ACE Autumn Colors Express & Cincinnati Daylight Express

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Two upcoming events October 20 - 22-23-24-25
The Cincinnati Daylight Express - Amtrak pulling a consist of private cars from Chicago to Cincinnati and on to Huntington WV - October 20
The ACE Autumn Colors Express - again Amtrak pulling even more private cars from Huntington WV to Hinton WV (route of the Amtrak Cardinal {trains 50 & 51}]
this on October 22 23 24 25

LINKs - websites:

Cincinnati Express: ANNOUNCING: Cincinnati Daylight Express-October 20th!

ACE: Grab a Coach Seat on Autumn Colors Express!

I will be riding both of these - pray that that Covid 19 thing doesn't derail this whole sheb-bang !

 

[WWW]

So far no indication of this being a NO-GO - - -
May have a MASKED bandito requirement and there
maybe some distance spacing in some of the cars.
With baited breath awaiting a chance for some
degree of liberation and libation from the status
quo quarantine.

 

[Steve4031]

Dang. Why do you have to run this on a school day? Lol.

 

[WWW]

Steve:
you did note that the event has been moved 1 year later - same agenda - check the ACE website for details.
The Chicago Cincinnati Daylight Express trip YES does operate on a Tuesday but the Huntington events are
on Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday - so you have at least two non-school days to work with.

 

[WWW]

At least by running the ACE event over 4 days it makes it possible to work up a schedule with the Amtrak 50-51 Cardinal to get there.
Air service not so great with small regional commuter jets and a change of planes (flights).
Now to wait out the 14 month quarantine till the event !

 

[Seaboard92]

The Huntington Tri-State Airport is a fun place to fly into. If it hasn't changed since my last visit to Huntington to work New River Train there are two doors. One with the Allegiant logo and one with the American logo. You can always guarantee what gate your flight is going to be and you board from the tarmac.

Allegiant actually runs decent sized jets on the route if they run from places you live in. That said I would never fly on them as I've heard they have an abysmal maintenance record. But I believe they run MD88 and A320 style planes on those routes.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Hmm.... this is tempting but without any mention of lower capacity because of covid I’m not sure if I can justify it.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable in a dome car with every seat filled for an entire day, especially with no masks.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Oh I just saw the note about the train being postponed until 2021!

 

[WWW]

Time to rethink about this - a few seats left on that Cincinnati Daylight Trip and the 4 day ACE event at Huntington WV
Cincinnati trip Tuesday October 19 - 11 am departure from Chicago with 261 private rolling stock - - -
ACE event Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday October 21-22-23-24 --- see website for details (20 some private varnish cars in the consist)

 

[WWW]

Once again that damn virus POSTPHONES the ACE event another year.
Unless cancelling altogether the reservations are being rolled over into next year.
The related Cincinnati Daylight Express consist for the event is also postphoned.

I was so looking forward to this - to get my railroad FIX no vaccination required and now this disappointment !

 

[City of Miami]

Gee, I have everything set to take 50 & 51 to Hinton and back that weekend. I wonder if RR Days will also not happen. I guess I could just go for the leaves and relative quiet of Hinton; Charlottesville is getting noisier beep beep beep beep

 

[Bob Dylan]

Once again that damn virus POSTPHONES the ACE event another year.
Unless cancelling altogether the reservations are being rolled over into next year.
The related Cincinnati Daylight Express consist for the event is also postphoned.

I was so looking forward to this - to get my railroad FIX no vaccination required and now this disappointment !

 

[WWW]

Email posted - dates reservations seating requests have been rolled over one year in advance - Refund options ?
If you were holding reservations for this event you should receive the email explaining those options.

Your hotel and related travel to the event is not covered - back to the redrawing board !

Damn that virus is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory again !

 

[me_little_me]

Argggh!!! We are leaving from Hinton on the 24th to head to Colorado. Hope the tourist train doesn't cause any parking problems for us. Looks like it departs Hinton 2 hours before our scheduled departure but it may mean Hinton parking lot is full of visitors.

D**m tourists! Always getting in the way of us real travelers.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Argggh!!! We are leaving from Hinton on the 24th to head to Colorado. Hope the tourist train doesn't cause any parking problems for us. Looks like it departs Hinton 2 hours before our scheduled departure but it may mean Hinton parking lot is full of visitors.

