# Cardinal / Capital Ltd. Trip Chicago To Washington



## Everydaymatters (May 1, 2009)

On Saturday, April 25, I took my first trip on the Cardinal to Washington DC.

While the Cardinal does not have a baggage car, I was able to check my suitcase through to Washington on the Capital Ltd.

The scenery was very pretty going through the mountains, much nicer than the Capital Ltd’s route. There was a tour group who had a narrator, which was an extra bonus as he pointed out places along the way. One of the highlights he pointed out was a beautiful bridge; I think it was over the New River Gorge. The narrator said that if you put the Washington Monument under it, you’d still have another 300 feet before you could reach the bridge. This bridge was absolutely fascinating. Makes one wonder how in the world they managed to construct it. He also pointed out the women’s prison where Martha Stewart and Tokyo Rose were incarcerated. That group debarked in White Sulphur Springs, WV, and we were no longer treated to the commentary.

The café attendant, Wayne, spent almost the entire trip sitting at a table doing paper work. The dining attendant kept telling him when there were customers and most of the time he’d reply “I’ll be right there.” I was amazed at the amount of paperwork that is required for his position.

At Culpepper, I was in the lounge car as the train was pulling out of the stop. I looked up and saw a lady with a clipboard. She was wearing a lanyard and the strap was imprinted “Homeland Security.” The train progressed toward Washington and everyone in the lounge was told to return to their seats and prepare to show their ticket and their ID. After mine was checked, I asked if I could return to the lounge and I was told “not until we have completed the sweep.”

That was the first time I experienced a “sweep” of the entire train. Security often comes up in the discussion topics, and I can now tell you it does exist.

The train was about an hour late getting into Washington, where I retrieved my suitcase, went out by the taxis and got the shuttle to my hotel.

The hotel had an hourly shuttle to Union Station, which is where I launched my 1-1/2 days of sightseeing from and ate a couple of meals at.

As had been my custom five years ago when I often traveled between Chicago and Washington, I bought a sandwich to take with me on the train back to Chicago. The Capital Ltd. was behind part of the way, but caught up and arrived in Chicago on time. It had been 5 years since my last trip to Washington, and I thought there was another stop in Indiana back then, but I could be wrong. I don’t have a timetable handy to check it.

The crews on both trains were pleasant and the trips were uneventful. It was kind of my “farewell” trip to Washington. This probably sounds melodramatic, but I always wished I had started my career in Washington. I like the beat of that town, the importance of everything that happens there. I was first introduced to Washington by my father, who was an alumnus of Georgetown University. He took my family through the nooks and crannies of Washington that few people get to see. But time does have limits and the years keep piling up against me to take a lot more trips.


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## Long Train Runnin' (May 1, 2009)

Nice Report! I ran into a sweep in Denver on the CZ since the DNC was going on. Amtrak Special Agents with the whole kevlar vest and automatic wepons. You guys insist they are a joke but they really arn't.


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## MrFSS (May 1, 2009)

Nice report, Betty - glad you had a good trip. I look forward to seeing you later this month.

Tom


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## the_traveler (May 1, 2009)

Good report!

There was another stop in IN at Hammond-Whiting (sp?), but I don't know when they stopped.


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## GG-1 (May 1, 2009)

Long Train Runnin said:


> You guys insist they are a joke but they really arn't.


Aloha

The Joke is on taxpayers due to the ineffective methods and actions of these agencies.

Apologies for this rant.


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## Squeakz2001 (May 1, 2009)

Glad you liked your trip! The Cardinal's view is amazing!!!!


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## ALC Rail Writer (May 1, 2009)

GG-1 said:


> Long Train Runnin said:
> 
> 
> > You guys insist they are a joke but they really arn't.
> ...


Not a rant, a totally good point. They checked IDs and tickets. If there was a terrorist on board all they needed was a ticket and an official form of identification and if there was a weapon of some kind on board in carry-on nobody would have noticed.

Just because the sweeps exist doesn't make them effective. I often laugh at the idea that "random" security checks deter anybody. It's a false sense of security... but at least it creates jobs.

Anyway, great trip report-- I want to ride the Cardinal some day. Someday I think I will.


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## had8ley (May 2, 2009)

Nice report Betty. Sounds like a pleasant trip until the sweep popped up. Hope you have many more trips like it. Just curious~ how would you rate the food between the Capital and the Cardinal?


