Amtrak to Canada! Business Class on Maple Leaf - New York to Toronto
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- Hello and welcome to New York’s Penn Station!
Today we’re heading to Canada, riding north to Toronto on Amtrak’s Maple Leaf.
Trip Information
Train: Amtrak Maple Leaf 63/VIA Train 98
Locomotive: GE P32AC-DM 703 (NYP-ALB), GE P42DC 92 (ALB-TOR)
Consist: 1x Amfleet 2 Coach, 3x Amfleet 1 Coaches, 1 Amfleet 1 Business/Cafe Car
Departure Time: 7:15 am
Arrival Time: 7:43 pm
Journey Time: 12 hr 23 min
Ticket Price: $169.00
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed!
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First Class:
Jonas Jonson
Caleb
Joshua Bedel
Eli Taubman
Devin Clancy
Arlington Public Transit
Cameron Buongiorno
Sol Miranda Weiner
Wayno Guerrini
Zukesers
Alexander Aznavoorian
Business Class:
James Schock
TheGeoPolitical
Jason D.
Lucas
Coach Class:
Marlo Fairhurst
Arthur Sievers
Stephen Keever
Sam Jennings
Michael Cronin
Claudio Bickle
MattySlav
Michelle Gruben
Jesse Becker
Ellen Falls
AcelaRailfan2150
Patrick Le Floch
Chapters
0:00 Hello and Welcome to New York's Penn Station!
0:14 New York's Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall
0:47 The Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan
2:20 International Amtrak Travel
2:45 Boarding the Maple Leaf
3:22 Our Route to Toronto
4:15 Departing New York
4:41 The Hudson River
5:04 The Tappan Zee Bridge
5:39 Croton-Harmon Station
6:03 Business Class on the Maple Leaf
7:57 Premium Travel for Relatively Cheap
8:29 A Race with CSX
9:02 The Cafe Car
9:24 West Point Military Academy
9:41 The "Valley" of Hudson River Valley
9:55 Rear Views up the Hudson
10:21 Sunlight!
10:41 Our First Run at 110mph
11:00 Albany Locomotive Swap
13:17 Re-Board and Departure
13:41 Private Rail Cars
14:09 Over the Hudson via the Broadway Bridge
14:45 Back to 110!
15:26 A Brief Stop in Schenectady
16:00 Subscribe! And Check Out the Patreon!
16:25 Back to 79 Along the Erie Canal
16:44 The LSL with an Empire Service?
17:02 Syracuse Smoke Stop
17:19 Lunch Time
17:40 Canadian Declaration Card
17:58 Onboard Wifi
18:14 Rochester, NY
18:39 Freight Delays...
19:21 Buffalo Exchange Street
19:55 Canada's So Close!
20:12 Crossing into Canada
21:27 Customs and Border Patrol Process
22:29 The Maple Leaf on Canadian Soil
23:30 VIA Rail Niagara Falls
23:44 VIA Staff and A Safety Briefing?
24:09 St. Catharines
24:34 Canadian Flag Slaute
24:45 Lake Ontario and Hamilton Harbor
25:12 Aldershot Station and GO Transit
25:30 VIA and GO's Toronto Maintenance Facility
25:59 Beginnings of the Toronto Skyline
26:10 CN Tower and Arrival at Union Station
27:03 One Final Look at the Maple Leaf
27:12 Next Week: KLM Zanzibar to Amsterdam on a 777-200
27:34 Subscribe! And a HUGE Thank You to my Patrons and Members!
27:57 Thanks for Watching!
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Note: I realized that I made an incorrect statement at 5:21 when I said the Tappan Zee bridge connects New York and New Jersey. This is in fact not correct, as the bridge connects Tarrytown, NY and Nyack, NY. I apologize for this inaccuracy.
