Amtrak Solar Eclipse viewing April 8 2024

It looks like there are several options to use Amtrak to view the 2024 solar expose.

- Vermonter (would require 2 night stay)
- Empire service (Oddly enough also a 1 night stay from NYC unless the the Maple leaf is on time going to Syracuse and running late leaving Syracuse)
- Lake shore limited / Capital limited (no hotel stay but it could be a very long day).
- 391/392 (assuming 391 is on time) from Chicago seems s like the best option.
- The Cardinal from DC (requires 1 night stay)
-Texas Eagle (several cities but many are on the edge of totality).
-Sunset to Del Rio TX (requires several night stay)

Here is a map of totality.

https://gray-wtvg-prod.cdn.arcpubli...shing.com/gray/PKCB5USCRZG6JHELZ3IUB3K374.png

I would hope Amtrak would take the opportunity to run special service especially from NYC to Rochester (a prime location on the Empire corridor) as the current trains there are rather impractical to take. I know I am only dreaming that they would run special service from Boston too. (ain’t gonna happen.

I was going to fly my LearJet up to Nova Scotia Unfortunately the eclipse is too far north for that.
We are actually planning to drive up to the Danforth ME area which is only a couple hours from where we live.

Looks like Upstate NY is the best bet for access via Amtrak. This might also be a good excuse to ride VIA's Ocean to New Brunswick as there are a couple of towns on that route within the eclipse path.

B&Ofan said:

I would hope Amtrak would take the opportunity to run special service especially from NYC to Rochester (a prime location on the Empire corridor) as the current trains there are rather impractical to take. I know I am only dreaming that they would run special service from Boston too. (ain’t gonna happen.

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I took Amtrak (Silver Star) to Columbia, SC to view the eclipse in August 2017. The arrival and departure times in Columbia were "impractical" and inconvenient. Amtrak did not have any special service. Although inconvenient, the trip was worthwhile, in my opinion.

B&Ofan said:

It looks like there are several options to use Amtrak to view the 2024 solar expose.

- Vermonter (would require 2 night stay)
- Empire service (Oddly enough also a 1 night stay from NYC unless the the Maple leaf is on time going to Syracuse and running late leaving Syracuse)
- Lake shore limited / Capital limited (no hotel stay but it could be a very long day).
- 391/392 (assuming 391 is on time) from Chicago seems s like the best option.
- The Cardinal from DC (requires 1 night stay)
-Texas Eagle (several cities but many are on the edge of totality).
-Sunset to Del Rio TX (requires several night stay)

Here is a map of totality.

https://gray-wtvg-prod.cdn.arcpubli...shing.com/gray/PKCB5USCRZG6JHELZ3IUB3K374.png

I would hope Amtrak would take the opportunity to run special service especially from NYC to Rochester (a prime location on the Empire corridor) as the current trains there are rather impractical to take. I know I am only dreaming that they would run special service from Boston too. (ain’t gonna happen.

Click to expand...

Back in 2017 Amtrak ran the Eclipse Express to Carbondale on the Illini/Saluki route. The train departed from Chicago earlier and completely sold out. Hopefully the crossing issues along Amtraks employee shortage will be lessened so they can run this train again.

B&Ofan said:

It looks like there are several options to use Amtrak to view the 2024 solar expose.

- Vermonter (would require 2 night stay)
- Empire service (Oddly enough also a 1 night stay from NYC unless the the Maple leaf is on time going to Syracuse and running late leaving Syracuse)
- Lake shore limited / Capital limited (no hotel stay but it could be a very long day).
- 391/392 (assuming 391 is on time) from Chicago seems s like the best option.
- The Cardinal from DC (requires 1 night stay)
-Texas Eagle (several cities but many are on the edge of totality).
-Sunset to Del Rio TX (requires several night stay)

Here is a map of totality.

https://gray-wtvg-prod.cdn.arcpubli...shing.com/gray/PKCB5USCRZG6JHELZ3IUB3K374.png

I would hope Amtrak would take the opportunity to run special service especially from NYC to Rochester (a prime location on the Empire corridor) as the current trains there are rather impractical to take. I know I am only dreaming that they would run special service from Boston too. (ain’t gonna happen.

Click to expand...

I would suggest add Buffalo location because we will get more better views and expose. There are lot of hotels right by downtown station and it's walkable around also it's by light rail and accessible by city bus and ridesharing like Uber/Lyft.

JoshP said:

I would suggest add Buffalo location because we will get more better views and expose. There are lot of hotels right by downtown station and it's walkable around also it's by light rail and accessible by city bus and ridesharing like Uber/Lyft.

Click to expand...

