Wolverine suggestions

[boratwanksta]

since my previous plan to do an Amtrak trip to either St. Louis, Memphis, or Little Rock didn't work out, i'm planning to do a short 1-day Amtrak trip either along the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, or along the Wolverine corridor to make up for this, once my spring semester classes end. i've done most of my research on cities/towns along the St. Louis corridor(and had been leaning to either do Alton or St. Louis), and am now trying to do some on the feasibility of going to places along the Wolverine corridor. the places that seem the most interesting along the Wolverine route so far seem to be either Kalamazoo or Ann Arbor, as i've never been to any of these cities(or possibly Battle Creek).

anyway, i was wondering, what are some interesting attractions in either of these towns(besides obviously visiting the Western Michigan U. campus or the U. of Michigan campus + downtown Ann Arbor)?? any interesting places, restaurants, or attractions that are not well known to tourists?? in addition, i was wondering if anyone's here ever visited Niles, Dowagiac, Jackson, Royal Oak, or Birmingham along this route(or driven through any of these towns). i probably won't go further than Ann Arbor at most, but i thought i've heard the downtowns of Birmingham and Royal Oak are supposed to be somewhat nice(at least i know i've heard this about the former). anyway though, i'm just beginning to do some research of what places/attractions/etc. are located along this corridor, so i'm hoping that at least a few here may be knowledable about the towns and cities i'm considering. thanks very much for reading.

 

[Trogdor]

I've been to Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about them other than that they seem like decent towns to walk around for a couple of hours. However, I don't know where the Amtrak stations are in these towns relative to where stuff is. On the other hand, Royal Oak and Birmingham are small enough (basically suburbs of Detroit) that the train station, if it's actually in the city, couldn't be too far from stuff.

When are you planning on going?

 

[Guest]

I've been to Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about them other than that they seem like decent towns to walk around for a couple of hours. However, I don't know where the Amtrak stations are in these towns relative to where stuff is. On the other hand, Royal Oak and Birmingham are small enough (basically suburbs of Detroit) that the train station, if it's actually in the city, couldn't be too far from stuff.
When are you planning on going?

i was more investigating the possibility of doing a trip(and what attractions/things i should try doing) from Chicago to Ann Arbor, or Kalamazoo, if i do make a trip along the Wolverine route, then come back at the end of the day to Chicago. i might possibly go to one of the small towns along the route(most likely Niles or Dowagiac), if there were enough things to do in that town to keep me occupied.

and if i choose not to go to Michigan, i'll probably just go to Alton or St. Louis, as what i've been leaning towards taking a train trip to for some time. anyway, one of my questions is, do any of these towns or cities in Michigan have places where you could rent a bike for a few hours? i researched this for Alton, and since i found such a place that does bike rentals, that's why(so far) i'm leaning towards going there. well, i hope to learn more about interesting places and attractions that are in these towns and cities, as the responces add up.

 

[boratwanksta]

I've been to Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Ann Arbor.  Unfortunately, I don't know too much about them other than that they seem like decent towns to walk around for a couple of hours.  However, I don't know where the Amtrak stations are in these towns relative to where stuff is.  On the other hand, Royal Oak and Birmingham are small enough (basically suburbs of Detroit) that the train station, if it's actually in the city, couldn't be too far from stuff.
When are you planning on going?

i was more investigating the possibility of doing a trip(and what attractions/things i should try doing) from Chicago to Ann Arbor, or Kalamazoo, if i do make a trip along the Wolverine route, then come back at the end of the day to Chicago. i might possibly go to one of the small towns along the route(most likely Niles or Dowagiac), if there were enough things to do in that town to keep me occupied.

and if i choose not to go to Michigan, i'll probably just go to Alton or St. Louis, as what i've been leaning towards taking a train trip to for some time. anyway, one of my questions is, do any of these towns or cities in Michigan have places where you could rent a bike for a few hours? i researched this for Alton, and since i found such a place that does bike rentals, that's why(so far) i'm leaning towards going there. well, i hope to learn more about interesting places and attractions that are in these towns and cities, as the responces add up.

^ erm, i meant to log in when i posted that, but ah well.

 

[Guest]

well, has anyone ever done a trip along the Wolverine corridor, and could offer me suggestions on sights to look out for along the route(that aren't mentioned on trainweb.org's guide), things to do, etc.?? i'm sure at least a few people have ridden a Wolverine train before, and could suggest me some ideas of things to do, as i know i'm certain i want to do one either to Michigan, Alton, IL, or St. Louis the week after i finish school for the spring semester.

hopefully, the fact i'm bumping this thread up will start up some discussion.

