When the idea of visiting Pennsylvania Dutch country began to percolate
in our minds, my wife Christine and I had to consider the fact that it
would take the better part of three days to drive from our Florida home
to Lancaster County, PA. The alternative, an overnight on
Amtrak’s Auto Train, was infinitely more appealing as it would avoid a
long drive and deposit us close to our destination in relaxed fashion.
Auto-Train commenced service in 1971 as a privately run train that was
the brainchild of company president Eugene Garfield. The timing
was right as most private railroads were turning over passenger service
to Amtrak which freed up a large fleet of passenger cars. The
majority of the fleet came from the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and
Seaboard Coast Line railroads and included an ample supply of dome cars
and all-bedroom sleeping cars that the company acquired before Amtrak
could add them to its roster. Additionally, Walt Disney World had
opened at about the same time which provided a new, popular destination
for potential passengers. The colorful single level Auto-Train
operated successfully for approximately ten years before financial
troubles brought on by a couple of derailments and a failed expansion
to the Midwest market forced it into bankruptcy. After
approximately two years Amtrak picked up the Auto Train service
(dropping the hyphen) operating between the same two terminals in
Sanford, FL and Lorton, VA. Like the original service, Amtrak’s
Auto Train originally used single level passenger cars including a
handful of full length dome cars.
Operationally both the private Auto-Train and Amtrak’s Auto Train
appear almost identical. Passengers deliver their vehicle to the
departure station by 2:30pm and show their ticket at a check-in booth
entering the property. They next unload their overnight luggage
since their vehicle will be inaccessible until arrival on the other end
of the trip. A railroad employee then drives the car, minivan, or
SUV onto an enclosed auto rack car where it will ride until the next
morning. Motorcycles are loaded onto platform-like devices that
securely hold multiple motorcycles aboard the auto carrier car,
Herein lies one difference between the original A-T and today’s Amtrak
service as non-commercial minivans and SUVs did not exist in the 1970s
and motorcycles were not transported on the train.
Inside the Auto Train terminal, passengers check-in and make a
reservation for the desired dinner time, either 5:00 or 7:30pm
(additional sittings are scheduled on the busiest days). Then it
is time to sit and wait for the boarding call. The trip itself
passes quickly with a leisurely dinner followed by watching the sights
pass by outside then a restful night in a sleeping car or a somewhat
restful night in a coach seat. Continental breakfast is served in
the dining car then arrival on the other end of the route comes around
9:00am. Waiting for one’s vehicle is a guessing game as there is
no correlation between the order of check-in at the departure terminal
and the order of delivery at the destination. The reason for this
is evident by simply observing that some vehicles are loaded on the top
level of the auto carrier while others ride on the lower level.
There are multiple cuts of auto carriers, each consisting of five to
seven auto carrier cars, thus the positioning of an individual vehicle
is impossible to ascertain. Upon arrival at the destination, the
strings of auto carriers may be separated at different spots thus
jumbling the order of delivery further. The only recent change
has been the introduction of a premium feature that allows the option
to pay more for priority unloading that ensures being one of the first
couple dozen cars off the train.
After a five hour drive we arrive at the Sanford Auto Train terminal at
12:30pm and quickly complete our vehicle check-in. We find the
terminal to be modern and spacious which is a good thing as within an
hour it will be packed on this busy Friday in late June 2017. In
my eagerness to check-in and obtain a 5:00 dinner reservation, I fail
to watch our minivan’s loading which means I have no idea whether it
will come off the upper or lower level when we reach Lorton. This
will lead to some guessing when I observe that process the next morning.
Strings of auto carriers at left and passenger cars at right.
These will be combined before Auto Train’s departure from
Sanford. Note the check-in booth ahead.
