Newbern, TN Amtrak Station

[ciship]

Anyone familiar with catching the City of New Orleans train in Newbern, TN in the middle of the night? The Amtrak website says that its basically just a platform. No station attendant, no restrooms, etc....

Also........I've been trying to figure out how to do a search on these forums since a search function is not offered. Help?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The search box is at the top right - below your forum name and above the View New Content

 

[the_traveler]

I can't help on the station, but can help on the search.

On the top right, you'll see a search function box. Enter your search. To the right in that box says "Google Site" - click on that. In the drop down list, one of the radio buttons is "Forums".

 

[ciship]

Oh thank goodness for your help. I saw the GOOGLE search box all along, but didn't realize it had a drop down feature where I could just search these forums. SO much easier now. Thank you!!

 

[lepearso]

The Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers has a blurb about the Newbern station: http://tarprail.org/amtrak.php#newbern

There is no attendant on site, but the Newbern Police Department is across the street and the officers are great about coming over and visiting with the passengers around train time. They're great ambassadors for the town.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I have caught the train out of Newbern several times.

 

[ciship]

The Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers has a blurb about the Newbern station: http://tarprail.org/amtrak.php#newbern

There is no attendant on site, but the Newbern Police Department is across the street and the officers are great about coming over and visiting with the passengers around train time. They're great ambassadors for the town.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I have caught the train out of Newbern several times.

I have a friend in Dyersburg/Friendship and I was thinking of visiting her and then taking the train down to New Orleans. She says the Newbern station is only 15 minutes from her house. Since the train doesnt pick up passengers until 3 a.m. (ish) I was a bit afraid to be sitting around a dark, and non-staffed area while waiting for a train that could be very late! My teen daughter will be with me and we have traveled Amtrak together a lot, but we have never caught a train in the middle of the night. Just not sure I should risk it. Do you have to sit outside in the dark to wait or does someone allow you inside the station to wait with the lights on?

 

[Notelvis]

When the Amtrak stop first moved to Newbern (from Dyersburg) in the early 1990's, the station waiting room was open at train time. I don't know if that is still the case though.

If you're coming from a house just 15 minutes away you could check train status at the 1-800 number (or online) and minimize the amount of time you spend waiting at the station if the train is running late.

 

[Amtrak George]

The last time I watched train 58 through Newbern, which was about 3 years ago, the waiting room was open before train time and restrooms were available. The area seemed safe, with free long term parking and a nearby open police station.

I usually board at Memphis these days simply due to more decent train times.

 

[ciship]

Anyone been through Newbern lately? Just want to make sure I can still get in the waiting room in the middle of the night.

 

[nshvlcat]

The NBN station waiting room is open along with restrooms. The area is safe. The Mayor told me last year a police officer usually is present at arriving/departing trains.

 

[niemi24s]

I think your best bet would be to call (731) 627-3221 and ask. That phone number is, I think, for the Newbern City Hall but someone there may know something. There's a railroad museum in the same building but I think its hours are pretty limited.

 

[Ryan]

Or you can simply check Amtrak's website that indicates that there is a waiting room and provides the hours that it is open.

 

[greatcats]

That station information is often inaccurate and misleading. While not actually railroad stations, here are examples: In Williams, AZ passengers are to meet in the lobby of the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, which is manned by the hotel front desk, has cushy seating and restrooms. According to the Amtrak site, there are no facilities at all. Over in Winslow, the station building that is part of La Posada Hotel was closed some time ago, but passengers can wait in the highly atmospheric hotel lobby. If one believed the website, one would have to stand out in the middle of the boondocks in the dark. Another one: Lamar, Co, which is a visitor center in the station. All these examples do not have ticket agents, but are attractive locations.

 

[LCody62]

I am

 

[WoodyinNYC]

The Amtrak.com site shows this as a flag stop. I don't see that symbol defined. Should passengers wave a flag to slow the onrushing train? Does the train stop because Julie knows there's going to be ticketed passengers waiting?

The NARP site shows about 4,000 on/offs at this station every year, so that flag is getting pretty heavy use.

I'm sure it's completely safe there. Train haters would make it the lead story on Faux News and hate talk radio for at least three days if a violent crime actually befell a passenger waiting at a dark and lonely station. It's never happened or we'd all know about it.

 

[CCC1007]

A flag stop simply means that if no one is waiting to board and no one is getting off at the station, the train doesn't need to stop there.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

A flag stop simply means that if no one is waiting to board and no one is getting off at the station, the train doesn't need to stop there.

Does the train stop because Julie knows there's going to be ticketed passengers waiting? The passenger doesn't have to do anything?

 

[CCC1007]

A flag stop simply means that if no one is waiting to board and no one is getting off at the station, the train doesn't need to stop there.

