Four of us took a ride on the Saratoga and North Creek from Saratoga Springs to North Creek, Monday, August 1. I’m posting the following to a couple of the internet boards:
I’m sure my observations will give some observers some matters to chew over.
First, if you are expecting the usual rock and roll tourist line using old Lackawanna commuter cars with diesel stink coming in through the open windows and branches brushing your elbows you’re in for a surprise.
We boarded dome car SLRG 508 Matanuska for the 10 am departure. The upstairs was all tables with booths mostly for four passengers at each, with several sideways arced tables which would hold five or six. Every table was covered with a linen tablecloth, had real silverware wrapped in a linen napkin, and a little flower in a vase by the window. On the table was a breakfast menu containing various home-cooked entrees at a very reasonable price. Diners were instructed to write their choices on the forms provided, which brought back memories of my rides in name-train diners 50 years ago. Had we known that a reasonably priced full breakfast was available we would have not eaten before boarding.
The servers were dressed in black and white, reminiscent of the waiters of long ago.
It was not long after departure before I realized that riding backwards was not what I wanted for viewing the passing scenery, which is mostly a tree tunnel until halfway to North Creek where the train breaks out along the Hudson and the pretty ride begins. I think to have half the car with conventional forward facing seating would work better for those who don’t want to eat. So we “hogged” a table all the way to North Creek. With the dome being directly behind the engine, SNC 8525, the glass had a fairly ample accumulation of GE diesel soot on the outside. Whenever the train accelerated we would be enveloped in a dark, sooty, cloud, with the stink coming in through the AC. There is a BL2 parked at North Creek that may see use on this train and hopefully it won’t smoke so much. I’ve even seen a rumor of an E unit.
Arrival was in North Creek was close to the advertised. It would be charitable to say that North Creek is offering much for train visitors, unlike the train to Silverton, which has a good deal going on during the layover. We found a good spot for lunch, reasonably priced, and found one shop that was interesting to shop, but after about an hour, we wandered back to the station with two more hours to kill. One of the reasons we wanted to go to North Creek was to visit the museum at the station and find out about Teddy Roosevelt and his connections with North Creek. For some reason, the museum was closed, and many of the passengers were quite disappointed. Obviously, North Creek is not taking advantage of the generous infusion of visitors arriving by train. No”walking tour” brochures distributed on the train, nobody from the Chamber of Commerce on the platform. You couldn’t even get a cold soda in the part of the station that was opened and appeared to be the operations center for the railroad. The soda cooler was full of supplies for the diner on the train.
So maybe North Creek will wake up. A musician on the platform around train time would be a nice start.
So everybody sat, and sat, and sat, until the train left at 3:45. While the local septic service was pumping out the tanks under the dome car, there was some kind of disfunction, and the downstairs carpet at the toilet end of the car became soaked so the smell riding back to Saratoga Springs was not going to be nice. As upstairs in the dome car was full we went downstairs into the center dining area and were told we could only stay there if we bought food. Also, the AC had malfunctioned down there so we went and sat downstairs in the bilevel coach, where it was cool and roomy, and you could actually see more out the downstairs windows. Between the toilet issue, being urged to depart the dome car downstairs, and the lack of AC, it reminded me very much of another passenger railroad. And the bathroom in the coach was out of service - the sign directed you to the soggy bathroom downstairs in the dome car.
But I was in for a real treat. It had been years since I was “allowed” to stand in the vestibule with the Dutch door open. If you are a true lover of the rails, that is hard to beat. With the six wheel trucks clattering over the loose joints almost under you, the aromas of the forest blended with an occasional whiff of diesel, and the horn blowing at the grade crossings, that can be hard to beat, at least for me.
All in all, we’d all do it again, but not in the cruise train dome. The ex-Long Island commuter cars were actually more comfortable - but might not be the case of the coach was fully loaded with its 3 and 2 seating.
But virtually all the employees, with one exception, were very friendly and appeared to enjoy chatting with passengers.
I was surprised to see that extensive reconstruction at the North Creek depot had resulted in high level platforms, with easy access to the parking lot and the village. Also, some of the intermediate stops appear to have spanking new stations, or at least shelters. There was a passenger in a wheelchair, and he had no difficulty getting off the train in North Creek. Getting on the train in Saratoga Springs was another matter. I don’t understand how there can be a beautiful new station in Saratoga Springs with no high level platforms. Politics?
Finding the S&NC ticket counter in the station took a little hunting. Our reservations, made on line were in order, and the lady was very friendly.
We took our ride on their fifth day of service, and they are apparently satisfied with ridership, Obviously they have bugs to work out, and will most likely adjust equipment types, schedules, and service levels, as experience dictates.
We all owe a big debt to the Iowa Pacific folks for taking what I think is a considerable financial risk. Let’s hope the businesses in North Creek take the ball and run with it.