D**m tourists! Always getting in the way of us real travelers.

The "tourist train" has been canceled for 2021. So, I doubt if that will impact your parking situation.

 

[WWW]

Argggh!!! We are leaving from Hinton on the 24th to head to Colorado. Hope the tourist train doesn't cause any parking problems for us. Looks like it departs Hinton 2 hours before our scheduled departure but it may mean Hinton parking lot is full of visitors.

D**m tourists! Always getting in the way of us real travelers.

The Tourist Train event (ACE) has been postponed till next year

This "Tourists Train" would not have had any impact catching the Cardinal #51 station operation at Hinton WV.
The tourist train was scheduled to leave Huntington in the am with a stop at Charleston and arriving at Hinton mid day for a 3 hour stop
before returning back to Charleston and Huntington arriving approximately 7 pm - - -
The Amtrak Cardinal train #51 follows all this about 3 hours later - Huntington at 10 pm
The only parking concern would be at Huntington and lesser so at Charleston - - -
The parking question at Hinton would be vendors and visitors - but you are traveling on the last day of the event so no worry at all !
Everyone should have closed up shop and gone home by the time of your travels.

 

[me_little_me]

Whew! Thanks for the reminder. I was worried that even at the later hour that the visitors and vendors would not have been gone and their cars would have still filled the parking lot and there would be no place even to stop close to drop off her and the bags.

 

[WWW]

Well it has been resurrected for the third time and ticket sales are available:
If you had reservations from last year and did not cancel - I understand that these have been rolled over for the same equipment this year.

- Autumn Colors Express (autumncolorexpresswv.com)

The ACE Autumn Colors Express - again Amtrak pulling even more private cars from Huntington WV to Hinton WV
Route of the Amtrak Cardinal {trains 50 & 51}
this on Thursday thru Sunday October 20 21 22 23 --- 2022

The Cincinnati Daylight Express ferrying the cars from Chicago to Huntington - this consist is being contracted and worked on - more later.

 

[acelafan]

Yep! We still have our tix for a dome car and are looking forward to this trip. Hopefully there will be no further postponements.

 

[WWW]

Still waiting on developments - presume that the CDE will depart Chicago Tuesday October 18 to make up the ACE 4 day event 20-21-22-23.
Have paid tickets from the roll-over postponement from 2021 - - -
Possibility that the Friends of the 261 (6 cars in the ACE consist) will offer $$$ rides on the equipment from MSP to CHI Sat-Sun-Mon 15-16-17 ?
Equipment would be towed by the EB #8
Lots of indefinite maybes here so far - still waiting on developments to book alternative Amtrak or air travel to Huntington and the return.
Hotel space booked at Hilton Double-Tree so that is set - - - - -

 

[WWW]

Latest development - the CDE Cincinnati Daylight Express will not operate - getting to Huntington for the ACE event is on your own -
either by rail Amtrak Cardinal Trains 50 & 51 - driving your own car - and lastly that railroad in the sky flying to Huntington or Charleston.

The 4 day ACE (Autumn Colors Express) event will take place as scheduled on Oct 20-21-22-23

Tickets are still available - but the Premium class cars are meager pickings - - -
Hotel space still available
The mask wearing has been lifted - unless the virus returns with a revenge

 

[acelafan]

Anyone going on the Autumn Colors Express this weekend in WV? I promise not to track the OTP or complain about it running late.

 

[railiner]

Now that covid is more or less “over”, hope Amtrak brings back its rare mileage “Autumn Express” excursion.

I won’t “hold my breath” until that happens…

 

[jis]

Now that covid is more or less “over”, hope Amtrak brings back its rare mileage “Autumn Express” excursion.

I won’t “hold my breath” until that happens…

Since its discontinuance predates Covid by many years I doubt the change in Covid status will have any effect on the status quo as far as that goes. It operated when Congress had specifically asked for such. They have not any more, and the enthusiastic folks in management who made it happen are all gone, replaced by what I consider to be relatively uninspired.

 

[jiml]

Mike Downie does the ACE in reverse. Stunning interior shots of the private cars.