My latest trip took me from Charleston, SC back home to Pennsylvania.

The Silver Meteor (train #98) arrived into Charleston on time.  Boarding and de-boarding for coach class was on the last car of the train. The consist of the train was locomotive #163 -> the baggage car(I didn’t get the car number)->62003 The Bay View -> 62046 The Tranquil View -> 62032 The River View ->8527 diner -> 28009 Albany Club Lounge -> 25117 -> 25007 -> 25026 -> 25123.

There were quite a few people getting off of the train, most of them smokers I think, so on of the passengers getting off decided to open the door to the second to last car on his own.

Needless to say the conductor wasn’t very happy and ran over to the door and gave the passenger a healthy tongue lashing.  Coming back over to the proper door for getting on and off the train, the conductor noticed all of the people getting off and lighting up and again had to give out a lecture.

After these couple of events, getting on the train wasn’t a problem.  I was assigned seat 58 on the last car.  Seat 58 is the window seat in the very front row of the train.

The conductor was very nice when he came through to get our tickets, and I commented that he seemed a little calmer.  He said that the passenger that had opened the door was just lucky that was his stop, else he would have been staying there anyway.  I asked if all the roomettes were sold out and he said they were.  After seeing what happened before boarding I had originally thought twice about asking.

The nice thing about the front row is that there is extra legroom.  However, being so close to the passthrough door of the train is not good for an overnight trip when you are trying to sleep.

Also, these seats are above the wheels and suspension system of the car which seemed to make for a very bumpy ride.   Also, This row doesn’t have any windows, which really is a huge problem at night because with the light inside the train you can see much outside, except when you are in a lighted area.

I got off of the train in Florence, SC to have a smoke and take a look around.  After getting back on I decided that the sleeping pill I had taken had enough time to take effect and decided to try to get some sleep.  I went to the lounge to buy a blanket, mainly to cover my head, after realizing that the light by my seat was way too bright. (even though the condutor made a cover for the light out of a safety card that help a little) I was using my homemade pillow of a sweatshirt rolled up inside a small nylon bag I have.  I used the small amtrak pillow for under my back.

Even though I took a pretty strong pill to help me sleep, I really never fell into a deep sleep.  I can recall the rocking and rolling pretty much until the 5 am stop in Richmond where I got off to smoke where the were a few police officers waiting on the platform.  Apparently, a drunk passenger got into an argument with one of the attendants.  I’m not sure whether he got arrested or not since I finished my smoke and headed back to my seat.

I figured that after having the smoke I would be wide awake and settled down in my seat waiting for the dining car to open.  Apparently, I wasn’t ready to stay up and actually fell into a deep sleep untill about 7:30 when my seat mate woke me up to let me know we were in DC and would be in the station soon.

After getting off the train, I walked up to get some pictures of thain diesel pulling away and the electric locomotive being attached.  I have 1 of the pictures posted above and here are a few others.  I didn’t take a whole lot of pictures on this trip.

Washington Club Acela

I have to say that Club Acela is a nice ammenity to make use of.  Just being able to store your bags somewhere safe during a long layover is nice.  The free coffee, pastries and soda’s are another nice benefit.

I had originally planned to get some pictures, but I didn’t take them in the morning with the lounge being empty because I wanted to get out and have some breakfast.  Later on in the afternoon after getting back from playing around in DC the lounge was pretty crowded and I didn’t want to take any pictures.

It’s also nice to be able to get priority boarding in DC, bypassing the public gates.  I think from now on I will have to book a roomette anytime I’m laying over in DC just for this benefit.

Around DC

I got a one day pass for the Metro and rode around a little bit.  I have to say that the DC Metro trains are a pretty nice way to get around the city as long as there is a stop close enough to where you want to go.  I rode to the Capitol South station to visit the senate buildings and walk around The Capitol.  Later on I took the Metro to L’EnFant Station and walked up to The Native American Museum.  After Leaving there I decided to walk back to Union Station and it ended up raining so I got a little wet.

