I grew up in Charleston and was the son of a big Atlantic Coast Line RR railfan dad. His father, my grandfather, worked for the ACL RR as a conductor. It is in my genes to travel by train. I started going to the Charleston station, known as North Station, when I was a young boy in the early 50's. The original station was on the south side of the viaduct, with a newer station built in the late 1950's, on the north side of the viaduct. The recently improved station was a rebuild of that station. I have archival photos of me on that same platform. I took the ride from Washington to Florence recently, as I live in Columbia, and that was a good place to catch it. I really enjoyed this, it was well done, informative and just fun to watch. Appreciate your commentary too, well done. Thanks.
I'm planning a trip on the "Palmetto" in April and haven't ridden the "Chicken Bone Special" since 1992 when I was a coach attendant on 89/90. Your video and comments answered all my questions. Thank you. Will file this in RUclips Favorites for future reference.
CHICKEN BONE SPECIAL Boogie to the rhythm of the Soul Train beat, Steel wheels crankin’ drivin’ up the heat. Chicken Bone Special Train 89 Bobbin’ and swayin’ up and down the line. New York to Savannah, all along the way, Getting’ off and on each and every day. Pork packin’ mommas shufflin’ down the aisles, Lugging country hams 800 miles. Back-breakin’ baggage at every stop, Wearin’ me down, feel like I’m gonna drop! Chicken bones flyin’, free ice from the bar, Drinkin’ and Feastin’ in every car. Shake! Rattle! & Roll! FunkEEE Railroad Soulllll. Samuel Augustus Jennings, Retired Amtrak Conductor (1985 - 2015)
My first Amtrak ride is tomorrow!! Can’t wait! I’m stoked. I’ll be riding the Palmetto from Florence SC to Wilson. A layover there. From there, I’ll be on the Carolinian from Wilson to Greensboro. After that, I’ll hit a layover where I’ll spend a couple of hours lounging around the station(I might Uber to get some food). From there, I’ll be aboard the Crescent until I get to ATL. I’ll take a Groom Bus from there to Chattanooga(home). Of all things, I ended up stranded after my car(liability/no rental provided) was hit by a drunk driver Christmas Eve while I was getting pizza for the celebration. I was gonna fly, but the Railfan in me said “Why be boring and fly, when you could actually have fun?". And so, I'll be setting off at 11:00am tomorrow.
Thank you for this video! I will visit the US in autumn, my second trip after a trip to New York a few years ago. I will do exactly the same as you did - going from Washington DC to Charleston. Your video gave me a great overview and useful advice!
I am in love with the content on this channel I think this was last year or year before when I said can we start getting full videos there not fulls vids but I will say I am enjoying these videos!
Thanks so much. I enjoyed the trip and it was free haha. I wondered what business class was like. The guy with the blue shirt deserves employee of the Month.
No problem! Business class in my opinion on the palmetto, isn’t worth it. The seats are the same, if not worse. I’ve seen them, the business class cars are short distance cars (Amfleet 1s) and coach is long distance (Amfleet 2s). As a result, the coach seats have a leg rest and the business ones don’t. So the seats are even worse in business on the palmetto. The only perk I see is free drinks. Check out Amtrak’s website for more info on business class, and yes the guy definitely deserves employee of the month!
They long haul coaches have been on the palmetto for as long is I can remember. During holidays there’s extra coaches and those extra coaches are usually short distance, and people traveling short distances use them. Usually when traveling a long distance on the palmetto you will be in a long distance coach. But business class does not have the leg rests. On the palmetto, the seats in coach are better than business!
@@greattrainadventure8523 I worked as Conductor and Train Attendant on various Amtrak trains for 30 years before retiring 7 years ago. The Palmetto was my regular run in the late 80's and early 90's so I've seen drastic changes in its consist and service. I even worked 89/90 when it was extended to Jacksonville in the 90's. Yes indeed, for a time the "Palmetto" ran only with Amfleet 1 coaches which I felt was a grave disservice to passengers riding Amtrak's top money making train. Ridership was the highest in the Amtrak system for many years (Passenger Train Journal). The train was always packed, usually 4 coaches with the Amfleet 2 cafe in the middle and expenses were low because service was minimal with no diner or sleepers. Once hot meals were served in the cafe car, but that too was cut. The vast majority of passengers on the "Palmetto" are black which many feel is reason Amtrak has always treated the "Chicken Bone Special" like a second class operation despite its immense contribution to the corporate bottom line.
