and to let a late Acela around us. 

We arrived at 3:32 PM and our connection was scheduled to depart at 4:05 PM and because we didn’t have lunch due to time constraints and no one wanting a twenty dollar bill we had a short amount of time to get it. I annoyed Christian/Jake by zipping around DC like the rest of the commuters. Well in all honesty DC is my home terminal because most of my PV gigs originated and terminated in DC so I know my way around. 

Zipped up the escalator and then down to the food court. Placed an order for my usual from Bojangles and was back up to the Club Acela in ten minutes. No sooner had we arrived at the Club Acela we were off to the regular platform to board the Capitol Limited. I deposited my bag in our sleeper which was a Superliner II transition car. I walked up to the locomotive for a minute to see we had heritage Unit No. 822 on the point while a switched pulled a track inspection car off the regional I took into DC. 

I noticed they were loading multiple pallets of boxes into the baggage car which I can only assume was company papers being shuffled around. After that I walked back to my room and proceeded to devour my chicken. Where I learned Christian/Jake travels with his own silverware. Something I’ve never seen someone travel with before. The train didn’t depart till 4:18 PM which I assume the late departure was from the baggage loading. 

We then proceeded to lose an hour in MARC territory so I assume we were trailing a MARC Brunswick Line Train. Two different SCA’s came to take our contemporary meal order which was a bit confusing. Shortly after Gaithersburg we moved into the Sightseer Lounge which was fairly full right out of DC. We joined an older man who was quite interesting to talk to. 

That’s what I love about trains it facilitates conversations that you won’t get elsewhere. We basically solved all of the worlds problems between DC area and Cumberland. We had an extended stop in Martinsburg because some homeless person jumped on at Harpers Ferry and locked himself in the restroom required a police extraction. Other then that a fairly uneventful but scenic ride up the B&O mainline. I stepped off on the brand new Cumberland platform for a few minutes. And afterwards we are our contemporary garbage. 

Christian/Jake and I stayed in the sightseer lounge for a bit before he decided he wanted to go to bed. I stayed awake till Pittsburgh and jumped off of the fresh air break there for a few minutes before sleeping in the top bunk of a superliner for the first time. It wasn’t god awful but I prefer the bottom.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

A PCC car in Philly. 



30th Street Station. 



SEPTA in Philly. 



Philadelphia City Hall



Reading Terminal



Independence Hall



A photo inside a photo. 



Maryland MTA



The B&O museum’s roundhouse. 



Some of the oldest steam engines in our country.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Two F units at the B&O Museum. 



Chessie System 



A B&O Slumbercoach



A streamlined Hudson



The President Washington 



One of the run down second generation diesels. 



Another second generation locomotive. 



A statue reminding us that we are all similar in the human race. At Baltimore Penn Station



Train No. 125 at Baltimore. 



The Capitol Limited at Washington.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 16, 2019)

Switching a FRA car off 125



MARC chargers in from Baltimore. 



Contemporary Garbage. 



Cumberland Maryland. 



The Capitol Limited at Pittsburgh


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## MARC Rider (Jun 17, 2019)

Seaboard92 said:


> View attachment 13972
> 
> A Keystone at Lancaster.
> 
> ...



I worked in an office in the Fulton Bank Building during two college vacations in 1974 and 1975. I was working for the state Department of Environmental Resources in a kind of internship job, and that particular part of the department was housed in the bank building. Although most of the time I was out of the office, driving around the countryside collecting water samples. Lots of other memories of Harrisburg, as my parents moved there in 1975 and left in 1979. More recently, we would sometimes drop my daughter off at the Harrisburg station to take the Pennsylvanian to Huntingdon and college. It saved a good bit of time, as a 100% train ride from Baltimore requires a connection in Philadelphia and can take 8 hours. The through drive was about 3 hours. Dropping her off (or picking her up) in Harrisburg only took an hour and a half.


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## Asher (Jun 17, 2019)

Impressive! I woke up at 2 am, couldn't sleep, thought I would read a couple of post and call back asleep. After reading and looking at your photos I'll be awake for two days. Very interesting, thanks for sharing.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Your welcome thanks for the nice comments. I have more to post today. Which I will start doing here shortly. 

