Riding the Rerouted Vermonter: Starting on the Last Vermonter via Plamer and Amherst – An ACS-64 pulling a cab car

Introduction:

In early December Amtrak and the state of Massachusetts announced that Monday, December 29, 2014 (earlier than I thought it might be, having read January 2015 as the default date) would be the first date of service along the rerouted Vermonter route via the Knowledge Corridor via new stops in Northampton and Greenfield, with future stations to come in Holyoak. The end of December date was clearly so Governor Deval Patrick, who’s not running for reelection of office could ride on the inaugural. Although this was on a special dignitaries train last week. For many years I’d been waiting for this moment to go on a trip up to visit my relatives in Windsor, Vermont for the night and ride the last train via Palmer and Amherst and the first train down the new ‘high-speed’ knowledge corridor. I called up my relatives who were warm to the idea and booked my tickets paying slightly more than low bucket of $63 for the Northbound trip and $39.00 for the southbound except only as far as New Haven to save about $10 (when adding in the Metro-North fare to Fordham).

Additional Sections of this Trip Report

The start of the trip: the Vermonter to New Haven

I leave the house a little later than I might, at about 10:40, luckily the A train is right there and I get off at Penn Station at 11:10. I head up to the Amtrak concourse to stop at a Quik-Trak Machine to pick up paper tickets for this last train and then first train. As I wait for the Quik-Trak Machine to finish printing my second returning home reservation at about 11:15 they announce boarding on Track 10 West. A line has formed and I decide to see if the exit concourse trick will work today. It does! I head downstairs and realize its just the normal Vermonter consist except with an ACS-64 directly attached to the cab car. I board the cab car through the Amfleet-I (this will be the last Vermonter to operate with one in push mode, unless they decide to attach to locomotives in New Haven) and stash my stuff. I then grab my ticket and head out to the platform for photos of Amtrak’s newest locomotives directly pulling some of its oldest equipment. The ex-Metroliner Cab Cars that pre-date Amtrak by a few years.

I reboard Car #9646 at about 11:20 set up my laptop and the train leaves on time at 11:30 and head into the East River Tunnels. The conductor comes to scan tickets. He clearly has seen a Windsor, Vermont ticket before writing me my WNM seat check. The person in front of me is getting off in Amhurst. The conductor says the train isn’t too busy today.

We emerge from the East River Tunnels at 11:35 and come to a quick stop under the 7 train. The we rise up and go over Astoria.

11:39 – See the Northern Blvd M, R Station.
11:41 – Over Astoria-Ditmars Blvd and the neighborhood of Astoria
11:42 – We run along the Triborough Bridge and reach Randalls Island
11:43 – Reach the Bronx, slowing down
11:46 – Whitlock Avenue with its abandoned station, as we reach the various houses in disarray along the rail line.
11:48 – Along Sackett Avenue another abaondoned station. I’m not quick enough with my camera. Then we see Montifor and the huge hospital campus that could get its own station if Metro-North’s Penn Station access plan ever materializes.
11:51 – See Co-Op City’s towers. Then its over a swing bridge who’s label I notice says Pelham Bay and into the leaf-less trees of Pelham Bay Park. We then see the golf course.
11:53 – Houses enter the picture as we officially enter Westchester passing Party City.
11:54 – We switch onto the New Haven Main Line, I decide to stop taking such careful notes, the New Haven Line I’ve ridden far too many times.
11:55 – bypass New Rochelle I notice a new departures monitor, red for the New Haven Line, blue for Amtrak on the platform.
11:57 – Zoom by the toll plaza of the New England Throughway.
11:58 – Larchmont, with monitors actually saying Grand Central, not just good service.
12:02 – A lone Metro-North diesel locomotive passes us.
12:05 – bypass Port Chester, the last stop in New York State.
12:07 – Stop in Greenwich, in Connecticut

We arrive in Stamford 4 minutes early at 12:14. I debate running off for a photo of the ACS-64 but decide I don’t want to risk it. A Northeast Regional with another ACS-64 arrives going the other way. We leave on time at 12:18. I think the train getting slightly more crowded. The conductor comes through and wakes up the woman across from me who’s going to Bridgeport (that’s what a ripped seat check means). He tells her he doesn’t want her to miss the stop in 20 minutes.

12:27 – Pass South Norwalk and I see the Danbury Branch diverging before we cross the Norwalk River and slowly pass East Norwalk.
12:31 – Pass Westport

We slowly enter Bridgeport with an announcement that only two doors will open this is because of bridgeplates on the New Haven-bound platform and I guess there is no way to MU the Amfleet’s doors with them. We arrive at 12:43, 3 minutes early (so much recovery time). We leave on time at 12:46.

12:48 – Pass the yard outside the Bridgeport Station, its relatively crowded
12:52 – Cross the Housatonic River and see the Waterbury Branch diverge north.
1:00 – West Haven

The train slowly enters New Haven–(14 Photos) in the open cut and I see P42 #79 stationed quite far from the station platform. I also notice a couple more P42s within the yard. We arrive at 1:05. I head outside and am greeted with New Haven’s new computer generated announcements that are border line obnoxious but nice LED platform signs.

I go down to the tunnel to snap a quick photo of the station stops sign, including Amherst a final time.

At this point they’ve disconnected the ACS-64 but a few people have gone down the ramp off the platform a little bit so I join them. An Acela Express also enters so I get some photos of this. They then attach P42s at both ends (a winter consist configuration because the cab cars aren’t great in snow). This also means no Cab Car with its unique whistle leading the train. This trainset is the last Vermonter to require locomotives at either end.

Continue Reading as the Vermonter heads north.