25-11-09 PHOTOS: Points Promotion

In the fall of 2025 Amtrak offered a Guest Rewards points promotion that offered bonus points based on quantity of trips taken. Based on my proximity to the Amtrak BWI rail station and the fact that trips to and from DC often cost the same or less than MARC, I was able to put in a bunch of DC trips to kick me up into the higher bonus levels. This short set covers both the points trips and a few photos from an unrelated trip to Ridgeway, PA

Starting off on a Regional heading south to DC from BWI.

Here I am arriving in DC in style with my regional pulling into Union Station track #17 adjacent to classic Acela trainset #16. Power on my train was the ultimate ACS-86 #670 with the Acela having power car #2012 up front.

 In a cool happenstance the ultimate classic Acela power car, #2039, was over on track #20. 

My destination for this trip was an event in DC's Adam's Morgan neighborhood which is accessible via the Woodley Park Zoo stop. 

Skip ahead a few days and I was back at BWI for another round trip to Washington, DC. MARC has a noticeable pattern of Penn Line trains meeting at the Baltimore Washington International Airport Rail Station about the same time. Here a northbound train lead by MP36PH-3C #11 meets a southbound with single level cab cat #7761.

Because of the points promotion I let the MARC local with MP36PH-3C #34 pass by favor of the following Amtrak Regional with ACS-86 #644. 

About to board DC Metro car #3204 at Union Station.

This day my destination was Metro Center. Here is a quick video as I ascended the escalator of my 3k series train departing. 

My return was via Regional Train #138 from Norfolk which sent me down to Union Station's lower level. By the time 

Southbound Crescent Train 19 was across the platform with bag dorm #69006 seen here next to ACS-86 #663.

Train 19's electric, ACS-86 #609, had come off the head end and was working its way back to Ivy City yard past #628, which was coupled to a single Amfleet on track #27.  In the video you can also see Amtrak P42DC #19, which likely just came off Train 138, heading south towards the 1st St tunnels. Since this unit would need to be turned and serviced before heading back south, it is possible that it is being batched on a storage track so a single yard crew can return multiple locomotives to the yard.

End of my Train 138 waiting on the electric locomotive to take it on to New York. For whatever reason I decided to skip getting video of the power change.

Skipping again to a different day, while driving up I-95 my friend mentioned he was on the late afternoon northbound Next Gen Acela Train 2170 and just happened to be at the right location where I could get video of his passage behind an industrial park right off Delaware Route 279. I managed to get into position about 45 seconds before 2170 passed, but he was stuck in an isle seat and couldn't wave back :-( The Next Gen set was #13 with sequential power cars #2139 and #2140 that had just entered revenue service in October of 2025. 

While driving out to see a friend in West Central PA, I stopped for dinner in Frederick, MD where I caught a MARC Brunswick Line (Frederick Branch) trainset at the Wisner Street grade crossing deadheading back to the storage yard just south of Interstate 70. The consist included single level cab car #7761, single level coaches #7718, #7728 and #7730 and MARC MP36PH-3C #28.

The town of Ridgeway is located on the old Buffalo and Pittsburgh line of the B&O and the former PRR Low Grade Main Line. Today both lines are under the umbrella of the Buffalo and Pittsburgh unit of G&W Industries. Both of the station buildings have been repurposed for use by local businesses.  The B&O station was built in 1905 and the PRR station in 1907, which aligns when the region was at its most prosperous due to the extraction of both coal and oil. 

Although the PRR station was still technically owned by the railroad, local groups had restored both the inside and outside and it was in use by a local artist. 

That's all for this set. Next time I'll be back out on the PRR Main Line near Malvern, PA.

25-11-01 PHOTOS: Stamford

Recently I have discovered that travel to and from Stamford has above average value for railfan purposes. Not only is it the gateway to Metro North's Connecticut branch lines and related museums, but tickets functionally cost the same as one to/from New York City. As as Acela stop one can get close to an hour of additional ride time for no extra cost. Of course the big issue is blandness of Metro North and its infrastructure, but Stamford is at least good for a couple visits before it turns stale. So sit back and enjoy a parade of M8's along with a couple Amtrak trains.  

I mostly slept on the way up, but I did manage to catch ACS-86 #668 in the push position on one of the push-pull Regionals. 

My Regional Train 160 was able to traverse the newly opened eastbound HAROLD duckunder track. Built as part of the East Side Access project, the HAROLD duckunders eliminate conflicting movements between Amtrak trains to New Englande and LIRR Main Line trains. The eastbound duckunder was opened first to support the temporary closure of East River Tunnel Line 2 for rehabilitation.

The weather that day was absolutely fantastic and even side window photos from the train, like SS28 GREEN here in Cos Cob, looked great.

I'm not sure if my Regional Train 160 was late, but at Stamford it had to wait on track #4 while an all stops local to Grand Central crawled out of the yard. As T160 was able to depart it passed the inbound GCT express from New Haven which provides local riders with a timed transfer at New Haven.

While the Stamford Station is a great location for photos I got a tip off about another spot a bit south of down behind a DoubleTree hotel. The nearby glass covered office towers provided a natural fill lighting at this time of morning. Here is a montage of Metro North / CDoT M8 MU trains. West of Stamford the NHL sees 4 trains per hour, 2 express and 2 local.

Because of the timed transfers the westbound local and express trains tend to race each other out of the station, although meets between east and westbound trains are not uncommon.