[SIZE=14pt]This was a long awaited train trip. Our Experience began in New Orleans as the last two cars to be pulled to Chicago behind the regularly scheduled Amtrak # 58, The City of New Orleans. This is the same route Shortline reported on earlier this year. If you haven't read Shortline's splendid synopsis already, I suggest you do. As happens so often in many AU threads we will try not to repeat too much of what has already been documented, but elaborate on what he has already observed. We began our day with a steel wheels tune-up by riding the streetcar from our hotel to the Amtrak station. We arrived at the station about 12:30 pm for a 1:45 call to highball. The porter was at the door to the platforms waiting to take our bags and deliver them to our bedrooms BUT we were not allowed to go to the train until the #58 backed into position and hooked onto the two private cars. The cars were just sitting there, agonizingly close, but we could not begin to explore them. Luckily, the #58 arrived about 10 minutes later and we were given the green light to board. First order of business was to take a few pictures of the outside of the cars before climbing aboard.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Our private cars were not totally “Pullman”. The company had booked enough passengers to fill two sleeper cars. That was fine until someone notified the Pullman Company that the extra car would make the #58 consist long enough to require a second engine. Pullman, in turn, notified Amtrak to add on another engine and herein lies the rub. Amtrak said no dice. So, Pullman decided to split this Experience into two separate runs to Chicago...the originally planned Thursday departure and an added Friday departure. JoeG got a call about 3 weeks before our scheduled Thursday departure and he was asked if he would consider delaying until Friday. He said sure, he didn't mind. He called me and alerted me to expect the call and instructed me to say yes to the delay because there were some comps included in the agreement. We were given complimentary hotel rooms in New Orleans for the night AND a free round trip ride on the Pullman Experience for a date of our choosing later. (Pullman is supposed to be running from Chicago to New York starting in six months!!!) I got the call the next day and, needless to say, agreed to the one day delay.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]So, the end car was one of Pullman's, the Pontchartrain Club car with its wrap around windows across the back lounge area. Our sleeping car was the Northern Dreams owned by Northern Sky charters. We each had a full bedroom in the Northern Dreams car and it was very comfortable. The room was slightly smaller than a Superliner bedroom. It did not have a shower in the bathroom (large shower at the end of the car, very good water pressure and lots of hot water) and it did not have the indentation near the windows making room for a chair and pullout table like on the Amtrak bedrooms. When we arrived the rooms were set to daytime configuration. The large couch was a dark gray background with a dapple of red, brown, and pale blue leaves. The upper bed was stowed and I didn't drop it down to check it out. On the couch was a toiletries bag including: 3 bottles of Aromae Botanicals...shampoo, shower gel, and chamomile and aloe hydrating lotion. Also included were 5 Judith Jackson Spa items...shower cap, mint mouthwash, shoe mitt, mending kit, and a vanity kit including cotton balls, Q tips, and an emery board. On the bathroom door hook was a black bathrobe. The vanity was very similar to an Amtrak bedroom. There was ample storage space above the vanity/bathroom. There was a small electric fan mounted near the ceiling by the door that blew toward the windows and it helped keep the room very fresh day and night. The window had a blackout shade that pulled down from the top and was very efficient. There was no window in the door to the hall. The windows in the hall were fitted with dark brown wooden louvers that matched the wood in the lounge part of the car. Approximately 1/4 of the car was public lounge area with a table that would seat five or six for dining, meetings or playing games, a nice couch, and six very comfortable chairs. There was a large screen TV on the wall and a variety of movie DVD’s were available. This car had a galley area about the same size as the Pullman car although there was no need to use it on this trip except to store beer and a few food items. This was a good opportunity to compare two private car operations...both were a great pampering experience!![/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Now on to the Pullman Lounge: There were 9 passengers total to use both cars. Seven of us had sleeping quarters in the Northern Dreams and one couple on their 26 wedding anniversary had a full double bed in the master bedroom in the Pontchartrain Lounge car. Both crew members (Sean, the chef and Mr. Lightfoot, the porter) also had rooms in the Pullman car and both were Pullman crew members although we had a Northern Sky chef acting as a “mechanic” riding along to take care of any problems and, I assume, protect the owners investment