Amtrak gets a Second Chance

Our Return to the Rails

This is our second trip on Amtrak this year. It is solely as a result of a $500 credit voucher issued to us after our less than spectacular spring vacation from Cleburne, TX to Tucson AZ, and return.

DAY ONE

A couple of weeks ago I noticed on our calendar that Labor Day was fast approaching and I had made absolutely NO plans. I had taken the whole week off as we usually load up the camper and head off to a state park or find some other attraction to visit for 5 or 6 days. Well, I decided to try and use a portion of the Amtrak credit we had for a quick getaway this time. I booked us on the Texas Eagle northbound from Cleburne (CBR) to Fort Worth (FTW) and then connecting to the Heartland Flyer into Oklahoma City. From previous work related visits to OKC I knew that the HF pulled right into downtown OKC, near hotels, restaurants and other attractions. I picked out the newest hotel in Bricktown – the Holiday Inn Express. The trip was booked exactly 12 days prior to travel, so I did not get the lowest bucket fares, nor the best room rate possible. Total fare for two travelers with no discounts was $148. Our lodging rang up to $307.45 for two nights and was the best rate available, although non-refundable.

We traveled outbound from CBR on Tuesday, September 8th, and returned Thursday the 10th. On the morning of the 8th our home phone rang and I was greeted by a message from the Amtrak Automaton informing me that due to a service disruption all or a portion of our trip would be on substitute transportation. That was an inauspicious start, to say the least. I jumped online and found out from several sources (including Trainorders) that there had been a derailment in Texarkana the previous evening and a bus bridge would be running from LRK to FTW. What a relief! At the station, there were 8 of us waiting to board train 22 northbound - 3 couples and a Mother-Daughter pair that had been visiting relatives. The other two couples were advanced seniors on their way to Sacramento via Chicago. When I informed them of the bus bridge they were concerned and surprised. They had not been called and updated on the change. The daughter (in her early 40’s) from the M-D pair said she had been called earlier and told she would be put on a bus to LRK. She thought that was odd since, like us, she planned on hopping the HF further north. Their destination was Norman, from there they would drive the rest of the way home to Wichita Kansas. As it turns out, she worked in the travel industry as an agent and knew to just ignore the erroneous call. So, that was one area for improvement – Amtrak needs to figure out how to make service disruption notice calls to only those affected by the issue.

Number 22 was running 45 minutes late into CBR. We jumped on and made pretty good time up into the FTW area. From there things got a little slower than planned. Since they were going to turn the 22 as southbound 21 (once the buses from LRK arrived) they need to completely turn the train before backing into the FTW ITC. We got to see just about every part of the large yards there, and I counted 5 trips past Tower 55 before we were properly aligned. That added about 20 minutes to our arrival time. In order to facilitate the “bustitution”, we were parked way down the platform. The end of the train wasn’t even close to the covered area.

Once at FTW, we still had a couple of hours to kill, so we hopped on Molly the Trolley, a circulator bus that runs through the downtown area for free. We scooted up to Sundance Square and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner at Razoos. The Mother/Daughter team tagged along after checking their luggage with the Amtrak agent in the station. Since we were traveling light with only backpacks, we opted to just carry ours with us. We had time for a relaxed meal with conversation and then jumped back aboard the trolley with plenty of time left to prepare for our HF segment.

The HF consist was shorter than normal, I guess. It was a P42DC, two coach cars, with an old FP-40 cabbage leading us out of the station. I didn’t see the other coach anywhere around the station. There was the normal Superliner Coach and spare P42 for protect, but nothing else. I guess the other was bad-ordered and must have been tagged onto a TE-22 for work at Beech Grove (pure speculation on my part). The OKC passengers were loaded onto the forward coach, and intermediate stop passengers were loaded into the trailing coach. The OKC coach was the one with the snack bar downstairs. Since the train never really turns, half of the seats are facing forward, and half rearward during any part of the trip. I would estimate that leaving FTW the train was at about 40% capacity, so the third coach wasn’t missed. Of the passenger loading, it was pretty evenly split between OKC and intermediate stop customers. The smoking stop was at Gainsville, and about a third of the passenger disembarked for either fresh or “enhanced” air. The weather was rapidly turning fierce and lightning was visible in the direction we were heading. We traveled through some good showers, but it had rained itself out by the time we reached OKC, just 12 minutes late. It was a pleasantly cool stroll the three blocks to the hotel. The staff greeted us and we were on our way up to our room on the top (fifth) floor. We were facing Bricktown and had a great view. On the way up I stopped at their little sundries room and picked up some mixers for the contents of our flasks we had securely tucked away in our backpack. A note for the rules-enforcers – we did NOT imbibe while on the train, well, other than the two Zeigenbocks purchased from the onboard snack bar. After a round or two of nightcaps and a shower, we retired for the evening.

