Thanks for highlighting the beautiful station that is Greensboro. I am a bit biased as it is my home station but it really is an elegant station. It is also home (upstairs) to regional transit, city transit, intercity bus and a nice model railroad club in the old REA area.
@@LonestarTrips The main part of the transit upstairs is you can see the old freight area and it does have a nice view of the train platforms. Also the bathrooms upstairs are not behind a lock that requires a code from an Amtrak employee and proof of a ticket. If you are back in Greensboro either request to see the model train set up or just make sure you are in the city when they are having meetings/running the model trains.
Thank you very much for this great video ! I agree with all that you say having ridden on the Carolinian several times. The use of two ACS 64s from D.C is unusual, as it has never happened to me ! As you say they have an insane combined power of 13,400 hp !
Dude I so appreciate you- I’ve been anxious about my trip to NYC by train next month, and this is the exact same trip from the exact same station! I’m be in coach and checking a bag (which I’m still anxious about 😅), but this vid def helps soothe my nerves 💖
My favorite cafe food item at present is the Turkey & Cheese Sandwich on an oat roll; the cheese might be cheddar, swiss or havarti. (Ask for extra mayo packets.) The Cheese Stromboli is decent if you tell the attendant to leave it in the microwave a little longer than usual. And if you need to sleep in Coach, use noise-cancelling headphones. Thanks for the video!
When in DC take the free tour of the George Washington Masonic shrine it's fascinating. There's a nice Irish pub down the street from Union Station. Good report.
Have you ever thought about doing San Diego metropolitan transit system? The blue line expansion to the UTC La Jolla mall. Let me tell you that is a nice ride up there.
This was incredibly helpful. I've always taken flights (too many flights LOL) and wanted to experience the train ride up to Rhode Island. I was worried about the seats being uncomfortable among other things. I took a chance that google would have pictures, but a video?.... I am definitely taking the Carolinian. I'm also doing this for my 12 year old to experience.....Thanks so much j.scorpio So I can't smoke for 24 hours. bummer...🚬
Really amazing to see that switch from snail's pace to almost high speed. Just one thing I noticed: I always thought DC was a terminus station so I expected the electric locos to just couple on the rear end and then continue in that direction. Looks like I was wrong about that though... 🤔
@@LonestarTrips well it's not that strange. I remember as a kid electrification of a train line ended at the station near my grandparents house and I was always curious to see the loco change. And it's always better to change the loco than to run diesel trains on electrified lines.
There is a tunnel under the station from the south so the rail runs without end in a sense. In theory a swap would not be needed but of course is for speed, cost of energy, and tunnels that may not be passable for a diesel by law for pollution reasons and buildup of CO2. 5 years ago on the Crescent the train jumped a switch when we were just about out of the tunnel. Technically a derail. Moving 5 to 10 MPH and then emergency break and STOP. It was a bit of a delay with switching an engine and backing up the a VRE stop and then changing tracks and then back to Union Station.
I really love the amfleet 1’s… I would be happy if they make a newer version that’s modern with bigger windows. I could easily stay on the train a full day with the seats Amtrak has. Great vid!
Agreed. Amfleet 1s are great cars, but a modern version is certainly needed. With Amtrak replacing them with the Airo trainsets, I think the comfy seats we know and love are not long for this world.
I agree. The new Venture cars look nice, but they seem like a significant step down in passenger comfort, especially with the lack of recline. I also wish they would just update the Amfleet design with larger windows to make Amfleet III coaches, but I doubt it’ll ever happen. I am interested to see what they eventually decide the replace the Amfleet II coaches with, hopefully something more comfortable than Ventures. I can’t see longer Amfleet 1 routes, such as the Carolinian, being particularly comfortable in the Venture coaches.
@@newenglandskier13 I don't understand the obsession with bigger windows. You can see just fine out of the Amfleets. And bigger windows means more glare.
I took the Carolinian in the winter of last year from Charlotte all the way to NYC! The ride was nice and we were 50 minutes early into NY, but 13 hours is my upper limit for Amfleet I Coachclass. It's way longer than the Pennsylvanian, which uses Amfleet II cars, so I don't see why they can't bring them to the Carolinian. Anyways looking forwards to watching this!
