Official "Maple Leaf" Thread

Only critters who authorized the rules are running for reelection. Many of them were in office during the previous administrations, when the rules were established. While the President, who is not now running for reelection, appoints heads of departments who make the rules, the Senate must confirm those nominees. 1/3 of the Senators are running for reelection this November. An appropriations bill, to authorize money to pay the inspectors who stop the domestic trains, must originate in the House of Representatives, and all of those seats are to be voted this November. There are precedents for Congress refusing to vote for money to pay for a Federal project they dislike, allowing Mexican truck drivers into the U.S. of A. is a recent example.

obienick wrote:Who's made the rules who are running for reelection? The Border Patrol is under the DHS, whose director is appointed by the President (who is not up for reelection this cycle) and AFAIK, the rules were implemented before the current administration.

After September 11, Border Patrol and Customs were combined into a new agency called Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Up until about two months ago, CBP had no official commissioner at the helm.

Food and "Agricultural" things are searched for in order to keep non-native species of critters out of the country that could wreak havoc on the natural environment and our agrarian industries without predators to keep their numbers in check.

Food and "Agricultural" things are searched for in order to keep non-native species of critters out of the country that could wreak havoc on the natural environment and our agrarian industries without predators to keep their numbers in check.

Yes, because Canada is a completely different ecosystem than the United States ::rolls eyes::

Food and "Agricultural" things are searched for in order to keep non-native species of critters out of the country that could wreak havoc on the natural environment and our agrarian industries without predators to keep their numbers in check.

Mainly from other continents, though I recall being stopped at the California border in 1963 for similar checks.

Mike77E9 wrote:US Customs on the return was much simpler, but took a lot longer. We pulled into the US, and then did a backup move into the Niagara Falls, NY station, and the agents came on board to inspect the passengers and train.

I wonder why they had your train reverse into the other track at the station there. I've done two and a half trips on the Maple Leaf, and on all three U.S.-bound runs, we simply stopped at the station platform on the track we were on for the customs inspection and station work afterwards....

On my last trip, the customs agents confiscated a bag of fresh fruits that the lady seated across from me had to snack on for her trip. She gave up the bag, but was definitely not a happy camper...

Silverliner II wrote:I wonder why they had your train reverse into the other track at the station there. I've done two and a half trips on the Maple Leaf, and on all three U.S.-bound runs, we simply stopped at the station platform on the track we were on for the customs inspection and station work afterwards....

Well, from looking at this map, there's two stub end tracks at the station with a "platform" in between them, and then there's a track that has a platform between the further stub end and the main to Ontario: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=r5k00j ... vl=2&sty=b

When we pulled in, there was an Empire Service train sitting in the stub end furthest from the station, so I think that kinda of limited access to our train from the station to the furthest platform, plus giving limited visibility of the train to the border and customs agents. Also, we did have an issue with one of the cars (no water) that they worked to resolve here, which they did successfully.

Oh, and the tracks between Niagara Falls, NY and Niagara Falls, ON are in the roughest of shape. Going towards Canada, as soon as we went through the last big curve, it felt like we came off of a major highway and onto a poorly maintained dirt road!

Just over a week ago, I rode the Maple Leaf into Canada from Syracuse NY. Instead of the agents coming on the train at Niagara Falls, Ontario and checking everyone as they've done in the past, they made all the passengers get off and go through a customs area inside the Niagara Falls Ontario station. I don't know when they started this, but it seems to be recent. I know in January 2009 they were still checking people on the train.

Mike77E9 wrote:Oh, and the tracks between Niagara Falls, NY and Niagara Falls, ON are in the roughest of shape. Going towards Canada, as soon as we went through the last big curve, it felt like we came off of a major highway and onto a poorly maintained dirt road! :P

Do you think Pan Am owns that section? :P

Tom6921 wrote:Just over a week ago, I rode the Maple Leaf into Canada from Syracuse NY. Instead of the agents coming on the train at Niagara Falls, Ontario and checking everyone as they've done in the past, they made all the passengers get off and go through a customs area inside the Niagara Falls Ontario station.

Well, that's not very helpful, is it. This is already a long, exhausting trip, and this little bonus, of course, does not make it easier.

A few years ago, me and my SO decided on a small vacation in Montreal. We decided to take the Adirondack from New York. Let's just say that we had a delightful vacation, and the round trip on the Adirondack was a small part of it. The wonderful scenery more than made up for the long haul on the rail.

Lately, I've been thinking about another vacation in Toronto. When we set in the Adirondack on the border, we just relaxed and chatted for about an hour and a half, five minutes of which was with the border patrol, and off we went. No big deal. But if we now have to grab our bags, haul them off the train, wait in line for an hour, then haul our kiesters back on, well, I think we'll just make it a road trip. I figure by the time our Maple Leaf arrives on the border, it would already be ... quite a trip ... and I don't think either of us would be fresh as a pickle, full of energy, and looking forward to recreating the airport experience.

Mike77E9 wrote:Oh, and the tracks between Niagara Falls, NY and Niagara Falls, ON are in the roughest of shape. Going towards Canada, as soon as we went through the last big curve, it felt like we came off of a major highway and onto a poorly maintained dirt road!

So that part hasn't changed, eh? That's CSX track maintenance for ya....lol

JoshKarpoff wrote:US Border Patrol will almost always board the Lake Shore Limited at either Buffalo-Depew, Rochester or Syracuse and perform a sweep of the train. I ride the LSL a lot through upstate NY and rarely do I ever not see them do their sweep. They'll come through and ask each individual passenger whether they are a US citizen. I've never been in a coach when they've removed someone from the same coach as me, but I have seen several people removed from the train. My understanding from the local immigrant right's groups in Rochester is that US Border Patrol largely targets people of Latin American heritage, some who might be migrant farm workers. One Border Patrol officer once told me that in the past 5 years he's arrested more than a thousand people off the LSL.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to take the Maple Leaf or the Adirondack into Canada, so I can't speak to how those trains are handled.

While I can understand inspections on the Maple Leaf or Adirondack, the LSL makes no sense as it does not cross the border.

I'm going up to niagara falls (ultimate destination hamilton, on) this coming weds jan 4, train 64 i believe. I'm boarding a regional first at trenton at some crazy hour of the morning & would like to have this thread as a reference since i'll undoubtedly be very sleepy. What should i expect? Any notable spots for photos & vids?


I will be going through customs onboard and am prepared for that. But since i'm going on a large chunk of what i presume is former water level route i don't want to miss anything. I was wondering the speeds also for the whole route, and the likelihood of engine change or add-on at albany. Thanks in advance for any/all relevant info!

Yep, the bulk of the trackage that you will be riding on the Maple Leaf, is indeed the Water Level Route. 63 is the westbound Maple Leaf. You will get up to 110 between HUD, and ALB in some parts, as well as between ALB and Schenectady. West of Schenectady, the top speed for Amtrak is 79, and that will be achieved in most places. On Metro North Territory, you'll probably be doing 75-80, with a few 90 mph stretches, especially around Cold Spring. Between POU and HUD, there's a lot of 90-100 phm running.

Sit on the Fireman's (Left) side if you want to view the Hudson and the River/Canal as you head North and West.

StLouSteve wrote:Sit on the Fireman's (Left) side if you want to view the Hudson and the River/Canal as you head North and West.

Which everyone should do...

The run from NYP-ALB is one of my favorite stretches of track. Get a good nights sleep in the night before so you can see the scenery without falling asleep