Excellent video. Yet your emphatic statement that the bridge is named the Tappan Zee requires correction. The New York State Thruway authority replaced the nearly 60 year old Tappan Zee Bridge with the "New New York Bridge" project later named the Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge at a cost of $4.979 billion dollars. The bridge was named after Mario Cuomo by an act of the legislature of the state of New York signed by the governor on June 29, 2017. All signs leading up to the bridge approaches have been changed. The replacement New New York Bridge aka Mario Cuomo Bridge was erected and commissioned the original bridge was completely torn down (see NY Times article below). The consortium building the bridge was called Tappan Zee Constructors but that had no bearing on the final name. Your viewers are sentimental. Sentiments do not change the FACT that the new bridge is named after the former and much beloved New York Governor. Please reference the following US DOT Federal Highway Administration data on the project: www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/ny_governor_cuomo_bridge.aspx Also please see the NY Times article clearly depicting the OLD and NEW bridges side by side: www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/nyregion/tappan-zee-bridge-opening.html
@@raybiancoNo New Yorker worth their salt call the bridge the Mario Cuomo bridge. The Cuomo Crime family and New York no longer have a relationship and anyone worth their salt would know this. So STFU, the man is correct. It is the Tappan Zee Bridge, and nobody is going to call it anything else regardless of what the signs say and how much you whine about being correct thanks to Andrew and Chris Cuomo and their direct actions in misleading New Yorkers and the people of the state of New York, both resigning in absolutely disgraceful conditions. Get off the phallus you’re riding and let the man be correct.
@raybianco Welp, do your best to convince lifelong NY'ers to not call it the "[New] Tappan Zee Bridge". I'm sure it would be an excellent use of your time.
@@raybianconah it has been and always will be the tapanzee, naming a multi billion dollar project after your family is super lame
The Mario Cuomo bridge is just about 10 miles from the NJ state line so it's an easy mistake to make. It's an odd geography in that region where that part of NJ is North of New York City but South of New York State.
I’m so grateful that services to both Toronto and Montreal have been restored from the U.S.
As am I.
are both trips day trips?
@scrambaba yes
I'm taking the Adirondack next May, so excited! From New York to Montreal
Then I'll be taking a VIA train over to Toronto. For a couple of days before I head to Vancouver on onboard the Canadian
@@NickP16, that's great to hear, and also mgreat to see somebody with a *_POSITIVE_* attitude about travelling on Amtrak; have a great trip.
5:30 Thank you to referring to it as the Tappen Zee but it connects Westchester and Rockland Counties in NY. You’d have to connect to the GSP from the Palisades to reach NJ
The reason that Empire Service was being pulled by the Lake Shore Limited is likely because it broke down on the way. Occasionally you will see this on the Empire Corridor in New York when one Empire Service train breaks down it will be picked up by another train.
Rough timestamp 16:55 .
I see you everywhere
@@mxderate I comment a lot
@@yeahman70 Yeah I can tell. I see you on a lot of SCR vids
The tracks at Niagara Falls (Canada) station are maintained by CN but the only track users are GO Transit and Via Rail. So CN only does the bare minimum maintenance, resulting in overgrown tracks with a 10 mph (16 km/h) speed limit. The international bridge is jointly owned by VIA Rail and Amtrak.
Rough timestamp 23:12 .
@@ScottRothsroth0616 Thanks!
CN doesn't even use that section of track either: all freight is diverted about a kilometre west of there. No wonder they don't both with the weeds 😬
The Palisades are a sight to see! The basalt cliffs are the margin of a diabase sill, formed about 200 million years ago at the close of the Triassic period! This was formed by the intrusion of molten magma upward into sandstone. The molten magma then cooled and solidified before reaching the surface. Water erosion of the softer sandstone left behind the columnar structure of harder rock that exists today as the Hudson Palisades! And wouldn't you believe at one point in time, streetcars were able to tackle these cliffs to serve the people who lived on top? The North Hudson County Railway in NJ used everything from an elevated trestle, funicular wagon lifts, and an elevator! Tackling the cliffs this way was an engineering feat, especially for the time.
