Alliance - Least Used Amtrak Station in Ohio (feat. Classy Whale)

[@alanthefisher]

This has got to be the nicest video about Ohio

[@ClassyWhale]

Just wait until next week

[@jonowee]

@@ClassyWhale Thanks NS.

[@repulser93]

Nicest video about Ohio not featuring Scott the Woz.

[@farajaraf]

Thanks for these rust belt videos. No one does this quality of work on our majestic cities.

[@MilesinTransit]

Thanks so much!

[@ClassyWhale]

I can't believe we did this...I feel exhausted just watching it

[@brayand8022]

About the heating in that 💫Premium Shelter💫, it's just Ohio

[@thefareplayer2254]

You got there right before NS had other plans.

[@kochilired]

Thanks for showing me the Alliance OH Amtrak station. Me and a friend are leaving from there late at night, 1:39 train to Chicago in two weeks. I was very curious on what it looked like, this video was extremely helpful. Save trip guys!

[@MilesinTransit]

Ooh, nice! Have a good trip!

[@exiron0202]

One of the many small Amtrak stations that would actually be super useful if they took branch-line service seriously (and had the timekeeping to make it work). You could add connections to Niles and Youngstown to the east, and Canton, Newark and Columbus to the west.

[@swbfuf]

That wouldn't work. 1. The train would have to switch back and change direction like 5-6 times depending on the route. 2. 5 different railroads would have to come together to let this happen and 3. Not all the lines needed have good enough track, and to make that track suitable for passenger service it would cost so much money that it wouldn't be worth it in the first place. The best would be alliance, canton, columbus, dayton and cinci

[@ethancooke]

Thank you for the recognition of Pittsburgh's fantastic skyline. It may not be a massive city, but it has an impressive skyline with plenty of spots to get a great view. Great video btw 👍

[@MilesinTransit]

Thank you!

[@zachperkins688]

As someone from Youngstown area, it always makes me mad that Alliance is the nearest Amtrak station and that any proposed rail expansions completely skip the Youngstown area. Alliance is like 40 minutes from here and there's certainly not as many people in Alliance area who might use Amtrak than if it went through Youngstown.

[@paulw.woodring7304]

Wow, you ended up in my neck of the woods. Literally. Akron native, gone for 24 years to the DC area, but back and living about 5 miles from where you had breakfast, and a place I've eaten at. Alliance is one of the more desirable train watching spots in NE Ohio, as your few hours there in the middle of the night showed. A lot of us have clocked train watching time at that picnic bench. The Cleveland NS line turns north there and the Ft. Wayne line continues on west through Canton and Massillon (very limited traffic now). The Cleveland line does go south from Alliance through Bayard and Mingo Jct. and rejoins the line to Pittsburgh as a by-pass. Part of the reason for the quirky businesses in downtown Alliance probably has to do with it being near Mt. Union University, a major feature of the city. The Akron Transportation Center was built on the former Erie-Lackawanna RR McCoy St. yard, which is why it's on the far end of downtown. You were across the street from, and at one point in front of, the former main plant and headquarters of B. F. Goodrich Tire and Rubber Co (among other things, the current offices of the Akron Beacon Journal are in there). The newer grey marble office building for it is now HQ for GoJo Industries, the hand cleaner people. You took your little scooter ride in front of the Main Library. Too bad you weren't here during peak season, you might have been able to take the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad closer to Cleveland (Independence), if they were running into Akron (which they didn't for most of 2022, due to track erosion/washout issues with the river).

[@MilesinTransit]

We were originally going to take the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, but those erosion problems forced us onto the bus instead :(

[@AutumnBosco]

The middle 1/3 of this video is an absolute vibe. I think it being the middle of the night is part of the reason, but also all the nice things you guys found. That isn't to say the rest of the video isn't good. It is all great! Love the station reviews. Although one thing I missed in this edition of "least used stations" is that you didn't go over why this one is likely the least used out of the other stations in Ohio. Obviously I can go see where the other stations are and draw my own conclusions, but that is one part of these videos that I always enjoy.

