I returned home late last night from a quick 'California Zephyr' trip and am nursing just an awful cold that I picked up enroute. Hopefully since I'm not driving, flying, or riding a train into a different time zone today, I'll begin to show some recovery by tomorrow.
OK - Following a Southwest Airlines flight to Chicago Midway and an elevated train ride downtown, I managed to check in to the new and improved Metropolitan Lounge at about 11:00am. I checked my bag and took myself on a tour of the expanded lounge and the Great Hall. The new lounge has, as I gathered from a thread last week, taken in space previously used as the waiting area for coach passengers going out on the Empire Builder and the Hiawatha trains. It was never as busy as the south waiting area where all other Amtrak trains board.
I considered Robinsons for lunch but ultimately wound up with Bourbon Chicken, fried rice, and an eggroll from the chineese place next to it. I took my lunch back to the Metropolitan Lounge and took advantage of the complimentary soft drink machine.
At about 1:15pm they started calling for passengers for train 5, the westbound 'California Zephyr'. Those needing redcap or boarding assistance were gathered at the front of the lounge, the rest of us were gathered at the rear door. Around 1:25pm we were escorted through the door, to the right, back into the south concourse, and then down track 24. Our consist was 2 genesis diesels, heritage baggage car, transition sleeper, two sleepers, diner, sightseer lounge, three coaches, and two express trak cars tagged to the rear. Our departure was delayed 15 minutes to receive connecting passengers (including many members of the 'America by Rail' tour group) coming off the four hour late Lake Shore Limited. (Missed you in the station Lorrie BUT at least you made your connection to the Southwest Chief!)
I'll get back to specifics on the train shortly. I want to talk about the route and towns along the way. The 'California Zephyr' is my favorite Amtrak route and I prefer it east to west. The flat Illinois cornfields leading to the slightly more rolling Iowa cornfields. Waking up in surprisingly desolate eastern Colorado and then the assault on the rockies, more desert, Soldier Summit, another desert wake-up, Donnor Pass. The 'California Zephyr' is western expansion personified.
Some stations - I wish the 'CZ' made a station stop in Mendota, IL. Nice station, cute museum.....the 'Southwest Chief' stops here.
I wish someone in Burlington, IA would spearhead a movement to restore the railroad station there. After all, this is THE Burlington in CB&Q, BN, and BNSF. This station was an early attempt at intermodalism built in the late 1950's to serve the CB&Q plus the Burlington Trailways bus company. There was a marvelous waiting room with a huge curved window (still intact) facing the railroad and the river. Sadly, after the floods of July 1993 (where the waiting room came to resemble more of a wading pool) the Amtrak agent was moved to nearby Mt. Pleasant. Passengers boarding in Burlington are now relegated to the narrow hallway between the original rail and bus stations.
Ottumwa, IA - The trainshed could really use a coat of paint. The station itself is of the same style as the Burlington station and in really good shape still. (Iowans generally take care of the things they have.....more so in the middle of the state at least.....solid midwestern values). Radar did not come down to watch the train.......but then he has got to be mid-70's by now!
Station: Grand Junction, CO? Any restoration for the orginal D&RGW station in sight? Sure would be nice.
Thompson, UT. What a ghost town. The one store that was open across from where the train used to stop is long since closed. Can't fault Amtrak for not stopping here anymore.
Price, UT. Good-sized town. Maybe Amtrak should rethink eliminating the stop here. Yes, Helper is nearby BUT Price is a significant place. Might even warrant a ticket agent.
Colfax, CA. This station has had a sign up about a renovation to start soon since at least 2002. No renovation has yet started. How do they define soon?
OK - Back to the train. Our 'CZ' was a mix of un-renovated superliner I and superliner II equipment. The transition sleeper and 532 sleeper which I was in as well as the diner were II's. The 531 sleeper and sightseer lounge were I's complete with the brown carpet on the wall and orange accents. The coaches likewise were I's and II's.
