My Upcoming Trip

[Viewliner]

Well its 1 week till I take my trip for those of you who don't know. It'll consist of a ride on the Silver Meteor #97 from Newark, New Jersey to West Palm Beach, Florida. I leave on the 20th, arrive the 21st, and then will spend a week with my grandparents and leave West Palm Beach on the 29th taking the Silver Meteor #98. Chances are I'll see Battalion on #98.

I'm really looking forward to the trip, and I plan to take a lot of pictures. Any requests? Any other comments?

I hope to get:

-Locomotive pulling into stations

-Each Viewliner on the train

-Interior pics of my Viewliner with Standard and Deluxe (and maybe accesible) in Daytime and Night cofiguration

-Diner interior and Exterior

-Coach and Lounge interior exteriors

-Bagggage and Dorm Lounges

-WBP and Possibly NWK station Pics.

 

[Amfleet]

Sounds like a great trip and some good choice of photos. Will you be writing a travelogue for OTOL? Wish I could join you and enjoy the warm weather Florida! I'll be down in April, but we're flying. B)

 

[Viewliner]

Yes, I'll probably write a travelogue for here, my site, and probably OTOL. What sucks is this is the last vacation for me until the end of school.

 

[Steve4031]

Hey, glad you are railroading. I understand your sentiment. I just got back from California, and im looking at rail sale and calling Amtrak. My life is empty without "Julie the automatic agent" telling me train status of the next train im on.

Just curious, which Silver Service train is the best, or are they all the same.

 

[AlanB]

Well back when the Palmetto was still the Silver Palm, I would have said that they are all pretty much the same, other than the sights you see depending on where darkness falls.

Now that the Palm is running as the Palmetto, without sleepers and a diner, it doesn't come close to it's cousin's. In fact that's why they renamed it and dropped the word Silver from its name.

The Star and the Meteor are basically the same in my opinion.

 

[Viewliner]

Both the Silver Meteor and Silver Star are very good, the Silver Meteor has the shortest route, and usually will have 3 Sleepers while the Star has two. I'm biased as I've only taken the Star once, but when I did I enjoyed it too. I reccommend trying both out on separate trips as they offer different routes (slightly) and different areas at different times of day.

 

[Amfleet]

It all depends one's point of view. I've only been on the Silver Meteor, which is about 2 hours faster and more convenient for passengers continuing on other trains to Northern New England. However, I was not all that happy with the on-board service and the tracks through the Carolina's were rough. The Silver Star's schedule is a bit longer, but travels on better set of tracks through the Carolina's, more inland than the Meteor's. It is also known for having better on-board service.

 

[AlanB]

Both the Silver Meteor and Silver Star are very good, the Silver Meteor has the shortest route, and usually will have 3 Sleepers while the Star has two.

Actually today's Star had three sleepers, I noticed that at Philly as I passed it on 2157 to DC. I don't know if that's routine or not now. In the past I've seen it with both 2 and 3 so I think that it depends more on bookings and the time of year.

 

[The Chief]

Viewliner, have a great trip.

Alan, thanks for the heads-up on the Silver service,

as I'm planning on taking that route sometime.

 

[Viewliner]

Thank you Chief, by the way cool avatar.

 

[Steve4031]

So basically, its a trade off between overall speed, track quality, and onboard service. The scenery, as I recall from earlier trips is nothing great on either route.

 

[Viewliner]

So basically, its a trade off between overall speed, track quality, and onboard service.  The scenery, as I recall from earlier trips is nothing great on either route.

I agree, theres not much in the way of scenery on either route, you only really have the bridge after Trenton ("Trenton Makes The World Takes") and a monument (I think) South of D.C.

There is one other difference: (insignificant) The Silver Meteor changes engines in Washington while the Silver Star changes in Philly.

Basically it factors into: Time of day you want to depart/arrive, Crew Friendliness (although the Sleeper attendants on the Meteor are nice on #98 leaving MIA on Saturday), and Travel time.

Anything else guys? Any photo requests?

 

[Amfleet]

The route is quite senic through Virginia and into Wasginton DC. Also the stretch between Miami and West Plam Beach has some urban action and there are some very beautiful towns north of Orlando (Winter Park being one of them). Otherwise it's mostly kudzu through Georgia and the Carolinas'.

 

[AlanB]

The route is quite senic through Virginia and into Wasginton DC.

