Current Downeaster discussion

[Rambling Robert]

$80 ain’t too bad. Enterprise will pick up drop off if it meets their personnel schedule and arranged ahead of time. There are a couple other transportation museums up that way. I haven’t been to the trolley museum

Owls Head is cool — some train but mostly cars and planes. The have a Sunday ride occasionally of local people and their cars. There’s an MG car collection including an MG limousine. Owls heads is located in the southern tip of the jet port/taxiway.

There’s a chance that someone at Well’s Transportation Center of Maine might help. I know there are local busses Portland, Freeport, Lewiston maybe more?

 

[joelkfla]

$80 ain’t too bad. Enterprise will pick up drop off if it meets their personnel schedule and arranged ahead of time. There are a couple other transportation museums up that way. I haven’t been to the trolley museum

Owls Head is cool — some train but mostly cars and planes. The have a Sunday ride occasionally of local people and their cars. There’s an MG car collection including an MG limousine. Owls heads is located in the southern tip of the jet port/taxiway.

There’s a chance that someone at Well’s Transportation Center of Maine might help. I know there are local busses Portland, Freeport, Lewiston maybe more?

Sure, $80 is doable, but for a single destination and back to the station, Lyft/Uber would be more convenient and probably cheaper, if they're dependable in the area. And I wouldn't have to worry about getting the car back before Enterprise closes.

I've seen plenty of antique & classic cars, and I've recently visited Smithsonian Air & Space, as well as their Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport, which is huge with a spectacular collection. I'll only have 3 or 4 days at most in Boston. Streetcars and historic transit vehicles are what I love, and combining it with a ride on the Downeaster makes it worth taking up one of those days. (Maybe I'll do a trip exploring more of New England at a later date.)

Seashore appears to be out in the middle of nowhere (as are most rail museums), and there doesn't appear to be any local bus that serves it.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Seashore appears to be out in the middle of nowhere (as are most rail museums), and there doesn't appear to be any local bus that serves it.

It is located where it is because it uses part of the right of way of the Atlantic Shore Railway which was an interurban line that ran between Kennebunkport and Biddeford (as well as other places). The museum owns the right of way between Log Cabin Road and Biddeford.

The museum is currently closed and opens up again Saturday May 4, initially weekends only until June then Wednesday through Sunday.

It's true that the location is somewhat of a transit black hole. I suspect that you should be able to find Uber/Lyft in the area.

 

[Widfara]

I notice in some print publications that Byrnes Irish Pub advertises that its Brunswick location is "at the Amtrack Train Station" and that customers can "Take the Train or Bus Direct to our Brunswick Pub!" They also have a location in Bath, Maine.

Downeaster passengers to Brunswick may wish to take note. I have not eaten or drank there so maybe someone can give us a review.

https://byrnesirishpub.com/

In mid-March I'm going from Austin, Texas (eaglette), to Chicago - one night in Aurora (Irish pub there) - on to NYC (Cardinal) - NE Regional to Boston to Downeaster to Brunswick. I will report on this place. Then Downeaster (Upwester?) back to Boston - Lake Shore Limited to Chicago - another night in Aurora (Irish pub again) - eaglette back to Austin. 12 days. I will report on the trains and the pubs. I stay in Aurora because Chicago makes me nervous, and there's a good hotel right by the Aurora Metra station.

 

[Rasputin]

Bowdon College Arctic Museum a must - call it might be renovated.. College has an art museum too.

According to a winter tourist publication that I picked up in southern Maine recently, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum moved to a larger and improved location on the Bowdoin campus in Brunswick in May 2023. It is free and open to the public. Hours Tuesday through Saturday are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Monday and national holidays. tel. 207-725-3416 or visit bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum

 

[Widfara]

According to a winter tourist publication that I picked up in southern Maine recently, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum moved to a larger and improved location on the Bowdoin campus in Brunswick in May 2023. It is free and open to the public. Hours Tuesday through Saturday are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Monday and national holidays. tel. 207-725-3416 or visit bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum

Supposed to be a pretty good art museum on campus, also. I think I'll be able to find things to do which don't involve prolonged frigidity.

 

[Rambling Robert]

The new museum was donated, a modern building and possibly someday to house the Schooner Bowdoin. A group from the museum is trying to acquire the vessel now under the ownership and excellent care of the Maine Maritime Academy.

Around the 1930s Admiral McMillan recorded in B&W film activities of the Arctic Exploration including working with the Inuit natives of North America. You can see the films there with artifacts or watch at home on YouTube.

I’ll prolly go to the new museum on this month’s $12 each way DownEaster.

 

[Brian Battuello]

The Boston Globe's email list for transit stories this week was all about the Downeaster's history and future. It doesn't seem to be in the main paper, so I'm not sure how to share it here.

I'll copy a few paragraph belows, and if anyone wants a copy of the whole email, PM me. There's also a link in the email where you can sign up without needing a Globe subscription.

