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Joined
Jul 8, 2015
Messages
6,741
Location
NYC/Queens
I have previously commented on the NYG-BFX leg, and the LSL run from BUF to CHI. Nothing particularly interesting to discuss other than the new breakfast service on the LSL which I have detailed previously. An aging but clean VL bedroom (pricing anomaly, I would usually be in a roomette) Left a bit late, nothing terrible, bed ready, polite but brief talk with SCA about wake-up time, it was after midnight, a long conversation would be inappropriate.

Chicago highlights: Architectural River Boat Tour and the Museum of Science and Industry (intact WW2 U-boat on display) CTA buses served me well.

On time departure Tues 6/5 on the CZ all 3 sleepers were SL1 clean, decent curtains, clearly showing signs of age. Very good OBS crew both in the sleeper and in the diner. Dinner and breakfast both standard menu, done right. Not a bad thing since my return Saturday night saw the same set and the crew, although I was in the next car.

Departure from Denver Saturday evening was late, heat restrictions out West slowed things down. Not hard to convince me, I got to Denver from Colorado Springs pretty early, returned my car, they had nobody available to bring me to the station so they had a Lyft car take me. Stored my bags and figured I'd hit the 16th St mall. It was too hot to walk around and enjoy. Made my obligatory stop at the Tattered Covers Bookstore and plopped myself down on a couch in Union Station. Now mostly a commuter station and extended lobby of the Crawford It is a very attractive and lively place that serves lower downtown well. I know traditionalists argue that it should have been remade more as a train station than a destination, but honestly it is a much nicer place to wait for a train now, and nobody was going spend a nickel on a one train in each direction dump. Events that occurred some years ago reduced the available track options, and debating whether or not they were mistakes serves little purpose, since it is highly doubtful they are changing.

Train was late enough that we were not getting dinner, ticket agent gave us $10 to buy something in the station.

Very late into Chicago, pulled straight in instead of backing move to save time so I made 30 by about 5 mins.

I will continue later.
 
Nice report...

I must get over to Denver to see the new station. I spent ten years working there, from 1979-1989. I have been back, but at the 'annex' during construction....
 
We have ridden the Zephyr or Chief about once a year for the last fifteen years. I don't remember them backing in at the end of the trip for the last eight to ten years.
 
I've been on it a bunch of times also, and I honestly really never thought about it until then. I'm used to the backing move in Denver. The CL backed in a couple of minutes after we arrived and hustled over from the CZ. The conductor on the CZ announced they would go straight in instead of their usual backing move to save the time so we would not miss the CL , that's why I mentioned it. Thinking about it, the CZ was facing out when I left last Tuesday, so it must have backed in. If it comes straight in, it has to be backed out to go to the yard, and I assume when the departing set is brought to the station, it would be backed in so it can leave forward.
 
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The Zephyr does usually back in. Why the departing Zephyr is backed in is that it is backed in the next day from the Amtrak yards to enable departure straight to Naperville without a backing motion to turn train around. The arriving Zephyr does not stay parked in the station but is pulled out to the Amtrak yards so it can get turned around overnight if necessary.

I ride the Zephyr at least once each year and sometimes two or three times and most of the time it does back into Chicago Union Station.
 
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