# Riding the Maple Leaf train



## bryan123 (May 2, 2016)

Okay, so i got a ticket for the maple leaf train. Im going to Niagara falls canada with a friend in july. We both got business class seats. We are coming from New York Penn Station going to Niagara Falls Ontario Canada station and so we will be crossing the border.

I never rode with amtrak before. I did some research but i have unanswered question that i thought i might ask here.

1. Is there an observation car?

2. How do i figure out for me and my friend to have seats next to each other? Will we have to go to the train extremly early?

3. How does the baggage checking process work? Whats the procedure?

4. If i bring snacks and drinks is that considered a baggage kind of thing?

5. Any one been on this train wanna share their experience/opinion?

Thanks!!


----------



## Bob Dylan (May 2, 2016)

The Biz Class/ Cafe Car has the nice 2x1 Seating on this train, with only 18 seats you will be able to sit together if you choose the Double seats. . There is no observation car

per se on this route.

There is no checked baggage on this route since you will cross an International border. You must carry on your luggage and Customs and Immigration will occur inside the VIA Station once you get to Niagara Falls, Ontario. ( upon return it will be in the Niagara Falls, New York Station by US Officials.) You may want to use a Red Cap to board @ NYP, they will get you right to your car and board you before General Boarding.

You can take your ownfood and drink ( non-alcoholic) aboard but the Cafe car does sell standard Amtrak Cafe items. ( once you reach the Canadian side this train becomes a VIA Train to Toronto with a Canadian Crew and Canadian Food and Drink sold in the Cafe.)With a Biz Class ticket you will receive non-Alcohol drinks gratis. You must pay for any snacks consumed. ( they are nothing special @ High Prices!)

Don't forget your Passport or Enhanced Drivers License, you need it to book this trip and return to the US!


----------



## bryan123 (May 2, 2016)

Thank you.

Since being booked business class am i getting drinks free? or did i read what you said wrong? (the receiving non alcohol drinks gratis part)....

I have the enchanced id and all. How much is red cap? How does it work? Do you think we should use it so we get a seat together?

And does this train do any stops or does it go straight to niagara falls ontario with the exception of stopping at the border crossing?


----------



## Bob Dylan (May 2, 2016)

Unless it's recently changed due to the current bean counter cuts, you'll receive unlimited coffee and water refills along with One soda ( Pepsi products) or bottled juice or tea.

Redcaps are Amtrak employees that appreciate tips. ($5 should be adequate) They will board you down an escalator or elevator before General boarding. Worth it in my opinion.

The Maple Leaf is a Single Level Train that makes several stops between NYP and the Border including the Major Stops @ Albany, Schectandy,Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.


----------



## zephyr17 (May 2, 2016)

You get one non-alcoholic drink for free. I got a bottled water myself on my recent ride on the Maple Leaf.

The Red Cap is tipped, at NYP at least $5. You ask for a Red Cap at the Red Cap desk inside the Amtrak waiting area (the round room that you have to show your ticket to get into). The Red Cap will walk you down to the train just before general boarding. You won't have a problem getting seats together in Business Class even if you don't use a Red Cap.

There is a special check-in podium for passengers bound for Canada. Make sure and do this pretty much as soon as you get to the station. This is before the actual boarding and not part of it. But they won't let you board if you haven't checked in and gotten the cross-border luggage tag.

The train stops a lot, it makes all the regular Empire Service stops like Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Albany, etc, etc.

The border formalities are AT Niagara Falls, ON. You will get off the train, go through Canadian customs and not get back on.


----------



## PVD (May 2, 2016)

Remember, when the previous poster refers to "enhanced drivers license" he refers to one issued by a small group of states that are enhanced with info to allow border crossing (land and sea, not air) and are issued only to citizens with a higher standard of id needed to obtain. . There is something else called enhanced drivers license by the TSA which is a reference to the id process used to obtain it, and the newr anti counterfeiting standards. poor choice of phrases by the government folks


----------



## daybeers (May 2, 2016)

You can also get water for free from a spigot next to the bathrooms in each car.


