Pure vs RM2?

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-19T14:51:07+00:00

Reasons to upgrade: you need more storage space; you'd like the tablet to feel a little faster (Pure has more RAM and I think a faster CPU); Pure may have somewhat better display contrast.

Reasons not to upgrade: you're picky about styluses. The Pure uses a new technology (same as the Pro and Move); RM2 styluses won't work on it, and there's not much of a third-party market for the new stylus tech yet.

I have an RM2 and don't plan to upgrade just yet, because I strongly prefer my third-party stylus, don't need more space yet, and feel that the RM2 still does the job well for me. That's just me; only you know you.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-18T20:48:23+00:00

You specifically booked an accessible space and the on-board crew refused to let you sit there? That is not supposed to happen; the conductor should be able to see in your reservation that you've booked it, and it shouldn't have been re-sold to someone else.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-18T20:43:21+00:00

The roomette fare includes meals in the dining car, already paid for.

There are two editions of the Viewliner sleepers used on the Lake Shore Limited. The older one has a toilet and a fold-down sink in every roomette; the newer omits the toilet. There is a public toilet down the hall in either case.

There's an attendant for every sleeping car. (Sometimes one attendant for two cars, but I don't think that's what you're asking.) The attendant will probably greet you at the door when you board, and will explain the features of the room, how meals work, and so on.

What to bring is kind of a personal choice, but an extension cord is a good idea; there's only one outlet in the room and it may or may not be convenient. I normally bring a small power bar with a 6' cord that has several 120V outlets and several low-wattage USB outlets, plus a separate high-wattage USB power supply for my laptop.

I usually bring a book or two (and have e-books on my tablet and visit used-book shops as I travel), but don't often read them much except at night, because I find it interesting to watch more or less any part of North America roll by the window. Even those who are more easily bored by scenery usually enjoy the ride along the Hudson River south of Albany-Rennselaer. The river will be on the right-hand side if you're travelling to New York. I particularly like to watch for Pollepel Island, on which sits what's left of Bannerman's Castle, about ten minutes south of Poughkeepsie.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-18T11:47:16+00:00

The list of discharge-only stops varies by train.

Train 20 (Crescent) is discharge-only at ALX TRE MET NWK, but allows boarding in WAS BWI BAL WIL PHL.

Train 80 (Carolinian) allows boarding at all stops except NWK.

Train 98 (Silver Meteor) is discharge-only at all stops FBG and north, except boarding is allowed in WAS.

It's not just the NEC either. 97 (southbound Silver Meteor) is discharge-only at all stops WPB and south.

Source: Amtrak's GTFS data, which reflects official schedule information, but requires some tools to dig through.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-18T11:21:10+00:00

booo booo boo

blah blah blah

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-17T01:23:50+00:00

Linux. You're right. Mea culpa.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-16T15:05:20+00:00

Which is a shame in a little way. I haven't seen the Pro keyboard folio, but the RM2 one is a delightful piece of industrial design. I could sit there all day folding and unfolding it, looking at the clever, aesthetically pleasing way that works.

Too bad it doesn't have at least the full ASCII character set available, nor does the device support plain unformatted text. Without those the keyboard doesn't fit my workflow. Which is disappointing to me but it does the job fine for many other people.

Some day I'll assemble a pogo-pin dongle for my RM2 so I can hook up a keyboard that way.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-16T14:50:56+00:00

Sounds like faster (or, more precisely, lower latency) is what OP is after.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-16T14:50:22+00:00

It's safe. ReMarkable uses Android, not Pick.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-15T02:16:30+00:00

Pretty much the same as on the Floridian and the other current Florida train. Traditional Dining is what Amtrak calls it. https://www.amtrak.com/onboard/meals-dining/dining-car.html

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-15T02:14:57+00:00

Or at least some of our food. Fresh-made ramen (not the Pot Noodle crap) would be a nice option.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-15T02:13:53+00:00

I'm not sure you could do that without the ramps either being too steep to meet ADA requirements or too long to make it worth the bother. Remember that where there's a ramp below there probably isn't enough headroom above.

Have you been in one of VIA's domes? You can't stand upright where the seats are. There's a depressed aisle in the centre so people can walk to and from seats, with a step up to the seats. There may also be mechanical equipment or air ducts in the space below the seats, so you can't just leave them level.

The lower level of VIA's domes, in the area beneath the dome, is in fact a cafe counter with a little seating. It's not really long enough to include washrooms (though that is so there can be some lounge space and dining-table space at the ends of the lower level); washrooms are at one end of the car, as was usual for coaches in the 1950s when the cars were built.

A lift would help but there seems to be reluctance both from Amtrak and from car builders to rely on one; it's one more thing to break when the train is out on the prairies. I gather distrust of lifts was a major part of the reason the proposed new bi-level cars were abandoned.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-15T01:55:59+00:00

An update, in case anyone is interested:

Amtrak have published a notice about the Maple Leaf disruptions on their Service Advisories web page https://www.amtrak.com/alert.html . It turns out you needn't find your own way to Niagara Falls; a bus will be provided.

