All Aboard! Riding the Amtrak Cardinal from Cincinnati to Prince, West Virginia (Part 1 of 2)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ส.ค. 2024
- This is part 1 of 2 documenting my trip from Cincinnati to Baltimore on the Amtrak Cardinal at the end of July 2022.
It was my first long distance trip on Amtrak.
I try to highlight as many of the sights the train travels by in it.
Click here to watch part 2:
• All Aboard! Riding the...
A huge thank you to fellow TH-camr Jackson's Drones for letting me use several of his videos to showcase the surroundings.
Here is a link to his channel:
/ @jacksonsdrones
![fellow fellow - PROUD feat. INK WARUNTORN [STRING QUARTET]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BQrVkMPTdHE/mqdefault.jpg)
So informative! A great mix of the cars interiors, drone shots, audio, maps, etc.
I really enjoyed your extended night shooting of this video. On many of the 'other' train videos, the video's host went to sleep and a lot of scenery was missed, thanks much!! JMS
a different perspective . Thanks for the reference to Jackson's drones. Can't wait for part 2.
I live in Edinburgh now but am originally from West Virginia. I had taken the train from Philly when I lived there up to see a university friend in the Boston area, so years later I was eager to try the train from West Virginia to visit an aunt living in northeast Arkansas, so I took the Cardinal to Chicago and changed there. I enjoyed my trip a lot. I had the individual room-type and that included all of my meals and I enjoyed getting to meet other travellers at meal times. I think the train returning to Chicago was delayed by a freight train taking priority but I didn't feel too inconvenienced. The staff on board were extremely professional and helpful. I enjoyed being able to visit my aunt but not taking planes to add to the climate problem. My absolute favourite thing to do in West Virginia is to take the Cass Scenic Railway all the way to the top of the mountain, so that's my tip for any future trips to my home state of West Virginia.
Did the Cardinal once....from Indianapolis to DC. Roomette. Spectacular views!
It really does offer some incredible views.
Great video, I grew up in Ashland. I used to go to the Amtrak station that was located just as you entered Catlettsburg KY along US 23 almost every night the Cardinal came through. The schedule used to be the opposite of what it is today. West bound came through Ashland in the mornings and East bound at night. It was flipped in 1979 I think when the put the train on 3 days a week instead of daily. At that time the train consist was a P30CH, baggage, 10/6 sleeper, amdinette, and 2 or 3 amcoaches. In the mid 1980s they reequipped it with heritage cars . The train then actually grew as more people rode it since the service was improved. The consist then was an F40PH, baggage car, 2 10/6 sleepers, diner, lounge, and 4 or 5 coaches. The cars were all Budd. In the early 1990s the train was reequipped again with Superliners. A P42DC was the new locomotive and the train started again with 7 cars and grew to 10 before they had to pull the Superliners off because of an Autotrain wreck. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Amtrak actually turned away sleeping customers un less there were enough since if the train went over 10 cars they need to add another locomotive to keep up the schedule through the mountains.
I wish I could have seen the Cardinal then. That had to be pretty exciting for you growing up there.
I remember this well. Rode the Cardinal a few times in the mid/late 80’s to DC and back from my hometown station, south Portsmouth. Great memories.
That's so cool. I live near Ashland (I assume you know the area - Elliott CO.) and "recently" (3 yrs ago) discovered the Cardinal. I've lost count of the number of rides to and from Chicago I've taken now. Haven't yet taken a ride east, but one day I'll board at 7am instead of 10:30pm, haha.
it's interesting to me that Amtrak equipment maintenance facility is in Beech Grove; that's pretty far from basically all of their hubs except Chicago (Sort of...?) I know that they have a big locomotive maintenance shop in Wilmington, DE along the NEC, I'm surprised they don't have a similar shop somewhere nearer to Chicago
I'm sure it came down to it being an existing facility Amtrak could take over for a relatively low cost.
Here is a look at the Chicago facilities if you want to take a look.
th-cam.com/video/i863TYm6S8E/w-d-xo.html
Nice video. I recognize your vocal delivery from many of VHS train videos I watched in my pop's collection. Cracked me up when you got to the review of the breakfast, with the bit about the undercooked potato using that same delivery. ;D
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
I must have a voice twin out there.
I have not narrated any VHS productions.