The check-in booth at Auto Train’s Sanford terminal
Metallic signs make identifying vehicles easy upon arrival the next day
A car is loaded onto the Auto Train. It will be inaccessible until arrival in Lorton
A customized Auto Train ticket jacket is provided at check-in
The next hour is filled with people-watching and walking the platform
to record the car numbers making up our train’s passenger
section. The auto carriers will be attached just before departure
thus I am unable to make note of their car numbers. At 2:10pm a
northbound SunRail commuter train passes by on the adjacent CSX
mainline followed a while later by the northbound Silver Meteor which
includes a Viewliner II diner, three Viewliner sleepers, and a
Viewliner baggage car plus five Amfleet II coaches. Around 2:30
sleeper passengers are invited aboard and we are happy to find our car
clean and comfortable with well functioning air conditioning on a 90
plus degree day. There are six Superliner sleeping cars on our
train and I have previously traveled aboard four of them. Much to
my delight, our accommodations are in car 32101 “North Carolina”, a car
I had never slept in. This seemed appropriate since we would
spend a week in that state later in our trip.
Auto Train cars will load on two tracks at Sanford due to length of the train
P40 # 832, not in use this day, stands next to the rear of the first cut of passenger cars in Sanford
Our sleeping car 32101 “North Carolina”
Sleeping car 32505 "Palm Springs" is one of two deluxe sleepers on the northbound Auto Train.
Lounge car 33100 is a former dining car modified for Auto Train
A diagram along the platform helps passengers locate their train cars
The Sanford terminal is crowded prior to our June 23, 2017 departure
Northbound SunRail commuter train passes the Auto Train terminal
While we waited for departure I watched a Space X Falcon 9 rocket
liftoff from Kennedy Space Center about 50 miles southeast of
Sanford. The window of Roomette 3 faced just the right direction
to watch the rocket trail streak through and above a cloud. This
was one of three occasions during my life when my railroading and space
hobbies had converged at the same time. My wife, meanwhile, had a
better view of activity on the platform as Roomette 4 faced westward
which was the station side. We had elected roomettes across the
hall from one another to avoid one of us having to sleep in the limited
space of the upper berth and this arrangement proved ideal as we tested
it out on our western trip the prior summer.
Space X launch (white streak above the cloud) from Kennedy Space Center as seen from my roomette
The Auto Train departed Sanford at 3:43pm, 17 minutes early which is a
common occurrence once all passengers and vehicles are loaded aboard
and the railroad dispatcher gives a clear signal to depart. On
this day train # 52 consisted of 16 Superliner cars carrying 484
passengers and 33 auto carrier cars transporting 205 vehicles. Up
front P40 engines 830 and 814 were in charge of the three quarter mile
long train.
Shortly after easing out onto the CSX main line, we passed SunRail’s
Sanford station then crossed the Lake Monroe/St. Johns River rail
bridge with several pleasure boats visible on either side. Just
north of the bridge we passed the SunRail train seen earlier as it
prepared to begin a southbound run at the DeBary station.
Amtrak’s DeLand station filled my window 25 minutes into the journey
followed by another Amtrak station in Palatka 50 minutes later. A
moment later we headed to the dining car for a tasty and leisurely
dinner served by an attentive crew. Only one car stood between
our sleeper and the dining car and even novice train riders noticed the
difference as one straight aisle ran along one side of the sleeper
whose upper level contained ten bedrooms. Most Superliner
sleepers contain ten roomettes and five bedrooms on the upper level
with a hallway running down the center of the car’s roomette end then
veering to the right and following the wall opposite the
bedrooms. A second dining car, which served coach passengers, was
the last passenger car.
Crossing the Lake Monroe/St. Johns River bridge leaving Sanford
Passage through Green Cove Springs, Orange Park, and the Jacksonville
Naval Air Station area provided pleasant viewing as we dined as did the
crossing of the Ortega River which hosted luxurious yachts in its
waters as well as adjacent marinas. While we finished dessert the
Auto Train passed under Interstate 10 then halted near Honeymoon Wye
where the line linking northern points with downstate Florida meets the
CSX New Orleans line and the Florida East Coast route to Miami.
About 20 minutes later a long southbound freight passed then we were
underway again. Within ten minutes the Auto Train breezed past
Amtrak’s Jacksonville station then crossed the St. Marys River and
entered Georgia about 30 minutes later.
A sailboat on the Ortega River with the Jacksonville skyline behind
Auto Train stops at Honeymoon Wye for a southbound freight train to pass
An Auto Train poster on our sleeper’s bulkhead. Wi-Fi worked well on this train.
