Trains in winter

[Chris J.]

Hiya. I'm new face here, so I hope i've got this right. I'm from the UK, so sorry if i'm asking something thats silly or obvious!

I'm considering using the rest of my vacation days to visit the US sometime in december for just under 2 weeks. I was planning on going to the north-east (Boston, New York, Philadelphia) although i may get adventerous and head west to Chicago (24 hours on a train - the longest I've done so far would be something like 8)

I have gathered from looking into this that Amtrak aren't known for their punctuality anyway, but does the winter affect things more?

 

[Everydaymatters]

While I have never traveled by Amtrak in December, I would suspect that the train would be very crowded during the last two weeks with travelers visiting families for Christmas and New Year's Eve.

I have been on the Capitol Ltd. in early January and it was a pleasure as the train was not crowded at all. I had been concerned about it being cold on the train, but it was warm and comfortable.

Washington D.C. was also a pleasure. While I was there for medical purposes, I did get to go to one of the museums (The National History Museum). Again, it was not crowded. The weather was about 35 degrees and the walk from the subway was a little nippy, but not bad at all.

 

[RailFanLNK]

Depending on which train you take, winter can sometimes cause problems with the trains schedule if its going through mountain ranges. (such as the California Zephyr) But last year while parts of the country was paralyzed by major snowstorms, Amtrak was rolling right along with little delays. (I believe that was a storm near Christmas time) But there has been other storms that have shut down the airlines and have slowed down Amtrak. So its kinda give and take. Personally, I would much rather be on a delayed train where you can stretch out, sleep, eat, visit, play games etc compared to sleeping on the floor of a major airport.

Al

 

[The Metropolitan]

The punctuality is hit or miss nearly any given day. While some delays are more predictable than others (trackwork vs. freight derailment), it is completely possible that one day's Long Distance train can arrive at its terminus 4 hours late while the next day's train comes in 15 minutes early. Basically, you just have to be flexible in your approach, and just concede to enjoy the journey.

One recommendation I might make should you decide to get adventurous and head to Chicago on the train (and my sentiment is "DO IT!) would be to use the Capitol Limited (Washington-Chicago train) if at all possible. The reasons are manyfold, but include:

* Unique cars to the Eastern landscape, including a "glass top" sightseer car.

* Full Service Dining Car (Cardinal train has a pared down version, as might the Lake Shore lately)

* Roomettes, being more available, tend to be cheaper on this train, in the event you'd like to treat yourself.

and my foremost reason:

* When you visit, it may well be pretty cold in the Northeast US. The "Superliner" equipment that is on the Capitol tends to handle the cold MUCH better than the single level "Amfleet" equipment. As a result, toilets work, pipes flow and coffee is available, and overall, the entire train is much more comfortable as a result.

I have a travelogue in the Trip Reports section from an all-coach Chicago trip I took in February - went on the Capitol and returned on the Cardinal - The Capitol was DEFINITELY the nicer of the two trips.

 

[eliyahu]

Hiya. I'm new face here, so I hope i've got this right. I'm from the UK, so sorry if i'm asking something thats silly or obvious!
I'm considering using the rest of my vacation days to visit the US sometime in december for just under 2 weeks. I was planning on going to the north-east (Boston, New York, Philadelphia) although i may get adventerous and head west to Chicargo (24 hours on a train - the longest I've done so far would be something like 8)

I have gathered from looking into this that Amtrak aren't known for their punctuality anyway, but does the winter affect things more?

we've taken the lake shore limited (chicago-new york/boston) in the winter, and it was very pleasant. as others will attest, relaxing in the diner or your sleeper watching the world pass by covered in snow is wonderful. the equipment was in good order, although there are horror stories nearly every year of cars leaving the yards with frozen toilets, failing heating equipment and so forth. the good news is that this is fairly rare, but that bad news is that it happens at all.

as for delays on route due to ill weather, this does in fact happen. for example, on our first trip from austin to points north on the texas eagle, the train we were due on had gotten caught in a massive ice storm the previous day and was so late we had to catch a bus to board it. that having been stated, if there is a weather event that causes amtrak to delay or cancel trains, the 'safe money' is on everything being shut down as well, including roads and air service. although amtrak does get impacted by winter weather every now and again, it is usually the last mode of transport to suffer cancellations. in fact, when airports shut down in the US, trapping travelers in their terminals for days on end, amtrak is usually the only thing moving.

if you are going to head to chicago via rail, i'm sure you will enjoy the experience -- especially if you have the means to purchase a compartment in the sleepers. but even if in coach, the trip from the northeast to chicago is usually a 'less than 24 hours' experience, so it should be fine. in fact, i've always found coach seats on long-distance trains in the US to be much more comfortable and roomy than the roomettes in the sleepers. let us know what you decide!

