·12 Jul: Cascades Train #506
·12-14 Jul: #8 The Empire Builder: 1|2|3
·17-18 Jul: #48 The Late Shore Limited: 1|2
·21 Jul: Empire Service Train #208
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·Introduction ·12 Jul: Cascades Train #506 ·12-14 Jul: #8 The Empire Builder: 1|2|3 ·17-18 Jul: #48 The Late Shore Limited: 1|2 ·21 Jul: Empire Service Train #208 |
| 12 July, 2006: Seattle to Tacoma and Cascades Train #506-Aren't I in Europe | |
I woke up in Seattle, we had breakfast and I put my Dad on King County Metro Bus #174 to the airportand spent most of the morning taking a long walk through downtown Seattle.
I was annoyed that the three transit related things I had planned on riding were all closed due to safety issues or for refurbishment:
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I returned to the hotel to pick up my bags and took the 12:50P ST Express Bus Route 594 departure for Tacoma, the bus went down I-5, after going through downtown Seattle, I could see the Light Rail construction when we passed near Safeco field. I got to Tacoma at 1:45, and didn't realize the Amtrak station wasn't at the Tacoma Dome Link and Sounder Station but an icky three block walk away. I walked this distance with my baggage (only two backpacks, no so bad), ending up at the station, and saw that my train was currently a half-hour late and they were saying 3:10. (instead of 2:41) My bag got tagged and checked for CHI and off I went to ride and photograph the Tacoma Link Light Rail (which is free). I rode the Link out to the other end and then walked the entire route taking photos of every station as I walked passed and trains when they decided to pass (the routes about a mile long). I (via Julie) found out that my train was getting delayed even more so I took my time photographing this little downtown light rail system. Returning to the train station at 3:15.
Cascades Train #506 finally comes in at 3:50P (1 hour and ten minutes late), it is the Mount Adams Trainset (and as I found out when I got home, it's the former Las Vegas Train set, so its interior looks slightly different then other Talgo Sets, but I have nothing to compare it too). It is led into Tacoma by demotored F40PH #90230 in push mode. It stops and I get on, the ride up from Tacoma to King Street Station, Seattle is through some rural fields and the Seattle suburbs, the ride is quite uneventful, fallowing the Sounder right of way and bypassing it's stations once we join it just beyond the Tacoma station
I don't really stay in my seat instead choosing to mostly move about the train, the Talgo cars are unusual. I don't worry about missing my connection to the Empire Builder they announce that it is waiting on us to depart. Their very low to the floor, and very short (only 5 windows per car), the cars are also very low to the ground and I felt like I could feel the train's movement much more then on a normal coach. This also could have something to due with the advanced tilting system. Ever car also has many television screens, although no movie was playing when I was onboard. The train is also fully articulated so while changing cars there is no feel of going outside, (The Acela trainsets also have this feature). There are glass dividing doors between each car and an interesting feature is that they are automatic, so one never has to touch a button. Each door to the outside world has a retractable step that comes out automatically. An interesting feature of the train is that one coach is fully wheelchair accessible to the extent that the aisle is and it has 2 by 1 seating (this was not the coach I was in), this wideness continues with a wide aisle and articulated section from the accessible coach into the bistro-style café car (since the cars are so short the counter takes up an entire side of the car), the counter has seats attached to it, and there are also a few tables on the other side of the car. Their was one person in the car finishing their meal. The menu was quite different then those in normal cafe cars, and Cascades had what looked like its own brands of wine. I continued through this car and reared the lounge car. It was like most table seating cars but it had the two by one layout, and individual reading lamps for each table. The only people in there were the three conductors. All in all I thought the Cascades Talgo trainsets are some of the most modern cars Amtrak has, and I hope they can be added with their faster advanced-tilting-technology on more routes in the future. The luxury level was just slightly lower then Acela. (Which although I don't have a log of it, I have ridden.)
We arrive Seattle, WA at about 4:45P, the Empire Builder is waiting on the next track, we've arrived at a stub track that can only be used by southbound trains so those connecting walk around the front of the train to the next platform where Train #8 is waiting, no walking onto an overpass required.
Continue onto the Empire Builder #8
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·Introduction ·12 Jul: Cascades Train #506 ·12-14 Jul: #8 The Empire Builder: 1|2|3 ·17-18 Jul: #48 The Late Shore Limited: 1|2 ·21 Jul: Empire Service Train #208 |
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