Other facts for the things you saw along the way: Every day at West Point, a staff of over 200 people cooks and serves more than 13,000 meals for the 4,400 Army cadets attending the school! Schenectady is notable for being the former headquarters of General Electric and the American Locomotive Company, which is why its motto is "The city that lights and hauls the world". The current Toronto Union Station is its third iteration as the first one opened in 1858, replaced in 1873, and the third opened in 1927. It was designed by Ross and Macdonald who also worked on Ottawa's Château Laurier.
Wow all the things you know great leader
I'm taking the Maple Leaf to Niagara Falls Ontario in just under two weeks. Really looking forward to the ride.
Well it has to go through Niagara Falls of course
I rode the Maple Leaf in October 2017 way before the Pandemic. It was a very enjoyable and very relaxing train ride to Toronto. It was my first time going to Canada by train. Going through customs in both countries was straight forward but It took much longer with the US Customs on the trip back. The only difference was that I was in coach but it was a pretty quiet ride. I'll ride it again on my next trip to Canada.
US Customs are much more diligent at inspections; suspecting anyone youngish at trying to smuggle "funny weed" , legal to buy in Canada, into the US. Unfortunately, there is a different attitude towards cross-border train (and bus) travellers: If you're not rich enough to own a private car to drive across, or have a credit card to buy an airline ticket, then you must be up to no good.
No true. I'm a Brit and I can say Canadians are just better organised and use their resources more diligently. I was questioned more by Canadian customs than US customs and I'm a British citizen. Whenever I'm going through US customs, half the staff is not there and American citizens wait for as long as foreigners.
The police agent even apologized and said US Brits should have a dedicated line with the Canadians.
I rode the Maple Leaf in August of 2000. The ride was also enjoyable. The one thing that was different back then when it came to Customs we didn't have to leave the train. But times have changed from 2000 to now.
Back in 1987 the Maple Leaf went across and stopped on the Canadian side. Everyone on the train had to get off and take shuttle buses to get to Toronto because there was a rail strike going on.
Great video and Moynihan Train Hall is beautiful. Next time I visit New York City I will take the plane out but return to Toronto on the Amtrak train. I saw the schedule the train leaves New York 7:15 AM in the morning and arrives Toronto 7:43 PM in the evening. Coach is $134 and Business is $169.
Hopefully you'll go for a trip on VIA's 'The Canadian' to give some of those "old Budd sleepers" a try ;)
Modern infrastructure mats are used under the gravel to make plant growth impossible by impeding sunlight and photosynthesis , the station hasn’t been modernised it seems ✌️❤️🇬🇧
WOW! What a difference a quarter of century makes about customs inspection makes! When my wife and I went to Toronto, we stayed in the car while the customs agents went through the cars. They removed some passengers though.
Tappan Zee Bridge doe not go from NY to NJ. It crosses the hudson from Westchester County NY to Rockland County NY.
Glad you featured West Point as one of the landmarks on your trip. My grandfather attended and graduated there before joining the army as a Calvary scout officer during the era of world war 2. Before I joined the railroading field, he told me of how he used to ride the original New York Central on the line I work on, as his main way getting to and from the Academy, before they soon sent him out elsewhere on the PRR
I see this train pass over Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines daily from my house, just 3 minutes from the stattion. Thanks for this! :)
The Moynihan Train Hall is absolutely a work of art. The James A. Farley Building was designed by McKim, Mead & White alongside the original Penn Station, so I'm glad they decided to take advantage of the beautiful space and balances old with the new. The hall is named after Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the US senator who had originally championed the plan, so naming it after him was a nice tribute. I especially love that the Metropolitan Lounge has a balcony, so you can snack on the free goodies while taking in the train hall. I also like the cool headhouse clock and the breakdancing stained-glass artwork Go inspired by the 18th century ceiling frescoes of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and honors breakdancing's roots in NYC.
I'm glad you referred to the bridge as the Tappan Zee Bridge. The name honors the heritage of the area. Tappan Zee is also the name of the geographic feature itself, so no matter the name of the bridge, you're still going over the Tappan Zee! Tappan comes from the Tappan tribe of the Lenni Lenape, while the Zee part is Dutch for sea, referring to the fact Henry Hudson thought this widening of the river was the beginning of the Northwest Passage. Also, the western side of the bridge isn't NJ (though it is close to the border) but rather Rockland County which is still NY. There is a pretty big mall in Rockland called Palisades Center with an indoor Ferris wheel, climbing course, ice rink, and a double-decker carousel.