[@MilesinTransit]

Noted about the last part, I'll try to keep that in mind for future least used stations (er, that haven't already been filmed)! For what it's worth, Alliance is one of two stations in the state that's only served by one train, and I think it just barely beats out the other one (Bryan) by virtue of Bryan's trains stopping at *slightly* more normal times, and maybe the fact that Bryan is a lot closer to Chicago.

[@AutumnBosco]

@@MilesinTransit TIL that the Capitol Limited bypasses Bryan. Seriously Amtrak? Only 4 trains a day go through there… the bare minimum is stop stop all of them there. Apparently people in Bryan don’t deserve to go to Pittsburgh or DC on a train.

[@jamess8504]

Fun Fact: Downtown Akron is pretty much a ghost town during the week as well. The weird thing about Akron is that alot of people there commute up to Cuyahoga county for work.

[@zach.rigby1278]

Wow crazy to see my hometown in a KZbin video! That station isn't much, but I sure am grateful we have an Amtrak stop here. Alliance is a town rich with railroad history. They say we are the only town whose Main Street "dead ends" due to the railroad. Another theory of that name is from the "Alliance" of villages that formed the city rather than the railroads coming together. Thank you for the video

[@MilesinTransit]

Thank you for the extra info about your town!

[@hudde814]

That theory about the city name actually has some credibility to it since my mom told me that it did used to be three cities that formed together to make up Alliance! While I don't remember all three of them I know at least two, which are Freedom and Mount Union, which the latter is the name of our university!

[@stuartm6069]

Amtrak needs to move this station back to Youngstown. In the 1980's the train used to stop in downtown Youngstown, then travel on to Cleveland. I never could understand why they moved the station to Alliance out in the middle of nowhere.

[@johnepants]

I thought the Cap used to bypass Cleveland and hit Canton, and Alliance replaced Canton when they rerouted through Cleveland

[@stuartm6069]

@@johnepants no the route used to be Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Canton, Cleveland Sandusky, then Toledo. This was back in the 80's. We used to take the train from Youngstown to Sandusky in the middle of the night to go to Cedar Point.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Duquesne Incline history: It was designed by Hungarian civil and mechanical engineer Samuel Diescher! He also worked on the city's Monogahela Incline which was the city's first passenger incline and opened in 1870, while Duquesne opened in 1877. Samuel didn't just build inclines in Pennsylvania but anywhere from West Virginia to Cleveland and even Hamilton, Ontario! The Duquesne incline is unusual for having a track gauge standard used only in Finland, Russia, and Mongolia. Something else to mention about Pittsburgh is it's one of two places in the country that has a tunnel shared by rail and road vehicles, the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel. The only other tunnel like this is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel which gives access to Whittier, Alaska. The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel used to be this way but sadly, not anymore. As for the skyline, Pyongyang has the best skyline. It's dominated by a giant glass pyramid. You know this to be true.

[@bencarterviola]

Memphis' skyline is also dominated by a massive pyramid (formerly a Bass Pro Shops)

[@zinchh]

Thank You Kim Jong-Un

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

“With one bollard, I don’t know what this is accomplishing” They really placed just one and said, *”Good enough.”* Heating? Wow, that really is a ✨premium shelter✨! That troll thing is fascinating! Though seeing that train store closed is pain. Honestly yeah, Pittsburgh has a top three US city skyline especially from that angle (though not top three in the world; Paris, Hong Kong, and London when it comes to the world)! The other two for US cities are NYC and Las Vegas. You can criticize Vegas’s transit, but their skyline still stands out. And for top four, I’d include Jersey City/Hudson County, NJ. I know people are gonna holler at me for not saying Chicago but riddle me this, does Chicago have TWO railroad terminals RIGHT on their waterfront like Hudson County? Let alone one that’s preserved as part of a state park and another that’s still in operation and had their clock tower rebuilt? Does Chicago have a Colgate clock as well, used by airplanes as a landmark? Does Chicago have a sculpture that’s just a giant 80-foot head? That’s what I thought.

[@MilesinTransit]

Hmm, not sure if I'd agree with London, but I think I'd call Hong Kong the greatest skyline in the world! Mountains just make everything cooler.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

@@MilesinTransit My top three are based on just the structures. If we count natural features, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro are easily top three.

