12 day / 11 train trip around the United States

[AAARGH!]

Warning: This is a long trip report as it was a long trip (8,859 miles).

Overview: I built this trip to take as many trains that I had not been on before. The itinerary allowed me to include ALL the long distance routes I have not been on. The only segment I had ridden before was the Coast Starlight between LAX and Oakland. But I was forced to do it again.

This whole trip would have cost me over $4,700 at the time I booked it. But I used two 2-zone bedroom AGR awards and two 1K special route awards for a total of 62,000 points (minus the 10% redemption on 32K of it, so take of 3,200 points). It ended up being a value of 8.06 cents per AGR point! This was the first time I have been in bedroom(s) and I LIKE IT!

I had asked on this forum if anyone wanted to spilt the costs/points and join me. RAIL_FREAK from Tampa, FL (abbreviated from this point forward to RF) replied quickly. Turns out he had the same idea about taking untraveled routes and his list was very close to mine. So he called me and we figured out we would be good travel companions as he and I have much in common besides trains. It turns out he was an excellent travel companion. Anyway, he and I met in New Orleans (we both flew, I know… sacrilege).

Now on to the trip report, which I will split into multiple segments….

Pre-trip: New Orleans:

 

RF and I met at the MSY airport and took a cab to our hotel, the Hotel LeCirque. It is a railfans dream! It is only .3 miles from the Amtrak station, a very nicely appointed hotel, and right on the St. Charles streetcar line.

After checking in, we took the St. Charles streetcar line to Canal and into the French Quarter. We ended up eating at Mr. B's at the corner of Iberville and Royal. It was a very good choice. We then returned to the hotel, again via the St. Charles streetcar.

The next day we took the entire St. Charles streetcar line from our hotel and back. The trip took about 1 ½ hours and was well worth the time and $2.50 each. The old rickety streetcars harkens back to the old days, when windows were wide open and you had to pull a rope to let them know you wanted off at the next stop. The various neighborhoods the line passes through range from downtown, to commercial, to the most beautiful old houses in New Orleans. This is most definitely recommended.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segment 1: New Orleans to Chicago on the City of New Orleans

Consist:

• 1 P42
  
• 2 Sleepers (no trans dorm)
  
• 1 CCC
  
• 1 SSL
  
• 3 Coaches (two of which were baggage coaches as there was no baggage car.
  

Our sleeper was a refurbished Superliner I and was in pretty good shape. A few rattles were easily remedied with washcloths and paper stuffed into the offending locations.

Tina was our SCA. She has been mentioned on this forum before and for good reason. She was excellent. She has an excellent sense of humor, tells great stories and in general was a blast! If you are lucky enough to get her, ask her about how she survived a horrific crash in Boston at BBY when her train struck a stopped commuter train at 70MPH. Her car (a bar car) was thrust vertically up through the street. It's an amazing story.

She has been with Amtrak for a long time. She is one of six people still at the NOL crew base that were there when it opened. She has the 222nd highest seniority in all of Amtrak, so she gets the routes she wants. The entire crew, including all OBS and conductors had a fantastic attitude. They really had fun with each other and with the passengers. I mentioned to Tina that this was a refreshing change from some of the other crews with which I have traveled. She said, we don't allow bad attitudes with this crew. It would bring everybody down, including the passengers. She said it was her mission as well as many others that this attitude is standard operating procedures for the entire NOL crew base.

I give Tina an "A".

The segment was not particularly scenic except for the long curve around Lake Pontchartrain as we left NOL. The rest is normal forest, meadows, and crops… lots of crops. We did travel through Yazoo City, MS and saw the damage caused by a recent tornado. That really makes you think about how lucky you are compared to what the people there are going through.

While I don't like the CCC's in general, the food was as good as a regular full diner, so no complaints. They had a bread pudding for dessert that while not as good as New Orleans bread pudding, was not bad at all.

I took the lower bunk (very nice) while RF took the top. We would be switching off throughout the trip so we each got four nights on the lower bunk.

The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived in Chicago 20 minutes late.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segment 2: Chicago to Los Angeles on the Southwest Chief

First, an interlude about the six hour layover at CHI. We stored our bags at the metropolitan lounge and as it was a nice day, I took a water taxi to Navy Pier. I then took an architectural water tour that was great. If you have the time, I recommend it. I took a water taxi back to CUS and waited in the Metropolitan Lounge. The staff in the lounge was efficient, but not overly friendly. No shock there.

Consist:

• 2 P42s
  
• 1 Baggage Car
  
• 1 Trans Dorm
  
• 2 Sleepers (ours was a non-refurbished Superliner II)
  
• 1 Diner
  
• 1 SSL
  
• 3 Coaches
  

Our SCA was Hakto. He spoke so softly you could hardly understand him. His accent was a bit tough to get through also. He said he would not make up beds after 11:00 as he was 'required' to get enough sleep per his job requirements. Huh? I never heard that one before. He did his job for the most part and was around when needed. He was not too friendly, but adequate. I give him a "C+".

The scenery between CHI and Trinidad, CO was not interesting, just crops, etc… All the fields were flooded by recent storms. I hope it dried out fairly fast as it looked bad to me, but I am a city boy so what do I know. After Trinidad we went over the Raton Pass. Nice scenery, but doesn't compare to the CZ's two major passes. After that it was typical high desert.

I got a chance to see the Kansas City station. It is a gem. It reminded me of the Philly 30th street station. It's one of the most beautiful stations Amtrak uses.

I enjoyed the 1 ¼ hours we had in Albuquerque (we arrived early). There were the American Indians selling their wares on the platform. I used the time to both explore downtown and to unsuccessfully hunt for batteries for RF's camera (which would provide interesting drama for most of the rest of the trip).

We arrived in LAX 45 minutes early.

There were many birds flying in and out of Los Angeles Union Station. I don't know why they leave the doors open to allow this. It's interesting anyway. I did see one bird fly into a person standing at the newsstand type shop. The bird was stunned and just sat on the ground next to one of the nearby seats. After being shown this by the struck passenger, a security guard eventually scooped it up and took it outside.