Harrisburg is actually a really cool city. And the Fulton Bank Building certainly is one of the larger charms


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Day 7: Crossing the Border. 

Both of us woke up around five AM to find we were still not quite in Sandusky, OH and we slowly gathered our things. We detrained at 6:11 AM running roughly an hour and three minutes late. We had to wait for the Lake Shore Limited to do its work in Toledo first before we could pull into the station. We walked up to the locomotive for a moment and then into the station and right onto our awaiting Trinity Transportation Bus No. 6049 for Detroit. 

Christian/Jake slept for the entire bus ride whilst I enjoyed talking to a high school history teacher and an older couple from Albany. Where I learned a lot about how we can improve neighborhoods, and do things right by all peoples better. And I definitely learned some interesting things from them and I’m glad I met them. We left the bus at Detroit and walked to the Q Line streetcar stop where we couldn’t buy a fare as both ticket machines were out of order. 

Either way we photographed the Q line from the street while walking over to the platform. We caught the next train and were messing with the ticket machine on board when the operator came out of the cab and approached us. He demanded that we delete the pictures from our cameras of the Q Line that we took from the public sidewalk or he wasn’t going to move the train. And threatened to have us removed via the police if we didn’t comply with him. Without moving the rush hour train. 

So trying to avoid showing my German friend the inside of the American prison system I deleted my photos from a public sidewalk so he would get the thing moving again which satisfied him. I have since called the Q Line and they have told me there is no such policy and will be researching the incident. Either way I didn’t violate a rule and the operator was enforcing his own made up rules. Either way I did not enjoy the ride into Detroit and didn’t photograph any of the interesting buildings as I didn’t want to go another round with the moron. 

We got off the train at the end of the line and went over to Coney Island a little hole in the wall diner and had breakfast. Our waitress was incredibly nice, warm, and welcoming. Giving all sorts of good recommendations on what to do. And the pancakes were out of this world. I would definitely return to the diner. After that we walked around Detroit in a light drizzle. I continued to photograph the Q line downtown now knowing there were no rules against it. 

Christian/Jake stopped at the Detroit office for his employer to see it before we walked down to the Detroit Tiger’s ball park before slowly walking towards a tunnel bus stop. We caught the next tunnel bus and shortly thereafter were in Windsor, ON. The customs to get into Canada took roughly thirty seconds compared to Christian/Jake’s three hours at JFK to enter the USA. Once we alighted from the bus in Canada the rain had stopped and we strolled along the Detroit River all the way to the VIA Rail Station. 

We arrived about an hour prior to our trains departure and killed time in the brand new station building. And our tickets printed out for us. Shortly thereafter it was time to board our LRC in Business class right behind the locomotive. I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard the horn in Canada because usually I’m so far back in the consist you don’t hear it. I was beyond impressed with the service offered on board. The attendant averaged at least one trip down the aisle every fifteen minutes and he was very welcoming. 

He even spoke to Christian/Jake in German which made his day. The train for the most part ran close to on time the entire way. The scenery was very similar to Ohio and Indiana on our way towards Toronto. I had the cheese tray for lunch which was good even though not really a lunch for me either. I stepped off for a minute at London to get a picture of our head end which wasn’t too far away from our vestibule. Business class was sold out from London on to Toronto. The line did get a bit more scenic as we approached Hamilton, ON. 

We chatted with some of our neighbors on the way into Toronto before we detrained just a few minutes behind schedule. Christian/Jake went back up to the platform as he left the business card of his new friend up there. And we were on our way to the hotel in no time. We walked over to the Radison Harborfront and checked in before walking around downtown. 

We started our walk at Roundhouse Park and worked our way far into downtown. Today there was a big NBA game between Golden State and the Toronto Raptors so downtown was incredibly busy. We walked around the skyscrapers of Toronto’s financial district for about two hours and then waited for nightfall to take night photos of the Toronto sign and fountain. After that we ambled back to the hotel looking for food and weren’t successful because every bar/tavern/restaurant in Toronto was packed with Raptor fans. 