Interesting... I will take the train from Newark NJ to Raleigh, NC in a few days, and I look forward to the experience. I wish ee had a train system comparable to the ones in Europe and Japan. It's sad that it only goes up to 80 mph. The TGV in France goes up to 199 mph, more than double the speed.
I am taking the Carolinian business class in the fall. Would you happen to know which number seats have the best views out the window? I am not a fan of staring at the wall of the train car or the curtains. Thanks!
Please correct me if I'm wrong. I thought you can only ride the NE Regional & the Acela on the NE Corridor. I heard it had something to do with leaving room for passengers traveling beyond the NE Corridor. Since your train picked up passengers in Baltimore, how is that possible? Another awesome video. Thank You for making it.
I don't think that's a thing anymore, if it ever was. I've always seen the out-of-corridor services listed as travel options, but I've never paid much attention to the specifics, so it's possible certain trains don't allow boarding on certain days.
as of Mar 2024, only the 2 Silver Services and Cardinal are un-bookable for travel only within the NEC. All the other services allow NEC-only travel, in both directions (No status on Guest Rewards although I doubt that would change anything)
Why does this train need 2 ACS-64? 1 is more powerful than the PI42DC which made the first leg of the journey. Also, nice laptop the ASUS Zephyrus? Your editing machine, I guess?
The train doesn't need 2 for sure, but it's what we got. Not sure why in all honesty, as I've always seen them run with one. And thanks, the laptop is my on the go workstation. My desktop is my usual editing machine.
I've ridden the Crescent fairly often along with some other trains. I rode Business Class on the Coast Starlight from L.A. to Tacoma in September and I was NOT impressed. The seat was exactly the same as in coach except for being covered in leather, and we could only eat in the dining car for a fee ($45 for dinner). The only advantage was being able to use the Metropolitan Lounge in L.A. along with the First Class passengers. I will only take Business Class in the future on trains where that gives you a roomier seat.
I experienced the same thing on the Pacific Surfliner, but with no dinner. The seats are usually the same, maybe a bit more spacious, but the rolling stock is so interchangeable, that you can often find "business class" seats in coach. The only saving grace was the superliner coach being used as one of the two business class cars, so I ended up with much more space than anticipated.
We’ve ridden on the Limited between Pittsburgh and Chicago, so another ride is a bit lower on the priority list, but I’m sure I’ll revisit it in the future.
11:58 those buildings in the foreground are office buildings for members of Congress. They're accessible via the underground tunnels and the Capitol "train".
You mentioned the Capitol Limited being backed into DC for that afternoon's trip. Where was the engine? The Capitol Limited heads northwest out of DC so the engine should have been at the Northern end.
Dirty windows help block out unwanted and wanted sunlight. Gorgeous sunset would have been even more stunning if seen through a clear window. I hope you complain to Amtrak President about dirty trains.
ALL raillines in the world should be electrified, so no engine swapping is necessary, and there are of course all the other benefits of electrification.
@@bstafford112 Yeah SURELY "Only Owned" Northeast Corridor, like Amtrak also owns Keystone Corridor Philadelphia to Keystone, New Haven to Springfield Corridor, Michigan City to Kalamazoo (Parts of Wolverine Corridor), and also Poughkeepsie to Schenectady (First segment of Empire Service), any line that is State own like Richmond to D.C ALSO counts as passenger priority.
All the extended NEC services suffer from the same problem: the NEC part is fine, but the engine change at Washington plus the low speeds and frequent delays in NS and CSX territory ruin everything. The dual mode capability of the future Airo sets will cut down on that long stop at Washington, but at the expense of the trains lugging around the dead weight of a prime mover even when they don’t need it.
The S-line corridor will shave a lot of time off by going direct from Richmond to Raleigh. A lot more could be improved though. All grade crossings not near stations need to be separated, the route needs to be double-tracked, and really it should all be electrified.
I agree, for being the best country in the world we should have a train system comparable to the ones in Europe and Japan. Hopefully we will see a chance soon.
I didn’t realize Raleigh had a high level accessible platform. Good job NC!
