Travel Aboard Amtrak's Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississ

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Sigh. More chugging trains. How long has it been since locomotives chugged?

Also, passenger service between New York and New Orleans over the Southern Railway started a lot longer than any fifty years ago.

Travel

Aboard Amtrak’s Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississippi

By Scott Butterworth
Jan. 1, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. EST

With bell ringing and diesel engine chugging to a halt for its daily stop in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Amtrak Crescent created quite an impression on its audience: a boy in a lime green T-shirt who was waving mightily to herald the arrival, and his dad, who held a video camera to his eye to capture the moment.

Fifty years after this passenger-train service debuted to connect New York and New Orleans, the arrival of the Crescent can still stoke a sense of excitement at its 31 stops, including Tuscaloosa.

But the show may be winding down.

This fall, Amtrak halved the Crescent’s daily service and that of its other long-distance routes to three trips a week, citing “the long-term impact of covid-19 on ridership.” While the railroad suggests it could resume daily service as soon as next summer, Amtrak leaders have been outspoken for more than a year about their desire to remove long-distance trains such as the Crescent from the schedule.

{snip}

I would gladly ride another long-distance route on Amtrak. If, that is, one remains available to ride.

Butterworth is a freelance writer based in Rockville, Md.

[Beartracks]

1. I've taken the Starlight Coastal in California and the SW Chief from L.A. to Albuquerque.

Fun, relaxing, social. I'd recommend train travel to anyone. It SO beats the sardine treatment on a plane.

========

[captain queeg]

2. Took Amtrak from Seattle to Kalispell one time

I think it was Kalispell, some small city in Montana. We rented a sleeping room, the good one that runs perpendicular to the train axis. It was great, and didn't cost any more than if we'd flown. Worked out that way. I'd like to do that again some time, but in most cases its too expensive.

[msongs]

3. long distance rail is pretty much a tourist attraction these days nt

[DEbluedude]

4. I worked the Southern Crescent out of NYC in the late 70's early 80's.

Usually 2 GG1’s with between 10-14 cars. Dining car, sleepers, lounge, porters. Still used steam generators to heat in winter. I had to take water at Philly for the steam generators. Train originated in Sunnyside yard. We’d bring the northbound in the afternoon before and layover in NYC for the night. One of the best time periods of my life. Many of morning I spent in Penn Station enjoying the scenery. I used to say the Penn Station smelled like perfume in the morning and a sewer in the afternoon. Great memories. Those G’s were awesome motors. But, colder than hell in winter and dirty. All the time. I used to joke that I’d get dirty just looking at them. Thanks for the post. Apropos for a trip down memory lane today!

[angstlessk]

5. I have taken busses, planes and automobiles, there is nothing

like train travel. Even if you just have a seat, cause you don't just have a seat, you have a lounge, a dining car, and a place to meet other passengers.