Crossing the St. Marys River heading from Florida into Georgia
Another Amtrak station, Jesup, flashed by my wife’s window about an
hour later followed by nice sunset views as we crossed various rivers
and marshlands. The Savannah station was in between the departure
of the northbound Silver Meteor and arrival of the southbound Palmetto
when our train glided past at 9:17pm. Soon the Auto Train crossed
the Savannah River and rolled into South Carolina. After passing
through Hardeeville and Ridgeland we met the tardy Palmetto near Green
Pond as bedtime arrived. As usually happens on the first night of
a train trip, sleep came slowly but I finally drifted off as the upper
level of Superliner cars seem to provide a smoother ride than single
level Viewliner sleepers used on the Silver Meteor and Silver Star.
The Altamaha River north of Jesup, GA at sunset
While I slept the Auto Train made its crew change and servicing stop in
Florence as it has since the inception of the original
Auto-Train. I had awakened to note that we were stopped for about
15 minutes at Florence. My alarm clock finally woke me for good
as we approached Ashland, VA and Randolph-Macon College a couple
minutes before 7:00am. Soon we overtook a northbound Amtrak
regional train on the double track former Richmond, Fredericksburg
& Potomac line near Doswell. Breakfast time had arrived and
we found a filling continental breakfast of cereal, cinnamon rolls,
banana, and yogurt waiting for us in the dining car. The Virginia
countryside was a good complement to our meal as colonial
Fredericksburg, the US Marines Quantico base, several river crossings,
and the nearby Potomac River provided great views as we dined.
Crossing the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, VA
One of many river crossings in Virginia
The final river crossing before arrival in Lorton
Our efficient sleeping car attendant Louis had made up our rooms while
we ate and we spent the final minutes of the journey planning the day’s
activities. North of Woodbridge train # 52 crossed over to the
lead track taking us into the Lorton terminal and we pulled to a stop
at 8:25am, 34 minutes early. Moments after we stepped off the
train the station’s public address system came alive with car numbers,
making sure to identify the first cars unloaded as priority vehicles,
i.e., their owners had paid extra to ensure they were among the first
off. It took about 45 minutes for our minivan to be unloaded,
however the time passed quickly as we alternated between sitting inside
the terminal building and standing outside watching the vehicle
unloading process.
The first cut of auto carriers are positioned for unloading at Lorton
Advertisement on the side of one of our auto carriers
The modern Auto Train Terminal in Lorton, VA
Automobiles are efficiently unloaded at Lorton
An Amtrak employee enters vehicle numbers and an automated voice will announce that the vehicle is ready for pick up
The early morning arrival in Lorton is perfect for starting a day of
sightseeing in or around Washington, DC or driving to most points in
the Northeast. Arriving on a weekend day was especially
convenient. Our plans for the day included visiting the historic
Civil War Manassas Battlefield about one-half hour from Lorton then
making a late afternoon visit to the Air & Space Museum Annex on
the grounds of Dulles Airport. This facility houses many aviation
and space artifacts that could not be accommodated in the National Air
& Space Museum in downtown Washington. Our primary goal on
this visit was to see Space Shuttle Discovery which flew 39 missions
between 1984 and 2011. The shuttle was awe inspiring and alone
was worth a visit to this facility. Additionally, several earlier
spacecraft are on display along with a Concorde supersonic jet, the
Enola Gay bomber, a Russian MIG and numerous other civilian and
military aircraft.
The Henry House is preserved in the Manassas Battlefield
The author poses by a cannon in the battlefield
The Stonewall Jackson Monument
A stone house used by Union soldiers as a field hospital during the Civil War
The stone bridge over Bull Run
Space Shuttle Discovery at the Air and Space Annex in Chantilly, VA
The back side of Discovery reveals a look at the main engines
The Air and Space Annex contains a variety of aircraft
An Air France Concorde is tucked in between other aircraft
A model of a National Air Lines 727 jet
This model of a Southern Airways DC-9 represents a former airline
After a night in a nearby hotel we proceeded to Lancaster County, PA to
visit Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Strasburg Railroad, and the
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Those sights are covered in my
story “Visiting Strasburg Railroad and Lancaster County, PA.”
