Thank you! I have to say, I wrote those lyrics, like, six months ago when I figured there was no chance you'd actually see it...! Genuinely, though, you and Jeb are the best trip report channels out there.
Jackson has such an infinite reserve of positive energy, he's my favorite guest on your channel for your videos that I've caught up with so far. These are fun!
Slowly working my way through the Boston Diner marathon. Incredible seeing all those old neighborhoods from the street and transit level. @@MilesinTransit
Well, well, well - Paul and Jeb face some serious competition now. I look forward to them frantically reviewing local buses and counting Wawas to get my attention back.
The Mohawk River Valley actually has a crazy colonial history as it was the only navigable waterway that allowed easy travel west of the Appalachian range.
At 10:19 the train was the Adirondack railroad which departs from Utica. They offer both tourist trains as well as actual service to Utica, Old Forge, and (as of last month) Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks.
@@MilesinTransit Not really. There were camcorders but most people didn't have one, and they weren't digital, so even if the internet and computer infrastructure to distribute video had existed it would have been inaccessible. early 2000s is the earliest you saw video circulating online like casey neistat's "ipod's dirty secret" vid, but it didn't really take off until youtube existed, video files were (and sorta still are) big and expensive to host
@@MilesinTransit I mean I was born in 91 so I guess I should say the 2000's but whatever. Keep up the insanity I love it for how real and gritty it is, even if it is cringe sometimes 🤣👍.
Ah yes, Auntie Anne's...no mall experience is complete without getting a whiff of fresh Auntie Anne's. I loved "That was it?!" reaction to the NY welcome sign. Yeah, for a state called the Empire State...we deserve a better sign. We used to have a sign that showed the Statue of Liberty with fireworks to the right, Niagara Falls to the left, and the I
@@quayzar1 That sign got complaints at some point because it was erected by the New York State Thruway Authority and used to say "Welcome to the New York State Thruway" and thus centered around the Thruway's highlights. It wasn't the "Welcome to New York" that is seen on other interstate border crossings.
@@MilesinTransit it would have been an extension of OnTrack, a commuter train that ran from Syracuse University to the DestinyUSA mall via Armory Square station downtown. The train was run from 1994 to 2007, operated by the NYSW. It was supposed to be extended to a station near the CNY Market via the Amtrak station, in an effort to boost ridership, but state funding was dropped after misuse of funds by the freight railroad came to light.
WOW, I need to look into that! There's a surprising amount of forgotten commuter rail systems in America's history...the PATrain and the one in Burlington, VT come to mind too.
If you guys ever get the chance, come to Universal Orlando! I'm one of their bus drivers I'll almost ALWAYS announce my stops in the fashion Frank Oglesby Jr. (The MBTA voice Announcements) so when I arrive at the hotels from City Walk I always go "Entering: [Cabana Bay] no smoking please! Doors will open on the right" and on my last stop knowing everyone is getting off I pick fun by saying "The Destination of this train is:" And name a random T destination in Boston and see how many tourists from Massachusetts actually pick up on it. I always hoped I'd catch you guys on my bus one day! I miss Boston!
Ohio had the chance to get federal funding for train service 3 times a day between Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati about 15 years ago with the American Recovery but turned the money down so they kind of deserve what they get. I now benefit as we got some of the money in MA to improve train service between Springfield and Greenfield. More frequent service between Springfield (and possibly Pittsfield) is in the works. Another reason why I am glad I left Ohio for MA
My wife and I have taken the LSL at least twice but have never ridden on the Boston section. The first time we went from Chicago to New york, the second time from New York to Chicago. Which is going the other way.
I recently moved to northeast Ohio and have looked into this route to visit my family in Boston, but like you mentioned in the video the train comes arrives/departs in the very early morning and is only once a day. Easier for me just to do flights sadly
I’m glad you appreciated the Albany to Schenectady 110mph section! Unlike the New York section, Bostonians only get that brief glimpse of over 79mph speeds. I’ve also noticed it tends to usually only top out at like 103 going west, but late trains going east regularly hit 110.
This really shows that we need a east to west Massachusetts train, I know I've said this before, but I would love a train from Boston to Springfield for six flags, need round trips for that though. Would also love a bus to Canobie lake, but that's not Amtrak's problem. Come on Amtrak make a Boston to Pittsfield train, I'd take a Worcester to Pittsfield train at least.
Took the Lake Shore Limited for the first time last month, from Chicago back to New York - it was quite the experience!! But a good night’s rest is not an option LOL
I was on the Lake Shore 48 from Toledo to New York and it has the baggage car so you can take your bicycle along. The 447 & 448 splits or connects at Albany so no bicycles to or from Boston. I can’t speak of the food, I brought all my own from the local Kroger grocery store before boarding.
