I’m totally new to traveling on Amtrak, and I love it. It was a really enjoyable experience. The seats are super comfy and spacious with a generous amount of leg room, the ride is relatively relaxed, and customer service was excellent. Amtrak definitely gained a new customer here.
4:07....And a Happy New Year, to you! I wish I could move up to Tampa, further north on Florida's west coast, or even Jacksonville, where things get nice and cold in the wintertime; Mmmm....❤
Thank you for posting. Back in the early 90’s I visited my aging “snowbird” parents living in St.Pete. I traveled on AMTRAK to and from Tampa. This was prior to the remodeling of Tampa Union Station. The AMTRAK even had an old “heritage” era slumbercoach in the consist! Improvements have been made in 30 years!! - but slowly.
I worked on commissioning of those new Charger LD locomotives, it's cool to see one actually in service. Also, they definitely should have waited until the crossing gates were all the way down before going through.
On vacation in Orlando years ago (90s), between Orlando and Lake Okeechobee an amtrack train was going full bore 20 yards away, parallel with me. I forget the hwy number I was on but it wasn't the freeway. I must have raced it for couple miles while my family slept on the long drive to the lake . No way I could've safely kept up without 5-0 catching me. But it was a fun memorable experience I'll remember.
Been there and done that on a private car as the last car on the Silver Star. Likely the one of the few times the conductor got to stand in an enclosed vestibule with windows.
@@paul205757 you ever run on the Clearwater sub to St Pete? That’s my hometown line and I’m planning on doing a video on the history of SAL/ACL transitioning to CSX at some point
@@paul205757 that’s awesome man. I’m here in Clearwater for another couple weeks and then I’m back up to NYC where I work. I’ll be back here posting videos whenever I’m home. Look for me in a Silverado or Mustang!
@ I will send you some cab shots and you can do what you want with them.. we get a lot of rail fanning man I love the attention Amtrak has tried to poach me I thought about but I’m good where I am At.
I was reading about the new Charger engines - they are very interesting. They were built by Siemens, with Cummings diesel engines generating 4400 horsepower. Brightline in Florida uses the same powertrain, but two engines each with 4000 horsepower (the engines are not pushed as hard). While Brightline turns off those engines from idling more than 20 minutes, Amtrak leaves their idling as long as four hours. Brightline services the engines very regularly, Amtrak does not. The Brightline engines are problem free. The Amtrak engines are fairly unreliable. Of course Amtrak warned Siemen about their maintenance schedule and use but Siemens since they outsourced the engine had little control in meeting those standards. It truly is unfortunate for Amtrak.
Will be making this trip tomorrow southbound. Definitely a unique situation and rather unfortunate given how inefficient this is but at least the effort is still made. A real shame that through service isn't possible nor that a west coast route through St Pete and points south to Tampa and points north along the west coast as in decades past.
Eric5ohhh - I miss my Silver Star. So far, ive seen nothing on how it'll be replaced (as a New Yorker, thankfully its temporary, but still..). Cool video, nonetheless. 👍🏾
You have to ride something else to get from NYC to DC and then change trains. Now you can't go by sleeper all the way from NYC to Tampa. Unless you want to overnight somewhere.
If Brightline extends to Tampa in 2027 or 28 from Orlando, Amtrak would be the thing of the past. Also commuter rail is in talks from Lakeland to St. Petersburg in the near future serving Tampa Bay Metropolitan area!😮
Brightline would be cool. But you won’t see any commuter rail coming to St Pete anytime soon. There is only one right of way and CSX is not interested in selling or splitting it. It has been talked about but Tampa will be the farthest that Brightline will ever extend if you ask me. Furthermore, Brightline is not long distance and offers a completely different service than Amtrak so I don’t think they will be competing even if this does happen at some point.
@@Eric5ohhhTook Amtrak to Tampa in the'90s Good trips every time. Hey Bright line best wishes from a Metro North rider. Had an idea you would set this up
I hope Brightline finally finds a way to link Tampa to Orlando. Remember during the Obama years a plan was signed off on to build commuter rail Rick Scott rejected it. Sunrail should extend to Tampa if Brightline does not. But the I-4 corridor makes the most sense as does a private company but I will be long gone before the political opposition is overcome. And sadly and idiotically billions will be spent to again widen 275 and I-4 instead which will only make things worse.