I spent the layover in the beautiful gardens of the station and people watching inside. As always, LA Union Station is fantastic to look at, both inside and out. LAX has some 'unusual' passengers to say the least.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segment 3: Los Angeles to Oakland (OKJ) on the Coast Starlight.

Consist:

• 2 P42s
  
• 1 Baggage Car
  
• 1 Trans Dorm
  
• 3 Sleepers (ours was a refurbished Superliner I, not that it mattered)
  
• 1 PPC
  
• 1 Diner
  
• 1 SSL
  
• 3 Coaches
  
• 1 Private Car
  

The private car was the green Petrone Tequila Pullman car owned by Dan Aykroyd. It was only being moved up to EMY to be sent east. Dan was not on board, only a cook and attendant. We could see the elaborate mahogany interior through a few uncovered windows. WOW!

I immediately staked out a spot for RF and me in the PPC. It was only after we left that I figured out we were on the wrong side of the train. Fortunately there were two open seats on the left side (coast side). I was always turned around on this train for some reason. Almost every time I left the bedroom, I turned the wrong way.

Our SCA was Riley, a young tall thin guy who seemed disinterested in his job. I had to come and find him to get our Champaign / cider after he told me he would bring it to the PPC where we were. He later pulled the ticket of another passenger and neglected to give I to the conductor. This all played out as the conductor accused the passenger of being a stowaway and demanded he return to his room to provide a ticket stub. After he did this the conductor apologized and they determined Riley had it. Later that passenger became drunk and was almost thrown off the train. I give Riley a "D" as he barely did the minimum.

RF and I spent much/most of the time in the PPC (why not!). They only had two lunch and two dinner selections. They did not provide nearly enough for the number of sleeping car passengers and several had to be turned away. They only had 12 of each entrée for lunch and had 12 of one and 5 of the other for dinner. The commissary screwed up on this one.

Alan was our PPC attendant. I give him an "A-". He was very interesting and told good stories. He knew a lot about the history of the PPCs and implored everyone to call Amtrak to tell them to keep the PPCs around. I asked if I could stick around during the wine tasting without taking part. He said that was OK as there was room.

Before the wine tasting, I discussed our itinerary with Alan he figured out I knew a lot more about Amtrak than the usual passenger. He said he was going to use an Amtrak question as his trivia question during the wine tasting. I asked him what he was going to use and he answered; 'What state is the other state besides California that has a horseshoe curve?' Without thinking I blurted out Pennsylvania. Well he couldn't use that question now as others heard my answer. OOOPS. He used a wine question instead.

In return for my stupid blurting out, I gave him several other good Amtrak trivia questions to use (Q: besides the CS, what other trains use china instead of plastic? A: EB and Auto Train. Q: What is the only Amtrak train that serves Coke products? A: Downeaster).

The run from LAX to Oakland was one of the highlights of the trip, not just for the ocean running, but the horseshoe curve and the beautiful mountain running just north of San Louis Obispo. One weird thing though, the PPC was almost completely empty during the coast run after lunch. I was the only one in the swivel seats.

I don't recall if we arrived late or not into OKJ, but if we did, it wasn't very late at all.

We checked into the Waterfront Hotel, only .3 miles from the OKJ station and right in Jack London Square. The two nights we were there great and relatively inexpensive ($190 total after taxes). While it was more expensive than the Inn at Jack London Square and Jack London Inn, it is a MUCH nicer hotel. They have a shuttle to the Amtrak station, BART and downtown Oakland. The SF ferry is literally right out their back door. They even took RF to and from a Walgreens to find another camera battery. Excellent service, value, and location. I highly recommended it.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segments 4, 5 , and 6: Points run from OKJ to Sacramento on the Capitol Corridor, SAC to SKT (Stockton ACE station) on the San Joaquin, SKT to SKN (Stockton Amtrak station) on a bus, and SKN back to OKJ on the San Joaquin.

I took this points run while RF had fun on the ferries and in San Francisco.

All consists were typical California equipment consists with 4 or 5 cars with one of them being a café. Each of the three trains I took were in push mode.

I really like the setups on the coaches and sat at a 4-top with table on each leg. The Cafés are much nicer than normal Superliner cafés IMHO and cheaper too.

While waiting for the Capital Corridor at OKJ (which by the way is a very nice station), a volunteer station host was walking around to each passenger to see if they needed any assistance. Mary Seib may be the nicest station host I have ever met. She was a blast to talk to as she really loves trains! She was envious of my 12 day journey. I told her about AU, so maybe she will join. If you are at OKJ and see Mary, definitely introduce yourself.

The trip from OKJ to Sacramento is beautiful between Richmond and just past Martinez as we ran along the bay. After that, it was typical California running with lots of crops. We arrived on time to SAC.

I walked around Old Sacramento (I was not impressed – lots of schlock and overpriced restaurants) and then went to the California State Railroad Museum. That museum was great! I took the docent guided tour and then explored myself. This is a must-see for true railfans. The Southern Pacific cab forward steam engine (4294) is enormous! I had no idea they made them that big.

The run on the SJ from Sacramento to Stockton was boring and uneventful and arrived on time. The bus driver who was to take me between the two Stockton stations was confused as to the timing of his run, so after consulting his dispatch, he took me over immediately even though he was not scheduled to do so for another hour. The timetable is confusing about this, so I don't blame him.

It was a good thing he took me early as the previous SJ to the one I was supposed to catch was running 45 minutes behind. So I caught that one and returned to Oakland earlier than I had intended to. The SKN to OKJ run was boring until we ran the same bay coastline going into Richmond again. Good thing I got back early as I really needed the rest.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segment 7: Oakland to Bakersfield on the San Joaquin and then an AmBus to Santa Barbara.

Consist:

• 1 California engine in push mode
  
• 4 California coaches
  

Both RF and I checked our large bags straight to LAX so we would not have to lug them on the SJ/Bus and on the Pacific Surfliner in the morning. It was RF's idea and a good one.