Bro, dude, my guy. My brother in transit. Just shell out for a roomette. It's sooooo worth it on the Late Shore Limited. I took it just between Buffalo and Springfield for the Springfield Train Show and it was the best experience. Also, that bridge you pointed out just after Schenectady was not a bridge, it was a dam on the Mohawk River / Erie Canal.
When i took the LSL from Boston it left at 11:55AM. The engines that pulled #449 from Boston are a different type of power so those are the ones that will pull the entire train. #49 from NY gets pulled by a P40DC
Other way around, the LSL's P42's bring the train from Boston to Chicago (hence why there are two engines on such a short train) while the NY-Albany section uses P32AC-DM's for the 3rd rail power in Penn Station.
11:01 Heyy it's my home station! When I was growing up it used to be an awful station but they re-did it a few years ago and now it's really nice. I don't usually see the city from that angle so it's fun that it came up in this video.
I took the LSL from Boston to Rochester NY last month and the Boston to Albany portion was roughhh. If I were to do a similar trip again, especially going all the way to Chicago, I would drive to Albany and board there rather than slogging through the Massachusetts portion. Slow (the average speed can't be more than 35 or 40 mph), bumpy and sometimes delay-prone, once was enough for me.
You and all your friends have great senses of humor. I also really enjoy how much you seem (or pretend) to be interested in things along the journey. One thing I'd be interested in is costs of trips. Keep up the great work!
So this trip (and many of the future Amtrak journeys you'll see with me and Jackson) was paid for with an Amtrak USA Rail Pass that we spent $500 on to travel around the country with! If you book in advance, the trip from Boston to Chicago will run you about $95 in coach or a little under $500 for a room.
As someone who traveled the lakeshore limited several times between rochester and waterloo, im calling bullshit. Theres no way you werent AT LEAST 2 hours late at all times, if not upwards of 10+. Leaking cars scans though
These Amtrak trip reports are a daily reminder for me to actually take a trip on Amtrak sometime... I'm probably the only person I know that's never stepped foot on an Amtrak train
It’s absolutely amazing within the Northeast Corridor and to some extent the surrounding areas as well (places like Roanoke and the Maine). But I personally wouldn’t recommend taking anything that goes longer distances without a roomette.
I think it would be awesome to have an Albany-Boston commuter route. I think they haev the Berkshire Flyer now between Albany and Pittsfield in addition to the Lake Shore Limited.
I’ve slept pretty well on Amfleet II’s when I’ve ridden them overnight…looks like you guys might have missed out on the leg rests (not the footrest on the seat in front of you, but the leg rest that comes up from your own seat. The arcade joystick looking thing on the armrest releases it). My most recent ride on one was just about a month ago though, and over only a 2.5 hour trip, the extra space/recline vs the Amfleet I wasn’t worth rearranging my schedule to make it happen. Plus I forgot the conductor has to manually open each exterior door, which is just weird when you’re at a high platform and annoyed me more than it probably should have.
6:07 Miles what type of Canon camera do you use? I can't quite make out the model. I'm shopping for a new small digital camera that can shoot good video (and has a long battery life).
There's also the Capitol Limited, between Washington DC and Chicago. I'm fairly sure the "Limited" bit is from the 1920s or 1930s, meaning "limited stop", i.e. an express train. Back then, all the routes would have also had local trains stopping at all stations.
I went to Albany on a New England Railway Enthusiasts trip one month after 9/11/2001. It wasn't a bad trip - between Boston and Springfield was quick, but between Springfield and Pittsfield was slower. Albany-Rensslaer station was not bad, but it was before it was rebuilt. Albany itself was not much to write home about (think Boston with a less buses and more buildings).
ETA: I think this was a "farewell to the old Albany-Rensselaer station" trip before it was torn down and the new one was built in its place in the mid 2000's. We got the option of either (a) touring the train yards, (b) going on a lunch cruise on the Hudson, or (c) touring downtown Albany. I took option (c) and I ended up going to the Museum of Science and Industry near downtown. They used school buses to shuttle us everywhere, but the CDTA ran new Orion VI low floors. I wasn't very impressed with Albany, but the scenery on the train back and forth to Boston was phenomenal, especially near the Berkshires. I was also on NERE's Downeaster trip to Portland in 2007. Again, the options were (a) lunch at DeMilos on the Portland waterfront, or (b) Portland on your own. I took option (b) and I took the 5 bus to downtown, walked around Congress St, took the 5 bus to the Maine Mall, and then back to the train station. I liked the Portland trip much better.
