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  1. GAT

    Cascades #516 trainsets and features

    I am taking #516 Business Class from Seattle to Vancouver next Tuesday, and I'm a little confused. I'll be grateful for any help with the following questions. I have heard there are two different types of trainsets on this route. Is this correct? And if so, is there any way of knowing in...
  2. GAT

    Connecting Bus SFC-EMY when Train 14 is delayed

    I will be taking CS #14 north from Emeryville. My ticket starts from San Francisco on the short thruway bus connection, scheduled to depart 8:50pm to connect with the CS regularly scheduled to depart EMY at 9:41pm. What happens if the CS is significantly late (say two or more hours)? Does the...
  3. GAT

    Proposed legislation could affect credit card rewards in the US

    A very interesting article in today's The Points Guy (TPG). This is far from becoming reality at the moment, but it's an indication of what some lawmakers from both parties are thinking. I have mixed feelings about the proposal because I hear the arguments that credit card reward programs...
  4. GAT

    Train car in odd position

    Now how do you suppose this happened? o_O :) (Photo courtesy of William Crosby - from I Love Trains))
  5. GAT

    Recent Video - The Canadian

    This is a captivating but lengthy video (45+ minutes), slickly produced. Hard-core rail techies will be disappointed at the lack of specifics about the consist and OBS, but the scenery is gorgeous, IMO. Everybody talks about the Rockies, but follow the views of Northern Ontario as well. I don't...
  6. GAT

    Mombasa to Nairobi by Train in the 1960's

    (Moderators - Please move this post if it is not in the right forum. Thanks.) My wife and I lived in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania for over two years at the end of the 1960’s. In 1968 or 1969 (I can’t remember exactly which year) we travelled from Mombasa to Nairobi on the East African Railways in a...
  7. GAT

    Nice Article on the Coast Starlight

    This story, by a long-time columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle, appeared in today's Sunday edition. I always enjoy Carl Nolte's stories. (I didn't ask The Chronicle's permission to post this, but I hope they won't mind the national exposure.)...
  8. GAT

    Contingency planning for disaster avoidance and recovery at Amtrak

    This may not be the right thread to query this, but, speaking of high winds, during my recent CZ eastbound trip a day after the severe tornado activity in the mid-west April 11 and 12, I was wondering how Amtrak would handle a situation where a train was warned it was headed into or was already...
  9. GAT

    Boarding at an unstaffed station

    I will be catching #1 at NIB Saturday (tomorrow). At least, I earnestly hope I will ;). When I de-trained last Monday, I was the only passenger to get off. The station was locked up and the surrounding area was completely deserted. The train was running late, so it idled only long enough until...
  10. GAT

    Power strips in Roomettes

    Many posters to this site recommend bringing a small power strip to handle multiple devices, since the roomettes have only one outlet. The ones without surge protection are considerably less expensive. My question: Is the HEP power supply on the train more susceptible to power variances and...
  11. GAT

    How to Get Specific Consist Details?

    In April, I will be traveling on five different trains, my trip comprising of seven segments (Crescent and SL twice). I have been interested in how some trip reports and other comments list the specific cars on a given train and date. I want to document my circle trip for this forum in words...
  12. GAT

    Amtrak Customer Service

    I apologize for the length of this post. However, I think my experience with these latest series of cancellations – real and phony – is worth recounting because of the great help I received from AGR CSRs. I had one real and one phony cancellation. They relate to my circle journey out of San...
  13. GAT

    Clarification and Elaboration Requested (re power outage on train)

    I had an interesting experience on the westbound California Zephyr in February or March of, I think, 2010. I wonder if any railfans with much more operational and technical knowledge than I have can provide more detail on what went wrong, why it went wrong, and how it was fixed. I can only...
  14. GAT

    Transferring from CZ to Cardinal at CHI

    Do the CZ and Cardinal arrive/leave from the same concourse at CHI? If not, how long a walk is it from de-boarding CZ to boarding Cardinal. I would only need to consider this if the CZ arrives significantly late. Thanks.
  15. GAT

    CVS Layover - Where to Dine and What to See?

    I will be travelling in a roomette to ATL in mid-April on CZ, Cardinal, and Crescent. If Cardinal and Crescent arrive and depart on schedule, I will have a little more than five hours in CVS, from 3:35pm to 8:50pm. I know nothing about CVS station and the town around it. My inclination is to...
  16. GAT

    Train Legs vs. Sea Legs.

    My EMY-ATL trip will cover 5 days and 4 nights, or approximately 120 hours, with about 8 hours total layover in two transfers. That assumes the best possible scenario - no delays. I/m not concerned about motion sickness while on the train (lifelong sailor) but am wondering how best to regain my...
  17. GAT

    Crescent ATL-NOL: Is Roomette worth it?

    Coach $39/2911 pts; Roomette $243/3627 pts. Besides extra privacy. what extra amenities does sleeper accommodation offer on this 12-hour, all daylight journey? I gather the consist does not include a diner car. and I won't need to sleep. Thanks.
  18. GAT

    Family Car vs. Roomette Car

    I just booked NOL - EMY on SL and CS. On the NOL - LAX leg, I am in "1 Family Car 130 - Room 15." The LAX - EMY leg is in "1 Roomette Car 1430 - Room 3." What is the "Family Car," and is Room 15 on the upper level? I fear from the description it might be the family/ADA room on the lower level. I...
  19. GAT

    Booking Multi-City Trips With Points

    It seems that the Amtrak site doesn't show the "Use Points button" on the multi-city trip booking pages. Does that mean I can't book it with points myself, or am I missing something? Thanks. Any advice would be helpful. (I'm contemplating a sleeping car itinerary from EMY with stopovers at SPM...
  20. GAT

    Grand Central and the BBC

    Forgive me if someone else has already posted this lovely story. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21353825
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