Seaboard92
Engineer
Day 0: Departing for the Unknown
Normally my reports include a section about the planning of a trip but this is one of those rare last minute trips that was completely unplanned. On Sunday 9/27 I learned that Vice President Joe Biden was operating a Whistle Stop Campaign Train across Ohio and Pennsylvania. However they posted absolutely zero information about the train as far as route and schedule.
So I had a decision to make do I travel to the train to chase it or do I stay home because the details are sketchy at best. I am someone who believes when a historical moment could be occurring that I should always show up. And the fact that I’ve read multiple books about the Whistle Stop Campaign style to be called a minor scholar on the subject. Couple that with the infrequent operation of them seeing the last was Obama in 2008 from Harrisburg to Philly, and before that Senator Kerry across Raton Pass.
So being a scholar that loves that style of campaigning, a decent train chaser, and the scarcity of these events I decided I would head up to see it. However with Covid rearing her ugly head still I don’t feel comfortable flying. So naturally I took the train.
So after going for my nightly exercise walk with my mother who is still recovering from a stroke a few years ago I started my after dark drive to the Amtrak Station in Florence. The station is actually very close to my alma mater of Francis Marion University to whom I commuted to for two years everyday on these roads. I grabbed SC 34 out of Camden to head towards Bishopville because fun fact I refuse to drive on interstates.
I used to make this drive so many times I thought I had it memorized still but in a drizzle and at night I took the turn before the road I Normally use. Generally I take Lucknow Road which is diverging at the hill in Antioch. And I thought where the car turning ahead of me was my turn. Which it wasn’t but I quickly found my way. And I was on my way again. I regretted not having better wipers because I had trouble seeing out my windshield.
I passed at least three haunted houses before turning back on 34 just west of Bishopville avoiding downtown. Then continued on into the fields past the swamp paralleling the ex Seaboard Airline Sumter Branch. Which was rebuilt in the 90s for New York City Trash. I made it to Florence in fairly good time. I stopped by Target on the way to grab two new memory cards.
Then I went over to the station and checked my hastily packed suitcase to Cleveland. The Florence station didn’t even have a Cleveland option so the agent had to hand write the tag. After the bag was checked in I went to the picnic table I used to spend time at when I was a child before a train. I then broke into my new memory cards and I literally mean broke in because they are hard to get into.
After fighting with it for an hour I eventually got into both and put them in both of my cameras. One is my new D5600 with a wide angle 18-55 mm lens on it. And the other is an older D3500 a friend was retiring with a 55-300 mm lens. I figured for this trip I could use both to capture both angles without switching lenses.
I saw that the south bound auto train was stopped just north/East of town on single track and I was hoping it wasn’t a trespasser strike but it wouldn’t have bothered me as I could have slept longer had it been one.
My train arrived into Florence 34 minutes late and the train received 8 passengers in total which is really light. In pre covid days the train used to get 15-30 passengers nightly. Boarding passengers appeared to be an afterthought as they were ready to depart before one of the conductors wondered why everyone was still in the station. Shortly after that I walked to the vestibule of the 9812 car and took a room in 9811. Shortly afterward my attendant Leo came by to introduce himself and make the bed down.
He also asked if I wanted a drink and went to the diner to fetch me a drink and came back with both brownies and blondies. Then him and I talked for a few minutes and we discussed Amtrak and private cars. I showed him pictures of the one I’m working on now, and we talked about our past lives before the rail industry. He is a former United Airlines flight attendant from the recently closed domicile at Frankfurt am Main.
He retired with 25 years at United and continued to work for Amtrak but he would like to go back to Germany again of which I can’t blame him. I would rather live there anyway. Even if my investments ground me to the states I would still try to find a way to live in Germany. He went back to the diner and brought me more brownies and blondies to get me to Cleveland and back which was so sweet.
I texted my mother to ask what to tip him because I didn’t know because he was by far the best attendant I’ve ever had. And he was being furloughed due to tri weekly in less than a month. After he returned we talked till Fayetteville before both retiring for the night. I didn’t get a lot of sleep because my sleep cycle has changed lately and I had trouble getting shut eye.
I know I was awake in Rocky Mount, Weldon, and north of Richmond.
