Berkshire Flyer question

[JoeRids]

Good Evening,

I am planning a trip from Pittsfield to NYP on the Flyer. What is the service pattern on this? Is the train pulled backwards to Albany and then reverses direction? I assume then that BC is backwards until Albany? Are two locomotives carried the entire run, or are they uncoupled and added at Albany?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Pittsfield MA?

The Lake Shore Limited service this stop. Not sure you and I are referring to the same service or community.

 

[PVD]

It's a June to September train that NY and Mass set up Goes NYP to Pittsfield

 

[zephyr17]

It is a seasonal weekly service running NYP-PIT Fridays and PIT-NYP Sundays until September 2nd.

Due to how the Post Road line connects at Albany, the train would have to reverse there. Since they typically switch engines on all other trains past Albany to a P32AC-DM for the run down to NYP, it makes sense that they'd they pull into Albany, drop the road power from Pittsfield, and switch the P32 onto the other end.

They probably set it up with half the seats facing one direction, half the other, which is increasingly common, even in BC.

 

[JoeRids]

It is a seasonal weekly service running NYP-PIT Fridays and PIT-NYP Sundays until September 2nd.

Due to how the Post Road line connects at Albany, the train would have to reverse there. Since they typically switch engines on all other trains past Albany to a P32AC-DM for the run down to NYP, it makes sense that they'd they pull into Albany, drop the road power from Pittsfield, and switch the P32 onto the other end.

They probably set it up with half the seats facing one direction, half the other, which is increasingly common, even in BC.

I’m not sure this would be the case in Empire Serviced BC- since it uses the half cafe/half BC type coach. I would guess that all the seats face backwards for part of the trip ( hopefully the Pittsfield to Alb) portion, we will see.

 

[PVD]

They don't switch on certain trains when there are enough P-32 available. I've been on trains that run past Albany (281 and 283) that kept the DM all the way.

 

[Chatter163]

I rode the Berkshire Flyer both ways last month. The northbound train was pulled by one engine from NYP-Albany (and was fairly crowded), then a second engine was added to the back at Albany and became the lead engine as the train headed east (and was considerably less crowded). So I was then riding backwards from Albany to Pittsfield. The opposite was true on the return, as I rode backwards until Albany, with engines on both ends until we lost one at Rensaleer.

 

[Chatter163]

Pittsfield MA?

The Lake Shore Limited service this stop. Not sure you and I are referring to the same service or community.

Given the name of this thread and the details provided by the OP, a quick google or visit to Amtrak’s website would have prevented any misunderstanding.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Given the name of this thread and the details provided by the OP, a quick google or visit to Amtrak’s website would have prevented any misunderstanding.

Which I did, however its a weekend train so my visit to Amtrak website was null. Thanks for your clarification, or not.

 

[Chatter163]

Also, there is no food service on this train. The lounge car is unattended.