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SereneFury

Train Attendant
Joined
Jun 21, 2010
Messages
54
Location
Pennsylvania
Hi! I'm a newbie to the forum and train travel in general. In fact, I think the only one I've ever ridden aside from the ride at Hersheypark was the Strasburg Railroad here in PA. :)

Anyway, soon I'll be taking my first trip from PA to Chicago and I'm beyond excited! You all seem to have wonderful information and stories here, and I hope to get to know you all and have some stories of my own in the near future. :)

Oh, and any hints/tips/tricks or opinions are more than welcome! :)

Looking forward to talking with you!
 
Welcome to the board!

Are you going to take the #43 Pennsylvania or the #29 Capitol Limited? Are you going to go Coach, Business Class, or Sleeper?
 
You could take the Pennsylvanian to and from Pittsburgh, to connect to the Capitol Limited (CL). Going west, it is not all that bad (arriving about 8 PM and departing at midnight), but eastbound you arrive about 5 AM and depart after 7 AM! :eek: I just did the later last month - and it was no fun! :(

At least one of the directions, although it is longer, I would take one of the Keystones to Philadelphia, a Regional to Washington and catch the CL from Washington.

If you go thru Pittsburgh on the way back, I would try to have you not get a roomette! You would only get dinner, and you would be getting up at 4:30 AM. I do not feel that is worth $180+! :( If you have a roomette on the way back and go thru Washington, you get 3 meals and can use the Lounges in Chicago, Washington AND Philadelphia! :huh:
 
I'll definitely keep that in mind for my next trip. This was essentially a decision to replace flying. I had a relatively lousy experience the last time I went to Chicago because flying and larger people don't mix. I was looking for any excuse to get out of wedging my hips under armrests, even if it meant a much longer trip. Plus, the person I am going to see is more than worth the time. And since this was much cheaper than paying for a non-stop flight, a longer trip time was a good trade-off. :)

This is getting me away from home for the majority of my vacation, which is also VERY needed.
 
SereneFury said:
I'll definitely keep that in mind for my next trip. This was essentially a decision to replace flying. I had a relatively lousy experience the last time I went to Chicago because flying and larger people don't mix. I was looking for any excuse to get out of wedging my hips under armrests, even if it meant a much longer trip. Plus, the person I am going to see is more than worth the time. And since this was much cheaper than paying for a non-stop flight, a longer trip time was a good trade-off. :)

This is getting me away from home for the majority of my vacation, which is also VERY needed.
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Getting out of Dodge is always a "Good Thing" !!!!

Have Fun

RF
 
Hello and welcome!

There are as many different reasons for taking the train as there are members and whatever class and route you picked are fine in my book. I don't ride Amtrak nearly as much as many folks on here but I take it when I can. As airline redemptions have become less and less appealing I've decided to take a crack at earning a few Amtrak points to see if I can build up enough to redeem for a really long ride some day. Or maybe I'll just buy a rail pass or something if that doesn't work out. We might be witnessing a rare revival of sorts for Amtrak or it might be their last gasp of life before the next administration kills passenger rail for good. Either way I'm trying to get better acquainted with the system as it exists right now. Maybe in the future I'll look back on these days with a bit of sarcastic humor after we've replaced our current 1970's system with real high-speed rail. Or maybe I'll look back with extreme fondness after the last fragments of American passenger train infrastructure have been retired for good. These could become rather interesting times for train fans, good or bad, so enjoy it while it lasts!
 
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That reminds me that you should also sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards (AGR) before your trip! AGR is kind of like a frequent flyer program, but is MUCH more friendly!

If you would like a referral to AGR, PM (Private Message) me your email address BY JUNE 30! There is a promotion that ends then that gives you a 1,500 point sign up bonus! (Otherwise it's only 500 points.)

It also requires you to travel on Amtrak within 90 days of signing up. But if you leave near HAR, just take 1 of the many Keystones one stop and return - or even go 1 stop one way and have a friend pick you up! ;) Both those would qualify!
 
I'll try to answer this...

SereneFury said:
Just curious...are the same trains used for the same routes? Or do they typically end up all over the place?
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Trains (as in the train names) stay on the same routes for years or decades. Individual train cars and locomotives can potentially end up anywhere on the system among compatible routes. Superliners can't go into Manhattan and electric locomotives can't leave electrified lines obviously. Some trains like the Empire Builder have first dibs on top-shape hardware and a couple trains have one-off cars that are not part of any other train's consist and are thus unlikely to move to other other trains unless they're bad ordered and heading to or from a major repair.
 
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