VERY NICE!! Amtrak was kicking it at 126 MPH, I was like DANG!! That was a fast train for sure, WOW 😮😮
Thanks for highlighting the beautiful station that is Greensboro. I am a bit biased as it is my home station but it really is an elegant station. It is also home (upstairs) to regional transit, city transit, intercity bus and a nice model railroad club in the old REA area.
I never ventured over to the regional bus terminal side of the station, as I really didn't have a reason to head that way, but now I wish I had.
@@LonestarTrips The main part of the transit upstairs is you can see the old freight area and it does have a nice view of the train platforms. Also the bathrooms upstairs are not behind a lock that requires a code from an Amtrak employee and proof of a ticket. If you are back in Greensboro either request to see the model train set up or just make sure you are in the city when they are having meetings/running the model trains.
Thank you very much for this great video ! I agree with all that you say having ridden on the Carolinian several times. The use of two ACS 64s from D.C is unusual, as it has never happened to me ! As you say they have an insane combined power of 13,400 hp !
Raleigh is a smoke stop, Raleigh is the crew base and the first crew times out thete
Dude I so appreciate you- I’ve been anxious about my trip to NYC by train next month, and this is the exact same trip from the exact same station! I’m be in coach and checking a bag (which I’m still anxious about 😅), but this vid def helps soothe my nerves 💖
As someone from Lesotho, I wish I'd be able to travel there. I'm living vicariously through your reviews!
Your editing gets tighter and your pacing gets better with every video. Really enjoyed this one with all of the info and rail fanning shots.
Always glad to hear it, especially from a patron!
Great video! Thanks for offering a look at this ride that I hope to take in the future!
Great video! Thanks for sharing this with us!
My favorite cafe food item at present is the Turkey & Cheese Sandwich on an oat roll; the cheese might be cheddar, swiss or havarti. (Ask for extra mayo packets.) The Cheese Stromboli is decent if you tell the attendant to leave it in the microwave a little longer than usual. And if you need to sleep in Coach, use noise-cancelling headphones. Thanks for the video!
A great choice of food options for sure. And noise cancelling headphones are a must have!
When in DC take the free tour of the George Washington Masonic shrine it's fascinating. There's a nice Irish pub down the street from Union Station. Good report.
11:34 my dad keeps his boat at that marina. Its fun being out there and trying to get trains to honk at you
Have you ever thought about doing San Diego metropolitan transit system?
The blue line expansion to the UTC La Jolla mall. Let me tell you that is a nice ride up there.
Every video is better than the last! Nice video!!
I love this video as well
The restored caboose at the Selma station, number 907, appears to be originally from the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.
Awesome, thanks for the info! I did some research into it, but never found any definitive answer, so your input is greatly appreciated.
This was incredibly helpful. I've always taken flights (too many flights LOL) and wanted to experience the train ride up to Rhode Island. I was worried about the seats being uncomfortable among other things. I took a chance that google would have pictures, but a video?.... I am definitely taking the Carolinian. I'm also doing this for my 12 year old to experience.....Thanks so much j.scorpio So I can't smoke for 24 hours. bummer...🚬
This a very good video!!!
Nice video
Thanks! ☺
Really amazing to see that switch from snail's pace to almost high speed.
Just one thing I noticed: I always thought DC was a terminus station so I expected the electric locos to just couple on the rear end and then continue in that direction. Looks like I was wrong about that though... 🤔
Yeah the loco swap is a strange, but common practice in the northeast.
@@LonestarTrips well it's not that strange. I remember as a kid electrification of a train line ended at the station near my grandparents house and I was always curious to see the loco change. And it's always better to change the loco than to run diesel trains on electrified lines.
There is a tunnel under the station from the south so the rail runs without end in a sense. In theory a swap would not be needed but of course is for speed, cost of energy, and tunnels that may not be passable for a diesel by law for pollution reasons and buildup of CO2. 5 years ago on the Crescent the train jumped a switch when we were just about out of the tunnel. Technically a derail. Moving 5 to 10 MPH and then emergency break and STOP. It was a bit of a delay with switching an engine and backing up the a VRE stop and then changing tracks and then back to Union Station.
