Carolinian Questions

[John Bobinyec]

The Carolinian had a dedicated attendant before the covid service reductions. I don't believe it has one right now.

jb

 

[Seaboard92]

What’s wrong with the Carolinian? I find the Amfleet 1s to be quite comfortable for day trips. Haven’t ridden in an Amfleet 2 before though.

Simple I live in a place where the Palmetto has a better departure time for my usual day train destination that doesn't require fighting with Charlotte traffic at the pre dawn hour. 11:08 AM vs 7:00 AM to make an hour and a half drive means I get a few more hours of usable sleep. Plus the Palmetto gets Amfleet II's which are substantially more comfortable. If I take the Carolinian/Palmetto I'm mostly going for Washington and that's my final destination with no connection. I'll take the Crescent, or the Silvers if I'm connecting west.

 

[me_little_me]

I knew the Carolinian has a dedicated BC attendant but what do they do? Bring you your one free drink? Can they take your order from the cafe car and bring it to your seat?

On the two times we took BC on the Carolinian, one attendant got us unlimited soft drinks - he'd periodically come by and ask if we wanted another one. On the other, the attendant twice asked us but it seemed she would have been amenable if we had asked for more - but two were enough.

 

[Amtrak_Carolinian_2020]

An AM-1 is great in the refurbished cars except for the small windows. I find that the vestibules on both ends can make some AM-1s cool breezy in the winter temps.

I don’t find the AM-1 windows to be “that” small, though at least they’re larger than plane windows. If you want a small window where you have to break your neck to get a good view out of, you should book a flight on a CRJ-200. Those things are brutal!

 

[railiner]

I don’t find the AM-1 windows to be “that” small, though at least they’re larger than plane windows. If you want a small window where you have to break your neck to get a good view out of, you should book a flight on a CRJ-200. Those things are brutal!

If you think the CRJ-200 windows are small, try a Concorde
G-BOAD, the one I flew on, is on permanent display in New York at the Intrepid Museum on the Hudson.

 

[Amtrak_Carolinian_2020]

Simple I live in a place where the Palmetto has a better departure time for my usual day train destination that doesn't require fighting with Charlotte traffic at the pre dawn hour. 11:08 AM vs 7:00 AM to make an hour and a half drive means I get a few more hours of usable sleep. Plus the Palmetto gets Amfleet II's which are substantially more comfortable. If I take the Carolinian/Palmetto I'm mostly going for Washington and that's my final destination with no connection. I'll take the Crescent, or the Silvers if I'm connecting west.

I see what you mean. I live in one of the ENC Thruway Motor Coach towns, which connect to both Palmettos regardless of direction and only to the Charlotte-Wilson portion of the Carolinian. Selma/Wilson are the nearest Amtrak towns to me, at just a little over an hour away. The drive isn’t bad, but taking the Thruway/Palmetto is more convenient in terms of not having to drive a little over an hour and find a parking spot at the station. I personally prefer the Carolinian overall, as the train has sentimental value to me (my trip on Amtrak 80 at 10 years old is what inspired my love of Amtrak for the past 13 years), and as an Amtrak regular for trips between NC and DC/NYC, I prefer the slightly later southbound departures and earlier northbound arrivals that the Carolinian provides. Since I find the AM-1s to be comfortable, the car type doesn’t really matter to me, especially since I get up and walk around the train to stretch my legs quite a bit. I do understand why one would prefer AM-2s if you’re not arriving NYC until midnight on the Palmetto, versus 8:30 on the Carolinian.

 

[Amtrak_Carolinian_2020]

If you think the CRJ-200 windows are small, try a Concorde
G-BOAD, the one I flew on, is on permanent display in New York at the Intrepid Museum on the Hudson.

At least the Concorde has some glamour to it. Those tin cans with wings are anything but glamorous.

 

[me_little_me]

If you think the CRJ-200 windows are small, try a Concorde
G-BOAD, the one I flew on, is on permanent display in New York at the Intrepid Museum on the Hudson.

If you think a Concorde has small windows, try flying in the "passenger" section of a KC-135. No windows on a trip to Southeast Asia from the U.S! And a lot slower than the Concorde.

 

[railiner]

If you think a Concorde has small windows, try flying in the "passenger" section of a KC-135. No windows on a trip to Southeast Asia from the U.S! And a lot slower than the Concorde.

Okay...you 'win'....and thanks for your service!

 

[abcnews]

They keep the car and bathroom clean. In the past (pre-COVID) they would roll a drink cart down the aisle every two hours or so, and offer soft drinks, juice and bottled water. Much like the ones on the airlines in coach. And I believe they offer you a newspaper.

By having one attendant assigned to the car it probably stays cleaner, and another perk - if you head down to the cafe car you might feel safer leaving personal items in your seat or overhead area. Especially if it's the last car on the train.

 

[PVD]

It wasn't just the size of the CRJ-200 windows, it was the location. They are awfully low. The longer CRJ at least moved them up.

 

[Amtrak_Carolinian_2020]

It wasn't just the size of the CRJ-200 windows, it was the location. They are awfully low. The longer CRJ at least moved them up.

Definitely! They’ll give you a crick in the neck for sure.

 

[jiml]

At least the Concorde has some glamour to it. Those tin cans with wings are anything but glamorous.

Now, now, let's be fair. Nowadays they're mostly plastic.

 

[Mailliw]

The New Yorker is very nice. It's a block north of the station on Eighth Avenue.

Thanks; we're staying there.

 

[Seaboard92]

I see what you mean. I live in one of the ENC Thruway Motor Coach towns, which connect to both Palmettos regardless of direction and only to the Charlotte-Wilson portion of the Carolinian. Selma/Wilson are the nearest Amtrak towns to me, at just a little over an hour away. The drive isn’t bad, but taking the Thruway/Palmetto is more convenient in terms of not having to drive a little over an hour and find a parking spot at the station. I personally prefer the Carolinian overall, as the train has sentimental value to me (my trip on Amtrak 80 at 10 years old is what inspired my love of Amtrak for the past 13 years), and as an Amtrak regular for trips between NC and DC/NYC, I prefer the slightly later southbound departures and earlier northbound arrivals that the Carolinian provides. Since I find the AM-1s to be comfortable, the car type doesn’t really matter to me, especially since I get up and walk around the train to stretch my legs quite a bit. I do understand why one would prefer AM-2s if you’re not arriving NYC until midnight on the Palmetto, versus 8:30 on the Carolinian.

If I'm taking the day trains I can almost promise you I'm going no further than Washington usually. If I'm going north of Washington I prefer the Silver Meteor due to the early arrival time.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

IAnother nice perk is a dedicated car attendant.

I loved having a car attendant when I took the Carolinian in BC, but it’s been a while. I am taking it at the end of April—does anyone know if there is still a BC car attendant on the Carolinian? Or was it one of the service cuts?

 

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I loved having a car attendant when I took the Carolinian in BC, but it’s been a while. I am taking it at the end of April—does anyone know if there is still a BC car attendant on the Carolinian? Or was it one of the service cuts?

My wife and I rode the Carolinian last weekend from Greensboro to Raleigh with the Piedmont on the Return. I tossed in the minimum bid for the upgrade to BC on the Carolinian and got the upgrade. I did not notice any attendant for our 90 minutes heading to Raleigh.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I tossed in the minimum bid for the upgrade to BC on the Carolinian and got the upgrade. I did not notice any attendant for our 90 minutes heading to Raleigh.

Thank you for the information. I’m glad you got the upgrade. Sorry to hear the attendant is gone.