Seaboard92
Engineer
Well this is my first trip report in awhile. I honestly have several I could write up but I'll start with the freshest one.
A few years ago I became aware that VIA Rail operates an all Budd Ocean Limited for three departures around Christmas because of the increased demand. I've always dreamed of taking the Canadian trains because I've heard they are like traveling back in time to the 1950s. So this year with my new friend Malcolm we decided that we would both like to do the Ocean on the Budd train.
With a little help from our AU friend NSViaFan I was able to figure out which days the all Budd set was going to run. Immediately after he relayed the information to me; Malcolm and I made reservations to take the Renaissance Ocean eastbound, and the Budd Ocean Westbound so we could compare the two products. We had about an hour spent on hold trying to reach someone at VIA so we could use all of our discounts.
Overtime I eventually finished making all of the arrangements for this story. For this trip I utilized three different Amtrak services, 1 rent a car, two airlines, a hotel, an Airbnb, and Malcolm's apartment.
Day 1: P092-17 the Silver Star on DEC 18th.
After Miracle on 34th Street closed at Town Theater in Columbia I raced home to pack my bags. Unfortunately I learned why I shouldn't wait till the last minute to pack two days later when I was looking for shirts. Not that I could have packed earlier because I was in a show that ran for 21 performances.
I had my dad drive me to the Camden station at about five fifteen AM because the train was running about an hour and a half behind schedule. After talking about subjects that interest him more then me the train arrived and I boarded. I ended up being on the side with the station so I was literally able to save to my dad on the platform which I thought was kinda fun. Even though the bed was made I really didn't want to sleep on the Hamlet sub because of my history with the line.
A few years ago I used to have a friend who loved to chase trains and I would always ride with him for the adventure of it so I wanted to see the local landmarks from the track. I normally take 91 into Camden so I've never seen the line in daylight or twilight so my plan was to stay awake to Raleigh. We rolled into daylight around Cheraw pronounced Che rawl and continued our trip north up the Seaboard.
After Hamlet we rolled thru the once busy hump yard on the north side of town and past several stored locomotives before continuing north. I fell asleep when we arrived in Raleigh and woke up to tragic news. When I woke up somewhere near the Virginia State Line I saw on my Facebook feed where Amtrak No. 501 the inaugural bypass train had derailed off a bridge in Washington State.
I immediately called Chamilton to make sure that he was alright not knowing if he was on board. Then proceeded to call all of my other Northwest friends to make sure that they were alright. I even attempted to reach my ex girlfriend in Seattle to make sure her dad wasn't on board the train. After that I called my parents and grandmother to let them know if they heard there was an Amtrak derailment that they knew it wasn't my train incase they heard the tail end of a story.
We arrived in DC about an hour behind which wasn't really that awful then I went over to Senator Warren's office to pick up an autograph for a friend. And I had great timing on the elevator and managed to ride with Sen Warren to her office. After that I walked down to the National Christmas Tree to meet my travel partner Malcolm and to see the Christmas tree railroad.
The two of us then went to an interesting dinner where the plates were old lunch boxes from the 60s and it was decent. We retired early to his apartment because we were scheduled on an early morning regional.
Tuesday: Train No. 110 and the Adirondack
We awoke around two am to very sad news that our two friends Jim and Zach were two of the fatalities aboard the Cascades the day before. Both of us then resolved to enjoy the trip to the fullest as that's what they would have wanted. We then went over to Union Station and proceeded to board Train 110 on the lower level for our overnight jaunt to New York.
It was a unique experience for me because I've never ridden along the NEC after dark to see the skylines and the forests as darkened silhouettes. Shortly thereafter we arrived in Penn Station where I went up to the street long enough to buy breakfast and return to the Club Acela.
After our short connection we were off on the only northbound with a southbound number the Adirondack No. 69 in the last Amfleet II. We had two rows to ourselves so we jumped back and forth somewhat for the good scenery. When we arrived in Albany we had a little surprise as a CDOT CTrain car was on the track next to us.
The conductor asked us north of Saratoga to come with him to the railfan window where he said we would get better photographs so I spent the entire trip from Saratoga springs area to the Canadian Border riding with the railfan window. Everything I've read about this route is very true. It's a very beautiful route.