So I went without dinner which was ok enough. And then settled in for the night after a quick shower.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The Capitol Limited at Toledo, OH



A closer view of this bridge than you get from the train in Toledo. 



Our Trinity Transportation Bus at the Detroit Amtrak Station. 



Woodward Avenue Detroit. 



Downtown Detroit. 



The home is the Detroit Tigers. 



The Q line. 



Older skyscrapers in Detroit. 



The People Mover. 



A close up on the Q Line


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The GM building in downtown Detroit. 



Looking at Detroit from Windsor, Ontario. 



VIA Train No. 76 formerly the St Claire at Windsor’s new station. 



Scenery is very similar to northern Ohio. 



The sampling plate of cheese available for Business Class. 



Train No. 76 sitting next to another Corridor train built up of Budd’s at London. 



Crossing over a waterfall in Ontario. 



A VIA Rail P42DC at the TMC. 



VIA Train No. 76 at Toronto Union Station. 



Toronto from the Skybridge.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The Canadian National tower. 



A Toronto Street car. 



Toronto Union Station. 



Toronto’s Old City Hall. 



Toronto transit. 



A cityscape in downtown Toronto. 



Toronto by night. 



Toronto by night. 



Just the cab of an F unit at the Roundhouse Park. 



A Canadian National GP7 at night.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Day 8: Montreal

We woke up and started walking over to Union Station around five thirty and were in the waiting room for Train No. 60 at six AM. Boarding started at 6:20 and again we had priority boarding because of our business class. I caught a quick glance of the locomotive before our Joint Train departed with Train No. 50 trailing behind. It was a fairly uneventful ride into Montreal. 

The person behind us was a vet so I had some enjoyable conversations with her for part of the ride. I had two croissants for breakfast before making several phone calls about the railcar. Our plan for the day was to visit Exporail so we sprinted from Gare Centrale to Gare Windsor and attempted to buy tickets for the commuter train to Exporail. Unfortunately the ticket machine didn’t make sense because it wanted to charge 100 Canadian for a twenty minute ride that didn’t make sense. The women ahead of us in line asked a million questions to the agent. And the conductor was unwilling to sell a ticket on board. 

So we went back to Gare Centrale and checked our luggage for Halifax before walking out into the city. We just randomly strolled around the old city of Montreal before finding lunch at a sidewalk cafe in the old town. It was so nice because someone was playing cello out front which was so nice. Very European feeling which I loved. After our late lunch ended at three thirty we slowly walked back in the direction of Gare Centrale before deciding to walk over to the university. 

We crashed the college graduation before walking back towards Gare Centrale. I had to buy another memory card from one of the shopping malls before we arrived at the Business Lounge where we sat for a few minutes. After about ten minutes I walked over to the desk in the headhouse to check in with the service manager and get our dining car reservations. One of the Toronto Corridor trains departed and the lounge majorly emptied out. Then it was time to board our all Budd Ocean Limited. 

Boarding was at 6:30 PM for our 7:00 PM departure. I walked the length of the consist and back to my car line No. 1439 Chateau Roberval where I was selected for the safety briefing. Which was very simple for someone like me. Before departure I was already settled into the Park car’s dome in Assiniboine Park. I took the lead seat on the fireman’s side for our departure from Montreal. I reported to the dining car shortly after we left the Victoria Bridge where we met the northbound Adirondack. 

Most of my meal was consumed in the Saint Lambert Station because we pulled in, made a second spot then reversed a good ways, before pulling out. Tonight’s diner was in the Empress and I had the beaf dish which was fantastic. Our seat mates were also going to Halifax a woman with quite the life story, and a more mysterious man. Either way the food was fantastic and shortly after finishing we were back in the Assiniboine Park. 

I spent a few minutes in the Bullet Lounge before going back into the dome where I talked to the woman from dinner. And man did she have quite the story, but also quite the addiction to cigarettes. Mostly just idle chit chat with her till we were approaching St. Foy when I walked all the way to the head end to get a picture of the locomotive. I reboarded the coach section and walked back thru to the sleepers to detrain on the second spot again. I got a picture of our Park Car whole a large group of British tourists boarded the train before heading back to my upper for the night.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Toronto Union Station in the early morning. 