[@hugoboyce9648]

Thank you Miles for the suffering you endure to make us discover great little towns we would never have known about otherwise. That tantrum about Rold Gold was 100% deserved. How dare he😤

[@MilesinTransit]

Hahaha, thank you so much!

[@amprosk]

Wow, you were right near me, I live 10 minutes north of Akron. I was even in Cleveland Sunday afternoon. I myself am new to the area, about 8 months. Only transit I’ve taken around here is the RTA red line a couple times though

[@MilesinTransit]

The RTA Red Line, eh? Stay tuned for next week's video!

[@amprosk]

@@MilesinTransit 👀👀👀

[@97nelsn]

I remember seeing the Pittsburgh skyline when I went there in 2012 to cover a Rutgers football game for the Targum as a sports photographer. It’s really nice. Then I saw it again when driving towards the IKEA near the airport to help my friend get a bed for her apartment and I forgot how nice of a skyline it is. I wanted to go back and explore more of the city but my friend moved to Ann Arbor which meant no Pittsburgh trips. I did take The Pennsylvanian home from Greensburg, PA which I enjoyed the views from the train. On the train, when I saw Philly I started thinking “How is it that Philly and Pittsburgh are in the same state yet look radically different from each other?”

[@usernameusername4037]

I've always wondered about the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railaroad since it shows up on Apple Maps's transit layer, could maybe make an interesting video if you somehow end up in Akron again. Apparently they might extend it to downtown Cleveland, and the idea that a tourism/heritage railroad being a metro area of 700k's only intercity rail is both kinda funny and sad

[@ClassyWhale]

This was originally the plan, but it closed early for the season due to erosion

[@cedarpointfan5]

It’s actually a really nice ride! It’s less of a mode of transit and more of an excursion railroad, but it’s a nice touch to what’s arguably a lower tier national park. Plus, you can ride the train one way and bike back on the scenic towpath for only $5

[@wavesnbikes]

CVSR, Capitol Limited and Lake Shore limited into "Tower City", Cleveland Union Terminal, along with RTA... State of Ohio: Come on, you got this... make it happen!!

[@cmbakerxx]

It's not surprising that Alliance is the least used Amtrak stop in Ohio. All other stops in Ohio are either major cities or served by 2 different lines. Unfortunately all Amtrak stops in Ohio are in the very early morning hours, so very inconvenient, especially if trying to connect with any other transit mode

[@williamerazo3921]

@@wavesnbikes state of Ohio don’t want anything to do with rails

[@CinnamonBlast]

My boyfriend is from Northeast Ohio (and we both went to Kent State) so we took the Capitol Limited from D.C. to Alliance this winter. Going there was honestly not too bad, 1:30 arrival and it could have been worse. But boarding that train at 3:30am (with delays) coming back to D.C. was awful. Coming back into D.C. I was so unhappy because the car was uncomfortably hot and I was just so over being on the train. We learned it's a good station to use going to Ohio... but coming back it's just not worth it. Loved seeing this get highlighted though! :) I hope you didn't hate Ohio too much :)

[@abdulcoley1569]

It’s definitely crazy taking the train outta alliance ohio

[@ChristinWeibush]

I'm from Alliance actually. Interesting to see the train actually stop 2 minutes from where I live. Awesome!

[@MilesinTransit]

Could be worth a trip someday if you were willing to get up at some awful hour of the day!

[@ChristinWeibush]

@@MilesinTransit I’m always up at awful hours 😂 so that’s not a problem for me lmao.

[@ChristinWeibush]

I would love to take a train trip actually. I’ve never been on one except for one in San Francisco 😂 and overseas. Let’s go travel 🧳

[@coop5329]

I lived in the area for over 20 years. (and the Troll Hole was there long before that) There is nothing at that station. Nothing. No bathroom, no food. I can't believe you rode a train to Alliance and waited until morning for a bus! And no, it isn't particularly safe to walk around down there at night so I'm glad you had no trouble.

[@PositionLight]

6:27 Aw nuts the Conrail blue ALLIANCE sign on the relay hut is gone 😞

[@yeahman70]

5:42 the beautiful sound of rare K5LAB horn

[@hiEste]

Lil B would love to visit this station.

