Ok, spent most of the day doing this, but hopefully, you'll find it entertaining - the full write up of my weeklong adventure into and out of Chicago...
At 9:25am, Sunday, September 17th, I head out, to begin my most adventuresome journey to date - a weeklong ground excursion that is intended to include stops at the following cities: Chicago, Milwaukee, Kenosha, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, before returning to home. On this trip, I'll be hoping for adventure and some interesting outcomes. I'll come to get all of this, in ways I would have never expected...
DAY ONE - LEAVING BALTIMORE
A little before 9:50am, I make it to the #11 bus stop, after making a stop off for some bagels enroute. Coach #4020 pulls up about 10:02, operated by my regular driver to work from two picks ago. We chat for the trip down with regards to the trip, and I alight at Oliver Street. I call my female friend who is accompanying us, and find that she's aboard the first NB light rail train from Camden, so I meet her at Mt. Royal, and we make the two block walk to Penn Station since the shuttle is not yet running.
We arrive at the station around 10:25am, and about 15 minutes later, our male friend arrives, rounding out our trio. After waiting for this adventure for months, we're now down to less than an hour before we actually embark on it. I keep glancing at the Solari Board, gawking at the RAREST destination you'll ever actually see displayed upon it - CHICAGO, which is only shown three times a week in the passing of the Cardinal, which for the next 24 hours, will be our home.
The train is shown on the board as having an 11:20am arrival time, which seems odd since there's a Southbound Acela Express shown at 11:19am. However, the display board changes the status to 5 minutes late, which is closer to the 11:24am arrival time indicated in the timetable.
Finally, the time has come, and our grand voyage is all set to begin, as the announcement is made for the arrival of train #51 - the Cardinal. We hurredly make our way to the platform to await its arrival. After a few minutes, the little train makes its way in to Penn Station. At present, it's being pulled by motor #929, and consists of three Amfleet II coaches, an Amfleet lounge car, and a Viewliner Sleeper. About 20 people are waiting to board it here, and my curiosity wonders to know where everyone is heading on this Sunday.
We enter, and have to walk almost to the front of the second car in order to find a pair of open seats - there are a decent number of people aboard this train already - does make one wonder what it could be as a DAILY train! We're hardly settled in before we're already moving. Our journey has begun, and we're all smiles - Amfleet II Coach 25068 will be our home for the next day, and it will treat us pretty well, even if we're just about sitting over the trucks.
Shortly after enjoying a snack, I make my way to the restrooms, largely for the excuse of being able to signify off everyone's seat checks to get a feel for where the ridership on this particular car is headed. It appears we're about the only ones on here yet going to "CHI," inspection finds a couple of "ALX" Alexandrias, a lot of "CVS" Charlottesvilles, and a equally good number of "CHW" Charleston WVs. Rounding out the offerings are a scattering of "CIN" Cincinattis, some "PRC" Princes, and a pair of "IND" Indianapolis checks.
We make it into DC in no time, and sit for the hour given to make the loco switch. We're told to make all seats available, even though the load really probably never grows to more than 75% at any one time. At Washington, we pick a number of other passengers, including a very presentable lady across from us going to "WSS" White Sulphur Springs, and a young Mets fan in front of her going to Cincinatti, both of whom we'll spend a good bit of time chatting with in the coming hours. Initially, we make the lady out to be riding to Greenbrier - "Nope" she explains, too rich for her blood, instead she's visiting a friend's house. Our Mets fan will be chatting with us a lot, in between attempts to snooze.
We roll out of DC right on time, and pick up a couple dozen folks at Alexandria, and some more in Manassas. By this point, our train is about as crowded as it will get. Later it will be similarly crowded on our approach into Chicago, though most of the faces will have changed, as a walk to the Cafe car at this point, and sampling of the seat checks shows. A good sample of the stops exist, including Staunton and Clifton Forge in Virginia. There are now a few "WSS" checks, a couple of "ALD" Alderson checks, but by now, the "CHW" checks have gotten quite common, along with more "CIN" and "IND" as well as about 6-8 other "CHI" checks for others who are going the distance with us.
Passing Manassas, we're in new territory for me. Since I don't have a Railroad Atlas for this area, all I can do is do my best to determine my location looking at a 40 year old ESSO Road map. Culpeper comes and goes, and with it a few exchanges. By this point, however, it seems as if internet access on the phones are a no-go, so my idea to offer real time updates of the trip tends to wither.