 

[amtrakmichigan]

Ann Arbor is a nice college town. Besides wining and dining there isnt a whole lot to do for a visitor during the day. Ann Arbor seems to light up on weekend nights though.

I really wouldn't waste my time going to Battle Creek, Jackson, or Kalamazoo. Niles and Dowagiac are too small too find enough things to do during the day to keep you busy.

The Henry Ford (http://www.thehenryford.com/) which is both Greenfield village and Henry Ford Museum would probably be your best bet. But you would want to stay over 1 night to have enough time to see both. This is in Dearborn.

If you would like anymore information an any places in Michigan, feel free to PM me or ask questions on this forum.

 

[Trogdor]

The other neat thing about the Wolverine corridor is that, currently, it hosts the fastest Amtrak train outside the northeast.

 

[PennCentralFan]

There's nothing wrong with Jackson, Battle Creek, or Kalamazoo. Jackson was one of Southern Michigan's main railroad hubs. The New York Central/Michigan Central had a major repair facility there on the East Side. It's still there, but is now used a port for NS. Kalamazoo has nice downtown for a city it's size with some nice places to eat and has Western Michigan University.

Battle Creek and Kalamazoo are good railroad towns. The Jackson Amtrak Station is one of the oldest passanger stations in continuous use. Some claim it's actually the oldest station in continuous use. All those towns have stations near and in downtown locations.

Goto MichiganRailroads.com. There's a great webpage devoted to the rail history of Michigan.

 

[Guest]

The other neat thing about the Wolverine corridor is that, currently, it hosts the fastest Amtrak train outside the northeast.

that, i'm excited about! though i've heard that the portion between Niles and Kalmazoo was upgraded to allow either 95 or 110 mph trains(forget which speed trains are now allowed to go up to). now if the supposed experimental high-speed rail project between approximately Dwight and Springfield is ever finished...(i somehow doubt that Amtrak and/or Union Pacific have even started any work at all on this project!)

anyway, i didn't realize the age of the Jackson depot, i'm glad you brought that fact up. so far after the little research i've done, i'm probably going to narrow down the places i'm considering to either Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, or Ann Arbor. and a question for Penn Central, what known attractions are there to do in Battle Creek(besides the former having tours of Kellogg's world headquarters, and Arcadia Brewing Company)? also, how walkable are any of these 3 cities, and are most of the interesting sights and places close to the station? are there places to rent a bike from in these cities(i imagine at least Ann Arbor would have some places allowing bike rentals)?? many thanks to those who have answered my questions so far.

 

[Trogdor]

Speeds were upgraded to 90 mph in 2002, and up to 95 some time last year. Not sure when 110 mph service will begin (nor do I know when improved speeds on the Illinois corridor will start).

 

[PennCentralFan]

The other neat thing about the Wolverine corridor is that, currently, it hosts the fastest Amtrak train outside the northeast.

that, i'm excited about! though i've heard that the portion between Niles and Kalmazoo was upgraded to allow either 95 or 110 mph trains(forget which speed trains are now allowed to go up to). now if the supposed experimental high-speed rail project between approximately Dwight and Springfield is ever finished...(i somehow doubt that Amtrak and/or Union Pacific have even started any work at all on this project!)

anyway, i didn't realize the age of the Jackson depot, i'm glad you brought that fact up. so far after the little research i've done, i'm probably going to narrow down the places i'm considering to either Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, or Ann Arbor. and a question for Penn Central, what known attractions are there to do in Battle Creek(besides the former having tours of Kellogg's world headquarters, and Arcadia Brewing Company)? also, how walkable are any of these 3 cities, and are most of the interesting sights and places close to the station? are there places to rent a bike from in these cities(i imagine at least Ann Arbor would have some places allowing bike rentals)?? many thanks to those who have answered my questions so far.

I would say Ann Arbor is your best choice for a downtown. I believe the train station in AA is sort of a hike from the UM campus and downtown, but you can walk it. Jackson's downtown doesn't have museums or anything, but there's some good coney island hot dog places near the train station. You are within walking distance to downtown Jackson. Not much downtown but a pretty good comic book shop and some little places to eat. There's a neat park in downtown Jackson with a cool Civil War memorial statue.

Now in Jackson make sure to sit on the correct side of the train to get a good look at the Jackson Yard. It's about a 1 mile or 2 east of the train station. If you go to Michiganrailroads and look up Jackson County you can get some maps to make sure you don't miss the train yard.

I was in Downtown Kazoo about 2 years ago. There were some good places to eat. Battle Creek does not have the most exciting downtown, but if you go to Michiganrailroads.com and do some searching on that website you can find a lot of neat RR things to do see and do.