The attendant in my sleeper was 'professionally' pleasant and would attempt to answer any question. However, his first act was to go through the car and determine which passengers had been aboard Amtrak superliner sleepers before. Those of us who had.....and I could see the gears in the guys' head working......were identified as won't need much of my time. I actually made down my bunk and put it back up the following morning both days as the attendant was nowhere to be seen when I wanted those things done. I believe that he used the number 1 roomette (and I was across the hall in #2) for storage only opting to sleep a car forward in the transition sleeper himself.
In fairness......the car attendant did wind up having to resolve several touchy issues during the trip and he did those calmly and professionally. Here are some examples - Two couples for room 10. (Admittedly one of the couples was supposed to be in room 10 in the 531 sleeper but they had gotten past the attendant while he was out-of-sight somewhere else). A number of people who had misconnected from the previous days 'Lake Shore' who they were trying to keep in sleeper. One couple wound up having to move to coach from Denver to Grand Junction but they were able to get them back to the sleeper there. The husband said he couldn't figure out why they just couldn't put another sleeper on in Chicago for the misconnects. We know that reason here BUT I don't understand why some space isn't set aside for misconnects in the transition sleeper. Some of those rooms are used for passengers on other routes. Oh.....and finally, a couple appeared unexpectly on the platform in Helper, UT booked for a roomette in the 532 sleeper. They had originally been booked the following day but had changed their reservation via the 800 number after we departed Chicago and thus were not on the manifest. Of course the room the agent had booked them for, showing otherwise empty, was being used be a pair of the Lake Shore misconnects. Fortunately there was a room coming open at Provo. Our attendant sent them to dinner saying he would have a room for them at the next stop. Attendant also told the conductor that in 15 years on the 'CZ' it was the first time he had ever boarded sleeping car passengers in Helper.
The diner........was fabulous folks. Two young women, a J. Gosson and a M. Thompson were waiting tables. They worked as a team like no two servers I've seen on an Amtrak train EVER. One would blitz through for drink orders followed by the other getting salad orders. Bread and beverages appeared. Orders were taken. Meals delivered. They were efficient, pleasant, and made us feel like welcome guests. Absolutely none of this "It's not my table" attitude. One passenger suggested that maybe they were good because they were young and hadn't learned how to be cranky yet! They maintained their good cheer through 3 suppers, 2 breakfasts, and 2 lunches.
The food itself was better than usual too. Especially the side order vegetables. Someone took care to make them taste good. My theory is that as simplified dining has moved in, some 100 food prep folks out of Chicago have already been laid off. (*clarification - The 'California Zephyr' doesn't get simplified dining until May. My making this trip at this time was in part to enjoy one last trip with a full diner the way I want to remember it!) The ones remaining on the payroll are the most experienced and they're giving it their best until the end. (For those who must know, for dinners I had the country fried steak special the first and third nights, steak the second night. Breakfasts were french toast and the Bob Evans scrambler. Lunch was the cheeseburger one day and the chicken sandwich the next.
Timekeeping - No more than 30 minutes late at any point from Chicago to Salt Lake City. We were early into some major stations (Denver, Salt Lake City) and on-time in leaving them. We began slipping with periods of slow running west of Salt Lake City. We were 30 minutes late out of Elko, and hour and fifteen minutes late out of Winnemucca......then IT happened.
Our lone little Amtrak train got to stick it to the big, bad UP. (and, as expected, the UP got to stick us back......hard.....real hard) On the single track between Winnemucca and Sparks we ground to a halt and sat for 30 minutes. The conductor came on the intercom and told us that an alarm in the lead engine was indicating an overheated bearing. We were to limp into the next siding at a restricted speed, drop the lame engine, and wait for UP to send another engine from Sparks. It could be hours he intoned. Our car attendant muttered "hours!.....try weeks!"