Everything was going great until there was a small jolt and then an emergency stop. I immediately knew they had dumped the brakes as I had felt this two years before when my CZ hit a car. We were in Modesto, CA and hit a car while we were going about 65 MPH. He almost made it, but we clipped his back end and spun him around. Then he drove off! Yes, I said he drove off.

There was BNSF freight train waiting to exit a yard who witnessed the whole thing from about a quarter mile away. I heard the BNSF engineer describe the collision over one of the conductors radios. He said that car won't be hard to find and he was right. We later learned they found the guy. Anyway, we were blocking a major street for 25 minutes before we pulled up. The whole investigation etc… took about 45 minutes. BNSF had a crew there quickly. We arrived about 35 minutes late to Bakersfield IIRC.

I was not really looking forward to the bus ride to Santa Barbara, but it was absolutely beautiful. Going over the mountain pass on I-5 and then descending toward Santa Paula and Oxnard was very scenic. We then paralleled the Coast Starlight route along the coast to Santa Barbara.

Unfortunately RF was coming down with a cold after being in the rain in San Francisco. I knew that with my being in close quarters with him, I would most likely catch it from him. I was right. These colds plagued us the rest of the trip. RF had it worse than me and he was not a happy camper.

We stayed at the Ramada in Santa Barbara because they offered a free shuttle from the station. Actually, it was a free taxi ride to and from the hotel, so same difference. The hotel is about 6 miles from the station and is has nicely appointed rooms (and incredible water pressure). The best thing about this hotel is its excellent continental breakfast. Its grounds are also very nicely landscaped, complete with live geese (waiting for breakfast I assume). The hotel price is bit higher, but it beat paying a $40 - $50 round trip taxi fare.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segment 8: Santa Barbara to Los Angeles on the Pacific Surfliner

Consist:

• 1 California engine in push mode
  
• 4 California Coaches
  
• 1 Café / Coach
  
• 1 Business Class (which we were in)
  

There is nothing much to talk about here. If the business class ticket was not included in my bedroom award, I would not have upgraded. The seats are about the same as coach and all you get is a newspaper, mini-soft drink, coffee and danishes. Also, the café is smaller and more expensive than on the SJ.

BTW, the Santa Barbara station isn't much in the inside, but its grounds are very nice. It has perfectly landscaped shrubs with perfectly pruned palm trees. I also walked over to the huge Moreton Bay Fig Tree at the entrance to the station. The tree has a span of 176 feet and has a huge trunk (498 inches in diameter!). It is 136 years old and very impressive.

We arrived at LAX on time and RF and I recovered our checked bags that were waiting for us. I had a mild scare when at first they could not find my bag. Fortunately, it was only buried.

RF and I stayed at the station during the layover. It was a beautiful day and I spent much of the time in the gardens.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segment 9: Los Angeles to Chicago on the Texas Eagle.

Consist from LAX to San Antonio:

Sunset Limited:

• 2 P42s
  
• 1 Baggage Car
  
• 1 Trans Dorm
  
• 1 Sleeper
  
• 1 Diner
  
• 1 SSL
  
• 2 Coaches
  

Texas Eagle Through Cars:

• 1 Coach
  
• 1 Sleeper (a non-refurbished Superliner I with a VERY small bathroom)
  

This was an interesting segment as lots of semi-unusual things happened.

First, our SCA from LAX to SAS was Peggy. She was excellent and I give her an "A". RF and I had not been able to locate cold medications, so she gave us a whole bag of Halls cough drops. She was also very experienced and fun to talk to. She let everyone know she would remain on the sleeper until 6:00am in San Antonio, so we could come and go as we pleased.

The ride up to Palm Springs is interesting as it goes from the urbanized LA to the desert. Palm Spring has thousands of wind turbines, and a soon as I got off the train, I knew why. A strong HOT sandy wind hit us in the face like a sandblaster. I did not expect that!

The first unusual event was when we stopped at El Paso and a drug sniffing dog and handler came aboard. Not soon after they boarded, the dog came out of our sleeper with a pull toy that is his treat for finding drugs. He was be praised by his handler. Behind them was a young girl (maybe 19 or 20?) in handcuffs being led away. She was in one of the roomettes in our car. She had to walk the entire length of the platform. How embarrassing to have to do that long perp walk. (We don't know what they found.)

Peggy said she had just brought her breakfast and it was sad to see a young person taken away. She then looked at us and said, 'I'm going to eat the bacon' and left to go get it. So much for that sentiment.

Next, at Alpine, Border patrol took of a guy and three others. He was in the diner at the next table from me when they approached. He was a nicely addressed, intelligent and well spoken (according to his table-mates) Columbian who was traveling with his mother. I am guessing they took him because he did not have the proper documentation. I don't know if his mother was one of the other three removed as I did not see who they were.

We were put in the hole twice (once for the #1 Sunset Limited) before and after Alpine, putting us down 1 hour.

The conductor (Gary Adams) from El Paso to ??? was great. He was funny, gave rails-to-trails type narration, and answered many questions. He did not hide in the trans dorm and spent most of his time in the SSL. Peggy our SCA really likes him.

As we approached Sanderson, TX, Gary the conductor announced that though we normally would not stop at Sanderson, a smoker had been caught and would be put off the left side of the train and would have to wait 3 days for the next train. This came with another warning not to smoke. We all looked out the left side (I think I felt the train tilt that way) as we passed him. He was a middle aged man who had his luggage in hand and his head down.

Later at a smoke stop in Del Rio, I asked Gary if he gave the guy a warning before booting him off. Gary told me with a wry smile that the whole thing was a hoax! The guy was actually the engineer until El Paso who lived in Sanderson and was being dropped off. Gary and this guy came up with this rouse to scare the smokers! Gary tells him to look sad as we pull away. They don't have problems with smokers after Sanderson! :lol:

The segment running along the Rio Grand (the Mexican border) was very pretty IMHO. I was not expecting that and was pleasantly surprised. After being put in the hole two more times, we got into San Antonio 1 hour late.

