- Joined
- Jan 15, 2012
- Messages
- 44
My brother in-law needed to move a vehicle from northern Indiana to Oklahoma City where he lives, I volunteered to go with to help out with the driving figuring I would take the train back as since I learned about the Amtrak station in my town (Lafayette, IN) I've been meaning to take a trip. So last Friday he meets me in Lafayette, IN and we head out for Oklahoma City. There was a four hour buffer built into the drive that I thought would be more than enough should any issues arise. Well lets just say after some of the worst ice I've driven through we arrived in Oklahoma City with about 45 minutes to spare.
The Heartland Flyer pulls up, we board and we're off. I was taking it all the way to Ft. Worth so I settled in. I was exhausted from not having slept, but yet only slept for about hour as I was enjoying the views. I know being from Indiana some would say that I can't cast stones when it comes to interesting states to look at but I always found Texas to be quite dull, after this trip I can say that was inaccurate. I just loved the scenery it really was amazing to see, plus being where there weren't roads added to the views. Also the legroom, I've never had so much space on organized travel.
Well pulled into Fort Worth on time. I grabbed a Subway sandwich and got a laugh when this gentleman I was talking with couldn't understand why I'd be going to Chicago to go to Lafayette, it was at that point we realized, different Lafayettes, he was from Lafayette LA and was heading home. The bus got to the station early, we boarded and were off. I got to see the new Dallas stadium from the highway, it's huge, but other than that nothing much to look at, I think I napped a bit (sleep deprived haze so not exactly sure) plus they had on the new Planet of the Apes movie. We made it to Longview and eventually boarded the Texas Eagle heading to Chicago.
This was the part I was most excited about, I had been lucky I got what I thought was a pretty good rate for roomette (105$). I got settled in, I guess normally the sleeper is on the back with the CCC and SSL upfront, this was pretty reversed, so I was directly behind the engine, coupled with being on the lower level I think some people would have found it a bit noisy. I actually enjoyed it, but again I was behind on sleep. Dinner was good, had the steak, came back showered (there was no cold water so you definitely showered quickly) and was off to bed. Slept great waking just a bit before breakfast. I had the french toast for breakfast and it was quite tasty, my favorite meal. Then went back to the SSL and enjoyed my coffee, while reading, and looking out the windows, before ultimately heading back for a nap. We did have to stop at one point because of an iced-over electrical connection, but that was the only issue I was aware of. I had lunch and we rolled into Chicago on time.
I made my way to the Metro Lounge, checked my bags, watched a bit of the Pats Ravens game, before heading out to explore. Checked out the station then went for a nice stroll around Chicago. Got back grabbed a Chicago Dog and boarded the Hoosier State for my last leg of the trip. The attendant (not sure what his title was) that punched our tickets was my absolute favorite, personable, polite, but yet energized, and opinionated, I don't why I just really liked him. We rolled out only stopping briefly twice and rolled into Lafayette 20 minutes early.
All and all I loved it. I'm not sure how often I'll get to take the train as being a young family taking two days to travel isn't always a good option, but when I can, I will. My brother inlaw after hearing about it has said that he's convinced and wants to try it. My parents are also interested. My wife is shall we say skeptical, but I think I can convince her.
Also a thanks to all of you on here as the amount of information on here was quite helpful.
The Heartland Flyer pulls up, we board and we're off. I was taking it all the way to Ft. Worth so I settled in. I was exhausted from not having slept, but yet only slept for about hour as I was enjoying the views. I know being from Indiana some would say that I can't cast stones when it comes to interesting states to look at but I always found Texas to be quite dull, after this trip I can say that was inaccurate. I just loved the scenery it really was amazing to see, plus being where there weren't roads added to the views. Also the legroom, I've never had so much space on organized travel.
Well pulled into Fort Worth on time. I grabbed a Subway sandwich and got a laugh when this gentleman I was talking with couldn't understand why I'd be going to Chicago to go to Lafayette, it was at that point we realized, different Lafayettes, he was from Lafayette LA and was heading home. The bus got to the station early, we boarded and were off. I got to see the new Dallas stadium from the highway, it's huge, but other than that nothing much to look at, I think I napped a bit (sleep deprived haze so not exactly sure) plus they had on the new Planet of the Apes movie. We made it to Longview and eventually boarded the Texas Eagle heading to Chicago.
This was the part I was most excited about, I had been lucky I got what I thought was a pretty good rate for roomette (105$). I got settled in, I guess normally the sleeper is on the back with the CCC and SSL upfront, this was pretty reversed, so I was directly behind the engine, coupled with being on the lower level I think some people would have found it a bit noisy. I actually enjoyed it, but again I was behind on sleep. Dinner was good, had the steak, came back showered (there was no cold water so you definitely showered quickly) and was off to bed. Slept great waking just a bit before breakfast. I had the french toast for breakfast and it was quite tasty, my favorite meal. Then went back to the SSL and enjoyed my coffee, while reading, and looking out the windows, before ultimately heading back for a nap. We did have to stop at one point because of an iced-over electrical connection, but that was the only issue I was aware of. I had lunch and we rolled into Chicago on time.
I made my way to the Metro Lounge, checked my bags, watched a bit of the Pats Ravens game, before heading out to explore. Checked out the station then went for a nice stroll around Chicago. Got back grabbed a Chicago Dog and boarded the Hoosier State for my last leg of the trip. The attendant (not sure what his title was) that punched our tickets was my absolute favorite, personable, polite, but yet energized, and opinionated, I don't why I just really liked him. We rolled out only stopping briefly twice and rolled into Lafayette 20 minutes early.
All and all I loved it. I'm not sure how often I'll get to take the train as being a young family taking two days to travel isn't always a good option, but when I can, I will. My brother inlaw after hearing about it has said that he's convinced and wants to try it. My parents are also interested. My wife is shall we say skeptical, but I think I can convince her.
Also a thanks to all of you on here as the amount of information on here was quite helpful.
And the part of Texas you saw isnt that great :lol: , like most states we have alot of different kinds of scenery!(Too bad you had the Bus from FTW-LGV) Hope you can ride some of the really scenic Trains like the Cardinal (comes close to you on the way from CHI-NYP), the California Zephyr, the Coast starlight,the Empire Builder and the Southwest Chief! Think your wife might like it too! ^_^
