Wed 5/05/10 TE#22 AUS-CHI Part I
Usual consist, roomette #9/Sleeping Car #2230. A nice surprise, the Eagle has a Sleeper (II)in great condition, almost like new. SCA is a new hand,Kenney from the extra board, first trip on the Eagle,2 month Amtrak employee. Does a wonderful job all the way to CHI!Have the Bar-B-@Q sandwich for lunch, Vanilla HD for dessert!On time to FTW, delay in FTW due to freight traffic and #21 leaving the station for SAS, missed seeing saxman @ the DAL station since he had to go to DFW Airport for a pickup!Sorry Chris, have a great trip!Saw the damage in Marshall, looks like they are cleaning up fast, UP on the ball for once! We do a crew change here, no rerouting as others have posted. Have the steak for dinner, it's OK, @ least it's not pot roast!Great service in the diner, Thelma is a friendly, on the ball attendant. The LSA must be tired or old, he sits there doing paperwork and doesnt serve, only thing I see him do the whole trip is collect from paying pax and come around for the dinner reservations in DAL!
The run through Arkansas, Mo overnite is smooth, the Superliner II rides really well, not even any squeaks or rattles!Breakfast as we roll up the Mississippi, weve lost an hour during the night (they say freight traffic)so finish eating before STL. (French Toast is not bad!!The coffee even tastes better on the train!
)pend an hour in STL for service/crew change, it's cool but clear, dont go into station, have been many times before!We roll up through Ill., quick stops @ all the usual places, lunch is the veggie pasta and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (Really good!!!!). Into CHI about one hour down which is OK, only 2 HRS to wait for the Cardinal, check into the lounge, it's not very crowded for a change! Visit the Great Hall, they are busy setting up for NTD on Saturday, usual very busy station with coming and going people!
Thur 5/06/10 Cardinal #50 CHI-PHL
Led out to the train @ 5:15PM, about 20 people(the train is sold out theyve announced!),meet the SCA Charles, a veteran from PHL of 38+years with Amtrak, really first rate, can't help it if I'm lucky! We roll out on time, usual consist of the Card, my Sleeper is Wayside View, in good shape,room #5 on the good side (left!), everything works!3 revenue coaches up front,(2 deadhead on the back, Charles says they are for the Hossier, will be cut out in IND) dont care for the diner lite but what you gonna do?? First call for dinner is as we hit Indiana, order the sea food,
it's OK Salmon, better than I thought without a real diner!Ice Cream, a glass of wine, time to head for the room, take a shower and read as we roll through the Indiana countryside as it's dark with nothing to see! The tracks are rough through here but we are making good time!Fall asleep about 10:00PM after reading awhile, sleep in the top bunk as usual, the up top windows are great!Wake up as stop in Indy, get off, watch as the coaches are dropped, go down stairs into the "station", another disappointing station for a great route!We have a dwell of about 30 minutes, then roll out into the night!Wake up in Cinnci, find out that you dont have time to go to the Great old Terminal there, watch as THREE PRIVATE VARNISH are added, going to WAS for NTD! A L&N Pullman,The Oliver Perry, A Northern Pacific Dome Lounge,and a C&O business car, all in original colors and looking new!Lucky folks aboard!(I find out later for $325 you could ride from CInnci-WAS, thats less than the Cardinal Sleeper but doesnt include meals, just "snacks"!
