Meal times on the trains

[sjstarkey]

My other questions relate to food.

On the Tex.Eagle, we are getting on in Little Rock. I would assume they are feeding us breakfast and lunch before we get to Chi. If the train is running really late, will dinner be included?

On the LSL we arrive in New york at 7:35pm, so does that mean they feed us dinner?

On the Capital Limited from Wash., do we get breakfast before we arrive in Chi?

On the SWC, I would assume all the meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served. Is this correct?

Thanks for all the help.

We are leaving for a little mini-vacation on June 18th, before we hop on the train in Little Rock on the 21st.

I will probably have a ton more questions, before we leave on the 18th.... :blink:

Staci

 

[the_traveler]

Meal times are the "normal" time the majority of people would have meals. That is (IIRC) something like 6:30-9 AM, 11:30 AM - 2 PM and 5-9 PM. And these are local time. (An exception would if the time zone border is crossed during meal time.)

When the origination city of the train or the final city of the train will be during a "normal" meal period, they may serve a short meal period. (An example is the CL into CHI. I'm not saying these are the times, but they may only serve from 6-7 AM, due to the arrival time.)

Beyond that, if you are on a train at meal time, you should get a meal.

 

[gswager]

Other option if you can't wait is to go to the snack bar. It opens from like 6 or 7 am until midnight. However, don't expected that due to taking several breaks for the LSA. If he/she is on break, it's closed.

 

[sweet tea]

on the TE from LRK, you will get breakfast and lunch -- sometimes lunch comes pretty early, since they're trying to shut the diner down, so there's not necessarily a lot of time between those meals if you sleep in at all (which we tend to, since we're getting on the train so late). i've never gotten dinner on that train, but i've only ever been a couple of hours late.

oh, be sure to call amtrak before heading to the station in LRK -- the train is sometimes substantially late, and you may be able to avoid a couple hours sitting in the station.

on the LSL to NYP, you will NOT get dinner. i'd advise packing a snack or planning to get something in the cafe car -- that train is often late, and even if it isn't, you may not want to have to deal with finding food immediately upon arrival.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Giordano's?

 

[sjstarkey]

on the TE from LRK, you will get breakfast and lunch -- sometimes lunch comes pretty early, since they're trying to shut the diner down, so there's not necessarily a lot of time between those meals if you sleep in at all (which we tend to, since we're getting on the train so late). i've never gotten dinner on that train, but i've only ever been a couple of hours late.
oh, be sure to call amtrak before heading to the station in LRK -- the train is sometimes substantially late, and you may be able to avoid a couple hours sitting in the station.

on the LSL to NYP, you will NOT get dinner. i'd advise packing a snack or planning to get something in the cafe car -- that train is often late, and even if it isn't, you may not want to have to deal with finding food immediately upon arrival.

I am planning on picking up the tickets at LRK. It shows that the ticket booth is open aroung 10pm. If the train is running late, will the tickets booth, stay open later than the posted hours? I will have my 12 yr old daughter with me and sitting in the station for a really late train doesn't sound like fun. I am just concerned that if I do not get there by 10:30 I will not get tickets.

Thanks for your help

Staci

 

[Walt]

I am planning on picking up the tickets at LRK. It shows that the ticket booth is open aroung 10pm. If the train is running late, will the tickets booth, stay open later than the posted hours? I will have my 12 yr old daughter with me and sitting in the station for a really late train doesn't sound like fun. I am just concerned that if I do not get there by 10:30 I will not get tickets.

I just checked LRK, and the ticket office opens at either 10:30pm or 11:00pm, and appears to stay open through the night, until at least 8:00am the next morning (even longer on some days).

 

[gswager]

If the ticket booths are closed, you can do the Quik-Trak ticket machine to pick the tickets up.

 

[Walt]

The website says there are no Quik-Trak machines at LRK. :angry:

 

[sweet tea]

i don't remember any ticket machines at LRK (though i have always already had my tickets in hand, since i've been coming TO LRK).

the station is beautiful, but most of it is a restaurant (?). the small (but clean, with nice wooden benches) waiting room is downstairs, trackside.

 

[daveyb99]

On the Tex.Eagle, we are getting on in Little Rock. I would assume they are feeding us breakfast and lunch before we get to Chi. If the train is running really late, will dinner be included?