3:50 Departing Union Terminal
6:22 Amtrak Beech Grove Shops
12:44 Arriving at Huntington followed by the CSX heavy rebuild shops
20:40 Arriving at Charleston, WV
24:35 Kanawa Falls, WV
27:38 New River Gorge Bridge
30:08 Crossing the New River
31:15 Arriving at Thurmond, WV
35:40 Arriving at Prince, WV
We gave ourselves a 'self guided' tour of Beech Grove back in the 80s via a hole in the fence around back. When we were done we went to the front gate and asked if we could come in and get some pictures. The security guard gave us a stern 'No'. We cheerfully thanked him and left...lol
I'll stay well away from that big bridge, lol. Driving across that bridge in WV on I-64 was bad enough. I white knuckled the steering wheel all the way across and didn't dare look to my sides.
Unfortunately a second train through Cincinnati has not been approved yet. The worst part of the Cardinal is the ride using the Buckingham Branch Railroad trackage near Washington. The ride is rough and loud because the railroad tracks are not welded. The ride was so rough once that my coffee fell off my table in the diner. You would think with all the complaints about this part of the trip that the BBR would upgrade their lines. Shout out to the Station Mgr at Prince WV, Chris who kept us entertained for a few hours while our train was delayed due to a landslide near Thurmond.
Lucky you brother.
Talking about the same guy who tried to tell me they run 300 car trains here. He's also the same guy who tries to tell people where they can and can't be at Thurmond too. Complained about the number of people around the tracks at Thumond and I basically told him off telling him that if he wanted something done about it to either call Fayette County Sheriff or tell the National Park Service. Needless to say I had a terrible encounter with him.
BBRR owns that line and CSX has an operating agreement to run empties through there. The Virginia DOT allocates money each year to upgrade the BBRR. BBRR is a small shortline that doesn't have the millions to spend on upgrading to welded rail.
Recently the state of the Virginia purchased the whole line to Clifton Forge and I'm certain will be upgrading it over the years for more passenger trains.
Yesterday as I was on my first Amtrak trip ever, I was seated at the window where they were using a water hose to fill a tank. As you stated, right before Ashland, KY. Keep on flushing!!
In Huntington, WV You have Marshall University, towards the end of the vid it does look like the Cafe car was dumping a lil bit of water in the middle of car
Fascinating, I really love all the details. You do the finest coverage of #Amtrak, or any trains, I've ever seen.
Thank you very much, Bruce. I do appreciate it.
Very cool video from the commentary to the ride along, Thanks for sharing this and have a great rest of your evening.
Thank you very much. Part 2 should be up tomorrow.
Have a great night as well.
Interesting. I am thinking of taking that train by going from Pgh to CHI on the Capital Ltd. and then onto the Cardinal to either DC or Phila. Then back to Pgh. I would do a roomette on the Cardinal. ( I initially thought that the radio in the background was interesting; then I decided that it became more and more intrusive!) I did enjoy your narrative.
Too bad your views of the New River, especially the Falls and the Hawks Nest areas were blocked with trees, altho you could see when you crossed the bridge at Hawks Nest. I have stayed at the lodge there on several occasions and always take the tram down when the train is crossing.
Have often driven from Hawks Nest to Thurman which I find to be an absolutely fascinating 'ghost' town----and an Amtrak stop!
I went to grad school at WVU and traveled around while there. I have always sort of thought that they should turn the entire state into a national park!!
Just took the cardinal last month westbound from DC to Chicago. The highlight of the trip is through WV, specifically through the New River Gorge area. Unfortunately we were 4 hours late leaving DC so by the time we got to WV it was already dark. I have spent a lot of time hiking in the Gorge area and have driven to Thurmond. Very cool place.
I'd love to explore more of the WV area and New River Gorge too.
Such an incredible place.
That sucks your train got delayed so much and you couldn't see the best part of the trip.
Great video. I'm a huge fan of the New River Gorge area, often stopping on my way through WV. I've done rafting there, attended Bridge Day, and stayed at Hawks Nest just last year. Therefore the Cardinal is on my bucket list to do, especially during the fall colors.
Jealousy would be an understatement of your time spent in the gorge!
I hope to make it there sometime for a long weekend and explore high and low.
I hope you get to ride the Cardinal during the fall.
Great video!! Appreciate you sharing this view of the Cardinal.
I am the SW Ohio director for All Aboard Ohio, the passenger rail advocacy group working to improve service in the Cincinnati region. We will be referring people to your video for a look at current Cardinal service. Would love to get in touch with you if you are interested!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Feel free to reach out.
Interesting video. Probably never ride that train but since it passes my house on the Indy sub at like 3 in the morning, it's nice to see where it's going.
