28-Hours on Amtrak Cardinal: Chicago to NYC Epic Journey!

Hello and Welcome to Chicago’s Union Station! Today we’re heading to New York City, but this time we’re taking the scenic route. Amtrak’s Cardinal will be our ride for the next 28 hours, taking us over 1,100 miles through the Appalachian mountains and up the Northeast Corridor.

_Trip Information_
Train: Amtrak Cardinal 50
Locomotive: GE Genesis P42DC Number 5
Consist: 2 Amfleet 2 Coaches, 1 Amfleet 2 Cafe, 1 Viewliner 2 Sleeper, 1 Viewliner 2 Bag/Dorm
Departure Time: 5:55 pm
Arrival Time: 11:23 pm (1 Hour Late)
Journey Time: 28 hr 28 min
Ticket Price: $654.00

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_First Class:_
Jonas Jonson
Caleb
Eli Taubman
Devin Clancy
Kevin Lippes
Cameron Buongiorno
Jason D
Arlington Public Transit
Wayno Guerrini
Alexander Aznavoorian
JC The Beard
Burton
Christopher Style
Matt Cain
Chris Soukas
Alexandre Veilleux
Grant Baron
James G

_Business Class:_
James Schock
Lucas Ohlig
Jeff Banks
Joshuwa Watkin
Miles Jajich
Lois Johnson

_Coach Class:_
Marlo Fairhurst
Arthur Sievers
Stephen Keever
Sam Jennings
Michael Cronin
Claudio Bickle
MattySlav
Michelle Gruben
Jesse Becker
Damian Cooper
Elizabeth Chamberlain
Vinnie
James Parsons

_Chapters:_
0:00 Hello and Welcome to Chicago Union Station!
0:50 Holiday Decorations at Union Station
1:42 Chicago Metropolitan Lounge
2:33 Boarding the Cardinal
3:22 The Capitol Limited: A Faster but Less Scenic Alternative
3:41 Our Route through the Appalachian Mountains
4:29 Departing Chicago
4:50 Thank You to Miles Jajich for the Spot!
5:46 Dinner Time!
7:42 Into Indiana
8:14 Indianapolis Fresh Air Stop and Train Split
9:37 Viewliner 2 Showers
10:45 Roomette Bed Layout
11:17 Time for Bed
11:29 Awake Before Sunrise
11:46 Huntington Smoke Stop
13:22 Breakfast on the Cardinal
13:50 Today's Sponsor: Magic Spoon!
14:59 Complimentary Drinks
15:22 Bag/Dorm Car Tour
16:31 Viewliner 2 Roomette Tour
23:51 Subscribe! And THANK YOU to my Patrons and Members!
24:11 Rivers and the Appalachian Mountains
24:51 New River Gorge National Park
25:41 The New River Gorge Bridge
26:24 Serious White Water Rapids
27:17 Thurmond, WV, a Town of only FIVE People
27:55 New River Views
28:31 Ascent into the Mountains
29:14 Bonus Smoke Stop in Clifton Forge
29:55 Lunch Time!
30:44 Viewliner 2 Bathrooms
31:28 Staunton, VA and the Virginia Scenic Railway
31:43 Another Bonus Smoke Stop
32:37 Amfleet 2 Cafe Car
33:23 The Fog Sets In
33:38 Recharging After a Late Night and Early Morning
33:51 The Sun Is Long Gone by Culpeper
34:07 One Last Meal: Dinner!
34:47 Slow Approach to DC
35:21 Engine Change! Diesel to Electric
36:06 ALC-42s and ACS-64s in DC
36:39 Locomotive 5 Pulls Away from the Cardinal
37:19 No Locomotive? No Bathrooms...
37:33 Two ACS-64s Back In
38:04 615 Couples onto the Cardinal
38:36 Departing DC
28:59 Our High Speed Hotel!
39:14 Quick Stops Heading North
39:38 Arrival in New York City
40:19 THANK YOU if you made it this far!
40:30 Next Week: VIA's Renaissance Coaches from Quebec to Montreal
40:55 Subscribe! And a HUGE Thank You to My Patrons and Members!
41:17 Thanks for Watching!

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[MilesJajich]

The Cardinal is definitely on my list of long-distance trips to take in the future. The views going through the Virginias are absolutely stunning! Awesome video, and thanks for the shoutout!

[davidburrow]

I've taken the Cardinal three times, both in coach and in sleeper (an older Viewliner 1). This is one of my favorite trains. It doesn't get as much love as the western trains, but I think the scenery through the Appalachians is truly gorgeous.

[RobertKrebill]

36:22 I had ALC-42 335 lead my Cardinal 51 on May 31, 2024.

