wwward.expressions

Business Class vs. Coach on Amtrak Carolinian

For lesiurely holidays, in particular the year end family trip, I prefer to ride Amtrak rather than risk air travel.  Since 2005, I have been riding in coach class on the regional Carolinian line each way.  Today, I opted to try the business class to avoid much of the noise and hassle of the coach car.

Amtrak advertises that you'll likely get a complimentary beverage, newspaper, electrical outlets, a dedicated car attendant and conference tables.  Apparently the amenities differ from line to line, so YMMV.  The car is separated from the coach car by the cafe car, which limits the aisle traffic.  The business seats have a folding footrest which seems to be popular.  The business class upgrade cost me $40 over the base fare from NYP (New York Penn) to SSM (Smithfield Selma.)

Coach class also offers electrical outlets, although they may not always work (I have only run into one case where the outlets were out of service,) and the seating space is only slightly smaller in most cases.  In some cases you can get a pair of seats in coach which have a considerable amount of legroom - but that is luck of the draw.  There is no assigned seating in the coach class, and it really pays to get on the train at the beginning of the line to grab the most desirable seats.

Bottom Line:

Riding business class was substantially less stressful than riding coach for three reasons:

1. Boarding the train was easier than boarding the train in the coach section - fewer people, and dedicated seating made for an easy entry.

2. There were fewer, but still a few, loud children on the business class car.  Compared to the generally unruly children on the coach car, however, this was a substantive improvement - especially during the holiday.

3. All business class seats had substantial legroom.  While no seat aboard the train was cramped, the best seats in coach are difficult to find.  In Business, they are all quite spacious.

YMMV - "Your mileage may vary"

This article was posted from the train.

A Century of Third Rail Power

September 30th, 2006 marked a century's passing since the first real world application of third-rail power for the railroad which was to become the MTA in New York.

MTA Metro North hosted a great event with tours of their Grand Central and Ossining power substations. The trip to Ossining from Grand Central was via a chartered M7 type train, the newest of MTA Metro North's commuter rail fleet. The day was marked by scenic views of the Hudson river and the infrastructure along the way that made electric rail travel possible.

I'm in the process of massaging my photos to make them worthy of sharing, and hope to assemble an article for my regular website that I can share with my other railfan buddies.

Thanks to MTA Metro North for a fine event, and I look forward to the next!

Chicago Rail Tunnels

One of my hobbies (I have many,) involves railroad history. This is commonly called "railfanning" in the US and "trainspotting" in the UK. Railfans have great interest in trains and the infrastructure that supports them. I'm very lucky to live in a part of the USA where trains are very common and continue to play a role in the average citizen's daily life. Where I grew up in North Carolina, one only saw freight or the occasional Amtrak passenger train.

That said, I was surprised to learn today that Chicago had an extensive network of underground freight tunnels dating back to 1906. If you're interested in industrial history, this is certainly worth your time. I've always had an interesting fascination with steam and mechanical tunnels (and regret not having taken a summer job in maintenance of such when I was younger,) and these were a treat to read about.

Links:
CR4 - Engineering News
The History of Chicago's Freight Tunnels