Trip Report: Amtrak's Silver Star

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to ride Amtrak's Silver Star between New York and Orlando, FL. You may remember that the previous blog post was written from the sleeper accommodations of that train. This was actually the second time which I have traveled on that particular train, and the third trip I have made on Amtrak between the Northeast and Florida.

We arrived at Penn Station about an hour before the Silver Star was scheduled to depart. That gave us plenty of time to get to the Amtrak concourse and check our luggage. Since we had tickets to ride First Class, we were allowed to board the train a couple of minutes before those with tickets for Coach. We made our way to the platform, and then towards the front of the train, where the sleeping cars were located. We had a Viewliner Roomette for the trip to Florida. We took a few minutes to get settled, and then sat down in our room, which was made up for daytime use, with two seats facing each other. Because space is tight in the roomettes, we had checked our two large suitcases and brought everything we would need for the night in a backpack. Having just a backpack in the room meant there was a little more space for us.

The train departed right on time, at 11:02am. We made our way out of Penn Station and under the Hudson River, emerging from the tunnel into the afternoon sunlight in New Jersey. Shortly after emerging from the tunnel, one of the dining car attendants came through the train to take reservations for lunch. We opted for the one o'clock seating, since we had eaten breakfast a little late anyway.

Between New York and Washington, the Silver Star makes very few stops, and only picks up passengers. During this stretch of the train reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, which was fine, although we did discover that a lot of the plastic wall and ceiling panels in the sleeper rattled a bit at high speeds. The ride was still fairly smooth though, and there was no major discomfort. Within just a few hours, we had arrived in Washington, DC.

Washington, DC, is a longer stop, despite only being a couple hours into the trip. From New York to Washington, an electric locomotive pulls the train. The overhead wire, which provides power to that locomotive, ends in Washington, and so the train exchanges the electric engine for a pair of diesel engines. During the engine change, power is cut from the train for about ten minutes. Once the diesel locomotives are coupled, power is reconnected. We took the opportunity to step off the train and observe the power change in Washington.

Once the power change was complete and a new train crew was on board, we departed Washington, DC. After pulling out of Union Station, the train went under the city, and joined entered CSX trackage on the other side. We had departed Washington on time, but experienced some minor delays almost as soon as we got on CSX track. As far as I was able to observe, these delays were caused by some freight train congestion. They were minor though, and we only lost a few minutes. However, even minor delays add up after a while. By the time we got to Raleigh, NC, that night, we were running about 45 minutes behind schedule.

In the middle of the afternoon, a dining car attendant came through the train again to take dinner reservations. Dinner was being served in three seatings, and we opted for the second one. The dining car service was very good, and the food was delicious. We enjoyed talking with some of the other passengers during dinner. I always enjoy the dining car because the food is good and everyone has an interesting story to tell. It is a nice chance to meet other people and chat casually with other passengers.

Later that evening, our sleeping car attendant came along and configured our roomette for night time use. The two seats became a lower bed and an upper bud pulled down from the ceiling. We got settled and climbed in to bed.

In the morning, we awoke somewhere in either southern Georgia or northern Florida. It turned out that Sarah had slept better than I did. She was rocked to sleep by the motion of the train rather quickly and slept soundly all night. I, on the other hand, had a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. I have found that since I began working for the railroad, I have a difficult time sleeping on a moving train. I also find that I notice some of the characteristics of the moving train which no one else would notice, such as when the engineer bunches up the coupler slack to slow the train down. I slept well enough though, and woke up rested in spite of my difficulty getting to sleep.

We got up and showered, and then wandered to the dining car for some breakfast. During breakfast, we stopped in Jacksonville, FL. We were still running behind schedule, but only by about ten minutes. We had made up some time during the night. Breakfast was good, although I think we got to the dining car towards the end of breakfast service, because it was quiet and we had a table to ourselves.

We arrived in Orlando a couple of hours later, about 40 minutes behind schedule again. The train lost some time in the last hour before Orlando due to track and signal work. It looked like they were building a commuter rail system for the Orlando area, and some of those construction activities caused us several minor delays. The one that stands out in my mind is the grade crossing delays. They were working on the signal system, which effects the gates and warning devices at grade crossings. At several crossings, the warning systems were not working or had been deactivated. We had to stop at each of these crossings so that the conductor could get out and stop traffic prior to the train crossing the road. It sounds and is simple enough, but stopping and starting so the conductor can get off and back on, and waiting for traffic to stop, can take several minutes at each crossing.