We limped into the siding and sat for an hour as several delayed UP freights zipped by. THEN, the conductor announces that the engine crew has managed to 'fix' a faulty sensor having been walked through it by specialists on the phone from Beach Grove. We could proceed with our journey BUT we had to wait for just one more UP freight to get by.........and it was another 45 minutes before that freight appeared. Ultimately we finished our journey about 4 and a half hours late.......oh.....but the scenary was supurb.
On the ground in Emeryville I caught the connecting bus to Jack London Square and walked the two blocks to the Jack London Inn. I got into my third story room overlooking the Embarcadero and the railroad tracks a little after 10:00pm pacific.
The Jack London Inn is in a decline folks. The rooms are getting a little musty, the ventilation leaves much to be desired, the carpet is worn, the pool is drained leaving dark green scum in the bottom, the waiting couches outside the elevators scream bordello.....the location is SUPURB and the folks are pleasant but the Vagabond in Sacaramento is a much nicer railfan destination. I asked the shuttle driver who ran me to the Oakland Airport from the hotel yesterday morning if there were any plans for renovation. He said "Oh yeah. They have plans alright. Within two years they gonna close this hotel, tear it down, and put up a 17 story luxary condominium. That's were the money is now."
So.......in summation following the trip;
My Health - D. Hard to enjoy Donner Pass when your ears won't pop back.
Diner - A. Much better than expected. Hopefully I can remember this one as the standard Amtrak once achieved.
Diner Staff - A Plus. Again much better than anticipated.
Equipment - C. Sure wish the 'CZ' would get an 'Empire Builder' makeover.
Time-Keeping - C. I've seen worse out of UP and there is that sick little part of me that takes pleasure in the fact we got to stick them a little.
Scenery - A minus, minus because there is so much garbage along the tracks as you descend the western Sierra Nevadas from Emmigrant Gap to Roseville. Just disgraceful......particularly when sharing the table with a pair of Australians.
Stations en route - C Plus. Some are good and have had lots of care given to them (Ottumwa, Denver, Glenwood Springs). Others are just hanging on or are still in 'temporary' facilities years after moving in (Grand Junction, Helper, Salt Lake City. Good thing these structures were built to last in the first place, huh?
Crews -
Sleeper: B Minus - decent and he kept out of my way!
Train operating: A Minus. All pleasant, kept us informed, and didn't go hide when things went wrong.
OK......that's all I can think of for now. Hopefully I've given you a comprehensive overview of how the trip was without resorting to just giving you an hour by hour account. I try to be a little different in that way.
-------------------- 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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David, I am really glad to hear the simplified dining on the CZ is not as bad as most of us were thinking. I really hope it will be the same on the Coast Starlight.
When you say 2 servers, do you mean the entire dining car had 2 servers and an LSA now?
Thanks for the report, Anton
Posts: 1082 | From: Los Angeles, CA. USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Originally posted by CoastStarlight99: David, I am really glad to hear the simplified dining on the CZ is not as bad as most of us were thinking. I really hope it will be the same on the Coast Starlight.
When you say 2 servers, do you mean the entire dining car had 2 servers and an LSA now?
Thanks for the report, Anton
Hey Anton,
This was still the real dining. I had expected it to be worse due to low employee morale and was pleasantly surprised otherwise.
The 'CZ' gets simplified dining in May and getting one last trip with the full service was probably the main reason I spent my time riding the 'CZ' this week.
Our entire upstairs staff had one LSA and the two waitresses. (down from four in earlier days) Downstairs they still were cooking on board with four or five people.
With the simplified dining the downstairs staff is going to get cut to only two I think. Upstairs will likely remain the same for now....or maybe see a reduction from three to two.
A number of our regular contributors have been riding the rails this week and I expect the full skinny on simplified dining soon.