DAY TWO

Like I said before, you Okies sure ought to be proud of what they’ve done with downtown OKC and Bricktown. It is well laid out and has a good variety of lodging, eateries, attractions and transportation options. We got up and had the breakfast at the hotel, and then headed out to see what there was to do. Our first stop was the Myriad Gardens just across from the Cox Convention Center. That was such an amazing place! The park was clean and very well tended. The variety of plants and landscaping features was very surprising. We wandered around al four quadrants before buying our admission to the Crystal Bridge and seeing the wonders inside. It was really interesting. The foliage transitions from a lush rainforest setting with a tall waterfall into a tropical region and then features desert plants from the Sonoran Desert region of Mexico. It was well worth the price of admission. Next we jumped on board the water taxi and rode out to the end of the canal to wander around the Oklahoma Land Rush Memorial. Those are some impressive statues there, and made a great spot for photographing the city skyline beyond them. The water taxi returned an hour later and we had lunch at Abuelo’s. We had missed the workday lunch rush and could enjoy a nice slow and relaxing meal. The food was pretty good too – but we knew that from previous visits. Just like a snake, I was feeling sluggish after a meal and we returned to the hotel for an hour nap. Once up, we headed back into Bricktown and wandered the shops to see what they offered. Since the skies had finally cleared, we headed back to the Myriad Gardens to take some pictures with actual sunlight, and to stroll around the area some more. There was a constant presence of bicycle cops and patrol cars in the area. It seems to be a safe place to be on foot both during the day and early evening. At dusk we popped into Zios for dinner and then later took the water taxi for another ride to see the Bricktown District all lit up. Just before we got to the dock I heard the HF arrive (early). Since it was a weekday and school is in, there weren’t many tourists around – my plan worked exactly as I had hoped it would! Since it was well after sunset, we headed back to the hotel for another round of nightcaps and to start packing.

DAY THREE

It was up at 0600 for a final round of packing and to deplete the hotels supply of coffee, fruit and oatmeal once again. We finished packing up and at 0800 bid the friendly hotel staff goodbye and strolled up to the station. I took some time to get a few pictures inside and out since they weren’t allowing us up on the platform until they had brought the train back into the station. I don’t know where it went, but the previous evening we saw it head out of the station and then return later. I figured that they had fueled it and watered the cars. I was a little concerned when I didn’t see it at the platform on our walk to the station. I guess that there are plans to convert the old station to a multi-modal transportation center in the future. That is a great idea for this under-utilized facility. There were construction fences surrounding the outer perimeter, and we had to enter through a side door. Once the train rumbled into the station we were released for a mad and confused dash upstairs to be sorted out by the conductors in the limited space not fenced off on the platform. We left the station pretty much on time and had a great ride through the canyon along the Washita River. All in all, the HF segment of our trip was by far the best and closest to being on time of any of our recent trip legs. Lunch consisted of leftovers from our meal at Zios the previous evening as we waited patiently for Train 22 to finally wander into FTW a little over an hour late. Once they turned the 22 (to become the 21) on the TRE wye, we were allowed to board. I was listening in on my scanner and I heard the message that the bus from the intermediate stops was running late – with an ETA of 1700. So, we sat on the tracks and they finally allowed us to load. I figured that the rush hour traffic would soon start and the TRE would need their other track. I was right, we had to reposition to the far end of the platform again – directly across from the HF consist. While waiting we got to watch a bunch of trespassers climbing on the M-1 tanks and BFV’s on a UP consist across the far side of the yard. They left before the railroad cops could get there though, so we didn’t get to witness a beat-down.

We drug into CBR two hours and forty-five minutes late. Not too bad for Amtrak. A quick dinner at a local Chinese buffet and we then set off for our home about 35 miles away. The dogs were sure glad to see us, and we hit the sack early. I slept like a log.

EPILOGUE

Overall, this was an enjoyable trip. There sure wasn’t much information available to the passengers though, and some of it was wrong (as far as who would be bused). My wife still thinks that the Chicago based crews are ruse and unhelpful at times. I tend to agree to some extent. We will be willing to take another getaway like this again to burn off the last of the voucher we have. I don’t think that I can convince my wife to try another LD ride though. One funny thing we noticed was that we had a ton more legroom in a coach seat than we had in our roomette set up for day use!