Awaken as we roll in WVA, beautiful day, have breakfast (Continental), climb up into my bunk to watch the New River Gorge passing as tits a better perspective than the so called cafe/lounge on this train! Beautiful, would we fantastic with a Superliner Sightseer or a Dome car!!! The whole route is fantastic, everything it's been advertised to be!We are running late about 2 HRS due to freight traffic but who cares, no train change, rolling on to PHL, more train time!Lunch is a Veggie burger and Apple Pie, good!Dinner is before WAS, have the Chicken, skip dessert, a compromise with the diet! :lol: Finally roll through Virginia, into WAS where we are informed we will have 30 minutes even though it's a Discharge only stop. A Norther has blown in, it's very gusty and cooling off, no rain! WAS without humidity is like Florida w/o sun!We cut out the three Private Varnish, there already is a string of others parked to the right side of the train, maybe for NTD?? The whistle sounds, we roll out as it gets dark, passed BWI, through the tunnels into Baltimore, quick stop, onto Willmington, another quick stop as Acelas and Regionals blow by us! (theres only 2 of us left, me for PHL, 1 for NYP!!)then into PHL about 2 hrs down! Hop off, tell Charles what a pleasure it's been (a real pro!), check out the station for a few minutes, hop a cab to the Guest Quarters Hotel (only $6, what a nice surprise! Watch the SA Spurs get eliminated by the Phoenis Suns, sleep well! Awaken early, have breakfast, walk around downtown a little, first time in downtown PHL after all these years! Hop a cab for 30th Street, $7, again a deal!, check into the Club Acela, already the station is crowded with more arriving! Walk around watching them set up the displays, lines forming already!
11:15AM comes, as posted Alan B and his mom get off the Acela from NYP, meet up by the hall to the CA,slowly more members come in, over the next hour the crowds increase, more members arrive, introductions are made, meet some new faces, a few old ones! We finally go to lunch @ the brew pub in the station, pretty good meal of scallops and a beer, prices not bad for a major city in a grand station! (take that GCT and NYP!!!)Those of us that have the 1:30PM Equipment tour go get in the much shorter line, soon are downstairs, takes awhile to get through the Acela on display, still good to see it again!(wish there were more everywhere!! Then the real treat, tour the Hickory Creek, the Amtrak Conference Car etc. They say that the Hickory Creek was used by Cary grant in North by NW, didnt see him or Eva Marie but I did ask if she was aboard!By the time we finished we said our goodbyes and headed for the Club Acela, Bill H and I had to catch the Crescent @ 3:55PM so relaxed a little, then took the elevator down, boarded and got ready to roll South towards home! (ATL for Bill, Texas for me!) Dont want to miss anyone so will just say it was great to meet so many of you, look forward to meeting more between now and the gathering on trains, along the way and on this forum! To be continued/Part II**Double Points Up to Here**
Usual consist, roomette #9/Sleeping Car #2230. A nice surprise, the Eagle has a Sleeper (II)in great condition, almost like new. SCA is a new hand,Kenney from the extra board, first trip on the Eagle,2 month Amtrak employee. Does a wonderful job all the way to CHI!Have the Bar-B-@Q sandwich for lunch, Vanilla HD for dessert!On time to FTW, delay in FTW due to freight traffic and #21 leaving the station for SAS, missed seeing saxman @ the DAL station since he had to go to DFW Airport for a pickup!Sorry Chris, have a great trip!Saw the damage in Marshall, looks like they are cleaning up fast, UP on the ball for once! We do a crew change here, no rerouting as others have posted. Have the steak for dinner, it's OK, @ least it's not pot roast!Great service in the diner, Thelma is a friendly, on the ball attendant. The LSA must be tired or old, he sits there doing paperwork and doesnt serve, only thing I see him do the whole trip is collect from paying pax and come around for the dinner reservations in DAL!
The run through Arkansas, Mo overnite is smooth, the Superliner II rides really well, not even any squeaks or rattles!Breakfast as we roll up the Mississippi, weve lost an hour during the night (they say freight traffic)so finish eating before STL. (French Toast is not bad!!The coffee even tastes better on the train!
)pend an hour in STL for service/crew change, it's cool but clear, dont go into station, have been many times before!We roll up through Ill., quick stops @ all the usual places, lunch is the veggie pasta and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (Really good!!!!). Into CHI about one hour down which is OK, only 2 HRS to wait for the Cardinal, check into the lounge, it's not very crowded for a change! Visit the Great Hall, they are busy setting up for NTD on Saturday, usual very busy station with coming and going people!Thur 5/06/10 Cardinal #50 CHI-PHL
Led out to the train @ 5:15PM, about 20 people(the train is sold out theyve announced!),meet the SCA Charles, a veteran from PHL of 38+years with Amtrak, really first rate, can't help it if I'm lucky!
