5/17/12

Final day of the trip! After a light breakfast, we caught the hotel shuttle to the station for #682 to BON and then the Orange/Red Line shuffle to BOS. I caught #173 - which was boarding when we got there! Jim was catching #449 to CHI and went to the CA to wait. I arrive at KIN at 12:16 pm. Now I must wait for the next trip! (PHL again?)

5/16/12

Stopped at KIN in the HEAVY fog, but we continued on to BBY. Then we did the Orange Line shuffle up to BON to continue to POR. Although it was my 1st trip to POR (not including the Gathering trip) staying in POR in over 30 years, due to fatigue and illness, Jim & I only walked 1 block from the hotel to have Chinese for lunch and McD's for dinner. Real Maine meals, huh?

5/15/12

Due to track work, #92 bypassed RGH and proceeded to Rocky Mt, where those going to/from RGH were bustituted. This resulted in a stop of about 30 minutes, due to our early arrival. Nice old station just remodeled. It also has an old heavyweight observation car on display! #92 then continued on it's way to WAS. The only incident was that a passenger got I'll (or something) just before ALX. It was my first time that I heard over the PA "If there's a doctor or nurse aboard, please report to the cafe car!" announcement. The train continued on to WAS, where it was met by Amtrak Police and EMS with a gurney! (I don't know what happened!) We waited in the CA for a few hours for the departure of #66 a out 10 pm. However, the Red Cap took us out to meet #66 upon it's arrival before 9 pm. Slept some in the great 2X1 BC seats, but the conductor announced every stop over the PA prior to NYP (@ 2am)! The new conductor thankfully kept quiet until arrival @ PVD about 7 am.

5/14/12

After a filling breakfast, we boarded Tri-Rail for the short trip down to FTL to catch #92 north. Here at FTL was (I think) the only real negative of the entire trip! At the station, Jim asked the baggage handler outside where do the sleepers stop. His answer (and it is a direct quote), "I can't tell you. I need to see your tickets before I answer, because you are not on my manifest!" 3 things are wrong with this! #1) Why could he not tell us to wait? I know the Star only has 2 sleepers, and only the door between them is opened. All we requested was do we wait at the end of the platform, near the end or 1/4 of the way back. #2) We did not want to check any baggage, so why did he need to see our tickets? #3) He did not know our names (we never did show our tickets - even though he came find us again), so how was he so sure that we were not on HIS manifest? (Yes, he will be reported!) We boarded #92 (without his help we found THE open door - the station agent even announced over the PA where to wait and didn't even ask to see our tickets) and headed north again. I chose #92 in order to do the TPA dogleg for the 1st time.

5/13/12

We arrived to Orlando and said goodbye to Penny. Then Jim and I continued down the rails to FTL, where we caught a Tri-Rail train back north to Boca Raton. An overnight stay was made at the Embassy Suites.

5/12/12

We took #152 from BWI up to PHL for NTD and to see the AU gang. Since it was or will be covered by others, I will not describe it - except for 2 things. First, the AGR MasterCard fast line was a BIG improvent over past years! Our group of 17 were in line for 3 minutes - if that long! The other thing is that I hope everyone enjoyed seeing my "spare" east coast set of the Penthouse Suite cars that I brought down to PHL! (And you thought those old cars were regular PV!) After a short rest, many of the AU gang took a short ride on the Keystone out and back to Paoli to earn some cheap 3X points. Thus the total AGR points earned for this day was 900 points! Then on #97 for a "short" turn to FTL. I enjoyed the company of Jim, pennyk and the very own Anthony for dinner On 97! Anthony got off, but Penny, Jim and I continued down to FL. We had the pleasure of having Leo as our SCA. As mentioned by others, I can confirm that Leo is the best of the best!

5/11/12

I had arrived In ALX aboard #67 @ 7:47 am. Then it was a VERY short walk to the METRO station (right next door) for a ride on the METRO to my next train of the day. After one transfer, I arraived in Rockville, MD. (As a side note - it is humorous to me to take a subway/train to/from Rockville. My sister is the Postnaster of Rockville, RI - very small town without any trains. In fact it's so small that of you blink, you'll miss it!) I then caught #30 for the short trip to WAS and to meet up with jimhudson, who would be my traveling companion for the next week. Jim was on #30, however unknown to me at the time he upgraded to a sleeper, and his Sprint phone did not connect in Rcckville. (My AT&5 phone did however work.) We connected on the platform @ WAS, and proceeded to the CA for the wait for the next segment of the trip. We had a couple hours layover until #178 about 4 pm for the short haul up to BWI airport rail station. We stayed overnight @ Embassy Suites, which has pickup @ the train station (& the airport next door) - but also free booze for 2 hours at night and a full (real) cooked-to-order breakfast in the morning! We stayed in the "Penthouse Suite" (what did you expect from me!) - the 8th floor of the 8 story indoor atrium! The total AGR points earned today were 600 AGR points!

5/10/12

On the way to PHL the LONG way, I took #176 from KIN to BOS at 6:39 pm to return south on #67 @ 9:45 pm from BOS to ALX that evening. I had used 2 separate trains ticketed to get to BOS - and thus earned with the 3X points 600 AGR points! I then redeemed a 4K Northeast Region award to travel on #67.