FINAL EASTERN TRIPS WITH FULL SERVICE DINING Text by Jack M. Turner Photos by John C. Turner
Amtrak’s October 1, 2019 removal of cooked to order dining
service on its eastern trains provided the impetus to schedule one last
trip where we could enjoy nicely prepared meals in a Viewliner II
diner. My son John and I decided this would be the perfect time
to take his son John on his first overnight train trip.
Interestingly, many years ago my parents took me on my first overnight
train ride from Columbia, SC to Miami when I was 4 years ago. My
wife and I had taken our son on a Jacksonville to Washington trip (and
on to Montreal) when he was 3 years old. Now his son would
experience sleeping on a train at that same age.
We arrived at the Jacksonville station on Thursday,
September 19 about an hour ahead of the scheduled arrival of the Silver
Meteor and found that it was running about 15 minutes late. By
using the online train tracker we could follow train # 98 as it made
its way north through Green Cove Springs, Orange Park and on toward the
Amtrak Clifford Lane Station. Its arrival at 5:07pm was exactly
the time that the train should have departed, however, we were happy
with a slight delay as an on-time train typically arrives in Washington
around 6:30am the next day, a bit early for our taste.
Our assigned roomettes were in car 9810, the sleeper
directly adjacent to the dining car. The sleeping car still wore its
name “Mystic View” on its end doors though the nameplate on the
exterior simply said “Viewliner 62023”. I told my son and
grandson to take roomette 3 as its bedding is set up facing forward
while even numbered rooms like my roomette 4 sleep backward.
Being across the hall from one another would be convenient for visiting
with the doors opened during waking hours and provide ease should we
need one another at night. We were pleased to discover that the
air conditioning was pleasantly cool on this 95 degree day and it would
remain that way throughout the trip.
The author's son and grandson prepare to board our sleeping car
We pulled out of Jacksonville at 5:25pm after an efficient crew change,
boarding of approximately 30 passengers and baggage, and watering the
dining car. After crossing the St. Mary’s River into Georgia we
made our way to the dining car, happy that the crew had reserved that
sitting for passengers who boarded in Jacksonville. As we took
our seats, the train breezed past the railfan pavilion at Folkston
which on this day was devoid of train watchers. The dining car
was bright and airy with its double row of windows, light interior
colors, and etched glass partitions between tables. Viewliner II
diners are named for eastern state capitols and ours was the
“Tallahassee”, appropriate since we are Floridians. Curiously,
my wife and I dined in the same car about six weeks earlier which
defied the odds since there are 25 new Viewliner II dining cars in
Amtrak’s equipment pool.
Dining car "Tallahassee"
The front of the dining car menu
The daily menu in effect at the time we traveled
Our servers, Eva and Jacques, were arguably the best
in the eastern part of the Amtrak system, an opinion I formulated based
on their great service when Christine and I rode with them in
August. While southeast Georgia’s pine forests, marshes, and
rivers flashed by our windows, son John and I enjoyed our steak dinners
each complimented by a baked potato, green beans, and salad. My
grandson enjoyed his kiddie hot dog and server Eva commented that she
had never seen a young child enjoy his salad like little John
did.
A dinner side salad aboard the Silver Meteor
A delicious dinner served on our September 2019 trip
Back in our rooms we watched the miles pass quickly as the Silver
Meteor rolled through Nahunta and other small communities. The
stop in Jesup added a few passengers to the manifest followed by
another dozen or so people in Savannah. After crossing the
Savannah River into South Carolina we ate our desserts that had been
brought back to our rooms from dinner. The southbound Palmetto
roared past just south of Yemassee where a few more passengers joined
our train. Overall this was a light travel date as evidenced by
the fact only three coaches were in the consist. There were,
however, three sleeping cars, each with a decent load.
The stop in Jesup, GA
Stopped in Savannah
Our roomettes were located in the center of the car
The distinct sound of the train crossing a drawbridge signaled that we
were passing over the Ashley River whose south shore is home to several
beautiful plantations that are major attractions to the area.
About 15 minutes later the Silver Meteor glided to a stop in Charleston
and it was about time to turn in since the next day would require
detraining early. The location of our roomettes at the center of
the car provided a smooth ride but sleep still came slowly for
me. This seems to happen on the first night of train trips
whenever I travel by rail. The stop at Florence was interesting
as the southbound AutoTrain stopped one track over for its crew change
and servicing. Finally after our station stop in Fayetteville, NC
I drifted into a sound sleep until my alarm clock woke me about 45
minutes before our arrival in Washington.
The southbound AutoTrain at Florence, SC
Dining car in predawn hours
Sunrise approaching Washington, DC
A Metro Yellow Line train crosses the Potomac
The train pulled into Washington Union Station less than 10 minutes
late at 7:13am and we made our way into the grand station for a bite to
eat as we had been concerned there wouldn’t be enough time for the
dining car. We caught the Metro Red line at one end of the
station then transferred a couple stops later to the Yellow line for a
mostly above ground ride to Reagan National Airport. There we
picked up a rental car as the rental agencies at Union Station did not
have child car seats available. A visit to the Air & Space
Annex at Dulles Airport in Chantilly, VA provided my grandson a chance
to view space shuttle Discovery and countless airplanes on
display. Then we visited Manassas National Battlefield, my son’s
first visit to that historic Civil War site. The night was spent
at Embassy Suites in Alexandria where Amtrak and Virginia Railway
Express trains could be seen from our window as they stopped at the
Amtrak station. Washington Metro trains also could be seen as
they stopped at their Alexandria stop every few minutes. During
the evening we traveled back to Union Station aboard the Metro and
walked three blocks to a high school football game, an unlikely venue
since it was right in the heart of the city.
