By
Jack M. Turner
A
New Year's visit to Miami provided the perfect opportunity to take a
ride on
the new DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) train set operated by Tri-Rail as my
son and
I had some free time before the January 2 Orange Bowl game at Dolphins
Stadium. A couple days before the
trip I located a Tri-Rail representative who knew which runs would
feature the
new equipment built by Colorado Railcar as the DMU was rotating amongst
the
various schedules from day to day.
We
arrived at the Pompano Beach/Sample Road Tri-Rail stop in time to
witness the
rapid passage of Amtrak train # 92, the Silver Star, at 10:25am. The air was kicked up in a tempest as
the New York bound streamliner breezed by at 79 mph.
Soon another headlight approached from the south and
northbound Tri-Rail train # P612 arrived.
The most noticeable thing about the DMU was its 19 feet 6 inch
height
making it taller than the usual commuter cars. We
were underway at 10:40 as a southbound Tri-Rail train
pulled in on the adjacent track.
 A
southbound conventional Tri-Rail train arrives in Pompano Beach, FL.
|
 Tri-Rail train # P612 arrives in Pompano Beach behind DMU # 703 on January 2,
2007.
|
 The interior of the upper level of DMU 703. |
 The interior of the upper level of DMU 703. |
The
view from the upper level was magnificent as large wraparound windows
provided
uninterrupted views of the former
Seaboard route that I rode many times as a
youngster growing up in south Florida and have traversed often in years
since. Back in the 1960s my first
cab ride had been between Miami and Pompano Beach aboard my favorite
train,
Illinois Central's beautiful City of Miami. This
would be the first time since then that I had boarded
or detrained at Pompano, albeit at a different station.
Back in those days there was a rural
feel to much of the route as it passed through wooded terrain that has
long since
been paved over by I-95 and other urban highways.
The
reclining seats in the DMU were comfortable with high backs and soft
brownish
striped upholstery. Two tables
flanked by facing pairs of seats were available for those desiring work
space. The air conditioning was
exceptional
and, yes, it was warm outside in tropical south Florida even in January. Passage between the train's two
cars was on the lower level thus the
rear end of the upper level contained seats all the way across the
width of the
car much like the rear of a city bus.
The forward end of the car (near the head end of the train)
seemed to
ride less smoothly than the center where we sat. Access
to the lower level was via stairways from either
direction near the center of the car.
Seating capacity for the DMU is 188 and it is 89 feet long.
The
other car, also a bi-level design, seats 200 passengers and has a low
floor
that makes it ADA accessible. The
lower level of that car includes baggage storage areas, bicycle racks,
and a
handicapped accessible restroom.
The total seating capacity of the two car train is, at 388,
comparable
to longer commuter trains.
After
stopping at the Amtrak/Tri-Rail station in Deerfield Beach, train P612
proceeded north to the new Boca Raton stop south of Yamato Road; the
former
stop was north of that highway in a cramped location.
The DMU's traction motors made a sound reminiscent of old
rail diesel cars which were the inspiration for this new generation
rail equipment. After pausing at Delray
Beach, another
southbound TriRail train was met at 11:07 at Boynton Beach, another
stop for
the City of Miami and South Wind during the years the Seaboard Coast
Line
Railroad operated ex-ACL trains on the
former SAL route into Miami.
The ex-SAL Silver Meteor and Silver Star did not call at Pompano
Beach
or Boynton Beach.
The
next stop, Lake Worth, is a popular weekend stop because of a flea
market
located in the adjacent parking lot, however, this was a weekday so
ridership
was moderate. We slid into West
Palm Beach at 11:23 which recalled the days when I rode the Silver
Meteor, City
of Miami, or South Wind from Miami to West Palm then returned on the
first
train south, usually the Silver Star but sometimes the plush
winter-only
Florida Special. A few years ago the
station was beautifully restored though the former passenger waiting
room was
turned over to Greyhound while Amtrak took over the refurbished baggage
room. On this run we would
continue to the end of the Tri-Rail line, Mangonia Park, 3 or 4 miles
to the
north.
A
16 minute layover allowed time to photograph the train including the
aging GP
locomotive that had pushed us northbound.
It would be on the forward end heading south and it was unclear
why the
DMU cars were being assisted instead of operating independently. Half of the upper level seats face
forward and half backwards on any given run which prevents the need to
turn
seats each time the train starts a new run. Naturally
we selected forward facing seats and were able to
switch sides for the southbound run.
The uneventful return to Pompano Beach ended at 12:41pm as we
nixed the
idea of riding to the south end of the line near Miami International
Airport
since we have done that on previous trips.
 The southbound run prepares to
depart Lett Mangonia Park on January 2, 2007 behind a GP-39 locomotive.
|
 Bi-level car 7001 operates in tandem
with the DMU.
|
 Tri-Rail DMU 703 at Mangonia Park on
January 2, 2007.
|
 The DMU is noticably taller than a
passing bi-level Tri-Rail train.
|
After
our ride we spent the night at the comfortable Hilton Garden Inn
located midway
between the Boca Raton and Delray Beach Tri-Rail stops.
The latter also serves Amtrak. Other
convenient hotels are located within
walking distance of the West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Miami Airport
stations. For persons with a car,
there is a large parking lot at Mangonia Park and lodging is
approximately a 5
minute drive west. Near the
southern end Tri-Rail trains connect with Miami-Dade County's elevated
MetroRail light rail trains which offer nice views of downtown Miami
and
operate above the abandoned right-of-way of the Florida East Coast Line
from
downtown to Dadeland South.
MetroRail, in turn, connects with an automated people mover
system that
runs on a couple of lines through the downtown Miami area.