CHICKEN BONE SPECIAL Boogie to the rhythm of the Soul Train beat, Steel wheels crankin’ drivin’ up the heat. Chicken Bone Special Train 89 Bobbin’ and swayin’ up and down the line. New York to Savannah, all along the way, Getting’ off and on each and every day. Pork packin’ mommas shufflin’ down the aisles, Lugging country hams 800 miles. Back-breakin’ baggage at every stop, Wearin’ me down, feel like I’m gonna drop! Chicken bones flyin’, free ice from the bar, Drinkin’ and Feastin’ in every car. Shake! Rattle! & Roll! FunkEEE Railroad Soulllll. Samuel Augustus Jennings, Retired Amtrak Conductor (1985 - 2015)
@@samtrak1204 It’s interesting to hear some background history about the train that I ride so often. Thanks for the info! The palmetto is one of the best ways to see the south. So much culture onboard that 1 train daily
In reality the reason that Freight trains get the priority most of the time is due to the fact that they own the track. If Amtrak owned the track, Amtrak would go first. If CSX owned the track they would go first. It’s a shame that nobody enforces that law. I can’t necessarily blame the freight companies either. If there’s nobody enforcing it, and no punishment for not following that law, then why should you follow the law? What a shame.
@@greattrainadventure8523Freight 's get away with violating federal law because Congress made it all but impossible for Amtrak to hold the freights accountable. This is why Amtrak took the matter to United States Supreme Court and won their recent case regarding on-time performance. As to not being able to blame the freights for violating federal law every single passenger of Amtrak can blame the freights for wilfully breaking the law. Just as you as a passenger can blame and hold accountable the members of Congress who have fought to prevent Amtrak from doing anything about it prior to their winning in court. 😊
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Great video. Did you have to switch trains at any time during your trip down? Do you know if the Charleston Amtrak station has rental cars?
It’s a straight shot from DC to Charleston, you can also use the Silver meteor in which runs at a different time, but that is temporarily canceled. Should be back in September. Charleston does not have rental cars, not sure about DC. But you can always call a taxi or Uber to the airport where you can get a rental car. I believe CARTA public buses can take you from the train station to the airport as well.
I only worked the "Palmetto" between WAS and SAV and for a short time to JAX, but if I recall correctly the Palmetto" - like the "Meteor "and "Star" - did not carry local passengers between NYP and WAS unlike the "Carolinian". At some point the "Palmetto" began carrying local passengers just like any other Corridor train which, again, was a disservice to long haul passengers having to deal with hordes of locals getting on and off and overcrowding the reserved seat train. I don't know how 89 and 90 the operate now but I hope receive and discharge only is implemented again on the Corridor. I don't know if you were riding when the PALMETTO and CAROLINIAN were combined and split at Richmond, then later Rocky Mount, I think. That was a hot mess for real with passengers scattered all over the place and sitting in the wrong cars because the train was always overbooked which left some passengers standing or sitting in the lounge car for the entire trip. We all breathed a sigh of relief when the PALMETTO and CAROLINIAN ran as separate trains all the way, but after that the "Palmetto" often ran standing room only because the train was always oversold which made Amtrak tons of money but created unnecessary chaos for passengers and crew.
You can Uber or take a bus. The Amtrak station in Charleston is a hub for all public transportation, there is a bus stop right at the station in which will take you downtown.
Not at all. You can almost not tell the difference between coach and business. Would not recommend business on the palmetto, the coach cars on the palmetto have just as much room as business, same seat material, and have a leg rest. The business seats don’t have a leg rest because they are short distance designed cars meanwhile the coach cars are long distance designed. Not sure why they decided to do this combination. The only real perk you get from business is the cart that goes up and down the isle with snacks so you don’t have to go to the cafe, and free drinks.
It wasn’t bad at all! It’s nice to see all the towns. And stops only came once every 40 minutes or so. And the stops were only 5 or 10 minutes. And when not dealing with traffic or road rage, you can focus on being comfortable. This trip only felt like an hour!