The train cleared customs rapidly and we arrived in Montreal about one hour early. We then checked into our hotel the Alt Hotel Montreal which isn't too far from the station. We had a room on the 17th floor with a lovely view of the skyline and the south throat of Gare Centrale so we were able to see every long distance train come in and out of the city.
After dropping out bags off at the hotel we took the city bus out to the Grande marche de Noel Christmas market and strolled around there some. I had a lovely pastry that I would love to have again but have no idea what a Beavertail is. It was a lovely Christmas market then we went for a fast dinner at a fast food Mediterranean restaurant.
Wednesday the 19th
We woke up and watched trains pass under our window for about two hours while the temperature raised and packed our bags. After the Adirondack consist backed in we checked out of our room and had a French breakfast. Malcolm took an amazing photo across the restaurant of Amtrak pulling out.
We then strolled around downtown Montreal for several hours after checking out bags in with VIA. The main highlights being Gare Windsor, the Notre Dame basilica, the old port, and several other places. For lunch we went to a pub that wasn't far from our hotel if memory serves me right.
Malcolm needed to buy Christmas gifts for his family so we went into the underground. I was surprised how much of the city is underground. I swear we walked over a mile underground and without signs to the train station I likely would have missed the train.
The Ocean.
We arrived at the station around six In the evening and checked in with the desk in the business lounge. After about fifteen minutes I went and checked in with the service manager and made our reservations for the diner whilst making friends with a fellow traveler.
They started boarding for our train late at about 6:50 and I immediately asked if I had time to walk to the locomotive for a photo and come back of which an employee said ok. So I walked up and grabbed my photo but upon my return to my cars vestibule it was closed and sealed. I looked back towards the head end and there was still about ten people boarding on coach but I knew I wouldn't make it. So I ran down to the park car where a VIA station employee was sitting in a golf cart. He radioed someone who got the park car attendant to open up.
Then I went to my sleeper to find my travel partner searching for his bag that the station agents said would be waiting us in the room which they eventually located.
We pulled out about fifteen minutes late and I was in the park dome as we pulled out. What an amazing sight it was to see the train rounding the tight terminal curves with all of the lights in the Windows. It was like a rolling city. Malcolm and I sat in the park car dome till it was time for dinner. We were held for a CN intermodal freight which caused us to fall further behind before Drummondville.
I was amazed at how festive the dining car was where they had wrapped fake presents along the walls, and the fact that we had real glass and China to eat with; a world above Amtrak. I had beef ribs which were fantastic and Malcolm had the vegetarian dish. After dinner I went to the lead coach to await the fresh air stop at St. Foy. The baggage handler on the train was concerned that I was only wearing a sweater and another shirt as I had left my coat in the room.
The outside temperature I believe was eight degrees and halfway to the locomotive I decided this was too cold and I ran to the front grabbed a fast photo and ran back to the first open door. I walked thru the train and then got a photo of the outside of the Park Car on the second spot.
I then enjoyed sitting in the Park Car with a TTC motorman, his wife, and Malcolm talking about PTC, the state's, trains, and other subjects. They went to bed and I climbed into the dome to sit and ponder life.
There is no better way to reflect on life than in an empty dome watching the signals drop. After sitting by myself for an hour I went to bed and had the best night of sleep I've ever had on a train.
Thursday the 20th
I woke up around Amqui right Aron's sunup meaning we had lost about an hour overnight but that was great for us because we got to see the Matepedia Valley in daylight. Malcolm and I took the front two seats in the Park Dome for this scenic stretch of track. It was beautiful riding along the snow covered valley.
We then had breakfast while the train sat in Campbellton and I had lovely French toast that was a way cut above Amtrak's. After breakfast Malcolm worked on his contracts in the park dome and I sat in the bullet lounge and talked with members of the Canadian military and our TTC friend.
There is some dreadfully slow track in this area that made this part seam very monotonous. We had lunch as we were arriving in Moncton where I had a chicken sandwich also a very good meal.
After Moncton we sat in the Park dome and enjoyed talking to our new friends and the maritime scenery. Darkness befell our train just west of Truro when we started packing up our room.
All in all our trip on the eastbound Ocean was fantastic. After the train we went to the Triangle Pub which was fantastic. I would highly recommend this local eatery with live music. And of note the steak is only two CAD higher than a burger.
