Short report on my Crescent trip

[Guest_shanghaiamtrak]

I just got back from my weekend trip on the Crescent. I traveled from DC to Atlanta to see a football game. Traveled overnight on the 14th, spent the 15th in atlanta, then did a day trip atlanta-Birmingham on the 16th, finally ending with atlanta-DC on the night of the 16th (actually i got on the train in Birmingham and stayed on to DC).

The train was on time everytime. In fact, The train was early returning to DC. I noticed the train left Alexandria, VA ahead of schedule. Isnt that against some sort of rule, leaving ahead of time???????

Lounge car was having a leak in the kitchen from Birmingham-DC, wasnt able to purchase any hot sandwiches.

During my two hour layover in Birmingham, I found a nice little hotdog shop to eat at. Its about 3 blocks north of the station. Is a tiny restaurant that only sells hotdogs, chips, and drinks. Was about the only restaurant or business open in downtown Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon. The hotdog place is called Petes Famous hotdogs, and has been around since 1920. I thought it was an interesting place...

Noticed Birmingham police keeping an eye on the railyards from an overpass near the station...

Hey I was wondering--where does Amtrak get the drinking water for its trains? is it simply tap water? Hopefully not, as we know many cities' tap water is high in lead, etc.

Train was fairly empty in many parts of the trip, in fact, coming back, there was one entire car that they locked up and travelled empty with. I thought they should have opened that and let everyone get two seats to themselves instead of bunching everyone together into fewer cars...

Overall, a good trip. And i loved those Mrs. Goodcookie Oatmeal-raisin cookies they sell in the lounge car!

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

The train was on time everytime. In fact, The train was early returning to DC. I noticed the train left Alexandria, VA ahead of schedule. Isnt that against some sort of rule, leaving ahead of time???????

Its not violating any rule because this is a "D" stop, the train only stops here to Dishcharge passengers and not to take any on, so it may leave ahead of schedule.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

To expand on the point just made a little....all of the stops from Alexandria on to NYC are "D" stops--to discharge only. Thus, since nobody is going to board at ANY of those stations, no reason to wait for time. As long as operating conditons, track congestion etc allow, such trains from New Orleans to NYC and FLorida points to NYC can run early all the way up to NYC, and have been known to arrive in NYC as much as an hour early.

There are plenty of trains all day long between NYC and WAS-- it is they whicih handle all the short haul passengers between points like Philly, Baltimore, etc. They do not burden down the long distance trains with the short hauls between WAS and NYC and intermediate points.

But then , southbound, trains to New Orleans and to Florida do just the opposite. They stop at "R" only- stops--stops only to receive, at each the local stops betwee NYC and WAS. Nobody gets off.

Of course in that direction and in that instance they cannot leave early as they could concievably be leaving someone behind. If you happen to have kept back a timetable, look at the Florida schedules and the NYC to NOL schedules and you will see what I mean.

Your orignal instincts are right on target to be sure. Of course a train, bus or plane cannot NORMALLY leave early. But these are unique operating conditons which allow such on the northeast corrider and a few other places on the Amtrak system. I encourage you to check out page 70 in the current timetable, it will be clear what the long distance trains are doing (though that page does not show the Crescent, but same thing applies.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Oh and BTW--glad you had a good trip. Glad the puncutaltiy worked out for you and that you were able to return n.b. the same day after your visit in BHM.

As I said in an earlier post, I am always a little paranoid about going ATL and to BHM and back the same day.

You realize that you encountered downtown BHM on the dullest day of the week. Any other day, even Saturday, much more so weekday, would have been more lively.

I think I know the eating place you mention. Will try it someday.

 

[Guest_shanghaiamtrak]

http://bhamdining.com/Reviews/review_petesfamous.html

this is the hotdog place i ate at.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Pete's Famous Hotdogs should give you a commission.

You sold me.

I know now that I have seen the place and always avoided it because it looked .........well...............but anyway, now that I understand "how it works" and that it is truly a "Birmingham Tradition"(just a tad eccentric in an enjoyable way ) I am anxious to try it.

Next time I go to BHM, I will give it a try. I already know I will order two of them.

We have a restaurant in Atlanta called the Varsity which is a little eccentric in enjoyable ways, though not the same ways as Pete's. It is much larger. But it takes some getting used to, if you walk in unaware you might sort of wonder what is going on, they scream at you, etc but all part of the act.