A Train Odyssey 3, Part 3, AMTRAK "Silver Star"

[@ninawade3055]

Loved the video thanks

[@ninawade3055]

Enjoyed the video!

[@cynthiafeagin5185]

The Rockefeller mansion and Lyndhurst were both close to sing sing and very the rail lines

[@yamahonkawazuki]

there are handicap elevators off the great hall. im an amputee and accidentally fell down on the escalator. wasnt aware of the elevators until after the fact lol. took a keystone train iirc from here to friends place in coatesville.

[@jasonfullerton7763]

Nice shot of Independence Hall right at the start.

[@yamahonkawazuki]

i took the carolinian from here to charlotte nc. ( was in coach but really that or business was only options available. but still fun)

[@ronclark9724]

The coaches are okay for day trips, but a sleeper accommodation, the roomette, is essential in my mind for sleeping overnight... It is a luxury I am willing to afford, sleeping on a flat mattress no matter how small...

[@yamahonkawazuki]

@@ronclark9724 very true ron. The carolinians coaches were quite comfy. But for longer trips sleeping flat is ideal

[@richer217]

I quite like the shots of the wheel trucks and the engine swap in DC. Nicely done, thanks for the ride.

[@danahc4851]

Yes, gridlock around Philadelphia City Hall is that bad every day, all day, except for the middle of the night.

[@kathibaker1574]

Thank you again for sharing your trips. My husband and I are watching this now. You are very considerate of your fellow passenger. We really like the written narrative just as much as verbal and we like that you show us where you are on your phone map.

[@peterbond1081]

The best KZbin train reports. No nauseating back ground music

[@Buc_Stops_Here]

Nice videos, thanks for sharing. I especially like this last segment, where you travel into the future on the date September 11, 2918. It looks the same as today.

[@TrevorEMayo]

The Pennsylvania Railroad's main Philadelphia terminal and corporate headquarters used to sit on the same square west across from city hall where you sat in traffic headed to 30th street. At the turn of the 20th century it was the largest train terminal in the world. One can only imagine the road traffic nightmare on the square. Train operations were also logistically inefficient since the facility was not a pass through station. The PRR built the pass through station at 30th street and moved the company headquarters to another new building in 1930. Because of the depression and the war the station on the Square wasn't demolished until the 50s.

[@CRtrain]

Thank you for these videos. They’re really something.

[@RSDX99]

I used to ride the Silver Star from Southern Pines NC to Newark, NJ and also to Tampa Fl. Coach on the daylight trip up north ans a sleeper on the late night trip to Fl. After they discontinued the dining car I stopped riding Amtrak on this route. 7am to 7pm is too long a trip for just snack car food. The ride on the North East corridor is comfortable, the ride south of DC on freight routes is terrible. It's rocking and rolling all night long.

[@ronclark9724]

When push comes to shove and I have no go without a lunch and dinner for a day, I stock up on donuts and kolaches... Aren't donut shops the best thing since sliced bread?

[@ecw0647]

Gridlock? Hardly, you should see it when it's busy.

[@kevinsmith5288]

Great to see the iconic Solari train arrival/departure "flipboard" at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia! Unfortunately, has been replaced by a digital version 😕. It was the last one in use on the Amtrak system.

[@maureenolin199]

I might have to think about a train trip. One trip I might do is the Silver Meteor with the new Viewliner II cars. The difference in the roomettes is there is no bathroom in the rooms but they do have a sink. there are 2 bathroom at the end of the hallways at either end instead of one. The Superliners don’t have a bathroom or a sink in the roomettes

[@cherylgreene2406]

Thank you for giving me fond memories of traveling in the trains in NewYork and Pennsylvania. I enjoy your long travels and try to follow most of your films. I hope you can do more. Sorry about having to take the middle seat going south on the Silver Star.

[@chrispreed1]

Great video I enjoyed the trip, especially the flight back 👍

[@MC-kj8uy]

I like that you called the big room at 30th Street the Great Hall. I'm going to start doing that now whenever I'm down there. And yes - the "clickety-clack board" (that's what I've always called it) is gone now. :(

[@yamahonkawazuki]

been in that station and this is the first time i notice the split ties on the rr bed.

[@anthonycrawford1865]

Really enjoyed your trip made me feel like I was on the trip as well ! It got me thinking of taking a am track train for the first time ..

[@ThomasExler]

Thank you for sharing your trips!!