The Capitol Limited #29

Being in the lounge enabled me to be in my sleeper with a half an hour to spare.  I got back off and walked up to the front of the train to get the numbers.  I was in 2900 Roomette #2.  The consist of this one was:

Locomotive #’s 160, 22(being towed to Chicago) and 54 ->1734 baggage ->sleeper #’s 39017, 32099, 32006 ->38063 diner -> 33004 lounge -> coach #’s 34022, 31045, 34004.

Shorty after departing on time, the announcements were made and we were told that there would be no coach attendants for the first part of the trip.  I asked my Attendant Manny about it, and he said they both or all called off sick at the last minute.  As of about 9pm there still weren’t any coach attendants so I’m assuming the 2 conductors took care of the responsibility’s.

Also worth noting is that they announced due to federal law there would be random ID checks and I remember seeing on the arr/dep screen in the lounge that there will be random luggage checks also.

I really enjoyed having the roomette after having gotten little sleep in coach the night before and walking around DC, it was nice to have privacy and room to stretch out.  Also, I wanted to get a feel for the size of the room for future trips and feel that there is sufficient space for 2 people.  If 1 needs more room for a while the lounge car is always available.

It seemed like the tracks were alot smoother than my trip in June at least from DC to Cumberland and a few miles west of Harpers Ferry it looked like there was a short section of tracks with new concrete ties.  This time we were moving alot faster and actually overtook a moving CSX train!  We were still running behind by about 20 minutes for most of the trip, but by Pittsburgh the engineer had made up some time and we were only 3 minutes late.

Links to Pictures and Video’s:

Pictures

I took a series of 30 second video’s.  (longest my digital still camera will take) You can find them here on my Youtube page.

Here is my long overdue travelogue from my first trip on Amtrak. I took this trip from Pittsburgh , PA into Lynchburg, VA for my nieces wedding. Being a last minute decision, this was by far the cheapest way to go. You can view all of the pictures I took on the trip here. You can click on them 2 times to bring them up to full screen.  Most of them are low quality due to the weather and because I was just so excited about the ride.

Also, for anyone new to riding the rails or even if you are a veteran aboard Amtrak, make sure to come on over to the Amtrak Unlimited forums.

The trip consisted of 2 legs. The Capitol Limited #30 from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. and the Crescent #19 from D.C. to Lynchburg. The return trip was the #20 on the Crescent and #29 on the Capitol Limited.

Being my first train trip, I couldn’t sleep the night before as it was and had scheduled a taxi to get me to the station in Pittsburgh by 5:00 a.m. With the CL’s historical performance of being delayed, made worse by a storm that night, scheduling a taxi the evening before was a mistake. The CL is scheduled to arrive into Pittsburgh at 5:30 a.m. and depart at 5:45 a.m. So, I sat for 2 and a half hours waiting on the train to get in. When the train did pull in, there was a mad panic of people rushing to make it on to the Pennsylvanian before it departed. We ended up pulling out of Pittsburgh at around 7:30. It was a pretty rainy and dreary day aboard the train, however I still enjoyed the experience. I spent most of the slow going trip in the lounge car chatting with new found friends.

I do have to say that CSX does a poor job of maintaining their tracks, at least in Pennsylvania. The already delayed trip was made worse by CSX trains clogging up the tracks. The ride was bumpy going as slow as we were limited to so I couldn’t imagine trying to walk through the cars with the train going at a better speed.

Shortly after leaving Pittsburgh I headed to the diner to have some breakfast. I ordered the scrambled eggs with hash browns and toast. While the meal wasn’t the best I have had, I have eaten worse. After breakfast I returned to the lounge where I spent most of the remainder of the trip chatting with other passengers.

We got into D.C. a little more than 2 hours late, which shortened up the layover a bit. I did walk around Union Station and was awed by the architecture. After exploring the station and going outside for a smoke break and to get a quick view of the city, I went back in and got some lunch/slash dinner at McDonald’s. After eating I relaxed until it was time to board the Crescent.

The Crescent didn’t seem to have a problem keeping up its speed and staying on schedule after getting outside of Washington. I stayed at my seat for most of the trip only going to the cafe for coffee since I needed it after only getting a couple of hours sleep the night before. We pulled into Lynchburg on time and by this point I was completely exhausted, however my day was far from over. My ride from Lynchburg ended up being over an hour late so I was forced to sit there waiting and trying not to fall asleep.