@@BLAB-it5un if people downthere don't put in support letters in won't happen that's something that we do in New York & we receive federal & state funding
@@fred5727 unfortunately not. The only way that would happen is if the entire route was electrified with major infrastructure upgrades. Right now the NE corridor from Boston-Washington DC will be the only place the Acela and the New Acela Avelia Liberty equipment that’s now been delayed by years will be running for the foreseeable future
Handbrake and air brake are not the same thing The handbrake is a wheel which mechanically sets and releases the brakes but only for that car and that axle set. The air brake is the air operated system what works all breakes from a control point usually the cab. However, a valve attached to the brake like at the rear can apply and release the brakes from the rear. There is also a small whistle hich operates using the brake line for air.
The backup hose can only apply the brakes and operate the whistle. The air to release the brakes has to come from the engine. In the case of a non- emergency stop, it is better if the conductor talks by radio to the engineer to operate the brakes. Because the conductor cannot see what the brake pipe pressure is and if he dumps too much, the train will go into emergency. And then the crew has to walk the train to make sure all the brakes release properly.
@@Eric5ohhh Correct. In older round end obs there often was a gauge and brake valve and on many private cars there often were gauges, speedometers, brake valve and a whistle. In the case of the one I worked on, it had a backup hose on the back plus an emergency dump valve just inside the door. For speed we had a GPS unit. Most cars do not have train lined main reservoir air so the conductor has no way of controlling how the brakes work other than by guess or a full emergency stop. The engineer would have to be on the ball to see a service reduction and put the brakes in lap if the conductor tried to control the brakes. Otherwise if a conductor opens the valve, as soon as he closes it again the brake pipe pressure would build back up. Or if he drops it too low, it goes into emergency. If the engineer at the beginning of the backup move put the brake valve in the cab in lap, then just blowing the whistle could cause a brake application.
I would not expect that to happen. If anything Amtrak could potentially be on the chopping block over the next administration as they look to make huge federal cuts in spending.
Wow, how interesting! I reside in Winter Haven and often wondered how the train reverses direction in Tampa...now I know. The map was the key. Thank you for sharing!!
I have not been on the Floridian to know for sure but I would imagine that they would make an announcement regarding their arrival procedure when they’re pulling into the wye
Okay. Americans need wyes like this or loops because they don't like dual cab locomotives. With those a siding could be sufficient for the locomotive go-around. Hopefully the Venture cab cars will make a difference in the future, if they are used in full push-pull train operation.
The Tampa Bay Area is very rich in railroading history and it’s always been standard practice for trains to turn around when coming and leaving Tampa. Amtrak would make a turnaround at a wye just north of St. Pete. when that was the end of the line of the original “Floridian” up until 1984 when all passenger rail seized to exist in Pinellas county making Tampa the end of the line.
@Eric5ohhh Nice to learn about traditional train operations and how nothing should ever change. But that is not how American passenger trains will ever be able to compete with cars and airplanes in the future.
@@Nils_Ki 🤷🏻♂️ I’m just documenting what’s status quo. CSX has had nothing but dwindling services in the Tampa Bay Area compared to 50 years ago, just like every other railroad in history thanks to more and more transportation of passengers and goods via car/truck or plane. This is basic railroading history knowledge if you ask me. As far as the future goes, I don’t see much happening as far as Amtrak changing operations in the Tampa Bay Area. Unfortunately
Negative, Northeast Corridor trains have to back into Washington, DC Union Station due to track configuration. Same goes for Long distance Amtrak trains that service Chicago Union Station. There could be more but I know of those off the top of my head. Tampa is unique in the sense that it’s definitely the farthest distance that Amtrak needs to back a train into a station
You’re entitled to your opinion. As a railfan i can appreciate everything out there. I wish Amtrak had a different option rather than Siemens though but that’s a whole other conversation
@Eric5ohhh Thanks for allowing others to have opinions. Lately people on RUclips argue never ending. We do like the p42s that they're repainting in Charger scheme. Can't remember what they call it
@@debbievogt9881 that would be Phase VII. I can’t wait to see it in person myself. Hopefully I can catch one in person soon. And I agree there’s people arguing everywhere I just try to keep it objective
Maybe more people would ride our trains if they looked better. Amtrak locos are ugly and their design isn't cohesive with the passenger cars. I've ridden both the Acela and regular trains from NY to DC and back. I enjoyed the trip better than all the flying I did back in the day.
