What was supposed to have been a trip for both my wife and I to the Winter Park Spring Art Show turned out to be a solo trip, since my wife wasn't feeling well(...she's much better this morning, thank you!). As it turned out, #91 was an hour and a half late coming into JAX, expected to depart at 10:00 am.
Having not been to the above mentioned art show, I wasn't prepared for the number of people getting on the train to go to Winter Park(WPK). At least 40 ladies of the "Red Hat Society" were getting on(.....a "baby boomer" age chick thing......I don't really understand!!), which added a classy atmosphere to the trip. As advertised, #91 left JAX at 10:00am
Just prior to Palatka(PAK), about an hour into the trip, I walked down to the diner inquiring about lunch. I was told, rather surly like, that lunch wouldn't be served until after the train left Orlando, around 12:30 or so! With what was now a 3/4's full train(or more), it seemed that the dining car crew missed the boat on that move.....both in terms of revenue, and certainly customer service!! I was later told by an unnamed Amtrak person that the reason that the diner didn't open until after Orlando was because 90% of the passengers detrain there, including most of the sleeping car passengers.....who would othewise receive complimentary meals! A valid point, perhaps....but, one that seems "pinch penny", if customer service is the goal(!!..??)
In Palatka, 60 people got on, going to WPK. Many of these people were already "feeling no pain", having already started drinking in the wait for the train. Also, two huge coolers went on the train full of beer, booze, etc..so, for the next couple of hours, we had a rolling spring break frat party in the last car, but the party-ers were are in their 40's and 50's!!
So, between the "Red Hat Society", and the "middle age road trip"....the ride certainly wasn't boring!!
#91 arrived in WPK at 12:45. Since I'd found out earlier from "Julie" that #98 was nearly an hour behind also, I decided to return on the Meteor, rather than wait for the Star..........one, because since my wife wasn't with me, I really couldn't totally enjoy the art show.......and, two......all the drunks and the "Red Hats" were all coming back on #92, and I'd had all the fun that I could stand!!
After taking on 153 passengers in Orlando, #98 picked about 8 of us up at WPK at 2:05pm. I made a "bee line" to the diner for lunch, and they were still serving, and glad to have me!!(...go figure?). Upon meeting my lunch companion, who also got on in Winter Park, the trip got even more interesting!!
I was seated next to who I thought to be a conductor...or, he at least was dressed like the conductor, short sleeve white shirt, tie, dark vest, dark pants....passing out brochures from the Art Festival to the crew and passengers in the diner. In fact, when the train stopped in Sanford, he got off, and came right back on when it departed.
Turns out that this fellow is a railfan living in the Orlando area, who rides the train all the time on a Florida rail pass....who is known by all the crew members...who just enchanted me for the ride back to JAX with our Amtrak talk. Also, he carried a mini photo album showing 30 years worh of Amtrak trains, plus his trips to Canada riding VIA.
Anyway, he'd found out that #97 was nearly five hours late coming into JAX, so, his plan was to ride #98 up....and return to WPK on the massively delayed #97. He'd called "Julie"....and, according to her, this was easily doable.
"Julie", however, can be a fickle woman! About 10 minutes from arriving into JAX, #97 passes us going south, stranding my new friend. Unfazed, he said that he'd ride #98 to Charleston(CHS), catch #89, riding it back to Sebring(SBG), and picking up the next day's #98 there, returning to WPK upwards of 24 hours later. Now, I might have caught a taxi in Jacksonville, and taken the Greyhound back to Orlando, since there is about 15-16 buses of that type per day....each to his own!!
Anyway, I have to return to my classroom Monday, and just dare any of my students to ask me..."Sir...what did you do over Spring Breal??"
Having not been to the above mentioned art show, I wasn't prepared for the number of people getting on the train to go to Winter Park(WPK). At least 40 ladies of the "Red Hat Society" were getting on(.....a "baby boomer" age chick thing......I don't really understand!!), which added a classy atmosphere to the trip. As advertised, #91 left JAX at 10:00am
Just prior to Palatka(PAK), about an hour into the trip, I walked down to the diner inquiring about lunch. I was told, rather surly like, that lunch wouldn't be served until after the train left Orlando, around 12:30 or so! With what was now a 3/4's full train(or more), it seemed that the dining car crew missed the boat on that move.....both in terms of revenue, and certainly customer service!! I was later told by an unnamed Amtrak person that the reason that the diner didn't open until after Orlando was because 90% of the passengers detrain there, including most of the sleeping car passengers.....who would othewise receive complimentary meals! A valid point, perhaps....but, one that seems "pinch penny", if customer service is the goal(!!..??)
In Palatka, 60 people got on, going to WPK. Many of these people were already "feeling no pain", having already started drinking in the wait for the train. Also, two huge coolers went on the train full of beer, booze, etc..so, for the next couple of hours, we had a rolling spring break frat party in the last car, but the party-ers were are in their 40's and 50's!!
So, between the "Red Hat Society", and the "middle age road trip"....the ride certainly wasn't boring!!
#91 arrived in WPK at 12:45. Since I'd found out earlier from "Julie" that #98 was nearly an hour behind also, I decided to return on the Meteor, rather than wait for the Star..........one, because since my wife wasn't with me, I really couldn't totally enjoy the art show.......and, two......all the drunks and the "Red Hats" were all coming back on #92, and I'd had all the fun that I could stand!!
After taking on 153 passengers in Orlando, #98 picked about 8 of us up at WPK at 2:05pm. I made a "bee line" to the diner for lunch, and they were still serving, and glad to have me!!(...go figure?). Upon meeting my lunch companion, who also got on in Winter Park, the trip got even more interesting!!
I was seated next to who I thought to be a conductor...or, he at least was dressed like the conductor, short sleeve white shirt, tie, dark vest, dark pants....passing out brochures from the Art Festival to the crew and passengers in the diner. In fact, when the train stopped in Sanford, he got off, and came right back on when it departed.
Turns out that this fellow is a railfan living in the Orlando area, who rides the train all the time on a Florida rail pass....who is known by all the crew members...who just enchanted me for the ride back to JAX with our Amtrak talk. Also, he carried a mini photo album showing 30 years worh of Amtrak trains, plus his trips to Canada riding VIA.
Anyway, he'd found out that #97 was nearly five hours late coming into JAX, so, his plan was to ride #98 up....and return to WPK on the massively delayed #97. He'd called "Julie"....and, according to her, this was easily doable.
"Julie", however, can be a fickle woman! About 10 minutes from arriving into JAX, #97 passes us going south, stranding my new friend. Unfazed, he said that he'd ride #98 to Charleston(CHS), catch #89, riding it back to Sebring(SBG), and picking up the next day's #98 there, returning to WPK upwards of 24 hours later. Now, I might have caught a taxi in Jacksonville, and taken the Greyhound back to Orlando, since there is about 15-16 buses of that type per day....each to his own!!
Anyway, I have to return to my classroom Monday, and just dare any of my students to ask me..."Sir...what did you do over Spring Breal??"