 

[boratwanksta]

I would say Ann Arbor is your best choice for a downtown. I believe the train station in AA is sort of a hike from the UM campus and downtown, but you can walk it. Jackson's downtown doesn't have museums or anything, but there's some good coney island hot dog places near the train station. You are within walking distance to downtown Jackson. Not much downtown but a pretty good comic book shop and some little places to eat. There's a neat park in downtown Jackson with a cool Civil War memorial statue.
Now in Jackson make sure to sit on the correct side of the train to get a good look at the Jackson Yard. It's about a 1 mile or 2 east of the train station. If you go to Michiganrailroads and look up Jackson County you can get some maps to make sure you don't miss the train yard.

I was in Downtown Kazoo about 2 years ago. There were some good places to eat. Battle Creek does not have the most exciting downtown, but if you go to Michiganrailroads.com and do some searching on that website you can find a lot of neat RR things to do see and do.

well, this somewhat resolves the questions i had about the downtowns of these cities, though i'm still going to look up more info about the downtowns of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo later on. i had a feeling that the Ann Arbor downtown would be a slight bit of a walk from the train station, after briefly looking at a map of where the Ann Arbor downtown is from the train station(and seeing how far away the UMich campus is).

unlike a day or 2 before, i did some thinking, and decided that it'd work better for me to do a trip to Michigan after my spring semester ends, instead of to Alton and/or St. Louis. main reason being that the earliest train i could take(train #352) from Normal wouldn't allow me to explore Ann Arbor without spending an overnight there, as i only want to do a 1-day trip there. and i'm thinking about combining going to both Alton and St. Louis into a 2-day trip sometime later in the summer, and also spending an overnight in St. Louis.

anyway, i located where the Jackson Yard is, and i will look out for that if i do go all the way east to Ann Arbor. i appreciate that tip about the yard! i also see that the Kalamazoo-Pontiac line also goes by a national cemetary and parallels the Kalamazoo River for several miles, so i think going east of Kalamazoo would probably have nice scenary along the trip.

and a few questions pertaining to on-board train services, what are the typical hours or approximate times or general area along the route that the Wolverine snack car is kept open? i'm probably gonna try to eat off of the train in whatever city i stop in to save money, but i'd like to know this anyway just in case i decide not to eat off of the train and/or i get desperate for a snack(lol). and what additional amenities do i get if i were to upgrade to business class? i'm considering upgrading to business on at least one of my 2 legs of the trip, and riding coach on the other, if the extra amenities i'd receive would be worth the cost of upgrading(since its cheaper to upgrade to business on the Wolverine than it is for the Chicago-St. Louis trains). once again, i appreciate all the info that everyone's given me so far, and am hoping i can find some additional info about Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, or Ann Arbor that hasn't already been brought up.

 

[Trogdor]

For trains 351/352, the Wolverine food-service car opens upon departure from Chicago, and closes at Dearborn (the LSA gets off in Detroit). Westbound, it opens after Detroit and stays open pretty much until arrival.

I don't know if the practice is different for 350/355.

Business class gets you a larger seat (provided equipment is available) and a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage. Not as many perks as there used to be.

 

[boratwanksta]

For trains 351/352, the Wolverine food-service car opens upon departure from Chicago, and closes at Dearborn (the LSA gets off in Detroit).  Westbound, it opens after Detroit and stays open pretty much until arrival.
I don't know if the practice is different for 350/355.

Business class gets you a larger seat (provided equipment is available) and a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage.  Not as many perks as there used to be.

i'm guessing it probably isn't much different on #350 and #355, which would be the 2 trains i'm most likely considering taking for any trip(including definitely taking train #350). and thanks for clarifying my question about business class amenities, i'm thinking i still may do it for one of my 2 legs of my Amtrak trip(and ride coach for the other leg of my trip, to save money), as its cheaper to upgrade to business on the Wolverine trains than it is for any of the regional/short-distance Amtrak trains in Illinois.

 

[Trogdor]

Well, 350 and 355 could be different, since it's a same-day turn, whereas 352/351 are overnight jobs (though I honestly don't know the benefit of kicking the LSA out in Detroit; personally, I'd rather overnight in Pontiac).

 

[boratwanksta]

Well, 350 and 355 could be different, since it's a same-day turn, whereas 352/351 are overnight jobs (though I honestly don't know the benefit of kicking the LSA out in Detroit; personally, I'd rather overnight in Pontiac).

oh, i now see what you mean. i guess it mainly depends where Amtrak decides to allow their LSA's to spend an overnight at, before working the next day.

but, i'm sure this issue probably won't matter in the end, since the furthest east i'm considering traveling to is Ann Arbor.