Does the train stop because Julie knows there's going to be ticketed passengers waiting? The passenger doesn't have to do anything?

Only have to be on the platform as the train approaches and/or be on the roster before the previous staffed station.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

That station information is often inaccurate and misleading.

Thank you. Sometimes this forum suffers from some utterly useless assistance.

A flag stop simply means that if no one is waiting to board and no one is getting off at the station, the train doesn't need to stop there.

Does the train stop because Julie knows there's going to be ticketed passengers waiting? The passenger doesn't have to do anything?

I can appreciate the sarcasm but for the uninitiated who might be reading this the answer is that unless you were ticketed prior to the train's last manifest update you had better make enough of a scene that the conductor (1) sees you and (2) assumes you want to board. If you weren't on the printed manifest and don't make your intentions obvious you're leaving it up to the conductor to read your mind. On most days chances are good that the train will stop and the conductor will ask or motion for confirmation, but during bad weather or with a late train it's better to be safe than sorry. As for why Amtrak.com doesn't make this clear, concise, and plainly obvious I haven't the foggiest idea. Amtrak has been removing flag stops over time so maybe they see it as a service that will be discontinued in the future. Personally I would prefer that flag stops increase and give potential passengers more options for using the nearest Amtrak route.

Only have to be on the platform as the train approaches and/or be on the roster before the previous staffed station.

The nearest flag stop to where I live has no platform, no buildings, and no explanation of what to do.

 

[Ryan]

You'll probably be trying to make sure the engineer can see you, since (s)he'll be the one stopping the train, not the conductor that can't see a thing.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

You'll probably be trying to make sure the engineer can see you, since (s)he'll be the one stopping the train, not the conductor that can't see a thing.

It's a two man effort. A team, as it were. The engineer slows the train to a crawl but once the locomotive is past the loading zone (or wherever the passengers happen to be) it's up to the conductor to actually board them, including notifying the engineer when to stop and when to resume. I referred to the conductor since that's the person a flag stop passenger is going to see and interact with. I suppose they could focus on getting a darkened cab's attention while ignoring the guy with his head stuck out the side and still be boarded.

 

[HenryK]

Devil's Advocate is correct. Conductors don't sit up in the locomotive to look for passengers at flag stops, but they DO stick their heads out of the window (often on the transition sleeper but sometimes in regular sleeper or coach, depending on the passenger's location in the manifest) as the train approaches the platform. They're in touch via radio with their engineers, the most adept of whom spot the car at the precise location where the passenger is to board. It's fun to watch a skilled conductor-engineer team do this at flag stops. Foamers who stay at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana, enjoy this scene regularly.

Later: When riding in the cab of No. 5 back in 1995, I noticed how the day's engineer seemed to be able to make a precise spot of the car containing the conductor without being in constant radio touch. Well before arrival, the conductor would radio the engineer and tell him which car he wanted spotted in front of the station door, and presto, it happened. I asked the engineer how he knew where to stop the locomotive, and he threw up his hands and said, "I don't know. I just do." His assistant engineer chuckled and said, "Years of experience on this run. That's how."

 

[Palmetto]

You'll hear lots or talk on the radio if there's a short platform requiring a double [or sometimes even triple] stop. Conductors usually give a car countdown to the stopping place, ending with a "that'll do" to have the train platformed precisely.

 

[trainman74]

Devil's Advocate is correct. Conductors don't sit up in the locomotive to look for passengers at flag stops, but they DO stick their heads out of the window (often on the transition sleeper but sometimes in regular sleeper or coach, depending on the passenger's location in the manifest) as the train approaches the platform. They're in touch via radio with their engineers, the most adept of whom spot the car at the precise location where the passenger is to board. It's fun to watch a skilled conductor-engineer team do this at flag stops. Foamers who stay at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana, enjoy this scene regularly.

I've even had this done for me at a non-flag stop, where I was the only person on the manifest boarding or detraining. The conductor was at the door of the car I was to board, and the engineer spotted that door exactly where I was standing on the platform. (The conductor did step off to make a quick check up and down the platform.)

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

If the train is reserved, how about a fill in the blank time before the train arrives at the station someone has to have purchased to ticket to either board and/or depart there or the train can leave ahead of time without stopping? I would say 4 hours is reasonable but that could be negotiated. You should know by then if you're going or not. This would get rid of the guessing game by the conductor as to whether to stop or not. This should apply to all stops, not just flag stops. Of course there is little or any chance no one will depart/arrive at the major stops. I might even go as far as to say you have to have bought the ticket before the train leaves its initial destination so the conductor will know before he/she leaves as to where passengers are arriving/leaving. But this would work against people on the back end of a two day trip.

Long term Amtrak should monitor daily boarding/departing at certain stops and those that often have no passengers doing so should become flag stops (or maybe even skipped over).