-- eliyahu

waterbury, ct

 

[Guest_Yerry_*]

Christmas Eve, 1988: Left San Bernardino, CA on the Southwest Chief, traveling Coach. Although assigned to a Chicago-bound coach, I moved to the old Santa Fe Highliner Transition coach, since those seats reclined further. Too bad they only use a few of them nowadays. Lounge attendant called in sick, and everyone else working the train said "so-and-so said he'd never work another Christmas again". As a result, lounge service as sporadic; the crew did their best to cover but were simply short-handed.

Christmas Day, mere minutes after departing Albuquerque, the train hit a cow at speed (train was at speed, not the cow); this severely damaged the huge plow pilot on the lead F40. Turned out we really needed that plow later. It soon started snowing, and for the next 18 hours, it got steadily worse, and not better. At Raton, we waited for a Westbound to pass, and when we got permission to continue, mere minutes later, the adjacent track looked as if no train had ever passed through. Conductor said we were losing time, not because of the snow, but because of the damage to the plow-- Santa Fe rules.

An Army family-- Corporal, his wife, two elementary kids and a three week old baby-- headed home from Hawaii to Northern Kansas befriended me; I read half my kid story manuscripts to the older two. Always pity the captive audience! Parents were worried because the wife's folks had to travel 150 miles to get them. They asked the conductor about a motel in Dodge City, and the conductor had the engineer radio a request in; the Santa Fe set up an inexpensive room for them, and called the parents to cancel the drive. An obstacle came up where the motel demanded a credit card to hold the room. What Army Corporal with a wife and three kids is going to have a credit card? So, I quietly cornered the conductor and gave him my card number. After`all, nobody's going anywhere in THAT weather. I heard the info go over the radio and I was momentarily terrified that my card info was being broadcast to the world, until I realized they had some kind of a code. Later, family unloaded in Dodge in the middle of the night, and someone from Amtrak (Station agent?) met the family with a huge quilt to bundle the baby in, just in case, and made sure they got the first cab in line.

Side note: Although Amtrak runs big city to big city, it's Small Town Mid-America that fills Amtrak's seats and pays its bills, and everyone needs to remember that.

At Kansas City, we were three hours late. It took some work to move the three F40's around to get a good plow at the point since the bad plow interfered with coupling. Here, I left a little late on the Ann Rutledge for Jefferson City. We made up some time and I got there only slightly late.

Something I've noticed: When the chips are down and things get really, really bad, the train people somehow make things work, and get things done.

Even though my Credit card wasn't needed, I still heard from the family every Christmas for about ten years. One of the kids overheard me talk with the conductor; she found my address on one of my manuscripts. Sneaky kid.

 

[RailFanLNK]

I loved that last reply! You couldn't say it much better than that.

 

[Everydaymatters]

Yerry, thanks for sharing your experience with us. It was wonderful and heartwarming.

Betty

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

It's been a looong time since I road a train in winter. 30+ years. Is there a different sensation in the ride besides what you can see?

There wasn't much snow on the ground the November I rode the Coast Starlight but what a vision seeing Mt Shasta at Sunrise with the sun coming trough the clouds and snow.

Mahalo

 

[Everydaymatters]

Aloha
Is there a different sensation in the ride besides what you can see?

Mahalo

It's been several years since I rode in winter, but I recall that it was warm, cozy, harmonious and perfect.

 

[jphjaxfl]

I was stationed at Grand Forks AFB from 1972-75 and lived in Minneapolis for 21 years after that. I rode the Empire Builder many times in the winter through the area that probably has the harshest winter weather of any Amtrak route. The Empire Builder was running many times when planes and buses couldn't get through. The railroaders in that part of the US know how to cope with winter. The old Great Northern and Northern Pacific cars that were used on the Empire Builder through 1979 were always warm and comfortable even in the domes. The Superliners seem to work well even in the coldest weather. It has to be a serious blizzard for the Empire Builder to be cancelled due to weather, unlike CSX where I live now which will cause Amtrak to cancel passenger trains at the first sign of a winter storm. The passing scenery during the winter is always great. The trains are not usually as crowded, except during the holidays. Its a great time to take Amtrak.

