The second segment of my rail journey was on the Amtrak Maple Leaf
from New York City to Albany - Rensselear, New York.
I boarded the coach car and sat on the right side of the train. It didn't take long before I realized that most of the scenery was on the other side of the train. When I saw someone leave the train, I moved myself and my "hat check" over to the other side.
Radio: Channel 36 - 160.950 - Croton-Harmon,NY to Rhinecliff,NY. Note: Channel 36 might have started prior to Croton-Harmon. I started seeking the road channel only as of Croton-Harmon. Also note that the start and end location of the radio frequencies in this section are only approximate. I didn't make detailed notes of where they changed, but the information provided should give you some idea what channel to tune to and when if you travel this route.
Radio: Channel 64 - 161.070 - Rhinecliff,NY to Albany-Rensselaer,NY.
Radio: Channel 46 - 160.800 - Albany-Rensselaer,NY.
We arrived in Rensselaer, New York, just a few minutes late. I only spent about 3 minutes inside the station. The station was modern and a decent size. There was a coffee shop and a gift shop inside along with plenty of seating for waiting passengers. After taking a quick look around, I went back outside.
There was a light drizzle of rain with a very mild cool breeze. The sky was overcast as it had been all morning. Believe it or not, that is my favorite weather! Maybe I should consider moving to Seattle. Rain is very rare in Southern California and when it does rain, it comes down in tourants for a very short while. Yes, I know, somebody wrote a song about that. In any case, I do appreciate the rare times that I get to experience days like this. Most people were wearing light jackets or raincoats and hats. I just had a short sleeve polo shirt on which seemed to be just right for this weather for me! Though, if I was going to stand out there for a couple of hours longer, I might have needed something a bit warmer.
I watched my train depart the station. Another train was then assembled in the station with a lot of Amfleet cars and was just going to deadhead back to New York. That is, they just needed to get these cars to New York and the train would be traveling without passengers. To my surprise, the locomotive was of an older vintage that I have only seen in museums and photographs. I don't know the model number (proving my claim of being a "rail travel fan" and not a real "railfan"), but any railfan would be able to identify it immediately. From the front, this locomotive has reminded many of the face of a clown. This is in sharp contrast to the new Genesis locomotive that have a look of serious business.