Now I will need input from y’all on suggestions for another destination where we can get around on foot just like in OKC. Send me your ideas, but remember that we are looking for lodging and restaurants within walking distance from the train station, and we are stuck in Central Texas where our only option is Train 21/22 – and those really don’t have great connecting times.

Sounds like a great trip!

Little Rock could be a good candidate. I visited on a road trip but it seemed quite walkable and with busses and a streetcar to supplement. I only had time to really see the Central high school historic site which was quite well done.

Depending on if 18hrs is out of the travel time window St. Louis could also be nice. There are plenty of things to do within walking distance of the intermodal transit center, plus you can catch the light rail to Forest Park that has free art, history, science museums and zoo.

Glad y'all enjoyed OKC!!

I nominate San Antonio for an easy get-a-way!.

#21 CBR-SAS 3pmish-1030pm/#22 SAS-CBR 700am-Noonish.

Plenty of Hotels ( pick a time when no Major Conventions or Events are scheduled)close to the Sunset Station and the River Walk/Downtown. You can get some good deals on the chain places that include Breakfast. ( Holiday Inn Express on Comnerce by Station, La Quinta on Commerce by Dennys,Best Western and Staybridge Suites in St Paul Square right by the Sttation are all good)

The Big Name Hotels, ie

Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, LA Podada etc. on the River Walk are over pricey but some of the Historic Places around Alamo Plaza like the Gunter, the Menger,the Crockett etc. can be reasonable!

Lots of similar stuff to OKC, but Older and more Historic. All walkable and great Tex-Mex joints for chow as well as a Great Old Deli, Schilos, right on Commerce by the Riverwalk. ( famous for their soup and sandwiches)

Avoid the Riverwalk Cafes and Clubs, way overpriced, mediocre food, noisy, crowded etc. But the Water Taxis are nice ( get a Day Pass, Hop on/off) and walking around in the Riverwalk is fun and free! ( right across from Alamo Plaza the Hyatt Regency has a crerknrunning into its Lobby to the Riverwalk, don't miss it, best at night)

H emisphere Plaza is right there ( site of the 1968 Worlds Fair) behind the Huge Convention Center by the River Walk.( enter by the River Walk across from the Hilton by LA Villata! ( first sight of SA) Nice!

Everything downtown is safe,well lighted and policed. Its a heavy tourist town with lots of people on the streets day and night!

Except for Alpine, its my favorite town in Texas!!

C o C Blazer off! Nice get away!

Kat314159 said:

Sounds like a great trip!

Little Rock could be a good candidate. I visited on a road trip but it seemed quite walkable and with busses and a streetcar to supplement. I only had time to really see the Central high school historic site which was quite well done.

Depending on if 18hrs is out of the travel time window St. Louis could also be nice. There are plenty of things to do within walking distance of the intermodal transit center, plus you can catch the light rail to Forest Park that has free art, history, science museums and zoo.

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I may just look into Little Rock. I will start doing some research and see what their downtown is like. It sounds like a great southern place to me. Are there any hotels within five or six blocks from the train station? For an overnighter on the train I'm sure that the wife couldn't get by with just a backpack again. We may even have to get a bedroom for that, although I could probably sleep quite well n coach. It was much cooler than our roomette we had earlier this year, and the seat felt almost like my recliner here at home. It has seen some ZZZ"s through the years! I'll do some research and run that by my wife.

Saint Louis is a thought, but I am not at all comfortable in that town. Even driving through there gives me the willies! Fortunately, my Texas CHL is recognized there, so I don't totally avoid that area when driving.

jimhudson said:

Glad y'all enjoyed OKC!!

I nominate San Antonio for an easy get-a-way!.

#21 CBR-SAS 3pmish-1030pm/#22 SAS-CBR 700am-Noonish.

Plenty of Hotels ( pick a time when no Major Conventions or Events are scheduled)close to the Sunset Station and the River Walk/Downtown. You can get some good deals on the chain places that include Breakfast. ( Holiday Inn Express on Comnerce by Station, La Quinta on Commerce by Dennys,Best Western and Staybridge Suites in St Paul Square right by the Sttation are all good)

The Big Name Hotels, ie

Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, LA Podada etc. on the River Walk are over pricey but some of the Historic Places around Alamo Plaza like the Gunter, the Menger,the Crockett etc. can be reasonable!

