Josh M
Train Attendant
[SIZE=12pt]Well, I’ve finished my first cross-country round trip on the Wolverine and CZ, and what a way to travel! I loved every minute of it. Now that I’ve had a chance to get back into the swing of things at home, here’s the report![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Westbound Wolverine:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Not a whole lot to say here. I was the first business class passenger on the train, so I had my pick of the seats. I got one of the single seats on the right side of the train. It was a bit rough down the CN line into Detroit, but smoothed out considerably as we headed toward Dearborn. There were lots of visible signs along the way that track work was being done…construction equipment, etc. The corridor should be pretty nice by the time they get the Kalamazoo-Dearborn upgrades finished. Hopefully it will shave the run time as hoped; I’m definitely taking the train next time I go to Chicago. On this trip, we made good time and only got to Chicago about 10 minutes late.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Westbound CZ:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I was so amped up by the time we got on to the train at Union Station that it’s sort of a blur. The Metropolitan Lounge was nice, but I honestly wasn’t in it for very long. I slept in at my hotel and walked to the station in some very gorgeous 70 degree weather. I left my suitcase in the holding room and grabbed lunch, so all told I was only in the lounge for probably half an hour before they started boarding. (It was also very crowded, so I was happy to get out and move around for a while.)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We departed on time, and the staff was right on top of things. I had dinner reservations before we even hit Naperville. I was in 0531, Room 4, with a nice view out the left/south-facing side of the train. Our SCA was VERY attentive, friendly, and visible the entire trip. She stayed within Amtrak’s new rules about coffee, water, etc., but she was happy to run up to the diner to grab a coffee if it was outside of “coffee hours” in the sleeper, and was good about personally checking in on people.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]As a first time rider, I found the equipment on #5 to be in very good repair. We had a Heritage bag and Superliner II’s, led by engines #20 and #1. I came well prepared for squeaks, rattles, climate control problems, etc., and had to face none of them on the westbound trip. It did get a teensy bit warm at times, but that was an issue for the entire train given how hot it was outside through Colorado, Utah, and Nevada; once we were in the shade or night fell, everything was fine. I’ll also never forget the experience of showering on a moving train for the first time. Thank goodness for the grab bars![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Sleeping on the train far easier than I expected, though I was glad I had ear plugs per the recommendations on here. The rocking motion was actually very soothing. I did wake up early both mornings, but I attribute that more to excitement and my body still being on Eastern time than anything particular to the train.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The diner was about what I expected. The food was good. Not great, but good. Had I been in coach, I probably would’ve been visiting the café/lounge for my food instead, though. I suppose my expectations were tempered a bit by all that I’ve read here, so thanks for giving me a realistic view of what to look forward to! Probably the biggest complaint I had the entire westbound trip, though, was that the dining car staff was not very welcoming. The lead steward was very friendly, but we barely dealt with her. The rest of the staff, not so friendly. I understand that they’re busy without a lot of time between meals, of course, but there is no need to be gruff or snap at people if they don’t hear something that is mumbled at them or announced over a crackly speaker.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We did have one interesting incident in my sleeper on the final morning. There was a passenger that I was almost certain was going to get put off the train, but our conductor must’ve been in a good mood. This particular passenger was apparently from one of the coach cars, but he found his way back to our car (for the free coffee). When our SCA confronted him and said someone had identified him as a coach passenger, he started cursing (which really set our SCA off because we had several children in the car) and going on about how uncomfortable the train was; he also claimed (though I don’t know if it was true) that he had a bedroom in another car. They went around for a minute while I stood waiting on the stairs to get back to my room. At some point, they finally went to talk to the conductor. It must’ve gotten worked out somehow, but myself and at least one other passenger who witnessed the whole thing wrote out statements on our SCA’s behalf when we found out that the passenger was threatening to call Amtrak to complain about her.