In Orlando, we disembarked and picked up the luggage we had checked the day before, in Penn Station. The Orlando depot is a nice building, originally built by the Atlantic Coast Line. It is a little run down now, and could really use some minor maintenance, such as a coat of paint and some landscaping. It really would not take much to make it beautiful again.

Passenger Car Switching

Today I write from a Viewliner Roomette on Amtrak's southbound Silver Star. This may be the first time we have composed a blog post from a moving train. It probably does not come as a surprise that a trip report will be put together after this journey, but that will be at a later date. Today I thought I would talk about switching passenger cars and a few other things from work.

Earlier today, I boarded the Silver Star in New York, with my wife, Sarah. We elected to take the train to Florida to visit her parents rather than fly because we both enjoy train travel and the cost for us to travel First Class on Amtrak was slightly lower than the cost for both of us to fly. When the train departed New York, it was lead by an AEM-7 electric locomotive. The overhead catenary, which provides electricity to operate such a locomotive, ends in Washington, DC. Upon arriving at Union Station, the electric locomotive was removed and a pair of P42DC locomotives were placed at the head end. This was the first time Sarah had ever seen this operation, and explaining what was going on got me thinking a bit about work, particularly about passenger switching.

When I started working with Alaska Railroad, there were many similarities to what I had learned on BNSF. One big difference between Alaska Railroad and nearly every railroad in the Lower 48 is that Alaska Railroad operates both freight and passenger trains. This is not like a freight railroad hosting Amtrak, which is quite common in the continental United States, because the host railroad rarely does any passenger operations beyond allowing Amtrak to use the trackage. Amtrak provides the passenger train crew and equipment. In Alaska, the Alaska Railroad operates the freight trains, but also operates the passenger trains. The Alaska Railroad provides the crew and equipment for passenger operations.

Since Alaska Railroad operates both freight and passenger trains, this means that train crews could potentially go back and forth between passenger equipment and freight equipment during the course of a tour of duty. This would have been an extremely rare situation for road crews, but was more common in the yard. During the summer, Anchorage Yard had two crews each day that were specifically assigned to switch passenger equipment. Occasionally, when they were either busy or not on duty, another crew could be assigned to take care of a few moves in the coach yard.

Every day in the summer, at 4:30am, the morning passenger switch crew came on duty. The first passenger train scheduled to leave Anchorage was the southbound Coastal Classic, which went to Seward. The train was made up the night before, by the evening passenger crew, so there was rarely any switching to do in the morning. This was done to expedite the morning movements and ensure an on time departure, at 6:45am. Occasionally the locomotives had to be added, but even that was typically done by the roundhouse hostlers, in the middle of the night. Once we got on the train, the Brakeman would release the hand brakes and walk through the train, getting the doors and steps positioned for use at the depot. The Conductor and Engineer would compare paperwork with the train dispatcher and perform an air brake test. As the train departed the yard, a couple of carmen would perform a visual roll by inspection, for safety. We would head south out of the yard, on to the main track. Once the Brakeman had walked through the train, he would stay on the rear car. Once on the main track, the train had to be backed up to the depot. The Brakeman would serve as the eyes for the engineer during that movement. At the depot, the train would be secured. The road crew would take over and bring it to Seward from there.

For the yard crew, there were still more trains. The Denali Star, which operates to Fairbanks, was next. This was usually the most complex. The evening crew usually had things in order, to minimize the work for the morning crew, but because this train operates with private tour company cars, it is impossible to have it put together the night before. The morning crew would first get on the locomotives and pull the Alaska Railroad portion of the train out of the yard. Next, the Wilderness Express cars, if there were any that day, would be added to the rear. They could only be added after they had finished servicing them and lowered the derail protecting the entrance to their track. Sometimes they were ready when the crew got there, other times the crew had to wait a few minutes for hem to finish up their work. Behind the Wilderness Express cars, Holland America Line's McKinley Explorer cars were added, followed by Princess Cruise Line's private cars. Since Holland America and Princess are sister companies, their tour operations in Alaska are combined and operate under the name HAP Alaska-Yukon. Both companies' private cars are serviced together, on the same track, and the evening crew usually had them put together, in the right order, the night before. Once they were added to the train, an End of Train Device was added and tested, and then an air brake test was conducted. Once again, the carmen did a visual inspection as the train departed the coach yard. This train went around the wye on the way out of the yard, and then backed out to the main track. The engineer spotted the train at the depot, where it was secured to await the road crew and an 8:15am departure northbound.

