Help picking a winter train destination

[darien-l]

Hi all,

My parents really enjoyed a train trip to Colorado I recently arranged for them, and asked me to look into a potential short New Year’s getaway for them. They’re interested in leaving on December 31, travel around 5 hours from NYP, and return on January 3.

Here’s what my parents are looking for:

A relatively small town with some rustic architecture and a “Christmas village” type atmosphere. They don’t want to rent a car, so walkability is extremely important. Ideally, they’re looking for a compact place with little or no sprawl, where both the town and the surrounding nature are easily accessible on foot. They’re into cross-country (but not downhill!) skiing, snowshoeing, and are interested in trying snowmobiles, so if there is a place within walking distance (or at least can send a shuttle) where they can rent some of this equipment that’s another big plus.

A big constraint is that my mom has to work until noon on December 31, eliminating a lot of potential trains. I think that my best bet is the Ethan Allen Express, which leaves NYP at 2:45p and goes to Fair Haven and Rutland in Vermont, with a motorcoach connection to Killington and Okemo. Another possibility is the Keystone, which has frequent service to some small towns in Pennsylvania, so if any of them fit the bill, please let me know. Thanks!

 

[Superliner Diner]

I think that Amtrak killed the Killington Thruway bus, although the resort itself may provide some sort of courtesy transportation in its place. Okemo may still exist as an Amtrak Thruway connection, but we won't know if it will exist this coming winter until the fall timetables are available. If it does still exist, the bus in the past has run only on Fridays from Rutland to Okemo, and Sundays from Okemo to Rutland.

If you want a small, rustic-looking town, then you're probably correct that Vermont is the answer. However, it may take more than 5 hours to get there on the Vermonter. The ride from New York Penn Station to the northernmost Vermont stations is around 10 hours.

My only experience with this train is at Essex Junction, which is the stop for Burlington. While Burlington is a small sized city, it lies 10 miles or so southwest of the Essex Junction station. However Essex Junction itself has a number of quaint motels that might fit the bill. The small town is walkable, or one could take a short cab ride from the station.

Keep in mind that travel during a holiday period may be tight, so you should book any such trip as soon as possible. I would suggest Business Class, which will be more comfortable than sitting in coach for that period of time.

 

[darien-l]

Thanks for the suggestion, but my mom has to work until noon on December 31, and the Vermonter leaves at 11:30a, so it is not an option. That's why I was looking at Ethan Allen as an alternative.

I got the Thruway coach connections straight from Amtrak's Route Atlas ( http://tickets.amtrak.com/secure/content/atlas/index.html ). It lists Pico Resort, Killington, and Okemo as the stops. Is the Route Atlas not up to date? The description of the Ethan Allen route also mentions the Okemo motorcoach: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...d=1081256321921

 

[Superliner Diner]

I am surprised the link is still online, but here is an article from the Rutland, VT Herald from January 13, 2006:

Skiers and snowboarders riding the rails to Rutland will have to find their own way up the Green Mountains after Monday.

Full article here..

As for Okemo, this did continue through the winters of 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, but as I mentioned, it only ran once a week in each direction and therefore won't be convenient for your mom to use if it holds to the same schedule this coming winter.

So the atlas you have appears to have dated information.

If you still wish to consider the Ethan Allen Express, it leaves New York City at 2:45 PM every day except Friday, when it runs 3 hours later. With New Years Eve falling on a Monday, that means Train #291, which gets to Rutland 8:10 PM.