Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited Arriving At Buffalo-Depew Station,
Friday, February 7th, 2003 at 8:18am.
For my second trip in 2003, I decided to head over to Schenectady, NY for the day. A railroad buddy of mine lives in that area and Schenectady is the only stop on the Lake Shore Limited that I have yet to board a train from, thus, my excuse to ride a train there today. In planning this trip, I booked the tickets online at Amtrak.com. The web site showed that there were Rail Sale seats available in both directions. When I tried to book a Rail Sale Seat for Train #48, I was told by the site that the seats were available but then was quoted the normal fare! Figuring this was some kind of a glitch, I called Amtrak, Julie transferred me to an agent who transferred me to a Computer Support specialist who told me that because my train originated from Chicago the previous night, that the Rail Sale fare wasn't available. This is very confusing and a problem that Amtrak has to address with its web site. Now that the Rail Sale fare wouldn’t work for me, I decided to settle for the 25% off Special that was running. I found that it was around $20 cheaper to book my ticket as if I was headed to Pittsfield, MA rather than Schenectady! The total cost for my tickets was $32.65. I started the day by heading to the Amtrak Buffalo-Depew Station (Thanks Dad for the ride!) and as soon as I walked in, I noticed right away that the Quik-Trak Ticketing Machine was gone! This station has had one since 1999 so I walked over to the ticket counter and was told by the ticket agent that the machine is now in Milwaukee! I picked up my tickets from the agent, and was told the train would be in around 8:30am. I bought a copy of the morning Buffalo News and read the paper for about 40 minutes or so. Shortly after 8:00am, I headed outside to see if any freights were in the area. I saw a light to the East of the station, it was CSX Train Q-265 with 2 lease units in the consist. Shortly after that, CSX Train Q-629 passed through, but now I saw a light from the West, and Amtrak began moving its baggage handling equipment out onto the platform. Q-629 passed by just seconds before Train #48 arrived! This morning’s Train #48 arrived officially at 8:18am, the consist is listed at the bottom of this page. Just like my first Amtrak Trip way back in 1996, my coach today was an unrefurbished Horizon Fleet Coach #54536, I began to wonder if this had been the same coach, but a quick check to my records said no, that was #54541, close enough though. I had a conversation with the car host for a few minutes about Amtrak in general shortly after we left Buffalo. After the conductor came by to take my ticket (was the same Conductor and Assistant Conductor I’ve had on the last 3 trips!) it was time for breakfast so off to the Dining Car I go! The Dining Car today was #8507, a former CB&Q Diner that was one of the Temoinsa Rebuilt Diners. This is the second time I’ve eaten in this car as it was also on my last trip. I was seated at an empty table and a few minutes later, a sleeping car passenger was seated across from me. I ordered the French Toast for breakfast with Home Fries and Bacon with a Diet Pepsi, all delicious! The passenger sitting across from me had a camera and told me he was a railfan after I asked. He told me he was a magazine writer. It turns out, it was Bob Johnston of Trains Magazine! We had a decent conversation about railroading and Amtrak in general, he was on his way to New York. We arrived in Rochester at 9:25am running 1 hour and 15 minutes late. We passed a few freights along the way. To my surprise, despite how late we were, Empire Service Train #286 didn’t pass us along the way, as had been the case the last 2 trips as we had been this late or nearly this late before. We passed CSX Train Q-265 which had gone into Emergency just east of Rochester though no reason was given. We arrived into Syracuse and left at 11:10am, now 1 hour and 40 minutes late. Slow orders and of course, freight traffic as well as longer station work had been putting us behind. My coach had a very large number of passenger who would be getting off in Syracuse, after they left, the car really emptied out as it was in the Boston Section, though the New York Section was close to full. This is one of the weirdest laid-out trains that Amtrak runs because it has to split in Albany. Because of this, there is a baggage car at each end of the train, and since all the stations here in Upstate New York offer Checked Baggage Service, and the platforms just aren’t long enough, the train has to make a double spot so that baggage for the New York Section can be loaded. Typically, passengers are loaded then the train must pull ahead 4-5 car lengths depending on the station, so the baggage and sometimes, sleeping car passengers can board (The sleepers are on opposite ends of the train as well). About halfway between Syracuse and Utica, the Dining Car quietly reopened for lunch (no announcement was made) and I figured since I was on the train this long, I would have lunch. I get to the car and the server told me they would only be having one seating for lunch and anyone else would have to get their meal to go and eat it either in the lounge car or at their seat. At first I figured well I’ll just grab something in the Lounge Car, then