Our Metro train approaches
The viewing tower at the Air & Space Annex offers sweeping airport views
A stealth bomber and other places on display
Space Shuttle "Discovery"
Manassas National Battlefield
The view from our Embassy Suites window as a VRE train stops at Alexandria
Potomac River swing bridge used by Amtrak as seen from a Metro train
A Gonzaga Prep football game a few blocks from Union Station
On Saturday we drove approximately two hours south to Ashland, VA for a
couple hours of watching trains at the Ashland Amtrak depot. This
was a fun activity for young John who often likes to watch the Amtrak
live web cam online and we couldn’t resist waving to my wife who was
watching at home and to my friend Eric watching at his central Florida
home. Ashland is a great place for anyone who likes trains as a
variety of CSX freights and Amtrak passenger trains pass on the double
track mainline. Amtrak’s Silver Meteor, Silver Star, AutoTrain,
Palmetto, Carolinian, and regional trains linking the Northeast with
Richmond, Newport News, and Norfolk pass Ashland daily. Several
of the regionals stop in Ashland under the watchful eye of the
webcam. The old Ashland depot today houses the local visitors
bureau which offers a comfortable place to retire to for a few minutes
as well as brick platforms on both sides of the tracks.
The author with his son and grandson as seen on the Ashland web cam
The Ashland, VA train station/visitors center
Northbound CSX freight at Ashland
Southbound Amtrak “Carolinian” in Ashland
Following train watching we walked around the adjacent campus of
Randolph-Macon College and attended an RMC football game. We were
happy the Division III Yellow Jackets won as I attended college there
for one semester in 1972 before transferring back home. Back in
the day I enjoyed watching the trains of second year Amtrak, the
private Auto-Train, and Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac pass a
few yards from my dormitory. Indeed there was a sense of deja vu.
Randolph-Macon defeats Emory & Henry
The view of passing trains behind the author's 1972 college dorm
After driving back to Washington on busy I-95, we returned the rental
directly to Union Station then relaxed in the Club Acela first class
lounge. Around 7:00pm we were escorted to the escalator down to
the platform where Train # 97 the southbound Silver Meteor
waited. Our sleeping car was the same as on the northbound trip
but this time we had roomettes 5 and 6. By again occupying the
even numbered room I could view the sights along the opposite side of
the train from the northward trip.
Dining car "Tallahassee" on the southbound "Silver Meteor" at Washington.
Washington passengers were invited to the dining car as we departed at
7:27pm and it was fitting to enjoy our final on board cooked to order
meals in the “Tallahassee”. Once more Eva and Jacques provided
impeccable service and we thought how sad that they will no longer
serve passengers in the dining car. Fortunately, both should
still hold down jobs on the Florida trains so future guests will enjoy
their hospitality in other ways. For a final dinner, we again
selected the steak with baked potato, green beans, and a garden
salad. Young John was happy with the child menu favorite, mac and
cheese plus his usual salad. Once more we enjoyed dessert back in
our rooms with key lime pie and chocolate cake being our selections.
Stops in Alexandria and Fredericksburg broke up the nighttime darkness
and we enjoyed seeing our Embassy Suites hotel during the stop in
Alexandria. John noticed a southbound CSX coal train passing the
Ashland webcam but it cleared by the time we rolled through that town
at 9:24pm. About 5 minutes later we overtook the coal train near
Glen Allen and paced it until just north of Richmond where we stopped
at 9:45pm. The station stop took only 5 minutes then we sailed
through a rainy night and watched the crossing of the James River south
of the city. A half hour later we stopped in Petersburg where a
couple passengers boarded. Pulling out of Rocky Mount, NC a few
minutes before midnight it was time to turn in.
This time sleep came easily and I awoke 7 hours later at 6:59am as we
departed Savannah. In short order we were seated in the dining
car enjoying pancakes, sausage, and breakfast potatoes. My
grandson recreated one of his father’s favorite childhood activities as
he lined up packages of butter, cream, etc and pretended they were a
“choo-choo”. Back in his room little John was fascinated by the
folding sink which provided entertainment for quite a while.
Meanwhile the stop in Jesup and passage through small south Georgia and
north Florida towns ushered us toward our destination of
Jacksonville. Arrival at 9:32am was about 20 minutes late and
shortly we were on our way home in our minivan.
Playing “choo-choo” with items found on the dining table
Breakfast was our final cooked to order meal aboard an eastern Amtrak train
Enjoying breakfast on the "Silver Meteor"
The trip was a terrific success and it was money well spent to see
grandson John experience his first overnight train trips and first and
only regular meals in the dining car, at least until he travels out
west. Our trains ran close to schedule, were in a state of good
repair, and the crews were most pleasant. Having traveled on the
Florida trains over the past 60 years, I am sad to reflect upon the
demise of the eastern full service dining car but hopeful that one day
they will make a return.
