Trip Report

Oswego Trip

November 9-10, 2001

I had just come back from a trip to Chicago and decided I would visit a small city instead of the megalopolises. I settled on Oswego New York. I then debated on which mode to use. I at the time was informed that my best friend Kara was going to attend State University at Oswego so I decided to visit her on November 16th.

I decided that by July 4th I would make the decision and on July 1st my new NARP membership card arrived and I found out a ticket to Syracuse for the Oswego bus was 99 dollars. I bought the tickets but during the last week in August she asked me if I could change the date and it was moved to November 9th to the 10th. I had to exchange the tickets and I did that on September 8th while going to the Hoboken festival (the last time I saw the twin towers as well).

The trip planning began to move in high gear until the 11th came and I was advised to cancel but decided against it so I waited until the 9th and it came.

I got up at 3:45am to catch a long island Railroad Port Washington Branch train to New York (NYP). I arrived at NYP just as National Guard troops began to deploy for the day. I arrived on the AMTRAK concourse to see it full of travelers. Suddenly I see an AMTRAK police officer eject a person for harassing a passenger.

I waited for train 63, the Maple Leaf, to be called. The announcement came and after having my ticket checked I went down to track six to board. The train was one Genesis II, four unrefurbished coaches in Phase IV colors and a Phase III coach dinette for business class. The first car was for passengers going to Canada and the second was for primarily Albany with the last two for Upstate NY points.

I sat down in the third coach (21263). As soon as the train departed on time the cafe opened and I went to get some pizza and there were two very pleasant and efficient attendants. The scenery of foliage near peak was amazing as we sped toward Albany topping off at about 100 mph north of Poughkeepsie and then around Schenectady. We then dropped to sixty around Amsterdam and I saw all of the stations which were quite attractive.

Arriving in Syracuse (SYR) on time I went to the Carousel center to get a haircut before returning and waiting for Cnetro's 9T bus to Oswego.

At 5:15 the bus arrived and I paid the fare and 1 hour and 15 minutes later I pulled into the Hewitt student Union at SUNY Oswego where Kara met me and we walked down to her dorm where we picked up another student. We took a cab to dinner at Canales which was fantastic.

We returned but I began to feel sick so I went to my hotel for the night and woke up to get ready to go back to New York.

I said goodbye and boarded the bus to SYR. I arrived early and ate a lunch and watched the news until train 64 was called. It was the same consist I had come in on the day before. The trip was also speedy and on time.

Upon arrival in Albany I saw train 449 waiting for 49 which was around 20 minutes late (we passed it at around 100 mph for a closing speed of 200 mph). The cafe was great with the same attendants. I arrived on time at NYP and went home arriving at 2:15am almost 46 hours after leaving. I could not have asked for a better trip.