Not a bad thing; the P42s are really showing their age. I took a trip between Chicago and St. Paul a few years ago. It was bitterly cold and between Chicago and Milwaukee two out of the three broke down and we got to Milwaukee on the last one. They got them all running again in Milwaukee...
Let us know what the results are. I'm always at a loss as to what an appropriate tip is in since rail travel is not common enough that there is a societal norm. I'd be curious as to if your survey finds any kind of consensus.
neroden provided some great answers for you! My wife and I have done two sleeper trips with our toddler. I think using a sleeper (if you can afford it) is the way to go with little kids since it keeps them a bit more contained and you don't have to worry about them bothering other folks.
I...
Either BNSF or Amtrak is clearly at fault here unless there was an earthquake. The lawsuit names Amtrak because Amtrak will pay even if BNSF is at fault. This came up in the Cayce SC crash. The following article provides some interesting context. Short summary of the article is basically...
I read throught the lawsuit and there is a ton of talk about heat kinks and rail temps. As others have pointed out it was obviously written quickly and poorly but the amount of mention of these issues makes me wonder if they know something we don't. They may also just be guessing like we all...