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NOL/LAX(ONT) #1 The Sunset Limited Before I get into this leg of the trip let me first say there is a heroine in this story. Her name is Alice Wong; she is a dining car attendant. Alice stands a little over five feet tall and weighs about a hundred pounds, soaking wet with all her clothes, but she's one MIGHTY BIG reason for daring to take the Sunset. We were up about 7:00AM and had an excellent breakfast (again, included in the room rate). Our war of the night before with the room clerk forgotten, or at least not remembered. As we left the hotel for the station a little after 10:00AM it was already 95 degrees with humidity to match. When we arrived at ticket counter we asked the clerk if #1 was on time ?(wink, wink, nod, nod). We were suitably amazed/impressed when we were told it was on time. What the clerk didn't tell us was the reason. It turns out this bit of legerdemain was accomplished by turning eastbound #2 which had arrived "sometime" earlier. Where westbound #1 from Florida was remained a mystery. We waited for boarding in the Magnolia Lounge. Not quite a Club Acela, but more pleasant than the station waiting room. There were 4 or 5 couples/families already there as we entered. Everyone pretty much kept to themselves. I finally tried to strike up a conversation with a couple seated across from us. Where were they going, where had they come from and what accomodations did they have. "Returning to San Antonio from New Orleans and room 10 where ever that was". I opened my trip folder and showed them the sleeping car floor plan I had printed from the Railforum website. Immediately the floor plan became the center of attention. No one had any idea of what or where their rooms were. The "ice" thus broken we all began to loosen up. A couple from New Zealand, who where on the next to last leg of a 6 month tour of the U.S. struck up a conversation with us; giving us "their" view of the U.S. in general and Amtrak in particuar. Finally about 11:40 the train was called and we boarded. Our accomodations were (E/0130) the folks from New Zealand just a "door" down at (C/0130). Train #1, the Sunsest Limited left NOL on schedule...the last time those two words would be used for the rest of the trip. Our sleeping car attendant was Joseph. By 12:20 we had croosed the Huey Long (sic) Bridge over the Mississippi. There must have been a rowdy bunch somewhere on the train because we kept hearing announcements:"All children must be accommpanied by their parents at ALL times", "No playing in the stairwells or lavatories", "Anyone caught smoking will be detrained IMMEDIATELY","No one was to open any windows, any one observed doing so will be detrained IMMEDIATELY", and so on. We ate lunch at 12:30 with Joe and Evelyn, a pleasant but very uncommunicative couple. We went to dinner at 6:30. We sat with Gil and Margie, both of whom worked for BMW. Neith were too pleased with Amrtak's service. They were on the "orighal" #1 from JAX; but sometime/somewhere in the middle of the night because of a bridge outage they were taken off the train and bussed 12 hours to NOL, arriving just about the time we arrived at the station. It was at this juncture we met Alice. An aside: We have a famous resturant in Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Durin Park, renowned for its waitress who walk-and sometimes slip-the fine line between sassy and rude. Alice would make it just fine there. Alice was a delight and and added to the enjoyment of our meal. When I tried to flirt with her she gave me the "bums rush". When we awoke the following morning about five we were stopped, and not at a station...not an unusual occurance. We were supposed to have been in SAN to have the Texas Eagle connect with us two hours ago. We wentto breakfast around six thirty. We sat with a young man who had just completed his tour of duty with the airforce and was on his way home to LAX. About 08:30 the conductor announced we were waiting for a freight to pull ito a siding to let us pass. A half hour later we were "on the road again". We finally arrived at SAN at 11:05, some 8 hours behind schedule. The folks on the Texas Eagle had been waiting for us since midnight. We added two coaches and a sleeper from the 'Eagle and left SAN at 11:43. We ate lunch with Angela and her daughter who were returning to LAX from SAN. Our server?...why Alice of course. What a joy she is. Had dinner with a woman named Sandra and her daughter; the currently live in LAX, have family in AL and are planning to move to AZ...the great mobile society. We spoke with the folks from New Zealand; they're planning to detrain in Tucson and continue onto the coast and the back across the Pacific home...WOW! The bride has composed a poem: "The sun has risen, the sun has set...and we're in Texas yet." Woke about six just as we are nearing TUC..shuda been her about ten last night, hope the folks from NZ get where they're going. We had breakfast about seven with Joe and Evelyn(the BMW folks). Breakfast should have been our last meal as we were due in LAX at ten. The scenery throughout west Texas, New Mexico and now Arizona has been very desolate, but beautiful in a haunting way. Around nine we passed a cattle feed lot..enough to "think" about swearing off beef. A little after noon we crossed the Colorado River into CA HOORAY! (but not for long). The dining car staff had "rouned" up enogh food to feed us lunch. We were impressed by the Salton Sea. At about three we arrived in PSP. THE NEXT 45 MILES WILL TRY MENS (AND WOMENS) SOULS. Palm Springs has what appears to be hundreds of wind turbines. Look left, right, forward, back turbines, turbines, turbines. Must be a windy place. (sorry). Something has happened...we ain't movin', I know that's not new, but we're not movin' for v-e-r-y long period. Finally the conductor tells us, and I quote:"The Union Pacific is having a meltdown, and we're in the middle of it". Seems we're stuck in a large UP facility with the train in front of us broken down, and the train behind us broken down and if that isn't bad enough the crews on both the trains have run out of time. We have a reservation for a Hertz car at LAX. The Hertz office at LAX closes at six...we ain't gonna make it. Thank heavens for cell phones. I call Hertz, tell 'em my problem and ask how far the airport in ONT is from the RR stn. Nof far. We cancel the LAX car, book an ONT car and hope we get to ONT before midnight thirty when the office at the airport closes. FINALLY just after nine (eleven hours after we're supposed to be in LAX we arrive in ONT. We detrain, call cab and get to the Hertz office in time to rent a car. We also had reservations for a hotel in OXN, which we cancel and rebook in ONT. We finally drop into our hotel in OXN nar midnight and plan to drive to OXN in the morning. For those of you who may question our detraining in ONT; with the length of delay and the number of folks involved the last place we wanted to be was LAX Amtrak counter at midnight. Next Leg: OXN/SEA #14 The Coast Starlight.
Posts: 83 | From: MERRIMAC,MA | Registered: Feb 2005
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Great read so far........and you are to be commended for executing a B plan on the fly.
I once did much the same jumping ship from an annulled Sunset Limited in El Paso.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Small correction to the above. The last (thank god) paragraph should read "we finally dropped into our hotel in ONT. Best regards
Posts: 83 | From: MERRIMAC,MA | Registered: Feb 2005
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