VIA Train No. 60/50 to Montreal and Ottawa. 



Lake Ontario. 



Formerly the AMT now the EXO commuter trains at Gare Windsor. 



The Fairmont. 



The small cathedral next to Gare Centrale. 



Notre Dame Montreal. 



Montreal’s old town. 



AMT/EXO duel modes. 



VIA 40 Years P42


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

VIA’s new Budd paint scheme. Kinda reminds me of the Chesapeake & Ohio. 



Gare Centrale from the street. 



Gare Centrale. 



The Ocean’s check in desk at Gare Centrale. 



The Ocean Limited at Gare Centrale. 



Assiniboine Park



Departing Gare Centrale for points east. 



Montreal’s skyline. 



From the Victoria Bridge. 



Winding off the Victoria Bridge in Montreal.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The Ocean Limited’s dinner menu. 



The beaf dish. It was decent. 



Dessert on the Ocean Limited. 



The dome at sunset. 



The Ocean Limited at St Foy



Assiniboine Park at St. Foy. 



Loading a tour group onto the Chateau sleepers in St. Foy.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Day 9: The Ocean Limited 

I must have been tired because I slept right thru the most scenic part of the trip in my opinion the Matapedia Valley right at daybreak. However I did manage to wake up as we were pulling into Campbellton, NB so I did manage to get a picture of the locomotive while we did our station work. We were still running a bit late from delays overnight but nothing too serious. 

I went to breakfast upon departure from Campbellton and had Belgium Maple Waffles which were out of this world. As I always say VIA knows how to run a passenger train. I had the table at breakfast to myself somehow which sometimes is perfectly nice to be alone. I then retired back to the Assiniboine Park’s dome for the rest of the morning and lucked out getting the front seat on the engineers side. To which I enjoyed mostly time to myself as most people weren’t that talkative. Christian/Jake mostly was quiet himself as well and was in and out of the dome often. 

I talked to some nice older people who were talking about all of the snakes they have seen on their travels. Shortly thereafter they came around for dining car lunch reservations and we opted for first service. Right at twelve we went back 8 cars to the diner. I had the Beef Tenderloin which might have been the worst VIA meal I’ve ever had. It was still far better than anything Amtrak has served for years but still a bit disappointing. 

We sat with someone traveling to Moncton and from then on to Saint John whom misses the Atlantic which used to serve Saint John. She was traveling back from visiting relatives in Ontario. Shortly after lunch finished we arrived into Moncton where again I managed to get photos of the entire train on the outside. After that I sat in the bullet lounge for a little bit after Moncton first to watch the shove out of Moncton station, secondly just because you can’t sit in the lounge on the Canadian these days unless you are super well off. 

I sat with a Canadian in the dome from Moncton in till he went to lunch for the 3:00 PM seating. We had quite a few great conversations. Including about Florida where I read him a crazy Florida headline for every day of 2019 because the park car has WiFi now. After he went to the diner I talked to a small group of British people who were doing a transcontinental by rail who were enjoyable to talk to. 

And we had a pretty good political discussion about Brexit and Trump which was fascinating as we were rolling just west of Folly Lake, NS. My new Canadian friend rejoined us at Turro and we talked the rest of the way into Halifax. I sat in the bullet lounge for the last few minutes into Halifax just because you can always ride a dome on the Canadian. But the bullet lounge with prestige is off limits most of the day now. 

We arrived into Halifax a few minutes off the advertised and eight sleepers, and three coaches dumped their contents out onto the platform. Everyone posed for pictures with the locomotive which was something I haven’t seen done on any of my prior VIA travels and we grabbed our bags. We were the last ones to leave the station as Christian/Jake wanted to use the restroom. So we walked to our hostel on the other side of town. 