I went hunting for a CVS pharmacy on the River Walk to get cold remedies (and a replacement bag of Halls for Peggy). Fortunately I found it after a 15 minute walk on a warm and very muggy night. They did not have a pharmacy at this CVS and thus did not have the full strength Sudafed I wanted. I bought RF more cough medicine and some Alka Seltzer cold medicine and the low strength Sudafed PE for myself. I also bought more camera batteries for RF.

The River Walk is amazing! I need to go back to San Antonio to see this in full. If I had more time and was not feeling so lousy, I would have explored this more.

When I returned to the train, they were about to close up the TE cars for the repositioning of cars. I chose to stay off to watch. Unfortunately there was engine trouble so the Sunset did not detach and leave for another hour. They eventually opened the doors on the TE cars to allow us on during the wait.

Throughout the night there was bumping and thumping as the split the TE through cars apart and inserted them into the rest of the TE consist. Between that and RFs coughing, it was a sleepless night for me. I slept in in the morning and missed Austin. I also missed the boxed breakfast they serve before Austin. Oh well.

There was an unusual sighting during this stop. There was a Bio-Diesel P32 being added to the Sunset Limited consist. See my post for details.

Consist from San Antonio to CHI:

• 1 P42
  
• 1 Trans Dorm
  
• 1 Sleeper (422 through sleeper)
  
• 1 CCC as Diner
  
• 1 CCC as café / lounge
  
• 2 coaches (one was a baggage coach)
  
• 1 coach (422 through coach)
  
• 1 coach (added in St. Louis)
  

They threw a belligerent drunk off in the middle of the night.

Our SCA was Sergio another young guy. I was going to give him a B as he did the minimum and was around, and opened the vestibule window so RF could get some good shots of Daly Plaza as we approached Dallas. But I will have to give him an incomplete as he injured himself overnight. When I woke up the next morning, his arm was in a splint and obviously unusable. While setting up the bed in the A bedroom, he caught his wrist as the top bunk came down, tearing ligaments in his wrist. He doesn't think anything was broken, but he was out of commission. A diner car server and coach attendant covered for him.

I saw the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium from about a mile away as we came into Dallas. Holy cow is that thing big!

Like I said, a lot happened on this train!

We were down 1 hour into Dallas, but arrived 45 minutes early to St. Louis.

The St. Louis station is nice and clean and very functional. It is a nice new station.

We left St. Louis via the route that goes under the arch (between the arch and the river) and then crosses the Mississippi a several miles north of town. It was neat looking right up the arch from the train.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, flat, full of crops, and relaxing. We arrived on time to Chicago.

This time, I did not do any sightseeing. I was in search of full strength Sudafed. Good news, there are many CVS and Walgreen stored near CUS. The bad news, none have Saturday pharmacy hours. I had to walk several more blocks to find one where I could get what I needed, which I did. I returned to CUS and waited outside next to the river for a while. After being approached 4 times by pan handlers, I went back to the Metropolitan Lounge to await our next train.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segment 10: Chicago to Charlottesville, VA on the Cardinal

Consist:

• 1 P42
  
• 1 Baggage (Yay!)
  
• 3 AmFleet II Coaches
  
• 1 Café / Diner lite (yuck)
  
• 1 Viewliner Sleeper
  
• 2 Horizon Coaches (dropped at Indianapolis)
  

Both RF and I checked our big bags to New Orleans as we did not need them on the final two segments.

While we were walking to the Cardinal, I saw P40 #821 with ONLY several private varnish cars, no Amtrak cars. I could not recognize the cars as they were far away and we only could see them for a moment. However, I did see Dan Aykroyd's Petron Tequila car again as part of the consist.

Our SCA was Will. I give him a C- as he did his job, but had no personality or friendliness whatsoever.

The run through the New River Gorge was fantastic and there are many tunnels after the gorge. Even after we left the gorge, there was plenty of valley running along rivers with tree covered mountains all around. That route 19 bridge over the gorge is deceptive. It's not until you see a truck or car on it before you realize how far up the bridge deck is! No wonder people like BASE jumping off of it.

But as it is CSX track, it was ROUGH. The lighter Viewliners don't handle the rough track nearly as well as the Superliners. But I am glad we included this train on our journey.

Did I mention I hate the diner-lites? The only bad meals I had during the whole trip were on this train. There are far fewer choices than a full diner or even a CCC. The breakfast was the worst. Everything was tasteless (not just because I had a cold thank you). The turkey sausage was very poor. Lunch was not much better. Dinner had the roast type steak served everywhere over the winter instead of the flat iron / New York strip / sirloins served on the other trains. The saving grace of this dining experience was Olin, the only server. He was busting his butt and very friendly. Kudos to him.

Why is it that the PA system on Viewliners NEVER work? For safety sake, Amtrak really needs to address this, not only in the Viewliners, but in most of the diners as well.

We arrived in Charlottesville about 15 minutes late. We had a six hour layover to kill. There is a beer / wing / sports bar joint in the same building as the station, so RF and I killed a few hours there. I also took a short walk around town as the weather was beautiful.

RF and I returned to the station where the two ticket agents (Dale and another guy) were holding court. These two obviously have spent many boring hours together. They were a regular Abbott and Costello act and lots of fun to talk to.

We waited until the Crescent came in (about 15 minutes late) and away we went.

 

[AAARGH!]

Segment 11: Charlottesville, VA to New Orleans on the Crescent.

Consist:

• 2 P42
  
• 1 Baggage car
  
• 4 AmFleet II Coaches
  
• 1 AmFleet Café
  
• 1 Horizon Diner
  
• 2 Viewliner Sleepers
  

Our SCA was Rob. I give him an "A-" as he was very friendly and attentive (asking us if we needed anything numerous times during the trip).

Again the PA system did not work in the Viewliner.

The meals in the Horizon diner were excellent, just like the Superliner diners. I hope they can make these old diners last.

