Getting off northbound Texas Eagle in St. Louis

[AudenHoggart]

The northbound Texas Eagle is scheduled to stop in St. Louis for almost an hour, and often arrives very early. If you're arriving in a sleeper, do you need to get off as soon as it arrives, or can you stay on, have breakfast, and leave sometime before the train's departure time?

Thanks.

 

[MrEd]

On my last trip, 2 couples went for breakfast at st louis while parked at the station.

 

[the_traveler]

On my last trip, I awoke, had a shower, had breakfast, went into the station to see it, and got back on the TE - ALL while the TE was stopped at STL!

I don't see any problem. Your ticket says you depart the train before it leaves STL. It doesn't say that you have to leave the TE as soon as it arrives in STL!

 

[stlouielady]

The last time I came home on it, they were in no rush to get us off. I got off immediately, but only because I needed to catch the Metro back to my car and go home. So, based on my experience, no hurry to depart; sleep in a bit longer, and leave at your leisure.

 

[Chi_Train_Fan]

The northbound Texas Eagle is scheduled to stop in St. Louis for almost an hour, and often arrives very early. If you're arriving in a sleeper, do you need to get off as soon as it arrives, or can you stay on, have breakfast, and leave sometime before the train's departure time?
Thanks.

There is always the chance that your room is being resold St. Louis to Chicago. In this case, the boarding passenger might want to board as soon as possible, so that they can enjoy breakfast etc. Check with your sleeping car attendant sometime before St. Louis to see if this will be the case, they'll have a passenger manifest to check.

Cheers,

David

 

[saxman]

As long as you are off by 7:55 you should be fine. I suppose there could be a chance someone gets a room for a day ride to Chicago, but its probably not all that likely.

 

[pebbleworm]

Why stay on the train when there's a much better breakfast half a mile away from the station-

http://roosterstl.com/

Excellent farmer-made bacon, and everything else is also very, very good.

 

[saxman]

Why stay on the train when there's a much better breakfast half a mile away from the station-http://roosterstl.com/

Excellent farmer-made bacon, and everything else is also very, very good.

Probably because the breakfast is included in the ticket. That bacon does sound good though.

 

[pebbleworm]

I figured that was the reason, but after two days on the train I'm usually eager to get something different! Free is not always good, but free does make up for a lot.

 

[GG-1]

I figured that was the reason, but after two days on the train I'm usually eager to get something different! Free is not always good, but free does make up for a lot.

Aloha

But it isn't free, it has an impact on the rooms cost. At some form or other the Amtrak Management use the Statistics regarding the number of meals served on each route, or at least I hope they do.

 

[Rob_C]

Why does the train stop for a full hour in St. Louis? I can't think of any other train in the system that has so many hours of dwell time... what's up with that? I get the connection times in San Antonio, well sort of, but why other stops? Maybe this is a topic for another thread, but what are some of the longest dwells system wide for the same train?

 

[had8ley]

Why does the train stop for a full hour in St. Louis? I can't think of any other train in the system that has so many hours of dwell time... what's up with that? I get the connection times in San Antonio, well sort of, but why other stops? Maybe this is a topic for another thread, but what are some of the longest dwells system wide for the same train?

Apparently you haven't been following the Sunset since the UP's biz went south. It's not unusual to have heavy duty dwell times in Lake Charles, Beaumont, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson and Yuma and still arrive early into LA. This could change quickly if we ever get back on our feet with the economy.

 

[the_traveler]

Another reason for the long dwell in STL is that they have to connect/disconnect "train 322/321" to/from the TE.

 

[AudenHoggart]

The northbound Texas Eagle is scheduled to stop in St. Louis for almost an hour, and often arrives very early. If you're arriving in a sleeper, do you need to get off as soon as it arrives, or can you stay on, have breakfast, and leave sometime before the train's departure time?
Thanks.

There is always the chance that your room is being resold St. Louis to Chicago. In this case, the boarding passenger might want to board as soon as possible, so that they can enjoy breakfast etc. Check with your sleeping car attendant sometime before St. Louis to see if this will be the case, they'll have a passenger manifest to check.

