Palmetto Charleston to Washington, D. C.

[Durham57]

We will be traveling on the Palmetto July 2013 from Charleston, S. C. to Washington, D. C. I have two questions: Is this a viewliner? Will there be a dining car? Your comments will be appreciated.

 

[NW cannonball]

We will be traveling on the Palmetto July 2013 from Charleston, S. C. to Washington, D. C. I have two questions: Is this a viewliner? Will there be a dining car? Your comments will be appreciated.

No Dining Car. Mostly Amfleet coaches with a cafe car. My daughter did this run about 3 years ago. Really liked visiting her in Charleston. Hope your trip goes well. The Palmetto is usually nearly on-time.

 

[Guest]

"Viewliner" is type of sleeper Amtrak uses on some routes in the East. The Palmetto has no sleepers.

The Palmetto is a single-level train with coach class and business class. There is also a Cafe car for food, but not a full diner.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Ana]

We will be traveling on the Palmetto July 2013 from Charleston, S. C. to Washington, D. C. I have two questions: Is this a viewliner? Will there be a dining car? Your comments will be appreciated.

No Dining Car. Mostly Amfleet coaches with a cafe car. My daughter did this run about 3 years ago. Really liked visiting her in Charleston. Hope your trip goes well. The Palmetto is usually nearly on-time.

I took the Palmetto from Charleston to Washington in October a few years ago. We were scheduled to leave an hour early because planned track work meant a planned route variation. Well I don't know what went wrong but we wended up hours late. I wish I knew what route we ended up taking through North Carolina because I suspect we zig zagged all over the place. I remember seeing some quite startled passers by looking up from their yards, I got the impression the passenger train was not a usual occurance. I fell asleep for a while and when I woke we still somewhere in the middle of North Carolina, it was like taking a trip with a driver who likes the backroads! The conductor was trying to work out where various people with connections should disembark as I think we'd ended up being routed on tracks that no one had expected. I seem to recall we ended up coming through Raleigh. Anyway, finally arrived in Richmond about 3 hours late (and remember we'd left an hour early) and omg the bitching and moaning from those passengers who at least had the opportunity to look up the train's amended departure and plan accordingl. Those of us on board already were the ones who thought we were never ever going to get out of North Carolina but at least it had seemed like an adventure. after they boarded, everyone was just grumpy.

Anyway, I'm sure your trip will be fine. I thought the scenary was very pretty.

 

[xyzzy]

The detour you mentioned was from Dillon, SC to Hamlet, NC where your train joined the route of Amtrak's Silver Star. Amtrak uses this detour route once every a year or two. There hasn't been a regularly scheduled passenger train between Dillon and Hamlet since the 1950s, but a number of freight trains use it.

 

[Ana]

The detour you mentioned was from Dillon, SC to Hamlet, NC where your train joined the route of Amtrak's Silver Star. Amtrak uses this detour route once every a year or two. There hasn't been a regularly scheduled passenger train between Dillon and Hamlet since the 1950s, but a number of freight trains use it.

Thank you!! I will look that up on the map, I was so curious but falling asleep really didn't help me keep track of where I was.

 

[Durham57]

"Viewliner" is type of sleeper Amtrak uses on some routes in the East. The Palmetto has no sleepers.

The Palmetto is a single-level train with coach class and business class. There is also a Cafe car for food, but not a full diner.

Enjoy your trip!

Right...I knew there were no sleepers on Palmetto, but wondered if it is single level. We will be prepared for Cafe food.

Thanks to all for your replies. You were helpful, as always.

 

[Durham57]

Oops! Should have posted my thanks to everyone in general who replied...as always, you all were helpful.

 

[GaSteve]

"Viewliner" is type of sleeper Amtrak uses on some routes in the East. The Palmetto has no sleepers.

The Palmetto is a single-level train with coach class and business class. There is also a Cafe car for food, but not a full diner.

Enjoy your trip!

Right...I knew there were no sleepers on Palmetto, but wondered if it is single level. We will be prepared for Cafe food.

Thanks to all for your replies. You were helpful, as always.

It has to be single level because of the tunnels in Washington, Baltimore and New York.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Here is the consist of you train:

PALMETTO — 4 sets w/Pennsylvanian

Baggage, 2 cars

 

----|---- —— Heritage Baggage

8920|9020 —— Amfleet I Business

----|---- —— Amfleet I Dinette

8943|9043 —— Amfleet I Coach

8942|9042 —— Amfleet II Coach

8941|9041 —— Amfleet II Coach

8940|9040 —— Amfleet II Coach

This picture should describe it quite well: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=380374&nseq=39