[@aaronhill443]

Outside of my military duty, I have been in Cleveland my whole life and have never decided to visit Alliance except going through it on the Capitol Limited. The train times are horrible, but I do understand that everywhere is not going to get daylight service. We once did have the Pennsylvanian train come in the early afternoon back around 2000. With the Football Hall of Fame in Canton as well as the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, you would think that our rail service would be a little better especially with Amtrak(Cleveland) being diagonal from the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Guess right now, it is all about air transportation.

[@DTD110865]

Most heated shelters that I know about (on Merto-North at least) not only have buttons for pressing heat, but signs that look like modified road signs for traffic signal crossing buttons.

[@douglaswhite7328]

Sept 1966 Penn RR service: WB 9:14 AM*; 1:34 PM#; 1:08 AM* * Dining and Sleeping Cars #coach only, also East Palestine at 12:49PM ///// EB 7:09 AM*#, 7:33 PM*, 11:41 PM* # East Palestine 8:14 flag stop. ---===--- April 1969 Penn Central RR: WB 1:22 AM coach snack bar, 9:14 AM Sleeper & coach snack bar, 1:36 PM coach only (obligatory junkers?) EB 7:26 PM sleepers coach snack bar; 6:34 AM Sleeper coach snack bar. East Palestine 8:07 PM flag stop. Just thot you'd like a bit of history on this place. Keep up the good work, guys.

[@MilesinTransit]

Seems like a much better service back then!

[@vahonenko]

10:28 Wow, that emmm architectural thing with eight long and narrow pieces of glass, looks like the doors of the streetcar, like Boston's Type 7, or European Tatra T3s. Like a big big streetcar door stuck in the wall.

[@MilesinTransit]

That's a good comparison!

[@andrewinnj]

Pittsburgh is my choice for top "bang-for-your-buck" North American cities. Great architecture, affordable and delicious restaurants, and a nice collection of dense, walkable neighborhoods. Too many pro sports team for a city of its size, for my taste but others would probably put that in the + column. Great video and station review! Looking forward to seeing how many of these least-used stations you get to visit.

[@MilesinTransit]

I love Pittsburgh! And the goal is to visit every least used station!

[@JustAnotherPoorSlob]

Agree with you about Pittsburgh. Lived there for a few years, and love the city." 12:56 trackball, not mouse

[@loulou3676]

It makes sense to me that the least-used train stations would have the worst times if you think about it. Let's say it takes 12 hours to get from City A to City B, you'll want to have the stops be something like 7pm/7am so that the bulk of the passengers can catch the train at a reasonable hour. Then Random Town X ends up with a stop at like 3 am because it just happens to be situated between two more popular destinations

[@vwmullen]

I used to ride this route for a while. I'd always secretly hope that nobody was getting on or off at Alliance so that the trip would be a little faster. It definitely cut off a few minutes when they could skip it.

[@sokonek1]

Got this suggested on a Geoff Marshall video as an American, excited to watch!

[@MilesinTransit]

It's a different video style from Geoff, hopefully it's enjoyable!

[@TheJordanReport]

That Amtrak station is about to get busier 😂 I need to see these buildings.

[@nbahn]

OH -- MY -- GOD!!! I remember that Cleveland Greyhound station! That was back when my bones could withstand Greyhound seats!!!

[@CaradhrasAiguo49]

Saw your comment on Ohio service being oriented for East Coast (NEC, really) to Ohio travel. It only dawned on me in the past several years when I met someone then living in Columbus that Columbus has no passenger rail service for over 4 decades. Good starting news is that Gov. DeWine is applying for federal funds to "study the feasibility" of new service (state-supported?)

[@williamerazo3921]

Yeah SARTA runs a commuter bus to Downtown Cleveland and Akron Metro as well

[@chibivesicle9612]

Wow, that building is an upgrade from when I took Amtrak to and from the Alliance 'station' in the early 2000s! You literally had to sit in your car or in my case, have your poor parents sit in their car waiting for you to show up. Even with the train being 4 hours behind, I still gave it another go, taking the train from Alliance all the way to Harrisburg, getting into Harrisburg 5-6 hours late. It was then I gave up on Amtrak from NE Ohio, eastwards. However, it appears the sad frequency of service for NE Ohio has only gotten worse. But hey, now there is a 'station' with heat at least. However, I still believe in Amtrak and recently got to ride the STL-CHI using the Lincoln service from St. Louis to Chicago and it was on time. The Texas Eagle from Chicago back to St. Louis ended up 1 hour late due to track work in Joliet. The St. Louis to Chicago route also got a speed upgrade so the total time should be clocking in at 5 hours which means only 30 minutes longer then driving. I was also surprised that there was indeed a true dining car on the Texas Eagle train for those taking it further along.

