Boston Redo

I spent some time on planning that vacation, but I decided to put if off for a more compact trip. When I moved near to Hamlet, NC, I did a check through Amtrak, on line, to see how I might go to Boston, MA. It recommended The Silver Star to Washington, DC and transferring to the Northeast Regional to Boston. Leaving DC around 10pm, after a 6 hour layover and arriving in Boston the next morning. I tried this trip and I watched the MBTA commuter rail, at North Station and went to Ashmont and watched the Mattapan High Speed line. And there was the subway, including the green line trolley, the red line, and the blue at the airport where the went between overhead and third rail. The Boston portion was put together to be easy and planned quickly. I redid the prospectus, since that trip. The December trip, focused on a different transfer location. In Boston, I looked at other things, such as the old Sears Building, the Tea Party Ship, and the Harbor, just south of South Station. It was not the more detailed version, with no train watching.

The Northeast Regional which goes to Boston, overnight, originates in Newport News, VA and goes through Richmond, where it stops not only at Staple Mill Station but also at Main Street Station. I love Main Street Station. The old Colonial that went from Newport News to Boston, went past Main Street Station, but that was a long time before it was renovated and reopened as an active station. I wanted to take the train from that station so now my Boston trip would include a trip from Richmond to Boston, beginning at Main Street Station through the old interchange to Staples Mill Station. From there on to Boston. This trip has on major advantage to allow boarding around 6:30. Boarding from Staples Mill would be 30 minutes later.

I have friends in Richmond as well as living there for a number of years with a long stay in Williamsburg, VA. I would go to Richmond for shopping for Model Railroad supplies and Folk Dancing. I go back several times a year. So a trip to Richmond for visiting the city with a side trip to Boston, would be nice. I love genealogy with most of my family coming trhough Virginia so an added trip to the State Archives would be nice. In fact, I could spend the afternoon at the Library and archives, go to Main Street Station after the Library closed, and take the train to Boston.

The next question is how do I do it. Do I spend time before or after the trip to Boston or do I take a day or two on each side of the trip.