At 7:52 AM they opened the door and down the stairs to waiting Keystone Train 642. The reason I wanted to ride this train is that it has limited stops and does this route to Philadelphia in an hour and thirty five minutes. It had electric engine 914, Amfleet Coaches 44234 red seats which I rode, 82614, 82534 and 82557 with Cab Car 9641. We departed Harrisburg on time and started what I hoped would be a fast trip with plenty of 110 MPH running.
We started our fast running along the Susquehanna River.
Harrisburg Airport is left quickly behind as was the connection to the Port Road that I rode over at the NRHS Convention in Baltimore a few years ago.
Three Mile Island put a Three Mile Smile on my face this morning. The train made its first stop of the morning at Elizabethtown.
Between Mount Joy and the next stop at Lancaster.
At Paradise where I came into yesterday on the Strasburg Railroad and their connection to the outside world.
Just east of Paradise as we continued our speed run this morning passing through Parkesburg, Coatville, Downingtown and Exton before we arrived into Paoli. Our final sprint we will fly through Ardmore and I really enjoyed our 110 MPH operations this morning. We slowed down as we neared Zoo Tower where we turned south towards 30th Street Station.
We past the Race Street Engine facility before we arrived into 30th Street Station only five minutes late. A great trip aboard Amtrak's Keystone Service.
Philadelphia 4/10/07
I went inside 30th Street Station and headed straight to the SEPTA Ticket Office to get a day pass so I could finish up their Subway-Streetcar Lines. Next I headed outside to the SEPTA 30th Street Station and went downstairs to catch a Market-Frankford train to 2nd Street.
First a Streetcar came down the outside track.
My train arrived next and 6 stops later I detrained at 2nd Street. I walked to 3rd and Chestnut where I found the Society Hill Inn. Since my room wasn't ready yet, I stored my luggage in the bar and headed out to complete SEPTA. I walked back to 2nd Street Station to head back to 30th Street to transfer for free to one of the Streetcar Lines.
My train came into 2nd Street to take me to 30th Street. Once there, the first Streetcar was a 10 Line Trolley that I boarded to Overbrook. This was the first of the new lines I would ride today. Like my trip on the 36 Line a few years ago, we stopped at 33rd Street before we diverted onto new trackage and exited the subway tunnel at 36th Street. Our next stop was 36th and Market Street before we turned northwest onto Lancaster Street. This is definitely not a good part of town with trash and graffiti everywhere. I wouldn't take this line after dark. We made stops every two blocks as we picked up plenty of passengers and dropped them off. We passed the large Cathedral Cemetery. We ran into Hestonville before we turned onto Landsdown Ave. At 63rd Street we turned north and a few blocks later we went into the Malven Ave loop where I detrained for pictures.
The Streetcar that brought me here.
The streetcar that took me back to 30th Street Station. There I went up and over to wait for my next streetcar. If on cue, a 13 Line Streetcar came into 30th Street and I boarded for my ride to the Darby Transportation Center. Back through the Subway like my 35 Line Trip we exited at 40th/West Portal. About two blocks west of there we diverted onto new trackage and onto Chester Street. At 49th Street we crossed over the SEPTA R3 Media/Elwyn Line. We continued on Chester Street through Kingsessing before turning onto 60th Street. The route then turned onto Kingsessing Ave then past the Mt Moriah Loop. We turned onto 65th Street as we passed through MT Moriah. After we crossed Cobbs Creek we returned to Chester Ave passing the Yeardon Loop. The streetcar reached Darby and turned east onto 10th Street dropping off all of our passengers except me. We continued onto Main Street, crossed the CSX Freight Line which is on the 11 Line. The operator took me to Cobbs Creek dropping me off there so he could take his streetcar to the shop.
My 13 Line Streetcar on the 11 Line.
Next an 11 Streetcar came down Woodland Ave.