[@kevanhubbard9673]

The train driver of that freight train must have spotted you stood there so honked his horn.

[@jimspies2775]

I don't necessarily want to argue the way the Pittsburgh skyline looks from that car, because that is a cool shot. I'd just say that if you asked average people to name skylines from their silhouettes, I'm not sure Pittsburgh is one they could do. NY, DC, probably CHI, SF, Seattle, sure. As a non-top tier city, one I would say the average person could do is my St Louis. It's pretty iconic. Now, we do absolutely nothing to help let you SEE that skyline (yes, I know the Malcolm W Martin Memorial Park exists, but unless you are a local and know how to get there, you wouldn't), especially at night, but it's iconic.

[@MilesinTransit]

I wouldn't equate "nationally well known" to "best"! And anyone who's seen that skyline could probably recognize it from the super distinctive PPG Place building!

[@Acela2163]

My first ever Amtrak journey was to Alliance in 2008. It was pretty abysmal back then.

[@PositionLight]

Coach has access to the rear window on the Capitol Limited. I always hang out there out of Pittsburgh until at least the New Brighton Flyover.

[@Leonard_Wilson]

I'm a huge fan of your vlogs. They're fun and creative. With that said, I'm a railfan who also makes KZbin videos. There's no way in hell I'd walk around a desolate area at 2 AM. Getting extra views and subscribers isn't worth risking your life.

[@MilesinTransit]

I appreciate your kind words and acknowledge your concerns. At the end of the day, I don't think either of us felt unsafe, and the least used Amtrak series is kind of a passion project anyway...these videos tend to underperform compared to others, but I love the opportunity to visit small American towns I wouldn't have seen otherwise and document the hidden gems they contain.

[@benjaminwagner8141]

Watched other video's of yours, this is so cool that you were near me. I had no idea alliance had an amtrak station. I might use it

[@MilesinTransit]

That's awesome! It's a shame the train arrives at such awful times but at least there's something.

[@Westerner78]

That is the old Pennsylvania RR station. It might not be a very safe place to park. And it's middle of the night service on a train that can be sold out.

[@2EXTREME2008]

14:49 you mentioned that there's a bus that goes from there (RKP Transit center) to Youngstown Other than greyhound, i dont think theres a bus that connects from there to Youngstown (Please correct me if im wrong) If there is who provides that connection? (Sarta? Parta? etc) Im sorry if im a bother ^^;

[@MilesinTransit]

It was WRTA, and it looks like we were there for the brief window that the route existed: www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/wrtas-local-bus-route-out-of-youngstown-to-be-discontinued/amp/

[@tibbers3755]

Between the rust belt videos and my trips to chicago, its getting tempting to move out there

[@hi55us2]

Such a funny PREMIUM SHELTER loved it lol

[@JacksonBetz]

Thank you for this 20th century architecture appreciation video :')

[@mountainmangaming808]

I wish there was a day time train on that route

[@DanCohoon]

I live in Philly but Cincinnati has a good skyline. Have you been there. The street car is free and the buses has Ice Cold AC.

[@MilesinTransit]

I'm planning to visit soon!

[@jquas1965]

I love incline railways. There are some in Niagara Falls Ontario and Quebec City Quebec.

[@williamerazo3921]

Man you should have came here 2004 before the Pennsylvanian use to go to Chicago as a day train

[@taxesv1nce142]

Of course an Ohio Amtrak station has a fake station building

[@davidburrow5895]

I definitely agree with you on the Pittsburgh skyline. I also agree that it's pathetic that Amtrak only crosses Ohio by night. Amtrak really needs to run a day train between Chicago and the East Coast, but the freight lines don't want that to happen.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

I think the issue with that is actually that because of how long the trip takes, anything that passes through Ohio during the day would have to leave the East Coast and arrive in Chicago at really weird hours.