Yeah, IKR? It's not like anyone called the old bridge the "Governor Malcolm Wilson bridge". While I understand Mario Cuomo is a distinct person from his son, I still feel sleazy calling it the "Cuomo bridge" or something along the lines.
The exact same sentiment is why I make an effort to call the RFK bridge the Triboro Bridge.
@trains-and-planes I'm very much aware, I lived in Westchester as a kid. I said Rockland as in the county. West Nyack is in Rockland County!
So a couple items to note for you. The station in Niagara falls proper is owned by Via, tracks by CN. The lack of care for weeds is the same for most rail lines in Canada that only see a few trains. The Canadian government has limited the amount of pesticides and herbicides that can be used, so that is one reason why. The Budd cars and Blue Sleeper (Edmunston) are owned as part of thw Via Historical Society, and LRC engine is owned by the TRHA (soon to be going to VHA) at Mimico.
Taken the Maple Leaf the whole way north twice now - both times there was at least one Amfleet 2 on the consist. Last time I headed north, I booked business between the border and Toronto since it was only a dollar extra, and quite honestly I liked the Amfleet 2 coach seats better than the Business/cafe seats.
Also, odd you got a sniffer dog check, that didn’t happen to me either time!
Talk about timing. I was about to book tickets for this. Issue is I didn't realize Amtrak asks for your passport number while booking which sucks when it's still being mailed to you. That put a pin in some planning for my friend.
5:21 the tappan zee bridge goes between new york and new york
I use to live there in Tarrytown just across the bridge .
13:53 i actually saw both NP domes and NYC car on the rear of the Coast Starlight at one point
I totally agree with your assessment on the leg rests beeing completely useless for people 6ft plus.
If you're taking the Maple Leaf into Canada pack light as you have to take everything with you when you reach the border. I've seen people board with several heavy suitcases and get stuck when that happens
I've done it with two medium-size suitcases, a tote bag and a full laptop backpack :) (I travel to conventions and often have art supplies with me). What I do is my (non-spinner) suitcases are hitched together double-trailer style with a pair of short bungee cords which I can hook up and unhook in a matter of seconds once I reach the door. I've practiced this maneuver many times going through a very similar procedure crossing into Canada via Greyhound at St.-Bernard-de-Lacolle/Autoroute 15 (although with Greyhound, the driver pulls your luggage out of the cargo compartment upon arrival there--you stow your own stuff back in there once customs is done with everyone. Returning to the US, Customs agents do this at both ends).
It's nice being able to skillfully maneuver my "baggage train" with one hand, while others with twin spinners sometimes struggle to keep them both under control :) Never seen anyone else use my tactic, and I've made trips like this long enough to have renewed my passport once already.
My first crossing via this train went off without a hitch, save for a momentary lapse of awareness regarding where to gather once I cleared Customs, since there weren't any others immediately in front of me that I could follow.
Great video. I wish you would've got footage of the train skirting around Humber Bay with the Downtown Toronto skyline as a backdrop after Oakville.
Careful, the Tappan Zee Bridge connects Tarrytown, New York and Nyack, New York.
I still don’t know why Toronto doesn’t have any snacks in the business lounge. Every time I go to Toronto’s union station I always forget they only have beverages
Oops, the Tappen Zee bridge is between Westchester and Rockland Counties in NY, not New Jersey.
It’s great to see some Canadian content on the channel. I must be flagged in the via system for being given the door briefing since I seem to always be seated at the door and get the briefing.
Wonderful video work and editing, great narration, informative too!
Great over all!!!
The Moynihan Train Hall really puts Union Station to shame even though it too has been renovated pretty extensively in the last few years. Beautiful.
Excellent video coverage with so many great shots! When I took this trip in 1999, the boarder agents just went through the train quickly interviewing the passengers where they sat. Nobody had to leave the train except for a passenger who had a gun ,who did not continue into Canada.