THE RETURN TRIP

Once again, I had to wake up at a very early time to get to the station for the return trip. This time though, the train was only about 20 minutes behind schedule. Once again, I headed to the diner shortly after boarding the train and had an omelette. I then headed back to my seat for the remainder of the trip into D.C. After getting to D.C. I stored my carry on at the counter, this cost about $10 for the time I would be in D.C. Then I headed to the front of the station and got a pass for the Old Trolly Tour to do some sight seeing in the city. For around $30, you get a pass that you can use for 24 hours and get on and off of the trolly as many times as you like around town, so I highly recommend this if you go to D.C.  You can view the pictures I took while in D.C. here, once again be sure to click on the images to make them full size.

After spending the day walking around the city, I was glad to get back to the station. Leaving D.C. On the CL, we were already a half an hour behind schedule and speeds were slower than normal, but I don’t remember what the hold up was. About 6 p.m. I went to the diner for my final meal aboard this Amtrak trip. I head the flat iron steak which I was amazed was worth the money. During dinner we came to a complete stop for around half an hour do to a previous freight train derailment. What made matters worse was that the 2^nd track was closed for repairs and I guess it took some negotiating to get permission to use that line instead. I don’t understand why this wasn’t handled in advance but I’m sure it was political. After backing up and switching tracks were were on our way again, albeit slowly. The rest of the trip of course just kept racking up delays- thanks CSX. Once a train gets behind, it seems that CSX makes sure that it only gets even further behind. By the time we got into Pittsburgh, we were 2 and a half to 3 hours late. Luckily, I called during dinner to cancel my ride home. To make matters worse, Yellow Cabs radios were down, so I wasn’t able to get a cab to the hotel I reserved until 4:30 am. I finally got into my room and got a shower at about 5:30.

In reflection, I have to say that I don’t recommend the Capitol Limited for your first trip on Amtrak. The return trip on it by far was hell, only made worse by Yellow Cab. Having said that, I still enjoyed the trip and look forward to my next ride, which may be in the next 2 weeks.

The colors that the male has are amazing.  The Green on his neck is very deep and shiny.  Maybe they’ll hatch some little ones soon.  That would be great to see.

The may also be a pair of geese at the pond with a nest so there may also be some gosling’s on the farm this year!

I got a couple of shots of decent sized bass, but I messed up when i resized them, so the pictures won’t enlarge much when you click on them.

It’s pretty cool watching them compete for the minnows you toss in and usually once you toss a couple in the Bass just swarm around waiting for more.  For some reason there weren’t that many today and it seemed like they were staying deep.  Maybe it’s still a little early on in the year and they are still coming out of “hibernation”.  Anyway, it was a good few minutes to relax.

I’m pretty pumped aout The Black Ink Project. With the help of everyone involved, I should be able to turn the time I spend in front of a computer into a nice salary. I guess we will see in a couple of months, but I do have high hopes for it and I’m also ready to do what it takes to start another business. Anyone interested in marketing should check it out. I think there are still seats open, but you will be behind the game if you get started late. Even if you don’t sign up for it, I suggest you check out the forums at Quit Your Day Job, there is plenty you can learn there in the forums.

This next image was a lucky shot and has to be my best picture ever. How I caught the motion of this chickadee’s wings while it was heading for the feeder is beyond me!

One more picture, then I’ll write a bit of info about this bird.

According to All About Birds :

Cool Facts

• The Black-Capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items for later recovery. Each item is placed in a different spot and a bird can remember thousands of hiding places.
• The chickadee’s simple-sounding calls have been found to be extremely complex and language-like. They code information on identity and recognition of other flocks as well as predator alarms and contact calls.
• Breeding pairs and nonbreeders join up into flocks outside of the breeding season. Nonbreeders may be members of several flocks, with a different position in the dominance hierarchy of each flock.

I have noticed that I only usually see the chickadees during the winter months, so I assume that they are well fitted to the cold climate. The black capped chickadee page on Wikipedia says that they are permanent residents, but they often move south during the winter. Their have a wide range as you can see from the map available on the All About Birds page. They live in parts of Alaska, most of southern Canada, and most of the northern United States.

Heres to you my little friends!