[@MilesinTransit]

Yeah, the trains are all designed for East Coast to Chicago travel, so Ohio gets the shaft because it's right in the middle. It needs its own dedicated trains!

[@bcampbelnd]

I started saying “Historeeeeeeee” IRL. Lol

[@MilesinTransit]

It's spreading, mwahaha

[@jamess8504]

Dang... The only thing to make the Premium Shelter better for Miles would be a vending machine full of Snyders...

[@seanpruitt6801]

Why does the last 10 mins of this video make me feel very nostalgic for traveling?

[@himbourbanist]

I really hope that the Cleveland Greyhound terminal sticks around, it's so cool. Even if Greyhound does tank, the city should absolutely buy the station and turn it into a bus hub for city buses and for other intercity services

[@MilesinTransit]

I think the plan is to keep it around for non-transportation uses, which isn't optimal, but as long as they keep that gorgeous building alive!

[@fenderbender4294]

you're so right about the pittsburgh skyline! I especially love the ppg building with its castle-like towers. another banger video :)

[@MilesinTransit]

Thank you!! The PPG building is AWESOME.

[@benjaminwagner8141]

That theater is highland square. Its always $5 and they have alcohol. Also, highland square is a great artsy area

[@timothyschollux]

@1:40: KZbin between MiT videos

[@trainandmore]

Nothing is gonna beat Rugby with it's unstaffed, not destroyed, no homelessness home station. The downtown here is better, for the soul purpose of a train and game store AND a caboae! and as someone who can't ride a bike, Boston needs those scooters.

[@PabloBD]

I loved the last greyhound station, I felt like I needed more of it, but I get you were probably really tired

[@Mattdewit]

This town is wild and I am here for it

[@jmchristoph]

"Why is this train so long?" Ok but actually, how long was it on your trip? I ask b/c a couple weeks ago I passed the Capitol Limited outbound from DC on the Metro, & it was the shortest Amtrak consist I've ever seen IRL: 1 P42 (and a really beat-up one at that) 1 Viewliner baggage 1 Superliner sleeper 1 Superliner combo diner/lounge (which I'd never seen in service anywhere before) 1 Superliner coach ...and that was it Like it makes sense that a train operator can just vary the length of the train according to passenger demand, but I had never thought it typical of Amtrak to vary it *this* much.

[@MilesinTransit]

It was 7 cars, which I was shocked by when looking back on it in editing! I feel like the Cap has been using little baby sets like the one you saw for a while now.

[@zachperkins688]

Oh my god I can't believe you went to Wally Waffle! I love that neighborhood around it, it's one of my favorite neighborhoods in Ohio

[@Hispandinavian]

I love riding the train even though Amtrak is rickety. It's consistently late westward past Chicago. It looks about the same size as the Omaha, Nebraska station.

[@EuropeanMapping]

Pittsburgh definitely has an amazing skyline! I'll have to go there someday... (maybe I'll take the Pennsylvanian)

[@SigmaRho2922]

I would support a high speed rail line linking Cleveland with Cincinnati via Columbus in only 2 hours

[@MilesinTransit]

Definitely!

[@ecmartz]

Looks I need to add Alliance, OH to the bucket list

[@3506Dodge]

Ohio appears to be closed. Maybe you should come back when Ohio is open again.

[@jeffreyshort4531]

What's the rail map (app?) that they were using to show the Amtrak trains?

[@MilesinTransit]

asm.transitdocs.com

[@history_leisure]

The inside of that station is familiar, but from a layover the other way

[@mavadelo]

3:40 in my homeless days I would not have considered that as a hostile bench. in fact... it keeps me from rolling off lol. Yes, I would have been able to sleep on that. I have slept on worse benches. 8:30 I noticed in a few of your videos that those least used stations tend to have services that arrive/depart on ungodly hours which might contribute to the fact they are the least used stations? I do agree with you two that this station has a premium shelter, that looked very nice, I was surprised this isn't actually used by wanderers, it seems a perfect place to survive the cold night. But perhaps there are no homeless in Alliance Ohio? And isn't Ohio basically the Brits of America as in they are there to point and laugh at? (Disclaimer, I mean that as in generally speaking, I have nothing against the Brits, have many British friends, but when it comes to the funny stereotypes and the "who is worst in..." most Europeans WILL point to the UK, Brexit only boosted that obviously) After watching the exploration part I have decided to put Alliance on my bucket list.. a feline and a troll museum? Count me in.

