Andy
Train Attendant
Travel from Boston to Portland: 6/6 to 6/9
Lake Shore Limited - BOS to CHI
Just two days after getting engaged, Sarah and I checked our bags at South Station in Boston and settled into the Club Acela Lounge while waiting for the Lake Shore Limited to board. A red cap helped us board before the rest of the passengers and we ended up pulling out about 20 minutes late as they had to switch cars in the yard for some reason. We had booked a roomette and Bob was our sleeper car attendant. As we approached the train to board, Bob said to us, "Congratulations!" Unsure how he would know of our engagement and uncertain what exactly he was congratulating us on I awkwardly said thanks and boarded. After departing, Mark, the cafe car attendant, came by to take a reservation for lunch. "I think congratulations are in order," he said. Still surprised I asked him how he could possibly know about our engagement. "I read the Amtrak forums," he said. Wow! Mark reads these very forums and saw that I was going to be on his train celebrating an engagement. I was completely impressed and we had a chat for a few minutes. Mark's been with Amtrak 13 years and previously was a conductor on trains in England. He reads the forums because he finds it helpful what people say. Clearly he takes customer service seriously. Bob was with Amtrak for 40 years and could not have been more helpful and kind. "I'm Bob Heath. Heath, like the candy bar!" he said many times. Bob gave us all the information we needed, told us how meals would work, the layover in Albany, and details about our accommodations. At lunch Mark surprised me and Sarah with a free celebratory bottle of wine which we took back to consume in our roomette. "I'm having a ball!" Sarah told me. Which was a relief since I was concerned about how Sarah would like her first long distance train journey.
In Albany we stretched our legs for a while in the station and after the New York section had joined we re-boarded for an on-time departure and had dinner in the diner with another young couple on their way to Chicago for an architecture conference. Sarah and I both had the steak which was one of the best and most tasty steaks I've had. The service was a bit poor. Even with the two servers it took at least 15 minutes before one of them came to the table to quickly take the order, and a bit longer to get the food. I was initially disappointed that we had a Heritage diner rather than the new Viewliner 8400 diner however I was pleasantly pleased by the coziness and old fashioned feel of the Heritage. I always sleep pretty well on the train but Sarah has a less than ideal sleep and she, rightfully, felt a bit cramped in the roomette.
Empire Builder - CHI to PDX
After a few hours wandering around Chicago and grabbing some lunch we returned to Union Station to board the Empire Builder in a larger bedroom. Sarah was pleased to have some more space and a toilet that was not right next to the bed like in the Viewliner. Our sleeping car attendant was Miguel, who came by our room after pulling out to ask us if we've ridden in a sleeper before. We told him yes, but not on this route. After having our standards set so high with Bob on the LSL, I'll admit I was a bit disappointed with Miguel's level of service. I've also highly been anticipating our "engagementmoon" trip on the EB for over six months. I had initially asked him when the wine and cheese tasting was and he told me it was the next day and that an announcement would be made. Sarah and I were very much looking forward to that. We passed the time playing cards, reading, and chatting. We also enjoyed a bit of time in the Sightseer lounge where two Trails and Rails volunteers were inducting new Junior Park Rangers. Dinner the first night I had the spice-rubbed salmon with vegetables and multi-grain rice. This was one of the best salmon dinners I've had. The flavour was fantastic. And I paired it with a wonderful Moscato white wine. We dined with a couple on their way to Seattle. He was a retired corporate pilot and she worked in raw materials. She had quite a love of trains having had a father who worked on the railroad. The dining car service was much better than on the LSL and Christopher, the Lead Service Attendant, was friendly and attentive. We ended up having the same server at all our meals until Spokane and by the end of the trip told us that she had worked five 22-hour days. She was clearly flustered but she remained very attentive and friendly. After dinner, Sarah and I retired to our room to enjoy an episode of Mad Men on my iPad and a glass of bourbon (I had brought my flask). Nothing like it! I had asked Miguel to make up the beds while we were at dinner, which he did. Unfortunately he forgot to attach the foot rod which supports the end of the upper berth. Thankfully I caught that and attached it myself.
