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  • Amtrak Keystone Service - my take

  • Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

 #1600182  by carajul
 
Took Acela from Phili to NYC. The Acela train was friggin flying and felt like we were on clouds. No noise and a nice soft ride.

I then took the Keystone Service from NYC to Harrisburg. We did get up to speeds of 125mph in areas of NJ but holy cow the silver amtrak cars were rattling and shaking all over the place especially thru interlockings. Felt every damn bump to the point I thought we were going to fly off the rails at time. I was actually a bit nervous at times. Can you even imagine what it was like for those people on the Chase, MD crash when they hit that CR loco with no warming at that speed I mean hooooly shit. How anyone walked away from that I have no idea. Acela much better at those speeds.

After leaving Phili on the Keystone line the train crawled at 10mph for 30 mins as we got behind a Septa local. Once free of that the speed limit is 80mph the whole way to Hburg. Nice trip but long. Same time as driving but didn't have to worry about fighting traffic, gas, or $50/day parking in NYC. I read that they upgraded the Keystone line and pax volume has doubled. Amtrak for sure should do a Phili to Allentown service.

Also noted lots of areas that Amtrak has removed track. Two and four track segments are gone where cat poles still exist overhead, especially just north of Phili station. But along the whole line too. The PRR had some serious trackage.
 #1600184  by rcthompson04
 
The Amfleet cars aren't perfect, but I have never felt unsafe in them.

Regarding the Amtrak getting stuck behind a SEPTA local, the work at Overbrook has basically taken tracks 2-3 out of service between Overbrook and Bryn Mawr whenever work is going on. That is not usually the case.
 #1600237  by F40
 
You can't expect much from 40+ year railcars. The suspension and frames are worn out and overall the cars are at the end of their lifespan. The "seat cover" overhaul is only meant to give them a few more years of life. They are like the Arrows which bounce you around and are not 6 or 7 years old as one user put it a while back.
 #1600238  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Mr. F-40, A-I's entered revenue service during October '75; in short, think 47 years!!

Of course, they're getting tired - and an hour of "railfanning" at Riverside CT (couldn’t get into my hotel - and my Sister "naps") showed me that.
 #1600250  by rcthompson04
 
Gilbert B Norman wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:37 pm Mr. F-40, A-I's entered revenue service during October '75; in short, think 47 years!!

Of course, they're getting tired - and an hour of "railfanning" at Riverside CT (couldn’t get into my hotel - and my Sister "naps") showed me that.
They are tired, but they get the job done. I guess my standards aren't high as my first few years of riding the rails were on tired Silverliner IIs and IIIs.
 #1600790  by Literalman
 
The quality of the ride and the speed may depend on which track you're on. I rode Keystones from Philly to Harrisburg and back in April and from Philly to Lancaster and back in June. I didn't notice any rough riding (but your rough ride was between Philly and New York, right?), and on the June trip I now had Speedview on my phone and it said we were doing 110 part of the way from Lancaster to Philly. I've experienced some rough rides southbound on the NEC in the past couple of years but generally smooth travel northwards. Maybe one of the tracks needs work.
 #1600819  by NortheastTrainMan
 
The Amfleets are approx 50 years old. At times they can be a bit rickety, not often in my experience.
If you want to feel like your train is on its last leg, try riding an Arrow III on New Jersey Transit (sorry NJT).

Bringing up the Chase, MD crash was a bit preposterous. Comparing your relatively uncomfortable ride to a serious train collision that injured many and took lives is ridiculous.
 #1600843  by scratchyX1
 
NortheastTrainMan wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:31 am The Amfleets are approx 50 years old. At times they can be a bit rickety, not often in my experience.
If you want to feel like your train is on its last leg, try riding an Arrow III on New Jersey Transit (sorry NJT).

Bringing up the Chase, MD crash was a bit preposterous. Comparing your relatively uncomfortable ride to a serious train collision that injured many and took lives is ridiculous.
Yup, only a nuclear waste disposal car could have survived that, intact.