Amtrak Roll On/Roll Off

[mattotoole]

@PotomacCyclist 125031 wrote:

http://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard

Info about bikes on Amtrak, including specific routes, number of bikes per train, reservation required or not, fees and rules.

Thanks for the link, but I haven’t been posting it because it’s not fully updated*, and is clear as mud to begin with! After that, would most people understand the difference between roll-on service and bike-as-checked-baggage, further confused by roll-your-bike-on-but-it’s-still-checked-baggage?

*Some of the quoted fees are either incorrect or we were told something different.

[ursus]

@culimerc 85421 wrote:

Anybody know if Amtrak has made any progress since last Oct. on getting Roll On/Roll Off service up and running between here and Richmond and or here and Pittsburgh?

I received this email from Amtrak a couple of days ago.

Take your bike on board the Capitol Limited for $20
Whether you’re a weekend biker, a commuter or a professional cyclist, you can take your bike on board the Capitol LimitedSM for only $20 on top of your fare. With our Walk-On Bike Service it’s simple: just carry your bike to the baggage car and secure it yourself before sitting back in one of our comfortable seats.

But remember, while we love bikes, space is limited and subject to availability. Reserve a space for your bike when you book your ticket on Amtrak.com, with an agent, or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.

A link was enclosed to http://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard?WT.mc_t=AmtrakBikeServiceSept2015CL_AGR&WT.mc_n=AmtrakBikeService&WT.mc_r=365.

Edit: Same link as the earlier post.

[sethpo]

I plan on testing this out soon. I’m planning on heading to Pittsburgh this Thursday on the train. It gets in around midnight and I figure I can sleep on the way up and then ride through until dawn and all the next day. Camp Friday night and hopefully get into D.C. Saturday afternoon. That might be a tad ambitious but we’ll see.

Anyone interested in joining?

[Steve O]

@sethpo 125039 wrote:

… ride through until dawn and all the next day. Camp Friday night and hopefully get into D.C. Saturday afternoon. That might be ridiculously ambitious but we’ll see.

ftfy

[PotomacCyclist]

It’s about 335 miles from Pittsburgh to DC on the bike trails.

[Tim Kelley]

@sethpo 125039 wrote:

I plan on testing this out soon. I’m planning on heading to Pittsburgh this Thursday on the train. It gets in around midnight and I figure I can sleep on the way up and then ride through until dawn and all the next day. Camp Friday night and hopefully get into D.C. Saturday afternoon. That might be a tad ambitious but we’ll see.

Just make sure that you don’t have any plans you need to make it back for on Sunday.

[sethpo]

@Tim Kelley 125067 wrote:

Just make sure that you don’t have any plans you need to make it back for on Sunday.

Exactly why I’m heading up on Thursday instead of Friday

[AFHokie]

@sethpo 125039 wrote:

I plan on testing this out soon. I’m planning on heading to Pittsburgh this Thursday on the train. It gets in around midnight and I figure I can sleep on the way up and then ride through until dawn and all the next day. Camp Friday night and hopefully get into D.C. Saturday afternoon. That might be a tad ambitious but we’ll see.

Anyone interested in joining?

I grew up near where the trail passes through Ohiopyle. Make sure you have your route down cold. From the Homestead area to just east of Boston are a few very easy to miss turns and I don’t recommend getting lost in the middle of the night in Mckeesport.

[elbows]

@sethpo 125039 wrote:

I plan on testing this out soon. I’m planning on heading to Pittsburgh this Thursday on the train. It gets in around midnight and I figure I can sleep on the way up and then ride through until dawn and all the next day. Camp Friday night and hopefully get into D.C. Saturday afternoon. That might be a tad ambitious but we’ll see.

Anyone interested in joining?

Would love to hear a report on this.

[PotomacCyclist]

For those hardy enough to ride the long trails in January, Amtrak is having a sale now:

http://www.amtrak.com/monthly-train-ticket-discount

Save 50% on a companion fare when you buy one regular, full-priced fare to any destination between Washington, DC and Pittsburgh, PA on the Capitol Limited this January.

Valid for Sale
Now through October 31, 2015

Valid for Travel
January 4 – 31, 2016

[sethpo]

@elbows 125701 wrote:

Would love to hear a report on this.