[@tonycook2176]

In case you did not know, Amtrak means American Trackage. So now you are a better railfan. All aboard!!!

[@KYONGEAGAN]

MR. Train - thank you for your video. Love from Orlando

[@cynthiafeagin5185]

The engine runs on diesel in the south and on electric in the north.how interesting.

[@danielespana1478]

Amtrak Silver Meteor Train No. 91 with ACS-64 No. 642 the Veterans' Unit

[@youtuuba]

I wish that when people leave comments on my videos, that they would bother to make actual points and/or write complete sentences so that others could figure out what they mean. There might be a good point here, or some useful information, but darned if I can make sense of it as written.

[@mariposapapillon9261]

Thanks for allowing us to continue this rail odyssey with you. I know it's a minor point, and your seatmate had every right to keep her seat, but I'm a different kind of person. I would've asked you if you wanted the window seat. I've asked thusly when a seatmate has a laptop -- even when I had found my window seat 20 minutes before the seatmate's arrival.

[@KU84dh37]

You're an unusual person, a very fine person.

[@maureenolin199]

At that one stop was the Acela. Do a video on that one. I think it goes around 150mph.

[@ronclark9724]

Only in a few places. But Acela does regularly top 100 MPH often...

[@LeroyBright]

youtuba, I enjoy watching your Amtrak videos and hope you'll be able to produce more in the near future., Especially the ones here on the East Coast! I see and understand that you operate out of Chicago, but just something I thought I'd pass along to you for future consideration! They are so entertaining!

[@josephmaruca838]

Again,thank you for your excellent description,under not the best situation,of your trip.I see where another viewer also wondered about you getting to actually film the locomotive change in Washington.This is not actual Rocket science.I can't understand why there should be any prohibition,yet,I have viewed several travelers being shut down,or sent away while this exchange takes place.Any way, thanks again for another interesting journey.Keep doing it your way.Your films are fine.

[@ronclark9724]

One security guard chased me away for attempting to snap a photo of a very nice old federal courthouse in the middle of a downtown... I am very fond of old beautiful courthouses, whether federal or county...

[@yamahonkawazuki]

why does this guy only have 9.2k subs, lets get him some more.

[@amtraktraveler9118]

I was in Philadelphia last year during the Vikings and Eagles game. That was not a city you do not want to be in that night. I took Amtrak on the Pennsylvanian from the Capitol Limited. Otherwise I would love to visit the Zoo there and the historical part of Phillie.

[@raymonddowning5895]

Greatly enjoy your trips.....thank you so much! I do wish perhaps you could sometimes decipher what they are babbling about on your Amtrak radio.....it usually sounds so garbled I have no idea.

[@terrycripe5090]

You're lucky they let you film the engine change at DC. When we were there some years ago they chased me away.

[@amtraktraveler9118]

They chased me away in St Paul.

[@youtuuba]

I thought they would chase me away as well.....I started from a distance, then stepped around a big pillar, and stayed back beside it, quite far from the tracks......zoom lens made me seem closer. They did take note of me, but maybe decided I was far enough away and acting in a safe manner......

[@chrispreed1]

youtuuba I was yelling get up there I wanna see and then you did 👍

[@terrywebb1463]

If it's not posted" no video past this area" and if i wasn't acting in a irresponsible way, not climbing all over them, oh well. Those GE P42, P40 all the GE's freight and passenger they have a unique sound, love'em. That conductor sounded like he was having a bad day. I promise i'll keep my big mouth( thoughts ) to myself.

[@kathleenoman726]

Thank you for doing all of these videos. They are nicely done, and you have a soothing voice for the narration. Suggestion for another Odyssey: Take the Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C., and then the Silver Meteor to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, but at least to Kissimmee.

[@steveburrus9347]

Nooooooo you re ally DPON'T wanna go down to Florida these days, in this time of the Covid - 19 virus ! Because of their governor Ron Desantis this virus is MUCH WORSE than it should be. Just sayin'.

[@Rohrbach00]

I live in the DC suburbs near Woodbridge

[@FordEscape12345678]

What happened with the car you were driving before this video? Unless it was a rental car.

[@youtuuba]

Of course it was a rental car....in Part 1 I took a train from Chicago to Albany, and rented a car there. In Part 2, I returned the car in Albany and took the two trains to Philadelphia. Here in Part 3 I rented another car and used it to see the subjects of related videos. There would have been no way to take my own car on this trip, and no way to take the first rental car in Albany along with me to Philadelphia.