in that beautiful car (he did not function as OBS but he was very interesting to talk to about the charter business). Other than sleeping, most of us spent all of our time in the lounge car...the seating was very comfortable and the wrap around view was incredible. At least half of this car was dedicated to public area. The very back area had ten lounge chairs with tables interspersed. The next area forward was a large table, when set for meals would comfortably seat 10, so for this occasion we used four down each side and only one end seat. The next area was the liquor storage cabinet and it was very nicely appointed with nothing but top shelf products. This is probably a good time to mention that the bar was open from the time we stepped on the train until we pulled into Chicago!! On the other side of the liquor storage was the galley. Sean did magic things with food in a very small space.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Our fellow travelers included one AU member, Don Johnson (njdon is his AU handle) from New Jersey, two ladies from Orlando (a grade school teacher and an IT at Universal), a retired CSX worker and his wife (a nurse) and the anniversary couple from a western suburb of Chicago (he sells insurance to insurance companies...whatever that means). We all got along and had a lot of great conversations about a myriad of subjects. I learned that everyone is now in the technological age. After dinner when the conversation turned to kids and grandkids, nobody pulled out a wallet full of pictures...everybody passed around their phones! [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Now for a chronology of the ride. We, of course, went straight to our rooms to check out the digs. All luggage was in place and the room was quite comfortable. Next stop, the lounge car...remember I said the bar is open from the time you board until Chicago. Two other guys and I decided to try a Matilda's Ale and JoeG had a Goose Island Ale...both Chicago brews. A short time later we ordered another round of the Matilda's but there were only two left. Mr. Lightfoot told us that three guys coming down from Chicago really liked the Matilda. They left Chicago with two cases and these guys had stayed up until 3am enjoying the Ale...they REALLY liked it. No problem, I switched to Goose Island and we all continued to get acquainted.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]As we pulled out of Union Station we noticed a group of elephants under a tent at the Superdome...the circus was in town. And I thought the first animal I would see was a gator in the swamp!! We are settling down from the elephant sighting when Mr. Lightfoot makes the call for lunch and we all take a seat at the table. Even for lunch we sit down to real linen tablecloths and napkins, nice silverware, and china. There were a variety of sandwiches available for lunch including a really nice club, a double-decker grilled cheese, a hamburger and also a Caesar salad. Also available was a chilled stuffed tomato which seemed like a great compliment to a hot summer day in southern Louisiana. I chose the tuna and JoeG went with the chicken salad stuffing. It was served with sides of cottage cheese and fresh fruit. It was very tasty and not so much that I wouldn't be hungry for dinner. Lunch was topped off with a delicious berry shortcake with whipped cream!![/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]We whiled away the afternoon enjoying the route up the western edge of Lake Pontchartrain and then into the farmlands of southern Mississippi. The main agriculture in this area is rice and hay and the occasional cotton field. I don't think cotton is nearly the major crop in this area that it was a century ago...just check the clothes you are wearing right now. Regretfully the plant that is by far the most ubiquitous here, and any state in the southeast, is kudzu. This plant was introduced to the US by Japan at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and was initially used for erosion control but today, it is the most invasive plant in the field and is considered by most to just be a noxious weed that can choke out anything in its path including trees and fences! There doesn't seem to be a way to get rid of it without destroying all of the other plant life. I hope technology can find a solution.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]I decided to relax for a while in my room during the late afternoon. Dinner was planned for 7:30 and our travel documents had suggested we dress for dinner. About that time JoeG showed up at my door all decked out in his Brooks Brothers suit with a dress shirt and subtly coordinated tie. I had on my wife beater T and gym shorts so all I had to do was slip on my flip flops and I was ready to go...I may have to give a few of you a minute to get that image out of your head !!! Actually, I had my sport coat all ready to go, so we made our way to the dinner table. It was actually refreshing to sit down with a table full of folks dressed for the occasion...just another of those throwbacks to the fifties that made this ride such an Experience. The dinner offerings included a pasta dish in a delicious sauce...our school teacher ordered that and loved it. JoeG tried the blackened salmon and he couldn't say enough about it. I had the steak and mashed potatoes and couldn't have been happier. Of course we all sampled the wine choices. Again, this meal was topped off with a delicious desert. From the dinner table it was only a few steps to the lounge chairs and we wound down the day with a couple of digestifs. