Many thanks. Jim, our ultimate destination -- after a little time in Chicago -- is Austin on the Eagle. Any tips on that route?
Small world, I live in Austin and the Eagle is my home train!! I'm not sure when you are riding but there will be track work going on between Joliet and St. Louis soon so the Eagle may be re-routed thru Amish Farm Country?
If so, it makes no stops except one quickie crew change stop between Chicago and St. Louis.
If it takes the regular route you'll stop in Joliet ( interesting old Union Station on the right, pretty Minor League Baseball Stadium on the Left across the tracks)),Pontiac, Bloomington-Normal, home of State Farm and a nice new station, Lincoln, Springfield, the State Capital is on the right after the station stop which is a major stop, then lots of Farm country as you roll down along the old Route 66 on the right till you get to brief stops in Carinville and Alton!(flagstops) It should be dark by this time and Dinner will be served in the Cross Country Cafe.
When you get to East St Louis you will be on slow orders due to bad tracks going through lots of rust belt industrial wasteland, then the Mississippi River will be on your right,you'll see the Arch and Downtown St Louis lighted up, cross the bridge into the Intermodel stop ( last major stop until Ft. Worth!, you'll want to stretch your legs! The Station is upstairs via elevator or escelator but don't leave the platform even though this is a crew change/train servicing stop. Last call for boarding passengers is when the train leaves here!
You'll go through miles of rail yards, suburbs etc slowly and then have a last glimpse if the Mississippi on the left as you start into nowhere heading into the Ozarks and middle of the night stops in Popular Bluff,Walnut Ridge, Little Rock , Malvern and Arkadelphia are flagstops, then Hope ( hometown of Bill Clinton and Mike Huckabee), it should be getting light as you approach Texarkana, the train stops half in Arkansas and half in Texas. If on time Breakfast will start after you leave heading into the Texas Piney Woods for Marshall( crew change but you cant detrain)which has a Beautiful old Station/ Rail Museum, Longview which has a nicely restored station and where they way buses go to Shreveport and Houston/Galveston. You can get off briefly to stretch your legs.
Then its on through small Piney Woods towns along the old Highway 80 to Mineola and on into Dallas! You'll go through a badly decayed Industrial area and Trinity River swamps into Union Station for a brief stop. As you leave Union Sration you'll see Dealy Plaza where President Kennedy was asassinated with the Grassy Knoll, Texas Book Depository Museum on the right as you cross the RT trestle.
If on time, after the train leaves heading for Ft. Worth, lunch will be served in the CCC. You'll can see the urban landscape and Industrial areas until you're in Arlington where you'll be able to see the Six Flags Amusement Park, the Texas Rangers Baseball Stadium and the Mother Ship, Jerry World, aka AT&T Cowboy Stadium on the right.
You'll shortly see the Skyline of Fort Worth and back into the Intermodel Station through the Diamond @ the Infamous Tower 55. You will have time to go into the Station here but ask how long, it can be from over an hour to as brief as 20 minutes depending on the OTP!
After leaving Ft. Worth, ( you will meet #22 either arriving into the station or down the line depending on the OTP) you'll cruise down to a stop @ old Santa Few Railroad Town of Cleburne ( large yards and closed ships on the left), through the Brazos River Valley Ranching Country ( spotty Cell Service) ,past Crawford ( the "City" where George W VmBush hangs our when @ his nearby Ranch), on your not Mc Gregor for a quick stop ( for the Nearby city of Waco) and into Temple! Look for the Beautiful old Restored Santa Fe Station which is now a City owned event Center, Rail Museum and Amtrak Station. Several pieces of old passenger and freight equipment on display on the left in front of the station and a nice park where the Harvey House and Rail Hospital used to be! Dinner will start after leaving here, reservations are taken after leaving Cleburne.
You'll stop in the old farming, Bar- B-Q and railroad town of Taylor briefly ( District Hdqs for UP) The old MoPac Station us on the right side, the Amtrak " Station" is a picnic table with s roof beside it!! LOL
Then its on through Hutto, Round Rock ( home of Dell Computers)and through a Gravel Plant @ McNeil where you pass under the Ligh Rail Red Line which runs 26 miles from Leander to downtown Austin!
You'll go down the middle of the MoPac Expressway with traffic on both sides ( usually stop and go!) till you get downtown, go around the corner and pull into the old MoPac Station right downtown surrounded by high rises!
Sorry this is so long and I sound like a booster but even though I've ridden the Eagle for years and years many, many times,it's still a LD train that's fun! Hopefully you'll get a good crew, there are a some good ones ( and a few duds and jerks!!) on this route!
