Being off from work, I decided what better way to spend the day than to take a ride to Atlantic City, my first since service resumed on the Atlantic City Line.
A one way ticket from the Pennsauken Transit Center to A.C. ran me $5.25, which even if was just for fun, is still a decent price in my opinion! My train (#4627) arrived at the Transit Center at 1:17pm, right on time!
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Aside from my coach having a flat spot on one of its wheels (making for some extra "clickety-clacking"), the ride was comfortable, quiet and quick! We pulled into the Atlantic City Rail Terminal at 2:31pm. Only one minute behind schedule.
GP40PH-2B #4215 (seen to the left) provided the power on my train. #4217 and the three coaches to the right are the protect set for the Atlantic City Line:
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The Atlantic City Rail Terminal was quiet when I arrived. I had lunch at the small grille located within the main concourse. Here's an interior shot of the waiting area:
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The terminal, which also doubles as the Atlantic City Convention Center was opened in 1989, and is the eastern most terminus on the Atlantic City Line. As seen from Kirkman Blvd:
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For my ride home, I sat in the cab car which trails on trains headed for Philadelphia. Interior shot of NJT Cab Car #6049:
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Due to diesel exhaust issues at the platforms in Atlantic City, locomotives are located on the north end of all trains.
I watched the Atlantic City casinos through the dirty window of my seat get smaller and smaller as we sped through the marshes, headed for the mainland:
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Our train slowed a bit as we entered the POMO (Pomona) passing siding. This could only mean that a meet was at hand with a train headed in the opposite direction, towards Atlantic City. The shot came out a bit blurred, but here is Atlantic City Line train #4631 as seen from the rear window of my coach:
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60 minutes later, I was ending my journey in the same place where it had begun four hours earlier. Back home in Pennsauken...
Nothing beats taking the train to shore and back!
Ben