A few years ago I became aware that VIA Rail operates an all Budd Ocean Limited for three departures around Christmas because of the increased demand. I've always dreamed of taking the Canadian trains because I've heard they are like traveling back in time to the 1950s. So this year with my new friend Malcolm we decided that we would both like to do the Ocean on the Budd train.
With a little help from our AU friend NSViaFan I was able to figure out which days the all Budd set was going to run. Immediately after he relayed the information to me; Malcolm and I made reservations to take the Renaissance Ocean eastbound, and the Budd Ocean Westbound so we could compare the two products. We had about an hour spent on hold trying to reach someone at VIA so we could use all of our discounts.
Overtime I eventually finished making all of the arrangements for this story. For this trip I utilized three different Amtrak services, 1 rent a car, two airlines, a hotel, an Airbnb, and Malcolm's apartment.
Day 1: P092-17 the Silver Star on DEC 18th.
After Miracle on 34th Street closed at Town Theater in Columbia I raced home to pack my bags. Unfortunately I learned why I shouldn't wait till the last minute to pack two days later when I was looking for shirts. Not that I could have packed earlier because I was in a show that ran for 21 performances.
I had my dad drive me to the Camden station at about five fifteen AM because the train was running about an hour and a half behind schedule. After talking about subjects that interest him more then me the train arrived and I boarded. I ended up being on the side with the station so I was literally able to save to my dad on the platform which I thought was kinda fun. Even though the bed was made I really didn't want to sleep on the Hamlet sub because of my history with the line.
A few years ago I used to have a friend who loved to chase trains and I would always ride with him for the adventure of it so I wanted to see the local landmarks from the track. I normally take 91 into Camden so I've never seen the line in daylight or twilight so my plan was to stay awake to Raleigh. We rolled into daylight around Cheraw pronounced Che rawl and continued our trip north up the Seaboard.
After Hamlet we rolled thru the once busy hump yard on the north side of town and past several stored locomotives before continuing north. I fell asleep when we arrived in Raleigh and woke up to tragic news. When I woke up somewhere near the Virginia State Line I saw on my Facebook feed where Amtrak No. 501 the inaugural bypass train had derailed off a bridge in Washington State.
I immediately called Chamilton to make sure that he was alright not knowing if he was on board. Then proceeded to call all of my other Northwest friends to make sure that they were alright. I even attempted to reach my ex girlfriend in Seattle to make sure her dad wasn't on board the train. After that I called my parents and grandmother to let them know if they heard there was an Amtrak derailment that they knew it wasn't my train incase they heard the tail end of a story.
We arrived in DC about an hour behind which wasn't really that awful then I went over to Senator Warren's office to pick up an autograph for a friend. And I had great timing on the elevator and managed to ride with Sen Warren to her office. After that I walked down to the National Christmas Tree to meet my travel partner Malcolm and to see the Christmas tree railroad.
The two of us then went to an interesting dinner where the plates were old lunch boxes from the 60s and it was decent. We retired early to his apartment because we were scheduled on an early morning regional.
Tuesday: Train No. 110 and the Adirondack
We awoke around two am to very sad news that our two friends Jim and Zach were two of the fatalities aboard the Cascades the day before. Both of us then resolved to enjoy the trip to the fullest as that's what they would have wanted. We then went over to Union Station and proceeded to board Train 110 on the lower level for our overnight jaunt to New York.
It was a unique experience for me because I've never ridden along the NEC after dark to see the skylines and the forests as darkened silhouettes. Shortly thereafter we arrived in Penn Station where I went up to the street long enough to buy breakfast and return to the Club Acela.
After our short connection we were off on the only northbound with a southbound number the Adirondack No. 69 in the last Amfleet II. We had two rows to ourselves so we jumped back and forth somewhat for the good scenery. When we arrived in Albany we had a little surprise as a CDOT CTrain car was on the track next to us.
The conductor asked us north of Saratoga to come with him to the railfan window where he said we would get better photographs so I spent the entire trip from Saratoga springs area to the Canadian Border riding with the railfan window. Everything I've read about this route is very true. It's a very beautiful route.