I definitely wouldn’t have risked getting out at Albany, I’d have expected it to be off in three minutes. Especially given the ubiquity of automatic couplers in the USA.
@@MilesinTransit I think it can be that quick (maybe five minutes at most) in the UK? Admittedly this is splittinyg a train of two multiple units with mutlifunctional couplers (these carry brake pipes and communications with the basic coupler).
Old Albany bus terminal / beautiful city = sketchy bus terminal, the SUNY campus is alright though I'm a student at another one so that was a treat. Also surprised you guys didn't get delayed by freight trains.
I can't think of one being better than the other off the top of my head, but the Mohawk River runs on the left side of the train and that's pretty incredible!
I’ve taken this route from Chicago to Rochester several times, both coach and sleeper. Nice route only issue I’ve had was the you seem to have a 30% chance to get stuck in the same car as a group of rowdy Mennonite’s who don’t sleep
There's usually at least one person in the car who snores! One time I sat next to someone who had the most phlegmy throat I've ever witnessed, and it was an incredibly uncomfortable ride...
When I took this train we were 4 hours late due to big storms but it was all good as they still had traditional dining. Next month I have have a trip on The Cardinal from New York to Chicago, South West Chief to LA, Coast Starlight to Portland then Cascades to Vancouver which is part bus. All this is in coach 😳
So glad Miles called out Cleveland deserves better Amtrak service. There's been discussions for years, but to no fruition. Every Amtrak train in Cleveland comes between like 2am and 6am.
Great video! Those “Welcome to New York signs are a lot less disappointing when you reach them by bike (especially because they mean the pascack valley line is not far away).
I kinda want Fort Wayne to Pittsburgh daily, but Chicago-Fort Wayne more likely. Sandusky could easily do 20-30 service on their bus routes (only Blue line has 30min service most of the day and Yellow is 45mins all day except Sunday). There is a bus that serves the train station/bus depot when there is no service there during the day unless Greyhound has daytime service as well as for meeting the outbound Capital Limited-which was an hour late when I took it so I was sitting there for four hours ultimately leaving with an Amish family and a random woman. You can get to the park via transit even if its not the causway unless you work there and sleep in the doors. Seriously, being a coaster enthusiast got me into transit-even though both had always been there with SEPTA and Sesame Place
@@MilesinTransit only the employee shuttle uses the causeway, but the Sandusky fairy terminal is walkable from Washington & Wayne, which is the hub of the bus system. I think the train station is on the Purple line so it is hypocritically doable is Amtrak and the STS serve the station during the same times of day, even if it’s still hourly
More tangentially Albany content! (Even if I've now been subjected to the steamed hams joke, is nowhere safe?) I am also very familiar with the Albany to Western NY trip since I went to grad school at RIT. It is never on time and perpetually full of college students in the morning, and in my experience usually full of families at night, at least during the winter. Another unsolicited Albany transit fun fact - despite being owned and operated by CDTA, the Capital District Transit Authority, there is only two regular service busses that connect to it, neither of which connect to BRT. We've been promised an Albany Gondola to connect downtown to the rail station for probably going on 6 years, but no progress has been made on that front.
Wow, that would actually be a useful gondola! I'm generally a fan of CDTA, but why do they charge a PREMIUM FARE for their BRT service that isn't all that much better than regular bus service??
@@MilesinTransit I think it's a hold-over from when we had zones and transfers and our fare system was convoluted as all get out. It still doesn't make sense, but it's probably them trying to push people to use a "fare product" (e.g. Navigator card or Navigator mobile), since with those you pay $1.30 a ride, no matter if it's BRT, express, commuter, trunk or neighborhood. Now CDTA's _trying_ with BRT at least - we're getting the last proposed line finally next fall, connecting downtown to uptown (read: UAlbany), there's a study being done on BRT only lanes and TSP with the Albany Parking Authority, and CDTA, APA and NYS OGS are planning on redeveloping the Greyhound station to be a downtown transit center, starting in spring of '24 (hopefully). CDTA's said on their capital projects page that "Bus Rapid Transit service can be a building block to a dedicated right of way system, or eventually to a trolley line or light rail system." And back in 2020 there was a local development group that paid for a light rail benefits case, so there's at least a starting block out there. We'll see where it goes from here, I guess. Maybe all the projects will go the way of the gondola.
Thanks for bringing us along on another fun Amtrak trip. As vintage Cunard advertising would say, “Getting there is half the fun!” Also I absolutely love the trip report jingle.
