8/25/09-8/26/09
Caught the Eagle Northbound in AUS for DAL,fairly large crowd boarded in coach(as did I)and we left about 30 minutes down!The usual coinsist of one engine,transition sleeper/regular sleeper from #2/#422,diner-lounge(ccc),ssl!
and three coaches!Seats were assigned since the train was full which is a first for me on this train!After getting my check I went up to the lounge and met in person the legendary and seldom seen the_traveler!!!! who is riding from LAX-CHI on #422!Really enjoyed discusssing AGR(what else! :lol: )and trains!We had lunch(BAR-B-Qwhich was so,so!)and continued our journey north from the land of parched earth and Arizonia like temps to where the rain jhas actually made it green!(TPL-DAL)We were don 1 1/2 hours into FTW,
left fairly quickly for DAL,passed the fantastic new Cowboy Stadium in Arlington and arrived into DAL Union where the conductor said wed have a very brief stop!We stepped off and were met by saxman66 for a very brief meeting and the traveler had to hop back aboard tocontinue his trip north!saxman
gave me a quick tour of the Union Station,we werent able to go upstairs where Wolfgang Puck has set up a high end catering biz,but the station looks pretty good,did get to see the old tunnel to the trains and I was shown how to get my tickets and how to muse DART to get to my hotel!Since wed run late I had to postpone my plan to visit the JFK Museum untilk Wed. but caught the redline train up to my hotel(city place stop),checked in and showered/ate a bite and went out on my day pass to ride around on DART!A day pass is a fantastic deal/$5 for all access to both Dart(Dallas) and TRE(train to DFW Airport and downtown FTW and access to all busses and the free Mckinney Street trolley in Dallas!They are building a green line that will open in the fall to the State Fair Grounds where there are several museums including a RailRoad Museum!
The next morning I arose early,had a great comp breakfast and bought my pass(its $1,50 for Seniors/All access/even a better deal!!!)Rode to the Amtrak Station,checked my bag with agent ($3 for a day check) and rode the blue line and red lines to the end and back!(lots of different things in Big D! :lol: )
When themuseum opened I went to the Dealy Plaza,toured the museum(its half-price on Tuesdays/$6.50) but still a deal @ $13!!Interesting and historic,everyone should see it!Afterwards it was time for the TRE to FTW,it takes an hour and goes a different route than the Eagle but next year the Eagle is supposed to switch!I got off @ the old T&P station which is the start of the TRE!Its a really historic and great old restored high rise station thats used as an office building and they rent out the Great Hall similar to SAS on the Sunset Station for galas/weddings etc.What a shame it cant be the Amtrak Station!
I then rode the TRE back to the Intermodel Station,caught the bus(also TRE ) for a rour of downtown FTW and the historic stockyards(didnt get off due to time constraints!)Pretty neat looking place!Arrived back @ the Intermodel about 2PM and there was three Amtrak trains sitting in the station!(The old ATSF station next to the Intermodel has been remodeled into a for rent hall also,they say its been restored to 1920s glory,looks great from the outside!)
The Heartland Flyer was making up/switching for the evening trip back to Oklahoma/The Eagles were both in the station:#22 North and #21 South(my train!)#22 was on time and #21 had arrived in DAL and FTW an hour early!Went into the new,modern,Intermodel Station(Amtrak/TRE trains/busses and Greyhound all share the building,it looks similar to PDX for those that have been there!Had a Subway meal(lots of folks off both trains in there!Ive seen posts about pax almost being left behind that went in there but the service was quick and everyone boarded on time,#22 backed out first,on time,we then proceeded iin our almost full train!!! to pull out heading south,passed #22 which was sitting past Tower #55 waiting for us so they could head North!
We ran pretty much on time,lots of folks getting off @ the brief stops along the way(Cleburne/Mcgregor/Temple where lots more got on!Its great to see the pax load increasing on this train,wait until its daily and goes direct CHI-LAX!!Exchange a call with the_traveler who had arrived in CHI late,the phone and laptop service wasnt all that consistent today especially in the sticks around Crawford(perhaps its GWs fault! )Noone got on in Taylor so we highballed for Austin and arrived right on time @7PM!(didnt see asingle freight on this trip home,thats a first on the UP amd BNSF lines for sure!!)Thanks to the traveler and to saxman for the help and advice,if youre ever in the Metro -plex its a good place to check out,the metro transportation system is first rate and getting better, for car crazy Texas its amazing! :lol:
***One strange thing that the traveler noted: when we arrived in FTW #22 was 1hr. 20 mins down/#422 was #1hr. 25 mins down!It wasnt that long a train!!!!LOL
Caught the Eagle Northbound in AUS for DAL,fairly large crowd boarded in coach(as did I)and we left about 30 minutes down!The usual coinsist of one engine,transition sleeper/regular sleeper from #2/#422,diner-lounge(ccc),ssl!