Nice Detailed Video of the Cardinal Man! Thank You!
Thanks Jackson, I do appreciate it. Your drone videos certainly helped to liven it up and show off those great locations.
Part 2 should go up tomorrow at some point.
Christian you do a great job at this. I hope you found time to get some rest. This wasn`t a vacation it was a trip. :)
Thank you so much Kenny, I really do appreciate it.
You hit the nail on the head, that trip was certainly no vacation.
Have a great day.
Excellent video! You did a great job covering everything. I've been through the area a few times on the New River train excursion, but never on the Cardinal. Hopefully, I will someday.
Thank for the kind words Cathy, I certainly do appreciate them.
I hope you do take the Cardinal.
As long as you have the time, I think you would enjoy it.
Glad to see your in front of the camera! keep up the great videos
Thank you so much. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video.
Part 2 should be up tomorrow at some point.
We ride Amtrak for fun. It is the trip. I'm in no rush. It teaches me to be patient.
A very entertaining and informative video! I wouldn't say the Cardinal is top of my bucket list for train trips, but it definitely is in there. A shame that such a beautiful station should only get to serve one train; here in Memphis, Central Station, although recently renovated and quite nice, is not comparable (certainly not in size), and we also only have one train, the City of New Orleans, north and southbound. I actually liked the nighttime views of Cincy as you pulled out, but granted, most scenery is best appreciated in daylight. Currently re-reading David McCullogh's The Great Bridge, so it was very cool to get a look at Roebling's earlier work. Drone footage was great, first train video I've watched that incorporated overhead shots and it really (literally!) added another dimension! I'm with you regarding how cool the sound of that horn is. Thanks for sharing this phase of your journey!
Looking maybe for a fall foliage trip
Chicago-NY-Chicago fall 10/23. Cardinal train holds possibilities though Viewliner cars not as good for viewing as Supetliners.
Great video man, keep up the good work!
Thank you very much, I do appreciate it.
I have part 2 going up later today.
It was cool you had some time in Huntington to break out the drone. This was my fist train trip, with my mom, in 1984.
It was pretty cool. I wish I had taken a little time to get some video. Huntington seems like a cool place. I plan to head back and focus more on the rebuild shops..
Great video very informative nice scenery
Great video. A few years ago I took the the Cardinal east to Chicago from Charlottesville, VA to Chicago. It was a great ride except outside Cincinnati a CSX freight train stall. One of its one of it two engines broke down. Therefore we were delayed by about 5 hours getting into Chicago! Not caused by AMTRAK
Thank you very much Deane, I do appreciate it.
That had to be pretty frustrating.
Hopefully, you were able to sleep while you waited.
And at least you still got to see the prettiest part of the trip in daylight.
This is typical and the norm when sharing with freight. There is a 20-25% chance of Amtrak arriving late. In America it is not a tiimely arrival via Amtrak that matters at all. It is enjoying the excrucatingly slow and rough journey and savoring the ambiance.
it is a fact that amtrak shares the tracks with csx so one should expect the delays. it is not for folks in a rush. its a somewhat laid back experience for one who is writing, working remotely, relaxing, de stressing, watching downloaded movies, hanging out with friends, meeting new travel buddies, using the internet where available etc..on a way to some travel destination. being allowed to get off at certain stops for fresh air breaks or smoking is a bonus. all in all, it is not for the 21st century rush, manic or chronically, bored crowd.
That's a pretty spot-on take for Amtrak outside the Northeast Corridor.
If you have the time and don't mind, it is a very pleasant way to travel.
That is why so very few outside of the NEC will ever use choo-choo Amtrak. Brightline is the only viable alternative.
The river in WV is pronounced Ka-naw. The A at the end is silent. It threw me for a loop too....
Thanks for the correction Ethan. I do appreciate it.
Several of these WV names threw me for a loop.
don't kmow about a second train, but this one needs to go daily!
My late father in law used to ride from Xenia to Union station, watch the Reds and back to Xenia
Enjoy all your videos!
Thanks Rob, I do appreciate that.
Great
I've done the 51 Cardinal from DC to Cincinnati. The tracks in that everyone hates on didn't mean me no nevermind. I flat out enjoyed it. As far as Thurmond goes, my plan is spend a night or two there, I think that would be a great time!
Thurmond was definitely one of the coolest spots.
That sounds like a great plan! Lots to explore in the area and the railfanning looks pretty great too.
@@nkyrailfan For sure!
You sound like the 2% who are happy accepting crap transportation.
