Route Profile: Lake Shore Limited

Lately, all the Amtrak routes we have talked about have been long ones, some of the longest in the country in fact.  All of them have been at least part of three days, and two entire nights on the train.  Today, we are moving east and covering a shorter route.  The Lake Shore Limited is Amtrak's most popular train from the east coast to Chicago, operating daily between Chicago, New York, and Boston.  As this train heads west, a section leaves from Boston, and heads west across Massachusetts, and another section leaves Penn Station, in New York, and heads north initially.  The two sections meet in Rensselaer, NY, just across the river from Albany, and from there they operate as one train the rest of the way to Chicago.  Services available on this train include sleeping car accommodations, a full service dining car, and a cafe car.  Reservations are required on this train.

South Station platform area, Boston.
All photos by James Ogden, unless otherwise noted.

The Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited departs from Boston's South Station around lunch time, and then heads west.  The first stops are in the Boston suburbs of Framingham and Worcester.  After the train leaves Worcester, the stops become farther apart, the next one being Springfield, in the middle of the state.  Springfield is a brief smoking stop typically, and some people transfer to trains headed south, to Connecticut.  From there the train crosses the Connecticut River, and then starts up into the mountains.  As the train crosses western Massachusetts, it crosses over the Berkshire Mountains.  While the Berkshires are not nearly as large as the Rocky Mountains, there are still some dramatic views to be seen.  Both sides of the train will have views periodically.  Here the views are often seen through the trees.  Being in New England, the entire place is covered in trees.  It makes for a gorgeous ride in September and October, when many of the trees are changing color for the fall.  After a brief stop in Pittsfield, MA, the train crosses into New York, and heads to Rensselaer.  Typically the Boston section arrives in Rensselaer before the New York section.

The Hudson River, in the winter, clogged up with ice.

The New York section of the train departs from Penn Station, in the heart of Manhattan, in the middle of the afternoon.  Once the train slips away from the platforms, it will spend the first few minutes of the trip underground.  When the train emerges from the tunnels, it is on the west side of Manhattan, and on the left side of the train is a view of the Hudson River.  Shortly after the river appears, the George Washington Bridge can be seen, connecting Manhattan and New Jersey.  The train follows the river north, all the way up the west side of Manhattan.  The train will slow down to cross the swing bridge over the Harlem River, where it enters the Bronx, near Spuyten Duyvil.  Here it enters tracks operated by the Metro-North Railroad, one of the New York commuter railroads.  The Lake Shore Limited will run through most of the commuter stations, only stopping in Croton-Harmon and Poughkeepsie, before arriving in Rensselaer.  For the 141 miles between Manhattan and Rensselaer, the train follows the Hudson River.  A seat on the left side of the train affords the best views of the Hudson River and the valley.  During this part of the trip, one of the notable landmarks the train passes is the United States Military Academy, easily visible across the Hudson River, on the hill, a few minutes after the Croton-Harmon station stop.

A frozen Lake Michigan, on a chilly January morning.

Once both sections of the train have arrived in the Rensselaer station, there is some switching to be done.  Typically the New York section pulls in on track two, since that is one of the longest station tracks.  The Boston section, which usually arrives on the Main Track, then pulls away from the platform and into the yard area.  The dual mode, diesel/electric locomotive is removed from the New York section, and then the Boston section is backed down on the New York section, making one longer train.  Air hoses, communications lines, and electrical jumpers are all reconnected, air tests are completed, and then the train is ready to depart west.  If you are on the train when this switching is done, do not be alarmed if power goes out.  This is part of the routine, and it comes back on after a few minutes, when all the appropriate connections between cars are made.

Once the Lake Shore Limited leaves the Rensselaer station, it starts to head west.  Right outside of the station, it crosses the Hudson River, and then continues west to the next stop, in Schenectady, only a short distance away.  Schenectady is home to General Electric, and their neon sign is plainly visible from the train station.  In the winter months, it is usually dark by the time the train gets to Schenectady.  In the summer, it will still be daylight though.  As the train heads west across the state, towards Buffalo, it follows the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal.  At one time, the Erie Canal was a major transportation link between Albany and Lake Erie.  As important a link as it once was, it was made obsolete surprisingly fast as the railroad was built between Albany and Buffalo.  The railroad proved to be a faster means of transportation than the canal, and consequently everything that once traveled on the canal soon switched to the railroad.  Today, Interstate 90 also follows that route.  Between the railroad and the highway, very little traffic is left for the canal, and most of it is recreation.