[@dylangarritano7627]

hey come back to akron since the metro system upped their frequencies with a jarret walker redesign. also in planning phases for a brt corridor.

[@MilesinTransit]

It looks pretty nice, at least on weekdays!

[@saxmanb777]

That Alliance station structure looks exactly like what they built in Beaumont, Texas, when they finally replaced the infamous slab.

[@williamerazo3921]

Trying to get Elyria Ohio to build a station like that but they want to built a glorified 2 platform train $50million station for 4 trains a night. Yeah that scared off the taxpayers and got the mayor sacked

[@MilesinTransit]

Yeah, it seems like they're building more premium shelters at various small stations!

[@MassbyTrain]

Only in Ohio there’s bad BRT that’s better than a bus only highway. And weird town names

[@ggreg2258]

Did you guys happen to notice whether there was long-term parking at the station? I want to catch the train west and take a two week trip and then back to Alliance. Is parking at the station in Alliance realistic??

[@MilesinTransit]

It's basically "do whatever you want" parking, as far as I can tell - don't take it from me, but it seems like you could park there for as long as you wanted and no one would care. Amtrak's website does say "overnight parking available", which seems to support that?

[@ggreg2258]

@@MilesinTransit Thanks. I may call local police and see what they say tooo!

[@joermnyc]

Such awful timing of the train, then again Cleveland 2 stops away has a similar awful schedule for this train, AND the Lake Shore Limited (all trains stop between 1am and 5am). Better hope you booked a hotel with super early check-in!

[@drearyplane8259]

Okay but, hostile benches? In a train station where the trains come in the middle of the night? Where not even a homeless person but an upstanding member of society might need to nap on a bench?

[@MilesinTransit]

Honestly yeah, good point! If your train is late, a non-hostile bench at the P R E M I U M S H E L T E R to sleep on would be perfect!

[@history_leisure]

Sandusky was also a stop on the Underground Railroad because boats would cross the lake to Canada (and still do)

[@nileshalinger]

taken this several times - the LAST time was the same day of East Palestine. Took the Pennsylvanian to Pittsburgh, then spent the evening, night, and half the next day and so to the bus station across the street - took Greyhound first to Akron, then bus to Canton, then to Alliance. Population is 30,000 less 9,000 over the last 60 years. Abraham Lincoln ate dinner at the Sourbeck House - demo'd in 1950's, on his way to D.C. for the first innaugural. The NS bldg IS the replacement station for the Sourbeck - closed for decades. Quit dissin' the town - Alliance wants and needs its AMTRAK connection. BTW - you ARE in the hood (former Main Street business district).

[@nileshalinger]

should add - a former mayor tried to get Amtrak to move out of downtown - but their response was no, then they built the new pavilion station you sat in.

[@MilesinTransit]

Alliance absolutely needs its Amtrak connection! I don't think we suggested it doesn't, did we?

[@michaelimbesi2314]

Where does Arlington, VA fall on your skylines ranking?

[@MilesinTransit]

Pretty low...those buildings are all pretty stout and blocky!

[@wavesnbikes]

Pittsburg depot is a joke, with that bus station look, but "acceptable", since the State of PA is very "Pro Rail" with the Pennsylvanian, Keystoners and SEPTA... PA Rocks compared to Ohio... As a former Resident of Massillon, Ohio (which last saw service on Amtrak day), the closest stop is indeed, Alliance... Kinda far, BUT, Cleveland's Amshack is a complete DUMP, with old yellowish fluorescent tubes and carpet stains (basically depression made into a building), and it's a shame since RTA services "Tower City", which is Cleveland Union Terminal, a glorious building. Amtrak rerouted the Lake Shore Limited out of there in the 70's, which is a shame... SARTA is a decent Service... AKRON METRO, probably even better, they were going to have commuter rail, it even had Amtrak service (Three Rivers), when the Capitol Limited was routed on the old B&O, and I believe the Univeristy of Akron is the current tennant of Akron's Union Station)... They bought some ROW from Akron to Canton (which last saw service in the 90's, when Amtrak's Broadway Limited was rerouted... Back to Akron Metro, they even went as far as buying old coaches (I believe from MARC?)... Metro asked for help from the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to run some test trains with such equipment. It never took off, the coaches are still owned by Metro but are under the care of CVSR, you should check them out, since they're a first class operation in many ways... I used to volunteer there as well... Lastly, Ohio has to support the 3C's Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinatti corridor. Every state should at least support ONE Amtrak route... It's better than nothing... With all these late night stops at Ohio Stations, I've taken public transit from Alliance on the Capitol and from Cleveland on the Lake Shore to Massillon... Hours suck...

