posted
I have a bedroom booked next month on the Texas Eagle to California, and I'm wondering just what sort of meals are available between San Antonio and Austin. The timetable says "Dining Car: Complete meals except San Antonio--Austin. Cold meal service for sleeping car passengers between San Antonio-Austin." Since I'm travelling westbound on 421 and the train is due out of Austin at 8:20 pm, surely they could feed us a proper meal before Austin, or does this just refer to eastbound passengers? Amtrak is unclear on this point. Does anyone have any recent experience on the westbound Eagle?
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I rode the Eagle/Sunset over Labor Day weekend, St. Louis to Los Angeles. Dinner was served in the diner before arrival in Austin. If I recall correctly, it was an early-call, one-seating meal. I had a wonderful trip. Hope yours is too.
-Mark
Posts: 103 | From: St. Louis, MO USA | Registered: Oct 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
In one of those little 'cost cutting' moves, the Texas Eagle's dining car staff detrains in Austin and turns there. That means a one seating dinner westbound (perhaps two if the train is late) and no hot breakfast out of San Antonio eastbound.
I was on the 422 sleeper El Paso - St. Louis this past July. I would have preferred a hot breakfast to the prepackaged croissant, yogurt, and box of cereal that they distributed to sleeper passengers. However, dining car service from Austin and beyond was efficient and pleasant. I believe that this was, in part, due to the fact that the dining car staff boarded better rested than they would have had they turned in San Antonio.
-------------------- 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
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thank you for your assistance. I am looking forward to my North America Rail Pass tour. In addition to the Eagle, I will be on the Lake Shore, Coast Starlight, Cascade and Via's Canadian.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by royaltrain: Thank you for your assistance. I am looking forward to my North America Rail Pass tour. In addition to the Eagle, I will be on the Lake Shore, Coast Starlight, Cascade and Via's Canadian.
We look forward to hearing about your trip when you get home!
-------------------- 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
| IP: Logged |
posted
If you are on the eastbound Sunset/Eagle, and the train arrives anywhere close to on time, there is an all-night Denny's 3 blocks away from the train station in San Antonio.
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
