Greetings from on board the Capitol Limited. It is currently 8:56 PM ET on Saturday, June 28 as I begin to write this entry. We left our previous station stop at Cumberland, MD at 7:29 PM and do not stop again until about 9:40 PM, when we arrive in Connellsville, PA.
However, before I begin to go into the details of the on board experience, I think I should backtrack and recap the last 48 hours prior to departing. Packing for this adventure, as I frequently like to call it, deserves some attention. I think that packing and preparing for such a trip is a somewhat unique experience, since the train ride is an actual part of the vacation. When I pack for a trip by airplane, my packing considerations are made for where I am going to eventually wind up. However, for the train, part of the vacation is getting there, and one must pack not only for the destination(s) but also for the train trip itself.
In all actuality, what I packed is not all that different than if I were flying. However, greater thought had to be put into figuring out what to pack where. My Superliner Roomette is about 3.5 feet wide and 6.5 feet long. Therefore, space is at a premium, and in the name of convenience, I want most of the things I will need overnight to be in the bag that I am keeping in my room, and everything else to be in my larger suitcase. The end result is that I have my camera, books to read, some snack food, my laptop, toiletries, a change of clothes, and things I want to be able to easily access upon my arrival in Chicago with me here in the room. My suitcase, currently on the lower level of this car in a luggage rack, has other clothing items, reading material I did not expect to want, and some miscellaneous items.
Now, on with the trip. The first segment is on board the westbound Capitol Limited, which departed at 4:05 PM from Washington, DC’s Union Station, and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning in Chicago’s Union Station at 9:25 AM CT. I took the Metrorail to Union Station, as I usually do, riding on board Rohr 1288. I ride the Metro frequently; there is no need for a detailed description of this leg of my journey. Once at Union Station, I picked up my tickets on one of Amtrak’s new self-ticketing machines (I finally have a use for my Guest Rewards card), and went to the ClubAcela to await the boarding of my train. The ClubAcela is nice, and has some nice chairs, Internet access, and complimentary drinks and snacks. At about 3:40, we were taken out to the train. For this trip, I am in Room 2, a Roomette on one of Amtrak’s bilevel Superliner coaches. The room itself is quite simple. There are two, wide chairs facing each other. The chairs convert into a bed, and an upper bunk is available were there to be a companion traveling with me. There is also a large window on one side of the compartment and a window and sliding door leading out into the corridor. A small foldout table is also in the room.
The room is on the right (north) side of the train, but the best views are to the left, according to my printouts from Trainweb.com and USA by Rail. Shortly after the Rockville, MD stop, I took my guides, camera, and Barry Svrluga’s National Pastime to the dome car, but not before getting a few photos of some Montgomery County areas that I am familiar with from walking and driving the streets there. I also got some more of the same photos from the lounge car. Also, before that, the dining car attendant came by, and I made a 6 PM reservation for dinner. I remained in the lounge car until just before that time.
In doing reading in preparation for this trip, I read many times that eating in the diner is one of the highlights of the Amtrak experience. I was seated with three other people: a man traveling to San Francisco to meet family, a teenager traveling back home to Pittsburgh after visiting family in DC, and her boyfriend. We discussed a variety of topics, such as what we enjoyed about train travel, where we were going, and other travel experiences. I’ll write more about the social aspect of train travel and meeting people some other time, but what I’ve read about that element of Amtrak travel thus far is accurate.
We finished dinner just before arriving at Cumberland, which is a crew change point and smoking stop. I used that opportunity to get off the train, stretch my legs, and get a photo of our lead engine, #14. There were three stops at Cumberland, so I reboarded the train at the rear and walked through the train to get my books, and went back to the dome car. After doing some more reading, I ventured to the back of the train to watch the tracks from the rear window, got some Cabernet from the lounge car on my way back to my room, and am now writing this post. The sun finished setting as I was writing this. Once complete, I am going downstairs for the Amtrak shower experience, and then going to sleep.
So far, I am impressed by the Amtrak long distance experience, and am having a great time. Like I said before, I’ll write more about some other topics in future writings. After arriving in Chicago tomorrow, I am going to see the White Sox play the Blue Jays at Comiskey Park (I don’t call it US Cellular Field), before spending the next few nights with cousins of mine in a Chicago suburb (I don’t call them distant cousins because in terms of my family tree, they could be hundreds of years more distant).
Good night from the Allegheny Mountains. Here is to hoping that our arrival in Chicago is on or close to time!
