Lake Shore Consist Lately after Albany West?

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JC_620

JC_620

Train Attendant
Joined
Oct 15, 2019
Messages
62
Location
Centerville
Just curious if Amtrak is still putting #4920 at the head end behind the locomotive(s) before leaving Albany to Chicago? I am trying to decide if it makes sense economically to just do the Boston sleeper directly to Chicago or do coach or business class from Boston to Albany, get off then take a roomette or bedroom from Albany to Chicago in the NY sleeper portion, which, from what I also understand is right next to the diner rather than the Boston sleeper which is about 9 cars up?

Any information on this? Thanks.
 
The Elkhart railcam (on YouTube) is usually a good spot to view the westbound in the morning, since it makes a stop there. It should arrive soon if it weren't for the current schedule.



The only exception I've seen is the infrequent addition of an extra baggage car between the locos and Boston sleeper.
 
The Boston section baggage car disappeared about 2 years ago. Since then, the Boston sleeper is always directly behind the locomotives followed by the cafe/business class car, and 1 or 2 coaches. Living in Springfield, I generally ride business class SPG-ALB, then switch to the New York sleepers to escape the horn noise as well as being directly behind the dining car.

Be sure to check the pricing differences in roomettes BOS-CHI, ALB-CHI, and even NYP-CHI (I've done that a couple of times must for fun and to ride alongside the Hudson River again) as well as business class BOS-ALB+roomette from ALB. Even after ALB, there is sometimes different prices based on whether it's the BOS or NYP cars.
 
The only time I booked a sleeper on #449, the New York section was quite late getting into Albany. The Boston section waited in Albany until the New York section arrived close to 11 p.m. So booking the sleeper all the way from Boston was a big advantage, at least on that day.

Great trip actually, the delay meant we got into Cleveland at a reasonable hour to wake up, and got to choose anything we wanted from the Cafe Car for dinner. I probably was the only passenger happy about the 4 hour delay ;)
 
bratkinson said:
The Boston section baggage car disappeared about 2 years ago. Since then, the Boston sleeper is always directly behind the locomotives followed by the cafe/business class car, and 1 or 2 coaches. Living in Springfield, I generally ride business class SPG-ALB, then switch to the New York sleepers to escape the horn noise as well as being directly behind the dining car.

Be sure to check the pricing differences in roomettes BOS-CHI, ALB-CHI, and even NYP-CHI (I've done that a couple of times must for fun and to ride alongside the Hudson River again) as well as business class BOS-ALB+roomette from ALB. Even after ALB, there is sometimes different prices based on whether it's the BOS or NYP cars.
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Yes, it's certainly behind the locomotives. I know all about the horn noise. In the Before (COVID-19) Times, I frequently took the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago to take the City of New Orleans down to Jackson, MS. However, the horn blowing was particularly disturbing at night. So much so that I think I was thinking about traveling to New York City to avoid this problem. You've now presented a better alternative--ride Boston to Albany in regular coach or business and get a NYP sleeper! Alternatively I do the Crescent, but am stuck with the problem of getting from Meridian to Jackson.
 
Twinkletoes said:
Yes, it's certainly behind the locomotives. I know all about the horn noise. In the Before (COVID-19) Times, I frequently took the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago to take the City of New Orleans down to Jackson, MS. However, the horn blowing was particularly disturbing at night. So much so that I think I was thinking about traveling to New York City to avoid this problem. You've now presented a better alternative--ride Boston to Albany in regular coach or business and get a NYP sleeper! Alternatively I do the Crescent, but am stuck with the problem of getting from Meridian to Jackson.
Click to expand...
How bad is the horn noise at night? Deafening or bearable?
 
It is not "deafening." During waking hours it's bearable because there are the distractions of reading, etc. At night, it's irritating and I find it difficult to fall asleep. Eventually exhaustion wins out. However, I also find that during the night as I cycle through the stages of light and deep sleep, the horns can wake me up in a light stage. Then comes the annoyance until I fall asleep again. For this reason, I would try to ride coach and board the sleeper of the New York section. Another advantage is that the NYP sleeper is next to the [Flex] diner. Otherwise, to reach the "diner," Boston sleeper passengers have to walk the entire length of the train. I have no physical problems with this, but it means that you pull yourself together more. No mu mu shuffing to the diner to snatch up a box and a cup of coffee. Then you get dine at leisure with your choice of book or magazine.
 

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