[By Allen Brougham] . . .
This article appeared in the April 2003 issue of the Bull Sheet
The C&O called its interlocking offices "cabins." The one at Staunton, Virginia, now closed, was called "HD" Cabin, according to one of the local folks familiar with its history. I paid it a visit on March 16.
By staging a visit to Staunton Cabin, this was actually an "excuse" for going on yet another Amtrak trip. Really, I don't need an excuse to do that. I had already been to Staunton a couple of times before, and had already seen Staunton Cabin. But I needed a title for this feature (since I had already used the title "By Amtrak to Staunton" in an earlier piece), so this one will serve the purpose rather handily.
The occasion was the annual St. Patrick's Day outing offered by the Chesapeake Railway Association. Nineteen members and friends of the association took part in a pilgrimage on Amtrak's Cardinal from Washington to Staunton. It was here that many in the group used their excuse in taking the train to have dinner at the Depot Grille at the Staunton train station, and then return to Washington on the eastbound train following a one hour and 20 minute layover. But my itinerary differed from theirs by dining on the train instead. (At least, that was my intention.) Indeed, the Cardinal is billed as having a full-service dining car, and lunch and dinner hours are conveniently slotted on both the going and returning portions of the journey. I was joined on the trip by Darren Reynolds, a friend who had never before enjoyed a real dining car meal.
An Amtrak fare was offered to the group at $49 per person, for those who ordered tickets by a certain date, but I waited until the last minute to avail use of my pass, if there was still space (which there was), and ride for free. Others in the group, though, found a wide assortment of ticket prices ranging from a low of $9.40 to a high of ten times that amount - a phenomenon created by the yield management process and on-line ticket sales. However this played out for Amtrak's revenue base, the train was somewhat full, and there was a happy load of passengers in each direction.
My own itinerary was dealt a setback on the going portion, as there was no dining car. Ouch! Instead, there was a lounge car for use by the coach passengers, and a custom-class cafe coach for use by those in the sleepers. Neither could offer the traditional amenities of a true dining car, but I soon learned that there really was a diner assigned to the train of the return portion. Accordingly, both Darren and I opted to forego eating in Staunton in favor of waiting to enjoy dinner on the train.
The tower (err, I mean "cabin") is a two-story affair next to Staunton's depot. Passengers no longer use the depot, now replete with trendy restaurants, but instead have use of the bottom floor of HD Cabin. The top floor, meanwhile, serves as a (very tiny) private apartment. A sign on the building reads, "Signal House - Circa 1886." The local fellow, previously mentioned, believes that the building was likely built later than that, although it may have replaced an earlier structure of that particular date.
There is no agent at Staunton, so input as to expected arrival of a train can be accessed via pay phone by calling Amtrak's 800 number. But herein presents a problem... Julie, the computer voice who answers questions using word recognition techniques, does not know that Staunton is actually pronounced "Stanton," as if there were no "u." References to this name, as correctly pronounced, resulted in an explanation that the train does not serve Hampton, Virginia. Ha! Twice I asked - each time being sure to pronounce the name clearly for Julie's benefit - both with the same response. Finally, I pronounced the name Staunton incorrectly (first syllable as in "caught" or "taught"), and this time Julie understood. She even repeated the name (also incorrectly) as she gave me the time to expect the train to arrive. It arrived about one hour and 15 minutes late.
To the diner both Darren and I went as first call was announced, he selecting the Barbecue Rib and I the Swordfish Steak. It was excellent! So enthralled by his experience, Darren returned the following week, taking the Cardinal from Washington to Charlottesville. On the way back, in the diner, he selected the New York Strip.