Memories of Amtrak past

[rrdude]

Let's try this again, after my PC's "Blue Screen of Death" erased my last attempt........

Domes. Domes. Domes. I really, really, miss DOMES.

Full dining cars, FULLY STAFFED.

Toast.

REAL, heavy china, linen table-cloths and napkins. Real flatware. Glass drinking glasses. Real Cream in the china creamers.

Iceberg lettuce wedge salads, freshly prepared with a tomato sliced just hours before you ordered it.

Ice cream. (Although in pre-Superliner days, it would be ROCK hard due to the dry-ice)

Did I mention TOAST?

Slumbercoaches. Round-ended observation car-lounges.

Chimes before dinner. I think the steward I worked for on the Chief had his own set of chimes, because that's the only train on which I was ever asked to use them.

Single-Level LOUNGE cars, not AmCrapays, er, I mean AmCafes.

I miss the Men's and Women's "Lounge Area" in the bathrooms, although I get they were a huge waste of space, and always oh-so-smokey.

Dutch-Doors. DAMN, I miss dutch doors.

Service-With-A-Smile. It happens today, but it' too rare. God Bless all of you current Amtrak employees who make BIG EXTRA bucks off your tips (I did too as a kid, a LOT!) You all are one of the main reasons I even come back after some "Trip-From-Hell".

Rainbow Trains. We all knew they were short-lived, but they were fun to see.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Hi guys,

Sorry about the "Crescent" mistake. I thought it was the Crescent but I'm obviously mistaken. I am sure it was Atlanta to Chattanooga and back (we stayed in Chattanooga at least one night), and it was not an excursion train. I'm almost certain it had a diesel locomotive. This would have been sometime after 1966, not sure if it could have been as late as 1970 or not. I don't remember which Atlanta station we used. I think it was the Southern Railway but I suppose it could have been Central of Ga. Sorry my memory of the details is so sketchy, and thanks for the info.

I probably still have a few pictures stashed away somewhere but I haven't seen them in years.

I have no doubt that it was the Royal Palm, you left from Terminal Station and you were diesel. A typical schedule for the time would have been leave ATL 8,10 am arrive Chatta 12.10 noon. Return leave Chatta 5.20p;m arrive ATL 9/15p[m You probably rode at the tailend of fairly decent service,

 

[crescent2]

Thanks, Bill H.-

That sounds right!

 

[ken]

I miss the Rohr turboliners -- those huge windows to watch the Hudson or Lake Champlain!

I loved the heritage coaches, sometimes with etched glass. Of course the domes were wonderful. Taking Amtrak to/from Grand Central.

 

[rrdude]

I miss the Rohr turboliners -- those huge windows to watch the Hudson or Lake Champlain!

I loved the heritage coaches, sometimes with etched glass. Of course the domes were wonderful. Taking Amtrak to/from Grand Central.

Oh yeah, I agree the Turboliners, both French-built and Rohr, were GREAT for viewing the countryside, as well as that "Hummm" of the gas-guzzling turbo engine.

Also, from an employee standpoint, I DEEPLY missed the continuous loop, chain-driven tray-elevators on the Santa Fe Hi-Level diners. Superliner diners were outfitted with dumbwaiters, which meant that trays of entrees, or trays full of dirty dishes never, ever, came crashing down into the kitchen, BUT the dumbwaiters were SLOW, SLOW, SLOW, SLOW compared to the chain-tray system.

What I DON'T miss:

1. No Centralized Reservations prior to Amtrak
   
2. Steam Heat and batteries, ugh!
   
3. Loading Presto-Brand logs and charcoal in the old single-level diners at Kansas City on the route of the Chief
   
4. Broken Air-conditioning on pre-Superliner cars
   
5. Loading skids of ice, and dry ice.