I booked this to reintroduce my sister to train travel in the US. We rode trains a lot in college - a generation ago...
I am from Georgia, but was visiting my sister in Macungie, PA for Christmas holidays. We started by driving to Quakertown and taking the Bieber bus to PHL 30th St. station.
We got to PHL with about an hour to spare. We wandered about, exploring the station. I don't recall ever being there before. Very grand. As we waited for boarding to begin, we listened to other trains being called. Silver Star was announced as going only to JAX, with bus provided for points south. Any ideas what the service disruption was?
We boarded the second coach back from the engine, Amfleet II. No wifi in this car, but comfortable seats with great legroom. There was a youngish woman across the aisle that really needed a keeper. When the conductor came around taking tickets, she handed him the receipt. He rejected it, and asked for the ticket. She fumbled around and finally brought out the other pieces. He asked if she was going to Pittsburgh, and she said no, Washington. He said the ticket was to Pittsburgh, this train was not going to WAS. She said she just came from PGH. He said they would work something out, the train was already out of the station. He came back later to talk with her again. Turns out her final destination was LAX. We are betting she was supposed to be on the regional to WAS, CL to CHI, SWC to LA. She did a lot of muttering and listening to her music. She had no idea this train ended in PGH, and got up suddenly in Harrisburg but they sent her back to her seat.
We were on time until there was a delay, explained as a signal problem, east of Lancaster. We sat for about 20 min. before getting into the station. I had Nellie (Garmin) along to track speed, etc., but she refused to find a signal until we had left Lewistown. WE accepted the fact that it would be dark when we went around the Horseshoe Curve, but I had hoped to at least know when we got there...I was looking out the window but didn't see the park at all. I only knew we were past when we got into the Gallitzin tunnel. After that, Mary got out her ipad and turned on a program called Elevation, which shows continuous elevation, along with the dot tracing your path, and it even showed us on the railroad. Nellie just has us going cross country, fording rivers...
We got into JST about 16 minutes late. I called the Holiday Inn and they sent the van to get us. We checked in, relaxed for a short time, then went to their restaurant for supper. After that, it was bath time, and watch football.
We ate breakfast at the hotel, then got the van back to the station. Train was on time, and this time the car they directed us to was certainly not an Amfleet II. the seats had mush more relation to economy plus on Delta...no foot rest or leg rest, and the windows were smaller. It wasn't like the Amfleet I BC coach on the Palmetto. But we did have wifi. The coach also had a large luggage section in the front, plus there was a seat missing in the middle which made a very large area for a passenger with a baby and lots of luggage.
This time, we watched both Nellie and the ipad as we approached the Curve. I anxiously looked for the seam engine in the park...but it wasn't there! Just an ugly diesel...I later googled and discovered the steam locomotive that was placed there in 1957 was removed in 1985. So glad my memory was right! WE kept on time. I don't know what track speed is on that line, but leaving Harrisburg we did 98 mph several times. The ride was very smooth, I was able to do my fine crochet, which I couldn't do on the Palmetto. It gives me hope for our crosscountry on CL and SWC. Alltogether, a satisfactory trip. Although it was winter, cold and windy, we felt we were able to see more of the countryside due to the lack of leaves on the trees.
I did wonder what Nellie would have done/said if, in PHL, I had input the street address of the station in JST...Would her vocabulary have become more 'creative' than 'recalculating...'CJ
I am from Georgia, but was visiting my sister in Macungie, PA for Christmas holidays. We started by driving to Quakertown and taking the Bieber bus to PHL 30th St. station.
We got to PHL with about an hour to spare. We wandered about, exploring the station. I don't recall ever being there before. Very grand. As we waited for boarding to begin, we listened to other trains being called. Silver Star was announced as going only to JAX, with bus provided for points south. Any ideas what the service disruption was?
We boarded the second coach back from the engine, Amfleet II. No wifi in this car, but comfortable seats with great legroom. There was a youngish woman across the aisle that really needed a keeper. When the conductor came around taking tickets, she handed him the receipt. He rejected it, and asked for the ticket. She fumbled around and finally brought out the other pieces. He asked if she was going to Pittsburgh, and she said no, Washington. He said the ticket was to Pittsburgh, this train was not going to WAS. She said she just came from PGH. He said they would work something out, the train was already out of the station. He came back later to talk with her again. Turns out her final destination was LAX. We are betting she was supposed to be on the regional to WAS, CL to CHI, SWC to LA. She did a lot of muttering and listening to her music. She had no idea this train ended in PGH, and got up suddenly in Harrisburg but they sent her back to her seat.
We were on time until there was a delay, explained as a signal problem, east of Lancaster. We sat for about 20 min. before getting into the station. I had Nellie (Garmin) along to track speed, etc., but she refused to find a signal until we had left Lewistown. WE accepted the fact that it would be dark when we went around the Horseshoe Curve, but I had hoped to at least know when we got there...I was looking out the window but didn't see the park at all. I only knew we were past when we got into the Gallitzin tunnel. After that, Mary got out her ipad and turned on a program called Elevation, which shows continuous elevation, along with the dot tracing your path, and it even showed us on the railroad. Nellie just has us going cross country, fording rivers...
We got into JST about 16 minutes late. I called the Holiday Inn and they sent the van to get us. We checked in, relaxed for a short time, then went to their restaurant for supper. After that, it was bath time, and watch football.
We ate breakfast at the hotel, then got the van back to the station. Train was on time, and this time the car they directed us to was certainly not an Amfleet II. the seats had mush more relation to economy plus on Delta...no foot rest or leg rest, and the windows were smaller. It wasn't like the Amfleet I BC coach on the Palmetto. But we did have wifi. The coach also had a large luggage section in the front, plus there was a seat missing in the middle which made a very large area for a passenger with a baby and lots of luggage.
This time, we watched both Nellie and the ipad as we approached the Curve. I anxiously looked for the seam engine in the park...but it wasn't there! Just an ugly diesel...I later googled and discovered the steam locomotive that was placed there in 1957 was removed in 1985. So glad my memory was right! WE kept on time. I don't know what track speed is on that line, but leaving Harrisburg we did 98 mph several times. The ride was very smooth, I was able to do my fine crochet, which I couldn't do on the Palmetto. It gives me hope for our crosscountry on CL and SWC. Alltogether, a satisfactory trip. Although it was winter, cold and windy, we felt we were able to see more of the countryside due to the lack of leaves on the trees.
I did wonder what Nellie would have done/said if, in PHL, I had input the street address of the station in JST...Would her vocabulary have become more 'creative' than 'recalculating...'CJ
Last edited by a moderator:
