quote:

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Originally posted by TBlack:
We were allowed to eat in the diner on #48, but not on #51. I think that is a decision made by the attendant.

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Mr. Black, from the itinerary you note: all the markings of a joyride

From the captioned quote, it appears you, like any sane person taking a discretionary journey, made the trip in Sleeper. Isn't the Diner there on #48 for the exclusive use of Sleeping Car passengers, and doesn't #51 have only a Cafe car for all food service and all passengers?

Finally, was the "Flexichow" on #48 any better than the "Birdseed" on #51?
 

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Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
 
Hi Gilbert,
Guilty on all counts! Yes, a joy ride in a sleeper.
The 51 has the cafe car and one attendant, while the 48 has a new diner, and one attendant. The food menu is the same on both trains. As you undoubtedly know, 48 is also 448 (the Boston section). The latter, one sleeper, two coaches and a cafe car is tacked on at the front of the train and separated at ALB which is where I get off and drive home (I can make it faster than the train).
I know that you don't do joy rides, but that's all
I do. I think I should stick to the western routes, as I'm told the food is better.
Tom
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
I guess I'm becoming a Country and Western songwriter:

"Will you cut me some slack, Mister Black"

Lest we forget, I did take a July '08 joyride to Denver, and another June '10 to Jackson, MS. Both were "adequately enjoyable" experiences, but to some extent, both were motivated to "be one of the boys" around here and at Railroad Net.

Now to what extent were my AT "voyages" joyrides is kind of a "half and half". I was actually going to/coming from Florida, and not doing a DPM where he once flew to Wash, rented a car, loaded it and rode on the private AT, then drove it to Orlando and flew home (auto rental rates back then had a mileage component; he had "a whole lot of splainin' to do when returning the auto @ MCO).

But as the rate for the trip, along with my preference for a Bedroom (and First or Business on flights), escalated "through the roof", and my reduced desire to socialize en route, it just became a "meh" and only was saving me some 400 miles of driving, instead of the 800 it would if origin or destination was the Northeast.

So, I haven't said "never again", but Amtrak will simply need to be the most convenient A to B transportation for me to consider future rides. That likely means I'm already out in the Corridor and I have somewhere to go within - the same criterion as with the overseas trips I've made in recent years (this past August, only Munich Airport-Salzburg and return Getting "run off" the platform by the "DB Mask Police" for not having an N-95, and then returning, a strike that almost made me miss my flight home).

Finally, I wish AGR could partner up with one recognized charity or the other so my 17,000 points would have a home rather than likely expire in another year.
 

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Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
 
Gilbert,
Let's look at the record. The last "joy ride" you did was 12 years ago and the one before that was 14 years ago. And by your own admission they weren't really joy rides. I rest my case. Let the jury decide.No slack needs to be given!
Tom
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
Mr. Black, I respect your thoughts, but as we both know, one need not take a "loyalty oath" to the preservation and even expansion of the Amtrak LD system ("National Network" in newspeak) to participate around here such as you must at another site from which I got run off:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/hawaii-hart-boondoggle.74886/

I thank our new member Mr. Lord, for "sticking up for me" back then.
 

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Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
 
I hope, Mr. Norman, you get a chance to "cash in" your 17,000 AGR points. If not charity, could you apply it to hotel or restaurant expenses?

I have never been interested in AGR's as I don't travel, much more, on Amtrak. The exception may be a yearly jaunt on the Builder, Cascades, or Starlight.

Here is an interesting suggestion for
changes in AGR:

https://is.gd/cXsmAY

I like the proposal, in the "Elite Class"
section, for a 75 % bonus for sleeping car passengers.

Richard
 

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Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
Thank you for the "heads up" regarding Guest Rewards, Richard.

I wasn't aware that rewards could be redeemed for anything other than Amtrak transportation. Going through their non-rail redemption partners, I find several
- Darden, Ruth's Chris, Best Western - that I regularly use.

I make one exception with Best Western, which is a chain that otherwise is "lower than I go". The property in Marion IL is en-route on any of my road trips heading South, it's adjacent to a restaurant that I really like (unpaid plug - '20's Hideout). But alas, I haven't been that way since "COVID Eve" - Jan '20, and "things could well have changed".
 

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