The last train of the morning was the Glacier Discovery, which went to Whittier and Chugach National Forest. This was usually the easiest train, since all the switching was almost always done the night before. After an air brake test and a visual inspection from the carmen, the train headed out to the main track and was then backed in to the depot. Just like the others, it was secured to await the road crew and the trip southward.

When the morning passenger crew was done the morning switching, there were still several hours left to work. Usually a short lunch break was on the agenda, followed by some freight switching. This was, of course, all determined by the yard master.

At 6:30pm, the evening passenger crew came on duty. Their switching was typically more complex, since they were responsible for setting up trains, as much as possible, for the morning crew. The first train scheduled to arrive was the southbound Denali Star, which was so long it had to be split in two when it arrived at the depot. That train was due at 8:00pm every day, and the evening crew would meet it at the depot. The cars belonging to Princess and Holland America would be cut off east (railroad north) of the C Street crossing, just outside the depot. Motor coaches were provided by Holland America and Princess for their passengers, and there is a large paved area there for easy transfer from the train to the waiting coaches. The remainder of the train would pull up behind the railroad depot. When the train arrived at the depot, some of the servicing was done immediately. The crew would have to wait until everyone servicing the train was finished. Once the toilets were all pumped, baggage unloaded, and money counted and removed, the train could head to the yard. Once in the yard, the switching began. The switching could be simple, or it could seem to go on all night. The current position of cars and the arrangement needed the next day determined the complexity of the switching. Other variables that contributed to complexity included the need for car to visit the shop or have wheels trued. Wheel truing is a process that removes flat spots and other imperfections from wheels, resulting in a smoother, safer ride.

When all the Denali Star switching was complete, it was time to do a different train. Usually. Y the time it was complete, both the Coastal Classic and the Glacier Discovery had arrived and were parked at the depot. It was up to the Conductor which one got done next. Both needed to go around the wye, so they would be facing south, since all the switching happens at the south end of the coach yard. Usually the Glacier Discovery was the easier one, since it usually just had to be put away for the night, with little or no switching. The Coastal Classic usually had a little switching, and sometimes a Wilderness Express car or two to put away. Both trains however were far easier to put away than the Denali Star usually was.

Switching passenger equipment could be frustrating at times, for a variety of reasons. One of the most frustrating aspects of passenger switching was the speed. All the coach tracks were limited to walking speed, and the train must be stopped prior to coupling to other equipment. This sounds and is simple enough, but it adds considerable time to even a simple switching move.

Perhaps the most frequent frustration of passenger equipment switching is the overwhelming amount of connections and the limited amount of space between cars. When cars are coupled together, the air hoses must be coupled and the angle cock opened. On freight cars, this is a quick task. On passenger cars, there are electrical jumpers, communication cables, and a walkway in close proximity to one another. Additionally, the air hoses and angle cocks are not located beside the coupler, but rather directly below it. In some situations, it is so crowded between cars that the only way to couple hoses and open angle cocks is to crawl under the car and lie down between the rails, facing up at the bottom of the car. Needless to say, almost anyone who switches passenger cars finishes the day covered in grease, oil, and dirt.

At this point however, I do not have to worry about crawling in the dirt under passenger cars. The Alaska Railroad experiences a pretty significant drop in traffic around the end of September, and consequently they lay off about a third of the workforce. This is a temporary, seasonal layoff, and everyone laid off is guaranteed their job and seniority in the spring, if they still want it. I was notified on September 18th that I no longer had enough seniority to hold a job, and I would be laid off. I will go back to work in the spring, in April or May, depending on manpower needs. It will be sooner if they decided to train ten or more Conductors this winter, but I will not find out definitely about that for at least another month yet. Most people would be disappointed to be laid off, but I am enjoying it. While I enjoy my job, it is nice to have a break. I had taken a week off in the past three years when I got my layoff call, and I was ready for a vacation! Besides, it gives me the opportunity to visit distant family and take leisure train rides, such as this one, aboard Amtrak's Silver Star. I'll be enjoying dinner in the diner next!