I’ve done this trip in reverse, on a lovely sunny autumn day when the foliage was near peak. Highly recommended, especially in business class
Looks like an enjoyable trip. Appreciate your attention to detail and production values. 🙌
I only took the Maple Leaf once about 12 years ago. I took coach. I've always said when I ride it again Business Class would be worth the upgrade.
The last time I rode the Maple Leaf from New York City to Toronto, customs officers (entering both the U.S. and Canada) came on board and questioned passengers at their seats. Now, as stated in the video, passengers have to get off at Niagara Falls (NY or Ontario), go through customs and re-board.
Anyway, on that journey, I was in business class in the cafe car. Me and my fellow passengers waited patiently for Canada Customs to clear us. After a few hours, the train started moving and resumed its journey.
The officers on duty were obviously not aware that passengers were seated in the cafe car. And since they didn't feel it necessary to check that car, we all got across the border un-inspected. Which was just fine with me, given my previous dealings with Canada Customs.
As a Canadian, yeah they suck.
Wonderful business class maple leaf review new like wonderful video
Calling it the Tappen Zee earned my sub!!!
Highly recommended, especially in business class..
There is a proposed route from Chicago to Toronto via Detroit, which should be fairly interesting. Serving London, Kitchener, and Windsor, ON, as well as various small towns before being concurrent with the Maple Leaf route and terminating at Toronto Union Station.
Will it go thru kitchener and/or galt/Cambridge
@@railfandepotproductions I think Kitchener
There actually was a Toronto to Chicago train, but the onerous border requirements from U.S. customs post-9/11 nixed that train for (it seems) good.
The original International was undoubtedly Amtrak's most unique train.
On any given day, it may have been an all-Via Tempo or LRC consist, a Horizon, Amfleet or Superliner consist, or even a combination of the two. On one of my journeys, the loco was Via, and had Superliner AND LRC cars. Often you would see a Via engine pulling an Amtrak consist.
The LRCs were Via cars, but were restricted to The International because they were incompatible with the rest of the Via LRC fleet. These cars were originally owned by Amtrak.
The food service car often had Via and Amtrak staff working side-by-side.
The International truly lived up to its name.
I rode a version of that train back in the 1980s. Train travel was much simpler back then and the border was easy to cross by train.
Many years ago I spent a New Years Eve on the NY to Montreal train. What a great time we had, everyone on board was sharing snacks and buying each other drinks. Somewhere I have a snapshot of my friend and I kissing an elderly Porter on the cheek when midnight hit. Now that I think about it he was probably my age now. Lol
thanks for covering! I live next to Union station and I've been thinking about the trip for a while now. Looks like I should give it a try
I waved to myself as your train passed my home! Lol
Another excellent video. Your video scene choices, your speaking voice, and the information you provide with your voiceovers are superb. I won't be taking this train anytime soon since I live in California, but at least I got to see some of the sights of the train through your video. I definitely consider the 28 minutes 14 seconds that I spent watching your video to be time well spent. One question: Your channel name is "Lonestar Trip Reports". Does "Lonestar" refer to the state of Texas or the fact that you are the lone star making the videos? Have a great weekend.
Very interesting. I would love to visit Toronto again. Such a long ride though. If there were sleeper cars on this train I would make the trip.
You can sleep in those seats; I know that I could.
You were lucky your delay was only ~35 minutes, mine was over 4 hours after a freight train derailed east of Buffalo. I also found the ride very rickety, my single business class seat kept jerking back and forth, and the tray table sloped forward. It looks like your car was in better shape. Are the non-alcoholic beverages unlimited? I knew the free drink policy only applied in the US, but I read somewhere you only got one free drink per passenger, so I didn't bother, as I'd packed snacks and seltzer.
Unlimited non-alcoholic bevs in the U.S. portion of the Maple Leaf. However, it wouldn't surprise me if café car attendants begin to look sideways at a business-class passenger overdoing it. After all, the café car attendant is keeping track of bc passengers' unlimited non-alcoholic drinks.
