Rafi on the Rails
Follow Rafi Guroian's transcontinental journey across America as he travels by one of the country's most historic—and often forgotten—modes of transportation: the train.RSS feed
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| Live view from Rafi's window, updated every 5 mins (click to magnify) |
Who is this guy and why is he doing this? Watch and learn:
Slideshows (updated daily):
The Empire Builder
The Coast Starlight
The Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited (video)
What's on this page →
The latest 10 entries, with the newest at the top, and snippets from the latest comments.
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Commenting is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-F
Recent entries
- Union Pacific's Clean Air in Texas Campaign
- Empire Builder: A new friend of the 261
- Trip tomorrow: Empire Builder and Capitol Limited
- Dinner with Alex Kummant
- Rafi on the Rails Rated 8.8 on Blogged!
- VIDEO: Spotted on today's Crescent: GrandLuxe (American Orient Express) and Conductor Steve Fritter's last southbound run
- Back on the rails in a sleeper
- More entries...
Home > Rafi on the Rails
Union Pacific’s Clean Air in Texas Campaign
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Empire Builder: A new friend of the 261
-No sleeper upgrade. I was initially booked coach on this leg of the trip back home from St. Paul, MN to Baltimore, since it’s just a day trip. I figured I’d ask the conductor about an upgrade anyway, though (just $75). Unfortunately I got one of those conductors who doesn’t want to really be bothered with onboard upgrades, so I didn’t push it when he said he didn’t have anything (he had at least 8 roomettes, however, according to Amtrak.com).
-The Empire Builder continues to impress. The onboard services crew, as a whole, were exemplary. The food was scrumptious as always. The Rails and Trails National Park Services guides were also onboard and have been providing wonderful commentary in the sightseeing car the entire trip. Which brings me to what is likely the highlight of this trip, if not the month: The 261.
What is the 261? Take a look here. Read on to find out what happened with the 261 and me today.
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Trip tomorrow: Empire Builder and Capitol Limited
Tomorrow is the start of my summer travel season. I’m in Minneapolis as I write this, having just finished up the spring walk-through of the site for the Republican National Convention (Denver is next month for the DNC), and I’m headed out on the Empire Builder tomorrow morning, connecting to the Capitol Limited to Washington, DC, and then to a Northeast Corridor train to my hometown of Baltimore.
I’ve brought along the GPS and webcam, so keep it here for LIVE images from hopefully the Builder (assuming I can swing an upgrade on board to a roomette where I can set up my transmitting equipment; I’m booked in Coach right now) and certainly from the Cap Limited.
All aboard! The 2008 Rafi on the Rails season is starting… NOW.
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Dinner with Alex Kummant
So what does this have to do with trains? Well, I also get to bring a guest, and for the past few years I’ve extended offers to various figures in the railroad industry. Last year I brought Ross Capon from the National Association of Railroad Passengers, for example. This year, I brought Alex Kummant, President and CEO of Amtrak, and we had a blast.
Alex is just a great guy. He’s down to earth, really easy to chat with, sharp-minded, and has a good grasp on what he feels Amtrak’s direction needs to be. Much of our dinner was pretty much off-the-record (a tradition at these dinners), but Alex did mention some things that he’s already said in public, but may not have gotten a whole lot of attention in the press.
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Rafi on the Rails Rated 8.8 on Blogged!
Just a quick note— Blogged.com has rated Rafi on the Rails with an 8.8! I’m currently at the top of all “Amtrak” searches on Blogged, which is fantastic. Now I have to keep it there… You can help by voting for the blog by clicking on the Blogged logo on the left hand side of the page.
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VIDEO: Spotted on today’s Crescent: GrandLuxe (American Orient Express) and Conductor Steve Fritter’s last southbound run
Last night and today’s trip is unique in that the passengers aboard this train were witness to two of passenger railroading’s finest examples of what it means to travel “the elegant way:” GrandLuxe (formerly the American Orient Express) and Conductor Steve Fritter, who, about to retire, made his final southbound voyage from Washington to Charlottesville.
Before watching the video, let me just say a few words about Steve Fritter. My parents live in Culpeper, Virginia, which the Crescent and Cardinal service directly from Baltimore (where I live), and over the years, my wife and I have gotten to know Steve in the sense that a regular passenger gets to know a conductor. You’re not personal friends, per se, but he knows when you’re getting off, and you know what his routine is, where he’s going to open the doors, etc. I can say, without hesitation, that Steve is the finest Amtrak conductor I have ever encountered. Not only is the guy courteous, as any conductor should be, Steve took it upon himself to make sure that every passenger got personal, friendly attention, and no matter the curve balls some passengers threw Steve, I never saw him really rattled even once. Here’s a good example: as we shook hands and went our separate ways tonight, Steve looked me in the eye, and said, “Thanks, Rafi. Have a great trip.” I’ve mentioned my name to him exactly once. And he remembered it, and let’s be frank, it’s a weird name to remember.
It’s selfish of me, but part of me doesn’t want to see the guy go, frankly. I’ve always looked forward to riding the Crescent down to Culpeper with him aboard, and the train just won’t be the same.