-------------------- 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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An interesting report, David. I am curious as to your impression of the "new" lounge. Thanks for sharing
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by train lady: An interesting report, David. I am curious as to your impression of the "new" lounge. Thanks for sharing
Actually not as different as I had imagined it would be. Bigger yes and that was good. I liked the tables and had lunch in the lounge. I also liked how the room was broken into various sections giving it a fairly intimate feel.
I found the staff to be fairly pleasant too but I was there during a low stress period for them. The 'Capitol' crowd had already dispersed. It was a non-'Cardinal' day and because the 'CZ' departs so early now, I was already on my train BEFORE the late 'Lake Shore' or any of the western long-hauls made it to Chicago. The true test will be how it is during the summer when those long distance trains keep coming in and then something departing is delayed.......how it holds up to an impatient crowd will be the litmus test. I'd predict better but not great in that situation.
-------------------- 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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David, Thank you for the report, it was very interesting. I am sorry you had those delays. I have to agree with you about Salt Lake City; I stayed up late to see it and saw nothing, seemed liked a converted bus station. I should have investigated before I bothered!
I am sorry you caught a cold en route. That is something that more often happens on planes, eh? Keep warm and get plenty of rest.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by sojourner: David, Thank you for the report, it was very interesting. I am sorry you had those delays. I have to agree with you about Salt Lake City; I stayed up late to see it and saw nothing, seemed liked a converted bus station. I should have investigated before I bothered!
I caught the 'CZ' out of Salt Lake City westward back in 2002 and the station is essentially a doublewide trailer on a backstreet in the warehouse district. They have since built a new Greyhound Station next door making the Amtrak station even less appealing.
The saddest part is that from the front door of the Amshack you can clearly see the roofline of the former DRG&W station 2-3 blocks away. I wish that Amtrak still had the use of a corner of either that building or the UP station which also still stands.
Oh well.
-------------------- 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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That's a decent trip report; thanks very much for posting it. Lots of that stuff is just all in a day's work at Amtrak. Of course, the hard-core foamers out there wanted engine and consist numbers.
Posts: 391 | From: Schenectady | Registered: Jan 2002
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Great report. You should offer your suggestion about setting aside transition sleeper space for misconnects to Amtrak and NARP. I don't know why nobody thought of it sooner.
quote:Originally posted by Amtrak207: That's a decent trip report; thanks very much for posting it. Lots of that stuff is just all in a day's work at Amtrak. Of course, the hard-core foamers out there wanted engine and consist numbers.
I agree that the things our crew dealt with were pretty much typical. I didn't even mention the one roomette passenger (who was getting off at Martinez!) who went ballistic on the car attendant when Union Pacific threw up a red signal approaching the big bridge at Martinez. We were five hours late at that point and one more five minute delay was the final straw. The attendant calmy explained for the zillionith time that UP dispatchers in Omaha determine who goes and who stops. The passenger demanded the phone number for the "UP guy in Omaha" saying "if enough of us call and get in his face right now he'd have to let us go." A novel thought but......well......no. Just no.
Consist particulars. I can help with three pieces of our rolling stock. I would have done a better job for the hard core foamers except that I could tell by Denver that I was getting sick! I wanted to focus my energies on what passengers are experiencing on the inside looking out rather than securing hard data.
Locomotives were #148 and #160. The 531 sleeper (nearest the diner) was a superliner 1 series car (still had brown and orange interior) named 'Edward Ulman'.
-------------------- 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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quote:Originally posted by Mr. Toy: Great report. You should offer your suggestion about setting aside transition sleeper space for misconnects to Amtrak and NARP. I don't know why nobody thought of it sooner.
I'm a NARP member and know one of their board members. I'll look into forwarding my remarks about doing that on the superliner trains which are not selling passenger space in the Transition Sleeper later this week. If I remember correctly, TS space is sold on the 'Eagle' and 'Sunset'. Anywhere else?
I do know that some Amtrak crew members resent having passengers housed in 'their sleeper' even though the original plan is that some of the rooms in the TS would be sold to members of the public.
-------------------- 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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