That Bryan Water tower is now painted with 8 Dum Dum suckers with the legs as the white sticks. Spangler Candy company is right by the tracks. I work at the Hospital Less than a half mile south of the water Tower, Bryan Ohio is the home of Dum Dums and Etch-A-sketch.
You should do reviews on Amtrak Thruway Coach services, they can be...varied. The Fort Hood/Temple route is just a guy in a early 2000's conversion van
This is something I've considered before - they really run the gamut! Sometimes they'll just throw you onto a city bus system and charge more than straight-up paying in cash, such as the Foxwoods connection via SEAT.
Hey! I’m a 67 year old “lady” who is taking the train from Boston to Seattle in May. In Coach. By myself. Will you be on my train? My last trip was from New Orleans. I made it to Maine, but you guys have more fun.
Oh wow, I am in the intro :-D thanks for the shout out...and well done for sticking out the whole trip in coach!
That's awesome that you're here! Love your vids from Houston
Love the fact you regularly watch these videos now. When I watch Miles, I know I'm always in for a treat
And now we just need Jeb to chime in...
Thank you! I have to say, I wrote those lyrics, like, six months ago when I figured there was no chance you'd actually see it...! Genuinely, though, you and Jeb are the best trip report channels out there.
Jackson has such an infinite reserve of positive energy, he's my favorite guest on your channel for your videos that I've caught up with so far. These are fun!
Thanks so much!!
Slowly working my way through the Boston Diner marathon. Incredible seeing all those old neighborhoods from the street and transit level. @@MilesinTransit
I, for one, appreciate Jackson's risque humor
I appreciate YOU Jeremy
i appreciate that im the only person who wishes there were more edgy/risque jokes in these videos
@@JacksonBetz I appreciate you
Jackson you’re awesome
@@JacksonBetz Welcome to Juicy, Jazzy Ska-Nectar-Daddy!
7:57 "You may now kiss the bride."
* railcar coupling sounds intensify *
Well, well, well - Paul and Jeb face some serious competition now. I look forward to them frantically reviewing local buses and counting Wawas to get my attention back.
The only problem is that I Don't Have Narration Or Expertise.
Schenectadaddy
As an Albany native, I had the same reaction to "Schenectedaddy."
The Mohawk River Valley actually has a crazy colonial history as it was the only navigable waterway that allowed easy travel west of the Appalachian range.
More history: The Toledo Strip War and the Erie Gauge War. Both 19th century conflicts were new to me. Wikipedia.
At 10:19 the train was the Adirondack railroad which departs from Utica. They offer both tourist trains as well as actual service to Utica, Old Forge, and (as of last month) Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks.
oooh....future video mayhaps?
Wow, that's a LONG trip! I'm a fan of any tourist railroad that offers "actual service"!
My late father was a brakeman on the Adirondack Railway.
Oh no can’t believe you missed the Miss Worcester! Super cool diner with awesome murals on the old mill building behind it
Wow, the Miss Woo! Memories of the ‘70’s. I’m sure the velociraptors are no longer roaming the streets.
At least they saw Polar Park
the day (today) that youtube put your channel in my recs has been the greatest day of my life. im hooked. keep up with the great content miles + co ❤
Incredible, thank you so much!!!
I would love an Amtrak storm chasing series now
This is my new favorite series
I love how "unprofessional" and "early 90's vlog-ish" these videos are. Keep up the insanity Miles!
Thank you! DID people vlog in the early 90s...??
@@MilesinTransit Not really. There were camcorders but most people didn't have one, and they weren't digital, so even if the internet and computer infrastructure to distribute video had existed it would have been inaccessible. early 2000s is the earliest you saw video circulating online like casey neistat's "ipod's dirty secret" vid, but it didn't really take off until youtube existed, video files were (and sorta still are) big and expensive to host
@@MilesinTransit I mean I was born in 91 so I guess I should say the 2000's but whatever. Keep up the insanity I love it for how real and gritty it is, even if it is cringe sometimes 🤣👍.
Ah yes, Auntie Anne's...no mall experience is complete without getting a whiff of fresh Auntie Anne's. I loved "That was it?!" reaction to the NY welcome sign. Yeah, for a state called the Empire State...we deserve a better sign. We used to have a sign that showed the Statue of Liberty with fireworks to the right, Niagara Falls to the left, and the I
Wait what happened to that sign?
@@quayzar1 That sign got complaints at some point because it was erected by the New York State Thruway Authority and used to say "Welcome to the New York State Thruway" and thus centered around the Thruway's highlights.
It wasn't the "Welcome to New York" that is seen on other interstate border crossings.