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]The next morning I made, what I thought was, an early trip to the lounge car. But, njdon and JoeG were already in place having a cup of fresh, hot coffee. I wasn't impressed with their choice so I ordered a Bloody Mary and they quickly followed suit. After that morning eye-opener, we sat down to a hearty breakfast of French toast and fruit. By this time we were well into central Illinois and the landscape was still very flat but the corn fields stretched on as far as you could see and the small communities we traveled through were definitely more prosperous than those in the Deep South. Both of us are very familiar with the northern part of this route because JoeG lives along this route and he has to go to Chicago to go almost anywhere else but the ambience inside the Pullman car continued to make it a unique trip.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]There was still one more very interesting view to this trip. This train approaches Chicago Union Station on the air line from the south so a backing procedure is used to get into the station. At Homewood, the conductor came back to the Pontchartrain car and rode the last few minutes with us. She had a lot of interesting stories and lives about 15 minutes from JoeG so she had several things on her iPad that pertained to the trains that used to go through her home town. As we begin the backing procedure, she turns one of the lounge chairs around so she is facing directly out the back windows of the lounge. There were plenty of windows so that all of us who were interested could watch every switch as we made our way to parking on Track 22.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]This was definitely a wonderful Experience. If you get the opportunity, I guarantee you will enjoy it. There is only one thing I would change if I owned the Pullman Co - the route. The old CONO route was the gem of the Illinois Central Railroad but in the later years they did a very poor job of maintaining the rails and the roadbed and CN appears to have done little to improve that situation. With the lounge on the tail end of the train there are some real “crack the whip” moments. I'm sure you get a little of that on any track but we think this is one of the roughest journeys in the system. Many tracks have a few miles here and there that aren't in great condition but that problem persists for literally hundreds of miles on this route. Add to that the fact that the terrain is “pool table” flat and you don't get the great visual pleasure that comes along with many of the other routes in the system. When they start going CHI>NYP or WAS both of these concerns will be eliminated no matter which of the three options they choose. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Our private cars were not totally “Pullman”. The company had booked enough passengers to fill two sleeper cars. That was fine until someone notified the Pullman Company that the extra car would make the #58 consist long enough to require a second engine. Pullman, in turn, notified Amtrak to add on another engine and herein lies the rub. Amtrak said no dice. So, Pullman decided to split this Experience into two separate runs to Chicago...the originally planned Thursday departure and an added Friday departure. JoeG got a call about 3 weeks before our scheduled Thursday departure and he was asked if he would consider delaying until Friday. He said sure, he didn't mind. He called me and alerted me to expect the call and instructed me to say yes to the delay because there were some comps included in the agreement. We were given complimentary hotel rooms in New Orleans for the night AND a free round trip ride on the Pullman Experience for a date of our choosing later. (Pullman is supposed to be running from Chicago to New York starting in six months!!!) I got the call the next day and, needless to say, agreed to the one day delay.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]So, the end car was one of Pullman's, the Pontchartrain Club car with its wrap around windows across the back lounge area. Our sleeping car was the Northern Dreams owned by Northern Sky charters. We each had a full bedroom in the Northern Dreams car and it was very comfortable. The room was slightly smaller than a Superliner bedroom. It did not have a shower in the bathroom (large shower at the end of the car, very good water pressure and lots of hot water) and it did not have the indentation near the windows making room for a chair and pullout table like on the Amtrak bedrooms. When we arrived the rooms were set to daytime configuration. The large couch was a dark gray background with a dapple of red, brown, and pale blue leaves. The upper bed was stowed and I didn't