Rail – Ride a dome car in upstate New York this fall

Now this would be fun!

Quoting from an Amtrak bulletin to travel agents:

“Amtrak’s last remaining dome car, a full-length dome lounge with panoramic viewing on the upper level, will return to the Adirondack this fall, affording passengers a fine view of the Adirondack Mountains, Lake Champlain, and the Montreal skyline. The car will operate between Albany and Montreal only, not between Albany and New York.

Schedule:
– Northbound on train 69 Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, October 1 through November 9
– Southbound on train 68 Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays, October 2 through November 10”

I’ve never taken the train north of Albany to Montreal but by all accounts this is one of the prettiest train trips in the U.S., and in the autumn it would be stunning. A great deal of the route is along the west shore of the Lake Champlain, which defines a good deal of the border between the states of New York and Vermont.

Click here to see a fine picture of this dome car.

You could begin your train ride in Albany or in New York (where the train originates headed northbound). The dome car will be coupled to the northbound train in Albany and uncoupled there when the train is southbound from Montreal. Basic one-way fare between New York and Montreal ranges from $62 to $71, without other discounts such as senior or AAA.

Northbound the train leaves New York at 8:15 a.m. (Albany at 11:05 a.m. ) and arrives Montreal at 7:10 p.m. Southbound the train leaves Montreal at 9:30 a.m. and arrives New York at 8:45 p.m. (Albany at 5:40 p.m.)