The vast majority of the route can be summed up in one word; trees. There were a lot of forested areas and most everything else had trees along the tracks anyway. The exceptions are Atlanta and the approach to New Orleans.

The Atlanta station is IMHO not worthy of a city the size of Atlanta. It is too far from the downtown(s) and not big enough.

The approach on the causeway across Lake Pontchartrain was a lot of fun. It's like being on a 50 MPH boat. Unless you plaster your nose up against the window, you can't see any track.

We arrived 31 minutes late into NOL, dead tired but happy. We recovered our checked bags waiting for us.

We took a taxi to our hotel (The Best Western St. Christopher on Magazine Street right near the casino). It was a decent hotel with a very good location and a good value. We made a visit to the casino and then called it a night. We took a taxi to the airport the next day, said our good bys and flew home.

In conclusion, all the trains were on time or a little late. Certainly no issues arose because of trains running late. Every Amtrak employee we came across fell into the range of exceptional to just doing their job, but without being rude or inefficient. We did not run into any 'bad' Amtrak employees that have been discussed on this forum in the past.

Rail_Freak took all the pictures, so he will be the one to share those.

Sorry about the length of this trip report. Hoe you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the trip!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks Jeff, great report, makes you feel like youre riding along! For sure we won't take the SAC-Bakersfield run when we go to Calf in July, will stick to the Starlight to LAX! Great tips on the hotel in OKJ and Santa Barbara! I'm surprised that yall had less than stellar service on the SWC, maybe Ive been lucky, my only lazy,invisible SCAs were on the Crescent,Eagles and the CONO!Sorry I missed you on the Eagle, hope to meet you someday on a train or in STL for The Gathering! The drug and Immigration story is pretty typical for the Sunset, the Eagles are getting the same attention, especially around Dallas!I was on the Eagle when Sergio was getting mentored/trained, sorry he got hurt but some of the Sleepers are getting long in the tooth and hard to set, Ive actually gotten a few nips and scratches myself from them! I totally agree with the Viewliner and Diner Lite comments, Amtrak needs to use the stimulus money to rehab some of these less than satisfactory cars! Your report was not too long, if anything it was too short for such a great trip!

 

[Steve4031]

Viewliner, you are thinking about a mixed train which I rode from Atlanta to Augusta one time. That was completely legal. Though passengers were not encouraged at all, the railroad just did it because it got a huge tax write off. It had about 80 freight cars and one badly maintained passenger car. I do not did not have any deadhead crew...I was literally the only person in the car. I was allowed to ride in the caboose for awhile.

I was the only passenger. Usually there were none. It was purely a mood thing to do, only a hardened railfan would bother with it. Trip took 10 hours when Greyhound bus took 3 or 4. No food, no running water, no power, no lights.

That is different from just hopping a freight only train.. What I did was legal and not dangerous.....just exremely bizarre. And a lot of fun for a one time event.

this is a nice trip report

 

[fredevad]

Ho[p]e you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the trip!

I enjoyed it very much (except for the me being jealous part). You'll also be privileged to know that this was the very first time since being on this board that I recognized specific Amtrak equipment - your mention of P40 #821, which I remember being on display at NTD in Chicago this year! I'm so happy I'm catching on.

Thanks for taking the time to share. Looking forward to the pictures from RF.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Great report! and Great Trip! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the photos.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Nice report Jeff. We took the SJ from Bakersfield to SAC last summer and although we enjoyed the northbound run as our first SJ trip, the return trip was a bit boring. The bus ride from Bakersfield to LA was interesting with some creative characters onboard

We too have had great crews on the SWC and sorry yours didnt work out. We had Haktu on our SWC trip last summer and he was a nice guy who had a sense of humor. Maybe he was having a bad day?

And yes, having a bad cold on the train is a bummer. Had one on a CZ trip and the only thing that helped me recover was the beautiful mountains in Colorado :lol:

Best wishes from a fellow Buckeye!

 

[saxman]

Haha, I had not one, but two of the attendants that you mentioned. Alan was on my Coast Starlight just over a year ago in the Parlour Car. He gave the story of the car twice, and its true that he really loves it. He was a great car attendant.

Just moments ago I stepped off the Cardinal here in CVS where Will was my SCA. He was okay. Nothing special though. Seems like the Cardinal is his regular run.

 

[pennyk]

Great report. Thanks. I love the cigarette story. :lol:

 

[Rail Freak]

Warning: This is a long trip report as it was a long trip (8,859 miles).
Overview: I built this trip to take as many trains that I had not been on before. The itinerary allowed me to include ALL the long distance routes I have not been on. The only segment I had ridden before was the Coast Starlight between LAX and Oakland. But I was forced to do it again.

This whole trip would have cost me over $4,700 at the time I booked it. But I used two 2-zone bedroom AGR awards and two 1K special route awards for a total of 62,000 points (minus the 10% redemption on 32K of it, so take of 3,200 points). It ended up being a value of 8.06 cents per AGR point! This was the first time I have been in bedroom(s) and I LIKE IT!

I had asked on this forum if anyone wanted to spilt the costs/points and join me. RAIL_FREAK from Tampa, FL (abbreviated from this point forward to RF) replied quickly. Turns out he had the same idea about taking untraveled routes and his list was very close to mine. So he called me and we figured out we would be good travel companions as he and I have much in common besides trains. It turns out he was an excellent travel companion. Anyway, he and I met in New Orleans (we both flew, I know… sacrilege).

Now on to the trip report, which I will split into multiple segments….

Pre-trip: New Orleans:

 

RF and I met at the MSY airport and took a cab to our hotel, the Hotel LeCirque. It is a railfans dream! It is only .3 miles from the Amtrak station, a very nicely appointed hotel, and right on the St. Charles streetcar line.

After checking in, we took the St. Charles streetcar line to Canal and into the French Quarter. We ended up eating at Mr. B's at the corner of Iberville and Royal. It was a very good choice. We then returned to the hotel, again via the St. Charles streetcar.