[hermanchan]

The difference between the Lake Shore limited and the Cardinal is that Lake Shore limited goes between New York City / Boston to Chicago via the Empire Corridor and Massachusetts making stops such as Worcester, Springfield MA, (Boston bound) Croton Harmon, Poughkeepsie, (New York City bound) Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Erie, then merging with the Capitol limited at Cleveland. Cardinal on the other hand goes between New York City and Chicago via Washington DC and the Northeast Corridor making stops at Newark NJ, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, and Washington DC (within the Northeast Corridor) then down south towards Alexandria, Huntington, Charleston, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis right before coming to the Midwest hub.

[lachmaclean]

I like your comment about the street lights being the only indication of the speed. I did that trip in October 2023 and the NE corridor was the worst part of the trip by far. We were tossed around by the uneven track and I was wondering if there was a derailment in our future.
Apparently, we were a week too early for all the fall foliage, but it was still spectacular.
I had #5 as the lead unit on the Coast Starlight a few years ago. Looking a bit worse for wear now.

[stephenkeever]

1 cup of coffee is great, but 2 is always better! I couldn't agree more! Great shots of Penn Station at the end of the trip!

[edeinhorn]

I'm glad you published this video before my trip coming up in mid-April. My wife and I will be in the Accessible Bedroom so it will be interesting to see that bedroom and to compare it to the Accessible Bedroom we will be in for our journey from LAX to CHI the prior week on the Southwest Chief (our 2nd time on the Chief). Assuming Amtrak still has no traditional dining in April, and the flex menu matches the one you had, I would try the same 3 meals you ate. The beef dish and the enchiladas looked pretty good. Since April should have a later sunset than your December journey, I expect to see a little more of the landscape in the daylight and, like you, I'll have my action-cam suctioned to the window to capture our beautiful country! Thank you for your time filming, editing, and uploading this wonderful video!

[blitzcon]

In January ‘24, the crew did let us eat dinner in the cafe car shortly after leaving Chicago. But most ate (or didn’t) in their rooms. The staff were nice!

[adventuresofamtrakcascades]

I would absolutely love to take the Cardinal if I ever go to NYC from Chicago

[MilesinTransit]

Worth noting that Thurmond is now only the THIRD least used Amtrak station in the state of West Virginia - Alderson and Montgomery get fewer people! Also there's nothing better than being on an on-time long distance Amtrak trip where you get a ton of random fresh air breaks you wouldn't have gotten otherwise!

[RichardinNC]

The Cardinal is on my bucket list. I’ve visited the New River Gorge a good many times including rafting the Lower New. The Cardinal would be a different way to see it.

[johnsonsthsquadron]

An overnight trip in a roomette on the Cardinal is on the future list of train trips for me! Love the reports.

[xsaabaru-]

I took the Cardinal just under a year ago and it was pretty good. My only complaint is that they need to get an observation lounge/cafe car on the train (there are some pictures of model Viewliner observation cars similar to the Superliner) since Amfleet windows are a joke and having the opportunity to leave your seat/room is nice.
Also, on my eastbound trip, we passed under the New River Gorge Bridge on the south side of the river (left hand side of the train.) It's interesting that they seem to route on either side of the river.
Also, also, glad to see Thurmond station got a new platform and coat of paint. It looks pretty nice now.

[de-fault_de-fault]

I rode the Cardinal the opposite way in 1992 when it was still run with Heritage Fleet equipment. Some kind of disruption (I think it might have been a CSX strike) made us have to take the Broadway Limited back. The Cardinal had better views but I’m glad I got to check off another legendary route before it disappeared.

[SuperDave]

I definitely love this train ride blog it’s absolutely amazing!

[ScottPalmer-mpwe]

I wanted to ride on the Cardinal for a long time and finally got to do so a few months ago. It was a nice trip but I wasn't feeling too well so couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise.

[FlightAndTrack]

This brings me back memories. Great video

[nathanjiang]

Did this as the longest segment of my $299 rail pass from Chicago to Washington DC. Probably my favorite train ride thus far. Amazing views, friendly crew, and a really interesting group of passengers make this trip truly special. the second engine on your hospital train from Chicago to Indy #204 did the honors hauling us to DC where we picked up #624. I recommend doing coach overnight someday, you meet more interesting people than just a bunch of old retirees. my seatmate was returning home to Cincinnati after taking the southwest chief from Kansas and behind me was a mennonite family and a college student going home for break. the winter time is probably one of the best times to ride the Cardinal (eastbound) outside the fall because the lack of tree leaves provide a relatively unobstructed view of the river. don't bank on riding the Cardinal westbound though as any lengthy delays could mean passing through the new river gorge after dark.

[jiggidyjam]

Your narration is fantastic on this video

[agagne]

Rail Pass is definitely on my bucket list. So many routes i want to travel!