Along the way we passed most of the sights in Halifax and a protest against bull riding. We checked into our hostel with a hour to spare and were settled in. And met two of our roommates a Ontarian girl from Ottawa, a German girl, a Vancouverite psychologist, and a tech guy also from Canada. After dropping off our bags we walked to my favorite pub the Old Triangle. 

We walked straight there and sat at the bar where we could hear the live music and enjoy the good food and vibe. The 10 oz steak costs roughly 1.50 more USD so I think you know what I bought. And it was very good. Afterwards we went back to the hostel I took a shower and tried to sleep without disturbing our roommates who all were in bed by twelve. I was expecting party people but apparently not.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The Ocean Limited at Campbellton, NB



Assiniboine Park at Campbellton. 



My Chateau at Campbellton. 



Looking out at Quebec across the Bay 



The breakfast Menu eastbound. 



Belgian Maple Waffles. 



Looking at the views and a beautiful place setting. 



New Brunswick. 



The Lunch menu eastbound. 



Our lunch a bit of a disappointment by VIA standards.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The dessert with the lunch. 



The Ocean Limited at Moncton. 



Assiniboine Park at Moncton. 



Rounding a curve in New Brunswick. 



Such a beautiful site near The border with Nova Scotia. 



A true streamliner. 



Arriving into Amherst. 



The third and final freight train we met in 836 miles. 



At Folly Mountain. 



Nova Scotia


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The Mural Lounge under the dome. 



The bullet lounge. 



The bullet lounge. 



The hallway of a chateau. 



Assiniboine Park at Halifax. 



The Ocean Limited at Halifax.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Day 10: Nova Scotia 

We partially slept in today meaning we weren’t up at six AM. We left the hostel around 8:30 and were in our rental car at 9:00. After picking it up we drove south to Peggys Cove where I immediately regretted not bringing my rain jacket. Between the wind, the cool morning temperatures, and the rain it was very cold. But I still traipsed our to the rocks to get the best picture. Despite having to dry my camera off in the car as well as me. 

We pushed at the Swiss Air Flight No. 111 Memorial as well before continuing our journey along the coast of Nova Scotia. After we finished that we had a quick lunch in An A&W before getting in position to chase the Ocean. We chased the Ocean Limited from Halifax harbor all the way to greater Moncton. And I know I got some beautiful shots of it around Folly Mountain, and Folly Lake. But the really fun part was pacing it in a narrow parallel road right up with the engine. Nothing can beat that. 

Then we drove back to Halifax which took about two and a half hours but it was worth it when you see some of the shots. We parked behind the hostel and walked to the Old Triangle again where I had the steak. On a Sunday night it was fairly empty with mostly a local crowd. Afterwards we walked back to the hostel and turned in early due to our early morning flight.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Halifax VIA Rail Station. 



Halifax. 



An old church downtown. 



The Old City Clock. 



Downtown Halifax 



The Triangle bar. 



Steak n Steak at the Triangle. 



Halifax by night. 



Halifax by night. 



Nova Scotia


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Peggy’s Cove



The famous Peggy’s Cove lighthouse. 



I’m cold even thinking about this one. 



Swiss Air 111 Memorial. 



Peggy’s Cove from the Swiss Air Memorial. 



The Ocean Limited departing Halifax. 



Assiniboine Park bringing up the markers. 



The Ocean Limited at Milford, NS. 



What a beautiful sight with my 300 lens. 



Heading westbound at Milford.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The Ocean Limited at Folly Mountain. 



The Ocean Limited at Londonderry. 



The Ocean Limited at Folly Lake. 



The Ocean Limited blitzing the station of Amherst at 40 mph. 



Catching up to the rear near the provincial border. 



That should give you an idea about the weather we dealt with. 



Pacing from the Trans Canada Highway. 



West of Sackville. 



Oh how I love pacing trains. 



Pacing the Ocean Limited.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

I should have sat behind the driver but we make do with what we have. 



Pulling up alongside that was my favorite moment of the entire trip. 



I love pacing. 



The military memorial he had to photograph which made us lose our chase. 