Now, on to the video:
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Crescent
Back on the rails in a sleeper
Well, I’m back on Amtrak in a sleeper for the first time since the completion of my trip around the country last October. Since that time, my wife and I have been on a few rail trips around the east (namely the now-infamous Montreal fiasco, a wonderful trip on the Cardinal in West Virginia, a trip to Hudson, NY on Amtrak’s Empire Service, and a quick Acela trip up to Philadelphia and back). I had meant to blog about each and every one, but either got lazy or distracted and only followed through on the Montreal trip. I vowed to do better on this one since it’s notable for a number of reasons, which you’ll read about in the upcoming blog postings.
Note that I’m not updating the webcam images on this trip (it’s an overnight, so there’s not much to see) and I’m not posting the GPS map this time around (forgot to bring the extra computer to handle that job), but the postings should be full of pictures and video clips.
-Rafi
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Crescent, Crescent
Rafi on the Rails back in action
After a four month hiatus, I’m pleased to announce that Rafi on the Rails is back in action. Beginning this weekend, I’ll be taking my first overnight train trip since last fall aboard the Crescent from Baltimore to Atlanta, and I have a number of other trips scheduled for this summer.
There are also a number of passenger rail-related events coming up in the next few months (like National Train Day) and I’ll be covering those here as well.
So if you aren’t already subscribed, make sure to subscribe to the Rafi on the Rails RSS feed by clicking here or by clicking the orange XML button to the left. Your RSS client will alert you each time I post a new blog entry.
And as always, please don’t hesitate to post comments requesting anything you’d like to see.
-Rafi
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Dennis the Amtrak Menace
If there was one disappointment in my recent trip to Montreal, it was on my connecting train back to Baltimore from New York’s Penn Station. Because the Adirondack (Montreal to New York) lacks a business class car, I booked coach for the entire trip home, figuring that I’d upgrade to business in New York if seats were available on the connecting regional train.
Now for those of you who may not know, the train’s conductor can always upgrade your class of seat on an Amtrak train if the accommodations are available and if you’re willing to pay the upgrade fee. For example, I’ve always been a fan of paying a small surcharge onboard a long distance train to upgrade to a deluxe sleeper room from a standard “roommette” when there’s a room available. On Acela Express trains, it’s possible to upgrade from Business Class to First Class, and on regional trains, it’s possible to upgrade from Coach to Business.
In fact, Amtrak’s timetable reads,
“Business class, Acela Express First class and Sleeping Car Service accommodations may be purchased on board trains if unsold space is still available. Contact the Conductor to purchase an upgrade.”
Seems pretty straightforward, huh? Not to Dennis, the conductor on train 177 on November 14, 2007. And not only that, Dennis is a good example of how Amtrak still has a lot of work to do when it comes to Customer Service training.
Permalink | | Categories: Northeast Corridor Regional
Le Spectacle de L’Adirondack
Amtrak trains run into Canada on three routes (two of which Amtrak operates through to the Canadian destination with the third operated by VIA Rail, Canada’s national passenger railroad). One of those routes is the Adirondack, which operates from New York’s Penn Station through Albany and up the banks of Lake Champlain into Quebec. All of this I knew long before I decided to take a trip on the Adirondack. What I didn’t know was just how spectacular the trip—especially the segment along Lake Champlain—is. Apparently Amtrak got the feeling that I wasn’t alone, because in a surprise move this fall, the railroad began running its sole remaining “Great Dome” observation car between Albany and Montreal on the train in an effort to remind folks just how scenic the train is.
And that’s what lured me to the Adirondack this weekend: the Great Dome. Built in 1955 by Budd for what was then the Great Northern Railway, this dome car once ran on the Empire Builder, the same train I recently took on my great transcontinental journey in September and October of 2007. Back then, it was called the Ocean View, and its name has since been changed to simply the Great Dome, as it’s Amtrak’s last remaining dome car in the entire fleet (only six were made by Budd, in fact). I had ridden in similar cars before—most notably on the (for now) defunct Spirit of Washington Dinner Train—but never as part of a regular passenger railroad coach fare, and certainly never in scenery as lush as the views from the Adirondack, as I was about to discover.
Permalink | | Categories: Adirondack
Latest comments
No service from ORL - NOL? Great! So if I live anywhere in between that route, I cant ride the train!
... read the full comment by yoohoo | Comment on Dinner with Alex Kummant Read Dinner with Alex Kummant
What a grand country - and what a wonderful way to experience it! I commend you for taking on the challenges. At the very least, you have given me a glimpse of what it is like to follow your dreams - and to remember to pack lunch just in case.
... read the full comment by Virginia | Comment on Day 15: The Last Train Read Day 15: The Last Train
Welcome home Rafi… looks like you’ve had a good trip.
Mark
... read the full comment by Mark Sieffert | Comment on EXCLUSIVE NEWS: City of New Orleans to lose Sightseeing Car and to Switch to Diner-Lounge car as early as November '07 Read EXCLUSIVE NEWS: City of New Orleans to lose Sightseeing Car and to Switch to Diner-Lounge car as early as November '07
Rafi, Love the Texas Eagle video. Amtrak should pay big bucks for that… :) n
... read the full comment by nancy | Comment on Day 4: Jon's Newspaper Pic of the Day Read Day 4: Jon's Newspaper Pic of the Day