drop it down to check it out. On the couch was a toiletries bag including: 3 bottles of Aromae Botanicals...shampoo, shower gel, and chamomile and aloe hydrating lotion. Also included were 5 Judith Jackson Spa items...shower cap, mint mouthwash, shoe mitt, mending kit, and a vanity kit including cotton balls, Q tips, and an emery board. On the bathroom door hook was a black bathrobe. The vanity was very similar to an Amtrak bedroom. There was ample storage space above the vanity/bathroom. There was a small electric fan mounted near the ceiling by the door that blew toward the windows and it helped keep the room very fresh day and night. The window had a blackout shade that pulled down from the top and was very efficient. There was no window in the door to the hall. The windows in the hall were fitted with dark brown wooden louvers that matched the wood in the lounge part of the car. Approximately 1/4 of the car was public lounge area with a table that would seat five or six for dining, meetings or playing games, a nice couch, and six very comfortable chairs. There was a large screen TV on the wall and a variety of movie DVD’s were available. This car had a galley area about the same size as the Pullman car although there was no need to use it on this trip except to store beer and a few food items. This was a good opportunity to compare two private car operations...both were a great pampering experience!![/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Now on to the Pullman Lounge: There were 9 passengers total to use both cars. Seven of us had sleeping quarters in the Northern Dreams and one couple on their 26 wedding anniversary had a full double bed in the master bedroom in the Pontchartrain Lounge car. Both crew members (Sean, the chef and Mr. Lightfoot, the porter) also had rooms in the Pullman car and both were Pullman crew members although we had a Northern Sky chef acting as a “mechanic” riding along to take care of any problems and, I assume, protect the owners investment in that beautiful car (he did not function as OBS but he was very interesting to talk to about the charter business). Other than sleeping, most of us spent all of our time in the lounge car...the seating was very comfortable and the wrap around view was incredible. At least half of this car was dedicated to public area. The very back area had ten lounge chairs with tables interspersed. The next area forward was a large table, when set for meals would comfortably seat 10, so for this occasion we used four down each side and only one end seat. The next area was the liquor storage cabinet and it was very nicely appointed with nothing but top shelf products. This is probably a good time to mention that the bar was open from the time we stepped on the train until we pulled into Chicago!! On the other side of the liquor storage was the galley. Sean did magic things with food in a very small space.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Our fellow travelers included one AU member, Don Johnson (njdon is his AU handle) from New Jersey, two ladies from Orlando (a grade school teacher and an IT at Universal), a retired CSX worker and his wife (a nurse) and the anniversary couple from a western suburb of Chicago (he sells insurance to insurance companies...whatever that means). We all got along and had a lot of great conversations about a myriad of subjects. I learned that everyone is now in the technological age. After dinner when the conversation turned to kids and grandkids, nobody pulled out a wallet full of pictures...everybody passed around their phones! [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Now for a chronology of the ride. We, of course, went straight to our rooms to check out the digs. All luggage was in place and the room was quite comfortable. Next stop, the lounge car...remember I said the bar is open from the time you board until Chicago. Two other guys and I decided to try a Matilda's Ale and JoeG had a Goose Island Ale...both Chicago brews. A short time later we ordered another round of the Matilda's but there were only two left. Mr. Lightfoot told us that three guys coming down from Chicago really liked the Matilda. They left Chicago with two cases and these guys had stayed up until 3am enjoying the Ale...they REALLY liked it. No problem, I switched to Goose Island and we all continued to get acquainted.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]As we pulled out of Union Station we noticed a group of elephants under a tent at the Superdome...the circus was in town. And I thought the first animal I would see was a gator in the swamp!! We are settling down from the elephant sighting when Mr. Lightfoot makes the call for lunch and we all take a seat at the table. Even for lunch we sit down to real linen tablecloths and napkins, nice silverware, and china. There were a variety of sandwiches available for lunch including a really nice club, a double-decker grilled cheese, a hamburger and also a Caesar salad. Also available was a chilled stuffed tomato which seemed like a great compliment to a hot summer day in southern Louisiana. I chose the tuna and JoeG went with the chicken salad stuffing. It was served