The next day we took the entire St. Charles streetcar line from our hotel and back. The trip took about 1 ½ hours and was well worth the time and $2.50 each. The old rickety streetcars harkens back to the old days, when windows were wide open and you had to pull a rope to let them know you wanted off at the next stop. The various neighborhoods the line passes through range from downtown, to commercial, to the most beautiful old houses in New Orleans. This is most definitely recommended.

It had been quite a while since I'd visited NOL, 33 years to be exact!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railfreak/464...57624031623791/

RF

 

[Rail Freak]

Segment 1: New Orleans to Chicago on the City of New Orleans
Consist:

• 1 P42
  
• 2 Sleepers (no trans dorm)
  
• 1 CCC
  
• 1 SSL
  
• 3 Coaches (two of which were baggage coaches as there was no baggage car.
  

Our sleeper was a refurbished Superliner I and was in pretty good shape. A few rattles were easily remedied with washcloths and paper stuffed into the offending locations.

Tina was our SCA. She has been mentioned on this forum before and for good reason. She was excellent. She has an excellent sense of humor, tells great stories and in general was a blast! If you are lucky enough to get her, ask her about how she survived a horrific crash in Boston at BBY when her train struck a stopped commuter train at 70MPH. Her car (a bar car) was thrust vertically up through the street. It's an amazing story.

She has been with Amtrak for a long time. She is one of six people still at the NOL crew base that were there when it opened. She has the 222nd highest seniority in all of Amtrak, so she gets the routes she wants. The entire crew, including all OBS and conductors had a fantastic attitude. They really had fun with each other and with the passengers. I mentioned to Tina that this was a refreshing change from some of the other crews with which I have traveled. She said, we don't allow bad attitudes with this crew. It would bring everybody down, including the passengers. She said it was her mission as well as many others that this attitude is standard operating procedures for the entire NOL crew base.

I give Tina an "A".

The segment was not particularly scenic except for the long curve around Lake Pontchartrain as we left NOL. The rest is normal forest, meadows, and crops… lots of crops. We did travel through Yazoo City, MS and saw the damage caused by a recent tornado. That really makes you think about how lucky you are compared to what the people there are going through.

While I don't like the CCC's in general, the food was as good as a regular full diner, so no complaints. They had a bread pudding for dessert that while not as good as New Orleans bread pudding, was not bad at all.

I took the lower bunk (very nice) while RF took the top. We would be switching off throughout the trip so we each got four nights on the lower bunk.

The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived in Chicago 20 minutes late.

The tornado damage on this route was unbelievable!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railfreak/set...57624031735285/

RF

 

[Rail Freak]

Segment 2: Chicago to Los Angeles on the Southwest Chief
First, an interlude about the six hour layover at CHI. We stored our bags at the metropolitan lounge and as it was a nice day, I took a water taxi to Navy Pier. I then took an architectural water tour that was great. If you have the time, I recommend it. I took a water taxi back to CUS and waited in the Metropolitan Lounge. The staff in the lounge was efficient, but not overly friendly. No shock there.

Consist:

• 2 P42s
  
• 1 Baggage Car
  
• 1 Trans Dorm
  
• 2 Sleepers (ours was a non-refurbished Superliner II)
  
• 1 Diner
  
• 1 SSL
  
• 3 Coaches
  

Our SCA was Hakto. He spoke so softly you could hardly understand him. His accent was a bit tough to get through also. He said he would not make up beds after 11:00 as he was 'required' to get enough sleep per his job requirements. Huh? I never heard that one before. He did his job for the most part and was around when needed. He was not too friendly, but adequate. I give him a "C+".

The scenery between CHI and Trinidad, CO was not interesting, just crops, etc… All the fields were flooded by recent storms. I hope it dried out fairly fast as it looked bad to me, but I am a city boy so what do I know. After Trinidad we went over the Raton Pass. Nice scenery, but doesn't compare to the CZ's two major passes. After that it was typical high desert.

I got a chance to see the Kansas City station. It is a gem. It reminded me of the Philly 30th street station. It's one of the most beautiful stations Amtrak uses.

I enjoyed the 1 ¼ hours we had in Albuquerque (we arrived early). There were the American Indians selling their wares on the platform. I used the time to both explore downtown and to unsuccessfully hunt for batteries for RF's camera (which would provide interesting drama for most of the rest of the trip).

We arrived in LAX 45 minutes early.

There were many birds flying in and out of Los Angeles Union Station. I don't know why they leave the doors open to allow this. It's interesting anyway. I did see one bird fly into a person standing at the newsstand type shop. The bird was stunned and just sat on the ground next to one of the nearby seats. After being shown this by the struck passenger, a security guard eventually scooped it up and took it outside.

I spent the layover in the beautiful gardens of the station and people watching inside. As always, LA Union Station is fantastic to look at, both inside and out. LAX has some 'unusual' passengers to say the least.

Somehow I included the CONO again!

There is something about the west I love!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railfreak/set...57624031435731/

RF

 

[Rail Freak]

Segment 7: Oakland to Bakersfield on the San Joaquin and then an AmBus to Santa Barbara.
Consist:

• 1 California engine in push mode
  
• 4 California coaches
  

Both RF and I checked our large bags straight to LAX so we would not have to lug them on the SJ/Bus and on the Pacific Surfliner in the morning. It was RF's idea and a good one.

Everything was going great until there was a small jolt and then an emergency stop. I immediately knew they had dumped the brakes as I had felt this two years before when my CZ hit a car. We were in Modesto, CA and hit a car while we were going about 65 MPH. He almost made it, but we clipped his back end and spun him around. Then he drove off! Yes, I said he drove off.

There was BNSF freight train waiting to exit a yard who witnessed the whole thing from about a quarter mile away. I heard the BNSF engineer describe the collision over one of the conductors radios. He said that car won't be hard to find and he was right. We later learned they found the guy. Anyway, we were blocking a major street for 25 minutes before we pulled up. The whole investigation etc… took about 45 minutes. BNSF had a crew there quickly. We arrived about 35 minutes late to Bakersfield IIRC.