Sarah slept a bit better that night and the next morning I had a great southwestern quiche for breakfast with the same couple from dinner. I noticed we never got a morning newspaper, so around 10 or 11am I mentioned to Miguel that we hadn't received a newspaper. With an abrupt tone he said, "That's because I haven't passed them out yet." When I later asked about the time of the wine and cheese tasting he again did not give me a time but said "Don't worry, you'll get to go," and said they would make an announcement when it was time. I didn't understand why it was so hard to give me an idea of a time and why he seemed to be speaking down to me.
Sarah has a close friend who lives in rural Montana which is normally very difficult to get to. Since the train passed just an hour from her she had decided to get on board in Wolf Point and ride with us one stop (45 min) to Glasgow. I found the conductor, Dan, explained our situation and asked, since she was on just one stop, if she could be with us in our sleeper accommodation. Dan was extremely kind and said that wouldn't be a problem and that he would pull the train forward so she could board our car (which was at the end of the consist). He told me to just let my sleeper car attendant know. We bought some wine and Sarah's friend boarded right on time. It was a nice meeting but too short! Her husband picked her up one stop later.
We expected lunch to be soon after saying goodbye to Sarah's friend, which was around 12:30pm. Miguel told us that they would make an announcement rather than telling us the normal lunch hours, despite my asking. By the time 1:30pm rolled around and we hadn't heard an announcement Sarah and I decided to walk down to the dining car. Turns out that we just made it. We were told that there was an announcement, but we never heard it. At this point I was almost "afraid" to tell Miguel for fear he would speak down to me again or claim that there was indeed an announcement. Later they did take reservations for wine and cheese and we were seated with fellow sleeping car passengers who also never heard a lunch announcement. The wine and cheese was nice however because of a late lunch they had a much shorter time for it before prepping for dinner. It was a bit rushed but we still enjoyed two red and two white wines along with trivia. I won a bottle of wine for getting a question correct.
That evening we were approaching Glacier National Park, the peak of the trip. We had a dinner reservation just about the time we'd pass through but before we had some time in the Sightseer Lounge to see the beautiful approach to the mountains. I had asked Miguel if it was possible to have dinner in our room to ensure we'd have a good view of the park, but he said due to the frequency of stops and his duties, he could only give us dinner in our room at 5:30pm, which was too early. Thankfully we were on the southern side of the train at dinner which ended up giving the best views. We dined with a couple headed to see family in Seattle. They travelled the country in an RV but they also love train travel. "Much better than flying," he said, which Sarah didn't quite understand. I of course couldn't have agreed more with the man! I'd take a 24-hour train ride in a sleeper over a 5-hour flight any day (so long as I had the time). Dinner was the herb roasted chicken which was good and plentiful - though nothing compares to the salmon I had the first night. The couple at the wine tasting told us that on their many Empire Builder trips they put the beds down themselves, which made me want to do that so I didn't have to wait for Miguel to do it on his time which ended up being at 11pm. I know some sleeper car attendants will make up the bed whenever you want, even into the small hours. Miguel didn't seem that kind. That night Miguel said that he would be "waking us up early" so to change linen. He kept emphasising the 6:30am breakfast start time. I didn't want to rise that early! We ended up going to breakfast at 7:30am (cold croissant with cheese and fruit) and by the time we got back the beds were still un-made. It took until around 9am for him to make them. We enjoyed the sights of the Columbia River from the lounge and our room as we approached Portland. We pulled in about a half-hour early. By that time Sarah was about ready to get off after three days on a train. She still prefers plane travel, but she loves me so I'm sure she'd be open to taking the train again.
The trip was quite enjoyable though I wasn't so pleased with the sleeper car service on the EB compared to the stellar above and beyond service on the LSL. I felt my expectations were nearly met on the EB, but not quite. Oh well. I'll give my feedback to Amtrak, but nothing will stop me from loving train travel.