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Time-wise, we didn’t run into any of the huge delays that plagued the CZ earlier this summer. By the time we got to Omaha, we’d lost maybe 20 minutes. We got to Denver about on time, lost some time again in the mountains, but then the way was clear into Utah—we actually got to SLC 24 minutes early. That, however, was the end of our good fortune. We were scheduled to depart SLC at 11:30, but didn’t leave until 12:42. I’d stayed up because I wanted to get fresh air, and then noticed once I was back in my room that we just kept sitting, and sitting, and sitting. Because it was late night, I didn’t notice anything odd about our route. We all found out the next morning, though, that we had to wait for a UP pilot before being routed north to Ogden to take the causeway across the Great Salt Lake. Apparently, a UP train had some engine issues on a steep grade west of SLC, and the lack of momentum caused at least one of the cars they were hauling to tip. Without the reroute, we probably still would’ve been sitting in SLC at dawn; as it was, we didn’t even make Elko until just after sunrise, about 3 hours late. We ran late the rest of the way to Emeryville, which we reached about 2.5 hours late. Not bad considering what it could have been.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=12pt]San Francisco:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Not a whole lot to say other than I absolutely loved the city and hated having to leave after what felt like such a short time. I did the tourist thing the day after arriving and hit many of the highlight spots like the Ferry Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. I took the Muni light rail and street cars everywhere I could; for anyone going to San Francisco for a few days or a week, I highly recommend buying a Muni Passport (1-day, 3-day, or 7-day). It’s easy to use and soooo worth it if you’re going to be moving around the city a lot. I also did a day trip out to Sonoma and Napa (not the Wine Train, though…). I had fun trying to figure out how to fit the 4 bottles I bought into my suitcase without risking anything breaking during the connector bus trip to Emeryville or while it was squished onto the luggage rack downstairs.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I also had great luck with the weather. It was so bright and sunny that the pictures from my tour day looked like postcard photos. It was also unusually warm in the city over the weekend, and everyone who lived there didn’t know what to do. Things snapped back to normal (read: cooler) on Monday and Tuesday, which was just fine with me. Oh, and of course I have to mention that I got jolted out of bed by an earthquake (4.0!) on the Hayward Fault. I’ve felt mild quakes before in Michigan, but always from a great distance. This one was only a few miles away, actually very close to Emeryville. Very disconcerting for a Midwesterner, but at least it wasn’t the “big one” that they’re worried is coming soon on the same fault![/SIZE]
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[SIZE=12pt]Eastbound CZ:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]A somewhat different experience than when I headed west. The equipment was much older, and it showed (and you could hear it). On this trip, I was in 0632, Room 6. Fortunately, the cars were lined up so that I was on the left side of the train again; thus, going east, I had the opposite view.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We were led east by #72 and #199. All of the cars (other than the Heritage bag, of course) looked to be Superliner I’s. My sleeper had a placard downstairs that it had been rebuilt at Beech Grove; I’m guessing that was a while ago. It really looked like it could just use a thorough cleaning inside and maybe a few replacement parts like new tracks for the curtains, new light sconces, etc. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but neither was it generally as nice as what I had going west. Lots of long-accumulated dirt, dust, and grime in the nooks and crannies, rather than the “oh this wasn’t cleaned very well before they turned the train” variety. There were a few good things, of course, like slightly more spacious bathrooms and a larger shower and dressing room. That said, there were LOTS of squeaks, creaks, and rattles. One rattle in particular was apparently inside the wall (so no stopping it) and continued constantly for the entire 2+ days. The climate control also seemed to be stuck on Arctic Blast no matter what anyone did, and the vent didn’t shut. Thankfully, I had an extra blanket in my suitcase.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The SCA was far less visible than on #5. He did come around and introduce himself at the beginning of the trip and ask if there were any questions. But after that, the only times I really saw him were during fresh air stops and when it was time to put the beds down or up. I did hear him bragging to some other passengers at one point that he had been doing this for over 30 years and had won awards. Ok then. I still gave him a tip, of course, but it less than when I was on #5.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The dining car was a little better heading east than west. The staff was a bit friendly, though still kind of short at times. On the plus side, they actually managed to get me a bacon cheeseburger when I ordered one for lunch the second day, which I didn’t think was actually possible given that I’d ordered one twice on the #5 and always just got a plain burger. Go figure![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We ended up getting into Chicago just under an hour late on Friday the 21st. We had been doing very well until just west of Granby. We hit every station from Emeryville to Glenwood Springs on time or early. As we got closer to Granby, though, we were shunted into a siding to wait for #5 to pass us. They were running late, and we had to sit there for almost 40 minutes. After they passed, we then had to slow down and/or wait for a couple freights that were coming up behind #5. It was stop and go from there to Denver, where we arrived just as the sun was setting (about 45 minutes late). The rest of the night saw us gradually lose a few more minutes thanks to several slow orders from BNSF that cut us from full speed to 25 M.P.H. in some places. By the time we got to Omaha and western Iowa, we were about an hour and 15 minutes behind. (Note: I’m not complaining by any means. I was having fun on the train, it was nearing the end of my vacation, and it could’ve been a LOT worse.) We managed to trim back some of the loss as we got closer to Chicago. We were 54 minutes late, which was just fine by me given that all I was doing was going to my hotel.