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Can anyone tell me if it makes sense to book a hotel room in San Antonio instead of assuming that the Sunset Limited will connect with the Texas Eagle? I am going from Chicago to Tucson on the Texas Eagle which connects with the Sunset Limited, and I don't want to have to ride a bus for several hours if either train is late!
Mike Smith Member # 447
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Most of the time, the Eagle connects with the Sunset OK. It is the return trip that can get messed up.
However, if Amtrak misses the connection and wants to bus you from El Paso to Dallas, whine until they put you up in a hotel in San Antonio, instead of bussing.
IOW, plan on the possibility that you might spend the night in SAS, at Amtrak's expense.
ethelred Member # 3672
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Thanks! What does IOW and SAS stand for?
I'm returning Tucson to Jacksonville to DC (Sunset Limited to Silver Meteor); perhaps I should get a room in Jacksonville on the way back?
George Harris Member # 2077
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IOW = in other words SAS = San Antonio. This is Amtrak's three letter code for their system, so some people usu it as a shorthand name for the city. Like airline city codes, some of them are intuitively obvious, some of them are not.
Like airline codes, don't mess them up, or you may be surprised where you end up. Classic example:
MEM = Memphis, Tennessee, USA MFM = Macau, China
Mike Smith Member # 447
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ethelred, sorry about the shorthand. You will not have to worry about bussing to Dallas, seeing as though you are going to Jacksonville.
I would HIGHLY recommend a night in Jacksonville. The Sunset is almost always way late getting into Jacksonville.
ethelred Member # 3672
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Ah--then can anyone recommend a hotel near the train station in Jacksonville?
I hope it was clear that I'll be on the Sunset Limited in both directions: Texas Eagle to Sunset Limited to Tucson, then Tucson to Jacksonville to DC on the Silver Meteor.
Thanks for the translation--and I hope this isn't a duplicate message. I lost what I wrote before!
panamaclipper Member # 3058
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Two private cars on the back of the Texas Eagle today leaving Dallas for Chicago. They were blue and cream and one was a smooth sided dome with open observation platform on the rear. I didn't recognize the name but it was not AOE. The two extra cars meant they needed a second locomotive. Wonder how much that cost?
mikesmith Member # 447
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Yea panamaclipper, almost every time I go through downtown Houston, I see those cars at the Amtrak station and dream of winning the lottery...
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Hi all! I am planning a trip on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited on 7/29 from FTW-LAX. I have read somewhere that they no longer have dining car service from Ft. Worth to San Antonio. Is this true? Since I am travelling in a bedroom, I am wondering that if there is no dining car service, would they provide meals in the Cafe Car?
RRRICH Member # 1418
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PG - the current AMTRAK timetable says there is no dining car service on the Texas Eagle between San Antonio and Austin only, and that sleeping car passengers will be given "cold meal service" on that segment. And yes, food is always available in the cafe car (while the attendant is on duty, that is!)
panamaclipper Member # 3058
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pgrail: You would need the lottery to pay for that. Gosh those cars look great. Wonder why they were headed to Chicago and with who on board?
coronado Member # 2395
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pgrail... since you are getting on at Fort Worth and the dining car crew does not leave until Austin, you will get a full hot dinner in the dining car. The cold meal only applies to those passengers wanting dinner after the dining car crew departs the train at Austin.
My last trip in February, I had a full dinner in the dining car between McGregor and Temple.
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