Lots of similar stuff to OKC, but Older and more Historic. All walkable and great Tex-Mex joints for chow as well as a Great Old Deli, Schilos, right on Commerce by the Riverwalk. ( famous for their soup and sandwiches)

Avoid the Riverwalk Cafes and Clubs, way overpriced, mediocre food, noisy, crowded etc. But the Water Taxis are nice ( get a Day Pass, Hop on/off) and walking around in the Riverwalk is fun and free! ( right across from Alamo Plaza the Hyatt Regency has a crerknrunning into its Lobby to the Riverwalk, don't miss it, best at night)

H emisphere Plaza is right there ( site of the 1968 Worlds Fair) behind the Huge Convention Center by the River Walk.( enter by the River Walk across from the Hilton by LA Villata! ( first sight of SA) Nice!

Everything downtown is safe,well lighted and policed. Its a heavy tourist town with lots of people on the streets day and night!

Except for Alpine, its my favorite town in Texas!!

C o C Blazer off! Nice get away!

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I agree with just about everything you say about San Antonio! It is a frequent haunt of ours for a getaway. Normally we haul the camper down and stay on the west side (Blazing Star or Admiralty) and drive into downtown to visit the Riverwalk. My wife enjoyed the area, and our son (when he was much younger) was amazed at the waterway passing through the big glassed-in mall there. We have pictures of us wandering around the area late at night during Fiesta! and we felt it was pretty safe even then. Since my brother is now stationed in SAS, it might be a good idea to visit him by train.

If Fiesta Texas only had an onsite RV park, it would be a perfect destination! And, we would get down there more often.

I see that there are a few hotels near the train station. In fact, I think that there is on almost right across the street. The only downside is that the TE calls at SAS so late in the evening, and departs so early in the morning. It gets there about an hour later than the HF gets to OKC, and then departs about two hours earlier too (when on time). That makes it a little inconvenient, but works really well for the lodging industry. It forces you to book for two nights instead on one (just like in OKC).

Is there a website showing which conventions/events are scheduled for San Antonio? I have been down there once during a major event (I think it was some travel convention) and soon realized the error of my ways! The inlaws had flown in and we took them down for a day of fun. It was, well, crowded and traffic was at a standstill.

Google up the Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center, the Chamber of Commerce and the Alamodome for Conventions scheduled downtown.

I've stayed in the Holiday Inn Express on Commerce East of the Sunset Station, the Best Western RiverWalk ( not really!HA!) Across E Commerce in the Middle of St. Paul's Square. All nice, Breakfast included, an easy stroll to the Station and $100 a night or Less.

The Staybridge Suites behind Sunset Station ( Hi Rise next to I37) is where the Amtrak Crews Stay, but can be pricey.

Also right up the street on Commerce ,( go under I37 towards the RiverWalk) behind the Dennys isx Hi-Rise La Quinta that's very nice, stayed there too for $89.

The calling times for the Eagles arent really too bad, #21 is usually there by 1030pm ( it takes longer to circle West SA than it does to get from AUS-SAS). #22 Leaves @ 7@m which gives you time for Breakfastv@ your hotel ( most serve starting @6am) or you can have it in the Diner on the way to AUS!

No need to get a Room, Coach is fine for the 7 or so Hour Trip. I usually ride in the Sightseer Lounge from FTW-AUS.

Glad you're familiar with SA!

I'd like to check out Little Rock too, but the Calling Times are really bad in both directions, and the Station is a fairly long way from the Hotels/Cafes/Capitol/Clinton Library etc.

For a Big City and State Capitol, I find it sort of quiet @ night,sort of like Salt Lake City or Sacramento!

Agree about St. Louis, great for Daytime stuff and for a Cardinal Game, but dangerous @ night, spread out and not eady to walk in.

DryCreek said:

Kat314159 said:

Sounds like a great trip!

Little Rock could be a good candidate. I visited on a road trip but it seemed quite walkable and with busses and a streetcar to supplement. I only had time to really see the Central high school historic site which was quite well done.

Depending on if 18hrs is out of the travel time window St. Louis could also be nice. There are plenty of things to do within walking distance of the intermodal transit center, plus you can catch the light rail to Forest Park that has free art, history, science museums and zoo.

Click to expand...

I may just look into Little Rock. I will start doing some research and see what their downtown is like. It sounds like a great southern place to me. Are there any hotels within five or six blocks from the train station? For and overnighter on the train I'm sure that the wife couldn't get by with just a backpack again. We may even have to get a bedroom for that, although I could probably sleep quite well n coach. It was much cooler than our roomette we had earlier this year, and the seat felt almost like my recliner here at home. It has seen some ZZZ"s through the years! I'll do some research and run that by my wife.
Saint Louis is a thought, but I am not at all comfortable in that town. Even driving through there gives me the willies! Fortunately, my Texas CHL is recognized there, so I don't totally avoid that area when driving.