The other side of the Syracuse platform was supposed to be a commuter rail track. They just forgot to, y'know, build it
Whoa! Where would the commuter rail have gone?
@@MilesinTransit it would have been an extension of OnTrack, a commuter train that ran from Syracuse University to the DestinyUSA mall via Armory Square station downtown. The train was run from 1994 to 2007, operated by the NYSW. It was supposed to be extended to a station near the CNY Market via the Amtrak station, in an effort to boost ridership, but state funding was dropped after misuse of funds by the freight railroad came to light.
WOW, I need to look into that! There's a surprising amount of forgotten commuter rail systems in America's history...the PATrain and the one in Burlington, VT come to mind too.
@@MilesinTransit Theres also SEMTA (not SEPTA) commuter rail which ran in the 1970s/80s between Detroit and Pontiac, MI.
If you guys ever get the chance, come to Universal Orlando! I'm one of their bus drivers I'll almost ALWAYS announce my stops in the fashion Frank Oglesby Jr. (The MBTA voice Announcements) so when I arrive at the hotels from City Walk I always go "Entering: [Cabana Bay] no smoking please! Doors will open on the right" and on my last stop knowing everyone is getting off I pick fun by saying "The Destination of this train is:" And name a random T destination in Boston and see how many tourists from Massachusetts actually pick up on it. I always hoped I'd catch you guys on my bus one day! I miss Boston!
I didn't even know Universal Orlando has its own shuttle system - that's awesome to hear!
@@MilesinTransit Mears Transportation operates it. They also operated the Disney Magical Express before it was shut down.
Ohio had the chance to get federal funding for train service 3 times a day between Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati about 15 years ago with the American Recovery but turned the money down so they kind of deserve what they get. I now benefit as we got some of the money in MA to improve train service between Springfield and Greenfield. More frequent service between Springfield (and possibly Pittsfield) is in the works. Another reason why I am glad I left Ohio for MA
The return of Jackson, we love it
More to come!
My wife and I have taken the LSL at least twice but have never ridden on the Boston section. The first time we went from Chicago to New york, the second time from New York to Chicago. Which is going the other way.
I recently moved to northeast Ohio and have looked into this route to visit my family in Boston, but like you mentioned in the video the train comes arrives/departs in the very early morning and is only once a day. Easier for me just to do flights sadly
That's fair - this train is a pain to use!
I’m glad you appreciated the Albany to Schenectady 110mph section! Unlike the New York section, Bostonians only get that brief glimpse of over 79mph speeds. I’ve also noticed it tends to usually only top out at like 103 going west, but late trains going east regularly hit 110.
This really shows that we need a east to west Massachusetts train, I know I've said this before, but I would love a train from Boston to Springfield for six flags, need round trips for that though. Would also love a bus to Canobie lake, but that's not Amtrak's problem. Come on Amtrak make a Boston to Pittsfield train, I'd take a Worcester to Pittsfield train at least.
Someday we this will actually be a viable way to travel instead of just an experience
To date this video has the most laugh out loud moments for me. Great job. Now I’m hungry for a steamed clam.
Oh dear, I just found your videos. You two are SO much fun!
Thank you!
Keep it up miles awesome videos.
Thank you!
The intro alone is 🔥, another banger - great work
Thank you so much!
Took the Lake Shore Limited for the first time last month, from Chicago back to New York - it was quite the experience!! But a good night’s rest is not an option LOL
I was on the Lake Shore 48 from Toledo to New York and it has the baggage car so you can take your bicycle along. The 447 & 448 splits or connects at Albany so no bicycles to or from Boston. I can’t speak of the food, I brought all my own from the local Kroger grocery store before boarding.
Ahh, I should've mentioned some of those other changes that happen when the trains split - good to know.
One mans 'Picturesque Lake' is another mans 'Cesspool.'
Bro, dude, my guy. My brother in transit. Just shell out for a roomette. It's sooooo worth it on the Late Shore Limited. I took it just between Buffalo and Springfield for the Springfield Train Show and it was the best experience. Also, that bridge you pointed out just after Schenectady was not a bridge, it was a dam on the Mohawk River / Erie Canal.
Pretty sure he was traveling on a railpass, which is only good for coach seats.
"hurr hurr late shore limited im so funny"
When i took the LSL from Boston it left at 11:55AM. The engines that pulled #449 from Boston are a different type of power so those are the ones that will pull the entire train. #49 from NY gets pulled by a P40DC
Other way around, the LSL's P42's bring the train from Boston to Chicago (hence why there are two engines on such a short train) while the NY-Albany section uses P32AC-DM's for the 3rd rail power in Penn Station.
