We Need to get the 'Auto Train' to New York Immediately

There's plenty of things you can bring with you on vacation to make life a little easier, but I never thought that you could pack your car.

My head is spinning. A program from Amtrak literally lets passengers bring their vehicle along on their next train trip... as long as they live south of the Mason Dixon Line. Here's exactly what an "Auto Train" is, and why we need the service extended to New York.

An Amrtak service let's you load your personal vehicle into the train and take it with you on your trip (Amtrak via YouTube)

Amtrak's Auto Train

The system is surprisingly similar to how ferries transport automobiles, although the distances you can travel with your car on a train are a bit longer. Even the commercials for the Auto Train sound a bit like a joke; "Simply pack your car with everything you need for your trip", Amtrak says, and then pack your car in the train. Check out the ad below.

Bring Your Car Along on Your Next Train Trip

The Auto Train experience can include food service as well as a private "roomette" along with convenience of transporting your vehicle, though the service is currently limited to the I-95 corridor between Virginia and Florida. But could we see it extended to New York?

Amtrak is currently offering Auto train service between Virginia and Florida (Google/Amtrak vis YouTube)

Why Amtrak's Auto Train Should Come to New York

The convenience of bringing your vehicle with you on a train trip is something every Hudson Valley, NY resident could appreciate. With prices starting at under $100, not only could it be a gas saver, but avoiding the cost of a rental car (not to mention being able to pack your car with vacation essentials that won't fit in a suitcase) would be revelatory.

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Currently there are no public plans to extend the Auto Train, but Amtrak does offer service in New York (with some other pretty cool options). The company also announced recent train car upgrades including sleeper car additions... maybe an Auto Train will be next.

11 Old Upstate Train Stations and Firehouses That Are Now Restaurants

The time comes in every small town in Upstate New York when they must look to giving up the ghost with their old train stations and firehouses. Time has passed these important places for the most part, and (in the case of the old firehouses), new, more modern ones must be built.

So, what to do with the old buildings?

Well, many communities have sold off their "old stock" of train depots and fire stations to private citizens who have breathed new life into the structures as modern, delicious, and very popular restaurants.

Here are some very old train depots and fire stations (some more than 150 years old), that

are now vital places in their communities, serving up delicious meals, a place for high-end cocktails, a venue for live entertainment, and more. And to the credit of almost each of these listed in this gallery, they have all managed to modernize these old buildings while leaving important nuances reflecting back on the DNA of their past, back to when the conductor used to holler "All Aboard" and to when the fire trucks barreled out the huge front doors answering the call in the neighborhood.

I think you will enjoy this list!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio