School Boy Special Returns

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battalion51

battalion51

Engineer
Joined
Aug 23, 2002
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7,193
Location
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The School Boy Special is back, with a scheduled run between (Miami) West Palm Beach and Washington DC. The equipment is set to deadhead between Miami and West Palm. The crews are scheduled go on duty in 7:30, and then deadhead to West Palm. There will be a service stop (for fueling, water, and food, new crew) in Jacksonville, and in Florence will recieve a new crew. The train will arrive in Washington Friday morning, and leave back out on Sunday. A similar servicing schedule will occur. The train is expected to arrive in West Palm at 2:45 (waiting for confirmation on that), and then deadhead into Miami from there.

As for the consist of the train, the train is expected to be about 18 cars long (mostly Horizon coaches, maybe an Amfleet or Heritage in there too). The train should be pulled by two engines. If I get more info as to the exact schedule I'll pass it on.
 
Wow, I am glad Amtrak has enough spare equipment to pull off a stunt like that. Shades of the "good old days" when complete special trains were not TOO rare.

At one time it was customary for high school kids all over the southeast to take various trips by train to Washington, D. C. Different times of the year, different reasons.Sometimes it probably pertained to graduation. My sister's art class went there to sketch the monuments, visit the museums, etc. She still has her dining car breakfast menu from a train called "The Pelican" which her class took from Chatta to Was.

I did not get to go when my time came, for some reason. But it was a"rite of passage" in the southeast(where else, I do not know). It rarely involved whole trains of course, usually maybe one extra coach.
 
The School Boy Special (originally known as the Safety Patrol special) was started about 7 or 8 years ago by a wealthy business man who takes kids to Washington as reward for hard work in Elementary school, they visit Museums, Capitol Hill, etc. whil in D.C. The train originally was, as Bill described, extra coaches on the bottom of a Silver Service train. But the project grew, and over the years became its own train. It's had many different consists, from Amfleet, to Superliner, to toady's consist of mostly Horizon coaches. I'm supposed to be getting a copy of the consist tonight from a friend who goes to school right across from WPB, so I'll post an exact consist tonight.
 
All part of the consist. The engines are likely change from trip to trip though.
 
Alright I have information hot off the presses regarding the school boy and here's how it goes. The train will carry 997 kids, 84 chaperones, 6 doctors/nurses, and 5 Amtrak supervisors. There will be three trainmen, one Conductor, two ACs, switching in JAX and FLO. As far as engine staff goes they will work identical to the Meteor, two Engineers MIA-JAX, and then one guy from JAX-SAV, SAV-FLO, FLO-RVR, RVR-WAS. Here is an anticipated schedule for the train:

Northbound:

830 Depart Miami

1025 arrive West Palm

1130 depart West Palm

1830 arrive JAX

1855 depart JAX

2110 arrive SAV

2140 depart SAV

200 arrive FLO

205 depart FLO

715 arrive RVR

730 depart RVR

930 arrive WAS

Southbound:

1600 depart WAS

1815 arrive RVR

1830 depart RVR

2340 arrive FLO

2345 depart FLO

345 arrive SAV

415 depart SAV

630 arrive JAX

655 depart JAX

1415 arrive West Palm

1430 depart West Palm

1630 arrive Miami

Consist time. I don't have exact numbers yet, those should come shortly though.

2 P-42's Elephant style

8 Horizon coaches (Girls Coaches)

43362 Table Car

1 Viewliner (for dignitaries and special passengers)

8 Horizon coaches (Boys coaches)

1 Michigan coach (Boys coach)

and bringin up the rear 1 Superliner TransDorm for Amtrak crew members

The train will stop two times in West Palm, first loading/unloading the girls, second loading/unloading the boys. Apparently loading wasn't smooth today as the train held up P089-14, P092-15, and P612-15. But hopefully it'll get better as the trips go by, there will be four round trips this year.
 
OK spoke to my other source. Because he's the lazy Engineer he is, he didn't copy all the car numbers, but he did get the important ones. Engines 44 leading, 5 is the trailer, 25069 is the only Amfleet in consist, second car of the train (making it a girls car), Viewliner 62001, and the Superliner Dorm is the 39028. He is attempting to do a car history on the 39028, so hopefully I'll know tomorrow where it came from. The train is designated P934-15 for those of you hoping to find it up north.
 
Now I'm not to familar with how this train runs, but you mention four round trips. Does it got to Washington, layover for however long the group stays there and then brings them back to Florida and pick up a new load? Repeating that process four times?

Also you mention 25069 being the only Amfleet in the consist, but 43362 is an Amlfeet Dinette?
 
Quite a train! What lucky kids. If anyone gets any pictures of this train or sees any posted elsewhere on the web, please post here. Thanks, B51 for the info.
 
Amfleet said:
Now I'm not to familar with how this train runs, but you mention four round trips. Does it got to Washington, layover for however long the group stays there and then brings them back to Florida and pick up a new load? Repeating that process four times?
Also you mention 25069 being the only Amfleet in the consist, but 43362 is an Amlfeet Dinette?
Click to expand...
43362 is reported as being a Table Car, whether its Amfleet Dinette or Private I don't know, but I will try to find out. As for the train itself the consist will layover in Washington on Friday night and Saturday night while the group is in Washington and then head out on Sunday to bring the same group back to West PAlm. Layover in Hialeah Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights and head out on Thursday.
 
battalion51 said:
Amfleet said:
Now I'm not to familar with how this train runs, but you mention four round trips. Does it got to Washington, layover for however long the group stays there and then brings them back to Florida and pick up a new load? Repeating that process four times?
Also you mention 25069 being the only Amfleet in the consist, but 43362 is an Amlfeet Dinette?
Click to expand...
43362 is reported as being a Table Car, whether its Amfleet Dinette or Private I don't know, but I will try to find out. As for the train itself the consist will layover in Washington on Friday night and Saturday night while the group is in Washington and then head out on Sunday to bring the same group back to West PAlm. Layover in Hialeah Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights and head out on Thursday.
Click to expand...
I know for certain that 43362 is an Amfleet I Metroliner Dinette because I checked the OTOL roster.
 
I think the only Table cars Amtrak used were a couple of ex-Heritage Coaches for the Auto Train in the 86xx (I think), so unless its a PV, Amfleet is probably right.
 
For anyone hoping to catch up to the special you can get status on Amtrak.com by entering the train number, and the city pairs of WAS and WPB. I'll try to find out the train's symbol on Sunday, I should know about 1:00 PM or so. P934-15 arrived in Wasington at 12:22P today making it 2 hours and 52 minutes late. Ouch. :ph34r:
 
Well since the equipment is "in Limbo" in Ivy City right now, it has no official assignment or train number. My buddy is working the Brattleboro-Springfield turn tomorrow so he'll check up on the train number for me, and I'll pass it on. The train is scheduled to depart Washington tomorrow afternoon at 1600. The next trip goes out on the 22, then the 29 and finally the 5th from West Palm. Departure dates from Washington are the 18, 25, 1, and 8.
 
I will be in Washington at the end of the month, so it looks like I may get to see it, it's not very likely, but I have a chance at it. B)
 
B51, will it load and unload schools kids at any place other than Miami and West Palm? Those other stops north of W. Palm, are they all just for engineer and crew changes and re-fueling?
 
Any of the other stops are service stops (water, fuel, Crew, etc.) The only passenger stops are Wahington and West Palm. The train deadheads from WPB to MIA.
 
My sources tell me the train was wyed in Ivy City, and is now P935-18, with Engines 25 and 6 leading.
 
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