I really love the amfleet 1’s… I would be happy if they make a newer version that’s modern with bigger windows. I could easily stay on the train a full day with the seats Amtrak has. Great vid!
Agreed. Amfleet 1s are great cars, but a modern version is certainly needed. With Amtrak replacing them with the Airo trainsets, I think the comfy seats we know and love are not long for this world.
I agree. The new Venture cars look nice, but they seem like a significant step down in passenger comfort, especially with the lack of recline. I also wish they would just update the Amfleet design with larger windows to make Amfleet III coaches, but I doubt it’ll ever happen. I am interested to see what they eventually decide the replace the Amfleet II coaches with, hopefully something more comfortable than Ventures. I can’t see longer Amfleet 1 routes, such as the Carolinian, being particularly comfortable in the Venture coaches.
@@newenglandskier13 I don't understand the obsession with bigger windows. You can see just fine out of the Amfleets. And bigger windows means more glare.
@@LonestarTripsYes - what is it about modern seats in public transport? So uncomfortable compared to older stock like these.
I took the Carolinian in the winter of last year from Charlotte all the way to NYC! The ride was nice and we were 50 minutes early into NY, but 13 hours is my upper limit for Amfleet I Coachclass. It's way longer than the Pennsylvanian, which uses Amfleet II cars, so I don't see why they can't bring them to the Carolinian. Anyways looking forwards to watching this!
I don’t know why they operate Amfleet 1s on this route, but I agree that 13 hours is about the limit for coach. Hopefully that changes in the future!
Hey lonestar trip reports
Hey can u do The capital limited between the Chicago and DC please
Can you do the capital limited between the windows to be in the US capital please
@@LonestarTrips Well let’s just say your video is right on track!
11:33 is the rappahannock river. the potomac river is further up north
Interesting... I will take the train from Newark NJ to Raleigh, NC in a few days, and I look forward to the experience. I wish ee had a train system comparable to the ones in Europe and Japan. It's sad that it only goes up to 80 mph. The TGV in France goes up to 199 mph, more than double the speed.
Verticality?????? GREAT WORD, BRAVO!
Why thank you! Glad it didn't go unnoticed.
I am taking the Carolinian business class in the fall. Would you happen to know which number seats have the best views out the window? I am not a fan of staring at the wall of the train car or the curtains. Thanks!
The caboose at Selma Station is Ex Richmond Fredericksburg & Potomac (RF&P)
Please correct me if I'm wrong. I thought you can only ride the NE Regional & the Acela on the NE Corridor. I heard it had something to do with leaving room for passengers traveling beyond the NE Corridor. Since your train picked up passengers in Baltimore, how is that possible? Another awesome video. Thank You for making it.
I don't think that's a thing anymore, if it ever was. I've always seen the out-of-corridor services listed as travel options, but I've never paid much attention to the specifics, so it's possible certain trains don't allow boarding on certain days.
as of Mar 2024, only the 2 Silver Services and Cardinal are un-bookable for travel only within the NEC. All the other services allow NEC-only travel, in both directions
(No status on Guest Rewards although I doubt that would change anything)
Conductors usually don't clean toilets. Was there a Train Attendant onboard?
Not sure, but it's entirely possible that's who I was seeing come through.
Hey hey hey
Ho ho ho
Why does this train need 2 ACS-64? 1 is more powerful than the PI42DC which made the first leg of the journey.
Also, nice laptop the ASUS Zephyrus? Your editing machine, I guess?
The train doesn't need 2 for sure, but it's what we got. Not sure why in all honesty, as I've always seen them run with one. And thanks, the laptop is my on the go workstation. My desktop is my usual editing machine.
Equipment move most likely, easier just to add the locomotive the need to move onto a train heading in that direction
Still miss the days where all I saw were nothing but AEM-7's and HHP-8's running in Amtrak's electric fleet.
Hello and welcome!
😊
I've ridden the Crescent fairly often along with some other trains. I rode Business Class on the Coast Starlight from L.A. to Tacoma in September and I was NOT impressed. The seat was exactly the same as in coach except for being covered in leather, and we could only eat in the dining car for a fee ($45 for dinner). The only advantage was being able to use the Metropolitan Lounge in L.A. along with the First Class passengers. I will only take Business Class in the future on trains where that gives you a roomier seat.
