All things Pennsylvanian AND Keystone West

gp80mac wrote:I doubt you'd be able to run your proposed CM* train. During the night, a lot of maintenance work happens along the Keystone line east of Harrisburg. Plus there's a couple of NS locals that have to serve the industries along that stretch. There's not that large of a night window currently - so trying to run a passenger train in the middle of it is probably not going to happen.

Thus, run CM* on 640's schedule east of Harrisburg. Whether or not Amtrak would release a precious Viewliner from its "reserve" stock for such a service and whether Pennsylvania would pay for a money losing sleeper (per Amtrak), that remains the bigger question. However, I think most would be surprised at how many business folks would actually book a sleeper space for travel between Harrisburg and NYP just to get some early work done or just sleep! The Three Rivers had folks booking space in sleeper when coach seats were not available!!!

#43 (30) sat in Harrisburg for 2 hours today. No motive power??

More likely no staff to hand off to. Harrisburg switches personnel (save for the kitchen staff, which switches in Philadelphia).

I have a trip on the Pennsylvanian coming up, but only on the Northeast Corridor segment of the route.

If the train has Amfleet IIs, can I sit in one of them even though my trip is only for a short distance? Or is this like the Palmetto, in which NEC-only passengers are herded into Amfleet Is?

Thanks.

Eastbound passengers boarding west of HAR are given a car assignment. Those boarding at HAR and points east are allowed to take any available seat.

Westbound there are no car assignments at any point, as far as I (always an end to end passenger) could tell.

Westbound at 30th Street PHL, you had a pick -- everyone was lined up. Eastbound at PGH, you're directed to a car depending on where you were going and what class you were.

Thanks for the replies, which were correct. I boarded at NYP and picked an Amfleet II, which was very comfortable.

Some action along the Keystone Line in Wynnewood today 3/11.

"The Pennsylvanian" #43 westbound through the cure at Wynnewood with P42DC #99 on the point:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4910131" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A light City Sprinter move passing an eastbound Keystone Service #666:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4910132" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Amtrak City Sprinter #602:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4910134" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ben

Interesting thing I just noticed on the March 10, 2018 schedule of the Pennsylvanian.

Go all the way back to the Thruway Bus Connections. You'll see a Harrisburg/State College/Pittsburgh schedule, so you can do a Pennsy by taking a Keystone and hooking up with Greyhound the rest of the way. It takes seven hours on the bus though!

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/ ... 2f2d1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Matt Johnson wrote:https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/ ... 2f2d1.html

I thought Amtrak did away with all of the grade crossings along the Keystone Corridor?
I'm going to assume that based on the article's picture, this was a private crossing?
Ben

Quite a bit of damage to the cab car for a farm tractor.

Private or Farm Crossing from the pic.

Are there any Federal regulations governing private crossings, or are they strictly a matter between the property owner and the railroad?

I do not know about FRA regulations on private crossings. However, on the Downeaster
PAR route, there is a private crossing at Madbury NH serving a single residence. When
the route was upgraded from State Line to Portland for DE service in 2000-2001, crossing
flashers without gates were installed there. I believe this is the only crossing between
State Line and Portland not to have gates,