----------



## bryan123 (May 3, 2016)

I have to go to a special podium at Amtrak in penn station? They give me a special cross border luggage tag from there?

And with the stops... is this like regular trains where we have to stay on the train while its stopped at a major station? or is this means like get out and stretch legs and stuff? Little confused. Like I said I never been on Amtrak trains before so I don't know the experience.

If red cap is kind of free and they want a $5 tip .. will a lot of people be using it? Like if we use it... we will be first ones on the train?

And how is the wifi service on the maple leaf train?


----------



## andersone (May 3, 2016)

use the red cap, its' worth five bucks

She Who Must Be Obeyed and i have passport cards from the State Department. I think they are only good for Canada.

I don't know the route well enough, but on the other LD trains I have been on there are "extended stops" where you can get out strtch your legs (and smoke)

the thing is to kick back and relax


----------



## niemi24s (May 3, 2016)

On the bold assumption (probably false) that you don't have a copy of the schedule/timetable for the Maple leaf, here's a pdf version: https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/1001/975/Maple-Leaf-Schedule-011116.pdf And because you're new to Amtrak, here's a pdf version of the System Timetable which is packed with lots of addidional information: https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/294/1015/Amtrak-System-Timetable-Winter-Spring-2016-rev.pdf Printed copies of both should be available at the station.


----------



## niemi24s (May 3, 2016)

bryan123 said:


> ... is this like regular trains where we have to stay on the train while its stopped at a major station? or is this means like get out and stretch legs and stuff? Little confused.


Don't be confused. Simply don't get off the train unless there's a PA announcement saying you can - usually called a "smoke break". Otherwise, you run the risk of getting left at the station. The train will NOT wait for you. And if you're a smoker, don't chance doing so on the train. If caught, I hear they call the cops of put you off at the next convenient grade crossing where the cops will be waiting - maybe not even at a station!


----------



## PVD (May 3, 2016)

A passport card is WHTI compliant for land and sea entry (*not air*) to Mexico, Bermuda, and some other Caribbean nations in addition to Canada.


----------



## zephyr17 (May 3, 2016)

Yes, there is a special podium they put out at Penn Station to check-in passengers bound for Canada on the Maple Leaf and the Adirondack. They check that you have the proper ID and you get the cross-border tags. It isn't a big deal. When I used it, it was set up toward the 31st St (south) side of the Amtrak area, not too far from the baggage room.

There will probably be at least a few people who want Red Caps. You should go up to the desk and arrange for one as one of the first things you do when you get to the station after checking in at the cross-border podium. They'll call for you or come for you when they are ready to take you. You will be among the first to board, and will be taken down before the regular boarding call. Remember that they really only open trains for general boarding at Penn about 10 minutes before departure and the Red Cap will be taking you down only a couple of minutes before that, so if the time seems to be getting short, don't panic. Track space is at a premium at Penn and they don't spot the trains very early. And yes, the Red Cap service is nominally "free" but a tip is customary and very much expected.

The Maple Leaf is a regular train and makes regular stops. Only a few of them will "fresh air" breaks where you can get off and walk around _on the platform, do not leave trainside. _Those stops will be announced. The only one I know for sure will be Albany.

There is wifi, but it is slow. I had much better luck just using my phone's network.

An Enhanced Driver's License is good for land crossings to/from Canada, as are Passport Cards, Nexus Cards, and, of course, Passports. Just make sure you carry the id that you use for the reservation, otherwise you might have problems. i.e. don't use your passport number on reservation, then present your EDL to Canadian Border Services.


----------



## bryan123 (May 4, 2016)

Okay thanks!...

So is there is there a dining car on this train or is just the cafe car that does snacks and stuff?

And just to make sure... me and my friend will use red cap... so we will be able to have a seat together right?

And has anyone ridden on the maple leaf? How is it? Should i sit on the left or right side of the train to see good scenery?


----------



## PVD (May 4, 2016)

Cafe car only, since you are in b/c it is normally right behind you in the same car. Coffee/ tea//soda comped, anything else paid. Train becomes a VIA train when it crosses into Canada, they switch out café car stock. I prefer left hand side North/West right side East/South for better views of Hudson River, Mohawk, and remnants of Erie Canal, others may have their own thoughts.