That is because your passenger cars are extremely old and need to be replaced. The Venture cars will become a better fit for the chargers, and with Venture cab cars in full push-pull operation you don't need a time consuming turn around maneuver like this.
@@Nils_Ki Not true. The Viewliner II cars are some of the newest and that includes the Sleepers, the Diner, and the Baggage cars. The Amcans, yeah they are getting old as are the Superliners and Viewliner I cars. And actually, they only do the turn to keep a loco outside of a station. They could very easily put a loco on each end.
@@gravelydon7072 This problem would be solved with a fully operational cab car at the end of the train that faces the stub station. Deutsche Bahn does that with their IC1 trains. Many other European railways do that.
I’m totally new to traveling on Amtrak, and I love it. It was a really enjoyable experience. The seats are super comfy and spacious with a generous amount of leg room, the ride is relatively relaxed, and customer service was excellent. Amtrak definitely gained a new customer here.
Nice Train
Keep it up❤❤❤
4:07....And a Happy New Year, to you! I wish I could move up to Tampa, further north on Florida's west coast, or even Jacksonville, where things get nice and cold in the wintertime; Mmmm....❤
@JennieBonbons Somewhere where Iguama fall out of trees?
Thank you for posting. Back in the early 90’s I visited my aging “snowbird” parents living in St.Pete. I traveled on AMTRAK to and from Tampa. This was prior to the remodeling of Tampa Union Station. The AMTRAK even had an old “heritage” era slumbercoach in the consist! Improvements have been made in 30 years!! - but slowly.
Very cool, thanks for sharing. Glad you enjoyed
Great job capturing this train maneuvering event! 👍
Thanks for the support!
Nice job and thank you Eric.
Thanks so much. Appreciate the kind words
Nice video! Thanks!
I live in Virginia I just spotted an ALC42 Charger in service pulling a train up towards Norfolk today
I worked on commissioning of those new Charger LD locomotives, it's cool to see one actually in service. Also, they definitely should have waited until the crossing gates were all the way down before going through.
On vacation in Orlando years ago (90s), between Orlando and Lake Okeechobee an amtrack train was going full bore 20 yards away, parallel with me. I forget the hwy number I was on but it wasn't the freeway. I must have raced it for couple miles while my family slept on the long drive to the lake . No way I could've safely kept up without 5-0 catching me. But it was a fun memorable experience I'll remember.
I like the video
Thanks for the support 👍🏼
@ Your welcome
Been there and done that on a private car as the last car on the Silver Star. Likely the one of the few times the conductor got to stand in an enclosed vestibule with windows.
I’m a Csx conductor, I do a lot of local runs around Florida which includes st Pete Lakeland and Miami very nice work…
@@paul205757 you ever run on the Clearwater sub to St Pete? That’s my hometown line and I’m planning on doing a video on the history of SAL/ACL transitioning to CSX at some point
@ all the time.. I was there coming back from st pete New Year’s Day. I’m getting ready for engineering school in Atlanta next month.
@@paul205757 that’s awesome man. I’m here in Clearwater for another couple weeks and then I’m back up to NYC where I work. I’ll be back here posting videos whenever I’m home. Look for me in a Silverado or Mustang!
@ I will send you some cab shots and you can do what you want with them.. we get a lot of rail fanning man I love the attention Amtrak has tried to poach me I thought about but I’m good where I am
At.
@ sounds great!
I saw that same consist at Hollywood!
I was reading about the new Charger engines - they are very interesting. They were built by Siemens, with Cummings diesel engines generating 4400 horsepower. Brightline in Florida uses the same powertrain, but two engines each with 4000 horsepower (the engines are not pushed as hard). While Brightline turns off those engines from idling more than 20 minutes, Amtrak leaves their idling as long as four hours. Brightline services the engines very regularly, Amtrak does not. The Brightline engines are problem free. The Amtrak engines are fairly unreliable. Of course Amtrak warned Siemen about their maintenance schedule and use but Siemens since they outsourced the engine had little control in meeting those standards. It truly is unfortunate for Amtrak.