Lake Shore Limited - BOS to CHI
Just two days after getting engaged, Sarah and I checked our bags at South Station in Boston and settled into the Club Acela Lounge while waiting for the Lake Shore Limited to board. A red cap helped us board before the rest of the passengers and we ended up pulling out about 20 minutes late as they had to switch cars in the yard for some reason. We had booked a roomette and Bob was our sleeper car attendant. As we approached the train to board, Bob said to us, "Congratulations!" Unsure how he would know of our engagement and uncertain what exactly he was congratulating us on I awkwardly said thanks and boarded. After departing, Mark, the cafe car attendant, came by to take a reservation for lunch. "I think congratulations are in order," he said. Still surprised I asked him how he could possibly know about our engagement. "I read the Amtrak forums," he said. Wow! Mark reads these very forums and saw that I was going to be on his train celebrating an engagement. I was completely impressed and we had a chat for a few minutes. Mark's been with Amtrak 13 years and previously was a conductor on trains in England. He reads the forums because he finds it helpful what people say. Clearly he takes customer service seriously. Bob was with Amtrak for 40 years and could not have been more helpful and kind. "I'm Bob Heath. Heath, like the candy bar!" he said many times. Bob gave us all the information we needed, told us how meals would work, the layover in Albany, and details about our accommodations. At lunch Mark surprised me and Sarah with a free celebratory bottle of wine which we took back to consume in our roomette. "I'm having a ball!" Sarah told me. Which was a relief since I was concerned about how Sarah would like her first long distance train journey.
In Albany we stretched our legs for a while in the station and after the New York section had joined we re-boarded for an on-time departure and had dinner in the diner with another young couple on their way to Chicago for an architecture conference. Sarah and I both had the steak which was one of the best and most tasty steaks I've had. The service was a bit poor. Even with the two servers it took at least 15 minutes before one of them came to the table to quickly take the order, and a bit longer to get the food. I was initially disappointed that we had a Heritage diner rather than the new Viewliner 8400 diner however I was pleasantly pleased by the coziness and old fashioned feel of the Heritage. I always sleep pretty well on the train but Sarah has a less than ideal sleep and she, rightfully, felt a bit cramped in the roomette.
Empire Builder - CHI to PDX
After a few hours wandering around Chicago and grabbing some lunch we returned to Union Station to board the Empire Builder in a larger bedroom. Sarah was pleased to have some more space and a toilet that was not right next to the bed like in the Viewliner. Our sleeping car attendant was Miguel, who came by our room after pulling out to ask us if we've ridden in a sleeper before. We told him yes, but not on this route. After having our standards set so high with Bob on the LSL, I'll admit I was a bit disappointed with Miguel's level of service. I've also highly been anticipating our "engagementmoon" trip on the EB for over six months. I had initially asked him when the wine and cheese tasting was and he told me it was the next day and that an announcement would be made. Sarah and I were very much looking forward to that. We passed the time playing cards, reading, and chatting. We also enjoyed a bit of time in the Sightseer lounge where two Trails and Rails volunteers were inducting new Junior Park Rangers. Dinner the first night I had the spice-rubbed salmon with vegetables and multi-grain rice. This was one of the best salmon dinners I've had. The flavour was fantastic. And I paired it with a wonderful Moscato white wine. We dined with a couple on their way to Seattle. He was a retired corporate pilot and she worked in raw materials. She had quite a love of trains having had a father who worked on the railroad. The dining car service was much better than on the LSL and Christopher, the Lead Service Attendant, was friendly and attentive. We ended up having the same server at all our meals until Spokane and by the end of the trip told us that she had worked five 22-hour days. She was clearly flustered but she remained very attentive and friendly. After dinner, Sarah and I retired to our room to enjoy an episode of Mad Men on my iPad and a glass of bourbon (I had brought my flask). Nothing like it! I had asked Miguel to make up the beds while we were at dinner, which he did. Unfortunately he forgot to attach the foot rod which supports the end of the upper berth. Thankfully I caught that and attached it myself.