----------



## chakk (May 4, 2016)

Left side of train is best view for Hudson River between NYC and Albany. In fact, in pre-Amtrak days, the railroad crews on the New York Cenral were required to have the bedroom side of sleeping cars face the River.

And Roger O. Thornhill and Eve Kendall were seated in the diner of the 20th Century Limited on the river (left) side during dinner on their trip to Chicago


----------



## zephyr17 (May 4, 2016)

When I rode it in March, Business Class was the back half of the Cafe car itself. It is 2 + 1 seating, with the "1" on the left side, so if you want to sit together, you'll be on the right.


----------



## PVD (May 4, 2016)

With Amtrak, anything is possible, but almost every time I've done B/C on an Empire Corridor train they faced the B/C part forward so that the coach passengers didn't walk through B/C to get to the cafe. But as I (and many others on this site) have mentioned over the years, consistency is not an Amtrak strong suit.


----------



## bryan123 (May 4, 2016)

Okay...

And how is the climate on the train? As im going during the summer? i assume they would be some sort of A/C or something? And can the windows be open or no?


----------



## zephyr17 (May 4, 2016)

PVD said:


> With Amtrak, anything is possible, but almost every time I've done B/C on an Empire Corridor train they faced the B/C part forward so that the coach passengers didn't walk through B/C to get to the cafe. But as I (and many others on this site) have mentioned over the years, consistency is not an Amtrak strong suit


The cafe on the Maple Leaf in March was the very last car on the train, so the BC part was in the back, like you said, so coach pax wouldn't walk through BC to get to the cafe. Consistent orientation of the car to keep it that way was my assumption, putting the "1" side on the left. But you are right, anything can happen, so that is just strong possibility, not a certainty.


----------



## zephyr17 (May 4, 2016)

bryan123 said:


> Okay...
> 
> And how is the climate on the train? As im going during the summer? i assume they would be some sort of A/C or something? And can the windows be open or no?


The train is air conditioned and Amtrak's tendency is to keep the A/C cranked up pretty high, so the cars tend to be on the cool side. With that said, it is Amtrak so YMMV. If you get cold easily, bring a jacket just in case.

The windows are sealed.


----------



## PVD (May 4, 2016)

Which only matches the Amtrak philosophy of "it's a typical setup unless it isn't". The ones I've been on the split B/C car has been in front, which has the same result of coach passengers not walking through, it does flip the 2 side and the 1 side like you said.


----------



## andersone (May 5, 2016)

Amtrak is like a hospital - they keep it cold to kill the bugs


----------



## Triley (May 5, 2016)

andersone said:


> Amtrak is like a hospital - they keep it cold to kill the bugs


Is it really necessary to make that type of joke with a first time rider?

To clarify for everyone, the systems I the Amfleet cars are ancient. There is no real temperature control accessible by the onboard staff. The cars are suppose to regulated to maintain a comfortable atmosphere based on the temp reading inside the car. If one of the doors to the vestibule is constantly in use/stuck open it will throw the temp readings off and that will affect the reaction on the system.

During the winter there are two sources of heat, both of which can not be controlled from within the car, as the control box is underneath the car, and the crew should not be going in to it anyway. Even if the car gets hot and we shut the fans off, it only cuts off the weaker heat source. The major heat source is along the floor. And if that heat is on, the AC can not come on.

During the summer if the car gets warm we can generally hit a button to turn the AC on for thirty minutes before it resumes normal operation. That's if the system is functioning properly. If it gets too cold we can shut the system off entirely, but within ten minutes the car is an oven, and the air is extremely stale, especially if in the coaches.


----------



## bryan123 (May 11, 2016)

Just quick question about the cafe items.... what kind of coffee they serve? folgers? Maxwell House?

This is a stupid question to ask but... im lactose so im assuming they would have half and half on board the train for coffee and tea right?

And they dont change trains or anything? its just straight through? Because i think i was watching a youtube video and it had them changing trains in i think albany or rochester because disel trains cant be in penn station. So they had to swap out for a dual mode train. But they was going towards penn.


