Dome to Operate on 2 Amtrak Routes This Fall

Amtrak will assign a dome car to two eastern routes this fall.

The car, Great Dome No. 10031, is a former Great Northern dome that was built by Budd in 1955 for use on the Empire Builder.

It is now the last dome car on the Amtrak roster.

The car will operate on the Downeaster between Brunswick, Maine, and Boston between Aug. 11 and Sept. 23, and on the Adirondack between Montreal and Albany, New York, between Sept. 27 and Nov. 2.

Seats are unreserved and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Amtrak is encouraging passengers to rotate in and out of the dome to allow more people to experience the view.

More information is available at https://www.amtrak.com/fall-travel-on-the-great-dome-car

Amtrak Great Dome to Operate on Adirondack

Amtrak is bringing back its Great Dome car for the fall foliage season aboard the Adirondack in update New York.

The car will operate on the New York-Montreal train between Sept. 29 and Nov. 1.

The dome will operate northbound on Train 69 from Albany-Rensselaer, New York, to Montreal on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays.

It will return south on Train 68 Fridays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. The dome will not operate on Wednesdays.

There is no additional charge to ride in the dome section. Seats are unreserved and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

On some trips, National Park Service Trails and Rails volunteers will offer historical commentary between Saratoga Springs and Westport, New York.

Among the scenic features of the route are Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains.

Passengers can take advantage of the I Love NY 15 percent discount off the regular (full) adult rail fare, valid for sale through May 2017. Reservations are required.

Up to two children ages 2-12 may accompany each adult at half the discounted rail fare.

4 Domes to be Pulled by N&W 611

Four dome cars will be in the consist when Norfolk & Western No. 611 pulls excursions this year in Virginia and North Carolina.

Trip sponsors have announced that the domes will include three full-length cars, two of which are being sent by Iowa Pacific Holdings.

The IP cars will include Scenic View, built in 1954 for the San Francisco Chief of the Santa Fe; and Prairie View, built in 1955 for the Empire Builder of the Great Northern.

A former Northern Pacific short dome, Stampede Pass, will be in the consist along with ex-Milwaukee Road Super Dome 53.

Amtrak ‘Great Dome’ to Return to Adirondack

Amtrak’s only remaining dome car will begin six-week seasonal service on the New York-Montreal Adirondack. The “Great Dome” will operate between Sept. 24 and Nov. 3.

The car has upper level windows on all sides. Among the sights to see are Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains.

The dome car will operate northbound from Albany to Montreal on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays and return south from Montreal on Fridays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. The dome car will not operate on Wednesdays.

Passengers are welcome to ride in the car at no extra cost. Seats are unreserved and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

When available, Trails and Rails volunteers will be aboard select dome car trips to offer commentary about the history of the route between Saratoga Springs and Westport, New York.

Passengers can also take advantage of the I Love NY 15 percent discount off the regular (full) adult rail fare, valid for sale through May 2016. Reservations are required. Up to two children ages 2-12 may accompany each adult at half the discounted rail fare.

Amtrak Great Dome to see Additional Service

The Midwest tour of Amtrak’s great dome car has been extended through the Thanksgiving travel period.

Amtrak said on Monday that the car will operate on some Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha Service trains and on select Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service trains.

The car will be assigned to the Milwaukee route Nov. 25-28 on Numbers 329, 332, 333, 336, 337, 340 and 341; and Dec. 1 on trains 331, 334, 335, 338, 339 and 342.

On Nov. 29 and 30 the car will operate on Lincoln Service Nos. 303 and 306.

The dome car has been running this month between Chicago and Quincy, Ill.

The car’s upper level is equipped with windows on all sides, including the entire length of the roof, to provide panoramic views. It was built in 1955.

Amtrak Dome Car to Operate on Illinois Zephyr

Amtrak’s great dome car will operate on the Illinois Zephyr  from Nov. 5-22.

No. 10031 is the only dome car left in Amtrak’s fleet. It will operate eastbound from Quincy on No. 380, which departs at 6:12 a.m., and westbound on No. 383, which departs Chicago at 5:55 p.m.
There will be no additional charge to ride in the car and seating is unreserved.

The great dome was built by the Budd Co. in 1955 as Great Northern No. 1391, one of six full-length domes used on the Chicago-Seattle/Portland Empire Builder operated by GN in partnership with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway.

This November the car will traverse the original route of the Empire Builder from Chicago to Aurora.

“The car features an upper level with windows on all sides to provide passengers with panoramic views of the changing colors of the trees, farmers in their fields and the picturesque communities along the route, including LaGrange, Naperville, Plano, Mendota, Princeton, Kewanee, Galesburg and Macomb,” Amtrak said in a news release.

Acquired by Amtrak in 1971, the car once carried the name Ocean View.

Amtrak said the Illinois Zephyr and its counterpart, the Carl Sandburg (Nos. 381 & 382) carried more than 261,000 passengers in fiscal year 2013, which ended on Sept. 30.