By this time tomorrow, since you're keeping an eye on it, let us know where #1 is and how close to it's scheduled arrival it is. Ought to be interesting!
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David Pressley

quote:

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Originally posted by chrisg:
5 hours at New Orleans{CSX fault} but the web site says early into LAX so lets see if padding comes into play or if later trains get later. Lets see what the UP can do. Every trip is an adventure so I can't wait!

Chris

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The last time I rode the Sunset westbound from Florida we left Jacksonville 45 minutes late and actually made up 20 minutes of that......until we reached the outskirts of New Orleans where we encountered a red signal and sat.....with the city skyline in view....for one hour and fifty minutes. It was as if the dispatcher had forgotten we were coming and stepped out for lunch or something!

Chris

The only complaints I've seen over the last few years are the following:
- returning crews (to LA) can be grouchy (lack of sleep)
- running out of food (when very late)
- and, of course, timekeeping.

Perhaps I've been lucky and "only" experienced 5 hours of delay at most (6 at the penultimate station but padding reduced it to 5). The rest of the time was under an hour.

I'd still recommend the train, as long as you don't have connections or hotels paid for. There's such a transition of scenery along the whole route that there's always eomething to see. Plus, if you get to see something in daylight that you wouldn't normally see, then so much the better!

quote:

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Originally posted by geoffm:

Perhaps I've been lucky and "only" experienced 5 hours of delay at most (6 at the penultimate station but padding reduced it to 5). The rest of the time was under an hour.

Geoff M.

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This is perhaps the only time I have ever seen the term 'penultimate' used in describing train operations. I've encountered it a few times when discussing things like chord progressions in a musical composition......but I digress.

Two summers ago (July 2002) I was on the Sunset eastbound from LAX. Passengers boarding the following morning in Tucson brought reports of a UP derailment east of El Paso.

Throughout the day rumors (which no one on the train crew would confirm or deny) spread that the we would be annulled in El Paso and bussed to San Antonio. A late morning meeting (announced over the intercom) for all crew members in the lower level of the sightseer lounge only fanned the rumour flames. Would we be annulled? Would we get a rare mileage detour from El Paso to Ft. Worth via the old T&P?

As it turned out, we were annulled and I opted to fly to Ft. Worth from El Paso rather than spend the night on a bus. The on-board crew was fabulous in the face of what would become a very long trip for the majority of the passengers. For instance, the dining car steward told us "What happens at El Paso is beyond our control. For now you're on the Sunset Limited and it's time for lunch. You won't leave hungry."

So......I would say that the Sunset is worth the effort if you have the time to spare and have not booked a same day connection at your destination.

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David Pressley

The train crew did a great job in spite of the lateness and the dining crew churned out 3 extra meals for everyone, including free lunch and dinner for the coach passengers.

This would be my first "travel for the sake of travel" trip in more than 15 years. Guess Amtrak Senior Fares "make the difference" (HAHAHAHA; LOL)

Over at the "am I nuts" thread, let's wish the lady and her family "Godspeed".

Mine will start May 5, 2005.

On my trip from Dallas to LA mentioned above, I returned via #4, as the connection for #422 in San Antonio can be quite tenuous.

It was a great itinerary and I just booked the same trip for early February.

Last summer I took 422 from LAX to Chicago and we were bussed from El Paso to Fort Worth. I knew that was a possibility,so when it came to pass I just looked at the all night bus ride as an "adventure" I did get a $74 credit and a $100 travel voucher,so it was not all in vain.

http://www.trainweb.org/chris/sunset2004.html

Enjoy,

Chris

[This message has been edited by chrisg (edited 12-30-2004).]

In Houston, the Minute Maid park has the remenents of the old Union station as part of the ballpark. You can go in and check it out. The flooring is the same as I remember from 1967. The benches in the current Amtrak station came from there.

Fred Frailey who recently gave us the story of the BNSF Transcon Route now writes about the UP. His fourteen page article RISING PHOENIX, with several photos, informs " How Union Pacific stumbled, again, is an interesting story. How it is coming back is a better one."

The effect on Amtrak must be assumed by extrapolation because the story deals with Union Pacific's operations exclusively. But when UP cannot get it's own revenue trains to move we can easily determine what happens to Amtrak's trains.