We roll out on time, usual consist of the Card, my Sleeper is Wayside View, in good shape,room #5 on the good side (left!), everything works!3 revenue coaches up front,(2 deadhead on the back, Charles says they are for the Hossier, will be cut out in IND) dont care for the diner lite but what you gonna do?? First call for dinner is as we hit Indiana, order the sea food,it's OK Salmon, better than I thought without a real diner!Ice Cream, a glass of wine, time to head for the room, take a shower and read as we roll through the Indiana countryside as it's dark with nothing to see! The tracks are rough through here but we are making good time!Fall asleep about 10:00PM after reading awhile, sleep in the top bunk as usual, the up top windows are great!Wake up as stop in Indy, get off, watch as the coaches are dropped, go down stairs into the "station", another disappointing station for a great route!We have a dwell of about 30 minutes, then roll out into the night!Wake up in Cinnci, find out that you dont have time to go to the Great old Terminal there, watch as THREE PRIVATE VARNISH are added, going to WAS for NTD! A L&N Pullman,The Oliver Perry, A Northern Pacific Dome Lounge,and a C&O business car, all in original colors and looking new!Lucky folks aboard!(I find out later for $325 you could ride from CInnci-WAS, thats less than the Cardinal Sleeper but doesnt include meals, just "snacks"!
Awaken as we roll in WVA, beautiful day, have breakfast (Continental), climb up into my bunk to watch the New River Gorge passing as tits a better perspective than the so called cafe/lounge on this train! Beautiful, would we fantastic with a Superliner Sightseer or a Dome car!!!
The whole route is fantastic, everything it's been advertised to be!We are running late about 2 HRS due to freight traffic but who cares, no train change, rolling on to PHL, more train time!Lunch is a Veggie burger and Apple Pie, good!Dinner is before WAS, have the Chicken, skip dessert, a compromise with the diet! :lol: Finally roll through Virginia, into WAS where we are informed we will have 30 minutes even though it's a Discharge only stop. A Norther has blown in, it's very gusty and cooling off, no rain! WAS without humidity is like Florida w/o sun!We cut out the three Private Varnish, there already is a string of others parked to the right side of the train, maybe for NTD?? The whistle sounds, we roll out as it gets dark, passed BWI, through the tunnels into Baltimore, quick stop, onto Willmington, another quick stop as Acelas and Regionals blow by us! (theres only 2 of us left, me for PHL, 1 for NYP!!)then into PHL about 2 hrs down! Hop off, tell Charles what a pleasure it's been (a real pro!), check out the station for a few minutes, hop a cab to the Guest Quarters Hotel (only $6, what a nice surprise! Watch the SA Spurs get eliminated by the Phoenis Suns, sleep well! Awaken early, have breakfast, walk around downtown a little, first time in downtown PHL after all these years! Hop a cab for 30th Street, $7, again a deal!, check into the Club Acela, already the station is crowded with more arriving! Walk around watching them set up the displays, lines forming already!11:15AM comes, as posted Alan B and his mom get off the Acela from NYP, meet up by the hall to the CA,slowly more members come in, over the next hour the crowds increase, more members arrive, introductions are made, meet some new faces, a few old ones! We finally go to lunch @ the brew pub in the station, pretty good meal of scallops and a beer, prices not bad for a major city in a grand station! (take that GCT and NYP!!!)Those of us that have the 1:30PM Equipment tour go get in the much shorter line, soon are downstairs, takes awhile to get through the Acela on display, still good to see it again!(wish there were more everywhere!!
Then the real treat, tour the Hickory Creek, the Amtrak Conference Car etc. They say that the Hickory Creek was used by Cary grant in North by NW, didnt see him or Eva Marie but I did ask if she was aboard!By the time we finished we said our goodbyes and headed for the Club Acela, Bill H and I had to catch the Crescent @ 3:55PM so relaxed a little, then took the elevator down, boarded and got ready to roll South towards home! (ATL for Bill, Texas for me!) Dont want to miss anyone so will just say it was great to meet so many of you, look forward to meeting more between now and the gathering on trains, along the way and on this forum! To be continued/Part II**Double Points Up to Here**
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