Interestingly, the Hilton affiliated properties in Buffalo are all sold out 7th night or have preposterous one night rates available. Same is true of Syracuse.

Even though it is 99.9-something % in Toronto, there are many hotels available at very reasonable rates.

Hotels in Sherbrooke, Quebec have not raised their rates..... yet. Sherbrooke is ground zero for the eclipse. But it requires a bus ride from Montreal.

I was thinking about booking a hotel, but I live within the zone of totality, and driving to the dead center of that zone is only a 45 minute drive or so. Driving there will give me more time of total eclipse. (1:40 versus 3:26)

Exvalley said:

Hotels in Sherbrooke, Quebec have not raised their rates..... yet. Sherbrooke is ground zero for the eclipse. But it requires a bus ride from Montreal.

I was thinking about booking a hotel, but I live within the zone of totality, and driving to the dead center of that zone is only a 45 minute drive or so.

Click to expand...

Any idea if there will be traffic jams?

I don;t have any personal experience of driving in Solar Eclipse areas, but out here on the Space Coast, if there is a manned space launch it becomes pretty impossible to get anywhere in reasonable time. Better to stay home and watch it from ones back yard.

What surprises me is how many hotels are completely sold out already on the patch of totality in the US. Of course it is possible that the hotels are withholding inventory to see what they can collect on them at an appropriate moment too.

jis said:

Any idea if there will be traffic jams?

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That was my one concern. On the one hand, I live in the middle of nowhere. But on the other hand, I am within a very do-able drive from Boston and New York. The people coming from Boston will probably wind up where I want to go. New Yorkers have more choices.

jis said:

What surprises me is how many hotels are completely sold out already on the patch of totality in the US.

Click to expand...

Some of that may be that they haven't released any inventory yet.

I went ahead and made a reservation in Magog, Quebec for the night of the 7th. It can be canceled and no pre-payment was needed. If I do decide to cancel, I am sure that they will be very happy given the rate that I got.

We enjoy Magog anyway, so why not. Magog is a tourist town for Montrealers situated on a lake with nearby skiing. There are some very decent restaurant options for a town of its size. It's an easy bus ride from Montreal for those who are taking the train.

Another very good option is the Jay Peak ski area. They even have an indoor waterpark, which keeps the kiddos entertained. There will be skiing on April 8th. They usually stay open until May. Getting to Jay Peak from Amtrak stations in Vermont is not easy. A rental car is probably required.

I have also seen a very good rate ($218 USD) at the Ripplecove Inn, which is one of the premier inns in all of Quebec, with one of the best restaurants as well.

April and November are the real dead times for tourism here, which is why some of these properties may not have realized what they can charge.

I've been to a few solar eclipses. They are much more impressive if the sky isn't cloudy. That's hard to predict months in advance, but generally Texas is less cloudy than Quebec, and Mexico along this track is less cloudy than Texas. Eclipse traffic is like a sporting event. People trickle in in advance, but after totality is over a lot of people want to leave at once. In 2017 I went to Nebraska and got fairly clear skies. Hotel rates were about double usual. I didn't attempt to drive anywhere that day.

jis said:

Interestingly, the Hilton affiliated properties in Buffalo are all sold out 7th night or have preposterous one night rates available. Same is true of Syracuse.

Even though it is 99.9-something % in Toronto, there are many hotels available at very reasonable rates.

Click to expand...

I checked hotels in general in Buffalo-Niagara are 80% sold out already

DavidSh said:

I've been to a few solar eclipses. They are much more impressive if the sky isn't cloudy. That's hard to predict months in advance, but generally Texas is less cloudy than Quebec, and Mexico along this track is less cloudy than Texas. Eclipse traffic is like a sporting event. People trickle in in advance, but after totality is over a lot of people want to leave at once. In 2017 I went to Nebraska and got fairly clear skies. Hotel rates were about double usual. I didn't attempt to drive anywhere that day.

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My plan is to drive from Houston as far as near San Antonio (east side) the night before, and get an early start to get into position in the hill country the next morning. Have a couple of pretty obscure destinations picked out already. The time of day (early afternoon) helps a lot.

JoeBas said:

My plan is to drive from Houston as far as near San Antonio (east side) the night before, and get an early start to get into position in the hill country the next morning. Have a couple of pretty obscure destinations picked out already. The time of day (early afternoon) helps a lot.

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We are looking at flying into Dallas and trying for something in that area. Any reason I should be looking at San Antonio over Dallas? The flights are a lot easier/cheaper for Dallas.

Hill Country is a little more scenic, and meteorologically speaking that time of the year it's a little bit more climatologically favored for fewer clouds. Doesn't hurt that it's also a little closer for me than DFW.