----------



## zephyr17 (May 11, 2016)

They may change engines in Albany if they don't run the dual mode engine (diesel and 3rd rail electric) all the way through, but you don't change trains, they just hook a different engine onto the same consist.

As to coffee, it is coffee, neither Folgers or Maxwell House to my knowledge. They have the little sealed plastic cups of creamer, I am pretty sure it is half and half.


----------



## Triley (May 11, 2016)

The creamer is International Delight half and half. The coffee is, at the moment at least, the most generic thing you can think of. "Amtrak European Select" is what it says in the packaging.


----------



## RPC (May 11, 2016)

The goal is for the train to be slightly on the cool side, the idea being that one can wear a sweater or jacket. A blazer (suit coat) is about right for me, and has the secondary advantage that the customs personnel don't give me a second glance (at least on the Adirondack). The windows do not open.


----------



## bryan123 (May 12, 2016)

Thank you guys!!

Has anyone ever on any amtrak train not just the maple leaf... tried to see how fast its going and like gps kind of tracking? I heard while watching a youtube video that you can do that but you need a gps receiver and software for your computer or something??

And has anyone tried to listen in on the frequenices from their cb radio or something?>>>>>> http://on-track-on-line.com/amtfreq-ne-o.shtml#leaf if i get a cb receiver if i can...

And do you think it would be easier for us to take the maple leaf to buffalo and then a taxi over to the falls? So we dont have to spend forever at border crossing for them to check the entire train?


----------



## zephyr17 (May 12, 2016)

You need a scanner, not a cb radio. The AAR channels are different frequencies than CB channels. I use a scanner all the time onboard. Your should use headphones with it though.

I don't use a GPS, I time mileposts sometimes and often trackside detectors will broadcast the train speed (see scanner, above). I don't recall whether CSX (Schenectady-Niagara Falls, NY), Metro Norrth (Spuyten Devil-Poughkeepsie), and Amtrak (Penn Station-Spuyten Devil, although I am not sure if there are any in that stretch, Poughkeepsie-Schenectady) detectors do that, my recollection is they do but I could be wrong

Since you are not going through, it may be a good idea to cross by foot or taxi. You don't have to get off at Buffalo to do that, you can get off at Niagara Falls, NY. Someone more familiar with that border crossing should chime in. I was going through to Toronto, so I stayed on the train.


----------



## bryan123 (May 12, 2016)

What scanner you use? What scanner you recommended i buy and from where? what you mean by trackside detectors?

We should get off at niagara falls and take a taxi to our hotel to the canada side??


----------



## Bob Dylan (May 12, 2016)

I disagree with getting off the train @ the Niagara Falls,NY Station which is a ways from the Border and downtown.

Staying on the train you will cross the River/ Border on the Whirlpool Bridge and the VIA Station is right there.You will undergo Customs and Immigration Check right in the Station and then you're good to go!

The Greyhound Station is across the street so there will be Cabs available to take you to your hotel!

There is also a City Shuttle bus that runs along the River to and from the Main part of the City and the Falls right close to the Stations.


----------



## zephyr17 (May 12, 2016)

Any Radio Shack has scanners (often they are labeled as "NASCAR scanners" at Radio Shack and are often referred to generally as "police scanners"). The big brand in scanners is Bearcat, although Radio Shack has its own in-house line, both Bearcat and Radio Shack scanners are actually made by Uniden. OnTrackOnLine has a section on scanners: http://on-track-on-line.com/scanner-radio.shtml. You can buy them online, too. You don't need anything special for listening onboard, the antenna it comes with will do fine for that. If you are going to railfan and chase trains, you would probably want a tuned antenna for the 160 MHz band so it will pull things from greater distances.

Trackside detectors detect mechanical problems with the train. There are hotbox detectors, dragging equipment detectors and shifted load detectors and they are every few miles to every 10-20 miles, depending on the nature railroad. For example, there are usually more detectors on a twisty mountain railroad. They broadcast on the "road channel" for the given stretch of railroad. They typically broadcast when a train starts by them, and then broadcast the results. The broadcast will be something like this:

"U.P. Detector. Milepost three seven eight point six. Detector working....U.P. Detector. Milepost three seven eight point six. Train speed seven nine. Temperature four four. Axle count five two. No defects. No defects. Detector out." The crews acknowledge this, sometimes by saying "Highball detector" sometimes just clicking twice on the send key.