Like you, I bring along snacks, bottled water and water in a thermos and sometimes bottled iced tea, so I'm covered in case what happened in late May on the northbound Maple Leaf occurs again. Here's what happened: In the morning, the café car attendant announced (and rather indifferently) that only cash could be accepted. (Here's a tip I recommend to all passengers on all Amtrak trains: Bring cash *and* cards.) That was horrible because there were many coach-class passengers who wanted beverages but couldn't buy them. Those of us in business class were able to receive complimentary non-alcoholic bevs. ... Several hours later, the point of sale machine completely broke down -- so passengers who hadn't packed snacks and/or a meal or several, had *nothing* to eat. Although I'd packed one large bag of snacks -- for enjoying in the hotel room, like the bottled iced tea -- I would've sorely missed having a meal. This time around, thankfully, I had gone to the café car when it first opened and, because I carry cash (not only cards), I had a delicious, filling meal. Let's see: a grilled cheese sandwich, mac 'n cheese and a brownie that I had purchased at a coffee kiosk inside Moynihan Train Hall. Of course, it also helped a great deal to have selected a business-class ticket (only two weeks prior, I'd switched my coach ticket and paid the additional amount for bc), which allowed me to obtain complimentary coffee, orange juice and a can of ginger ale with a cup of ice. The cup of ice enabled me to extend the orange juice and ginger ale.
The Maple Leaf route is far too long for passengers not to prepare themselves by packing snacks and/or a meal or two. I also recommend investing in a thermal tote or thermal bag -- and a small cooler for cold sandwiches and cold non-alcohlolic drinks.
For my late-May trip, I was traveling to Niagara Falls, ON, but that was lengthy at nearly 10 hours due to freight traffic. However, I've traveled previously from NYC to Toronto, and the trip took nearly 14 hours! I don't fly, dislike LD buses and I'm a non-driver, so the only way I'd visit Toronto again is after staying in Montréal. That way, I could enjoy VIA Rail Canada to TO & back to MTL. The U.S. Customs procedure, while significant and professionally handled, can take incredibly long and you have to schlep your luggage off the train and through the Customs building -- as another commenter mentioned -- so I only take the Maple Leaf for brief trips to Niagara Falls, ON, where I have only a weekend bag or a small wheeled upright in tow -- besides a lightweight tote or small backpack. Now that the Adirondack is back in action, I expect to visit Toronto in warm/cool weather next year. Too late for this fall, as I prefer to book the MTL-TO r/t tix six months in advance and the Adirondack r/t tix nine to 11 months in advance.
Safe travels!🛤🚇 And again, bring enough cash, not only credit cards and debit cards.🤑
The CSX tracks on the west side of the Hudson used to be NY Central's West Shore RR than ran from Weehawken to Buffalo (& points west). Last trains ran around 1959.
Enjoyable as usual. Your explanations are complete and enthusiastic! I rode the Maple Leaf, in reverse (Toronto to Buffalo after deboarding The Canadian) prior to COVID. Also traveled Business Class and enjoyed it. The Customs check when entering the U S was long enough that a fellow passenger and I walked into Niagara Falls and had breakfast!
Thank you for an awesome video! Love your channel!
Thanks for the wonderful video ,,, Will be riding the Maple Leaf this winter ,, from Toronto
I can assure you that most VIA Rail stations outside of major cities are not maintain as you would expect. There are some stations that do not have any attendants on duty. VIA Rail is nice but when compared to most other passenger rail operators around the world, they are definitely below average and underfunded. I think the overgrown weeds you see are a perfect examples of what I mean.
VIA doesn't own the trackage at Niagara Falls. CN owns it. There are also a few GO Transit commuter trains during tourist season.
Amazing railway journey between two great countries USA and Canada, wonderful and absolutely markable memories, indeed.
You have an extremely awesome radio voice kind sir! Great video as well!
Very cool video. I work for GO Transit and see the Maple Leaf train almost daily. This was educational for sure. Good work.
