On Saturday, May 17th, I took a quick trip to Galesburg on 5 and returned on 382. The waiting area was packed, and I was not feeling like messing with the crowd and standing in line for an hour to get a decent seat . . . so I checked sleeping car availability. An additional 74 dollars to Galesburg for a roomette. So I grabbed it, and rode to Galesburg in style in room 4 of the 531 car. I had attended my school's prom the night before, and was somewhat drowsy. So I spent an enjoyable afternoon nodding off and then looking out the window at the small towns and cornfileds of IL. The dispatcher crossed us from one track to the other at least 3 times enroute to Galesburg.
We waited a few minutes outside the station before moving forward. The attendant came down and let us off.
I had a nice dinner at the packing house, though the Terriyaki steak was a bit tough. I adjourned to the crepe place across the street for desert. The hot fudge sundae and french vanilla coffee was delicious.
I walked back to the Galesburg sation with the intention of getting the new system timetable from the agent. When I walked up to the window I saw she was on the phone. She wrote some info on a pad, and since I thought it pertained to 382 I tried to decipher what she wrote. I was surprised to see my name. When she ended the call, I let her know that was my name. She informed me that the conductor from 382 had called to advise her that the AC in the business class was not working well, and that the car was too hot. He asked her to process a refund for my bc fare. I was impressed by this level of service. I was the only passenger in bc, but still with everything else that he had to deal with, I thought this was an extra effort.
The agent cheerfully processed the refund. I walked outside and parked myself on the bench outside to train watch and read. I also chatted with a lady from Chicago who had been riding the train back in forth for years. We traded travel stories. Eventually there was an announcement that 382 was stuck behind a freight in the yard, and would be about 20 minutes late. The delay stretched to an hour as the train was backed up and detoured around the stalled freight.
Once the train arrived, I found a seat in the air-conditioned coach and began to relax. Not for long . . . a family with a yowling baby sat behind me. The conducor lifted my ticket, and I thanked him for his efforts. He advised me that the BC car was still warm, but much cooler than before, and gave me permission to sit there even though I had gotten a refund. Knowing that I would be alone, I retreated to the BC car. The attendant was aware of my situation, and she waived me into bc. I quickly purchased a pepsi, and settled down. It was warm, but I was happy to have peace and quiet. I napped some more on the way back to Chicago. We had slow running outside of Aurora because of freight traffic. We arrived in chicago about 1 hour 15 minutes late. The attendant went out of her way to open the door at the front of the car so I would have short walk to the station. The trip on 382 was an example of how an excellent crew can make an ordinary trip memorable.
I sent a report into Amtrak complimenting the crew on 382, as well as a positive survey.
We waited a few minutes outside the station before moving forward. The attendant came down and let us off.
I had a nice dinner at the packing house, though the Terriyaki steak was a bit tough. I adjourned to the crepe place across the street for desert. The hot fudge sundae and french vanilla coffee was delicious.
I walked back to the Galesburg sation with the intention of getting the new system timetable from the agent. When I walked up to the window I saw she was on the phone. She wrote some info on a pad, and since I thought it pertained to 382 I tried to decipher what she wrote. I was surprised to see my name. When she ended the call, I let her know that was my name. She informed me that the conductor from 382 had called to advise her that the AC in the business class was not working well, and that the car was too hot. He asked her to process a refund for my bc fare. I was impressed by this level of service. I was the only passenger in bc, but still with everything else that he had to deal with, I thought this was an extra effort.
The agent cheerfully processed the refund. I walked outside and parked myself on the bench outside to train watch and read. I also chatted with a lady from Chicago who had been riding the train back in forth for years. We traded travel stories. Eventually there was an announcement that 382 was stuck behind a freight in the yard, and would be about 20 minutes late. The delay stretched to an hour as the train was backed up and detoured around the stalled freight.
Once the train arrived, I found a seat in the air-conditioned coach and began to relax. Not for long . . . a family with a yowling baby sat behind me. The conducor lifted my ticket, and I thanked him for his efforts. He advised me that the BC car was still warm, but much cooler than before, and gave me permission to sit there even though I had gotten a refund. Knowing that I would be alone, I retreated to the BC car. The attendant was aware of my situation, and she waived me into bc. I quickly purchased a pepsi, and settled down. It was warm, but I was happy to have peace and quiet. I napped some more on the way back to Chicago. We had slow running outside of Aurora because of freight traffic. We arrived in chicago about 1 hour 15 minutes late. The attendant went out of her way to open the door at the front of the car so I would have short walk to the station. The trip on 382 was an example of how an excellent crew can make an ordinary trip memorable.
I sent a report into Amtrak complimenting the crew on 382, as well as a positive survey.