Revving up the Downeaster

The idea of state-subsidized passenger train service between Boston and Portland was controversial in the 1990s, when critics feared it would be a big waste of Maine taxpayers’ money.

Now the Downeaster train is so established, said Patricia Quinn, who runs the Maine state authority that funds the 146-mile route from North Station, that “people now can’t imagine what life was like without it.”

Businesses have grown around stations. The train was extended to Brunswick. And even after the pandemic ridership has continued to break records — though Quinn said patterns have changed, with travel more spread out across the Downeaster’s five round trips every day.

Quinn spoke with me last week about where the service, now in its 23rd year, goes from here.

She outlined a couple of potential improvements on the horizon: Moving the station in Portland to a better location closer to downtown; adding a stop in Falmouth; installing a second platform at the Wells station; extending the train about 50 miles from Brunswick east to Rockland; making adjustments to the tracks and signals to allow higher speeds; and adding a train that would allow people in southern Maine to commute to Portland in the morning, which is not possible with its current schedule.

 

[fdaley]

The idea of state-subsidized passenger train service between Boston and Portland was controversial in the 1990s, when critics feared it would be a big waste of Maine taxpayers’ money.

I remember that era well. At one point in the mid-90s, in a story about the supposed need for widening the Maine Turnpike, the head of the Legislature's transportation committee told the Portland Press Herald that, as far as the proposed Portland-Boston train service was concerned, "we need less fact finding and more fact facing." So it was really gratifying to me when the naysayers, and there were a lot of them, were proven so wrong about their claims that no one would ever use it.

Does the Globe piece mention the prospects for getting some trains to Lewiston/Auburn?

 

[Brian Battuello]

It didn't, but it seemed surprisingly optimistic about the Rockland extension.

 

[Rambling Robert]

Maybe a loop?
Freeport/Brunswick/Rockland/Auburn/Lewiston/Brunswick/Freeport

Fantastic revenues for trains that run to concerts or sporting events at the Boston Garden. The trains sell out all the way to Brunswick.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Maybe a loop?
Freeport/Brunswick/Rockland/Auburn/Lewiston/Brunswick/Freeport

There is no way to do that as a loop without building new trackage between Rockland and Auburn. The leading plan as I understand it is to reach Auburn/Lewiston via the former St. Lawrence & Atlantic / Grand Trunk from Yarmouth Jct. where it crosses the Brunswick branch, to a new station near the L/A airport. So this would be a new branch off the existing line to Brunswick or the Rockland Extension.

I suppose you could do a loop by continuing up the "lower road" from Brunswick through Augusta to Waterville, reversing there then running via Lewiston and Auburn on the "back road" (current PanAm / CSX main) to Portland. However that would not serve Rockland. It would require reconstruction of some unused track through Augusta.

 

[BlackDiamond]

The NNEPRA has announced a virtual public meeting (via Zoom) on the "Portland Train Platform/Station Relocation Study". This will be on Thursday April 25, 2024 6 PM to 8 PM. A link to the zoom meeting will be published on the NNEPRA website on the day of the meeting.

The purpose and need of the project and the preliminary alternatives being considered will be presented. Following the brief presentation, the public will have an opportunity to provide input regarding the potential relocation of the Portland train platform. We are particularly interested in learning local and regional views and identifying concerns and issues.

NNEPRA Web Site

 

[jiml]

A couple of Downeaster questions for those in the know:

I'm planning to be in the area in late September and considering a day trip on the Downeaster from Brunswick to Boston and back. An overnight in Boston was a thought until I checked even mid-tier hotel rates near North Station, so a same-day return it is!

Does this route mostly run on time, and if so, is it likely that a train arriving into Boston is the same one to next depart northward? There is a considerable gap in the schedule should this "connection" be missed.

Is Business Class on this train worth the extra? Also, is there any scenery worth noting along the way, while adding bucket-list mileage to my Amtrak portfolio?

 

[JWM]

The scenery is pretty good and, yes, I think Business Class is worth it.

 

[fdaley]

A couple of Downeaster questions for those in the know:

I'm planning to be in the area in late September and considering a day trip on the Downeaster from Brunswick to Boston and back. An overnight in Boston was a thought until I checked even mid-tier hotel rates near North Station, so a same-day return it is!

Does this route mostly run on time, and if so, is it likely that a train arriving into Boston is the same one to next depart northward? There is a considerable gap in the schedule should this "connection" be missed.

Is Business Class on this train worth the extra? Also, is there any scenery worth noting along the way, while adding bucket-list mileage to my Amtrak portfolio?

The Boston hotels are out-of-sight expensive. That's one reason I gave up trying to connect from the eastbound Lake Shore to the last Downeaster to Maine. If the LSL is more than a couple of hours late, there could be a $500 penalty.

Regarding the Downeaster, the same train sets that come southbound into North Station become the next northbound departure, so 680 becomes 681 and 682 becomes 683 and so on.