Great Train Adventure, I went on the Amtrak Palmetto train on July 9th and it was a long trip, and for some reason, the train ran behind schedule because of the heat.
@@edwardhudson5505 Amtrak wouldn’t be delayed because of heat. That’s 100% false information. I’ve been on the Amtrak Palmeltto, at least 30 times. And they wouldn’t delay the train over the temperature outside. Most likely it was CSX traffic on the line. In my opinion it didn’t feel like a long trip, but it is a long distance.
Great Train Adventure, yeah, that wouldn't be true at all. A train wouldn't be delayed because of the heat. That would be crazy. And yeah, it could've been CSX traffic on the line. It was a fun trip though. I took it from Charleston to Richmond and I was on the train for 8 hours. When it got to Kingstree, it stopped right in the middle of traffic. Can you believe that?
@@edwardhudson5505 Yes I can! That’s completely normal. Kingstree is a tiny town, and the palmetto usually only holds up about 20 cars in kingstree. I took it from CHS to kingstree, and we Litterally got off the train in the middle of the road.
@@spartanburgrailfanproducti6900 If it’s not out by Thursday, it will be another 3 days after that. Either Thursday or Monday. But it will be worth it bud.
I remember taking this train from Atlantic Christian College( Wilson, NC) to 30th Street Station(Philadelphia) back in the 80s😉
I grew up in Charleston and was the son of a big Atlantic Coast Line RR railfan dad. His father, my grandfather, worked for the ACL RR as a conductor. It is in my genes to travel by train. I started going to the Charleston station, known as North Station, when I was a young boy in the early 50's. The original station was on the south side of the viaduct, with a newer station built in the late 1950's, on the north side of the viaduct. The recently improved station was a rebuild of that station. I have archival photos of me on that same platform. I took the ride from Washington to Florence recently, as I live in Columbia, and that was a good place to catch it. I really enjoyed this, it was well done, informative and just fun to watch. Appreciate your commentary too, well done. Thanks.
I'm planning a trip on the "Palmetto" in April and haven't ridden the "Chicken Bone Special" since 1992 when I was a coach attendant on 89/90. Your video and comments answered all my questions. Thank you. Will file this in RUclips Favorites for future reference.
CHICKEN BONE SPECIAL
Boogie to the rhythm
of the Soul Train beat,
Steel wheels crankin’
drivin’ up the heat.
Chicken Bone Special
Train 89
Bobbin’ and swayin’
up and down the line.
New York to Savannah,
all along the way,
Getting’ off and on
each and every day.
Pork packin’ mommas
shufflin’ down the aisles,
Lugging country hams
800 miles.
Back-breakin’ baggage
at every stop,
Wearin’ me down,
feel like I’m gonna drop!
Chicken bones flyin’,
free ice from the bar,
Drinkin’ and Feastin’
in every car.
Shake! Rattle!
& Roll!
FunkEEE
Railroad Soulllll.
Samuel Augustus Jennings,
Retired Amtrak Conductor (1985 - 2015)
My first Amtrak ride is tomorrow!! Can’t wait! I’m stoked. I’ll be riding the Palmetto from Florence SC to Wilson. A layover there. From there, I’ll be on the Carolinian from Wilson to Greensboro. After that, I’ll hit a layover where I’ll spend a couple of hours lounging around the station(I might Uber to get some food). From there, I’ll be aboard the Crescent until I get to ATL. I’ll take a Groom Bus from there to Chattanooga(home). Of all things, I ended up stranded after my car(liability/no rental provided) was hit by a drunk driver Christmas Eve while I was getting pizza for the celebration. I was gonna fly, but the Railfan in me said “Why be boring and fly, when you could actually have fun?". And so, I'll be setting off at 11:00am tomorrow.
Love your interior views and exterior scenery.
nice..brought back so many great memories
Thank you for this video! I will visit the US in autumn, my second trip after a trip to New York a few years ago. I will do exactly the same as you did - going from Washington DC to Charleston. Your video gave me a great overview and useful advice!
Nice video, thanks for sharing.
I am in love with the content on this channel I think this was last year or year before when I said can we start getting full videos there not fulls vids but I will say I am enjoying these videos!
That was very nice look keep doing what you do 👍💯
Thanks so much.
I enjoyed the trip and it was free haha.
I wondered what business class was like.