I thought, well maybe I’ll take them up on the offer anyways, so I went back to the Dining Car and got a Chicken Caesar Salad that was DELICIOUS! I ate it in the Metroliner Café Lounge Car that we had on this train! Now as to why the car had only one seating, as this was caused by something that had implications on literally every train that runs to New York Penn Station from the North. The night before, a barge hit the bridge over the Harlem River in Spuyten Duyvil that allows Amtrak Trains to run to Penn Station. Amtrak inspected the bridge and found it had been damaged to a point where it would be unsafe to run passenger trains over it. The decision was then made to run all Empire Service Trains and the Lake Shore, in and out of GRAND CENTRAL STATION!!! This would be a historical event since Amtrak hasn’t run a train out of Grand Central since 1991! For today’s train, the decision was made to terminate the train in Albany and transfer the remaining passengers to Empire Service Train #286. The train we were on would be stored overnight in Albany and go West the following day as Train #49. (The Boston Section today was unaffected as of course it turns East in Albany). According to the Lake Shore Limited’s schedule, the only 2 stops south of Albany are Croton-Harmon and New York Penn Station. Train #286 also stops in Hudson, Rhinecliff-f-Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and Yonkers. The decision was made that all trains leaving New York heading for Albany and points west would run out of Grand Central Station up the Hell Gate Route on Metro North to New Rochelle, NY then back down the Mott Haven Route to the Hudson Line which was the normal route for Amtrak to Albany. Metro North would provide pilots for each train as Amtrak crews aren’t qualified for that routing on their own. Back on the train at this time, we were through Utica at 12:03pm now running 1 hour and 37 minutes late. I met Mr. Phil Larson on today’s train, he’s the manager of trains on the Empire Corridor, I had a quick conversation with him about Amtrak and told him I was a big Amtrak fan and supporter and he was glad to hear that and shook my hand. My stop was next in Schenectady. Along the way, I took several slides of the Mohawk River which doubles as the Erie Canal through here, it was mostly snow covered but still a nice thing to see as your riding by. I photographed 3 Locks that are otherwise still in operation during the nicer weather as the canal is used by pleasure boats. As we passed through Amsterdam, I took a few more slides of various things there as I’ve visited there several times before, there were no passengers waiting outside the station in Amsterdam as we flew past it at 70mph! At CP-169 in Hoffmans, we stopped to let a late running Train #63 – The Toronto-bound Maple Leaf pass us. The train had a P40DC #831 on the lead and shortly after it passed, we switched track and continued on into Schenectady. There is a small section of High-Speed Rail through here and we were doing at least 100mph through there, there is one detector in Scotia, NY but it’s only is a Dragging Equipment Detector and doesn’t say the train speed. We were now arriving at Schenectady. I picked up my camera bag and put on my coat and headed for the vestibule where a decent amount of people were getting off. We officially arrived at 1:21pm, 1 hour and 37 minutes late. My first order of business once I got off was to photograph several cars in the train and get the last few car numbers I wasn’t able to get earlier. As I was walking back towards the station, my friend Rich was there on his lunch break from work. Train #48 left and not 5 to 10 minutes later, Train #286 arrived. I photographed it and a NS Freight that operates over the Canadian Pacific Line that parallels the Amtrak Line through Schenectady. Later on Rich and I headed over to this local diner called “Mike’s” and got some food before heading back to the station. Rich had to get back to work so he dropped me off back at the station and I stayed there to photograph Train #281 along with Train #68, the Adirondack coming from Montreal. This train runs with a P40DC for power and has Checked Baggage Service available in a specially painted baggage car for that train featuring the train’s Logo. The ticket agent was really busy handling other passengers more important matters so I opted to call Julie to find out where 49 was, she said it would be in Schenectady at 4:55pm saying it was out of Croton-Harmon by then. I called up Rich to let him know and he came back to the station around 4:45pm. We waited on the platform only to see NO TRAIN! Rich called Julie again from his cell phone and still got the same answer I got, so just where was this train? Nobody seemed to know. We waited on the platform and by 5:30, it still wasn’t there, we called Julie again, still it wasn’t in Albany yet? We went back inside and asked the ticket agent who said it did get to Albany but he had no other info beyond that. This train did depart from Grand Central Station today because of the reasons I explained earlier but it was already out of Croton-Harmon not seriously late so there had to be a problem somewhere if it had been loosing all this time. Finally at about 6:20pm an announcement was made that the train did leave Albany and would be here shortly! At 6:44pm, Train #49 finally