You can check the recent performance history on ASMAD, but in my experience the first two southbound trains, 680/690 and 682/692, are quite reliable, rarely more than 15 minutes late. The afternoon arrivals are a bit more dicey, with delays of 30-40 minutes not uncommon. I have occasionally seen one of the afternoon trains be so late that it delayed the next northbound departure, particularly 686, which only has about an hour before it has to become 687.

Regarding scenery, the nicest stretch in my opinion is right out of Portland. Heading south, you cross the Fore River and get a view of the city and then, after going through Rigby Yard, you head into the Scarborough marsh and feel that you are right at the edge of the ocean for five or 10 minutes until you reach Old Orchard Beach, where the station is within sight of the beach and the waterfront amusement park. In the summer it's fun to see the crowds jamming the streets in OOB, and then by mid-September it becomes like an eerie ghost town.

After Saco, you're away from the ocean for the rest of the trip, though you do pass some lakes in New Hampshire. Just past the Haverhill station, you cross the Merrimack River and then follow it southwest for about 10 minutes to Lawrence, where the train turns to the south and the river to the north.

The business class used to be only a $9 markup from coach; now it's $12 (edited to correct), but that still seems a bargain compared with BC on other Amtrak routes. When I took BC from Boston to Portland last, the attendant took our complimentary drink orders and served us at our seats before the cafe opened to coach passengers, which I really appreciated after a day of hoofing around Boston.

 

[jiml]

Thank you @fdaley ! We are planning to head home through Maine after a week visiting family and friends in New Brunswick and I saw an excellent opportunity to add an untried Amtrak route. Having a little trouble selling my wife on the experience - especially without a night in Boston. We've been to Boston many times but never near North Station. Even the mid-level Courtyard is over $700 (with points pricing like a Ritz-Carlton), so it has to be a day trip.

I had suspected that the southbound did the turn, which you confirmed. Thanks again!

 

[BlackDiamond]

The business class used to be only a $9 markup from coach; now it's $12 (edited to correct), but that still seems a bargain compared with BC on other Amtrak routes. When I took BC from Boston to Portland last, the attendant took our complimentary drink orders and served us at our seats before the cafe opened to coach passengers, which I really appreciated after a day of hoofing around Boston.

That has been my experience also. The attendants are usually great.
Some other advantages of BC: If traveling alone there are the single seats on the right hand side. Also at North Station the BC is the first car after the NPCU, not so far to walk which one appreciates after traipsing around Boston all day.
Coming into Boston, if they take the normal route via the Lowell line, you get a good view of the new Green Line extension on the right hand side.

 

[Rambling Robert]

G starting in Brunswick is different because you can catch the return on the white schedule where the sports teams get out and concerts. Also wrap-up.

Coming into Boston the first thing to do I think is to take the green line to Park Street and then boom you’re there in the heart of a heart Boston. It’s only about a 10 minute walk to the waterfront as well so returning to the train around 11-ish is pretty good.

Have a great trip on the DownEaster and enjoy Boston. You can do a lot in only part of the day!

 

[fdaley]

Thank you @fdaley ! We are planning to head home through Maine after a week visiting family and friends in New Brunswick and I saw an excellent opportunity to add an untried Amtrak route. Having a little trouble selling my wife on the experience - especially without a night in Boston. We've been to Boston many times but never near North Station. Even the mid-level Courtyard is over $700 (with points pricing like a Ritz-Carlton), so it has to be a day trip.

I had suspected that the southbound did the turn, which you confirmed. Thanks again!

I'm sure you could find a hotel in Brunswick or Freeport in the range of $100 to $200 per night. If you catch the 7 a.m. train, you can get about six and a half hours in Boston before catching the 5:20 back to Maine. Or you can really make a day of it and take the late-night train back -- it leaves at 10:30 or, if there's a Red Sox game or other big event, at 11:25 p.m.

 

[jiml]

I'm sure you could find a hotel in Brunswick or Freeport in the range of $100 to $200 per night. If you catch the 7 a.m. train, you can get about six and a half hours in Boston before catching the 5:20 back to Maine.

Already on it. There's a hotel that even has a Downeaster package, which includes 2 Business Class tickets!

 

[Rasputin]

Or you can really make a day of it and take the late-night train back -- it leaves at 10:30 or, if there's a Red Sox game or other big event, at 11:25 p.m.

You probably should reserve space well in advance of any Red Sox games. My daughter tells me that the train sells out on Red Sox game days.

 

[Rambling Robert]

A black video a way is the OneSixFive inn is for gourmands and is très boutique! The Brunswick Hotel is right at the Amtrak station.

The Arctic Museum is brand new and worth at least a few hours and is FREE. Admiral Johh MacMullian, his wife Miriam and their crew were great Arctic explorers of North America. He was also a skilled filmmaker beginning in the 1920s. You can view the film and artifacts at the museum or see the film on YouTube., … t the station … It’s s 15 minute walk or Lyft/Taxi if you like.