I boarded the first Coach behind the Café Car, Amfleet I Coach #82561, a very nice Capstone Refurbished coach though the condition of the coach would eventually mean nothing to me as I would end up having spent most of this trip in the Café Car! After departing Buffalo-Depew at 10:50am, 5 minutes late, the Conductor came by to take my ticket. After he finished his station work, I headed into the Café Car to set up the laptop and show the site to the train crew. The consist for today's train is located at the bottom of this page.
   Things slowed down after leaving Buffalo due to slow orders and freight traffic. We moved from Track 2 to Track 1 at CP-429 then back to Track 2 at CP-423. We had 2 road crossings to protect near Batavia and EC-1’s (CSX's Train Orders) had to be filled out for this (back in the NORAC days, an EC-1 was known as a Form D). Shortly before Batavia, we had to stop to wait for Q-117 to pass us though for whatever reason, though the train never actually passed us. Things were relatively uneventful as we made our station stop in Rochester and eventually Syracuse. I spent a lot of time with the train crew who did an excellent job with the operating of the train, they frequently kept the vestibules swept free of snow that was kicked up between the cars through the pinch points as there was a fresh coat of snow on the ground for most of the trip. We had a very quick smoking break in Syracuse, just a couple minutes. I stepped outside to get some air but we had to board quickly since it was a short stop.
   After departing Syracuse, we had a freight ahead of us that supposedly was blocking the track we were on, so we were going to do a backup move so as to get onto Track #2 from #1 and get around this train. It would end up being Train Q-157 that was going into a siding and would end up getting all the way in thus not blocking any other main lines. We then had to wait for Train #63 – The Toronto-bound “Maple Leaf” to pass us. In the end, no backup move was made and we ended up sitting in East Syracuse for about 20 minutes before being on our way again. It was back onto Track #2 again at CP-278 with not much happening as we made our next stop in Rome, NY. One thing I noticed is there is a small clock tower at the station in Rome with a total of 4 clocks. I was able to see 2 of the clocks and they both had different times on them, so be sure to check your cell phone for the correct time, ha ha!!! We made our station stop in Utica then ended up stopping to let Train #283 pass us, then we would be heading East now on Track #1. We passed the Amsterdam Station but didn’t stop there, this station is only served by this train on Saturdays. The station however did have all new signage on it with updated Amtrak logos.
   When we passed through Hoffmanns, NY at CP-169 where the Selkirk Subdivision separates from the mainline we were on. I called up the local Enterprise Rent-A-Car to have them pick me up at the Amtrak Station in Schenectady. At 4:01pm, running 46 minutes late, the train arrived in Schenectady. I shook hands with the excellent train crew thanking them for a good, safe ride and headed inside the station so I could wait outside for the rep from Enterprise to show up. At around 4:15pm, Enterprise showed up in a new Dodge Ram Pickup, I rented only a Full-Size car with them and asked if they had cars, (I really didn’t want to fill up the tank on a humongous truck so a car was enough for me!). I was rented a Gray 2007 Chevrolet Impala LS.
   The rental car was decent but had very little “pickup” when you hit the gas pedal. Not that I’m a lead foot or anything. Really, I’m actually a very conservative driver. My Honda Accord starts flying if you breath on the gas pedal so this was something I had to get used to! I drove over to my Hotel, the Courtyard By Marriott located on Washington Avenue in Albany across the street from the University Of Albany. My room had 2 Double beds along with a very very comfortable easy chair and a good sized desk with a leather chair with free high-speed internet (an absolute must for this modern day train traveler!). This is by far one of the absolute nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at and I’ve stayed at a lot of hotels over the years of varying quality on previous Amtrak trips!
  A friend of mine showed up at the hotel and we headed over to Capital Buffet on Wolf Road, a Chinese Buffet. The food was very good and the restaurant was very busy! I then spent the next hour in Circuit City helping my friend buy a new laptop computer (something I eventually did myself in mid-January 2007). He used my free High-Speed Internet to set up his computer then left for home. I then went to bed and so ends a long first day of this long weekend trip.
   On Saturday, I woke up and had a quick breakfast at the small buffet in the hotel lobby which was very good. The hotel also provides free newspapers every morning which is nice. I then drove back to Enterprise in Schenectady due to a problem with the rental car. The washer fluid on the driver’s side of the windshield wasn’t working and being that it was a rental car, and not my own, I wasn’t about to mess with it. It ended up being that the hose that sprays the fluid onto the windshield was blocked by a leaf stuck inside the hood. I then drove to the Crossgates Mall in Albany and did my Christmas Shopping after driving around the parking lot for 20 minutes trying to find a space! After shopping, I put gas in the car, grabbed some lousy chicken at a local Popeye’s restaurant, then met up with a buddy of mine a few hours later and headed to a restaurant in Clifton Park called Red Robin. The food there was excellent. They have something on the menu called "Bottomless Steak Fries" where you get as many steak fries as you want with your burger! I then drove over to Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, lost $50.00 in about 25 minutes on 4 machines then drove back to Albany and so ends Day #2.
