I don't think you can beat this (true) story.
In the late '70s, we decided to take a train trip with our two young (sub 5 year old) boys from El Paso to Disneyland. We were taking a sleeper to LA, then renting a car to drive to Aneheim. Now remember, this was in the days long before cell phones and internet.
I dreaded the long drive from LA to Anaheim so, while looking at a map, I saw that I could get off in Pomona, rent a car there, and drive a much shorter distance. So I called Amtrak (no online booking) and changed our destination to Pomona. Then I called the (?) rental car company to have a car there when we arrived. No problem.
The whole trip started out wrong. A friend was taking us to the El Paso station. I had called ahead and Amtrak said the train would be a few hours late. No big deal. We stayed at the friend's house until it was time to go - about 40 minutes before it was due in. When we arrived, there was the train and it looked like just about everyone had boarded. We had the two kids plus luggage and ran as fast as we could to it. Just as we were out of steam (pun intended), we got close enough to reach a car attendant. He told us that the train was the eastbound - on time - and our late westbound wasn't due for 30 minutes as we had thought. On the train ride (Amtrak had really badly maintained equipment in those days), we lost air conditioning, then all power in the car. In the dark, my oldest got sick and threw up on the bed so the next morning we were tired and irritable. Upon arrival in Pomona, we got off. She had the kids while I unloaded the luggage with the help of the SCA and we had plenty with two kids, one in diapers.
As the train left, I looked around the station. It was all boarded up; the only phone was ripped off the wall; the area was desolate and run down and there was no rental car. I noticed an open combination Trailways station/ travel agency across the street so we dragged all the stuff and went there. I explained the situation to the guy there and he let us use the phone to call the car company. No answer. Apparently the nearest office was closed on Sunday and they had forgotten to tell me that. Agghh! So we called Hertz and they agreed to come pick us up, take us to their office and rent us a car. However, they closed at 5:30PM so we'd have to return it 2 hours before our return train arrived.
While we were waiting, I looked around the area of the station and decided this was not a place to be waiting for a train at 7:30PM in the dark (not DST time). I asked the agent if the area was safe. He said "I am the only one here who does not carry a gun". Then he reached under the counter and pulled out the biggest pistol I ever saw. He said "I keep mine under the counter!"
Needless to say, as soon as we got to the hotel, I arranged to return the car at the LA station and called Amtrak and arranged to return home from LA. Good thing! The train was 2 hours late out of LA and we would have been waiting in the dark with no communication for 2 extra hours not knowing when or if a train was coming. Other than the start, it was a wonderful trip. And returning the car to LA was a breeze. Hertz had a drop-box and special parking spots at the station. It was well-lighted and the kids could run around in safety. Amtrak sent me a check for a few hundred dollars in compensation for the hot, dark sleeper.