If there is something wrong, it will say "STOP YOUR TRAIN! STOP YOUR TRAIN! and the axle number of where the problem is. Some detectors are set to broadcast on defects only, but there are a lot of them that broadcast regardless.

Not all railroads have the detectors set to broadcast train speed and/or temperature.

Not saying that you should detrain at Niagara Falls, NY, just that if you are going to get off and cross the border by other means, Niagara Falls, NY is a more sensible option than the longer taxi ride from Buffalo. There could be some advantages to crossing on foot or by taxi, getting through customs is may be faster. I defer to a more frequent rider and more local rider of the Maple Leaf for their recommendation, though. Myself, I'd just stay on the train.


----------



## bryan123 (May 21, 2016)

Does any use gps stuff when riding on the amtrak trains? Like a gps receiver to see your location? I think i saw a video on youtube of someone riding the amtrak train and they had a gps receiver connected to their laptop and they saw location and speed.


----------



## AmtrakBlue (May 21, 2016)

Before I had an iPhone, I bought an older version of this to link to my iPod touch. http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/8364 

Then used MotionX app ( http://gps.motionx.com/) to track.

I now use the Motion X app on my iPhone.


----------



## bryan123 (May 21, 2016)

is there anything for android?


----------



## AmtrakBlue (May 21, 2016)

bryan123 said:


> is there anything for android?


Maybe something listed on this site. A hiking app is probably better than a road app for trains.


----------



## Triley (May 21, 2016)

I simply use an app called GPS Status. Gives your coordinates, speed, acceleration rate, and other things.


----------



## StanJazz (May 21, 2016)

I was on the 1st train 3 detoured through Texas after train 4 derailed. I use the Nikon GP-1 on my camera. It showed that this picture of a photographer taking a picture of an Amtrak train where one normally is not seen was in Amarillo Texas. Otherwise I would have no clue where it was taken.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/26741918280/in/dateposted-public/


----------



## bryan123 (Jun 2, 2016)

Well i am so excited!! My trip is almost here.

Just a few questions i thought of.

What route does train take? Is it true that it runs along the Hudson River?>> the east side of it i assume?

Has anyone ridden on the Maple Leaf? Your experience? How did u pass the time?


----------



## PVD (Jun 2, 2016)

up the west side of Manhattan, across the Spuyten Duyvil, connects w/ the mnrr tracks (until Poughkeepsie when it is CSX/Amtrak) for the trip along the East bank of the Hudson (left side of train) crosses over the Hudson just after the Albany station (which is in Rensselaer) and heads West along the Erie Canal/Mohawk River. 1. Relax 2. Café/Lounge 3. Read book 4. Socialize (its not like a plane) 4. Relax 5. Watch a movie that you bring with you, even if you have working Wi-Fi, it is not meant for streaming video. Think of the history of the US, and how the economy of NYS and the Northeast was shaped and changed by things like the canal. the railroad, and now the NYS Thruway.


----------



## River in Sight (Jul 16, 2021)

Is the Maple Leaf still 2-1 in business? Looking to ride POU-BFX next month, Business is around a $30 upcharge which I think would be worth it if it is indeed the 2-1 cars considering it's a pretty long ride.


----------



## OBS (Jul 16, 2021)

River in Sight said:


> Is the Maple Leaf still 2-1 in business? Looking to ride POU-BFX next month, Business is around a $30 upcharge which I think would be worth it if it is indeed the 2-1 cars considering it's a pretty long ride.


It should be...


----------



## Bob Dylan (Jul 16, 2021)

River in Sight said:


> Is the Maple Leaf still 2-1 in business? Looking to ride POU-BFX next month, Business is around a $30 upcharge which I think would be worth it if it is indeed the 2-1 cars considering it's a pretty long ride.


Definitely worth it!


----------

