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  1. RTOlson

    California Rail Pass Quesitons

    I ran into some trouble today booking my holiday travel with a California Rail Pass. I was told that I could no longer complete my purchase over the phone, as I was able to as recently as July. I would have to buy the pass at a staffed station by the end of tomorrow (one day). This is a HUGE...
  2. RTOlson

    14/29 Lost Power North of Goleta

    Here's what the cables looked like on the baggage car on 14/29 as it was coupled at the end of the train in Sacramento. As I wrote earlier, the duct tape stood out.
  3. RTOlson

    14/29 Lost Power North of Goleta

    Well, we got into Chico just before 10 a.m. Most people were still taking things pretty easy, but people heading to Seattle weren't eager for an arrival time closer to 2 a.m. Although the Coast Starlight can be more relaxed than other long-distance cars, it seemed many people were OK with...
  4. RTOlson

    14/29 Lost Power North of Goleta

    Thanks for the updates. I'm actually aboard San Joaquin 703 from Bakersfield. I was hoping to meet 14 at Sacramento to finish my trip to Chico. I guess I'll have to find some place to cool my heels for a spell (I think I'll head to that place that used to be a Denny's). My sympathies to...
  5. RTOlson

    Stations with curved platforms

    Sorry to be a little late to the conversation, but Minot, ND definitely has a curved platform (from my 2009 Empire Builder trip):
  6. RTOlson

    #14 late out of Salinas

    We've heard that host railroads like to play that game, but how often does it happen when the host railroad has one of their engines tied up to an Amtrak consist? At that point, I would think the host railroad probably wants to make sure the consist isn't clogging anything up (but it still might...
  7. RTOlson

    Crazy Train

    Ouch. It does seem like an unpleasant way to spend an evening. How does something like that happen? Of course, when one says "derailment," I often think of the car leaving the tracks. It doesn't appear to be the case here, but that photo looks wild.
  8. RTOlson

    #14 late out of Salinas

    I just saw 14 pass through Chico at about an hour ago (3:40 p.m.). The train was supposed to arrive in CIC at 1:55 a.m., so it's running about 13.75 hours late. I was taking my bike for a ride by the station when I heard the horn sound. I was expecting a freight to go by, but I was shocked to...
  9. RTOlson

    Colo. city to pay man wrongfully arrested from train

    Thanks for the pointer. I didn't think to search for older threads (I checked for the past few days).
  10. RTOlson

    Colo. city to pay man wrongfully arrested from train

    Interesting story from the Denver Post about the city of La Junta settling a lawsuit filed by a man wrongfully detained for three days. According to the story, Amtrak called local police in Jan. 2010 after a couple of passengers allegedly overheard Ojore Lutalo of New Jersey make statements on...
  11. RTOlson

    Conductor arrested

    The "secluded part of the train" intrigued me as well. Up until that point, it wasn't entirely clear to me that the alleged incidents took place aboard the train. Without more information, it would be hard to know where these secluded areas are but I don't think there are that many on the...
  12. RTOlson

    Celebratory Phase 3 comeback?

    I like the current livery and logo. The older liveries just look a little garish to me. I do like the idea of painting a handful of trains with older liveries, much like the heritage designs that UP does for some of the former railroads it acquired. Do you think Amtrak would be willing to do...
  13. RTOlson

    Stadiums, sports arenas, and public transit

    Some Capitol Corridor trains (but not all) also serve Oakland Coliseum and Oracle Arena -- it's an intermodal stop for both Capitol Corridor and BART. For Candlestick Park, Muni has several options. It runs regular bus service in addition to shuttle bus service from the T Line's Gilman/Paul...
  14. RTOlson

    Notice: All Amtrak Service Suspended Between SD and San Juan Capistran

    Amtrak California stated on Facebook that Surfliners are running as far south as San Juan Capistrano. I hope they get the track operational soon.
  15. RTOlson

    Nightmare Christmas Travel

    Was the agent able to accommodate you on getting to Iowa? The travel advisory I see for California Zephyr indicates that it's running on Dec. 20, but it's skipping stops between Chicago and Omaha due to BNSF track work. They're supposed to be providing bus-stitutions to Burlington, Mount...
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