Great video. It looks like it was not very crowded on your trip. I once did a positioning move on the Caritas, from Chicago to NYP back in the early 1990s. A great ride.
Thanks. No, it wasn't crowded at all, and most of is detrained in Milwaukee with only a very few riding all the way to MSP. It felt like we were the owners or a very special group. In fact, there were only 6 or 7 people riding from Milwaukee to Chicago the night before (Saturday) which myself and Cathy? the volunteer were supposed to be on, but since the cars missed their scheduled Amtrak train (they didn't get staged on Track 1 in time), they were towed by the last Amtrak train of the evening to Chicago and I wouldn't have been able to get back to Milwaukee without taking a bus. Since there were so few people riding on Sunday, Justin our conductor/bartender let us ride from Chicago to Milwaukee the following day on the same ticket instead.
When I went, it was amazing. I thought it would be packed, but it was me, one other railfan, and the crew. My dad came down to see me off. I remember getting on the open platform end of Caritas with a big A@# smile on my face. The crew placed me in one of the rooms. I had been told not to expect much for meals. I saw the chef beating the batter for the dinner rolls IN THE STATION!!!. I could smell it. I asked what was for dinner, and was told steak. Well the crew does have to eat . . .
We were attached to the rear of 48, and left pretty much on time. We had a slow roll through the south side of Chicago. At one point we stopped for a signal while I was standing on the platform. There was a pick up basketball game at a playground that was next to the tracks. I could hear the sounds of the game. Pretty cool. Once we got a green, we accelerated after clearing Englewood, and it was an exhilarating ride on the platform from that point on.
Dinner was served around South Bend (48 left much earlier in those days), and it was exquisite. I think it was all home made. They even had wine. After dinner, I rode some more on the platform. We were allowed out there as much as we wanted, as long as we followed rules such as not having glass ware out there.
The ride across Sandusky bay was memorable. It was a hot evening, and when we hit that cool water, there was a layer of fog engulfing the train. When there was no fog, you could see headlights of freights for miles after we over took them.
This was a great experience, and I am glad the opportunity to do it again might present itself.
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