Recent content by Twinkletoes

I was on Train 19 when it stopped the train in Atlanta because of the Norfolk Southern derailment in Alabama. Alternative bus service was provided. I also see that bus service was provided today. Has anyone heard how long this will continue? I have a reservation on Train 20 leaving tomorrow...

I remember these. It was a nice comfortable bed. I believe that there also was a toilet at the end of the car for use when the bed was down.

I saw this too. Quite bizarre. I decided that this was a massive editing flaw.

Hello fellow Obie. I arrived at Oberlin by traveling from Chicago to Elyria. At the that the eastbound train got to Elyria in the middle of the afternoon. In later years when I returned for reunions I found the middle of the night business to be quite annoying. I've tried the train a few times...

I have followed the variations on the topics of the toilet fixture in roomettes, roomette size, and occupancy limits. There’s no universal answer about roomette travel. There are so many variables: [1] personality (eeew factor re toilets); [2] tolerance for close quarters, [3] physical size --...

Because of my typical (pre-COVID) 3X/year trips from Boston to Meridian, Mississippi (Crescent), mutual recognition is a common experience for me on Amtrak with a number of people: redcaps, dining car attendants (when they still had them) and SCAs. Indeed they also remembered my late mother...

I do remember the old practice of having diners write out their orders on the check, but unless I am truly not getting it right, I remember that on some early occasions when I took a sleeper, I just wrote down my car and room number. I rarely took sleepers in the pre-Amtrak era, and early...

So very true. I've never found having an in-room toilet to be a problem. And if one has any concerns about freshness, it can always be sprayed inside with disinfectant spray after use. Even before COVID-19, I've always carried a can of disinfectant (Clorox or Lysol) and a packet of...

I think it's going to be hard for Amtrak to go back to the "traditional dining" that preceded Flex Dining. I started riding LD passenger trains (Illinois Central and Southern) just before the dawning of the age of Amtrak. All passengers could eat in the diner. Sleeper passengers ate for “free”...

I agree with penny k. The platform is good place to exercise. Before the Plague arrived, I was took the NYP to Meridian, Mississippi trip several times a year. Washington, DC and Atlanta are my usual big exercise stops. For conventional exercise I can walk fast or lightly jog from the...

It is not "deafening." During waking hours it's bearable because there are the distractions of reading, etc. At night, it's irritating and I find it difficult to fall asleep. Eventually exhaustion wins out. However, I also find that during the night as I cycle through the stages of light and...

I was pleased this week to get notice that my Select Tier Status has been extended until 2022. I'm looking forward to getting back on Amtrak. I can hardly wait to see the new station at NYP. I am scheduled for my second COVID vaccine tomorrow. I won't venture out until I see some concrete...

Yes, it's certainly behind the locomotives. I know all about the horn noise. In the Before (COVID-19) Times, I frequently took the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago to take the City of New Orleans down to Jackson, MS. However, the horn blowing was particularly disturbing at night. So...

You are like me. I am terrified of flying and have been even before the TSA hyper security era. However, being seated with a stranger is a necessary part of those who need to travel coach in the Northeastern Corridor to travel to New York or DC or Albany to connect with a sleeper. Strangers...

I remember the Night Owl sleeper very well. I used it a lot in 1987 when I traveled frequently between Boston and Washington in connection with moving to Boston for job reasons. It avoided the need to pay hotel bills in Boston before I rented an apartment, and similarly I avoided DC hotel bills...