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We had a good trip to Salem Thursday/Friday. #14 was about an hour and a quarter late out of Salinas, and arrived in Salem about 2:45 late. Within tolerable limits. The trip was uneventful save for a toilet flushing problem that lasted about 3 hours Friday.
Our crew was excellent. Irma served us dinner and breakfast, and she was on top of things with a smile every time. The French Toast this trip was awesome. Nice and thick, fluffy and very tasty. Is Amtrak using a new recipe? It far exceeded anything I've had before. We watched the Klamath Basin's white pelicans from our breakfast table, a real treat.
Our sleeping car attendant, named Choice, was a mild mannered gentleman in the truest sense of the word. He was there when you needed him, but unobtrusive the rest of the time.
3 coaches and 3 sleepers were PACKED. It was a very busy train. But not very sociable. We didn't meet many people. We had a late dinner and breakfast, closed up the diner, and we sat alone both times. For lunch our companions were absolutely dismal. An older couple, the woman introduced herself by saying "I'll never take a train again." I asked why and she said "Too cramped. Everything's small. I love to fly." And that's all she ever said. Her husband was more pleasant, but quiet. He did, however, express some curiosity about the sights, and that gave us some conversation.
Our favorite companions were a family of four who had only ridden the Capitol Corridor before. They boarded with us in Salinas. Their oldest son, who was maybe 8 or 9, was a train buff, and this trip was his birthday present. We had some nice chats with them several times.
Tom, one of the best Parlour Car attendants, had a good atmosphere going there. He played some rather dramatic music from "Victory At Sea" to accompany the dramatic scenery in the Cascades.
We were about as close to the front of the train as could be without being in the Transition Sleeper. Our car ("Tennessee") was oriented with the Roomettes forward, as was the car behind us. Only the sleeper by the Parlour Car was oriented with Bedrooms first. Our car and the one behind had been through the shop recently, and both had Phase IV-B paint. There was some new upholstery on our seats, dark blue, but the headrests were the older purple. We also had brand new window curtains, but not door curtains. The car behind, "New Hampshire" had new blue upholstery on the headrests as well. Although the state names were removed from the sides of the car, they were still on the doors.
The coaches each had different upholstery. One had brand new dark blue seats, the next had the original blue and orange, while the last had the pink and grey.
I got some good photos. We return Monday/Tuesday on #11.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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I am going on the Zephyr from MTZ to Reno, this weekend, hopefully I will be able to take some pictures for you guys. I have read this forum for a while, but just decided to post. Brad
Posts: 15 | From: Eugene, Or | Registered: May 2005
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Does anyone know if all Coast Starlights have the Parlour Car? I'm considering booking a trip in a sleeper for June, but am concerned because I recall at a time in the past one of the consists did not have the Parlour Car and that is important to us.
Posts: 29 | Registered: Dec 2002
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Of my last four Starlight trips only once did we not have a Parlour Car. A regular Sightseer Lounge was substituted but it was not nearly as comfortable. The wine tasting was done on the lower level and no snacks/beverages were served on the upper level.
Frank in cold/dreary SBA.
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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The day we returned on #11, train #14 arrived at the station first. It had a substitute Sightseer Lounge. So it does happen sometimes, but most trains do have Parlour Cars.
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Last night's (05/26/05) #11 had a Sightseer Lounge instead of the Parlour Car. It was more than four hours late, arriving at SBA at 10:52PM. We met a friend who had boarded at Redding after waiting 2 1/1 hours in the parking lot with her brother. She said that the web site, Julie and a live agent couldn't give any better information on departure from RDD than "two to three hours late but possibly less". She was able to upgrade on board to a Roomette and she had a good time meeting nice folks but there were lots of unhappy campers on board.
Frank in Chilly, Cloudy SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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I recall from some point in the past that they had four restored Parlour Cars. I guess they sub in a sightseer car when the inbound consist is running too far behind schedule or if one of the cars needs mainteneance. I remember they were considering cutting the Parlour Car but I guess that didn't happen.
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There's actually 5 restored Parlor Cars, and at present. One is to be in kept "in reserve" and four are to be active. Currently, two Parlors are out of service, so that means one of the Coast Starlight trainsets does not have a Parlor Car.
And of course, that's the trainset I had on my late May Coast Starlight Trip. I was on #14 out of LA for Portland and we didn't depart Klamath Falls until 3:45 p.m. (over 7 hours late). When they announced at 2:30 p.m. that we would be in Klamath Falls for at least another hour, I got off the train there and rented a car to my final destination - along the coast directly west of Portland. If I had stayed on, I would have been stuck in Portland for the night and lost my reservation out along the coast. The car rental was a pain, as was driving, but still less money overall if I had stayed onboard. Tons of freight congestion and slow orders from Redding north on the Starlight.
I have yet to take the Coast Starlight the entire distance from LA to Seattle or even Portland. This as to be the first trip. I had a similiar misfortune in late December on the Coast Starlight (connecting from the CA Zephyr). Had to end the trip short on that one too!
Coast Starlight and CA Zephyr are my two favorite trains in the Amtrak system - but I have had some really bad luck on them in the past year. It's a shame - very nice routes. My July trip this year will be in Canada using VIA Rail Canada.
Posts: 337 | Registered: Jun 2003
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