The Chicago skyline, visible across a railroad yard.

After a near midnight stop in Buffalo, the train continues west into a small part of Pennsylvania, along Lake Erie.  The train stops in Erie, PA, which is where the locomotives pulling it were actually built.  If you happen to be awake during this part of the trip, there are some views of the lake on the right hand side of the train.  In the summer months, the eastbound train will pass through Erie in the early morning daylight.  The locomotive factory can also be pretty easily spotted, also on the right hand side of the westbound train.  The train crosses into Ohio and makes several more stops in the dark hours of the early morning, in Cleveland, Elyria, Sandusky, Toledo, and Bryan, and then heads into Indiana.  For those who happen to wake up during the night, in Ohio, there are some more views of Lake Erie, especially in the Sandusky area.  Once the train crosses into Indiana, the dining car will be open for breakfast, which is served on a first come, first served basis.  At that point, people on the train start waking up, and the train comes to life, so to speak.

In Indiana, the train makes only a few stops.  The first one is in the small town of Waterloo, which is near Fort Wayne.  After a very brief stop in Waterloo, the train stops in Elkhart and South Bend.  South Bend is, of course, home to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, although there will be little evidence of that at the railroad station.  South Bend is the last stop before the train arrives in the Windy City.  Between South Bend and Chicago, the train will cross into the Central Time Zone.  An announcement will be made, and at that point, passengers will need to adjust their watches one hour.

The coach yards, in Chicago.  The Lake Shore Limited
arrives from the top of the picture, where the dark tower
are, and proceeds through the middle of these yards to
Union Station.

After the train leaves South Bend, it goes through the industrial towns of Gary and Hammond, Indiana.  While these towns can hardly be considered scenic, it allows for an unusual and interesting glimpse into industrial America, and into our past.  These towns were once large, successful places.  They thrived on the steel industry.  Steel was produced in mills visible from the train, and the steel produced in those towns once drove the economy of the entire world.  Steel from those mills once built railroads, airplanes, ships, and automobiles.  Many people, rich and poor, and countless famous people, once sailed, rode, or flew on that American steel.  What is visible from the train today is very different.  Most of the steel mills are quiet, producing nothing but an eyesore.  Only a few still operate, and at a considerably slower production rate than they are capable of.  Many jobs, that once drove America, are simply gone, and the people who held them have moved on too.  That part of the trip is an interesting glimpse into the past, and an ugly reminder of all the jobs that have moved out of the country.

As the Lake Shore Limited gets away from the steel mills of Gary and Hammond, suburban Chicago begins to develop around the train.  Lake Michigan is visible periodically on the right hand side of the train.  Well kept suburban homes make way for more apartments and condos, and pretty soon, the suburban areas have turned to urban sprawl.  The train rides on an embankment through the urban areas, and the view is of many roofs, seeming to go on forever in every direction.  The Chicago skyline is visible through buildings, bridges, and trees.  As the train nears the end of the line, it slows down to a crawl.  It crosses the lift bridge over the Chicago River.  At that point, the Amtrak coach yards and engine facility are visible on the right.  At the same time, there is a brief view of the Chicago skyscrapers.  By that point, the train is right in downtown Chicago.  Within another minute, the train is in complete darkness, as it enters a tunnel under the downtown area of Chicago.  The tunnel is short, and within another minute, the train has made its final stop, at Union Station, in Chicago.

The Loop, in Chicago.

From Union Station, passengers can go upstairs to the street.  The Chicago River is right next to the station, and just across the river, and about a two minute walk, is the Willis Tower.  The entire Loop neighborhood of Chicago is within easy walking distance, and even Lake Michigan is only about fifteen minutes away.  There are lockers in the station for luggage, if Chicago is only a short layover for another train.  For passengers traveling in First Class on their next train, luggage can be checked in the station in the Metropolitan Lounge.  For those looking for a meal, typically food is considerably cheaper outside of Union Station.