Any long distance railfan excursions in PA/NJ 2011?

The trip will depart from Bethlehem, not Allentown according to Railpace and a post on another forum that I found. I can't think of any convenient place to board in Allentown, anyway because the lines closer to downtown Allentown end at Gordon St. (the old LV passenger track) and north of Fullerton (the old LV main) so the trip would have to travel through the yard and up the ex-CNJ (now Norfolk Southern) toward Lehighton then take Reading and Northern further north. I live just west of Allentown near the PA Turnpike NE Extension. It will use Bennett Levin's PRR E8's. I wonder where the excursion will depart from in Bethlehem? Main Street Depot on the former CNJ or Union Station on the former LV on the south side of the river with train crossing bridge to access yard and lines to the north.

Any links/evidence/dates of this trip?

The guy that mentioned insurance, this trip is being run by Bennett Levin's Juniata Terminal PRR E8's. He has the dough to make such a trip happen, and he knows higher ups at Amtrak and NS to "pull strings" to get them to allow railfan excursions on busy Amtrak and NS trackage. So, I think this trip will happen if Bennett Levin is doing it. The line from Allentown to Lehighton sees only 2 to 4 NS trains a day? a local to Hazelton, and a through train to Binghamton, NY via Reading and Northern and Canadian Pacific. R&N and CP have been very accomodating toward operating or permitting excursion trains, Steamtown is going to the Viaduct again May 28 on CP ex-DL&W northward. That is a busy single track freight line, yet CP is permitting Steamtown to run occasional excursions on it. It is sold out already. I never rode the train that way only southeast toward Moscow. I missed all the previous Viaduct excursions. Like there's Nay Aug on the Pocono line, there's a tunnel on the line to the north.

The Bethlehem to Steamtown trip, when I heard about it a few weeks ago, was slated to go "the other way", across the Delaware into New Jersey at Martin's Creek and then back across and onto the D-L trackage at the Water Gap. But of course I understand there's a bridge in there somewhere that needs repair, so they could use CP/NS/R&N.

Last year, at the last moment I heard that Amtrak was moving display equipment from Steamtown back to Albany and Morristown & Erie's PV "Ohio River" was going to be on the train -- and tickets were available. So there's a trip everyone missed: Steamtown to Binghamton, up the former D&H to the wye at Mohawk Yard, turn on the wye and then down to Rennsalaer Amtrak station. That was a nice trip, and I'd managed to miss all the excursions between Albany and Binghamton in the 1970s and 1980s.

So hope the Bethlehem -- Steamtown trip runs, via whatever route, and that they have coaches.

How did you get back to Scranton, NellieBly? From Albany, NY area? Was it a one way trip? I too wonder what route the train will use from Bethlehem to Scranton. I originally thought that this trip was going to be an extension of Steamtown's "Whistle Stop" train bringing people into Steamtown from the Pocono's, East Stroudsburg, but extended to Bethlehem. I didn't think NS would ever let Steamtown run their trains on their tracks. But, now it seems it's going to be Bennett Levin's PRR E8's pulling the train. Bennett Levin knows high people at NS and Amtrak and is able to pull such trips off.

If it is to run, more than likely it will be private varnish and a high price tag to ride. Not cheap to position all that equipment but of course you get more than what you pay for if you have that cash!

I rode the Ohio River trip the year before Miss Bly did. Some of us formed a car pool, parking one car at Linden, N.J. New Jersey Transit NorthEast Corridor station, driving to Scranton, riding the trip all the way to Penn Station, then New Jersey Transit to Linden, and drive back to Scranton to retrieve the 1st car. Others either rode a Martz Trailways bus from somewhere, the bus depot is across the street from Steamtown; or took a $100 taxi from Port Jervis, N.J. train station. Some of those riders got off in Rensselaer, N.Y., and rode Amtrak home. The D&H train crews' employer hired a van to bring them from the Albany area. I don't know what the Amtrak crew did.

Well, I live in southern New Jersey, so I took the River Line to Trenton, NJT to Newark, a Greyhound to Scranton, and walked into Steamtown from the bus station. On the return, I rode to NYP on the "Ohio River", then got a trian to Trenton and the River Line back home. Great trip. It did involve an overnight at the Lackawanna Station hotel in Scranton -- which I got to by train (sort of) -- rode a move out of the Steamtown yard right up to the hotel, and walked into the lobby.

Bennett Levin has informed me and several other interested owners of Amtrak certified private cars that the August 5th through 8th 2011 all private car special train excursion from Hoboken Terminal to Youngstown OH via former Erie, returning via former PRR route through Pittsburgh (Conemaugh Line) and Horseshoe Curve to Harrisburg and Philadelphia, is a GO, although some final details remain to be resolved. PRR 5711 and 5809 will be pulling a consist of not more than 9 PVs. Consist is limited due to maximum electrical load (air conditioning versus peak heat/humidity) on locomotive supplied HEP.

I admit the fares are pricey, but the fares reflect the cost of such an excursion. This is a first class excursion over a substantial number of "rare" miles. There are no coaches, but there will be a parlor car if Juniata provides their WARRIOR RIDGE. There are certain restrictions imposed by Juniata Terminal Company; one of them is car owners are not authorized to sell tickets for individual day segments. However, two people can split a ticket, such as a situation where passenger X rides westbound from Hoboken to Youngstown and passenger Y rides eastbound Youngstown to Philadelphia.

Private car MOUNT VERNON has room for two passengers who will share a double bedroom, or who have the option of riding during the day and staying off-car at a local hotel/motel on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

http://www.dominionrailvoyages.com/page60.html

As per the highirontravel.com, the fare is $4200 and the "roomette supplement" is $300. Since I'm not familiar with PV's (only Amtrak), aren't there more roomettes than bedrooms? If that's true, then why would roomettes be more expensive? It also talks about the $4200 being double occupancy. From that I assume 1 person and 2 pay the same fare. True?

I think the fare quoted by High Iron Travel for passengers traveling in business car CARITAS and sleeper CIMARRON RIVER are per person double occupancy of a double bedroom. That means each of the two passengers sharing a double bedroom pay a $4200 fare. If you want a roomette all to yourself, then your fare is $4500 ($4200 + $300).

OK, now I get it. Every private car charges different fares, I assume?

Amtrak7 wrote:OK, now I get it. Every private car charges different fares, I assume?

Yes, that is correct.

In addition, what is offered to passengers often differs from one PV to another PV. This includes the food and beverage service.

Does anyone want to share a bedroom with me on this trip?
The "roomette supplement" is just another way of saying how single and double rooms have been priced in the sleeping car, hotel, and shipping industries. The total charge for a Double Bedroom has usually been slightly less than for 2 Roomettes.