The smaller the stop, the briefer time that the train sits there. Also, the conductor will tell smokers when they can get off and when there is no time for a smoke. Stops get shorter when the train is behind schedule. That could be more times than not. I'd say the times on the schedule (I had a paper version and checked it frequently) are aspirations, not something to depend on. Only the final stop is likely to be accurate. I took EB westbound and switched routes at Spokane. We rolled into Portland well ahead of schedule. Our Spokane stop was, I think, cut in half due to the train being behind. A the whistle stops (or whatever the current phrase might be), they really only took the time to get waiting passengers aboard and then chugged away. That was one important thing I learned on my round trip. We left on time, arrived ahead of time, but were behind in between.