Here’s quick recap: I failed to make it all the way to D.C. but I’m trying not to beat myself up over that. Here’s pics:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205396841782295.1073741837.1286912968&type=1&l=e93a0b26aa

More detail:

The train was simple and comfy. I boarded in Rockville, hung up my bike and enjoyed the ride. I started riding around 12:30am from mile zero and then spent about 45 minutes lost in downtown Pittsburgh before finally getting myself on the GAP and headed out in the right direction. I rode through the night and stopped in Ohiopyle for a big breakfast. I stopped in Rockwood, PA for a nice lunch. From that point it started raining on and off the rest of the day and was about 40 degrees. Brrrr.

I made it to Paw Paw, WV where I stopped for the night. About 185 miles in 18 hours which was slower than planned. I was hoping to get to Hancock, MD which would have been 210. I was tired, of course, but my legs felt fine. I got up the next morning and noticed a broken spoke. The wheel wasn’t rubbing anywhere so I rode to Hancock and got it fixed at the great C&O Bike Shop there. I also had a flat during this stretch so I was already behind on time and the wet tow path and cold wasn’t doing me any favors either physically, mentally, or with my speed. There’s about a 20 mile stretch into and out of Hancock where you can ride on the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail. I was about 3 to 5 mph faster on the paved trail vs muddy towpath.

I ended up stopping and calling my wife for a ride in Shepherdstown around 5pm. That put me at 270 total. I was spent.

https://instagram.com/p/8Y8_n2i6Ut/?taken-by=sethrpollack

I definitely think the entire thing is doable in two days (or less!) if you get lucky, pack light (I had 30 lbs of gear), and maybe have a support car helper who can leap frog and meet you with food and water so you don’t have to spend much time off bike. I also did a very poor job with my nutrition on the second day. I wasn’t hungry but should have forced myself to eat and drink more. I knew that going in but still failed to execute on the plan!

All in all it was a great adventure and I’m happy I had the chance to do it. The GAP trail especially was gorgeous as it climbed up to the Eastern Continental Divide and then descended into Cumberland. There are also some amazing sections of towpath way out there.

For those interested in not doing the entire thing, I’d recommend driving to Cumberland and then riding to Pittsburgh and taking the train back. That’s 150 miles and you get the climbing done in the first 25 miles with the rest all slightly downhill. The GAP is much easier riding – almost as smooth as pavement – and there’s lots of places to stop and explore. Tons of fun (and scary) bridges. That trail is a true treasure.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9799[/ATTACH]

[kwarkentien]

I second your recommendation on the GAP. I did the whole thing at a leisurely pace in 7 days from Pittsburgh back to my house in Arlington. GAP was phenomenal. I plan to do it again and again. The C&O, once is enough. And glad the train worked out well. Next time I may train it to Cumberland and then ride to Pittsburgh. After the initial 20 mile climb to the Divide (@ 2-3%), the next 125 miles is downhill to the end.

[DCAKen]

And this time of year is a great time to ride the GAP, especially climbing from Frostburg to the Big Savage Tunnel. There are some tremendous vistas of the changing leaves.

[Boo Boo]

That’s one hell of an effort in any conditions, let alone cold/wet!

It is doable in two – I have a friend who, in his words, “just” made it to DC in 2 days on “two cool, bone dry days in late summer.” That said, this was before Amtrak roll-on. He spent the night in Pittsburgh the night before and got plenty of sleep before heading out at 4am or so. Went Pittsburgh>Hancock, as you had planned, then started around 7am the next day.

If you, or anybody else, ever wants to try it with a support vehicle, feel free to hit me up if you need some suggested stops for drivers. I organized a charity ride from Pittsburgh>DC that went off in ’13 and ’14 (but sadly not this year) and have cue sheets for rest stops spaced about every 12-18 miles all done up and the corresponding driving directions done as well. With only a couple of riders going at a good pace, you’d probably only want to do every other stop. With some of the crazy backroads the support vehicles have to use, it’s pretty easy to beat the support to a rest area that’s 15 miles down the trail.

Love that ride…the GAP particularly, but I love the towpath as well.

[Author]

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