A few minutes later, an 11 Streetcar came to take me back to 30th Street Station. We traveled down Woodland Ave through Mt Moriah and Kingsessing crossing over the CSX again and the SEPTA Line. At 49th Street my new mileage was over as the 36 line joined our route back to 30th Street Station. I went up, over and down again to wait for a 34 Line Streetcar to come into the station. First an 11 Line Streetcar came down the Subway.
Next came my 34 Line Streetcar for Angora. We returned through the Subway to 40th Street Portal and diverted onto my last known SEPTA Line. But where do the SEPTA PCC's run? I will find out from this operator. We headed out on Baltimore Ave through Sherwood and out to loop at Angora. I stayed aboard as once again my streetcar went out of service. We returned to 40th Street but turned onto the 36 Line. The operator told me how to get to the PCC Line 15. I stayed aboard to 65th Street where I detrained. A minute later a 36 Line Streetcar took me back to 30th Street Station. I walked across the street into the Amtrak Station for a KFC lunch. I visited Club Acela, checked my E-mail and made a few phone calls. I returned to the 30th Street Station but got onto the Market-Frankford Line taking it east to Girard where I exited and went down the stairs finding streetcar tracks in Girard Street. My plan was to catch the first PCC that came along.
A westbound PCC 2330 came into the station. After a picture I got on board. We headed west down Girard Street stopping about every two blocks. As we came to the SEPTA Line trains passed overhead going in both ways. At Broad Street we picked up passengers off of the Subway Line.
An eastbound PCC on Girard Street. Later we passed Girard College then turned north onto 25th Street for one block before returning to Girard Avenue. Continuing west we passed the Philadelphia Zoo, crossed the Sckuykill River, ducked under the Northeast Corridor and I saw Zoo Tower. A few minutes later we crossed over the Amtrak Harrisburg Line. We continued west to Lancaster Ave which we turned north onto for one block. We continued onto Girard Ave passing the Cathedral Cemetery. We went down Girard Ave to 61st Street then turned onto Robinson then turned south onto 63rd Street. We returned to Girard Ave and stopped behind another PCC waiting our departure time.
Once on the move we headed back on the trackage I rode west on.
A westbound PCC near the Zoo stop. I returned eastbound to Front Street where I started my last piece of new SEPTA rail mileage. We stopped again every two blocks passing under Interstate 95 and then turned left onto Richmond Street. We went under the CSX freight line and I 95 again stopping every two blocks to the Westmoreland Street Loop. The PCC I came out here on had flat wheels sop I would switch to the car ahead for the trip back.
PCC 2330.
PCC 2336 my ride back to Front Street. Back at the Girard Station, I boarded the next Market-Frankford line back to 2nd Street. Back at the Society Hill Inn I got my room and reclaimed my luggage before storing them in my room. I went to Sammy's Famous Steaks for a steak sandwich. After dinner I walked around trying to find Independence Hall.
Independence Hall from the park in front of the Liberty Center.
The National Constitution Center.
The United States Mint in Philadelphia.
Statue of George Washington.
Independence Hall from across Chestnut Street.
South side of Independence Hall.
The Old City Hall. I returned to the Inn to write about today's trip and relax the rest of the day.
4/11/07 Up early and after a waterfall shower, I returned the key and walked back to the 2nd Street Subway Station. The efficient system took me quickly back to 30th Street Station.
30th Street Station before I went inside for a Hot Cakes and Sausage breakfast at McDonalds. I then went up to Club Acela where I checked E-mail and relaxed before my Cardinal for Indianapolis would arrive.
The view from Club Acela. I would be taken down an elevator in order to catch my last Amtrak train of this trip.
Cardinal 51 4/11/07
The pulled into Philadelphia 30th Street Station right after I had gotten off of the elevator. I walked down the platform to my sleeper Skyline View which was waiting for me and I met my Sleeping Car Attendant Thomas Finnegan. The train left Philly on time with electric engine 916, Viewliner Sleeper 62036, Lounge/Diner 28013 and Coaches 25073, 25123 and 25113. I walked the train and met the rest of my train crew. This train now has Diner-Lite onboard both sets of equipment for the Cardinal so I will give it a try on this trip.