arrived with a P40DC #825 and P42DC #144 for power. I said goodbye to Rich and boarded Amfleet II Coach #25098. I would come to find out that the lateness of the train (departing Schenectady at 6:48pm some 2 hours and 23 minutes late), was not only caused by the train originating out of Grand Central Station, but that the lead unit in the Boston Section was having mechanical problems and had to be changed out in Albany! This would explain the P40 on the lead of this train which almost always has 2 P42’s for power. Tonight’s train's consist is listed at the bottom of this page. My coach was a refurbished Amfleet II and was clean and neat and about half-full. I found 2 open seats on my preferred side of the car which is the Engineer’s side of the train. My ticket was taken and as soon as we passed the detector in Scotia, I headed to the Dining Car to have dinner. I had the Filet Mignon on my last trip and it was absolutely delicious but today I wanted to try something different so I had the Roast Pork with Ranchero Sauce along with Mashed Potatoes and Rice Pilaf, the dinner also included a dinner salad and roll for $14.50. The pork was spicy, hot, moist and delicious, another excellent meal in an Amtrak Dining Car. I was seated with a passenger from one of the sleeping cars who was headed to Chicago from New York, he was about halfway done with his dinner when I was seated at the same table so I wasn’t able to talk for very long. I had the same conductor on this trip as well as the same café car attendant as on my last trip. There was music playing in the café car which added a nice touch. The crew on this train was very happy and friendly. I didn’t notice any unhappy passengers anywhere as I spent a decent amount of time in the café car chatting with other passengers. We left Utica at 8:13pm, now 2 hours and 31 minutes late with not much hope of making up any time between here and Buffalo. Again, the train had to make a double spot in Utica for baggage handling. I enjoyed a Bud Light Beer in the café car with a few other passengers then had a barbecued rib sandwich and hot dog from there (I’ve been on a diet for the last month and a half, I need some “real” food every now and then!). A bunch of people got off the train in Syracuse, our next stop only to have a large group board there and be seated in the same car. Among the people who boarded were a former writer for Railpace Newsmagazine who was on his way to Chicago to catch one of the last Chicago-Philadelphia “Pennsylvanian” trains as this train is being redone as a New York-Pittsburgh Train as of February 10th. I had a nice conversation with him and then went back to my seat as he wanted to get some rest, he felt it wasn’t necessary to get a sleeper. I spent 40 hours on the Southwest Chief in coach last winter and have proven that you can sleep comfortably in coach! In Rochester, a couple boarded my coach and took the 2 seats in front of me. One of these people was a very loud obnoxious guy who wouldn’t talk quietly as there were several people in my coach trying to sleep! 2 people woke up and asked him to quiet down, he refused, it wasn’t until a member of the crew came in and finally told this guy to simmer down and he finally did, though he still kept letting out wise cracks about the passengers whom he upset by his loud voice. We left Rochester at 10:47pm running 2 hours and 48 minutes late. They shut the lights off in my coach shortly after leaving Rochester as many people were now trying to get some sleep. I went back to the café car and got one last Diet Pepsi and then walked through the dining car and had a nice chat with 2 members of the train crew telling them that this entire trip went extremely well despite the circumstances. The 3 of us talked for about 20 minutes and I headed back to my seat. For the 3rd time tonight, I found someone sitting in my seat! My seat had a tag over it, clearly marking it as taken but some people still don’t know how to read those tags! Shortly after passing the Lancaster Hot Box Detector, I knew my stop was a couple minutes away. I picked up my camera bag and put on my coat and headed to the back end of my coach to get off the train. We arrived into Depew at 11:52pm now 2 hours and 53 minutes late. The first thing I did after getting off the train was walk over to the last 2 cars of the train to get the numbers, these being the Crew Dorm and NY Baggage Car. Buffalo is now a crew change point as the conductor whom I rode with all this way would get off and a new one takes over to Toledo. The conductor who took over was the same one I saw get off #48 this morning now some 15 hours ago! We recognized each other from a couple previous trips. I left the platform and headed home. This ended up being one of the best trips I’ve taken on the Lake Shore thus far. The crew was extremely friendly on both trains and the dining car crew did a fabulous job with all the meals. Despite the setbacks including the running of the trains out of Grand Central Station along with the changing of the lead locomotive in Albany on #49, this trip went otherwise very well. The train itself had very few problems that I noticed. I’ve always liked riding this particular train because of the amenities available. All of the consists are listed below, until my next trip, Happy Railfanning... |