I think the street running in Virginia is kinda cool. B)

 

[Amfleet]

As well as the street running through Ashland, VA, running the meidan of I-95 is also cool too. B)

 

[Viewliner]

Cool, but unless there are significant delays I won't see any of it as the Meteor hits that area in the Middle of the night.

I agree about Winter Park, it looks like a lovely town, and West Palm Beach and that area look modern too (nice).

 

[battalion51]

Just curious, which Silver Service train is the best, or are they all the same.

Well I feel I should take a shot at this question (sorry for the league of absence, I've been working as a sound tech at school). The crew's of the Meteor are (in my opinion) the best that Miami has to offer. Crews 6 & 7 are two of the best, with the high seinority folks. While the Star does also have good crews, it's much more hit and miss. The great thing about the Meteor Crews is predictability. The Meteor guys work the same days every week, so you CAN book based on which crew is slated to work. The Star is a different story however, those guys work a four on-five off schedule, so you'll never know who your crew will be. I also have found the folks on the Meteor to be much happier than those of the Star. But that's my opinion.

The route is quite senic through Virginia and into Wasginton DC. Also the stretch between Miami and West Plam Beach has some urban action and there are some very beautiful towns north of Orlando (Winter Park being one of them). Otherwise it's mostly kudzu through Georgia and the Carolinas'.

You are definitely right about Winter Park. My life started in the Orlando area and my grandparents still live in Winter Park (a mile away from the tracks). I still remember being three or four years old and watching the trains from the park offf Park Ave. in Winter Park (the park I am refering to is right across from the station). I also remember watching trains from a playground about a mile down the tracks. Life was good as a youngster. I just forgot about trains for about 10 years.

 

[Viewliner]

Thanks for your take on it Battalion, its good to hear the experiences from a frequent rider. Also enjoyed your Winter Park Story.

 

[Amfleet]

I should actually say that when I was on the Meteor the crews and the ride were great departuring from West Palm Beach, but by the time we arrived in Penn Station the attendant were being a pain in the a**, the diner's dish washer was not working so paper and plastic was used for breakfast, and the toilets in the Lounge were broken and a fouls smell drifted throughout the car. My mother and I, plus others, felt a tip was not deserved for our attendant. To bad too.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Viewliner, hope you have a terrific trip. As to the merits of one train over the other, I do not have the present day to day familiarity with either one. I would go with the historical note, the Meteor has been in service since 1939, the Star since 47. Before Amtrak, the Meteor was always given more new equipment, etc, etc. So I vote. Meteor. But to be very practical, since they are really about the same today,I would look at scenery and go one on one, the other way on the other. A newcomer to the route, whose never been on either, should be sure to go through WAS in daylight hours ine on direction, so that would have to be the Star.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Viewliner, about the Star only having two sleepers, you will note it had three on the day I took shots of it in February at WAS. As Alan, said some days it has two, sometimes three. Might three more often on weekends because that was a Saturday morning when I shot it.

 

[Steve4031]

So how was he attendant a pain in the a***. Usually they just disapppear.

 

[battalion51]

Viewliner, about the Star only having two sleepers, you will note it had three on the day I took shots of it in February at WAS. As Alan, said some days it has two, sometimes three. Might three more often on weekends because that was a Saturday morning when I shot it.

I have noticed a trend of having three sleepers on the Star as a general rule. I do usually see it on the weekends, but I'm pretty sure they have gone to three full time now with spring breaks coming up nationwide.

So how was he attendant a pain in the a***. Usually they just disapppear.

Well yes and no. There are quite a few attendants who are quite a pain that just don't go away, then again these guys are usually on the Star, so I just try to stick to the Meteor as much as possible.

 

[Amfleet]

So how was he attendant a pain in the a***. Usually they just disapppear.

He wanted to make the passengers feel like crap. You could aks him for something like a bottle of water, but he would say how much of an effort it was going to be to get and said he would be back in a half an hour, but in that time he locked himself in his room. Arriving in Penn New York he wanted every lined up at the vestibule upon departure from Newark. On top of that he would make "boot camp" announcements by walking up and down the hallway.

 

[battalion51]

Hmmm...that sounds remarkably like a Star attendant. One of his occupants told me when he got on his first words to him were "Look, I don't make beds for free." So you never do know with some of these attendants.