I was not really looking forward to the bus ride to Santa Barbara, but it was absolutely beautiful. Going over the mountain pass on I-5 and then descending toward Santa Paula and Oxnard was very scenic. We then paralleled the Coast Starlight route along the coast to Santa Barbara.

Unfortunately RF was coming down with a cold after being in the rain in San Francisco. I knew that with my being in close quarters with him, I would most likely catch it from him. I was right. These colds plagued us the rest of the trip. RF had it worse than me and he was not a happy camper.

We stayed at the Ramada in Santa Barbara because they offered a free shuttle from the station. Actually, it was a free taxi ride to and from the hotel, so same difference. The hotel is about 6 miles from the station and is has nicely appointed rooms (and incredible water pressure). The best thing about this hotel is its excellent continental breakfast. Its grounds are also very nicely landscaped, complete with live geese (waiting for breakfast I assume). The hotel price is bit higher, but it beat paying a $40 - $50 round trip taxi fare.

I agree with AAARGH, this area is gorgeous!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railfreak/set...57624167447066/

RF

 

[Rail Freak]

Segment 9: Los Angeles to Chicago on the Texas Eagle.
Consist from LAX to San Antonio:

Sunset Limited:

• 2 P42s
  
• 1 Baggage Car
  
• 1 Trans Dorm
  
• 1 Sleeper
  
• 1 Diner
  
• 1 SSL
  
• 2 Coaches
  

Texas Eagle Through Cars:

• 1 Coach
  
• 1 Sleeper (a non-refurbished Superliner I with a VERY small bathroom)
  

This was an interesting segment as lots of semi-unusual things happened.

First, our SCA from LAX to SAS was Peggy. She was excellent and I give her an "A". RF and I had not been able to locate cold medications, so she gave us a whole bag of Halls cough drops. She was also very experienced and fun to talk to. She let everyone know she would remain on the sleeper until 6:00am in San Antonio, so we could come and go as we pleased.

The ride up to Palm Springs is interesting as it goes from the urbanized LA to the desert. Palm Spring has thousands of wind turbines, and a soon as I got off the train, I knew why. A strong HOT sandy wind hit us in the face like a sandblaster. I did not expect that!

The first unusual event was when we stopped at El Paso and a drug sniffing dog and handler came aboard. Not soon after they boarded, the dog came out of our sleeper with a pull toy that is his treat for finding drugs. He was be praised by his handler. Behind them was a young girl (maybe 19 or 20?) in handcuffs being led away. She was in one of the roomettes in our car. She had to walk the entire length of the platform. How embarrassing to have to do that long perp walk. (We don't know what they found.)

Peggy said she had just brought her breakfast and it was sad to see a young person taken away. She then looked at us and said, 'I'm going to eat the bacon' and left to go get it. So much for that sentiment.

Next, at Alpine, Border patrol took of a guy and three others. He was in the diner at the next table from me when they approached. He was a nicely addressed, intelligent and well spoken (according to his table-mates) Columbian who was traveling with his mother. I am guessing they took him because he did not have the proper documentation. I don't know if his mother was one of the other three removed as I did not see who they were.

We were put in the hole twice (once for the #1 Sunset Limited) before and after Alpine, putting us down 1 hour.

The conductor (Gary Adams) from El Paso to ??? was great. He was funny, gave rails-to-trails type narration, and answered many questions. He did not hide in the trans dorm and spent most of his time in the SSL. Peggy our SCA really likes him.

As we approached Sanderson, TX, Gary the conductor announced that though we normally would not stop at Sanderson, a smoker had been caught and would be put off the left side of the train and would have to wait 3 days for the next train. This came with another warning not to smoke. We all looked out the left side (I think I felt the train tilt that way) as we passed him. He was a middle aged man who had his luggage in hand and his head down.

Later at a smoke stop in Del Rio, I asked Gary if he gave the guy a warning before booting him off. Gary told me with a wry smile that the whole thing was a hoax! The guy was actually the engineer until El Paso who lived in Sanderson and was being dropped off. Gary and this guy came up with this rouse to scare the smokers! Gary tells him to look sad as we pull away. They don't have problems with smokers after Sanderson! :lol:

The segment running along the Rio Grand (the Mexican border) was very pretty IMHO. I was not expecting that and was pleasantly surprised. After being put in the hole two more times, we got into San Antonio 1 hour late.

I went hunting for a CVS pharmacy on the River Walk to get cold remedies (and a replacement bag of Halls for Peggy). Fortunately I found it after a 15 minute walk on a warm and very muggy night. They did not have a pharmacy at this CVS and thus did not have the full strength Sudafed I wanted. I bought RF more cough medicine and some Alka Seltzer cold medicine and the low strength Sudafed PE for myself. I also bought more camera batteries for RF.

The River Walk is amazing! I need to go back to San Antonio to see this in full. If I had more time and was not feeling so lousy, I would have explored this more.

When I returned to the train, they were about to close up the TE cars for the repositioning of cars. I chose to stay off to watch. Unfortunately there was engine trouble so the Sunset did not detach and leave for another hour. They eventually opened the doors on the TE cars to allow us on during the wait.

Throughout the night there was bumping and thumping as the split the TE through cars apart and inserted them into the rest of the TE consist. Between that and RFs coughing, it was a sleepless night for me. I slept in in the morning and missed Austin. I also missed the boxed breakfast they serve before Austin. Oh well.

There was an unusual sighting during this stop. There was a Bio-Diesel P32 being added to the Sunset Limited consist. See my post for details.

Consist from San Antonio to CHI:

• 1 P42
  
• 1 Trans Dorm
  
• 1 Sleeper (422 through sleeper)
  
• 1 CCC as Diner
  
• 1 CCC as café / lounge
  
• 2 coaches (one was a baggage coach)
  
• 1 coach (422 through coach)
  
• 1 coach (added in St. Louis)
  

They threw a belligerent drunk off in the middle of the night.

