How to Train your Train

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weekend train journey with @digs! took the MARC Brunswick Line from Rockville MD (RKV) to Harpers Ferry WV (HFY), and Amtrak’s Capitol Limited line back. Round trip $11 + $15 = $26 per person

(click to zoom)

brunswickmap1
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Amtrak_Capitol_Limited
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harpers-ferry-downtown-map
harpers-ferry-downtown-map1920×1383 349 KB

thoughts and feelings…
negatives

  • MARC really needs to drop this ‘commuter rail’ bullshit and become a proper regional rail service. only three trains go HFY-RKV in the early morning, and three trains go the other way RKV-HFY in the evening, from around 4:50-6:30pm. and no weekend service! by all rights this should have been an all-MARC round trip, they should do weekday and weekend service both ways
  • MARC has the same coach cars that NJ Transit does - wiki says they’re Bombardier Multilevels - and it comes with the same bullshit, i.e. only 2 out of 4 doors per car are designed for low-level platform access, and you never know which car’s doors are going to be open at which stops. Most stations on our line were low-level and didn’t have long enough platforms to board from every car. So you have to sprint across the platform / the train looking for your doors while the train pulls in, then climb the cramped stairs. very stressful!
  • the right-of-way between RKV and HFY belongs to CSX, and anecdotally people report up to 5-hour delays because of freight train bullshit. NATIONALIZE RAIL RIGHT-OF-WAY or at the very least levy millions in fines for passenger rail delays (legal priority for passenger rail is already on the books!)
  • amtrak assigned seats at boarding time (the conductor writes you a little slip with seat numbers) which posed a problem when there was someone in our seats, but they said there was someone in their seats, but that person said… and so on down the line. the musical chairs ended when the conductor reassigned us new seats. the upside is assigned seating ensures you are near the exit that will be open at your stop, meaning no running across the train for amtrak :slight_smile:

positives

  • super cheap and short journey to feel like we completely left the DMV area
  • we got lucky and trains were on time :slight_smile:
  • amtrak seats are v comfy and the ride was really smooth, much moreso than MARC. fast and nonstop too! saved 15 minutes over the MARC. (on this line Amtrak uses P42DC diesel locomotives and Superliner coach cars)
  • no door sprinting on amtrak, see above
  • harpers ferry was beautiful and i took a bunch of pix. (the town proper has no transit no intra-city transit, there is a cross county EPTA bus; a lot of walking up and down hills, there’s technically an NPS shuttle but it only goes to/from the visitor’s center parking)
  • back in time for lunch on sunday :open_mouth:
  • TRAINS! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :sunglasses: :bullettrain_side: :bullettrain_front:

pics and videos in future post

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