with sides of cottage cheese and fresh fruit. It was very tasty and not so much that I wouldn't be hungry for dinner. Lunch was topped off with a delicious berry shortcake with whipped cream!![/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]We whiled away the afternoon enjoying the route up the western edge of Lake Pontchartrain and then into the farmlands of southern Mississippi. The main agriculture in this area is rice and hay and the occasional cotton field. I don't think cotton is nearly the major crop in this area that it was a century ago...just check the clothes you are wearing right now. Regretfully the plant that is by far the most ubiquitous here, and any state in the southeast, is kudzu. This plant was introduced to the US by Japan at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and was initially used for erosion control but today, it is the most invasive plant in the field and is considered by most to just be a noxious weed that can choke out anything in its path including trees and fences! There doesn't seem to be a way to get rid of it without destroying all of the other plant life. I hope technology can find a solution.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]I decided to relax for a while in my room during the late afternoon. Dinner was planned for 7:30 and our travel documents had suggested we dress for dinner. About that time JoeG showed up at my door all decked out in his Brooks Brothers suit with a dress shirt and subtly coordinated tie. I had on my wife beater T and gym shorts so all I had to do was slip on my flip flops and I was ready to go...I may have to give a few of you a minute to get that image out of your head !!! Actually, I had my sport coat all ready to go, so we made our way to the dinner table. It was actually refreshing to sit down with a table full of folks dressed for the occasion...just another of those throwbacks to the fifties that made this ride such an Experience. The dinner offerings included a pasta dish in a delicious sauce...our school teacher ordered that and loved it. JoeG tried the blackened salmon and he couldn't say enough about it. I had the steak and mashed potatoes and couldn't have been happier. Of course we all sampled the wine choices. Again, this meal was topped off with a delicious desert. From the dinner table it was only a few steps to the lounge chairs and we wound down the day with a couple of digestifs. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]The next morning I made, what I thought was, an early trip to the lounge car. But, njdon and JoeG were already in place having a cup of fresh, hot coffee. I wasn't impressed with their choice so I ordered a Bloody Mary and they quickly followed suit. After that morning eye-opener, we sat down to a hearty breakfast of French toast and fruit. By this time we were well into central Illinois and the landscape was still very flat but the corn fields stretched on as far as you could see and the small communities we traveled through were definitely more prosperous than those in the Deep South. Both of us are very familiar with the northern part of this route because JoeG lives along this route and he has to go to Chicago to go almost anywhere else but the ambience inside the Pullman car continued to make it a unique trip.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]There was still one more very interesting view to this trip. This train approaches Chicago Union Station on the air line from the south so a backing procedure is used to get into the station. At Homewood, the conductor came back to the Pontchartrain car and rode the last few minutes with us. She had a lot of interesting stories and lives about 15 minutes from JoeG so she had several things on her iPad that pertained to the trains that used to go through her home town. As we begin the backing procedure, she turns one of the lounge chairs around so she is facing directly out the back windows of the lounge. There were plenty of windows so that all of us who were interested could watch every switch as we made our way to parking on Track 22.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]This was definitely a wonderful Experience. If you get the opportunity, I guarantee you will enjoy it. There is only one thing I would change if I owned the Pullman Co - the route. The old CONO route was the gem of the Illinois Central Railroad but in the later years they did a very poor job of maintaining the rails and the roadbed and CN appears to have done little to improve that situation. With the lounge on the tail end of the train there are some real “crack the whip” moments. I'm sure you get a little of that on any track but we think this is one of the roughest journeys in the system. Many tracks have a few miles here and there that aren't in great condition but that problem persists for literally hundreds of miles on this route. Add to that the fact that the terrain is “pool table” flat and you don't get the great visual pleasure that comes along with many of the other routes in the system. When they start going CHI>NYP or WAS both of these concerns will be eliminated no matter which of the three options they choose. [/SIZE]