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=12pt]Eastbound Wolverine:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The Met Lounge was far less crowded, which surprised me given that it was Saturday. (I had another business class seat, because why not?) I was slightly jealous of the people heading west on the CZ, SWC, TE, and EB. Ok, maybe more than slightly.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The trip was pretty uneventful. We made great time, reaching each of the first few stations early. From then on, the phrase of the evening was “slow orders,” due to the ongoing track work. In some places, they cut us to 15 M.P.H. per our conductor. Somehow, though, we managed not to lose a lot of time. I left the train at Royal Oak, which we reached only 7 minutes behind schedule.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Overall:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]This was hands down my favorite way to travel. It was far less hassle than flying (and less frightening), and more comfortable than driving. Being able to recline my seat and put my feet up was fantastic. Being able to shower and getting all my meals was also high on the plus list. What really did it for me, though, was the scenery. I was going to take a book or magazine, but in the end I just spent 90% of my time staring out the window. Even the rolling hills of corn in Iowa kept my attention. My favorite areas were the most popular ones, though: the Colorado canyons and the Sierras. I haven’t checked yet to see how many pictures I took, but it’s probably well over 1,000. (I’m of the “take enough and one is bound to turn out” school of photography.)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Even with some of the minor things—the unfriendliness of the diner staff, the creaks and rattles, the minor delays—this is definitely something I will be doing again in the future. I think next on the list will be the EB; I’ve always wanted to see Glacier National Park and the Pacific Northwest, after all.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Thank you again one more time for all the tips I received on the forum. I think this trip might have been a vastly different experience if I hadn’t found such a great resource. I truly appreciate it. I’ll certainly be sticking around, of course, and hopefully it won’t be long before I get to write my next trip report![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Westbound Wolverine:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Not a whole lot to say here. I was the first business class passenger on the train, so I had my pick of the seats. I got one of the single seats on the right side of the train. It was a bit rough down the CN line into Detroit, but smoothed out considerably as we headed toward Dearborn. There were lots of visible signs along the way that track work was being done…construction equipment, etc. The corridor should be pretty nice by the time they get the Kalamazoo-Dearborn upgrades finished. Hopefully it will shave the run time as hoped; I’m definitely taking the train next time I go to Chicago. On this trip, we made good time and only got to Chicago about 10 minutes late.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Westbound CZ:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I was so amped up by the time we got on to the train at Union Station that it’s sort of a blur. The Metropolitan Lounge was nice, but I honestly wasn’t in it for very long. I slept in at my hotel and walked to the station in some very gorgeous 70 degree weather. I left my suitcase in the holding room and grabbed lunch, so all told I was only in the lounge for probably half an hour before they started boarding. (It was also very crowded, so I was happy to get out and move around for a while.)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We departed on time, and the staff was right on top of things. I had dinner reservations before we even hit Naperville. I was in 0531, Room 4, with a nice view out the left/south-facing side of the train. Our SCA was VERY attentive, friendly, and visible the entire trip. She stayed within Amtrak’s new rules about coffee, water, etc., but she was happy to run up to the diner to grab a coffee if it was outside of “coffee hours” in the sleeper, and was good about personally checking in on people.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]As a first time rider, I found the equipment on #5 to be in very good repair. We had a Heritage bag and Superliner II’s, led by engines #20 and #1. I came well prepared for squeaks, rattles, climate control problems, etc., and had to face none of them on the westbound trip. It did get a teensy bit warm at times, but that was an issue for the entire train given how hot it was outside through Colorado, Utah, and Nevada; once we were in the shade or night fell, everything was fine. I’ll also never forget the experience of showering on a moving train for the first time. Thank goodness for the grab bars![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Sleeping on the train far easier than I expected, though I was glad I had ear plugs per the recommendations on here. The rocking motion was actually very soothing. I did wake up early both mornings, but I attribute that more to excitement and my body still being on Eastern time than anything particular to the train.