 CSX Train Q-265 (Conrail Train LMBU) passes through Depew just minutes before Amtrak Train #48 would arrive. Today's train had 2 lease units in its 4 engine consist.  CSX Train Q-629 (Conrail Train SENF) with AC44 #535 on the lead, heads West past Depew Station just seconds before Train #48's arrival.  An interior view of the Bar Section in the Cafe Car. Amtrak will have virtually any kind of Amfleet I or II Cafe Car on the Lake Shore Limited as several different types (Metroliner, Dinette, Club) have been seen on this train in recent years.  One of the many locks on the Erie Canal which doubles as the Mohawk River along the Southern Edge of the Adirondacks. This can all be seen East of Utica.  Russo's Grille Restaurant in Amsterdam, NY, a popular restaurant among local railfans in the area as it features great food and a nice view of the mainline outside its front window, I recommend the Chicken Wings and Gravy Fries, yum!!!!  A view of the frozen Mohawk River as seen from the big bridge just West of Schenectady. During the summer months, this area is frequented by lots of pleasure boats.  A View of Downtown Schenectady from the platform of the Amtrak Station.  Here is something rarely seen on the Lake Shore, a Horizon Fleet Coach. Seen here is Coach #54536 in the Boston Section of the train. (On a side note, my copyright notice really isn't on that sign but by dumb luck it was in the right location in the picture to allow me to put it there!)  Amtrak Empire Service Train #286 arrived just minutes after our train with P32AC-DM #709 on the lead. One of only a few of these units now wearing the Phase 5 or "Shamu" Paint Scheme.  This NS Freight operated on the CP (Former D&H) Line that runs past the station. NS has trackage rights here and runs a few trains a day on this line.  These 2 CSX GP40-2's were working a local job near the Schenectady Station and pulled up to where they're seen here to move switch onto another track nearby.  These old building billboards look really interesting. I photographed this one as seen from the platform. It looks like an old Nabisco Advertisement, anyone with info on this can send me some E-mail! (December 2006 Update: This advertisement has since been painted over and is now nearly invisible.)  Amtrak's station in Schenectady. A typical "Amshack" that is built so that the tracks are accessible from either an elevator or a staircase with the platform between the two tracks.  This sign sits in the vestibule of the Amtrak Station in Schenectady commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Mohawk & Hudson RR (Later New York Central).  Amtrak Empire Service Train #281 arriving into Schenectady with P32AC-DM #711 for power. This train is headed to Niagara Falls.  Amtrak Train #68 - The Adirondack from Montreal makes its station stop in Schenectady. This train offers Checked Baggage Service at select stations and has its own special baggage car with the train's official logo panted on its sides. Today's train was powered with P40DC #804.  The Adirondack's special Baggage Car as seen on today's train. |
Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited
- Train #48 - February 7th, 2003 - 72 Axles |
|||
Number: |
Type: |
Name: |
Description: |
175 |
P42DC |
Power |
|
188 |
P42DC |
Power |
|
25069 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (Deadheading To Boston) |
|
1757 |
Heritage Baggage |
Baggage Car (To Boston) |
|
62036 |
Viewliner Sleeper |
Skyline View |
Sleeping Car (To Boston) |
82516 |
Amfleet I Coach |
Coach (Capstone Rebuild) (To Boston) |
|
54536 |
Horizon Fleet Coach |
Coach (Unrefurbished) (To Boston) (My Car) |
|
20138 |
Amfleet I Cafe Car |
Metroliner Style Cafe Car (To Boston) |
|
8507 |
Heritage Diner |
Dining Car (Temoinsa Rebuild) (To New York) |
|
25015 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (To New York) |
|
25007 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (To New York) |
|
25115 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (To New York) |
|
62008 |
Viewliner Sleeper |
Eagle View |
Sleeping Car (To New York) |
2504 |
Heritage 10/6 Sleeper |
Pacific Bend |
Crew Dorm/Lounge (To New York) |
1715 |
Heritage Baggage |
Baggage Car (To New York) |
|
????? |
Road Railers (5) |
Road Railers |
|
Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited
- Train #49 - February 7th, 2003 - 78 Axles |
|||
Number: |
Type: |
Name: |
Description: |
825 |
P40DC |
Power |
|
144 |
P42DC |
Power |
|
1751 |
Heritage Baggage |
Baggage Car (From Boston) |
|
1211 |
Heritage Baggage |
Baggage Car (From Boston) |
|
62037 |
Viewliner Sleeper |
Southern View |
Sleeping Car (From Boston) |
25059 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (From Boston) |
|
25091 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (From Boston) |
|
20035 |
Amfleet I Cafe Car |
Cafe Car (From
Boston) |
|
8527 |
Heritage Diner |
Dining Car (Temoinsa Rebuild) (From New York) |
|
25098 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (From New York) (My Car) |
|
25053 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (From New York) |
|
25009 |
Amfleet II Coach |
Coach (From New York) |
|
62043 |
Viewliner Sleeper |
Sunset View |
Sleeping Car (From New York) |
2511 |
Heritage 10/6 Sleeper |
Pacific Park |
Crew Dorm/Lounge (From New York) |
1708 |
Heritage Baggage |
Baggage Car (From New York) |
|
????? |
Road Railers (8) |
Road Railers |
|
   |