Charlottesville comes within good time - only about 10 minutes late due to a brief hold from a NB NS train, and with it comes a whole lot of activity - lots of boardings and alightings, as well as the second crew change for us.
After Charlottesville, we're entirely in Cardinal territory, having split from the Crescent's route. Now its time to head West towards West Virginia. Our first unique station is Staunton, which offers quite a glimpse of a small Western Virginia town - closely packed, and very quaint, with the railroad seeming to run right through its heart.
Soon after, we're amid the Shenandoahs, which offer a few nice vistas when not blocked by the trees.
Sometime around now, with an instant of suprise, pass the only other Amtrak train we will see for the rest of our journey - this being the Eastbound Cardinal, which sits in a siding awaiting our passing - it's sleeper attendant hanging out to "touch" our train as it slowly passes, and possibly trying to exchange a supply or two. The Eastbound appears to be no more than 40 minutes behind.
Clifton Forge, our last Virginia stop comes in just a hair past 6:00pm, and has the usual assortment of friendly folks coming out to meet or see off relatives and friends, and in many cases, these folks bring out the youngns or the family pooch to visit and get a look at the rare passenger trains in these parts. As we prepare to roll out, I manage to exchange a wave with a toddler.
By this point, the sun is beginning to do battle with ones views, while our tummies are beginning to do battle with our appetites, so better half, the Mets fan, and myself head to the lounge car to figure out how to assemble a dinner of sorts. Our Mets fan goes for a Turkey & Cheese Sub, Hot Wings, and soda. Better Half opts for a Cheeseburger, Pizza, and soda, while I simply opt for just the burger and soda. Though all of it is convection/micronuked, all of it is rather palatable - my burger does indeed have a nice taste to it, and the bread is not too soggy.
We chat for a bit before returning. As it turns out, the Mets fan, who works with Carnivals, actually grew up in Baltimore too - Baltimore, OHIO that is!
It is his first time taking the train, and though he dreads that he'll be arriving in Cincinatti at about 3am, he is enjoying the journey, and would likely ride again, but wishes that the trains were more convenient to his location in central Ohio.
We return to our seats finally. Having been in the lounge since 7:00pm, we've only glimpsed our stops at White Sulphur Springs and bright orange Alderson stations, and lament that we didn't get a chance to say good bye to the nice lady who was sitting across the aisle from us.
As the light in the sky begins to fade, so too does our patronage, as we drop off folks at Hinton and Prince, both of which have some very rustic looking stations. I do find interest in being able to discern "Chessie," the sleeping cat, on the floor of the Prince station. Humorous item is the Conductor's announcement regarding the smoke break allotted for Prince, "When we make our stop at Prince, STAY with the train, do not wander into the station, do not wander into the parking lot, or you will be left! The next train will not come through here until WEDNESDAY, and that's a LONG time to be staying in Prince, West Virginia!"
Upon leaving Prince, its just about time to call it a night, as any of the majesty of the New River Gorge will be lost on me this time. We slow but skip our stop at Thurmond, WV, and settling in, I'm a little confused regarding our stops ahead, as I've put the timetable away. We stop at Montgomery, WV, and pick up a lone lady, dropping off a couple of others. We find amusement in the combination liquor/video store that sits across from the small station.
Charleston comes about an hour later, where a nice lady who was sitting behind us, and giving us an impromptu tour of the things to be seen along the route, such as the prison where Martha Stewart stayed, and the West Virginia Capitol, rises to alight, and wishes us a pleasant trip. Here, as with Charlottesville, there is a LOT of activity at the station, with significant boardings and alightings.
If you'll notice, I've said very little with regard to OTP, mainly because it has not been a problem at all - we've been rolling the way the Cardinal was meant to fly, and have not been more than 10 minutes behind at any station. This is the way it should be.
The track has at times left a bit to be desired, most notably before Clifton Forge, but at the moment, it is pretty smooth.
As the evening grows long, we find ourselves drifting off just a bit. I still have a little bit of excitement within me, and am subconsciously trying to stay awake to be able to say I was conscious in Kentucky. While I think we've accomplished this, as I inform my friends that we've arrived in Ashland, KY, I'm met with some embarrasment when told by a lady who just boarded that we're in Huntington, WV!
I do however, stay alert long enough to witness our station stop in Ashland, before zoning out, and being lulled to sleep by the drone of the diesel and its horn. Despite my sleepy state, I do recall awakening at least once for a stop, one of which, I'm conscious enough to assume was our station stop at South Portsmouth.
