We begin with Amtrak P42DC's #186 and #147 at the head of my Train 29, which is standing ready for an on time departure from Washington Union Station on track 15 adjacent to K TOWER.
While I was waiting for departure, a southbound Acela Express trainset wandered into one of the higher number tracks with power cars #2036 and #2017.
MARC MP36PH-3C #19 stood on the adjacent Track #16.
Further up the platform. MARC HHP-8 #4915 was also on track #15 alongside Amtrak Acela Express power car #2019 and behind MARC single level cab car #7754. Due to the limited storage space MARC will often double park trains on station tracks during the day, with short daytime trains arriving and departing from the outer berths.
Amtrak SW1000 #794 in painted in heritage Washington Terminal colors was performing its duties around the terminal area that day.
VRE MP36PH-3C #V59 was sitting in the VRE layover yard as we departed Washington Terminal.
I also caught Amtrak ACS-86 #625 on the wye track after having been previously spotted on WT Track #10 with an arrived regional.
Amtrak was at least making a small effort to make the service downgrades seem not like service downgrades and both myself and my riding buddy found rather fancy shower kits on our seats. (Note these had vanished on a subsequent Capitol Limited trip in March).
The downgraded meal now came with a free alcoholic beverage with one option being a fancy pants canned Gin and Tonic and another being a HALF BOTTLE OF WINE! (Note on a subsequent Capitol Limited trip in March the half bottles had been replaced by single servings :-( ).
One possible reason for the meal downgrade was the presence of antipasta, which has been known to energetically explode if it were to come into contact with regular pasta.
I opted for the hot option which consisted of braized short rips. The meal came in a fancy wooden box. (Note the wood box was replace by paper on a subsequent Capitol Limited trip in March.)
Breakfast was also disappointing and included America's most hated melon, honeydew -.-
The train was running rather late due to changes in NS's operational patterns creating congestion between Cleveland and Elkhardt, but this just resulted in some bonus railfanning. Unfortunately due to the off peak travel season the rear car was closed and I had to do all my photos from the side window. The first point of interest was Elkhart yard where there was all sorts of interesting equipment including former Conrail Alco RSD-12 hump slug #859 and its mother, NS SD40-2 #6193.
There was also a variety of Conrail snow removal equipment as well as blue painted N-21 caboose #21274.
The NS heritage squadron also included some former Southern RR gons, seen here sitting in front of NS C40-10W #7644.
I was then pleasantly surprised to see NS First Responders SD60E #911 sitting in the lineup!
More NS power at the former Bethlehem Steel Burns Harbour facility including NS C44-9W #9622 and NS GP60 #7145.
At the CN Kirk Yard I captured EJE painted SD40-2 #662, former EJE CN painted SD40-2 #674 and CN SD40-2 #6000.
Saskatchewan wants you to buy their grain!
A pair of remote controlled GP15-1's, MTSX #418 and #417, were working the Indiana Harbor Works near HICK tower.
HICK tower itself was still standing for the bridge tender, but had closed as an active interlocking tower.
Rail Switching Service GP9 #3432 was working the Hammond, IN Cargil plant. This is a former Southern Pacific engine.
End of the line at Chicago Union Station. My GPS tracker registered a total trip length of 762 miles at a total average of 38mph. The train was a couple hours late into Chicago, but allowed just enough time for me to make a running connection with a METRA UP Northwest Line train over at the CNW station about 4 blocks away.
The METRA Up Northwest Line and my morning at the Clybourn station will be covered in Part 2.
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