Cheers,

David

I see that the fare from LAX to STL is the same as the fare from LAX to ALN. I might just buy the ticket that way and avoid even the hypothetical issue of someone else booking the sleeper northbound from STL.

 

[Shanghai]

I was a sleeper passenger on the Texas Eagle in mid=September. We arrived St Louis early. I went for breakfast while the train was stopped. There were three

people eating breakfast who were getting off the train in St Louis!! They must really like Amtrak food!!

 

[Steve4031]

I rode 22 from Chicago to StL last Monday. We rode 21 to STL on Saturday. I upgraded to roomettes for both ways for my girlfriend and myself. It was an enjoyable trip for both of us. She is a non-railfan.

I was not particularly impressed with the CCC on this train. On 22, it seemed as if the crew had a hard time keeping the tables clean. We sat down at a table for breakfast on 22, and girlfriend noticed immediately the grimy residue, and encouraged one of the crew members to clean it again. Even then, there was still a grimy feeling to the table surface. I prefer the table cloths even if they are paper. At least it feels clean. The food was OK.

One thing I really appreciated was the dining car crew on 21. My girlfriend wanted hot water for her own tea bags so that she could drink it and get over a cold. These were tea bags designed to help one with a cold. I made several trips back in form to the diner for hot water, and was cheerfully accommodated each time. This exemplary service helped her with her cold, and she subsequently enjoyed the train ride more than a car ride.

People often talk about the fact that Chicago to STL can be driven in 4 hours, but they forget to mention chicago traffic, stops for gas, stops to use the bathroom, and stops for a meal. All of these push the travel time closer to 5 or 6 hours. So the train is competitive, and in a sleeper, downright relaxing.

 

[frequentflyer]

Another reason for the long dwell in STL is that they have to connect/disconnect "train 322/321" to/from the TE.

Are they still doing that? Adding a Superliner coach in STL? It would be easier to just leave the extra coach on the consist. It at least made sense back in the 80s when they used to run a seperate train (extra section) a baggage/Amfleet Eagle from STL-CHI ahead of the then tri weekly SAS-CHI train which was usually running late.

 

[AlanB]

Another reason for the long dwell in STL is that they have to connect/disconnect "train 322/321" to/from the TE.

Are they still doing that? Adding a Superliner coach in STL? It would be easier to just leave the extra coach on the consist. It at least made sense back in the 80s when they used to run a seperate train (extra section) a baggage/Amfleet Eagle from STL-CHI ahead of the then tri weekly SAS-CHI train which was usually running late.

Easier, yes. But it still doesn't make sense. You increase your fuel costs by hauling that empty coach further, and more importantly, instead of only needing 2 coaches to provide the service you'd now need 4 coaches. And when coaches are in semi-short supply, you really don't want to tie them up if you can help it.

And yes, they still do that during peak times.

 

[PaulM]

Why does the train stop for a full hour in St. Louis?

I suspect it has something to do with the fact that from STL to CHI, it serves as both a long distance and a corridor train. If you are going from San Antonio to CHI, what's an hour or two late. But if you are going from STL to Springfield or Springfield to CHI, it is more of a problem. Back in the days before the recession (or before Obama, depending on your point of view), I suspect the north bound TE was often quite late. So they added the pad for the corridor passengers.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Why does the train stop for a full hour in St. Louis?

I suspect it has something to do with the fact that from STL to CHI, it serves as both a long distance and a corridor train. If you are going from San Antonio to CHI, what's an hour or two late. But if you are going from STL to Springfield or Springfield to CHI, it is more of a problem. Back in the days before the recession (or before Obama, depending on your point of view), I suspect the north bound TE was often quite late. So they added the pad for the corridor passengers.

STL is also a refueling stop and it takes about 20-30 minutes to refuel a thirsty P42.

 

[DET63]

Why does the train stop for a full hour in St. Louis?

Whassamatta? You got sump'n against St. Louie?

 

[Striker]

Good to know it always departs at 7:55AM...I never paid much attention last year. This year will be helpful since my car rental place doesn't open until 9AM.

I do have an off topic question though....has the St. Louis station been good about keeping the first class lounge open lately? Do they only have it open during certain hours? Is it a hassle to get them to open it? I asked twice last year and got denied both times (and yes I did book a bedroom).