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From: goutal@dec-parrot.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: uses of Amtrak
Message-ID: <571@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Mon, 20-Jan-86 01:15:28 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.571
Posted: Mon Jan 20 01:15:28 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Jan-86 07:22:06 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.DEC.COM
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 34


(Isn't Amtrak a city in Michigan?)

I've been on Amtrak exactly once, back around '73 or so -- early on.
I went from Boston to DC overnight in a coach, and back the same way,
to go to a friend's wedding.  It was in December.
There was *no heat* till we got to the electrified section around Mystic.
I was pretty put out, but still I enjoyed the overall experience;
it's definitely seeing America at eye-level!

More recently, my wife takes the kids to see her sister and her kids.
We live in southern Moose Hampster (er, New Hampshire!) just about due
north of Boston.  The sister lives just outside Pittsfield, on the 
extreme western border of Massachusetts with New York state.
We only have one car.  <--<<  (key point!)
I need the car for work, so when they want to go, 
I drive them down to Framingham,
and they take the Amtrak train from there out to Pittsfield.
In the end, it is somewhat more expensive than driving,
but a heck of a lot more pleasant for them,
and, of course, I get to continue to get to work every day.

The latter is the main advantage for us of using Amtrak!
The freedom to walk around, eat, meet people, share babysitting,
visit the online head -- those are relative luxuries!
That is why we are distressed at the idea of Amtrak going away.
We are *not* the well-pensioned retirees going on snazzy vacations!

(By the way, someone recently mentioned that this line only goes once
per day at an inconvenient time.  That's true going east, as it departs
Pittsfield around 10:00 a.m. and gets to Framinham around 2:00 p.m.,
but going the other way isn't bad -- 5:00-9:00 or something.)

-- Kenn	Goutal		...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-parrot!goutal