   Sunday Morning, I started out by taking a quick drive out to Amsterdam to meet up with another friend of mine who didn’t show up until just before I left. I wanted to photograph the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited in Albany-Rensselaer from a street overpass since railfanning in that station is 100% prohibited. I photographed it along with Train #284 as well when it arrived in Albany. I drove back to the hotel and eventually watched my Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets by a score of 31-13 in a great game. I picked up dinner at the gas station next to the hotel which also had a Subway Restaurant inside. I started writing this travelogue again while watching the New Orleans Saints play the Dallas Cowboys on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. And so ends today.
   Monday Morning, I woke up and started to get things packed up in the hotel room. I had to be out by 11:00am but the rental car wasn’t due back until later on so I took my time and after checking out of the hotel at around 10:30am, I drove over to a nearby IHOP restaurant and had lunch, this was a first for me as I’ve never eaten at IHOP before and the food was OK. I thought the chicken fingers I ate were a bit overcooked but the meal otherwise was good. After lunch, I drove over to the Colonie Center Mall across the street from IHOP only to find that the store I wanted to visit, “As Seen On TV” had gone out of business. I visited the FYE store while there and picked up 1 CD, then drove back to Enterprise to turn in the rental car. Enterprise then gave me a ride back to the Amtrak Station where I arrived at around 1pm with my train scheduled to arrive at 1:48pm. I would be riding Empire Service Train #283 home and according to the ticket agent, the train was running on time.
   I used the elevator and dragged my luggage onto the platform, there were 2 other passengers heading for New York on Train #292 – The Ethan Allen Express coming from Rutland, VT. Shortly after I arrived on the platform, that train arrived on the siding at the station. The Conductor wondered if I was riding on that train but I was on the opposite end of the platform and waved him off as I wasn’t riding. Train #292 departed after that, and at 1:48pm, arriving on time into Schenectady was Train #283 with P32AC-DM #701 on the lead. The consist for this train is shown at the bottom of this page.
   We left Schenectady just a few minutes late, no big deal. I had recognized the Conductor on this train as he was the Conductor on my trip to Schenectady on Train #288 last year. I decided to just relax on the way home. I picked up a Diet Pepsi and a Hot Dog as we arrived in Amsterdam. I’d later pick up a package of M&M’s and enjoy the passing scenery from my coach seat. Things were rather uneventful as we made our stops in Amsterdam and Utica, then Rome. We passed through DeWitt Yard and arrived in Syracuse where people could get a very quick cigarette break before departing. Things kept moving right along until we got to around Savannah, NY due to some slow orders. We made our stop in Rochester and I met up with an Amtrak manager whom I’d known from years ago via the internet. We chatted for a few minutes and the station agent in Rochester had also known of this web site as I would come to find out, he wanted to know when things would be updated, I informed him that it’s all being rebuilt so it’s gonna take some time but it’s worth it!
   We left Rochester and I showed the web site to the train crew on this train before heading back to my coach seat. By the time we got to Batavia, we found out we were gonna sit at CP-410 and let 4 Eastbound Freights pass us! Oh well, what else is new oh grateful CSX! Our delay is Amtrak’s gain, I bought a big cookie and ate it while we waited! I then went back to my coach seat, read an interesting article in the “Arrive Magazine” about former Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back Jerome Bettis. It ended up that we just sat for a few minutes and maybe one train passed us, we continued down to CP-423 and stopped briefly but ended up being allowed to go through CP-429 and pull right into Buffalo-Depew Station. The other freights didn’t show up until after I had gotten off the train which arrived at 6:59pm running 34 minutes late, not too big of a deal. The Empire Service trains are relatively good at timekeeping. Most of the delays are not the fault of Amtrak on these trains. After getting off the train, I took down the rest of the car numbers and proceeded to move my luggage over to where I had left my car in the long term lot. I chatted with a few railfans in the station then took off. And so ends another excellent trip.
   In Conclusion, overall, this was another decent and safe trip. The crews on both trains were very good this year and assisted passengers in a professional way. My next planned trip won’t be until sometime in mid to late 2007 so until then, I wish Amtrak success under it’s new President and CEO, Alex Kummant. I read his comments in the “Arrive Magazine” and it sounds like he really wants great things for Amtrak, we shall see. And as I say at the end of all of my travelogues, until next time, Happy Railfanning!!!