The train cleared customs rapidly and we arrived in Montreal about one hour early. We then checked into our hotel the Alt Hotel Montreal which isn't too far from the station. We had a room on the 17th floor with a lovely view of the skyline and the south throat of Gare Centrale so we were able to see every long distance train come in and out of the city.
After dropping out bags off at the hotel we took the city bus out to the Grande marche de Noel Christmas market and strolled around there some. I had a lovely pastry that I would love to have again but have no idea what a Beavertail is. It was a lovely Christmas market then we went for a fast dinner at a fast food Mediterranean restaurant.
Wednesday the 19th
We woke up and watched trains pass under our window for about two hours while the temperature raised and packed our bags. After the Adirondack consist backed in we checked out of our room and had a French breakfast. Malcolm took an amazing photo across the restaurant of Amtrak pulling out.
We then strolled around downtown Montreal for several hours after checking out bags in with VIA. The main highlights being Gare Windsor, the Notre Dame basilica, the old port, and several other places. For lunch we went to a pub that wasn't far from our hotel if memory serves me right.
Malcolm needed to buy Christmas gifts for his family so we went into the underground. I was surprised how much of the city is underground. I swear we walked over a mile underground and without signs to the train station I likely would have missed the train.
The Ocean.
We arrived at the station around six In the evening and checked in with the desk in the business lounge. After about fifteen minutes I went and checked in with the service manager and made our reservations for the diner whilst making friends with a fellow traveler.
They started boarding for our train late at about 6:50 and I immediately asked if I had time to walk to the locomotive for a photo and come back of which an employee said ok. So I walked up and grabbed my photo but upon my return to my cars vestibule it was closed and sealed. I looked back towards the head end and there was still about ten people boarding on coach but I knew I wouldn't make it. So I ran down to the park car where a VIA station employee was sitting in a golf cart. He radioed someone who got the park car attendant to open up.
Then I went to my sleeper to find my travel partner searching for his bag that the station agents said would be waiting us in the room which they eventually located.
We pulled out about fifteen minutes late and I was in the park dome as we pulled out. What an amazing sight it was to see the train rounding the tight terminal curves with all of the lights in the Windows. It was like a rolling city. Malcolm and I sat in the park car dome till it was time for dinner. We were held for a CN intermodal freight which caused us to fall further behind before Drummondville.
I was amazed at how festive the dining car was where they had wrapped fake presents along the walls, and the fact that we had real glass and China to eat with; a world above Amtrak. I had beef ribs which were fantastic and Malcolm had the vegetarian dish. After dinner I went to the lead coach to await the fresh air stop at St. Foy. The baggage handler on the train was concerned that I was only wearing a sweater and another shirt as I had left my coat in the room.
The outside temperature I believe was eight degrees and halfway to the locomotive I decided this was too cold and I ran to the front grabbed a fast photo and ran back to the first open door. I walked thru the train and then got a photo of the outside of the Park Car on the second spot.
I then enjoyed sitting in the Park Car with a TTC motorman, his wife, and Malcolm talking about PTC, the state's, trains, and other subjects. They went to bed and I climbed into the dome to sit and ponder life.
There is no better way to reflect on life than in an empty dome watching the signals drop. After sitting by myself for an hour I went to bed and had the best night of sleep I've ever had on a train.
Thursday the 20th
I woke up around Amqui right Aron's sunup meaning we had lost about an hour overnight but that was great for us because we got to see the Matepedia Valley in daylight. Malcolm and I took the front two seats in the Park Dome for this scenic stretch of track. It was beautiful riding along the snow covered valley.
We then had breakfast while the train sat in Campbellton and I had lovely French toast that was a way cut above Amtrak's. After breakfast Malcolm worked on his contracts in the park dome and I sat in the bullet lounge and talked with members of the Canadian military and our TTC friend.
There is some dreadfully slow track in this area that made this part seam very monotonous. We had lunch as we were arriving in Moncton where I had a chicken sandwich also a very good meal.
After Moncton we sat in the Park dome and enjoyed talking to our new friends and the maritime scenery. Darkness befell our train just west of Truro when we started packing up our room.
All in all our trip on the eastbound Ocean was fantastic. After the train we went to the Triangle Pub which was fantastic. I would highly recommend this local eatery with live music. And of note the steak is only two CAD higher than a burger.