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    I Rode My Least Favorite Amtrak Train Again



    In a previous video, I declared the Capitol Limited to be my least-favorite Amtrak train. Now I’m on board again, riding from Pittsburgh to Washington DC in coach. So…can this slow, meandering, expensive train redeem itself?

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    Classy Whale – at-least-weekly misadventures with trains and transit!

    32 Comments

    1. canobiecrazy on

      It's cool that it offers wifi now! I took it in April of this year and my train did not have wifi at the time. No cell service between the outskirts of Pittsburgh and Martinsburg too.

    5. Just a Countertenor on

      I’ll admit that I’ve taken the Capital Limited from Rockville to DC a few times. When my schedule lines up, and the price is right, it’s truly the fastest way down to Union Station.

    6. David Burrow on

      It's fascinating to see the stretch between Pittsburgh and Cumberland in daylight. I've ridden this several times, but mostly in the opposite direction. The train was always roughly on time, which meant it went through that lovely stretch well after dark. The Capitol Limited is easily my least favorite long-distance train. It's like taking a redeye flight, with all the interesting stuff in darkness.

    11. Thomas Stambaugh on

      I've been taking "Amtrak vacations" for several decades. Since the era of "Flexible Dining", the Capitol Limited is my least favorite Amtrak train (although I agree that the Texas Eagle is a strong contender). My most recent experience on the Capitol was in 2021, when I rode in a bedroom from Chicago to Washington. The trip was AWFUL. The attendant was surly, the food was terrible, the lounge was terrible, and the train was late (as usual).

      I attended CMU, and it was surprisingly disconcerting to realize that we were riding through Panther Hollow on our way through Oakland. When I was at CMU (I graduated in 1974), I used to watch freights come through Panther Hollow. At that time, those tracks were freight only. I grew up in Rockville (although at that time was the beautiful classic brick station that is now a museum and landmark), and I'm very familiar with the route from Connellsville to DC.

      Finally, I had an uncle on my grandfather's side of the family who was an engineer on the B&0 his entire career. He drove the Capitol for many years and told many stories about it. My very first train ride was on the B&O from Silver Spring to Connellsville in 1962. I rode with my grandfather to spend a long weekend visiting "Uncle Dave and Aunt Marge". The highlight of that was when Uncle Dave let me drive a freight engine in the Connellsville yard for a few car lengths — just long enough to blow the whistle a few times.

      I really want to love the Capital Limited. I love Point of Rocks, Harpers Ferry, Brunswick, and Cumberland. The tunnels at Paw Paw MD are beautiful, breathtaking, and very photogenic. Sadly, the train simply sucks.

    15. Benjamin Woodring on

      Took this one to get to Chicago on my last cross country journey. My Sleeping Car attendant was very fun to deal with, and the views were nice. However, the food sucked (even by Flex Dining standards), the AC in my room stopped working resulting in me getting no sleep, and we wound up with no real stretch break during hours I would've been awake. Coming from Philly, it definitely wound up being the more timely way of getting to Chicago compared to the Cardinal. I still need to try the Lakeshore Limited and see how I like that one.

    17. Vince Ghio on

      Classey I have a fun video colab idea for you as a fellow YouTuber. I challenge you and miles in transit to go from Washington monument tallest building in dc to the sears tower in Chicago by train. One person takes capitol limited one person takes cardinal. But you are allowed to be in a bedroom.

    18. Sam Aronow on

      How does Pittsburgh have a grand train station and not use it as a train station!? Why do so many cities do this? This is endlessly frustrating.

    21. Brendan James on

      Eastern Europe? If that means Poland, and specifically Warsaw, then I, a native of Southwestern PA, volunteer to check out some transit with you if you're available. Hit me up!

    22. Tara Hogan on

      I've only taken this train once, but it has a special place in my heart because this segment runs near my house, so I see the Capitol Limited go by several times a week. Appreciated the shade you threw on the Brunswick Line.😂

    25. Richard Speir on

      I rode Amtrak for the first time about a month ago. I found the experience quite decent; I don't understand the "scaring riders away" stuff either. They could improve advertising; I've lived 45mins from the Cardinal for years and just found out.

    26. Robert on

      There is nothing wrong with relying on "low-tech." A physical token always trumps any kind of high-tech image. There has been way too much reliance on what often ends up being unreliable, or worse, has crashed. Then what? Nothing physical, which doesn't "crash."

    29. sargentrowell81 on

      The Capitol Limited was great when I first rode it about 10 years ago. Full length was 1 baggage car, 3 sleepers, a diner, a sightseer and 3 coach cars. Pretty standard, but they also served proper cooked food on board back then too.

    30. EpicThe112 on

      Speaking of the Gulf of Mexico it's actually part of the Atlantic Ocean because Rivers flowing Eastward into the Rockies reach the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Mexico segment of the Atlantic Ocean. The railway line between Rockwood Pennsylvania and Cumberland Maryland is the Sand Patch Grade route. Which is why your train has two GE Genesis locomotives

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