Hello and welcome! 🚂
I enjoy your videos and narration but as a Canadian Railfan I regret to inform you that they are not 'HP2 Coaches'. They are 'HEP2' coaches, Head End Power 2, and it's pronounced as 'Hep Two' , not as three individual letters and then a number. :)
Interesting thing was that in the "old days" (maybe 60 or even more years ago) many passenger railway cars in the US and perhaps even Canada, had their own individual names, like ocean ships do.
Class 6 ....oooohhhhh...that's a great class.
I saw sister unit 93 at Niagara Falls station going to Toronto on my Niagara Falls trip this summer
Quiet =? “Chill?” (Both Union Stations I’ve been in, Portland and LA, were chill enough to work for me.)
I didn’t know Amtrak had train goes to Toronto, ON after watching this video I truly enjoy it! 😊
There's also one to Montreal! I haven't ridden it yet, as my train was canceled last summer, but I definitely want to make a video on it.
This lounge is awesome by any standard and free to boot!
Fantastic video!!!
Looks like a beautiful trip.
Too bad we couldn't see the scenery around just the ass end of a train.
I took this train back in 2019. It's one of the most memorable trips I've ever taken. Back then we weren't asked to leave our stuff by the wall while clearing customs in Canada. I was in Business Class and happened to sit by the emergency exit window, so one of the conductors gave me a safety briefing on how to open the exit, etc. On my return trip, the same conductor recognized me and picked me as the "designated" passenger.
It was a fun trip nonetheless, I'd say on-par with the LSE to Chicago in a roomette in the sleeper car.
I've never been to NYC but I would love to go someday and since I'm afraid of flying I would like to take the train from Toronto great video
I’m going on this trip in June, I’m terribly exited to get to see the genisis units a few more times..
Yea good trip video on this Amtrak maple leaf and yea I saw and cotton that lake shore limited too with hertige Empire Service 710 train being towed for a pacific reason
I Hurd that limited can also rescue other amtrak train that are having engine trouble or broken down I’m not sure if 710 had that kind of trouble but it reminds me of I Hurd the limited also had to rescue amtrak 703 Empire Service recently
Bravo: Tappan Zee Bridge!
Thank you!
Great video really enjoyed it I'll be coming to the USA in the near future and maybe a visit to Canada I'm a little concerned about my medication as I do suffer from epilepsy. From UK
I've been thinking about this trip...Train from Toronto to NYC, train NYC to DC, then fly back into Toronto.
20:07 wow I can see Fort Erie Ontario I'll have to keep my eye out for the train when it goes by I'll wave
Hearing LRC brought back memories of my working career that started at MLW in Montreal, eventually ending with GE transpirtation. I was involved in the LRC program. Sadly not the best.
I think you should document every single locomotive you have spotted. I think you might be surprised what units you have.
The Chicago metropolitan lounge is the only lounge that have showers to let you know.
I am new here. Very well done...john
If you get a chance, the station in Utica is gorgeous, with one of a small handful (I think I have heard 2?) barbershops in train stations in the US. Also an excellent sit-down restaurant (which is open for lunch 5 days a week [M-F] and dinner 3 days a week [Th - Sat])
23:14 Hey there! Heres some local insite! So Niagara Falls and St Catharines VIA/GO are not owned by VIA Rail or GO Transit but Niagara Region or the respective cities, not sure which but its one of the two, Currently the plan is to significantly improve both stations in the newr future to accommodate more passengers along side the arrival of better GO train service from Toronto. That could be a reason that its being left like that.
P.S Thank you for pronouncing Toronto correctly
I'd love to ride just the Canadian leg as I'm not interested in the lower 48, but would love to explore Alaska by train and car!
It's actually the Mohawk River that you were riding along after you left Schenectady.
(the AMTRAK train runs along the opposite side from where the canal use to be)
Granted parts of the river were once interconnected with the Erie Canal, but very little of the canal actually still exists. (I'm a lifetime Schenectady resident)
Once the numerous locks were created along the river, the canal became superfluous.
(as well as the building of the rail)
Most of the canal running west has been long filled in and is now used as bike paths.