Honestly though DFW would be a better choice IMO if you're flying in. The city is in totality for almost the max duration, whereas SA itself isn't in totality at all, you've got to get out west toward Uvalde, Kerrville or Fredericksburg farther south. Even if the crowds are THRONGING in DFW, just walk out of your hotel to a nearby park and voila.

jis said:

Any idea if there will be traffic jams?

Click to expand...

In 2017, I met my family in Colorado and we went to Casper to see the eclipse. It took us 4 hours to drive up from the Denver suburbs the day before and at least 10 hours to drive back.

AmtrakMaineiac said:

I was going to fly my LearJet up to Nova Scotia Unfortunately the eclipse is too far north for that.
We are actually planning to drive up to the Danforth ME area which is only a couple hours from where we live.

Looks like Upstate NY is the best bet for access via Amtrak. This might also be a good excuse to ride VIA's Ocean to New Brunswick as there are a couple of towns on that route within the eclipse path.

Click to expand...

"..You're so Vain..."

DCAKen said:

In 2017, I met my family in Colorado and we went to Casper to see the eclipse. It took us 4 hours to drive up from the Denver suburbs the day before and at least 10 hours to drive back.

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The lesson I learned from 2017 is that getting to your location isn't too bad, because people are trickling in over multiple days, but they nearly everyone tries to leave around the same time after the event. The best thing you can do is plan to hang out one more night wherever you might be (campground, hotel, etc).

DavidSh said:

I've been to a few solar eclipses. They are much more impressive if the sky isn't cloudy. That's hard to predict months in advance, but generally Texas is less cloudy than Quebec, and Mexico along this track is less cloudy than Texas. Eclipse traffic is like a sporting event. People trickle in in advance, but after totality is over a lot of people want to leave at once. In 2017 I went to Nebraska and got fairly clear skies. Hotel rates were about double usual. I didn't attempt to drive anywhere that day.

Click to expand...

For this reason, I'm thinking about arriving somewhere the morning of eclipse and staying for a couple of days AFTER instead of the weekend before. If I can hear, say, a symphony performance on Thursday that week, for instance, it might make a Mon-Fri hotel stay well worthwhile and affordable.

jis said:

Interestingly, the Hilton affiliated properties in Buffalo are all sold out 7th night or have preposterous one night rates available. Same is true of Syracuse.

Even though it is 99.9-something % in Toronto, there are many hotels available at very reasonable rates.

Click to expand...

I've noticed this also happens around UB graduation and the start of the fall semester. It seems like the city doesn't have enough capacity for peak demand. Prices go way above what they should for a city like that.

I came to this item late but...

Last time this happened Carbondale had a great little carnival/live music/festival during the eclipse just 100 yards from the train station. I am predicting they do it again.

---SO---
Arrive in Carbondale on the #391 at 1:45 PM.
See the ellipse at its height. Eat good. Have fun. Listen to some good music.
Depart to points North on the #392 at 4:15 PM.

I got a nice Airbnb in Buffalo; check in on the 7th and check out on the 9th for $150.

The Great North American 2024 Total Solar Eclipse April 8th, 2024

https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2024-april-8
For the Dallas area:

Weather permitting, of course, Dallas area residents will be able to view a Total Solar Eclipse of the sun by the moon on Monday, April 8th, 2024, with total eclipse, that lasts about 4 minutes, beginning at 1:40pm CDT.

The beginning of the eclipse (not the total eclipse) begins at 12:23pm, and the end of the eclipse (not the total eclipse) is at 3:02pm.

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/dallas?iso=20240408
Read about glasses for use before and after the totality...

Solar Eclipse Glasses: Where to Buy the Best, High-Quality Eyewear

In my Tim Allen voice:

The Phillips Solar Eclipse Glasses 55 – Welding Glass Lenses Shade 14 are welding glasses designed for solar eclipse observation. These glasses have exceptionally dark lenses intended solely for solar eclipse observation or welding. In addition, the Solar Eclipse Glasses 55 Shade 14 block over 99% of UV light and 97% of IR Radiation.

jis said:

Interestingly, the Hilton affiliated properties in Buffalo are all sold out 7th night or have preposterous one night rates available. Same is true of Syracuse.

Even though it is 99.9-something % in Toronto, there are many hotels available at very reasonable ratesom

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Do yourself a favor. 99.9% isn't good enough. Impressive but forgettable, You really need to go for totality. I promise you you won't regret it.

B&Ofan said:

Do yourself a favor. 99.9% isn't good enough. Impressive but forgettable;e, You really need to go for totality. I promise you you won't regret it.

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So far I have seen six total eclipses from two continents. One more or less is not that critical for me.