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The diner was about what I expected. The food was good. Not great, but good. Had I been in coach, I probably would’ve been visiting the café/lounge for my food instead, though. I suppose my expectations were tempered a bit by all that I’ve read here, so thanks for giving me a realistic view of what to look forward to! Probably the biggest complaint I had the entire westbound trip, though, was that the dining car staff was not very welcoming. The lead steward was very friendly, but we barely dealt with her. The rest of the staff, not so friendly. I understand that they’re busy without a lot of time between meals, of course, but there is no need to be gruff or snap at people if they don’t hear something that is mumbled at them or announced over a crackly speaker.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We did have one interesting incident in my sleeper on the final morning. There was a passenger that I was almost certain was going to get put off the train, but our conductor must’ve been in a good mood. This particular passenger was apparently from one of the coach cars, but he found his way back to our car (for the free coffee). When our SCA confronted him and said someone had identified him as a coach passenger, he started cursing (which really set our SCA off because we had several children in the car) and going on about how uncomfortable the train was; he also claimed (though I don’t know if it was true) that he had a bedroom in another car. They went around for a minute while I stood waiting on the stairs to get back to my room. At some point, they finally went to talk to the conductor. It must’ve gotten worked out somehow, but myself and at least one other passenger who witnessed the whole thing wrote out statements on our SCA’s behalf when we found out that the passenger was threatening to call Amtrak to complain about her.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Time-wise, we didn’t run into any of the huge delays that plagued the CZ earlier this summer. By the time we got to Omaha, we’d lost maybe 20 minutes. We got to Denver about on time, lost some time again in the mountains, but then the way was clear into Utah—we actually got to SLC 24 minutes early. That, however, was the end of our good fortune. We were scheduled to depart SLC at 11:30, but didn’t leave until 12:42. I’d stayed up because I wanted to get fresh air, and then noticed once I was back in my room that we just kept sitting, and sitting, and sitting. Because it was late night, I didn’t notice anything odd about our route. We all found out the next morning, though, that we had to wait for a UP pilot before being routed north to Ogden to take the causeway across the Great Salt Lake. Apparently, a UP train had some engine issues on a steep grade west of SLC, and the lack of momentum caused at least one of the cars they were hauling to tip. Without the reroute, we probably still would’ve been sitting in SLC at dawn; as it was, we didn’t even make Elko until just after sunrise, about 3 hours late. We ran late the rest of the way to Emeryville, which we reached about 2.5 hours late. Not bad considering what it could have been.[/SIZE]
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[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]San Francisco:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Not a whole lot to say other than I absolutely loved the city and hated having to leave after what felt like such a short time. I did the tourist thing the day after arriving and hit many of the highlight spots like the Ferry Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. I took the Muni light rail and street cars everywhere I could; for anyone going to San Francisco for a few days or a week, I highly recommend buying a Muni Passport (1-day, 3-day, or 7-day). It’s easy to use and soooo worth it if you’re going to be moving around the city a lot. I also did a day trip out to Sonoma and Napa (not the Wine Train, though…). I had fun trying to figure out how to fit the 4 bottles I bought into my suitcase without risking anything breaking during the connector bus trip to Emeryville or while it was squished onto the luggage rack downstairs.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I also had great luck with the weather. It was so bright and sunny that the pictures from my tour day looked like postcard photos. It was also unusually warm in the city over the weekend, and everyone who lived there didn’t know what to do. Things snapped back to normal (read: cooler) on Monday and Tuesday, which was just fine with me. Oh, and of course I have to mention that I got jolted out of bed by an earthquake (4.0!) on the Hayward Fault. I’ve felt mild quakes before in Michigan, but always from a great distance. This one was only a few miles away, actually very close to Emeryville. Very disconcerting for a Midwesterner, but at least it wasn’t the “big one” that they’re worried is coming soon on the same fault![/SIZE]