The guy with the blue shirt deserves employee of the Month.
No problem! Business class in my opinion on the palmetto, isn’t worth it. The seats are the same, if not worse. I’ve seen them, the business class cars are short distance cars (Amfleet 1s) and coach is long distance (Amfleet 2s). As a result, the coach seats have a leg rest and the business ones don’t. So the seats are even worse in business on the palmetto. The only perk I see is free drinks. Check out Amtrak’s website for more info on business class, and yes the guy definitely deserves employee of the month!
Nice trip report Brody!
Awesome!
Hello , you didn't announce my city "Dillon South Carolina ".... lol 😊 ... Great video 🥰
Oops, I’m surprised I didn’t mention it. It’s usually a quick stop though
Wow that train station looks amazing
I am too thrilled to see long haul /leg rest coaches return to the "Palmetto" aka "Chicken Bone Special". Thanks for the ride.
They long haul coaches have been on the palmetto for as long is I can remember. During holidays there’s extra coaches and those extra coaches are usually short distance, and people traveling short distances use them. Usually when traveling a long distance on the palmetto you will be in a long distance coach. But business class does not have the leg rests. On the palmetto, the seats in coach are better than business!
@@greattrainadventure8523 I worked as Conductor and Train Attendant on various Amtrak trains for 30 years before retiring 7 years ago. The Palmetto was my regular run in the late 80's and early 90's so I've seen drastic changes in its consist and service. I even worked 89/90 when it was extended to Jacksonville in the 90's.
Yes indeed, for a time the "Palmetto" ran only with Amfleet 1 coaches which I felt was a grave disservice to passengers riding Amtrak's top money making train. Ridership was the highest in the Amtrak system for many years (Passenger Train Journal). The train was always packed, usually 4 coaches with the Amfleet 2 cafe in the middle and expenses were low because service was minimal with no diner or sleepers. Once hot meals were served in the cafe car, but that too was cut. The vast majority of passengers on the "Palmetto" are black which many feel is reason Amtrak has always treated the "Chicken Bone Special" like a second class operation despite its immense contribution to the corporate bottom line.
CHICKEN BONE SPECIAL
Boogie to the rhythm
of the Soul Train beat,
Steel wheels crankin’
drivin’ up the heat.
Chicken Bone Special
Train 89
Bobbin’ and swayin’
up and down the line.
New York to Savannah,
all along the way,
Getting’ off and on
each and every day.
Pork packin’ mommas
shufflin’ down the aisles,
Lugging country hams
800 miles.
Back-breakin’ baggage
at every stop,
Wearin’ me down,
feel like I’m gonna drop!
Chicken bones flyin’,
free ice from the bar,
Drinkin’ and Feastin’
in every car.
Shake! Rattle!
& Roll!
FunkEEE
Railroad Soulllll.
Samuel Augustus Jennings,
Retired Amtrak Conductor (1985 - 2015)
@@samtrak1204 It’s interesting to hear some background history about the train that I ride so often. Thanks for the info! The palmetto is one of the best ways to see the south. So much culture onboard that 1 train daily
Freight trains do not get to go first because they own the track, they get to go first because CSX and NS both violate federal law :)
In reality the reason that Freight trains get the priority most of the time is due to the fact that they own the track. If Amtrak owned the track, Amtrak would go first. If CSX owned the track they would go first. It’s a shame that nobody enforces that law. I can’t necessarily blame the freight companies either. If there’s nobody enforcing it, and no punishment for not following that law, then why should you follow the law? What a shame.
@@greattrainadventure8523Freight 's get away with violating federal law because Congress made it all but impossible for Amtrak to hold the freights accountable. This is why Amtrak took the matter to United States Supreme Court and won their recent case regarding on-time performance. As to not being able to blame the freights for violating federal law every single passenger of Amtrak can blame the freights for wilfully breaking the law. Just as you as a passenger can blame and hold accountable the members of Congress who have fought to prevent Amtrak from doing anything about it prior to their winning in court. 😊
@@nedj10 That’s some good news
@@nedj10 About time!
out of all the times i road a palmetto from 30th PA - Wilson they have never said thank you for riding on the intercom.
in A Backyard Garden Surprise From 2005!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Great video. Did you have to switch trains at any time during your trip down? Do you know if the Charleston Amtrak station has rental cars?