 

[Larry H.]

I think todays trains are usually comfortable in winter.. Actually I find that in summer the trains can be "too Cold", as my trip last week to chicago, nearly froze in the amfleet business class car.. the rest of the train was much warmer.

But as to winter, I have several distant experiences. One pre amtrak in the day when some railroads were not inclined to encourage you to ever want to ride again.. The Christmas of about 1961 I took a train from New York City to St. Louis.. It was bitter cold and record snows. Once we got on the train we never saw out again. The windows were frosted over the entire trip. The train ran quite late and with hardback low seats that didn't move.. Needless to say not many on there ever wanted to do it again.. Food was bad and water was about non exsistant.

A much better trip was through Canada in winter, lots of snow but the cars were warm and cheery. Returned on the Empire Builder just before amtrak took over and it also was on time and pleasant. An amtrak trip on the Lakeshore from New York was also comfortable although it was 4 below in Buffalo and snow was deep, some got in the vestibule but the train was fine as far as temperature. The cars were less than desireable, but from what others have said here it must have been an unusual trip.

 

[had8ley]

Aloha
Is there a different sensation in the ride besides what you can see?

Mahalo

It's been several years since I rode in winter, but I recall that it was warm, cozy, harmonious and perfect.

Betty;

One of my favorite places, and there are many, in winter on Amtrak is between Springfield, Mass and Pittsfield. The track takes one heck of a swing to the north and the territory is absolutely gorgeous when there is snow on the ground. I try not to go out of Boston on the stub train anymore; last time I did we had 18 passengers total on the entire train and a sick LSA attendant in the business class car. (I was spoiled when they ran the Boston sleeper.) He finally locked up the liquor and told us to help ourselves to anything else. He stretched out on a table and we thought he had died.

I had taken my grand-daughter on one of the last Viewliners out of Boston that was switched onto the train out of NYP. When the two trains combined at Albany we endured at least an hour and a half of switching moves. We thought they were putting together 200 car freight trains. When we finally left Albany it started snowing. At Syracuse my grand-daughter and I got off and got hit by snowflakes as big as maple leaves. The Boston sleeper was the head revenue car that day and the lounge was half way back behind the diner. Of course every kid wants a bag of chips when the lounge car makes the "Closing" announcement. Every car door I opened on the way back to the lounge revealed 18 inches or better of snow. Fortunately, there was a broom in every vestibule. We literally swept our way to the lounge car only to find the conductor and a/c puffing on cigarettes.(And this was AFTER the LSL had been made totally smoke free.) I quietly asked the conductor if he might be able to keep the passageways clear. His reply? "I'm not going to do it and she can if she wants to", pointing to the A/C. Needless to say we swept our way back and had a ball making snowballs. So a good thing can come out of someone else's I don't care attitude.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

What I was asking was how different does the train feel while riding in winter? For example when you go outside in winter, it's quieter and the air has a different feel (besides cold :lol: ) so what I would like to hear about are winter rider sensations.

Mahalo

 

[gswager]

Aloha
What I was asking was how different does the train feel while riding in winter? For example when you go outside in winter, it's quieter and the air has a different feel (besides cold :lol: ) so what I would like to hear about are winter rider sensations.

Mahalo

I agree with you about going outside in really cold weather. As long as there's no winds, then I enjoy going outside. Coldest ever had was minus 12 degrees in early am, before the sunrise. It's so weird looking at the street lights that created starburst ray.

Riding train in the winter is very cozy, as long as the heater is working.

 

[whistler]

At Syracuse my grand-daughter and I got off and got hit by snowflakes as big as maple leaves.

That brings to mind a story my late father told me about travelling by train between college in Chicago and home in Springfield Mass..

One time when he was returning home during winter the train was stopped at the station and he looked out the windows and looked out into a major snowstorm. He said his one thought was who would live in a place that had weather like this. The town was Syracuse NY and we would move here in 1968. The station in question after years of being a bus terminal and partially gutted by fire has been refurbished as offices and news facilities for the local Time Warners cable system and if you ever have the chance stop and see it. Time-Warner has done a excellent job on the exterior.

If you are ever driving on the NYS Thruway from east to west get off at the exit for route I-481 and follow I-481 south to I-690 and follow I-690 to I-81 north and you will drive through the old NYC train station and see the still waiting passengers.

I-690 is built on the old grade seperated route of the NYC through Syracuse.

