Adventurers in New England
Chapter Twenty-Five
Train Ride from Washington D.C. to New Orleans
Amtrak Train 19, Crescent
by
Robin Bowers
July 2, 2015
Thursday
Text and Photos by Author
The author retains all
rights. No reproductions are allowed without the
author's consent.
Comments are appreciated at... yr.mmxx@gmail.com
Man
oh Man. What a way to start the day. Waking up and looking
out your bedroom window and seeing our wonderful countryside
passing by and very curious as to where you are located. After
leaving DC and while having dinner in the diner, we were
enveloped in a big cloud burst and downpour. The train was
stopped at the time, we then backed up some distance and then
proceeded forward. I think we were on a siding then because of
our lateness and not a rain delay. Walking back to my room, I
noticed rain coming in around the vestibules but everything else
was dry, especially my bed and room. On this trip I will be
spending my night in a Viewliner Roomette, a first for me. The
two big differences between this and a Superliner is that the
Viewliner has upper and lower beds, each with its own window and
a non-enclosed toilet and wash basin. I like having the toilet
in the room versus down the hall on the Superliner for those
nocturnal visits. I don't know how it would work with two people
in the Roomette if you wanted some privacy. After having slept
through several states, I was ready to get up and go to the
diner and have some breakfast; French Toast and coffee and
juice. After that it was time to await my first stop of the day.
Atlanta, GA
My late train was still late and getting later. It sometimes
happens in train travel. The
Crescent's schedule arrival
time for Atlanta is 8:13am and we arrived at 10:10am. We had a 20
minute stop here so I exited and took some pictures on the
platform.
The
Crescent at Atlanta, GA
While on the platform I was
able to make a list of the consist. On point 198, 160, baggage
-61036, sleepers-62045, 62035 (mine), diner, cafe 28012, coaches
-25086, 25036, 25120, 25067. Also no Wi-Fi on the Crescent.
It would be a nice amenity to have on a long distance train.
Bridge gone to seed? Was it a former vehicle - auto, train - or
pedestrian. Or maybe used as an animal bridge now.
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham, AL skyline.
Schedule arrival time: 11:50am and our time of arrival 3:15pm.
Kitchen in the diner.
View from last coach car of where we came from.
View into baggage car 61036.
Schedule arrival in Tuscaloosa, AL is 1:07pm, our arrival 5:39pm.
A look inside an accessible bedroom.
A family of three got off in
Tuscaloosa so I took a peek. Grandfather, Son and the Grandson
who I would see in the diner picking up meals to take back to
the room.
Scheduled arrival in Meridian, MS 2:58, our arrival 8:51pm.
After Meridian, darkness enveloped the
countryside and I stopped taking photos and just sat and looked
at the rural and town lights. Normally I don't mind being on a
late train since it allows me to stay on the train longer. But
one of the experiences I wanted to encounter on the Crescent
was the crossing of Lake Pontchartrain. The Crescent is
scheduled to cross Lake Pontchartrain about 7:00pm so in July
that is still daylight. I was ensconced in my room while
crossing Lake Pontchartrain at 11:00pm
and could see lights over the lake and the adjacent train bridge
and thinking about - would this be like taking a train to Key
West. It was close to midnight
when we left the train in New Orleans. Walking out to the street
there were taxis waiting for our arrival. I told the next cab in
line where I was going and he said no problem that he knew where
the hotel is located. In ten minutes we were at the hotel. While
checking in, the nice clerk gave me a room on the ground floor
which I was grateful for. He felt sorry because of all my
luggage and having to climb stairs to second floor rooms. Once
in the room, I was ready for bed and sleep.
I enjoyed my first trip on the Crescent
from Washington DC to New Orleans. The crew was always helpful
and friendly and I liked seeing a great part of the South after
visiting New England. And the meals, eating in the diner are the
best part of traveling in sleeper.
Tomorrow - First day in New Orleans
Next Chapter -
Twenty-six New Orleans
streetcars
Return to last
Chapter - Twenty-four - A Day in Washington D.C.
Robin's trips
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Text and Photos by Author
The author retains
all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the
author's consent.
Comments are appreciated at...
yr.mmxx@gmail.com