Normally my reports include a section about the planning of a trip but this is one of those rare last minute trips that was completely unplanned. On Sunday 9/27 I learned that Vice President Joe Biden was operating a Whistle Stop Campaign Train across Ohio and Pennsylvania. However they posted absolutely zero information about the train as far as route and schedule.
So I had a decision to make do I travel to the train to chase it or do I stay home because the details are sketchy at best. I am someone who believes when a historical moment could be occurring that I should always show up. And the fact that I’ve read multiple books about the Whistle Stop Campaign style to be called a minor scholar on the subject. Couple that with the infrequent operation of them seeing the last was Obama in 2008 from Harrisburg to Philly, and before that Senator Kerry across Raton Pass.
So being a scholar that loves that style of campaigning, a decent train chaser, and the scarcity of these events I decided I would head up to see it. However with Covid rearing her ugly head still I don’t feel comfortable flying. So naturally I took the train.
So after going for my nightly exercise walk with my mother who is still recovering from a stroke a few years ago I started my after dark drive to the Amtrak Station in Florence. The station is actually very close to my alma mater of Francis Marion University to whom I commuted to for two years everyday on these roads. I grabbed SC 34 out of Camden to head towards Bishopville because fun fact I refuse to drive on interstates.
I used to make this drive so many times I thought I had it memorized still but in a drizzle and at night I took the turn before the road I Normally use. Generally I take Lucknow Road which is diverging at the hill in Antioch. And I thought where the car turning ahead of me was my turn. Which it wasn’t but I quickly found my way. And I was on my way again. I regretted not having better wipers because I had trouble seeing out my windshield.
I passed at least three haunted houses before turning back on 34 just west of Bishopville avoiding downtown. Then continued on into the fields past the swamp paralleling the ex Seaboard Airline Sumter Branch. Which was rebuilt in the 90s for New York City Trash. I made it to Florence in fairly good time. I stopped by Target on the way to grab two new memory cards.
Then I went over to the station and checked my hastily packed suitcase to Cleveland. The Florence station didn’t even have a Cleveland option so the agent had to hand write the tag. After the bag was checked in I went to the picnic table I used to spend time at when I was a child before a train. I then broke into my new memory cards and I literally mean broke in because they are hard to get into.
After fighting with it for an hour I eventually got into both and put them in both of my cameras. One is my new D5600 with a wide angle 18-55 mm lens on it. And the other is an older D3500 a friend was retiring with a 55-300 mm lens. I figured for this trip I could use both to capture both angles without switching lenses.
I saw that the south bound auto train was stopped just north/East of town on single track and I was hoping it wasn’t a trespasser strike but it wouldn’t have bothered me as I could have slept longer had it been one.
My train arrived into Florence 34 minutes late and the train received 8 passengers in total which is really light. In pre covid days the train used to get 15-30 passengers nightly. Boarding passengers appeared to be an afterthought as they were ready to depart before one of the conductors wondered why everyone was still in the station. Shortly after that I walked to the vestibule of the 9812 car and took a room in 9811. Shortly afterward my attendant Leo came by to introduce himself and make the bed down.
He also asked if I wanted a drink and went to the diner to fetch me a drink and came back with both brownies and blondies. Then him and I talked for a few minutes and we discussed Amtrak and private cars. I showed him pictures of the one I’m working on now, and we talked about our past lives before the rail industry. He is a former United Airlines flight attendant from the recently closed domicile at Frankfurt am Main.
He retired with 25 years at United and continued to work for Amtrak but he would like to go back to Germany again of which I can’t blame him. I would rather live there anyway. Even if my investments ground me to the states I would still try to find a way to live in Germany. He went back to the diner and brought me more brownies and blondies to get me to Cleveland and back which was so sweet.
I texted my mother to ask what to tip him because I didn’t know because he was by far the best attendant I’ve ever had. And he was being furloughed due to tri weekly in less than a month. After he returned we talked till Fayetteville before both retiring for the night. I didn’t get a lot of sleep because my sleep cycle has changed lately and I had trouble getting shut eye.
I know I was awake in Rocky Mount, Weldon, and north of Richmond.