The Sackville VIA station.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Day 11: Back in the USA

Our Delta flight was scheduled to depart at six AM so we drove the rental car to the airport around 3:45 in the morning with light traffic. We arrived around 4:15 filled the car up with gas and returned it. Afterwards we went to the Delta desk to get our boarding passes and the Delta Agent looked so much like my ex it was uncanny. A bit unnerving but she was super sweet and she got us on our way. 

They opened security at 5:00 AM and we rapidly cleared that, before having to wait till 5:15 for US Customs to open which for me was fairly fast. And for Christian/Jake far faster than JFK was when he arrived. We waited for about fifteen minutes at the gate before the women who checked us in took our boarding pass and led us out to our CRJ200 flown by Endeavor Air. She gate checked my bag and off we were. 

On the flight I wrote down several of my screenplay ideas that I hope to flesh out and write sometime this year, as well as some rough drafts for something else I’m strongly considering doing at least till November of 2020. It was an easy quick flight to LGA with a odd routing down the Hudson instead of down the tip of Long Island. We deplaned onto the tarmac and were buzzed over to terminal B. Then we walked over to terminal C to wait for our next flight on Endeavor Airlines (Delta) to Charlotte. 

Our pilot on the CRJ700 was chipper and gave us sightseeing information from the flight deck on our way south. We landed on runway 36L and crossed over the NS airport yard before arriving at the gate. Christian/Jake’s luggage. After a bit we were picked up by my best friend Ryan and we drove into South Carolina. The first site we showed Christian/Jake was the Lancaster and Chester Railroad. 

And for a change Ryan and I did not strike out instead we found both trains out and running with Train No. 16 (Chester-Richburg) running a bit further to Circle S this time. Followed by Train No. 14 (Kershaw-Chester) with 90 cars. We caught both trains several times that day before driving back to my home town an hour and a half away arriving around 5:50 PM. We dropped our bags and I grabbed my instruments and off we went to band practice. 

My dad and I took Christian/Jake to our band practice in nearby Camden, SC and on the way stopped to let Jake eat a Southern institute. Chick Fil A also known by my best friend Peyton as “God’s Chicken” which he seamed to like. We made it to band on time and rehearsed for an hour and a half. Of course the unique part I’m the only violin/viola (yes I play both on some pieces) in a brass band. But I make it work and have fun. 

After band ended we drove over to my grandmothers which I believe Christian/Jake really enjoyed because he was able to speak german for long periods of time. And I think it did my 85 (almost 86 on 6/19) a lot of good to speak in her first language. After awhile we went back to my house. 

Day 12: How did we sleep during that. 

Due to the fact I had to work the entire week because when you are in a small business you don’t get a lot of opportunities to get off I had to work mornings for the entire week. So we left my house at 6:30 AM to go into Columbia to meet Ryan who planned on taking him to the Aiken Railroad and to see South Carolina’s horse country for the morning. 

I thought it smelt Smokey in the morning but didn’t see anything and made the uneventful drive into downtown in decent time. Before driving almost all the way back to my clinic. I had a decent shift till close to the end when things always tend to hit the fan. But we managed to get past that like we always do. The other advantage to a small business being we work well as a cohesive team and can generally get difficult problems solved rapidly. 

Then I got a call that the fire department had been in our yard that night while all of us were sleeping because my dad who had burned the previous day didn’t do a good job with fire breaking. And he managed to catch the neighbors woods on fire. So Ryan has to keep Christian/Jake out for a longer period while I went home to help my dad put the remaining hot spots the fire department missed back out. Eventually though we managed to get all of the spots out. And I took that as an opportunity to cut a five foot space between the woods and my fence. 

After a shower I drove back to Columbia and picked Christian/Jake up and drove back to my house where we had a steak dinner for him. Before throwing a small birthday party at my grandmother’s house for him with my entire family. Then we went back home to sleep again till 6:30. 

Day 13: Rained Out. 

So again I drove him downtown to meet Ryan who drove him to the upstate today because I was busy with work. After I got off work I took my grandmother grocery shopping and relaxed at my house for a few hours before driving back downtown to pick him back up. 