I experienced the same thing on the Pacific Surfliner, but with no dinner. The seats are usually the same, maybe a bit more spacious, but the rolling stock is so interchangeable, that you can often find "business class" seats in coach. The only saving grace was the superliner coach being used as one of the two business class cars, so I ended up with much more space than anticipated.
Hey, Lonestar trip reports Can you do the capital limited between the Windy City and US capital please
We’ve ridden on the Limited between Pittsburgh and Chicago, so another ride is a bit lower on the priority list, but I’m sure I’ll revisit it in the future.
Does this route run 7 days a week or are there certain days?
Does that have sleeper cars??
What is date of travel Trees are bare along the James River approaching RVR.
Travel was on February 24th, 2023.
I will miss the indirect lighting and curtains of the Amfleet cars versus the the newest cars .
Can You please make a video about Boston south station to nyc
I've made a video from NYC to South Station, but not the other way around (yet 😉). Maybe I'll tag it on to my travels this summer.
@@LonestarTrips where is the video see you on Saturday
Wow I live in Greensboro
Do the allow you to carry snack for your child?
Yes you can bring food
They need viewliners for the train if agree like
11:58 those buildings in the foreground are office buildings for members of Congress. They're accessible via the underground tunnels and the Capitol "train".
you didn't really show the seat itself
You mentioned the Capitol Limited being backed into DC for that afternoon's trip. Where was the engine? The Capitol Limited heads northwest out of DC so the engine should have been at the Northern end.
I think it was an equipment move that would be used as the capitol limited, and not the capitol limited itself.
Hey lone star trip reports
Hi!
@@LonestarTrips can you do palmetto 90
Why would anyone want to pay for business class when the front end is cheaper and gets there the same time as the business car?
I said coast starlight, not Carolinian
LOL
@@gloryannbatista6211 what do you mean lol
Dirty windows help block out unwanted and wanted sunlight. Gorgeous sunset would have been even more stunning if seen through a clear window. I hope you complain to Amtrak President about dirty trains.
Is Business Class worth $234?
Eh, probably not, but I used one of my 12 hour upgrade coupons to get it, so I wasn't too worried about the price.
@@LonestarTrips For that price I’d rather ride a luxury bus like The Jet even though I prefer trains.
@@samtrak1204 Agreed, although there aren't any luxury options between Greensboro and NYC, so Amtrak will have to do.
I'd stay home before I'd take a friggin' BUS.
ALL raillines in the world should be electrified, so no engine swapping is necessary, and there are of course all the other benefits of electrification.
Don’t make fun of p42
DONT DISRESPECT THE P42
@@TrumanKelleyYo CHILL bro P42 would use other routes, it ain't end
Amtrak only owned the northeast corridor only.
@@bstafford112 Yeah SURELY "Only Owned" Northeast Corridor, like Amtrak also owns Keystone Corridor Philadelphia to Keystone, New Haven to Springfield Corridor, Michigan City to Kalamazoo (Parts of Wolverine Corridor), and also Poughkeepsie to Schenectady (First segment of Empire Service), any line that is State own like Richmond to D.C ALSO counts as passenger priority.
It’s so depressing that we have such a pathetic system that it takes 12 hours to get to NYC from Greensboro.
That’s a lot faster than most Amtrak routes. Sad but true most Amtrak is even slower speeds
All the extended NEC services suffer from the same problem: the NEC part is fine, but the engine change at Washington plus the low speeds and frequent delays in NS and CSX territory ruin everything. The dual mode capability of the future Airo sets will cut down on that long stop at Washington, but at the expense of the trains lugging around the dead weight of a prime mover even when they don’t need it.
The S-line corridor will shave a lot of time off by going direct from Richmond to Raleigh. A lot more could be improved though. All grade crossings not near stations need to be separated, the route needs to be double-tracked, and really it should all be electrified.
I agree, for being the best country in the world we should have a train system comparable to the ones in Europe and Japan. Hopefully we will see a chance soon.