RAILforum: First Leg Down

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Posted by ladylawyer (Member # 2653) on :

I'm here in Vermont, having traveled from Sacramento to Springfield, Mass by train. I left Sacto, on this my first train trip, fully prepared for all that might happen. Waved good-by to hubby somewhat tearfully and waived good-by to Sacto for my long journey. About 10 miles out of Sacto the train came to a dead stop...and there we sat for a good hour-and-a-half...just about 5 miles from my house! However, once we got going, all went well and we arrived 1/2 hour early into Chicago.

Trying to respond to some prior questions: Food is average, at best. Breakfast was pretty good. Service on the Zephyr was terrific...I had a car attendant who called me by name and was always watching out for me. Showered in the AM (I had a deluxe sleeper...the only way to go!) after breakfast...had plenty of hot water. Met some very interesting people, who ride the train to avoid the security in airports. And yes, it a bomb fit in your suitcase, it would be on board with no problemo.

Chicago to Springfield was not as good a trip. The train went like a bat-out-of-hell initially, causing our drinks to soak our dinner meal. Our "condition" was completely ignored by the server, who simply put the plates on the soaking wet tablecloth. During the night, I thought the trip was quite smooth...only to discover in the AM we had been stopped for 4+ hours because of some dead people on the tracks. Arrived in Springfield about 4 hours late.

Leaving tomorrow for the trip back...wish me luck!

Posted by UncleBuck44 (Member # 2049) on :

"Showered in the AM (I had a deluxe sleeper...the only way to go!)"

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One of the many great things about a Deluxe room is you can make your own showering times, and heck if you want shower 2-3 times a day for kicks, especially if your usually someone who has to wake up early while in another type of compartment, just to shower.

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"During the night, I thought the trip was quite smooth...only to discover in the AM we had been stopped for 4+ hours because of some dead people on the tracks."

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I guess that could go under stupid people tricks as well, lol.

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"wish me luck!"

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Luck

[This message has been edited by UncleBuck44 (edited 10-27-2003).]

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

Thanks for the mid-term report. Your observations about service quality on the different trains adds some credibility to what I've observed from other posts. That crews on western trains seem to have better public service skills than those on eastern trains.

Was there any explanation given for the 90 minute delay out of Sacramento? And what was with the dead people???? Did a train hit them? Anyway, being four hours late after a transcontinental trip isn't all that bad considering the distance. If it hadn't been for the dead people, you would have been on time.

How did you like the scenery?

And, BTW, its not really a good idea to post comments about security, even though it may appear obvious to anyone on a train. There's no point in giving ideas to any idiot with a Google connection. "Loose brains derail trains."

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

[This message has been edited by Mr. Toy (edited 10-27-2003).]

Posted by Lovesatq (Member # 2691) on :

Just got back last week from the same cross country trip (MTZ to BBY - SPG to MTZ). Wonderful service and food was average to above average on the dinners. Three hours late into Chicago and barely made my connection to Boston. Unfortunately, a woman's husband in the next deluxe sleeper was ready to get off in Salt Lake. She convinced him to stay only to miss their connection to D.C. and their first class status. Boy, did I feel for that woman. Good reason to leave hubby home or anyone who isn't ready for the adventure of train travel. For some unknown reason to me we were stopped for several hours during the night and ended up almost 5 hours late into Boston. I also observed the service to be better on the West bound trains. I hardly saw my attandent on the LSL. Return trip was on time until we reached California and ended up only 2 hours late....Didn't mind since I wasn't ready for the trip to end. My suggestion to everyone here is to experience the train trip between CA. and Denver for the scenery...beautiful, beautiful. Anxious to hear how the rest of your trip went.

