Thinking Back to the Last Time I Rode Amtrak

[NEPATrainTraveler]

After thinking back to my first ever Amtrak trip, I have decided to think back to the last Amtrak trip I took, which was in the summer of 2019. This was also something I meant to write, but never got around to until now. Like my first trip, this trip would be a round trip from NYP to BAL, though that wasn’t always the plan. I had seriously considered going through PHL instead. I even went so far as to book tickets from BAL to PHL plus a thruway bus ticket to get back to Northeast PA. For the trip to BAL I ended up choosing NYP as my departing station once again because I was talking to someone online who was also going to be riding Amtrak to Baltimore on the same day I was and they were looking for someone to ride with. I stuck with PHL as my arrival station for the trip back home right up until a couple weeks before the trip when I decided it would be a great idea to tack on a New York City day trip on my way home from Baltimore. So, I cancelled my BAL to PHL ticket and purchased a BAL to NYP ticket instead along with a thruway bus ticket from NYC to Wilkes-Barre from Martz Trailways. The Martz bus ticket from PHL to Wilkes-Barre could not be cancelled.


I rode the Martz Trailways bus to Port Authority and proceeded to the Times Square subway station to get to Penn Station. I rode the 1 train downtown to Penn Station and got to the station around 1:15. I ate lunch at McDonald’s and then proceeded to go looking for my travel companion. We found each other by one of the departure boards on the lower level of Penn Station and talked for a bit as we waited for the 93 NER to take us to BAL. The 93 was about half an hour late, just like last time. When the train finally arrived, we lucked out in finding two seats together. During the journey we talked about things like the trains we’ve rode, Anderson, and the LD trains we wished we could ride. It was nice to have someone to talk to in real life about these things. As for the train itself, the café car actually got an announcement this time. I didn’t get anything from there though because I wasn’t hungry. Seats were still comfortable. It rained heavily outside when we entered New Jersey. I don’t think it stopped until we got to around Trenton or Philly. My travel companion was more knowledgeable about trains than I, as he was easily able to recognize the old train cars that had been parked off to the side somewhere around Philly.


When we arrived in Baltimore, we parted ways. Light Rail service was suspended in downtown Baltimore due to a water main break that had happened a few weeks earlier, So I rode the Purple line of the Charm City Circulator instead. It was the PM rush hour at this point and riding a bus through that kind of traffic in a big city like Baltimore went about as slowly as you would expect. I got off near inner harbor and walked to my hotel.


After a fun few days in Baltimore, it was time to go back. I rode the Charm City Circulator once again. Instead of a city bus, this run of the Charm City Circulator used a van, kind of like the shuttle vans you see at major airports. It was the AM rush hour, which resulted in a ride that was about as slow as you would expect due to the traffic. I was worried that I would miss my train, the 56 Vermonter. Unlike the 86 NER the previous year, the Vermonter was on-time. Thankfully, the bus got to the station just in time for me to have breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts and get on board the train. I was in the quiet car, which remained quiet for the most part. The café car got announced on this train, but since I had just eaten, I didn’t visit it. The vibe of the Vermonter was the same as the NERs in that it felt like a commuter train. I wonder if the vibe changes if riding the train all the way to Vermont? I arrived in New York on time. I had my day trip, but I was too tired to really enjoy it. I should have stuck with the previous plan of going home through Philly.


Overall, my 2019 Amtrak trip to Baltimore and back was a pretty good trip. If I could change anything it would be the return trip. I should have either stuck with the original plan of going through PHL or I should have done what I did the previous year and only stayed in New York just long enough to have lunch and then went home. I still daydream about routes I want to ride, places I want to visit, etc. Hopefully one day I’ll be riding Amtrak again, after the pandemic is over.

 

[MARC Rider]

The vibe of the Vermonter was the same as the NERs in that it felt like a commuter train. I wonder if the vibe changes if riding the train all the way to Vermont?

When the Vermonter did the reverse move in Palmer, it was even more like a commuter train, because they set up the seats so that half faced in one direction, the rest faced in the other direction. I don't know what it's like now. Once you leave New Haven, the Vermonter goes a LOT slower than it does on the NEC. Heck, once you get to New Rochelle, the train slows down considerably. A lot more rural scenery beyond Springfield, and I'm not sure that the train ever exceeds 50 mph. But you're riding in the same Amfleet 1 cars they use on the NEC.

When I've ridden the Vermonter, I spring for Business class, because they use the nice 2x1 seating. Very roomy, and, if traveling alone, you have the possibility of not having to deal with a seatmate.

On the other hand, I've never thought that NEC was like a commuter train. I spent almost 20 years riding real commuter trains, and the Amfleet 1 equipment is much more comfortable and the crowds are much less than a rush hour MARC train.

 

[NEPATrainTraveler]

When the Vermonter did the reverse move in Palmer, it was even more like a commuter train, because they set up the seats so that half faced in one direction, the rest faced in the other direction. I don't know what it's like now. Once you leave New Haven, the Vermonter goes a LOT slower than it does on the NEC. Heck, once you get to New Rochelle, the train slows down considerably. A lot more rural scenery beyond Springfield, and I'm not sure that the train ever exceeds 50 mph. But you're riding in the same Amfleet 1 cars they use on the NEC.

When I've ridden the Vermonter, I spring for Business class, because they use the nice 2x1 seating. Very roomy, and, if traveling alone, you have the possibility of not having to deal with a seatmate.

On the other hand, I've never thought that NEC was like a commuter train. I spent almost 20 years riding real commuter trains, and the Amfleet 1 equipment is much more comfortable and the crowds are much less than a rush hour MARC train.

When I say that the NER or Vermonter is like a commuter train I mean that the majority of the passengers seem to be business people. They tend to spend their time on the train working on their laptops or talking about work. There is obviously leisure travelers on the northeast corridor trains too, but the majority of the passengers seem to be business types on their way to or from work or on a business trip. LD trains, like the LSL, tend to have more leisure travelers in contrast, which gives the train a different vibe. These are just my observations.