[@robertjones4709]

More please. And do you have a name? You sound like Lowell Thomas. How about east bound Cal Zepher?

[@youtuuba]

Next trip will be another Train Odyssey in late September....

[@swimcoach3702]

I am confused. When you arrived in Philadelphia you took a cab to the hotel, but in this video you now have a rental car that you return to the train station. How did that happen?

[@youtuuba]

swim coach, I thought I explained that in the video. When I arrived by train in Philadelphia, it was too late at night and the rental car counter at the station was closed, so I took a taxi to the hotel. The next day was to be for my walk around in the historic district, so I did not need a rental car that day. The next day I needed a car to get to the various museums and ships, so I got a taxi back to the station to get it, then finally returned the car the following day to catch my next train out.

[@Bogieking78]

Shame you got stuck with a lousy seat-one of the reasons I hate doing short trips on the train. Good video though you managed to get a lot anyways!

[@squalli1297]

I commend you for your efforts at covering a train trip of this sort, particularly in coach with a video camera. On some Amtrak short distance trains, they've overbooked seats leaving passengers standing in the aisles waiting on others to detrain along their routes. Similar to being on a bus. An overall enjoyable trip minus the privacy. Interesting to see that train tracks are situated near prisons.

[@coolbreeze253]

Does that conductor ever shut his pie hole?

[@maedero05]

Suggestion for train Odyssey 4 City of New Orleans to New Orleans - Crescent to DC -Capiton Limited back to Chicago !

[@youtuuba]

Something like that might happen next, although I thought the CONO train schedule from Chicago to New Orleans had most of the trip at night, and I hate to pay for a sleeper accomodation only to miss most of the best scenery.

[@maedero05]

Yes, essential I´ts a night train, only beyond Memphis till the end there´s some southern scenery to admire. Crescent same southern scenery following last North Carolina, Virgina Dc daylight. Capitol Limited the same. Crescemt is covered in another video so be prepaired for a rough ride through North Carolina. Sr Antonio start Sunset limited to New Orleans maybe another option to see something of Texas, Louisiana. Yet all amtrak trains out of chicago hit fast plane´s at day like the empire builder, california zephyr, interesting rocky mountain section only visible from chicago bound trains !

[@maedero05]

Capitol Limited, Crescet and Sunset limitede to San Antonio mightbe another alternative !

[@CDRiley]

I will be riding CONO train at end of January.

[@lindsaymoore7232]

I was never too keen on traveling by coach even when I was on the Desert Wind from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1994. It wasn't very comfortable even though it was a cheap way to go. Even the snacks were expensive back then too. I'm wondering if this is Amtrak's water level route once used by the New York Central System.

[@ronclark9724]

No... Amtrak's northeast corridor was formally operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Penn Station in New York City and Newark should have tipped this.

[@johnp139]

Great customer service...won’t let you choose your seat, then they wonder why they need government assistance.

[@youtuuba]

Not sure why you think this has anything to do with the government. AMTRAK does allow reservations most of the time, but the conductor has a bigger picture in mind than a single passenger might realize. For example, if I were to choose my own seat while boarding at an intermediate stop on a longer run route, I might choose any seat with nobody in it. But then I would find that there WAS somebody there but they got up to go to the bathroom or something. The conductor keeps track of which seats are truly open and assigns those boarding to suitable available seats. The conductor also has a list of people who will be boarding later who might have indicated that they prefer to be seated close to others in their group, and I might screw that up if I just pick any old unoccupied seat. As for AMTRAK needing government assistance, that has a lot more to do with how much it costs to run a railroad versus how much they can reasonably charge. If you read the history, even the great old passenger railroads mainly bothered to to it because they also ran freight on the same routes, and the freight was much more profitable than passengers, but they had to do both due to regulations; remember that it was the government that gave the right of ways to the railroads, in exchange for certain concessions, which included serving public needs.

[@TrevorEMayo]

@@youtuuba so many folks are unaware of those critical factors impacting the availability of passenger rail service. Thanks

[@johnp139]

youtuuba the point is that without any competition and no fear of “going under”, there is no incentive to IMPROVE customer satisfaction in areas such as being able to choose their seats.

[@3506Dodge]

I smoked in my sleeper compartment on an amtrak train a few months ago. He's full of it.

[@LelandRogers]

You're lucky they didn't throw you off the train.

[@3506Dodge]

They might have even killed me!