Will be making this trip tomorrow southbound. Definitely a unique situation and rather unfortunate given how inefficient this is but at least the effort is still made. A real shame that through service isn't possible nor that a west coast route through St Pete and points south to Tampa and points north along the west coast as in decades past.
the little DJ horn is so corny lol
I was on that train.
Eric5ohhh - I miss my Silver Star. So far, ive seen nothing on how it'll be replaced (as a New Yorker, thankfully its temporary, but still..). Cool video, nonetheless. 👍🏾
You have to ride something else to get from NYC to DC and then change trains. Now you can't go by sleeper all the way from NYC to Tampa. Unless you want to overnight somewhere.
hahahha i was on that train coming back from nyp
New York Penn?
@ yes
@@Floridacop911 did you transfer to this train at DC? The Floridian originates in Chicago
@ yes
@@Floridacop911 very nice. I take the auto train to Lorton, VA and drive the rest of the way to Long Island
If Brightline extends to Tampa in 2027 or 28 from Orlando, Amtrak would be the thing of the past. Also commuter rail is in talks from Lakeland to St. Petersburg in the near future serving Tampa Bay Metropolitan area!😮
Brightline would be cool. But you won’t see any commuter rail coming to St Pete anytime soon. There is only one right of way and CSX is not interested in selling or splitting it. It has been talked about but Tampa will be the farthest that Brightline will ever extend if you ask me.
Furthermore, Brightline is not long distance and offers a completely different service than Amtrak so I don’t think they will be competing even if this does happen at some point.
@@Eric5ohhhTook Amtrak to Tampa in the'90s Good trips every time. Hey Bright line best wishes from a Metro North rider. Had an idea you would set this up
You are forgetting that Amtrak offers service from New York Penn Station to Florida daily
I hope Brightline finally finds a way to link Tampa to Orlando. Remember during the Obama years a plan was signed off on to build commuter rail Rick Scott rejected it. Sunrail should extend to Tampa if Brightline does not. But the I-4 corridor makes the most sense as does a private company but I will be long gone before the political opposition is overcome. And sadly and idiotically billions will be spent to again widen 275 and I-4 instead which will only make things worse.
@@BLAB-it5un if people downthere don't put in support letters in won't happen that's something that we do in New York & we receive federal & state funding
Why do they put two locomotives together like this 😅
Question: Would the tracks allow the Acela engines (trains) to run from NY to Florida?
@@fred5727 unfortunately not. The only way that would happen is if the entire route was electrified with major infrastructure upgrades. Right now the NE corridor from Boston-Washington DC will be the only place the Acela and the New Acela Avelia Liberty equipment that’s now been delayed by years will be running for the foreseeable future
Handbrake and air brake are not the same thing The handbrake is a wheel which mechanically sets and releases the brakes but only for that car and that axle set. The air brake is the air operated system what works all breakes from a control point usually the cab. However, a valve attached to the brake like at the rear can apply and release the brakes from the rear. There is also a small whistle hich operates using the brake line for air.
@@The_DuMont_Network appreciate the clarification. I’m working on my commentary while taking videos. Thank you
The backup hose can only apply the brakes and operate the whistle. The air to release the brakes has to come from the engine. In the case of a non- emergency stop, it is better if the conductor talks by radio to the engineer to operate the brakes. Because the conductor cannot see what the brake pipe pressure is and if he dumps too much, the train will go into emergency. And then the crew has to walk the train to make sure all the brakes release properly.
@@gravelydon7072 so basically the backup hose is for emergency situations only if I understand correctly
@@Eric5ohhh Correct. In older round end obs there often was a gauge and brake valve and on many private cars there often were gauges, speedometers, brake valve and a whistle. In the case of the one I worked on, it had a backup hose on the back plus an emergency dump valve just inside the door. For speed we had a GPS unit. Most cars do not have train lined main reservoir air so the conductor has no way of controlling how the brakes work other than by guess or a full emergency stop. The engineer would have to be on the ball to see a service reduction and put the brakes in lap if the conductor tried to control the brakes. Otherwise if a conductor opens the valve, as soon as he closes it again the brake pipe pressure would build back up. Or if he drops it too low, it goes into emergency. If the engineer at the beginning of the backup move put the brake valve in the cab in lap, then just blowing the whistle could cause a brake application.