and three coaches!Seats were assigned since the train was full which is a first for me on this train!After getting my check I went up to the lounge and met in person the legendary and seldom seen the_traveler!!!! who is riding from LAX-CHI on #422!Really enjoyed discusssing AGR(what else! :lol: )and trains!We had lunch(BAR-B-Qwhich was so,so!)and continued our journey north from the land of parched earth and Arizonia like temps to where the rain jhas actually made it green!(TPL-DAL)We were don 1 1/2 hours into FTW,left fairly quickly for DAL,passed the fantastic new Cowboy Stadium in Arlington and arrived into DAL Union where the conductor said wed have a very brief stop!We stepped off and were met by saxman66 for a very brief meeting and the traveler had to hop back aboard tocontinue his trip north!saxman
gave me a quick tour of the Union Station,we werent able to go upstairs where Wolfgang Puck has set up a high end catering biz,but the station looks pretty good,did get to see the old tunnel to the trains and I was shown how to get my tickets and how to muse DART to get to my hotel!Since wed run late I had to postpone my plan to visit the JFK Museum untilk Wed. but caught the redline train up to my hotel(city place stop),checked in and showered/ate a bite and went out on my day pass to ride around on DART!A day pass is a fantastic deal/$5 for all access to both Dart(Dallas) and TRE(train to DFW Airport and downtown FTW and access to all busses and the free Mckinney Street trolley in Dallas!They are building a green line that will open in the fall to the State Fair Grounds where there are several museums including a RailRoad Museum!
The next morning I arose early,had a great comp breakfast and bought my pass(its $1,50 for Seniors/All access/even a better deal!!!)Rode to the Amtrak Station,checked my bag with agent ($3 for a day check) and rode the blue line and red lines to the end and back!(lots of different things in Big D! :lol: )
When themuseum opened I went to the Dealy Plaza,toured the museum(its half-price on Tuesdays/$6.50) but still a deal @ $13!!Interesting and historic,everyone should see it!Afterwards it was time for the TRE to FTW,it takes an hour and goes a different route than the Eagle but next year the Eagle is supposed to switch!I got off @ the old T&P station which is the start of the TRE!Its a really historic and great old restored high rise station thats used as an office building and they rent out the Great Hall similar to SAS on the Sunset Station for galas/weddings etc.What a shame it cant be the Amtrak Station!
I then rode the TRE back to the Intermodel Station,caught the bus(also TRE ) for a rour of downtown FTW and the historic stockyards(didnt get off due to time constraints!)Pretty neat looking place!Arrived back @ the Intermodel about 2PM and there was three Amtrak trains sitting in the station!(The old ATSF station next to the Intermodel has been remodeled into a for rent hall also,they say its been restored to 1920s glory,looks great from the outside!)
The Heartland Flyer was making up/switching for the evening trip back to Oklahoma/The Eagles were both in the station:#22 North and #21 South(my train!)#22 was on time and #21 had arrived in DAL and FTW an hour early!Went into the new,modern,Intermodel Station(Amtrak/TRE trains/busses and Greyhound all share the building,it looks similar to PDX for those that have been there!Had a Subway meal(lots of folks off both trains in there!Ive seen posts about pax almost being left behind that went in there but the service was quick and everyone boarded on time,#22 backed out first,on time,we then proceeded iin our almost full train!!! to pull out heading south,passed #22 which was sitting past Tower #55 waiting for us so they could head North!
We ran pretty much on time,lots of folks getting off @ the brief stops along the way(Cleburne/Mcgregor/Temple where lots more got on!Its great to see the pax load increasing on this train,wait until its daily and goes direct CHI-LAX!!Exchange a call with the_traveler who had arrived in CHI late,the phone and laptop service wasnt all that consistent today especially in the sticks around Crawford(perhaps its GWs fault!
)Noone got on in Taylor so we highballed for Austin and arrived right on time @7PM!(didnt see asingle freight on this trip home,thats a first on the UP amd BNSF lines for sure!!)Thanks to the traveler and to saxman for the help and advice,if youre ever in the Metro -plex its a good place to check out,the metro transportation system is first rate and getting better, for car crazy Texas its amazing! :lol:***One strange thing that the traveler noted: when we arrived in FTW #22 was 1hr. 20 mins down/#422 was #1hr. 25 mins down!It wasnt that long a train!!!!LOL
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