[@youtuuba]

WHO's full of it? Smoking, or even vaping, is strictly against federal law and AMTRAK policy, just as it is on commercialc airplanes. They WILL throw you off at the next possible stop if they catch you. I have seen them hunt down the smoker when they catch a whiff, or get a tip from another passenger.

[@3506Dodge]

they didn't do anything to me. Why are you so psychotically aggressive about the enforcement of amtrak policies?

[@youtuuba]

I make my videos in part to let prospective passengers know what to expect. I have seen AMTRAK enforce their own policies, and federal law. I have seen people being ejected from trains for violations, and I have seen people getting arrested for violation of federal laws such as smoking. You seem to feel that because you got away with it (once?), that means it is OK for everyone else to do it, and they should not anticipate any ramifications. I don't think you know what "psychotically" means, based on your usage. But I think most viewers will appreciate my efforts to forewarn them, regardless of your own cavalier attitude.

[@PostcardCathy]

Between Philly and Wilmington it is I-495 not 485

[@djay6869]

Question: what brand and model # video camera do you use??

[@youtuuba]

D Jay, I don't use a video camera, per se. I use a regular point-and-shoot digital camera in its video mode. None of the cameras I am using are available anymore, but similar models are available. Take a look at my special video 'by request' where I go over the types of equipment I use for my train videos.

[@trainrover]

Queer how kerbside asphalt instead of gates fronting quaint façades viewed through coach fenestration clutched your focus through Ashland there..oh well.

[@raymonddowning5895]

Love your trip videos! What's you view on all the graffiti on railroad cars and such? I think it's horrible.

[@mem1701movies]

I came to this after watching the STAR TREK SET TOUR. I don't know if you covered it but how much was train travel? was it on time?

[@cats0182]

Since there's nothing about eating, I assume you were traveling on the "Silver Star-ve" after the dining car was removed from the Silver Star?

[@youtuuba]

Cats01, I usually dont include eating in my train videos.

[@frankhermans7511]

I like your watch, not a modern one but i think a very decent working watch. :-)

[@xanadujohn79]

Didn't John Candy try to pay for a hotel room with one....

[@nitramretep]

The passenger in-front of you looks like hew will be in your lap!

[@miroslawcebo8218]

prosze chce takim pociagiem kiedys pojechac bylbym szczesliwy

[@3506Dodge]

this video is from the year 2198?!! ...and amtrak still hasn't improved?

[@ebob1967]

Not 2198, but Septembeer 11, 2918! Nine hundred years in the future!

[@youtuuba]

Oops.....that's what I get for editing late at night!

[@johnp139]

But the point is that they refuse to improve customer satisfaction.

[@rileysanesh9238]

Where’s this place taken

[@youtuuba]

Riley Sanesh, would you like to try again with a comment that others can understand?

[@seminolegonzalezairlines7757]

You said 2918

[@Gordonseries385]

I would think as long as your in the area your supposed to be in you can film anything you want to? But interesting maybe the conductor may under certain circumstances may tell you to stop, don't know. My thinking is the conductor is the boss not the workers around the train, your in your area. Of course no big deal don't want to cause trouble, I didn't light a cigarette. Thank you for the train ride, enjoyed it and your others.

[@youtuuba]

Yes, my understanding is that the conductor is the boss of the train, but there seems to be a lot of discretionary latitude given to employees such as car attendants, dining car managers, and the people who run the diners/snack bars.....I have seen all of these people sort of make up their own rules for their own domains. I know some "dining car" attendants have ruled that no photos or videos be taken in their areas, and I have seen Dining Car managers tell passengers to not include them or their waiters in photos or videos. I just try to be considerate, and if another passenger's or train crew member's front sides are in my video frame, that I quickly pan away from them.

[@johnp139]

YOU’RE!

[@johnconnolly6011]

We in the north consider Delaware to be the beginning of the South.

[@danmathers141]

2918?

[@AmtrakEnthusiast]

Very cool! I visited Eastern State Penitentiary before as well. It is incredible. You had a special engine from a railfan stand point. Also excuse me for asking, but I was just curious why you chose to get a Coach seat and not a roomette?

