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Here is my trip report...I finally got it into HTML format from MS Word..the positioning is a bit messed up but atlest its up... http://www.trainweb.org/coaststarlight99/
Enjoy!
Put you comments up here...and be sure to read the bottom questions.
------------------ --Anton L. pillsbury09@excite.com AIM: pillsburyMN
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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Anton, what a great story! I read every word. I loved reading about your adventure.
I think I can answer a few of your questions.
Who made the Pacific Parlour car?
The Parlour cars were originally the old Santa Fe "Hi'Level" cars built for the El Capitan route. Someone at Amtrak got the bright idea to refurbish them for the Starlight to help stop a loss in ridership when air fares suddenly got lower. (it worked). The furnishings are all new. I've met a few Amtrak employees who say they were involved in their design.
Is there any way to assure getting the same route on a future trip?
I'm not sure I understand the question. The obvious answer is to book a trip on the same train.
Can you ask for a certain car at 1(800)USA-RAIL ?
If you mean a specific car in the roster, no. If you mean a specific car in the train, such as car #1430, an agent on the phone can arrange that as long as the space hasn't already been sold. You can also request specific room numbers if the room you want is still available.
Can you buy a station? Or is it state property?
I think some are still owned by the host railroads, and Amtrak leases the space. Others (like Salinas) are owned by the city, and Amtrak leases the space. I don't know if any are privately owned.
Do attendants usually only work for one route?
I'm not entirely clear on this, but I think crews are generally assigned to specific trains. But if someone is out sick or on vacation, I imagine they would fill the position in with anyone who is available. They all operate out of the same "crew base" in LA.
dilly Member # 1427
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Terrific story, Anton. Don't feel too crushed by the lack of blueberry muffins during your return trip. When I traveled on the Coast Starlight a while back, the Pacific Parlour Car's pre-breakfast snacks disappeared so quickly that by the time I entered the car at 7:45 a.m., there was literally nothing left at all.
CoastStarlight99 Member # 2734
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Thanks for the kind comments, Mr. Toy and Dilly!
And about that question.. "Is there any way to assure getting the same route on a future trip?" I think I must have ment "crew". I dont know what I was thinking. And I did mean like 14-31..Thanks!!
------------------ --Anton L. pillsbury09@excite.com AIM: pillsburyMN
sbalax Member # 2801
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Anton--
I really enjoyed reading your trip report. My first long distance train trip was on the AT&SF "El Capitan" from Pasadena to Chicago at almost the same age you are now. I was hooked on train travel from that moment on!
I taught 7th grade for 35 years and your writing style, observations and attitudes are exceptional. Keep up the good work.
Frank in SBA
P.S. I'm glad you liked the station here. The restoration of the building and gardens are very well done and it is becoming busier all the time.
M190 Member # 3009
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Great report Anton! It sent me reminiscing about my first trip when I was 12. It was 1976 and my trip aboard the Southwest Limited from Pasadena to Chicago was wonderous! Your beloved Parlour cars were then the standard coach lounges in those pre-superliner days. Oh how I miss the lighted handrails in the old Hi-Level cars! Not knowing any better I wandered into the lounge for the sleeper passengers which was a single level dome car from the Santa Fe with a Turquoise Room! Funny, I remember actually liking the smoky smell of those lounges. Congratulations on your trip, I'm sure it will stay with you forever.
Allen
P.S. At the time of my first trip I lived in Glendale and hung around the Glendale station and LAUPT quite a lot. Things were very different then.
CoastStarlight99 Member # 2734
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Thanks for the comments and compliments!
Sbalax, Thanks again for the Coast Village Inn tip its a real good alternative to the high priced biltmore..Im going to take that trip to SBA when I get back from Italy in August...I'll be riding lots of Euro Star High Speed trains.
Thanks for all the comments,
Anton
UncleBuck44 Member # 2049
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CS99, may I have a link to your site?
chile2 Member # 3110
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Anton---- Great trip report! You will find when you get older, that it is great fun to re-read these stories and they are a wonderful record to have for your family also. Be sure to print them out, bind them, and put them on your bookshelf; I'm a firm believer in the durability of a hard copy. I hope you will give a report on the Euro Star high speed train. For those of us that are stateside, this will be a bit of living vicariously.
sbalax Member # 2801
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Great advice, Chile2. I still have the "Diary" I kept on that first long distance trip I made with my family from Pasadena to Chicago. From there we took the Grand Trunk Western (?) to Lansing, Michigan to pick up a new Oldsmobile at the factory. It's nowhere near as polished an account as Anton's!
------------------ --Anton L. pillsbury09@excite.com AIM: pillsburyMN
UncleBuck44 Member # 2049
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Thats your trip report.
In your report you say: "YOU CAN WATCH THIS VIDEO BY CLICKING VIDEOS ON MY SITE
THEN, JUST SELECT THE VIDEO YOU WISH TO WATCH"
Where is "videos" on there?
CoastStarlight99 Member # 2734
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Sorry UB44, iMovie is giving me problems so im having trouble importing the movies just like my HTML trouble ...I has a Tripod site before my trainweb site...Soon I will have a normal domain that I will post the videos on. SOrry about that.
------------------ --Anton L. pillsbury09@excite.com AIM: pillsburyMN
20th Century Member # 2196
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Great job, Anton! I enjoyed your report so much. It reminded me of my train trips when I was a youth.
chubbes Member # 3250
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1.Idk but i can find out when i got to KFalls next. 2.Budd railcar built it The Santa Fe 3.I really dont know wht yur asking? 4.Nope 5.Amtrak's National Schedule has some info in it. 6.No it is owned by Amtrak and maintained by the city. 7.They do use 4 consits and once and a while Amtrak will take a car off for a reason that i dont know and place it on another. 8.They work with there car not there route. So say the attendant is in control of the Wisconsin Sleeper on the starlight and Amtrak uses that car for the Emipre Builder the next day, the attendant would follow but this usually doesnt happen because the cars are in different pools like the western car pool, eastern car pool, chicago car pool, san joaquin car pool and many others
CoastStarlight99 Member # 2734
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One sleeper attendant said he was Crew#4 and left on the 2nd 12th and the 22nd of each month on the starlight...Always on 14/11-31 but he would be 11/14-32 over the summer...whats the difference?
------------------ --Anton L. pillsbury09@excite.com AIM: pillsburyMN
posted 
...I has a Tripod site before my trainweb site...Soon I will have a normal domain that I will post the videos on. SOrry about that.