Meet Marty!
W
Marty, what do you enjoy most about your job?
This is the best job I’ve ever had in my entire life. It’s
interacting with passengers, answering questions, helping
families. I’ve been asked about becoming an engineer, but my
personality is with the people.
Q:
A:
What was your best day on the job?
My partner and I helped save a man’s life last summer.
He had a massive heart attack, and with two doctors
onboard and the Amtrak defibrillator, we kept him alive. We
worked with the dispatcher and the engineer and were able to
stop the train in Ilion to get him to the hospital.
Q:
A:
What would you like people to know about your job?
Some people don’t understand that the conductor is in
charge of the train. We don’t actually drive the train. We tell
the engineers when to go and when to stop. Every train has a
conductor and an assistant conductor. Tim and I have worked
together for years and developed a great friendship. We even have
our own system of hand signals that I learned through law
enforcement.
Q:
A:
Besides recommending the Tomato Pie in Utica, what
else do you tell your passengers about?
I’ll point out where they can see bald eagles on the Mohawk
River and on Lake Onondaga near Syracuse, the snow-covered southern Adirondack mountains in the winter, or where the
rock climbers are in Little Falls in the summer.
Q:
A:
What else should we know about you, Marty?
I’ve been married to my beautiful wife, Betty, for 32 years,
and she travels with me quite often. Also, I can ride a
unicycle.
—Traci Suppa
28 | New York By Rail
Long Island
J
ust outside New York City you’ll find some of the
top-rated ocean beaches in the country and the
quaint seaside villages of the world-famous Hamptons.
Easily accessible via the Long Island Rail Road (the
nation’s largest commuter railroad) from the Amtrak stop in
Penn Station; most hotels will pick you up at a Long Island
Rail Road train station, but call ahead. Or you can rent a
car, or take the Hampton Jitney from NYC to several
destinations on Long Island.
How about a horseback ride on the beach at sunset or a
bicycling trip through the glamorous Wine Country? You
could set out on a fishing adventure, hike to the top of a
lighthouse, or enjoy dining at a harbor side restaurant.
If adventure is what you crave,
you’ll find kayaking, surfing
lessons, sky-diving and so much
more. Or venture out on a hike
through a 300 year old Sunken
Forest located just behind the
beach dunes of Fire Island.
Or for a more relaxing adventure: take a sailing lesson aboard a private sail boat. And the
avid golf traveler will find miles and miles of fairways on
some of the most challenging golf courses.
Like history? Visit sites connected with George Washington’s ‘Culper’ Spy Ring. Visit the homes of past presidents,
poets and artists, including President Theodore Roosevelt,
Poet Walt Whitman and Artists Jackson Pollock and Lee
Krasner. Or tour the mansions of Long Island’s Gold Coast
era, depicted in The Great Gatsby.
There’s lots of fun for kids too. From a children’s museum, aviation museum, and maritime museums to the
world-class aquarium, wildlife parks, game farms and one
of the top-rated water parks in the country.
Long Island, NY is waiting to be explored. Book your trip
at www.discoverlongisland.com/Sea or call 877-386-6654,
ext. 235 for a free Travel Guide.
Amtrak.com
PHOTOS: (BEACH) LONG ISLAND CVB; (BIKES) DANIEL FIORE/LICVB
Q:
A:
sponsored content
PHOTO: (MARTY) MARTY QUINN
ould you select
your train route
and travel time
based on which conductor
was onboard that day? If
you’ve ever met Amtrak
conductor Marty Quinn, it
wouldn’t surprise you to
learn that he has that effect
on his regular passengers.
At least a third of the riders
on his Albany to Toronto
routes know him by name,
or by the colorful stories he
tells about Tomato Pie and
other local highlights of the towns along the way.
A former law enforcement officer and assistant chief of the
Frankfort Police Department, Marty began working with Amtrak
eight years ago. His assistant conductor, Tim Boomhower, started
just 30 seconds later, giving Marty the slightest edge on seniority!
Marty, a winner of the 2015 ESPA (Empire State Passengers
Association) Outstanding Customer Service Award, loves his job,
which involves much more than just taking tickets. We asked Marty
a few questions about what it’s like working as an Amtrak
conductor.