We decided that we wanted to show him baseball so Ryan and I took him to the Columbia Fireflies a Class A affiliate of the New York Mets. We purchased the cheapest tickets which were on the Bojangles been in the outfield for five dollars each. Shortly after we arrived they rain delayed he game due to a nearby storm. We moved under cover closer to when it came and watched a short ten minute thunderstorm come and go. Which is normal in a South Carolina summer. 

Then they take the tarp off the field and immediately put it back when they determine another storm is coming and the stadium loses power and the back up generators kick on. So after about an hour they cancel the game and we went to a local tavern to eat a great dinner. If you are ever in Columbia I highly recommend Yesterday’s in Five Points. It is one of the best local eateries. Afterwards I drove us back home. 

Day 14: Charleston 

This time because both Ryan and I wanted to sleep in a bit longer we decided to put Christian/Jake on the Columbia Comet in front of my clinic and he would pick him up in downtown to take him to the train store. And that worked fairly well. The bus was a bit late but what else is new In Columbia. I took off an hour early so we could leave right at twelve. We actually left around 12:30 PM and I managed to see the train that passes my clinic downtown. 

We took An all back road route to Charleston going via St Matthews, Orangeburg, and Branchville before arriving in Charleston. We took him to see Palmetto Railways’s operation first then we drove in a light rain to the battery before finding a parking garage. We showed him around the market I bought a southern delicacy (Pralines) and proceeded to walk around downtown a bit. 

We left Charleston at 6:00 PM and made it to Summerville to have dinner with some friends from college at the old Ice House. It was so great to see Connor and Jake again after at least two years. I’m still miffed I missed their wedding but their wedding gift finally arrived. We had a lovely table right in front of the live music a violin and a guitar and had pure southern food. And their fried chicken was on point. 

We got to hear all about their land, their wedding, and their jobs. We had a great time. Afterwards we went for drinks to a local bar around the corner and continued our good evening. After awhile we went back up to Columbia slept for a few hours before Christian/Jake and I woke up and grabbed his bags. 

I gave him a night tour of downtown Camden prior to the arrival Train No. 92 the Silver Star. He thanked me for showing him around the USA and South Carolina and boarded his Viewliner roomette. The conductor asked if I would sit with the one passenger who detrained who didn’t have a ride because taxi’s don’t meet the trains. 

I didn’t mind as it was 4:50 AM and I wouldn’t want a single person sitting out there alone. Nor did I have anywhere to go but back to bed. So I waited with her till 5:20 when the unmarked taxi finally arrived. Afterwards I drove to work and went to sleep on dog beds in an exam room. Why sleep for an hour when you can sleep for two hours. 

Conclusion

I think it was a good trip all in all. A bit of a rough start but we had a good time. After he left me he went to DC for a night, and New York for a night. I know he loved Canada especially VIA Rail. And he’s planning on coming back. Next time though we’re taking the Canadian to Vancouver and then the Cascades to Seattle and Portland. Maybe we will continue south to California as well. But I do know we will layover for a bit in Portland.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The original motive power of choice for the Lancaster and Chester. 



L&C Train 16 switching an industry near Richburg. 



The L&C leasing a NS widecab for the day. 



Lancaster and Chester Train No. 14 crossing the Catawba river from Lancaster to Chester county. 



Train No. 14 at Fort Lawn’s US 21 overpass. 



Train No. 14 at the Circle S mill. 



L&C Train No. 14 at Belt Line Road Chester, SC. 



The Branchville Station 



Palmetto Railways. 



The battery.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The now air conditioned part of the market. So unlike my childhood. 



The Charleston Market. 



The Charleston custom house. 



The mount pleasant bridge. 