Yes, breakfast and lunch are available.

I would say "NO" to dinner if late because they likely only provision for one dinner.

But if the Eagle is very late, like maybe after 8:00pm or so, AND the crew thinks it to be a good thing to do, would they open the kitchen and serve whatever remains? Maybe so.

 

[the_traveler]

But if the Eagle is very late, like maybe after 8:00pm or so, AND the crew thinks it to be a good thing to do, would they open the kitchen and serve whatever remains? Maybe so.

They may. Or what they may do is something like what happened to me.

Years ago, I was on the LSL (back in the "old days" when it had a dining car) that had a locomotive breakdown that put us 9 hours late. We should have got to ALB about noon, but did not arrive until after 9 PM. What Amtrak did was supply all the passengers with sandwiches, chips and soda - free of charge. (It was not something from the dining car, they were something like Subway or such, and brought to the train.)

BTW - We got to BOS after 3 AM, instead of the scheduled 6 PM!

 

[had8ley]

On the Tex.Eagle, we are getting on in Little Rock. I would assume they are feeding us breakfast and lunch before we get to Chi. If the train is running really late, will dinner be included?

Yes, breakfast and lunch are available.

I would say "NO" to dinner if late because they likely only provision for one dinner.

But if the Eagle is very late, like maybe after 8:00pm or so, AND the crew thinks it to be a good thing to do, would they open the kitchen and serve whatever remains? Maybe so.

I imagine it would be slim pickins as the crew said the CCC is supplied in Chicago for the ROUND TRIP! All they pick up on the way down and back is ice and a few other incidentals.

 

[sjstarkey]

On the Tex.Eagle, we are getting on in Little Rock. I would assume they are feeding us breakfast and lunch before we get to Chi. If the train is running really late, will dinner be included?

Yes, breakfast and lunch are available.

I would say "NO" to dinner if late because they likely only provision for one dinner.

But if the Eagle is very late, like maybe after 8:00pm or so, AND the crew thinks it to be a good thing to do, would they open the kitchen and serve whatever remains? Maybe so.

I imagine it would be slim pickins as the crew said the CCC is supplied in Chicago for the ROUND TRIP! All they pick up on the way down and back is ice and a few other incidentals.

Hopefully, we won't be too late. My daughter is going to need to eat dinner at a reasonable hour. Now with all the weather stuff I am seeing on tv, I am getting really concerned about schedules. They will make sure that our connections are made, correct?

 

[Walt]

They will make sure that our connections are made, correct?

No. But neither to the airlines.

If you haven't already, check out the other current thread here, guaranteed connections.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

They will make sure that our connections are made, correct?

No. But neither to the airlines.

If you haven't already, check out the other current thread here, guaranteed connections.

Huh? Assuming she booked them as one ticket, the LSL is a guaranteed connection to the Texas Eagle. Actually, I think the LSL is a guaranteed connection to ALL LD trains, and is the last Amtrak train to depart Chicago.

If you miss the LSL, Amtrak will make good on it. They may offer you some options, or just provide for one. They may include, but are not limited to: putting you up overnight in a hotel all expenses (possibly including taxi and meals) paid, bussing you to catch up with the LSL, or I have heard about them flying passengers in rare circumstances. Amtrak is pretty good about screw ups, even if its not their fault.

 

[sjstarkey]

They will make sure that our connections are made, correct?

No. But neither to the airlines.

If you haven't already, check out the other current thread here, guaranteed connections.

Huh? Assuming she booked them as one ticket, the LSL is a guaranteed connection to the Texas Eagle. Actually, I think the LSL is a guaranteed connection to ALL LD trains, and is the last Amtrak train to depart Chicago.

If you miss the LSL, Amtrak will make good on it. They may offer you some options, or just provide for one. They may include, but are not limited to: putting you up overnight in a hotel all expenses (possibly including taxi and meals) paid, bussing you to catch up with the LSL, or I have heard about them flying passengers in rare circumstances. Amtrak is pretty good about screw ups, even if its not their fault.

That is nice to know. This is our fist long distance trip and I do not have really set plans for anything, but I have paid in advance for apartments and hotels and I will be upset if I have wasted that money.

I do not care when we arrive in NYP from CHI, just that we arrive.