11:01 Heyy it's my home station! When I was growing up it used to be an awful station but they re-did it a few years ago and now it's really nice. I don't usually see the city from that angle so it's fun that it came up in this video.
I took the LSL from Boston to Rochester NY last month and the Boston to Albany portion was roughhh. If I were to do a similar trip again, especially going all the way to Chicago, I would drive to Albany and board there rather than slogging through the Massachusetts portion. Slow (the average speed can't be more than 35 or 40 mph), bumpy and sometimes delay-prone, once was enough for me.
The rendition of Chicago earned you a like!
"Schenectadaddy". Oh lord.
yayy a new video!! enjoying it
If only there were some way to make sure freight trains never blocked passenger trains
You and all your friends have great senses of humor. I also really enjoy how much you seem (or pretend) to be interested in things along the journey. One thing I'd be interested in is costs of trips. Keep up the great work!
So this trip (and many of the future Amtrak journeys you'll see with me and Jackson) was paid for with an Amtrak USA Rail Pass that we spent $500 on to travel around the country with! If you book in advance, the trip from Boston to Chicago will run you about $95 in coach or a little under $500 for a room.
As someone who traveled the lakeshore limited several times between rochester and waterloo, im calling bullshit. Theres no way you werent AT LEAST 2 hours late at all times, if not upwards of 10+. Leaking cars scans though
We got very lucky!
These Amtrak trip reports are a daily reminder for me to actually take a trip on Amtrak sometime...
I'm probably the only person I know that's never stepped foot on an Amtrak train
It’s absolutely amazing within the Northeast Corridor and to some extent the surrounding areas as well (places like Roanoke and the Maine). But I personally wouldn’t recommend taking anything that goes longer distances without a roomette.
this is a fun video, always waiting for next week.
I think it would be awesome to have an Albany-Boston commuter route. I think they haev the Berkshire Flyer now between Albany and Pittsfield in addition to the Lake Shore Limited.
I’ve slept pretty well on Amfleet II’s when I’ve ridden them overnight…looks like you guys might have missed out on the leg rests (not the footrest on the seat in front of you, but the leg rest that comes up from your own seat. The arcade joystick looking thing on the armrest releases it). My most recent ride on one was just about a month ago though, and over only a 2.5 hour trip, the extra space/recline vs the Amfleet I wasn’t worth rearranging my schedule to make it happen. Plus I forgot the conductor has to manually open each exterior door, which is just weird when you’re at a high platform and annoyed me more than it probably should have.
We used the legrests! They're my favorite feature of the Amfleet II seats.
@@MilesinTransit just making sure because I didn’t see them in the video. Definitely the crucial feature if you’re looking to sleep in them.
6:07 Miles what type of Canon camera do you use? I can't quite make out the model. I'm shopping for a new small digital camera that can shoot good video (and has a long battery life).
13:11 *Daylight Time (March-November)
Wait the Lake Shore Limited is daily, there was me thinking limited meant less than one a day, like the Sunset Limited.
There's also the Capitol Limited, between Washington DC and Chicago. I'm fairly sure the "Limited" bit is from the 1920s or 1930s, meaning "limited stop", i.e. an express train. Back then, all the routes would have also had local trains stopping at all stations.
It looks like it could actually be a pretty decent train if it ran faster and more often so you didn’t need to sleep
They need a daytime train from both Chicago and NY sections from Cleveland
Definitely!
I went to Albany on a New England Railway Enthusiasts trip one month after 9/11/2001. It wasn't a bad trip - between Boston and Springfield was quick, but between Springfield and Pittsfield was slower. Albany-Rensslaer station was not bad, but it was before it was rebuilt. Albany itself was not much to write home about (think Boston with a less buses and more buildings).
ETA: I think this was a "farewell to the old Albany-Rensselaer station" trip before it was torn down and the new one was built in its place in the mid 2000's. We got the option of either (a) touring the train yards, (b) going on a lunch cruise on the Hudson, or (c) touring downtown Albany. I took option (c) and I ended up going to the Museum of Science and Industry near downtown. They used school buses to shuttle us everywhere, but the CDTA ran new Orion VI low floors. I wasn't very impressed with Albany, but the scenery on the train back and forth to Boston was phenomenal, especially near the Berkshires.
I was also on NERE's Downeaster trip to Portland in 2007. Again, the options were (a) lunch at DeMilos on the Portland waterfront, or (b) Portland on your own. I took option (b) and I took the 5 bus to downtown, walked around Congress St, took the 5 bus to the Maine Mall, and then back to the train station. I liked the Portland trip much better.