Breakfast being served on the Amfleet 28013. I read the New York Times Sports before switching to the USA Today. The train rolled down the Northeast Corridor stopping in Wilmington and Baltimore as I enjoyed the view from Room 3 in the Skyline View. Now some more views of the 28013.
They added steam tables to this car.
More storage space above the steam tables.
One table is set up for a wheelchair. The train made great time and arrived into Washington Union station over an hour early. I went inside to visit Club Acela for a phone call and a check of E-mail before I returned to the train.
Diesel Locomotive 185 replaced the electric engine 916 during our layover here. I put on the first CD of Rush "Live in Rio" before we departed Washington, DC on time and plunged into the Capitol Tunnel.
The United State Capitol Building.
The Washington Monument.
The Jefferson and Washington Monuments.
Starting across the Potomac River.
Almost into Virginia. The train stopped in Alexandria and I went for lunch in the Dinning Car.
All Day Menu.
Dinner Menu. I decided on the Buffalo Wings and chocolate ice cream for dessert along with bottled water for this first Dinner-Lite meal as I wasn't all that hungry.
South of Alexandria the Red Train of the Ringling Brothers and Barnun & Bailey Circus. Khine from Burma joined me for lunch. The wings came in a basket and were tastee. Having ice cream aboard the train again rounded out an excellent meal. The one problem with this car is that passengers at the far end by the door have no window. There are two short tables used by the crew. If you swapped those to the door end then every passenger table would have a window. I mean the joy of dining on a train is the view you see out the window while you eat your meal.
A car almost got hit by the train and we went into an emergency stop. While we were stopped a Norfolk Southern freight train blew by us north. I did Sudoku puzzles listening to Rush as we made our way to Culpepper then onto Orange where we left the Norfolk Southern mainline on what has become a rather cloudy day. As usual we poked along to Gordonville before we picked our pace running into Charlottesville, a fresh air stop.
The Norfolk Southern local that delayed our Cardinal.
The Cardinal at Charlottesville.
Red signal at Charlottesville before that NS Local came across the crossing and headed east. Once we got a green signal we left town as I put on Jethro Tull "Back in Birmingham" as the day turned darker. The train took the siding at Crozel, Virginia.
The Crozel Station while we waited for Amtrak 50, the eastbound Cardinal which went by at 3:24 PM. While I was finishing a Sudoku puzzle I got a 5 PM Dinner Reservation. As the train passed through the first long tunnel, I switched to the "Two River Collection" music from the melodrama about Billy Miner I saw on my Rocky Mountaineer trip over the CP Rail mainline from Vancouver to Calgary and back. After Staunton I switched to John Cougar Mellencamp "Scarecrow." After that it was now time for my first official Diner-Lite dinner. I was seated with Steve going to Portland and Jessica going to Charleston. I ordered the Country Beef Short Ribs which were excellent and had Sweet Temptation chocolate Cake. Back in my room it was time for the Scorpions "Eye II Eye" as I enjoyed the scenery as we climbed the Alleghenies and the Eastern Continental Divide into West Virginia. I took a hot shower and got out right as the train was leaving White Sulphur Springs which we left at 6:14 PM {5:00 PM}. Later we stopped at Alderson picking up a couple of passengers. The train made its way to Hinton then onto Prince as I listened the Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street". It got too dark for pictures by Thurmond but I rode the vestibule to enjoy the New River Gorge and see the bridge across it and Hawks Nest. The train rolled the last miles into Charleston where I called it a night.
4/12/07 Tom got me up about fifteen minutes before the Cardinal arrived into Indianapolis which was plenty of time to be ready to detrain. It had been a wonderful trip aboard the Cardinal and now I know I can live with Diner-Lite. We arrived into Indy at 6:06 AM {4:30 AM} which was perfect for me.
I took a picture of the Cardinal before I went inside the station to met Chris Parker.