One day with a re-design of the approach to Tampa that back won’t be necessary.
I would not expect that to happen. If anything Amtrak could potentially be on the chopping block over the next administration as they look to make huge federal cuts in spending.
Wow, how interesting! I reside in Winter Haven and often wondered how the train reverses direction in Tampa...now I know. The map was the key. Thank you for sharing!!
Do they explain what's going on to the passengers that are on that train?
I have not been on the Floridian to know for sure but I would imagine that they would make an announcement regarding their arrival procedure when they’re pulling into the wye
@Eric5ohhh Well it is Amtrak
@@debbievogt9881 whenever I’ve been on Amtrak the crew is pretty informative. But I know everyone’s personal experiences are different
@@debbievogt9881 whenever I’ve been on Amtrak the crew is pretty informative. But I know everyone’s personal experiences are different
Okay. Americans need wyes like this or loops because they don't like dual cab locomotives. With those a siding could be sufficient for the locomotive go-around. Hopefully the Venture cab cars will make a difference in the future, if they are used in full push-pull train operation.
The Tampa Bay Area is very rich in railroading history and it’s always been standard practice for trains to turn around when coming and leaving Tampa. Amtrak would make a turnaround at a wye just north of St. Pete. when that was the end of the line of the original “Floridian” up until 1984 when all passenger rail seized to exist in Pinellas county making Tampa the end of the line.
@Eric5ohhh
Nice to learn about traditional train operations and how nothing should ever change. But that is not how American passenger trains will ever be able to compete with cars and airplanes in the future.
@@Nils_Ki 🤷🏻♂️ I’m just documenting what’s status quo. CSX has had nothing but dwindling services in the Tampa Bay Area compared to 50 years ago, just like every other railroad in history thanks to more and more transportation of passengers and goods via car/truck or plane. This is basic railroading history knowledge if you ask me. As far as the future goes, I don’t see much happening as far as Amtrak changing operations in the Tampa Bay Area. Unfortunately
Is Tampa the only Amtrak station they back into?
Negative, Northeast Corridor trains have to back into Washington, DC Union Station due to track configuration. Same goes for Long distance Amtrak trains that service Chicago Union Station. There could be more but I know of those off the top of my head. Tampa is unique in the sense that it’s definitely the farthest distance that Amtrak needs to back a train into a station
Denver, colorado
Amtrak would not need to do the turnaround if it did like brightline and put a locomotive on each end of the train.
We are keeping our P42s. We decided we don't want any damn Chargers. Who are "We"?
Fans across the Lakeshore Limited lines
Screw the Chargers
You’re entitled to your opinion. As a railfan i can appreciate everything out there. I wish Amtrak had a different option rather than Siemens though but that’s a whole other conversation
@Eric5ohhh Thanks for allowing others to have opinions. Lately people on RUclips argue never ending.
We do like the p42s that they're repainting in Charger scheme. Can't remember what they call it
@@debbievogt9881 that would be Phase VII. I can’t wait to see it in person myself. Hopefully I can catch one in person soon. And I agree there’s people arguing everywhere I just try to keep it objective
I guess you are walking.
Maybe more people would ride our trains if they looked better. Amtrak locos are ugly and their design isn't cohesive with the passenger cars. I've ridden both the Acela and regular trains from NY to DC and back. I enjoyed the trip better than all the flying I did back in the day.
Perhaps if they looked like E9s or FP7s. One can dream.
Nobody cares what they look like. They care about cost and being on time.
That is because your passenger cars are extremely old and need to be replaced. The Venture cars will become a better fit for the chargers, and with Venture cab cars in full push-pull operation you don't need a time consuming turn around maneuver like this.
@@Nils_Ki Not true. The Viewliner II cars are some of the newest and that includes the Sleepers, the Diner, and the Baggage cars. The Amcans, yeah they are getting old as are the Superliners and Viewliner I cars. And actually, they only do the turn to keep a loco outside of a station. They could very easily put a loco on each end.
@@gravelydon7072 This problem would be solved with a fully operational cab car at the end of the train that faces the stub station. Deutsche Bahn does that with their IC1 trains. Many other European railways do that.