I definitely wouldn’t have risked getting out at Albany, I’d have expected it to be off in three minutes. Especially given the ubiquity of automatic couplers in the USA.
You overestimate the efficiency of the process!
@@MilesinTransit I think it can be that quick (maybe five minutes at most) in the UK? Admittedly this is splittinyg a train of two multiple units with mutlifunctional couplers (these carry brake pipes and communications with the basic coupler).
10:19 thats the lake placid scenic rr!
Commuter rail.....this song is dedicated to the 2 lovers in seats 4,5....leaving on a jet train
Ahhh!!! I had to do this when traveling to an audition!
Old Albany bus terminal / beautiful city = sketchy bus terminal, the SUNY campus is alright though I'm a student at another one so that was a treat. Also surprised you guys didn't get delayed by freight trains.
Yeah, freight train delays here were surprisingly minimal!
In Utica, that's the Adirondack Scenic Railway. I *highly* recommend it.
Watch my eclipse video, we rode their eclipse train!
Such an enjoyable video to watch!
Which side of the seat is better for viewing the scenery from Boston to Chicago on Lake Shore Limited?
I can't think of one being better than the other off the top of my head, but the Mohawk River runs on the left side of the train and that's pretty incredible!
No reference to steamed hams in Albany?
EDIT: ok I should have waited until Utica my bad
All credit goes to Jackson - I would've absoLUTely forgotten!
@@MilesinTransit truly Jackson is a person of culture
I live within sight of Albany-Rensselaer. Welcome to my neighborhood.
I’ve taken this route from Chicago to Rochester several times, both coach and sleeper. Nice route only issue I’ve had was the you seem to have a 30% chance to get stuck in the same car as a group of rowdy Mennonite’s who don’t sleep
You do such a great job of making transit and trip reports funny and entertaining.
Thank you so much!
Do you have any problems when you take Amtrak coach? Excessive noise? Chatty sleepmate?
There's usually at least one person in the car who snores! One time I sat next to someone who had the most phlegmy throat I've ever witnessed, and it was an incredibly uncomfortable ride...
When I took this train we were 4 hours late due to big storms but it was all good as they still had traditional dining. Next month I have have a trip on The Cardinal from New York to Chicago, South West Chief to LA, Coast Starlight to Portland then Cascades to Vancouver which is part bus. All this is in coach 😳
Woo, good luck!!
@08:11 why that surely looks like the home of the steamed ham!
11:23 Does Amtrak give you a pillow and blanket for sleepy time?
7:42 We need a Jackson's Reviews clip for every time he uses "ass" in a sentence. We also need a bit for anytime he says something perverse or horny.
Young guys who are into old music-I like it.
Big Star - #1 Record, #1 band.
So glad Miles called out Cleveland deserves better Amtrak service. There's been discussions for years, but to no fruition. Every Amtrak train in Cleveland comes between like 2am and 6am.
Great video! Those “Welcome to New York signs are a lot less disappointing when you reach them by bike (especially because they mean the pascack valley line is not far away).
We were on railpasses, yeah - coach really isn't that bad though!
I'm hoping to cross this route off my list when I eventually get an extra vacation week with a USA Rail Pass.
0:27 Love how you start with a "Min Late" counter before you've even left. 🤣 Clearly you're not expecting on-time service.
I kinda want Fort Wayne to Pittsburgh daily, but Chicago-Fort Wayne more likely. Sandusky could easily do 20-30 service on their bus routes (only Blue line has 30min service most of the day and Yellow is 45mins all day except Sunday). There is a bus that serves the train station/bus depot when there is no service there during the day unless Greyhound has daytime service as well as for meeting the outbound Capital Limited-which was an hour late when I took it so I was sitting there for four hours ultimately leaving with an Amish family and a random woman. You can get to the park via transit even if its not the causway unless you work there and sleep in the doors. Seriously, being a coaster enthusiast got me into transit-even though both had always been there with SEPTA and Sesame Place
Somehow I'm not surprised you're familiar with the Sandusky bus system... ;) But they don't run anything to Cedar Point itself??
@@MilesinTransit only the employee shuttle uses the causeway, but the Sandusky fairy terminal is walkable from Washington & Wayne, which is the hub of the bus system. I think the train station is on the Purple line so it is hypocritically doable is Amtrak and the STS serve the station during the same times of day, even if it’s still hourly
It was also free for employees at it was a way to get to downtown and the strip malls around Great Wolf and the Turnpike (with Kalahari just beyond)
More tangentially Albany content! (Even if I've now been subjected to the steamed hams joke, is nowhere safe?) I am also very familiar with the Albany to Western NY trip since I went to grad school at RIT. It is never on time and perpetually full of college students in the morning, and in my experience usually full of families at night, at least during the winter. Another unsolicited Albany transit fun fact - despite being owned and operated by CDTA, the Capital District Transit Authority, there is only two regular service busses that connect to it, neither of which connect to BRT. We've been promised an Albany Gondola to connect downtown to the rail station for probably going on 6 years, but no progress has been made on that front.