[@youtuuba]

I don't pay for first class accommodations for short trips, especially if I don't plan to be trying to sleep on the train. This trip was only about 5 hours or so, so personal comfort was not an issue, and the AMTRAK coach seats are pretty nice, and will plenty of leg room (unlike the airlines). HOWEVER, when taking these shorter train trips, I do prefer to be in a Business Class car of possible, but AMTRAK reservations told me there was no such car on this particular train, and it was the train I needed to take to get to my destination at the desired time. Because of the hurricane, some other possible alternate trains were fully booked. I am only disappointed that I was not able to take better video. Eastern State Penitentiary video coming up soon........

[@AmtrakEnthusiast]

Yeah that's a bummer. They used to have the seats like this on the normal single level coach cars (not the long distance coach cars like you were riding in) and then the business class cars would have leather seats and foot rests and audimans and everything, but now they got new cushions for their regional coach cars (the one you were in on the Empire Service) and they did the same for the business class, so now there is really no difference in comfort in Bussiness and Coach if you were to take a regional train. Anyways, looking forward to the Eastern State Penitentiary video.

[@youtuuba]

@@AmtrakEnthusiast, it is just that, in my experience, Business Class cars are usually not too crowded, and I never had a problem getting a window seat. And of course the amenities in Business Class are better. I don't care whether seats are cloth or leather, and footrests are nice but I don't miss them on short trips.

[@AmtrakEnthusiast]

Yeah, I get that, you make a good point.

[@MetxsightseerRailfan]

The year 2918?

[@youtuuba]

I went through a time warp.....

[@lmc958]

L love your Amtrak videos I really enjoy them but I like it when you're talking I miss your talk! 😕

[@balsamwoods]

"Up till this point we've been running on electric power. They are going to change it over to diesel" Actually, you're running on electric at all times. Even a diesel locomotive is basically a giant generator, generating electricity to run electric motors that power the train. The lines from Washington to Boston are all electrified so there is no need for a diesel locomotive to generate the electricity. It's not like the diesel engine is directly powering the wheels. The bonus is that it provides all the power for the cars as well. Until Acela locomotives started being used, the lines were only electrified as far north as New Haven, CT but they had to improve and electrify the lines north of there if they wanted to use the Acela trains.

[@youtuuba]

I understand that. I was making the distinction between the two power sources, diesel or electric. The fact that electricity is used internally within the guts of the locomotive was moot to the point I was trying to make.

[@W.E.]

balsamwoods 29:17 "They've got to change the locomotives" Then he said: "Up till this point we've been running on electric power. They are going to change it over to diesel" 31:02 'Our electric locomotive departs.' 32:41 'Our new diesel locomotive arrives.' What part confused you?

[@johnp139]

Idiot

[@Howoldareweanywayyipes]

echoing announcements... who can understand them?

[@johnconnolly6011]

Need to correct u on highway in DE. Its 495 not 485.

[@jaspermcmillan6918]

What is wrong with Amtrak personnel??? They need instructions as to how to address passengers. Nasty attitudes prevail in the THREATENING tone of SOME of the voices on the P.A.!! I have met more nasty or indifferent Amtrak Personnel than anything else in my train travels. It's always pleasant to meet a truly nice crewman/woman aboard trains. Too bad that they are such a rarity.

[@youtuuba]

On all my train trips, I have only once met a 'nasty' AMTRAK employee, and that was a Cafe attendant on my only Texas Eagle trip. She was surly, and would leave the Cafe closed when it should have been open, while she sulked in the Dining Car and bitched with some of the staff there. I waled past a few times trying to catch some drift of what here problem was. I gathered that she had been reprimanded, or perhaps was being let go after the trip, and did not feel like working any longer. Later, I caught sight of the Conductor having a stern word with her. I have never seen a rude or inappropriately behaving Dining Car staff person. I have seen a few less than exemplary Sleeper Car attendants. They all do at least the minimum, like converting rooms for day or night configuration. But some are more attentive to other tasks, while others seem to lay low and do as little else as possible. They all seem to do their duty in regard to policing the doors at station stops, and helping make sure that passengers get off at their intermediate stops. But things like policing the restrooms can be a crap shoot....... So I disagree that good AMTRAK employees are a 'rarity', but I agree that a larger portion of them seem to do 100% at all times.

[@markwarren7116]

Too bad that woman wouldn't have traded seats with you.

[@youtuuba]

She was a nice old lady, but she was on the train for the long haul, and was trying to sleep as much as possible. She might have swapped seats if I had asked, but I would have felt bad asking her to do it.

[@tomokra]

good man

[@Howoldareweanywayyipes]

there are generations of people who do not know what clock-wise means.