AAARGH!
Conductor
Itinerary:
Saturday: CZ --> CHI to EMY - Superliner Roomette 4 (Overnight in EMY Monday night)
Tuesday: CS --> EMY to LAX - Superliner Roomette 6 (Overnight in LAX Tuesday night)
Wednesday: CS --> LAX to SEA - Superliner Roomette 5 (Overnight in SEA Thursday night)
Friday: EB --> SEA to CHI - Superliner Roomette 3
Sunday: LSL --> CHI to CLE - Viewliner Roomette 1 (Arrive early Monday morning)
We used one of the new 15 day (Western Region) rail passes.
This whole trip was just for the scenery and being on the train.
Some random thoughts:
Service ranged from mediocre to excellent. No bad service experiences to relate. There were some lazy / curt dining car 'managers' (not the servers). All 5 of our sleeper attendants were good, especially Dallas on the EB.
California Zephyr:
The CZ was 4 hours late. 1 1/4 was because we killed a pick-up truck, not its driver fortunately. He only had a scratch. I think his wife's look when she arrived and saw the now V-shaped Ram Pickup was more painful. :angry:
Another hour of the CZ delay was due to us pulling three private cars (full of NARP members) into Denver. We had to drop the three cars, pull forward, then back onto another track, drop the Denver sleeper, pull forward, back, and reattach the private cars. Amtrak was SLOOOOOOOW at this.
The rest was bad track, bad signals, and freight traffic.
Beautiful scenery as expected.
Coast Starlight:
I LOVE the PPCs. I spent 90% of the ride on both legs I took of the CS in this car. Very nice and a good change from the 'normal' Amtrak menu we had on the CZ and EB. If I had to eat another Flat-Iron steak, I might have been sick.
Did I mention I like the PPC?
The crews on both legs were a lot of fun (2 different crews). They obviously enjoyed working this route. Not that the EB and CZ crews were bad, but the CS crews joked around with each other and generally made the experience much more enjoyable for the passengers.
For the northbound segment, the shower did not work and the attendant showed little interest in fixing it (or for providing soap/towels for that matter). I just went to the trans sleeper to use its upstairs shower.
Empire Builder:
On time the entire way! After being late on each train before, this was a welcome change. We got to Minot early, so we sat outside for 45 minutes on a beautiful evening.
Sleepers were sold out, but never felt crowded.
I love the segment along Puget Sound just out of Seattle.
I thought the plains would be boring, but it wasn't. It was strikingly beautiful to me.
Lake Shore Limited:
Did not partake in the diner (besides a snack before leaving).
Big difference in the amount of space / flexibility with the Viewliner roomettes versus the Superliners. Even though we were on the LSL for only 7 hours, the extra space was nice.
However, our roomette was DIRTY! The top of the rails, the luggage rack, the top of the mirror, and the sink were filthy.
I wish they would adjust the schedule to have the Lake Erie shoreline (around Sandusky, OH) during daylight. I remember taking this 30 years ago and how nice this area is.
Conclusion:
All in all, the trip was great fun and I am still trying to take a shower without holding onto the walls. :huh:
9 days straight is tough. If it weren't for the hotel overnights, it may have been too much. I don't want take rommettes for more than 2 nights straight again. The last night on this trip (a third night straight) was difficult.
In the future, I will either take shorter train journeys OR (better yet) add longer layovers.
I think I am 'over' trains for now, or at least a few months. Then.... who knows!
Saturday: CZ --> CHI to EMY - Superliner Roomette 4 (Overnight in EMY Monday night)
Tuesday: CS --> EMY to LAX - Superliner Roomette 6 (Overnight in LAX Tuesday night)
Wednesday: CS --> LAX to SEA - Superliner Roomette 5 (Overnight in SEA Thursday night)
Friday: EB --> SEA to CHI - Superliner Roomette 3
Sunday: LSL --> CHI to CLE - Viewliner Roomette 1 (Arrive early Monday morning)
We used one of the new 15 day (Western Region) rail passes.
This whole trip was just for the scenery and being on the train.
Some random thoughts:
Service ranged from mediocre to excellent. No bad service experiences to relate. There were some lazy / curt dining car 'managers' (not the servers). All 5 of our sleeper attendants were good, especially Dallas on the EB.
California Zephyr:
The CZ was 4 hours late. 1 1/4 was because we killed a pick-up truck, not its driver fortunately. He only had a scratch. I think his wife's look when she arrived and saw the now V-shaped Ram Pickup was more painful. :angry:
Another hour of the CZ delay was due to us pulling three private cars (full of NARP members) into Denver. We had to drop the three cars, pull forward, then back onto another track, drop the Denver sleeper, pull forward, back, and reattach the private cars. Amtrak was SLOOOOOOOW at this.
The rest was bad track, bad signals, and freight traffic.
Beautiful scenery as expected.
Coast Starlight:
I LOVE the PPCs. I spent 90% of the ride on both legs I took of the CS in this car. Very nice and a good change from the 'normal' Amtrak menu we had on the CZ and EB. If I had to eat another Flat-Iron steak, I might have been sick.
Did I mention I like the PPC?The crews on both legs were a lot of fun (2 different crews). They obviously enjoyed working this route. Not that the EB and CZ crews were bad, but the CS crews joked around with each other and generally made the experience much more enjoyable for the passengers.
For the northbound segment, the shower did not work and the attendant showed little interest in fixing it (or for providing soap/towels for that matter). I just went to the trans sleeper to use its upstairs shower.
Empire Builder:
On time the entire way! After being late on each train before, this was a welcome change. We got to Minot early, so we sat outside for 45 minutes on a beautiful evening.
Sleepers were sold out, but never felt crowded.
I love the segment along Puget Sound just out of Seattle.
I thought the plains would be boring, but it wasn't. It was strikingly beautiful to me.
Lake Shore Limited:
Did not partake in the diner (besides a snack before leaving).
Big difference in the amount of space / flexibility with the Viewliner roomettes versus the Superliners. Even though we were on the LSL for only 7 hours, the extra space was nice.
However, our roomette was DIRTY! The top of the rails, the luggage rack, the top of the mirror, and the sink were filthy.
I wish they would adjust the schedule to have the Lake Erie shoreline (around Sandusky, OH) during daylight. I remember taking this 30 years ago and how nice this area is.
Conclusion:
All in all, the trip was great fun and I am still trying to take a shower without holding onto the walls. :huh:
9 days straight is tough. If it weren't for the hotel overnights, it may have been too much. I don't want take rommettes for more than 2 nights straight again. The last night on this trip (a third night straight) was difficult.
In the future, I will either take shorter train journeys OR (better yet) add longer layovers.
I think I am 'over' trains for now, or at least a few months. Then.... who knows!