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To each thier own, I understand that my view of St. Louis is influenced by it being my hometown. We have our faults just like anywhere else and its certainly been a rough year around here. Like any urban area there is good and bad.
I didn't come to Little Rock by Amtrak, the Wingate I stayed at was good for a quick overnight on the way home. However, it is not suitable for those unaccustomed to sleeping near a medevac flight path . Apparently there were multiple late night evacs that woke others since we were less than 1/4 mile from the hospital. I did do quite a bit of walking in downtown mostly just stretching for the long drive home. It struck me as safe and clean. Nice walking trail along the river. Presidential library looked nice and was right in downtown. Central High School was about 3 miles from the center of downtown. I didn't really spend enough time there to have a lot of details. But its just the better part of an afternoon evening train ride away from your North CBR: 1300 LRK: 2331 South LRK: 0310 CBR: 1452

One other thought if this isn't too far away I bad a great time on a day trip to Springfield IL(there is a trip report posted for it). No hotel help from me but it was very walkable everything except Lincolns tomb was a 10-15 minute walk from the Amtrak. I walked past a few nice looking hotels too. North CBR:1300 SPI: 0955(next day) South SPI: 1714 CBR 1452(next day)

Well, I looked up Little Rock and it seemed like a great destination. I then took a look at the schedule on Amtrak. When I told my wife we could be there by almost midnight the day we left, and we'd have to be at the station at 0300, she gave me a look that I immediately interpreted as: not bloody likely.

So, back off to planning for a February getaway.

I really didn't mean to disparage St. Louis - I am a small town country boy and I get antsy in urban settings. I've heard a bit from my co-workers about the crime statistics back in my traveling days. They wouldn't stop within several miles on either side of the city. I guess their paranoia just jaded me about the place.

I am thinking about Alpine though. The arrival and departure times seem reasonable, and I found out that there are several decent lodging choices that are affordably priced within easy walking distance from the train station. Now, the only thing left for me to do is find things for us to do there while on foot. Any ideas Jim? Are there excursions available where they come and pick you up in town or at your hotel - just like when on a cruise? My wife has always wanted to haul our camper out to the Big Bend National Park and the Davis Mountains!

Alpine! Excellent!!

There's a Mom and Pop Rent Car place that meets the Sunsets ( three times a week in each Direction/ Mornings for #1/#421/Early evenings for #2/#422.

You would want to have a vehicle to sight see although downtown Alpine small and fairly compact. No public transportation. If you limit your stay to just Alpine you could get by without a vehicle!

Some of the Resorts along the Rio Grande arrange package deals. but you really want a vehicle to see Big Bend, a Camper would be perfect. ( Unfortunately the Auto-Train doesn't go to Alpine! LOL)

Fort Davis musts: Ft. Davis National Historical Sight/Nighttime Star Parties @ the McDonald Observatory on Mt. Locke( it gets Cold up there @_night!)/Best West Texas Style Enchiladas in Texas/ Mom and Pop joint on the Main Highway East ( Cueva De Leon) in front of Ft. Davis.

Side trip: Balmorhea Springs: 30 Miles East of Ft. Davis just before I-10. Wonderful place for a Swim in the Natural Springs and have a picnic. Day trip!!!) Combine with Dinner and Star Party, a Triple Treat!!

Marfa: Quick Drive around town, visit the Presidio County Courthouse at the End of Highland Avenue forca view of the town and distant mountains. ( Marfa is on a Plateau, also very trendy and pricey in an Artistic, Austin/ Santa Fe way)

After a quick look, Head down the Highway to Presidio and take the River Road towards Big Bend along the Rio Grande, desolute but a heck of a drive!

Have a late lunch/early dinner in Terlingua, then head for Alpine!

Marfa Lights: On Highway 90 between Alpine and Marfa. State Park, nice Free viewing facility on West side of Highway tovview the Famous Lights after Dark..( usually crowded when its not Cold!)

I'll save the Best, Alpine, for later,

One of our members just did a stay there and we had a thread going. Google it up here in AU if interested!

I'll be glad to tout my Place of Birth and favorite town in Texas!

Thanks for the suggestions. When I ran them by my wife she hinted that she would prefer us to just haul the camper down there. That way we'd have transportation to visit the sights, and we could at least bring the geriatric dog that needs special care.

DryCreek said:

Thanks for the suggestions. When I ran them by my wife she hinted that she would prefer us to just haul the camper down there. That way we'd have transportation to visit the sights, and we could at least bring the geriatric dog that needs special care.

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That's a good idea! Too bad the drive is so long through the Big Nowhere, but if it wasn't for that Alpine would probably have 100,000 people, and Big Bend would be as crowded as the Big Name National Parks!