It’s a straight shot from DC to Charleston, you can also use the Silver meteor in which runs at a different time, but that is temporarily canceled. Should be back in September. Charleston does not have rental cars, not sure about DC. But you can always call a taxi or Uber to the airport where you can get a rental car. I believe CARTA public buses can take you from the train station to the airport as well.
What camera / memory card did you use to record your journey? Thank you!
I just used my IPhone
I only worked the "Palmetto" between WAS and SAV and for a short time to JAX, but if I recall correctly the Palmetto" - like the "Meteor "and "Star" - did not carry local passengers between NYP and WAS unlike the "Carolinian". At some point the "Palmetto" began carrying local passengers just like any other Corridor train which, again, was a disservice to long haul passengers having to deal with hordes of locals getting on and off and overcrowding the reserved seat train. I don't know how 89 and 90 the operate now but I hope receive and discharge only is implemented again on the Corridor.
I don't know if you were riding when the PALMETTO and CAROLINIAN were combined and split at Richmond, then later Rocky Mount, I think. That was a hot mess for real with passengers scattered all over the place and sitting in the wrong cars because the train was always overbooked which left some passengers standing or sitting in the lounge car for the entire trip. We all breathed a sigh of relief when the PALMETTO and CAROLINIAN ran as separate trains all the way, but after that the "Palmetto" often ran standing room only because the train was always oversold which made Amtrak tons of money but created unnecessary chaos for passengers and crew.
Wow
And then they only use 6 cars instead of 8
But I Do Hire Clara Hanover 2 Work in one of those Island stores!
I've heard the station in Charleston is kinda in the bad part of town. Did you can or uber or is a bus station close to get to downtown?
You can Uber or take a bus. The Amtrak station in Charleston is a hub for all public transportation, there is a bus stop right at the station in which will take you downtown.
2 Make The Hanover Family a Huge Success!
Is there much space difference between coach and business?
Not at all. You can almost not tell the difference between coach and business. Would not recommend business on the palmetto, the coach cars on the palmetto have just as much room as business, same seat material, and have a leg rest. The business seats don’t have a leg rest because they are short distance designed cars meanwhile the coach cars are long distance designed. Not sure why they decided to do this combination. The only real perk you get from business is the cart that goes up and down the isle with snacks so you don’t have to go to the cafe, and free drinks.
Featuring Jetta's Father in The Works!
Who he just Caught An Early Plane!
i like the denver union station
Never been there, but I’ve seen photos. It looks cool!
That must have been a long trip when the train had to stop a bunch of times.
It wasn’t bad at all! It’s nice to see all the towns. And stops only came once every 40 minutes or so. And the stops were only 5 or 10 minutes. And when not dealing with traffic or road rage, you can focus on being comfortable. This trip only felt like an hour!
Great Train Adventure, I went on the Amtrak Palmetto train on July 9th and it was a long trip, and for some reason, the train ran behind schedule because of the heat.
@@edwardhudson5505 Amtrak wouldn’t be delayed because of heat. That’s 100% false information. I’ve been on the Amtrak Palmeltto, at least 30 times. And they wouldn’t delay the train over the temperature outside. Most likely it was CSX traffic on the line. In my opinion it didn’t feel like a long trip, but it is a long distance.
Great Train Adventure, yeah, that wouldn't be true at all. A train wouldn't be delayed because of the heat. That would be crazy. And yeah, it could've been CSX traffic on the line. It was a fun trip though. I took it from Charleston to Richmond and I was on the train for 8 hours. When it got to Kingstree, it stopped right in the middle of traffic. Can you believe that?
@@edwardhudson5505 Yes I can! That’s completely normal. Kingstree is a tiny town, and the palmetto usually only holds up about 20 cars in kingstree. I took it from CHS to kingstree, and we Litterally got off the train in the middle of the road.
Still waiting for that Spartanburg Video
Hold your horses boy
@@greattrainadventure8523 when is it going to be out
@@greattrainadventure8523 just wanted to know
@@spartanburgrailfanproducti6900 If it’s not out by Thursday, it will be another 3 days after that. Either Thursday or Monday. But it will be worth it bud.
I may try a train experience since those mask mandates have been eliminated. Can't stand not being able to breathe!!!