Sad how slow Amtrak is... so many delays and waits for freight trains. 1 hour and ten min to go 79 miles.... sad. I remember being at the Falls in 1997 and seeing the long freight trains snake through the tourist area, it was so cool!
@26:32 - you are about to pass by the location of the old Union Station. In fact, Station St. is just south of Front St. east off of Simcoe St.
Also, it sounds strange hearing the LIRR commuter trains using the higher number platforms at Moynihan Station, since our GO Train commuter trains use the lower (re: more northern) platforms at Union Station. (I live near the first station past Union on the Lakeshore East line, so I often use it to get to or from downtown quicker.)
I rode the Maple Leaf in October and found it quite uncomfortable. It felt like it took an eternity. The most time consuming part was across the border to canada. That was quite a bigger thing than getting through the Iron Curtain to East Germany back then.
Interesting to see you had to exit the train at the border. When I rode to Montreal on the Adirondack the border patrol agents came on board and interviewed us in our seats.
Interesting. That definitely would have been a better experience. I plan on taking the Adirondack in the future, so I'm curious to see if they still do that.
At the boarder stop you mentioned weeds along tracks. Those are wild flowers I thought it represented Canadas wilderness.
I thought that maybe the overgrown grass and weeds was part of Canada's war on chemicals to kill grass and weeds. You see that on many Canadian lines and in Europe in some countries where weed spraying is banded. I could be wrong, but weed covered tracks doesn't give you any comfort that the tracks are safe.
Were the Jays or Argo's in town when you were there?..
GO STAMPS!!!
How do you make your maps showing your route? Is there a program you use? I love them on your videos, they are phenomenal!!
They did a great job with Moynihan Train Hall! SO much better than the old Penn Station and much better than South Station here in Boston.
my name is George Goekler I’m a RailRoad fan and a Operation Lifesaver Volunteer it about Railroad Safety and Amtrak is the best Passenger Service
Fantastic information. I am booked from NYC to Toronto in July 2024 in Business Class. With your experience traveling on the maple leaf express, are you able to select your seats on the train in advance or will it be assign to you when you check-in for your trip.
Great video. Difficult to understand why the significant delays.
EXCELLENT A + Very Detailed Great Narrative On The trip.
UTA FrontRunner!
Sorry if this is a duplicate comment, i couldn't read them all but:
The bridge over the Hudson River just after departure from ALB is not it Broadway Bridge, it is LAB Bridge or Livingston Avenue Bridge.
Very interesting - by the way im a new subscriber -
I have only entered Canada by bus and aircraft.The bus was Boston to Montreal using a company called Vermont Transit although Greyhound sold me the ticket.The other was with Air Canada into Toronto and I saw the CN Tower from above rather than below but I was just changing planes for Mexico City so didn't look around.While Amtrak rolling stock get into Canada I don't think that VIA enter the USA well not in passenger use although I suppose that their empty stock might for maintenance and similar things.Speaking of Mexico I have read that they are improving their passenger service which is cut to the bone and buying second hand British Rail 125 locomotives and coaches and these trains are almost the same as the Australian XPT.Those 125's would allow for cross border runs into the USA and possibly Guatemala although I think that the Guatemalan track might be a different gauge but it's gauge is sort of irrelevant given the state it's in!
The Mexicans should be buying _new_ trains (the Siemens Charger locos and the new passenger cars) instead of old ones.
You could at one time actually trace standard-gauge trackage via Google Maps satellite view almost up to the Mexico-Guatemala border. Despite Wikipedia mentioning the break-of-gauge being rebuilt to standard-gauge in 2019, currently the right-of-way leading up to and through the border town is only barely visible, with its tracks mostly buried and/or encroached upon. Some tracks are visible across the Guatemalan border, but they dead-end within a few blocks after that, with the ROW seemingly erased beyond that point.
It's the Livingston Ave bridge in Albany.
10:28 As well as the New York State Thruway ... the preferred route to travel to Canada. 🤠
No, the Tappan Zee Bridge is New York State on both ends, a few miles north of NJ.