Sarah slept a bit better that night and the next morning I had a great southwestern quiche for breakfast with the same couple from dinner. I noticed we never got a morning newspaper, so around 10 or 11am I mentioned to Miguel that we hadn't received a newspaper. With an abrupt tone he said, "That's because I haven't passed them out yet." When I later asked about the time of the wine and cheese tasting he again did not give me a time but said "Don't worry, you'll get to go," and said they would make an announcement when it was time. I didn't understand why it was so hard to give me an idea of a time and why he seemed to be speaking down to me.
Sarah has a close friend who lives in rural Montana which is normally very difficult to get to. Since the train passed just an hour from her she had decided to get on board in Wolf Point and ride with us one stop (45 min) to Glasgow. I found the conductor, Dan, explained our situation and asked, since she was on just one stop, if she could be with us in our sleeper accommodation. Dan was extremely kind and said that wouldn't be a problem and that he would pull the train forward so she could board our car (which was at the end of the consist). He told me to just let my sleeper car attendant know. We bought some wine and Sarah's friend boarded right on time. It was a nice meeting but too short! Her husband picked her up one stop later.
We expected lunch to be soon after saying goodbye to Sarah's friend, which was around 12:30pm. Miguel told us that they would make an announcement rather than telling us the normal lunch hours, despite my asking. By the time 1:30pm rolled around and we hadn't heard an announcement Sarah and I decided to walk down to the dining car. Turns out that we just made it. We were told that there was an announcement, but we never heard it. At this point I was almost "afraid" to tell Miguel for fear he would speak down to me again or claim that there was indeed an announcement. Later they did take reservations for wine and cheese and we were seated with fellow sleeping car passengers who also never heard a lunch announcement. The wine and cheese was nice however because of a late lunch they had a much shorter time for it before prepping for dinner. It was a bit rushed but we still enjoyed two red and two white wines along with trivia. I won a bottle of wine for getting a question correct.
That evening we were approaching Glacier National Park, the peak of the trip. We had a dinner reservation just about the time we'd pass through but before we had some time in the Sightseer Lounge to see the beautiful approach to the mountains. I had asked Miguel if it was possible to have dinner in our room to ensure we'd have a good view of the park, but he said due to the frequency of stops and his duties, he could only give us dinner in our room at 5:30pm, which was too early. Thankfully we were on the southern side of the train at dinner which ended up giving the best views. We dined with a couple headed to see family in Seattle. They travelled the country in an RV but they also love train travel. "Much better than flying," he said, which Sarah didn't quite understand. I of course couldn't have agreed more with the man! I'd take a 24-hour train ride in a sleeper over a 5-hour flight any day (so long as I had the time). Dinner was the herb roasted chicken which was good and plentiful - though nothing compares to the salmon I had the first night. The couple at the wine tasting told us that on their many Empire Builder trips they put the beds down themselves, which made me want to do that so I didn't have to wait for Miguel to do it on his time which ended up being at 11pm. I know some sleeper car attendants will make up the bed whenever you want, even into the small hours. Miguel didn't seem that kind. That night Miguel said that he would be "waking us up early" so to change linen. He kept emphasising the 6:30am breakfast start time. I didn't want to rise that early! We ended up going to breakfast at 7:30am (cold croissant with cheese and fruit) and by the time we got back the beds were still un-made. It took until around 9am for him to make them. We enjoyed the sights of the Columbia River from the lounge and our room as we approached Portland. We pulled in about a half-hour early. By that time Sarah was about ready to get off after three days on a train. She still prefers plane travel, but she loves me so I'm sure she'd be open to taking the train again.
The trip was quite enjoyable though I wasn't so pleased with the sleeper car service on the EB compared to the stellar above and beyond service on the LSL. I felt my expectations were nearly met on the EB, but not quite. Oh well. I'll give my feedback to Amtrak, but nothing will stop me from loving train travel.