Posted by Amtrak207 (Member # 1307) on :

Great to hear you make it out here. This is a trip I've been wanting to do for seventeen years and haven't done yet.
The train's schedule is a bit goofy east of Chicago- you have to go as fast as you safely can on track that's not exactly smooth or get lost in an awful mess of freight traffic. And if that happens, chances are you'd be more than four hours late. Westbound is a different story.
(Ed. note- I've done concentrated study and research on the Lakeshore Limited over the last two years)
Westbound, there is significant recovery time (actually mail and express time which is no longer needed) built into the schedule. The train will leave Rochester 20 minutes late, get some good running in to Buffalo, arrive 11 minutes late and depart on time if all goes well.
This time was originally added to the schedule so postal mail could be sorted in Buffalo. Now in the David Gunn era, that ended in about two weeks.
Just like my dad's trip home over the summer. Anyone coming from another train and switching to the Lakeshore in Chicago is disappointed. Too bad. Still one of my favorites, probably because I've seen it so often, I know the crews, and it runs through my home town.

I'm dying for a study break!
I'll be on the Depew platform, the guy with the camera and clipboard. Please bring my baby (engine 207) in from Boston if you could.

[This message has been edited by Amtrak207 (edited 10-27-2003).]

Posted by dilly (Member # 1427) on :

It sounds as if ladylawyer is getting a panoramic view of America. . . and Amtrak.

That's one of the perks of coast-to-coast train travel. You discover that there are actually many different Amtraks -- not only in terms of scenery and equipment, but also in terms of overall service and onboard atmosphere.

The Lake Shore Limited version of Amtrak is quite different from the Coast Starlight version of Amtrak -- which, in turn, has a very different "vibe" from the Northeast Corridor trains, the Cascades, or the Vermonter.

During my own multi-train trips, I've often felt I'm riding on different railroads. And I have to admit that I enjoy encountering the occasional duct tape-festooned toilet, rude conductor, psychotic dining car server, or unexplained midnight stop in the middle of nowhere. I've always lived and worked in chaotic, fairly unpredictable urban surroundings, so a less-than-perfect rail trip doesn't really phase me.

I know some people moan about Amtrak's lack of consistency and uniformity. But for me, the lack of standardization and predictability can make the journey far more interesting.

[This message has been edited by dilly (edited 10-27-2003).]

Posted by dnsommer (Member # 2825) on :

It's fun when a swollen creek washes away a trestle and they have to portage the Lake Shore's consist car-by-car on a hastily constructed shoo-fly that rests on the creek bed a foot or two beneath the surface of the rushing waters.

I mean, it would be fun. Worth getting out and taking a couple of pics, even if it was four in the morning, that's fer sure.

Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :

I agree with Dilly. The unpredictability of a train trip can be part of the fun. Today I pick up the SWC westbound, driving down from Minnesota. No idea where I'm getting on. Galesburg (thats whay my ticket says), Ft. Madison, La Plata, KC? Wherever I wind up at the end of the day.

(My name on this forum is the train of the 50's that would have saved me this drive - Rock Island from the North Star state to the Lone Star state).

Going to San Diego, unless I decide to get off somewhere else. Try flying a plane with this attitude? The Dept of Homeland Security would be on your case. Driving: Arghh, another McStop.

Posted by JonA (Member # 2690) on :

Your car attendent wasn't "Bennie" by any chance? He rocked!

Dilly you are spot on. But you do need the right attitude and outlook to enjoy the unkonwn. Outside of the northeast corrider I would plan 1 day of "padding" to my schedule if I actually had to be anywhere at a certain time.

Even on the NE corrider, stuff can happen. I recently had business in providence and took the train from Poughkeepsie to NYP then to Providence RI. Sure I had to travel the night before, but I read, looked out the window and had a few cocktails. Just like an average night at home. Coming back business went later than expected, I got the last regional train that would have allowed me a connection upstate (on metro north mind you, this was my worst case contingency plan). So amtrak had engine problems and we were real late to NYC and I missed my connection by 15 minutes. Knowing this I booked a room by cellphone at the hotel next to grand central terminal, by 12:30AM I was sipping a martini in a great bar in the middle of manhattan and thinking "there are worse places to get stuck". It cost me a few bucks but really did not disrupt my life and I got home the next morning AND I had a good time with my little adventure. (of course I did not have to be anywhere the next day, part of the plan though)

So.........be prepared to deal with the crap, but on a train the good so outweighs the bad.

Jon