amtrakwolverine
Engineer
Got up at 5:30AM and got dressed. Turned on the laptop and checked AU to see if anything was going on. Went down to the lobby around 6:20AM to get a quick breakfast as we had to leave at 6:45AM to go to the gateway station. Penny Eric and others took a cab while me Alan his mother dick and others took the light rail to the station. At the station me Jerry penny and others found the first class lounge(if you can call it that) and waited to board the TE to Chicago while the rest of the group would get off at normal and take another train back to STL. The train pulled in on time refueled then the conductor came and boarded us sleeping pax first. Our sleeper attendant was Jim who was with us on the way to STL and we had the same dining car crew. everyone on the train was nice and did there job to perfection.
After departure me and Jerry and penny and others went to the diner for breakfast. I had the omelet with eggs biscuit and pork patty sausage and a diet sierra mist. After breakfast me and Jerry went and hung out in the lounge for while with the other AU members. The train had a marketing engineer on the train giving out info like the sunset going daily etc.About a 2 hours later around 10:30Am they called for lunch. Me penny and Bill went together. I had the Angus burger with a Pepsi(they were out of diet everything) When the train got to normal the gathering members who were turning around got off while me penny Jerry had8ley and others continued on to Chicago.
The train was 20 Minutes early into Chicago and they let us ride in the lounge car all the way to the platform(me and Jerry were the only 2 in the car upon arrival. We could see the new rail they put down and crews were working on a Sunday. They even replaced the track clips inside the station.Once off the train I headed the metropolitan lounge stored my bags and then me and penny and Jerry went for a walk down to whole foods(a store that sells organic foods). After shopping we went back to Chicago and found out had8ley and a couple others almost got arrested thanks to the gate SS. They tried to get on the platform to get a picture of 2 private cars and were caught. She was calling them criminals and said they were trespassing she didn't want ID or there tickets or anything she was nuts. Me penny and Jerry missed that action.
After a short rest break me and penny went for another walk down to the river front to find the end of the Chicago marathon(the sidewalks were crowded for the 10-10-10 Marathon) we were hot since it was 87 outside so we went back but could see lake Michigan in the distance.The router in the lounge was done so the internet did not work and I did not try the desktop computers and they are extremely slow. At 5:20PM they called for boarding and I said goodbye to everyone and went to the boarding gate. Saxman would be on the same train in a different car going to Dearborn.Once on the platform I could see the train had 7 cars instead of 5 due to the increase in passengers due to the 10-10-10 Chicago marathon.
The train departed Chicago on time but was slow running at first due to track work. The cafe car was stocked like right before departure so it took some time for the attendant to set things up but people don't listen to the announcements and started heading they prompting the conductor to tell them shes not open yet. One lady walked from her car to mine to use the restroom and the conductor though she was heading to the cafe as he said kinda loudly "Miss were you heading?" She goes" to the bathroom is that alright?" Don't the bathrooms work on in your car? Yeah but I'm not using it with all the babies in there. Is that a problem? she then slams the restroom door a couple times.The conductor or assistant conductor one of the 2 was really into his job. he gave a long welcome speech that included all the stops and how long it takes to get to each one etc.
Also when he announcements the stops he does part of the welcoming speech and also once the train leaves the station he goes "once again ladies and gentlemen that was Niles Michigan Niles Michigan was our last stop our next stop will be Kalamazoo MI in 40 minutes 20 minutes after that is etc etc. He also kept referring to the train as the "twilight Limited". Also the wolverine still does 95+ it's not 110 yet.When the train got to Kalamazoo MI allot of people in my car got off. allot of the people on the train ran in the Chicago 10-10-10 Marathon.In battle creek we had a change of crew and that ended the post station announcements. Train arrived into Royal Oak around 1:30AM. Once at the station I called a cab and it took a while for the cab to arrive and once did got home around 2:30AM.
After departure me and Jerry and penny and others went to the diner for breakfast. I had the omelet with eggs biscuit and pork patty sausage and a diet sierra mist. After breakfast me and Jerry went and hung out in the lounge for while with the other AU members. The train had a marketing engineer on the train giving out info like the sunset going daily etc.About a 2 hours later around 10:30Am they called for lunch. Me penny and Bill went together. I had the Angus burger with a Pepsi(they were out of diet everything) When the train got to normal the gathering members who were turning around got off while me penny Jerry had8ley and others continued on to Chicago.
The train was 20 Minutes early into Chicago and they let us ride in the lounge car all the way to the platform(me and Jerry were the only 2 in the car upon arrival. We could see the new rail they put down and crews were working on a Sunday. They even replaced the track clips inside the station.Once off the train I headed the metropolitan lounge stored my bags and then me and penny and Jerry went for a walk down to whole foods(a store that sells organic foods). After shopping we went back to Chicago and found out had8ley and a couple others almost got arrested thanks to the gate SS. They tried to get on the platform to get a picture of 2 private cars and were caught. She was calling them criminals and said they were trespassing she didn't want ID or there tickets or anything she was nuts. Me penny and Jerry missed that action.
After a short rest break me and penny went for another walk down to the river front to find the end of the Chicago marathon(the sidewalks were crowded for the 10-10-10 Marathon) we were hot since it was 87 outside so we went back but could see lake Michigan in the distance.The router in the lounge was done so the internet did not work and I did not try the desktop computers and they are extremely slow. At 5:20PM they called for boarding and I said goodbye to everyone and went to the boarding gate. Saxman would be on the same train in a different car going to Dearborn.Once on the platform I could see the train had 7 cars instead of 5 due to the increase in passengers due to the 10-10-10 Chicago marathon.
The train departed Chicago on time but was slow running at first due to track work. The cafe car was stocked like right before departure so it took some time for the attendant to set things up but people don't listen to the announcements and started heading they prompting the conductor to tell them shes not open yet. One lady walked from her car to mine to use the restroom and the conductor though she was heading to the cafe as he said kinda loudly "Miss were you heading?" She goes" to the bathroom is that alright?" Don't the bathrooms work on in your car? Yeah but I'm not using it with all the babies in there. Is that a problem? she then slams the restroom door a couple times.The conductor or assistant conductor one of the 2 was really into his job. he gave a long welcome speech that included all the stops and how long it takes to get to each one etc.
Also when he announcements the stops he does part of the welcoming speech and also once the train leaves the station he goes "once again ladies and gentlemen that was Niles Michigan Niles Michigan was our last stop our next stop will be Kalamazoo MI in 40 minutes 20 minutes after that is etc etc. He also kept referring to the train as the "twilight Limited". Also the wolverine still does 95+ it's not 110 yet.When the train got to Kalamazoo MI allot of people in my car got off. allot of the people on the train ran in the Chicago 10-10-10 Marathon.In battle creek we had a change of crew and that ended the post station announcements. Train arrived into Royal Oak around 1:30AM. Once at the station I called a cab and it took a while for the cab to arrive and once did got home around 2:30AM.
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