Rainbow Row Charleston 



Christian/Jake’s Silver Star No. 92 at Camden, SC.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

Well I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you guys are interested I might consider writing about some of my childhood trips to Europe and on Amtrak.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

The Ocean Consist. 
VIA Number, Name, Line Number, Heritage if non CP
6437 F40PH
6452 F40PH
8622 Bagagge EX UP 5903
8137 Coach 1401 EX NYC
8138 Coach 1402 EX NYC
8140 Coach 1403 EX RFP 801
8408 Empress 
8223 Chateau Rigaud 1433 
8219 Chateau Montcalm 1434 
8214 Chateau Laval 1435 
8203 Chateau Brulé 1436
8208 Chateau Dollier 1437
8202 Chateau Bienville 1438
8224 Chateau Roberval 1439
8702 Assiniboine Park 1440

VIA service times on Train No. 76 

1. safety briefing 1345
2. Ticket inspection 1400
3. Drinks 1415
4. Hot towels with steam coming out of them. 1425
5. Chatham station AR 1427-
6. Gets drink orders for new pax
7. Chatham station dp 1430
8. Meal service 1432
9. Drink refill after service 1445
10. Drinks again 1505
11. AR Glencoe 1508-1509 DP
12. Chocolate 1519
13. Takes plate 1523
14. 1539-1545 London
15. Snacks 1555
16. Drinks 1605
17. Towels 1615
18. Second meal service 1624
19. Brantford-1640
20. 1652-plate pick up 
21. 1656-coffee tea 
22. 1706-chocolate 
23. 1710-1721 aldershot 
24. 1733-1735 Oakville 
25. 1805 AR Toronto


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## Michigan Mom (Jun 17, 2019)

Great read, and photography!


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## trainman74 (Jun 17, 2019)

Seaboard92 said:


> DI learned our ticket we bought did not include the bus transfer so we couldn’t get the bus to B&O without getting change.



Any reason you didn't use the free Charm City Circulator bus? One of the lines goes right by the B&O museum.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 17, 2019)

trainman74 said:


> Any reason you didn't use the free Charm City Circulator bus? One of the lines goes right by the B&O museum.



Probably because I didn’t know it existed. My Baltimore friends told me to take the light rail.


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## NEPATrainTraveler (Jun 17, 2019)

Great report! You packed in a lot!

Nice to see my area of PA show up in a trip report. I love Steamtown. I went there so much when I was a kid.


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## Palmland (Jun 18, 2019)

Thanks for that detailed report and great photos. I got tired just reading it! I couldn’t handle those early am starts and you did so much in a short time. 
It was interesting to read your list of the service on Train 76. Amtrak could take lessons. Is there still a service chief (steward) on the Ocean. I wish Amtrak would try that (again) as I understand they are responsible for the entire OBS. I think that helps with service consistency especially with VIA using seasonal help on the Canadian, and maybe Ocean? I think I had my best sleep on a train in an upper on the Ocean years ago. Sleeping on those deep and wide mattresses make Amtrak beds feel like your sleeping on the floor.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 18, 2019)

Your welcome as always. I’m honestly not sure how I handled all of those early AM starts. I’m slowly getting back to my normal sleep schedule now. 

VIA has a service manager who basically is the conductor and head of OBS. On the ocean they work the whole route. On the Canadian they change at Winnipeg. VIA does a great job.


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## NS VIA Fan (Jun 20, 2019)

Thanks for the interesting trip report! Your ‘chase’ towards Moncton is the same route I do myself.

And thanks for adding ‘Limited’ to the Ocean. A name it had for nearly 50 years from it’s original inaugural in 1904…...and reminiscent of the time it had ‘Sleeping Cars Only’ status!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_(train)


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## JRR (Jun 20, 2019)

Great report! I ditto the early hrs comments.


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## Seaboard92 (Jun 20, 2019)

NS VIA Fan said:


> Thanks for the interesting trip report! Your ‘chase’ towards Moncton is the same route I do myself.
> 
> And thanks for adding ‘Limited’ to the Ocean. A name it had for nearly 50 years from it’s original inaugural in 1904…...and reminiscent of the time it had ‘Sleeping Cars Only’ status!
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_(train)



Your very welcome. I love that chase route and I really want to spend some more time chasing west of Sackville to be honest. There are some beautiful shots in that area. But I can leave that for the next time. You should post some of your photos from the area as mine aren’t as good. 

To me it has been and only ever will be the Ocean Limited. I also have the habit to refer to the corridor trains with their old names.


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