[@MilesinTransit]

We were originally going to take the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to get into Cleveland, but they were having track problems so we had to switch to the bus...Ohio really does have to fund its passenger rail better! It's insane that Columbus has absolutely no train service at all, and Cincinnati only gets a train three times a week.

[@hermanochoa03]

What are the other 2 skylines with Pittsburgh as third?

[@MilesinTransit]

I think my order is 1. NYC, 2. Pittsburgh, 3. Chicago

[@matthewyoder93]

Cover the Pennsylvanian route Pittsburgh to New York

[@MilesinTransit]

I will! I have a goal of riding every Amtrak route from beginning to end.

[@joestanton257]

1. Chicago 2. Pittsburgh 3. Seattle Pittsburgh the 🐐 though

[@MilesinTransit]

Good ranking!

[@ericfromreallife3058]

Did this happen on the same trip as Rugby?

[@MilesinTransit]

No, different trip! This was in November, while Rugby was in the summer.

[@Hale444]

I just realize Classy Whale laughs like Frank Burns

[@StevesWanderlust]

My snack depot is Dollar Tree. Even with their recent 25 cent price hike they suit my cheap philosophy. My local store has come upon Snyder's as the pretzel en vogue.

[@davidsp5936]

What are your #1 and #2 skylines? Where does Nashville rank (Batman building!)?

[@MilesinTransit]

I'd say my ranking is 1. NYC, 2. Pittsburgh, 3. Chicago. The Batman Building is cool, but Nashville doesn't have the amazing vistas that Pittsburgh has!

[@davidsp5936]

@@MilesinTransit We can all agree that Los Angeles has to be last. There's nothing signature.

[@MilesinTransit]

Ooh, I actually don't hate the LA skyline though! The mountains behind it are fantastic!

[@davidsp5936]

@@MilesinTransit I guess I wasn't really thinking of the background, just the buildings themselves. If that's the case, you have to add Denver and Salt Lake City. Seattle has a signature building and VOLCANOES.

[@MilesinTransit]

I LOVE Seattle's skyline. I think it's about the balance between buildings and background/vistas - Pittsburgh strikes it really well!

[@davidsp5936]

You go to Akron, home of Goodyear and their fleet, and you don't check "Blimp" off the transportation mode bucket list?

[@TheFrogfather1]

Another a-door-able video, slightly unhinged but handled well.

[@MilesinTransit]

Thank you!

[@phronsiekeys]

I think Alliance has some appeal. But I am shocked you guys weren't arrested for wandering around downtown in the middle of the night, when clearly the denizens of Alliance are all abed.

[@bahnspotterEU]

Y'all got a curfew in Ohio?

[@MilesinTransit]

I'm not sure what the cops could've told us to do! We genuinely were making a transfer from Amtrak to the soonest bus!

[@williamerazo3921]

@@MilesinTransit why would they stop them? All the cops will do is drive up to them and ask questions.

[@kietero]

Nothing to worry about. Alliance PD is honestly a laidback force. They’re too busy busting heads in the hood (on the other side of the tracks from the station).

[@pidge8408]

great video

[@MilesinTransit]

Thanks!

[@shreychaudhary4477]

But are all the trains to and from Middletown in the middle of the night?

[@MilesinTransit]

There aren't any trains to Middletown...if you mean Cincinnati, then yes.

[@Jackissoocool]

Akron Metro operates pretty good bus service, actually

[@1kCam05]

Finally an Ohio video

[@bnywtrains9482]

Idk if Pittsburgh is top three but damn it’s underrated