NativeSon5859
Conductor
6/4/08
#19, The Crescent
ATL-NOL
Coach class
I arrived at the ATL depot at 7:35am. The station is pretty convenient for me...only about a 12-15 minute trip depending on traffic. I parked my car in the free lot just across the street from the station, grabbed my bag, and went inside. There seemed to be about 40 people in the station waiting to taking #19 heading south. The train came in early a few minutes before 8:00am. I counted about 40 passenger detraining, so the turnover was basically even. Boarding started at 8:20am, and we were off on time at 8:38am. Three of the four coaches were in use on todays run. I was in the second coach behind the lounge car and I had a pair of seats to myself, although not everyone did. It was smooth sailing (on time also) all the way until BHM. Apparently they are doing a lot of track work around the BHM station. We ended up departing BHM about 45 minutes late, and we had to back up for about a mile before switching over to another track to continue our journey. All in all the delay put us a little less than an hour down. Around the time we left BHM I went to the diner to have lunch. I had a burger, which was pretty good as it usually is. I sat with two gentlemen whon were going to a convention in New Orleans...one was coming in from Greenville, and the other from D.C. The diner was pretty full, maybe 3/4. After lunch I hung out in the lounge for a while, and then returned to my seat around 3 for an afternoon nap. It was a very relaxing ride, and we ended up in NOL just about 45 minutes late...approx. 8:20pm. Over 100 passengers detrained in New Orleans.
6/5/08
#20, The Crescent
Viewliner Roomette
Room 02, Car 2011
I splurged (well, only $49 extra isn't really splurging) and booked a Roomette on the way back. Big load this morning out of NOL...97 passengers...71 in coach and 26 in the sleepers. On time departure at 7:10am. Breakfast served right after we departed Slidell. The diner was totally full, not one open table. I sat with a couple from NOL going up to Virginia for a family wedding. The French Toast and sausage hit the spot. Back in my room about an hour later, I decided to put the top bunk down and relax for a while. Lunch started just a few minutes after 12:00pm. I had a mediocre (taste wise, not much flavor) Chicken Salad sandwich and sat with a gentleman going to Atlanta...he just went down to NOL for a short vacation. We talked about trains quite a bit as he was an avid railroad enthusiast. In between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham we had to stop for about 30 min. to let a freight pass, and then we apparentlty had slow orders all the way into BHM, because we were doing no more than 30mph for the last 20 or so miles. We ended up about 50 minutes later into BHM. Dinner was served at 5:00pm. I sat with a gentleman from ATL who was in NOL for a conferance. I had a really good steak for dinner...probably the best meal I have had on Amtrak since SDS was initiated. Again, totally full diner. They actually had a waiting list. We ended up about 1 hour late into ATL where 150 people were ready to board for the rest of the trip up to D.C/NY.
It was an enjoyable trip. All of the crew members were very friendly and seemed to really enjoy what they are doing.
My next trip will be in about two weeks...looks like it will be a one-way SEA-LAX on the Coast Starlight in coach.
#19, The Crescent
ATL-NOL
Coach class
I arrived at the ATL depot at 7:35am. The station is pretty convenient for me...only about a 12-15 minute trip depending on traffic. I parked my car in the free lot just across the street from the station, grabbed my bag, and went inside. There seemed to be about 40 people in the station waiting to taking #19 heading south. The train came in early a few minutes before 8:00am. I counted about 40 passenger detraining, so the turnover was basically even. Boarding started at 8:20am, and we were off on time at 8:38am. Three of the four coaches were in use on todays run. I was in the second coach behind the lounge car and I had a pair of seats to myself, although not everyone did. It was smooth sailing (on time also) all the way until BHM. Apparently they are doing a lot of track work around the BHM station. We ended up departing BHM about 45 minutes late, and we had to back up for about a mile before switching over to another track to continue our journey. All in all the delay put us a little less than an hour down. Around the time we left BHM I went to the diner to have lunch. I had a burger, which was pretty good as it usually is. I sat with two gentlemen whon were going to a convention in New Orleans...one was coming in from Greenville, and the other from D.C. The diner was pretty full, maybe 3/4. After lunch I hung out in the lounge for a while, and then returned to my seat around 3 for an afternoon nap. It was a very relaxing ride, and we ended up in NOL just about 45 minutes late...approx. 8:20pm. Over 100 passengers detrained in New Orleans.
6/5/08
#20, The Crescent
Viewliner Roomette
Room 02, Car 2011
I splurged (well, only $49 extra isn't really splurging) and booked a Roomette on the way back. Big load this morning out of NOL...97 passengers...71 in coach and 26 in the sleepers. On time departure at 7:10am. Breakfast served right after we departed Slidell. The diner was totally full, not one open table. I sat with a couple from NOL going up to Virginia for a family wedding. The French Toast and sausage hit the spot. Back in my room about an hour later, I decided to put the top bunk down and relax for a while. Lunch started just a few minutes after 12:00pm. I had a mediocre (taste wise, not much flavor) Chicken Salad sandwich and sat with a gentleman going to Atlanta...he just went down to NOL for a short vacation. We talked about trains quite a bit as he was an avid railroad enthusiast. In between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham we had to stop for about 30 min. to let a freight pass, and then we apparentlty had slow orders all the way into BHM, because we were doing no more than 30mph for the last 20 or so miles. We ended up about 50 minutes later into BHM. Dinner was served at 5:00pm. I sat with a gentleman from ATL who was in NOL for a conferance. I had a really good steak for dinner...probably the best meal I have had on Amtrak since SDS was initiated. Again, totally full diner. They actually had a waiting list. We ended up about 1 hour late into ATL where 150 people were ready to board for the rest of the trip up to D.C/NY.
It was an enjoyable trip. All of the crew members were very friendly and seemed to really enjoy what they are doing.
My next trip will be in about two weeks...looks like it will be a one-way SEA-LAX on the Coast Starlight in coach.