Wow, that would actually be a useful gondola! I'm generally a fan of CDTA, but why do they charge a PREMIUM FARE for their BRT service that isn't all that much better than regular bus service??
@@MilesinTransit I think it's a hold-over from when we had zones and transfers and our fare system was convoluted as all get out. It still doesn't make sense, but it's probably them trying to push people to use a "fare product" (e.g. Navigator card or Navigator mobile), since with those you pay $1.30 a ride, no matter if it's BRT, express, commuter, trunk or neighborhood. Now CDTA's _trying_ with BRT at least - we're getting the last proposed line finally next fall, connecting downtown to uptown (read: UAlbany), there's a study being done on BRT only lanes and TSP with the Albany Parking Authority, and CDTA, APA and NYS OGS are planning on redeveloping the Greyhound station to be a downtown transit center, starting in spring of '24 (hopefully). CDTA's said on their capital projects page that "Bus Rapid Transit service can be a building block to a dedicated right of way system, or eventually to a trolley line or light rail system." And back in 2020 there was a local development group that paid for a light rail benefits case, so there's at least a starting block out there. We'll see where it goes from here, I guess. Maybe all the projects will go the way of the gondola.
Thanks for bringing us along on another fun Amtrak trip. As vintage Cunard advertising would say, “Getting there is half the fun!”
Also I absolutely love the trip report jingle.
Thank you so much!
UM YOUDACTUDALY REALLY MUSEEDD THE DAY ABD NIGHT DINER IN PLAMER MASSACHUSETTS 😤😤😤
That actually does look like an amazing Worcester Lunch Car!
@@MilesinTransit it does look good! Maybe East-West Rail will have a stop there!
I remember taking this train from NYP station too Cleveland
Oh wow. So are you saying on the New York route, the entire 19 hour trip is without food for coach passengers?
No, just the 90-ish minute segment from Albany to NYC!
Not to overly be a nerd, but since it was July 23rd at 13:22 you are in Daylight time, not Standard time.
Hahahaha, nitpick accepted!
Such good vids.
Thank you so much!
The key to the cream cheese is to work the pouch and massage it before cutting it. Then it will squeeze out easily.
YASS MORE APPARENTLY A TRIP REPORT!
That Bryan Water tower is now painted with 8 Dum Dum suckers with the legs as the white sticks. Spangler Candy company is right by the tracks. I work at the Hospital Less than a half mile south of the water Tower, Bryan Ohio is the home of Dum Dums and Etch-A-sketch.
You slept through/edited out the stop in CLE. A reasonably major metro area that is served by Amtrak twice a day; 230am and 530am!
We slept through it, but I mention it in the debrief at the end - it needs day trains!
10:29 Destiny USA/Carousel Center Mall in the foreground.
Schenectadaddy🤣
There is no Albany station; only a Rensselaer station, and it's not bad, really.
It's quite nice!
Pittsfield! My hometown.
The reading rainbow tune at 7:43❤
So what was the context of the opening shot?
It was a meetup where we rode the Silver Line dual-mode buses...one day I'll release the whole trolleybus video!
As someone who was born and raised in Rochester, NY, I can agree with Miles' sentiment at 11:02
You should do reviews on Amtrak Thruway Coach services, they can be...varied. The Fort Hood/Temple route is just a guy in a early 2000's conversion van
This is something I've considered before - they really run the gamut! Sometimes they'll just throw you onto a city bus system and charge more than straight-up paying in cash, such as the Foxwoods connection via SEAT.
@4:17 I didn’t know Jackson was Italian!
Great video!
Thank you!
What app do you use to show how fast the train is going?
Mine is called Speed Box!
priceless comments. "miles, I usually open a little bit and squirt it on." Jackson: "I know how to spread.'' oh, the foamer boys, lol
jackson big star lock screen 🤌
LOVE THAT ALBUM SO MUCH ❤️
Hey! I’m a 67 year old “lady” who is taking the train from Boston to Seattle in May. In Coach. By myself. Will you be on my train? My last trip was from New Orleans. I made it to Maine, but you guys have more fun.
What is that app?
Which app are you referring to? The one we use to track our train is asm.transitdocs.com!
Big boulders the size of small boulders