Leg 1 - Philadelphia, PA to Chicago, IL

The Cardinal - Amtrak Train #51

An unforgettable journey through the heavenly beauty of the West Virginia mountains

Route Guide   Dining Car Menu  Time Table

Between the front door of America’s Eastern Seaboard, Amtrak’s famous Northeast Corridor, and the equally well known delights of the Windy City, Chicago, lies the gateway to the American South and the unparalleled wonders of the journey westward through America’s mid-Atlantic and southeastern heartlands. From twinkling Northeast city-scapes to famous Civil War battlefields; from the Blue Ridge Mountain chain and the Shenandoah Valley to West Virginia’s wild and wonderful whitewater rivers; from the fabulous window on geologic history at the New River Gorge to the Kanawha River’s thunder into a 1,300-ft. canyon below; from quiet coal mining towns to the beautifully illuminated nighttime skyline of Charleston, the capital city, and on to the great plains and Chicago – the Cardinal takes you on an unforgettable journey through history and adventure. 

Today’s Cardinal is the lineal descendant of several trains. The James Whitcomb Riley was introduced by the New York Central Railroad in 1941 as an all-coach daytime train serving Chicago and Cincinnati by way of Indianapolis. Penn Central retained the Riley after the merger of the New York Central with the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway operated the George Washington between Cincinnati and Washington, with a section from Charlottesville to Newport News. After Amtrak’s beginnings in 1971, the train went through several permutations, being renamed the Cardinal in 1977 after the state bird of all six states through which it runs.


Travelling on the Cardinal is an experience providing  both high-speed electric and normal-speed diesel propulsion. On the NEC between New York City and Washignton DC, an electric locomotive draws its power from the overhead catanary to drive the train up to 110 mph.  In Washington DC the locomotive is switched out for a diesel electric that will take us the rest of the way to Chicago.

Single-level Viewliners with their signature bullet-shape provide sleeping accommodations, coach seating, dining, lounge/cafe and baggage. For this trip, I am in roomette 4.

Philadelphia
Baltimore
Washington DC
Charleston
Cincinnati
Indianapolis
Chicago








Leg 2