Our SCA was Sergio another young guy. I was going to give him a B as he did the minimum and was around, and opened the vestibule window so RF could get some good shots of Daly Plaza as we approached Dallas. But I will have to give him an incomplete as he injured himself overnight. When I woke up the next morning, his arm was in a splint and obviously unusable. While setting up the bed in the A bedroom, he caught his wrist as the top bunk came down, tearing ligaments in his wrist. He doesn't think anything was broken, but he was out of commission. A diner car server and coach attendant covered for him.

I saw the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium from about a mile away as we came into Dallas. Holy cow is that thing big!

Like I said, a lot happened on this train!

We were down 1 hour into Dallas, but arrived 45 minutes early to St. Louis.

The St. Louis station is nice and clean and very functional. It is a nice new station.

We left St. Louis via the route that goes under the arch (between the arch and the river) and then crosses the Mississippi a several miles north of town. It was neat looking right up the arch from the train.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, flat, full of crops, and relaxing. We arrived on time to Chicago.

This time, I did not do any sightseeing. I was in search of full strength Sudafed. Good news, there are many CVS and Walgreen stored near CUS. The bad news, none have Saturday pharmacy hours. I had to walk several more blocks to find one where I could get what I needed, which I did. I returned to CUS and waited outside next to the river for a while. After being approached 4 times by pan handlers, I went back to the Metropolitan Lounge to await our next train.

Waited so long to take this trip & I was beginning to see the end approaching, BUMMER!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railfreak/set...57624160213094/

RF

 

[Rail Freak]

Segment 10: Chicago to Charlottesville, VA on the Cardinal
Consist:

• 1 P42
  
• 1 Baggage (Yay!)
  
• 3 AmFleet II Coaches
  
• 1 Café / Diner lite (yuck)
  
• 1 Viewliner Sleeper
  
• 2 Horizon Coaches (dropped at Indianapolis)
  

Both RF and I checked our big bags to New Orleans as we did not need them on the final two segments.

While we were walking to the Cardinal, I saw P40 #821 with ONLY several private varnish cars, no Amtrak cars. I could not recognize the cars as they were far away and we only could see them for a moment. However, I did see Dan Aykroyd's Petron Tequila car again as part of the consist.

Our SCA was Will. I give him a C- as he did his job, but had no personality or friendliness whatsoever.

The run through the New River Gorge was fantastic and there are many tunnels after the gorge. Even after we left the gorge, there was plenty of valley running along rivers with tree covered mountains all around. That route 19 bridge over the gorge is deceptive. It's not until you see a truck or car on it before you realize how far up the bridge deck is! No wonder people like BASE jumping off of it.

But as it is CSX track, it was ROUGH. The lighter Viewliners don't handle the rough track nearly as well as the Superliners. But I am glad we included this train on our journey.

Did I mention I hate the diner-lites? The only bad meals I had during the whole trip were on this train. There are far fewer choices than a full diner or even a CCC. The breakfast was the worst. Everything was tasteless (not just because I had a cold thank you). The turkey sausage was very poor. Lunch was not much better. Dinner had the roast type steak served everywhere over the winter instead of the flat iron / New York strip / sirloins served on the other trains. The saving grace of this dining experience was Olin, the only server. He was busting his butt and very friendly. Kudos to him.

Why is it that the PA system on Viewliners NEVER work? For safety sake, Amtrak really needs to address this, not only in the Viewliners, but in most of the diners as well.

We arrived in Charlottesville about 15 minutes late. We had a six hour layover to kill. There is a beer / wing / sports bar joint in the same building as the station, so RF and I killed a few hours there. I also took a short walk around town as the weather was beautiful.

RF and I returned to the station where the two ticket agents (Dale and another guy) were holding court. These two obviously have spent many boring hours together. They were a regular Abbott and Costello act and lots of fun to talk to.

We waited until the Crescent came in (about 15 minutes late) and away we went.

I vote for Viewliner Bedrooms, windows & luggage storage!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railfreak/set...57624161233834/

 

[supergrandmother]

Nice report. I especially enjoyed it because I will be riding some of the same route in a couple of weeks: NOL to CHI and CHI to LAX on SWC. It was very interesting.

 

[Rail Freak]

Segment 11: Charlottesville, VA to New Orleans on the Crescent.
Consist:

• 2 P42
  
• 1 Baggage car
  
• 4 AmFleet II Coaches
  
• 1 AmFleet Café
  
• 1 Horizon Diner
  
• 2 Viewliner Sleepers
  

Our SCA was Rob. I give him an "A-" as he was very friendly and attentive (asking us if we needed anything numerous times during the trip).

Again the PA system did not work in the Viewliner.

The meals in the Horizon diner were excellent, just like the Superliner diners. I hope they can make these old diners last.

The vast majority of the route can be summed up in one word; trees. There were a lot of forested areas and most everything else had trees along the tracks anyway. The exceptions are Atlanta and the approach to New Orleans.

The Atlanta station is IMHO not worthy of a city the size of Atlanta. It is too far from the downtown(s) and not big enough.

The approach on the causeway across Lake Pontchartrain was a lot of fun. It's like being on a 50 MPH boat. Unless you plaster your nose up against the window, you can't see any track.

We arrived 31 minutes late into NOL, dead tired but happy. We recovered our checked bags waiting for us.

We took a taxi to our hotel (The Best Western St. Christopher on Magazine Street right near the casino). It was a decent hotel with a very good location and a good value. We made a visit to the casino and then called it a night. We took a taxi to the airport the next day, said our good bys and flew home.

In conclusion, all the trains were on time or a little late. Certainly no issues arose because of trains running late. Every Amtrak employee we came across fell into the range of exceptional to just doing their job, but without being rude or inefficient. We did not run into any 'bad' Amtrak employees that have been discussed on this forum in the past.

Rail_Freak took all the pictures, so he will be the one to share those.

Sorry about the length of this trip report. Hoe you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the trip!

Trip coming to a close, guess it's time for planning!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railfreak/set...57624167846620/

RF