Traveling by train

noway2

noway2

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As I’ve mentioned in other threads, I’m going to the People’s republic of Baltimore. This time we’re going by train. My coworker got a wild hair and convinced me to try it. So far the experience isn’t too bad. It’s more comfortable than driving and doesn’t seem to be much slower even though you have brief stops you make up for it with faster speeds at times than the car would have.

More comfortable than flying. WiFi works. More room, with plenty of luggage room. You can get up and move without issue and it’s rather inexpensive.

Of course the rules are no guns except checked baggage, which I could see being an issue. Checked baggage needs to be 45 minutes before departure but you get a few minutes warning and I think where I got one they’d give you queer looks if you tried to check a bag. Of course there are no scanners, no TSA, none of that BS either.

We will see how it goes by the end of the trip. Got on at 8:15 in High Point and I’m now in Cary.
 
I'll be taking that train from CLT to NYP later this year. 12-hour trip so about the same as driving. Did you go coach, business or cabin?
 
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Catfish said:
I'll be taking that train from CLT to NYP later this year. 12-hour trip so about the same as driving. Did you go coach, business or cabin?
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We just went coach, or whatever was the cheapest. I don’t think the upgrades were too bad, but we had a $200 budget to work with based upon our initial estimates for driving where if we stayed within that we didn’t need resubmit for approval.

I would recommend bringing a cooler with some snacks and a lunch. There is a snack/dining car and I was crunched for time last night so I didn’t bring much. Instead I got a cheeseburger which was their recommendation. A little pricey but wasn’t bad, especially for a microwaved one. The area has some bench seats and tables so you can eat comfortably.

Not surprisingly, one negative is that the bathrooms are a little nasty. Too many guys trying to aim while the train is jerking around.

We’re almost to Petersburg VA (5 hours from high point) , which is a little slower than driving, but we will skip the Richmond and DC car traffic. We are stopped and they just announced something about catching up with freight trains and needing five minutes for them to clear out of the way.

So far, I would recommend.
 
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Interesting post, please continue. I haven't taken an Amtrak in 30-plus years and am interested to see how it is now.
 
Take any pics?

I would like to take train to DC for a long weekend trip to see some views without the traffic headaches
 
I took the train to DC one time because my ex's sister was getting married and she went up before me. It was great Took about 5.5 hrs, about the same time it would have taken to drive to DC but it saved us having two cars to drive both ways to High Point. $$$ was too bad.
 
Done the train thing a few times.

and I go with "Don't ask, don"t tell" for carry on...

We did it twice to Fl. to go to Seaworld. Got an Enterprise when we got there. Got on in Cary at 5-6:00 pm and got off at 7-8 am.
 
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Catfish said:
Im curious about coach vs business. Can you do a little spying for me?
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If I remember right business is 1 set of seat facing another with table between. Coach is like sitting a plane, but with more room and a 115v plug in. One kid took his small form desk top for the ride, lol
 
Family took a train from DC to NYC last summer to visit some friends on Long Island. Traveled 3 different train systems: VRE in Virginia from Manassas to DC, Amtrak from DC to NYC, then took the Long Island Railway out to our friend's place. Very very surprised by the lack of any security at any of the train stations and especially both at Union Station in DC and Penn Station in NYC, though Penn Station had more armed police officers walking around. ZERO scanning of any type of me or my carry on bag. Can very easily "carry" something if you wanted to. Overall the trip was comfortable, especially with having WiFi to stream movies etc. Our train did experience several electrical failures which was interesting only delaying arrival to a couple stations by a couple of minutes. A couple points along the route, the train was traveling 125mph+. One thing you will see is the rush for the seats at the back of the train and for obvious reasons should the train ever derail. The drinks/snacks found in the Diner Car is expensive, so bring your own.

edit: We sat in Coach. Two seats on each of the aisle that face forward. They also have electrical plugs if you need to charge a phone or a laptop.
 
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Mad Dawg said:
Family took a train from DC to NYC last summer to visit some friends on Long Island. Traveled 3 different train systems: VRE in Virginia from Manassas to DC, Amtrak from DC to NYC, then took the Long Island Railway out to our friend's place. Very very surprised by the lack of any security at any of the train stations and especially both at Union Station in DC and Penn Station in NYC, though Penn Station had more armed police officers walking around. ZERO scanning of any type of me or my carry on bag. Can very easily "carry" something if you wanted to. Overall the trip was comfortable, especially with having WiFi to stream movies etc. Our train did experience several electrical failures which was interesting only delaying arrival to a couple stations by a couple of minutes. A couple points along the route, the train was traveling 125mph+. One thing you will see is the rush for the seats at the back of the train and for obvious reasons should the train ever derail. The drinks/snacks found in the Diner Car is expensive, so bring your own.

edit: We sat in Coach. Two seats on each of the aisle that face forward. They also have electrical plugs if you need to charge a phone or a laptop.
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NY Penn has installed a trial version of "walk-by scanners". You will never know they are there, but they scan you in a manner similar to bag scanners at an airport. I, for one, wouldn't try carrying there. The results could be ugly unless you are a fan of Riker's Island. Expect those scanners to start being installed in a lot more places and you'll never know they are there.
 
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Daedalus-NC said:
NY Penn has installed a trial version of "walk-by scanners". You will never know they are there, but they scan you in a manner similar to bag scanners at an airport. I, for one, wouldn't try carrying there. The results could be ugly unless you are a fan of Riker's Island. Expect those scanners to start being instralled in a lot more places and you'll never know they are there.
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Was not aware, thanks for the heads up for those who may be traveling to the NYC area. I personally would not carry in NY anyways.
 
Heading back home this morning. Train schedule says it will arrive on time here in MD in about two hours. It should be in Newark right about now heading south.
 
Decided to upgrade to a business class ticket for the return trip. It was $60 more. The difference is that you get more room and a few amenities like a foot rest, pillow, and (non alcoholic) drinks. It’s also a little quieter being in the back.
 
My first and only train ride was in the mid 1900s to Baltimore from Dillon, S.C. Vivid memories of seeing that huge Terminal. The first time I had ever seen an escalator.
 
Lol. So much I could tell. This for one.....



That is railview footage of Amtrak 20, runs north through SC, NC, VA, etc. in the middle of the night. This was just north of Charlottesville VA a couple years ago and they ran a stop signal almost hitting on of our trains coming south. The crew told the passengers they had mechanical trouble. Passengers found out the truth months later I was told. They came less than 60 inches from hitting that other train. The Amtrak Engineer didn't apply the emergency brakes until he saw our train come into view and remembered he had an approach signal before. Talk about an "Oh Shit!!" moment....Had our train been a second or two later it would have been a head on in the single track.
 
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