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## ALC Rail Writer (May 2, 2009)

had8ley said:


> Nice report Betty. Sounds like a pleasant trip until the sweep popped up. Hope you have many more trips like it. Just curious~ how would you rate the food between the Capital and the Cardinal?


Does the Cardinal still run with a diner-lite or have they swapped in a Heritage refurb?


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## Everydaymatters (May 2, 2009)

I really don't know what diner lite or Heritage refurb is, but there was a counter in the middle of the car. On one side is dining sit-down service, and the other side is where you get something from the counter and can sit in a booth.

As far as comparing food between the Cardinal and the CL, I have never liked Amtrak food and always take a sandwich with me - so the only time I have dinner on the train is if it's a two night trip or the train is late.

For breakfast, on the Cardinal I had a breakfast sandwich from the snack counter. Jimmy Dean or something. Terrible. It was supposed to be ham, cheese and egg on a bagel or whatever. Well, we have our own chickens and fresh eggs every morning, so I'm spoiled.

Lunch on the Cardinal was a soggy pizza. Again, terrible. The train was late and for dinner I had a sandwich from the diner, which was good.

I had breakfast on the dining room side on the CL. It was supposed to be scrambled eggs, but I think it was egg-beaters. Maybe it's not fair to keep saying breakfast wasn't good. I mean, how many AU Forum members have eggs fresh from the chicken every morning?


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## MrFSS (May 2, 2009)

Everydaymatters said:


> I mean, how many AU Forum members have eggs fresh from the chicken every morning?


Eggs come from chickens? I thought they came from the grocery store. :lol:


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## the_traveler (May 2, 2009)

MrFSS said:


> Everydaymatters said:
> 
> 
> > I mean, how many AU Forum members have eggs fresh from the chicken every morning?
> ...


No, they come from big trucks behind the store! :lol: (At least that's where I see them take them out of! And they're already in boxes! So they must be made there!  )


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## Long Train Runnin' (May 2, 2009)

MrFSS said:


> Everydaymatters said:
> 
> 
> > I mean, how many AU Forum members have eggs fresh from the chicken every morning?
> ...


Well actually...







But I settle for fake eggs if it means I'm eating in an Amtrak dinning car!


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## GG-1 (May 2, 2009)

the_traveler said:


> MrFSS said:
> 
> 
> > Everydaymatters said:
> ...


Are the eggs fresh because the chickens talk back, or because they don't get to take the train.  :lol:

Aloha


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## ALC Rail Writer (May 2, 2009)

Everydaymatters said:


> I really don't know what diner lite or Heritage refurb is, but there was a counter in the middle of the car. On one side is dining sit-down service, and the other side is where you get something from the counter and can sit in a booth.
> As far as comparing food between the Cardinal and the CL, I have never liked Amtrak food and always take a sandwich with me - so the only time I have dinner on the train is if it's a two night trip or the train is late.
> 
> For breakfast, on the Cardinal I had a breakfast sandwich from the snack counter. Jimmy Dean or something. Terrible. It was supposed to be ham, cheese and egg on a bagel or whatever. Well, we have our own chickens and fresh eggs every morning, so I'm spoiled.
> ...


That would be the diner-lite.

I'm sorry the food wasn't good.


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## AlanB (May 3, 2009)

Yes, the Cardinal is still serviced by a Diner-Lite car and I've heard of no plans to change that at present. I'm not even sure if that will change when the new Viewliner Diners finally come online. Certainly without an increase of equipment to carry more passengers, and in particular more sleeping car passegners, there is no reason for a full diner to ever be put back on the Cardinal.


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## ALC Rail Writer (May 3, 2009)

AlanB said:


> Yes, the Cardinal is still serviced by a Diner-Lite car and I've heard of no plans to change that at present. I'm not even sure if that will change when the new Viewliner Diners finally come online. Certainly without an increase of equipment to carry more passengers, and in particular more sleeping car passegners, there is no reason for a full diner to ever be put back on the Cardinal.


What's the latest on the Heritage refurbs? Last I checked Beech Grove was working on getting 3 and 4 out by the end of May. Now they are getting the P40s too-- they have a lot of work, i suspect they want to get those diners out of the shops ASAP.


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