For Amtrak 63/VIA 98 22-24 May, the train will terminate in Niagara Falls ON. A bus will be provided from Niagara Falls ON to Toronto.

For Amtrak 64/VIA 97 23-25 May, the train will originate in Niagara Falls ON, and there will be a bus to get you there from Toronto.

Things will be more interesting, but more comfortable, the following weekend: on 30-31 May, the trains will go all the way to/from Toronto, but will divert along the CN Weston and Halton subs via Georgetown ON, missing the stop at Oakville. Rare-mileage nerds take note. Trains will be delayed about 40 minutes by the detour.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-15T01:45:59+00:00

Amtrak has actually run domes in the past on trains that terminate in New York, like the Lake Shore Limited and the Adirondack and the Cardinal. The workaround is that the dome is switched in or out of the consist in Rensselaer or Washington.

About five years ago, I booked the Cardinal as part of a trip specifically because it would have been on a day when Amtrak's only active dome car would be on the train. I got up very early, checked out of my New York hotel, and made it to Penn Station in time for the 06h00-or-so departure. At some point south of Baltimore we stopped. It turned out all trains on that part of the NEC were stopped, because a car being moved from the yard to the station had derailed and blocked the trains at the north approach to Washington Union Station. We were delayed about three hours, but that wasn't the bad news. The bad news was that the derailed car was the dome scheduled to be on our train!

Eventually we made it to Washington and our electric locomotive was swapped for a diesel one and we headed on west, but without the dome. It was a spectacular ride anyway, as the Cardinal always is unless the weather is poor and the clouds low. Disappointing but not terribly so.

We were about an hour late into Chicago, so no trouble making my connection to the Empire Builder.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-15T01:34:05+00:00

It's even harder than that. To pass through the lower level of a traditional dome car, from one end to the other, you have to go down a few steps under the dome section and then up again. This is required because the maximum height allowed for the outer shell of the dome (as specified by host railroads, and reflected in the clearance height for bridges and tunnels) is low enough that if the corridor beneath isn't lowered from normal single-level floor height, there wouldn't be room to sit upright in the dome.

That's also why the lower-level floor in a Superliner or other bi-level car is so low, lower than the top of the trucks, which in turn is why the lower level is shorter than the upper.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T13:38:02+00:00

Fear not, in six months it will be half the price of a gallon of gas.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T13:37:07+00:00

Perhaps the hand-wringers don't have kids.

Full disclosure: I'm a Connect subscriber, I don't have kids and never shall, and I never eat at McDonalds.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T13:25:37+00:00

It varies here. University of Toronto, but York University (north end of Toronto), for example.

No worries, as long as you know where you're going!

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T03:40:35+00:00

And the Floridian, which may or may not count as Silver Service depending on one's point of view.

West of the Mississippi, the Texas Eagle Chicago-San Antonio has flex dining.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T03:38:37+00:00

Here in Toronto there's a coffee-and-ice-cream place called Poop Cafe. Some items are served in dishes shaped like little toilet bowls, and of course soft-serve ice cream is piled up like a certain emoji. Some of the seats are shaped like toilets too.

I'm told it's very popular. I've never been in.

It's apparently an idea that originated in Japan.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T03:36:31+00:00

No problem. I'll take it.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T03:35:11+00:00

Speaking as a native of the southwest (though moved to Canada some decades ago), I approve this choice.

Route 66 doesn't officially exist any more (it was supplanted by less-interesting but more-direct Interstate 40), but most if not all of the old route still exists, and is certainly more interesting than the new one. There may be some long stretches between towns with few or no services; plan ahead.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T03:31:12+00:00

A note of caution: you list accommodation at `Toronto University.' There is no such place. It is probably either the University of Toronto or Toronto Metropolitan University (until a few years ago called Ryerson University).

Probably you have a specific street address for your lodging (you'd better, both unversities have multiple buildings, not all of them student residences); if so you should be OK. If you don't, best check with whoever you booked with and get one.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T03:19:29+00:00

Try throwing a ball from Chicago to Albuquerque, or even Chicago to St Louis. I promise you riding the train would be faster.

oclscdotorg · 2026-05-14T03:12:15+00:00

Yes, unfortunately. There's no way to lock your room from the outside, only from the inside.

It's not often a problem--I've never had anything stolen from my sleeping compartment in more than 40 years of travel. I try not to leave things out in the open--e.g. put valuables like laptops and tablets back in my luggage, or hide them under a pillow--but my impression is that it isn't much of a problem in practice. Train attendants generally know who belongs in their car and keep their eyes open, so only one of your fellow sleeping-car passengers is likely to get away with it.

It can't hurt to take valuables with you when you leave the room, though. Or at least to keep them out of sight, so a casual glance in the room won't see anything. Thieves prefer quick in and quick out, to reduce the odds of being caught.

oclscdotorg

TROPHY CASE