 

[racer1735]

Since you will be traveling in December, 'winter' shouldn't be too bad of a problem. Most of the United States doesn't get hit by severe winter weather until January and February (at least the midwest portion). For example, last February was brutally cold and trains (#51 and #52 for example) were running about 9-12 hours late. And frozen up, as well. But, that was extreme weather during the extreme portion of winter. Early to mid-December shouldn't be near as rough. Most delays will be by freight trains.

 

[NS VIA FAN]

Winter! My favorite time to travel. I usually take a ride on VIA’s Canadian in early December every year. The 30 cars trains (and crowds) of the summer are gone and you almost have the dome to yourself. On one trip it was just so enjoyable to sit back on the warm train rolling through a snow storm across Northern Ontario. Later that evening in the dome, the sky had cleared and with a full moon on the fresh snow, it was almost as bright as day! Then the next evening rolling across the prairies, all the small towns are decorated for Christmas.

Here’s links to a couple of reports from recent trips.

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?...ic=7585&hl=

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?...ic=4731&hl=

Winter timekeeping: Last December we were 3 hours late leaving Toronto due to the late arrival of the inbound train but had made up all the time by Edmonton. The previous December we were consistently early all across the county including 70 minutes early into Winnipeg.

 

[Everydaymatters]

Aloha
What I was asking was how different does the train feel while riding in winter? For example when you go outside in winter, it's quieter and the air has a different feel (besides cold :lol: ) so what I would like to hear about are winter rider sensations.

Mahalo

The train also is quieter and has a different feel. It feels like you are securely wrapped in a warm cacoon. There's an aire of more friendliness and comraderie in the less crowded train. While the outside world is full of people scurrying to get in from the cold, inside the train there is no such sense of needing to be in survival mode. Although you hear the noise of the wheels rolling along the rails, it seems quieter inside and you feel that the outside is raging and noisy from the cold wind.

 

[jphjaxfl]

But as to winter, I have several distant experiences. One pre amtrak in the day when some railroads were not inclined to encourage you to ever want to ride again.. The Christmas of about 1961 I took a train from New York City to St. Louis.. It was bitter cold and record snows. Once we got on the train we never saw out again. The windows were frosted over the entire trip. The train ran quite late and with hardback low seats that didn't move.. Needless to say not many on there ever wanted to do it again.. Food was bad and water was about non exsistant.

I remember riding Penn Central passengers trains from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis, Indianapolis via Cleveland to Boston, and Chicago- Logansport-Cincinnati in the winters of 1969-1970 a year or two prior to Amtrak. Many times the cars were so cold that ice formed on the inside of the windows. The steam heat would be working and be very warm in some parts of the car or freezing in other parts. I do remember a very nice breakfast in the dining car in upstate New York on the no name train that went from Chicago to New York overnight with picking up through cars from Chicago via Detroit in Buffalo and a through coach to Boston that was detached at Albany. There had been a snow storm overnight. I was in the Slumbercoach which was confortable. The Dining Car was warm in the morning with hot coffee and excellent food. I moved to the through coach to Boston before we arrived in Albany. It was a little cool going through the Berkshires that day. The train was ontime through out the trip.

 

[MrFSS]

I think winter is the best time to trawl on Amtrak. Pictures from a January 06 CZ trip.

 

[Everydaymatters]

Where were those pictures taken, Tom?

 

[MrFSS]

Where were those pictures taken, Tom?

First three were in California. It snowed the night before we boarded in Sacramento and it was very pristine. Last two are in Colorado about 3 hours out from Denver.

 

[Penn Central]

I remember riding Penn Central passengers trains from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis, Indianapolis via Cleveland to Boston, and Chicago- Logansport-Cincinnati in the winters of 1969-1970 a year or two prior to Amtrak. Many times the cars were so cold that ice formed on the inside of the windows. The steam heat would be working and be very warm in some parts of the car or freezing in other parts. I do remember a very nice breakfast in the dining car in upstate New York on the no name train that went from Chicago to New York overnight with picking up through cars from Chicago via Detroit in Buffalo and a through coach to Boston that was detached at Albany. There had been a snow storm overnight. I was in the Slumbercoach which was confortable. The Dining Car was warm in the morning with hot coffee and excellent food. I moved to the through coach to Boston before we arrived in Albany. It was a little cool going through the Berkshires that day. The train was ontime through out the trip.

That's most positive story I've ever heard about a Penn Central passenger train.