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[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]Eastbound CZ:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]A somewhat different experience than when I headed west. The equipment was much older, and it showed (and you could hear it). On this trip, I was in 0632, Room 6. Fortunately, the cars were lined up so that I was on the left side of the train again; thus, going east, I had the opposite view.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We were led east by #72 and #199. All of the cars (other than the Heritage bag, of course) looked to be Superliner I’s. My sleeper had a placard downstairs that it had been rebuilt at Beech Grove; I’m guessing that was a while ago. It really looked like it could just use a thorough cleaning inside and maybe a few replacement parts like new tracks for the curtains, new light sconces, etc. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but neither was it generally as nice as what I had going west. Lots of long-accumulated dirt, dust, and grime in the nooks and crannies, rather than the “oh this wasn’t cleaned very well before they turned the train” variety. There were a few good things, of course, like slightly more spacious bathrooms and a larger shower and dressing room. That said, there were LOTS of squeaks, creaks, and rattles. One rattle in particular was apparently inside the wall (so no stopping it) and continued constantly for the entire 2+ days. The climate control also seemed to be stuck on Arctic Blast no matter what anyone did, and the vent didn’t shut. Thankfully, I had an extra blanket in my suitcase.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The SCA was far less visible than on #5. He did come around and introduce himself at the beginning of the trip and ask if there were any questions. But after that, the only times I really saw him were during fresh air stops and when it was time to put the beds down or up. I did hear him bragging to some other passengers at one point that he had been doing this for over 30 years and had won awards. Ok then. I still gave him a tip, of course, but it less than when I was on #5.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The dining car was a little better heading east than west. The staff was a bit friendly, though still kind of short at times. On the plus side, they actually managed to get me a bacon cheeseburger when I ordered one for lunch the second day, which I didn’t think was actually possible given that I’d ordered one twice on the #5 and always just got a plain burger. Go figure![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We ended up getting into Chicago just under an hour late on Friday the 21st. We had been doing very well until just west of Granby. We hit every station from Emeryville to Glenwood Springs on time or early. As we got closer to Granby, though, we were shunted into a siding to wait for #5 to pass us. They were running late, and we had to sit there for almost 40 minutes. After they passed, we then had to slow down and/or wait for a couple freights that were coming up behind #5. It was stop and go from there to Denver, where we arrived just as the sun was setting (about 45 minutes late). The rest of the night saw us gradually lose a few more minutes thanks to several slow orders from BNSF that cut us from full speed to 25 M.P.H. in some places. By the time we got to Omaha and western Iowa, we were about an hour and 15 minutes behind. (Note: I’m not complaining by any means. I was having fun on the train, it was nearing the end of my vacation, and it could’ve been a LOT worse.) We managed to trim back some of the loss as we got closer to Chicago. We were 54 minutes late, which was just fine by me given that all I was doing was going to my hotel.[/SIZE]
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[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]Eastbound Wolverine:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The Met Lounge was far less crowded, which surprised me given that it was Saturday. (I had another business class seat, because why not?) I was slightly jealous of the people heading west on the CZ, SWC, TE, and EB. Ok, maybe more than slightly.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The trip was pretty uneventful. We made great time, reaching each of the first few stations early. From then on, the phrase of the evening was “slow orders,” due to the ongoing track work. In some places, they cut us to 15 M.P.H. per our conductor. Somehow, though, we managed not to lose a lot of time. I left the train at Royal Oak, which we reached only 7 minutes behind schedule.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Overall:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]This was hands down my favorite way to travel. It was far less hassle than flying (and less frightening), and more comfortable than driving. Being able to recline my seat and put my feet up was fantastic. Being able to shower and getting all my meals was also high on the plus list. What really did it for me, though, was the scenery. I was going to take a book or magazine, but in the end I just spent 90% of my time staring out the window. Even the rolling hills of corn in Iowa kept my attention. My favorite areas were the most popular ones, though: the Colorado canyons and the Sierras. I haven’t checked yet to see how many pictures I took, but it’s probably well over 1,000. (I’m of the “take enough and one is bound to turn out” school of photography.)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Even with some of the minor things—the unfriendliness of the diner staff, the creaks and rattles, the minor delays—this is definitely something I will be doing again in the future. I think next on the list will be the EB; I’ve always wanted to see Glacier National Park and the Pacific Northwest, after all.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Thank you again one more time for all the tips I received on the forum. I think this trip might have been a vastly different experience if I hadn’t found such a great resource. I truly appreciate it. I’ll certainly be sticking around, of course, and hopefully it won’t be long before I get to write my next trip report![/SIZE]