@@davidjackson7281 If you we're military you're ok with any transportation
@@joeybarrow2934 I am sorry Mr. Barrow. I have no idea what point you may be trying to communicate by your 'clear as mud' comment.
One 'great' thing about this video that is not a part of many of the other 'train trip videos is the commentator's speech instead of just descriptive words and phrases on the screen. JMS
Thanks, John. I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed the videos.
They were a lot of fun to make and I hope to do more Amtrak trips in the future.
I hope you have a great day!
A blind lady from my ham radio club is taking Amtrak for the first time from Cincinnati to Staunton VA. I am traveling with her to help her with her mobility issues and I figure I can take her service dog out for her potty breaks. I am continuing on to DC. And returning to Cincy on the next train back. (my friend will be driven back by her relatives she is visiting). I of course will have my 2 meter HT with me so i can listen to the train crew and dispatchers and equipment detectors.
I hope you have a great trip!
Hopefully, the weather is clear and you get to enjoy the scenery.
Please report back and let me know what you thought.
@@nkyrailfan I just watched part II. Good video. I should tell you about my last grand Amtrak adventure. It went horribly wrong . Just out of curiosity, what radio were you using. A scanner, or a 2 meter ham radio?
@@georgegardei8074 I use a cheap radio.
You should definitely have better reception than I did.
I picked up the conductor repeating the calls much more clearly than the engineer.
@@georgegardei8074 Horribly wrong. That's impossible.
Everyone in coach loves the passenger pets. Never a problem or accident. All pet owners are most responsible and without fail always considerate of fellow passengers. Amtrak sure knows how to have policies that encourage higher and more satisfied ridership.
Nice First Half of the Video!
Thanks George, I do appreciate it.
The video featuring your footage should be up tomorrow.
Nice video. What drone do use to film your footage?
Thank you. For this video I was using the DJI Mini 2. A great drone and super quick to set up, as I only had a few minutes to get the video. If you watch any of my more recent videos though, I have upgraded to a DJI Mavic 3.
very nice
The former NS engines are SD9043MAC's that were rebuilt to SD70ACU's a couple years ago. NS sold them due to having major electrical issues. Progress Rail which owns them may solve out the issue and sell them to Canadian Pacific or some other railroad. As of now they are parts locomotives and the future very well could be the cutting torch
Thank you very much for the detailed information. I do appreciate it.
Also, the video featuring your footage should go up at some point tomorrow.
Thanks again for letting me use it.
Love it!
Thanks AJ, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Part 2 should be up tomorrow at some point.
really great video - so informative and high quality footage. How did you get audio of the radio chatter?
Thanks Campbell, I really do appreciate that.
I have a portable scanner that is able to pick up the radio chatter.
The one I use was about $60.
Have a great rest of your day.
Quick trivia point: The Cardinal is the successor train to the C&O's "George Washington" of yester-year....
Enjoyable video. Were you in a Viewliner 1 or a Viewliner 2? I could not tell from the video, as there was not an interior shot of your roomette. We’ll be on the Cardinal in 10 days. Thanks!
It was a viewliner 2.
No toilet in the car and a few slight upgrades.
The car was nice and clean and overall quiet, except for a few spots.
I would recommend bringing a power adapter to get a few extra outlets.
I only found two outlets.
Where are you departing from and heading to?
I hope you enjoy the trip and would certainly appreciate your thoughts afterwards.
@@nkyrailfan Thank you. We depart from Ashland, bound for New York City, and then on the Vermonter to St. Albans, Vermont. This is a sightseeing trip, and we hope for colorful foliage in Vermont.
That sounds like a wonderful trip. I was just talking about the Vermonter and seeing the fall foliage with it. I made the drive up between Boston and White River junction last fall. It was some of the most beautiful scenery and colors I've seen. I hope you have a great trip!
The water dump is from it sloshing in the tank. It’s just drinking water
Thank you. I figured as much.
i wish they didnt cover over the windows of those historic shops
👍
And another "great" plus to your video, is the added videos of another person! JMS
Too bad the food is still flexible aka microwave dining as compared to the wests traditional
I really just wanted to learn more about the train trip, but I got an earful of a little too much train nerd stuff
If there is not enough frequency and if the average speed does not approach 80 mph then anything else will be a pointless failure.
To save time and alleviate boredom: Train finally leaves at 8:58. Daylight passenger experience starts at 16:34. And keep your damn radio off when you are shooting. Nobody but you cares.
Is it worth it you ask? Heeeell no it’s not, will never give Amtrak another thought the ready of my life