By the way, I forgot to mention this in my mini trip report a few pages back: my jaunt to Freeport was my first time riding the Downeaster since the cars were renewed with new seats (or are they just new seat covers and cushions?). Gotta say the new leather (or faux leather?) surfaces are nice and they seem MUCH more sanitary. Fabric seat covers, unsurprisingly, get pretty nasty after a while, and they trap all kinds of odors. The cars still smelled like Amtrak but less... stanky? The seat cushions also seemed a bit firmer and more supportive, which might just be because they're newer, but regardless, this writer — who suffers from constant back pain — found them to be a pleasant and worthwhile upgrade over the previous seats and/or seat coverings.
MEC407
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives