jimmrl
Train Attendant
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2016
- Messages
- 68
Over the weekend I traveled from Dallas to NYC. The two train trips were like night and day.
First the long one, the Texas Eagle. It was on time until Ft. Worth. It lost an hour due to some mechanical issue that was never explained. I got into my Roomette and got everything in it's place ready for a day on the train.
Issue #2, a couple got on the wrong TE in Ft. Worth. They figured it out about Longview, 150 miles the WRONG way. They got off to get a hotel room to spend the night to catch the next day's TE. Not a big deal to me, but a good reason to always make sure you are on the right train.
Diner was the Land and Sea, good for a train. Then settled down to sleep. It was too hot, so I got very little sleep.
Issue #3, woke up just outside of Little Rock, still about an hour late, but stopped. Too tired to turn on my scanner to figure out why we stopped, guessed it was train traffic. WRONG, woke up about two hours later, still in the same spot! I was not sleeping well, so I turned on my scanner. Nothing. Another hour passes and I hear the TE headed the other way leaving Little Rock headed our way?????? Shortly afterwards we finally move forward about a mile, then BACK into the station. Normal stop after that and then on our way.
We found out later that a train, maybe ours, noticed a automobile on the tracks and were able to stop in time. Called the cops, they found a BODY in the car. More cops, the coroner and lots of investigation. Our guess (the gossiping passengers in the dinner) is someone was murdered and them put in their car on the tracks hoping it would get hit by a train to cover up the murder.
Now over five hours late. One good thing is, I was able to see parts of Arkansas I have never seen on this train. Ok, not much to see in Arkansas.
Breakfast was pancakes with the Chicken Apple-wood sausage. Good as always.
Issue #4, two coach passengers boarding in Lincoln, IL. One made it on time, the other was just a little late and was running to catch the train. The train left on time, so the first passenger pulled the emergency brake by the boarding door. The train came to a quick stop. After the police showed up the gentleman was give an "Uber ride" to the police station to spend a few days in jail.
Issue #5, the one that really made me mad. Lunch headed into Chicago. The train is scheduled to get in about 2:00, but we were 5 hours late. They elected to wait to 1:00 to finally give us a snack pack. They served lunch at 3:00. This was really screwed up. They should have feed us lunch at the normal time, THEN give us a snack pack late in the afternoon.
Lunch/diner was the cheeseburger with bacon and avocado, good as always.
Arrived into Chicago 7:30ish. Relaxed in the great Metro lounge for an hour or so and then off on the Lake Shore Limited. ON TIME at 9:30. I was scheduled to have seven hour layover. I was going to visit the old Sears town, but nope, maybe next time.
Right to bed for a good night sleep, I got very little on the TE.
Breakfast was terrible compared to the morning before, but the attendant was excellent. I got a few hard boiled eggs and a packaged blue berry muffin.
Mid morning, still on time, and I heard a pop. The train came to a quick stop and I listened to the crew on the scanner figure out what I had guessed. The air hose between my sleeper and the next had came loose. Lost about ten minutes which they made up over the next few hours.
Lunch was the beef something or another, bad.
Diner was the Alfredo Chicken, it was good.
They packed the train in Albany, even the sleepers, which up to that point were pretty empty.
Made to NYC Penn station on time.
Now in NYC for a partial day of being a tourist, and it is about to rain, great. Maybe next time I come to NYC for work I will get to go to the Intrepid museum.
Jim
First the long one, the Texas Eagle. It was on time until Ft. Worth. It lost an hour due to some mechanical issue that was never explained. I got into my Roomette and got everything in it's place ready for a day on the train.
Issue #2, a couple got on the wrong TE in Ft. Worth. They figured it out about Longview, 150 miles the WRONG way. They got off to get a hotel room to spend the night to catch the next day's TE. Not a big deal to me, but a good reason to always make sure you are on the right train.
Diner was the Land and Sea, good for a train. Then settled down to sleep. It was too hot, so I got very little sleep.
Issue #3, woke up just outside of Little Rock, still about an hour late, but stopped. Too tired to turn on my scanner to figure out why we stopped, guessed it was train traffic. WRONG, woke up about two hours later, still in the same spot! I was not sleeping well, so I turned on my scanner. Nothing. Another hour passes and I hear the TE headed the other way leaving Little Rock headed our way?????? Shortly afterwards we finally move forward about a mile, then BACK into the station. Normal stop after that and then on our way.
We found out later that a train, maybe ours, noticed a automobile on the tracks and were able to stop in time. Called the cops, they found a BODY in the car. More cops, the coroner and lots of investigation. Our guess (the gossiping passengers in the dinner) is someone was murdered and them put in their car on the tracks hoping it would get hit by a train to cover up the murder.
Now over five hours late. One good thing is, I was able to see parts of Arkansas I have never seen on this train. Ok, not much to see in Arkansas.
Breakfast was pancakes with the Chicken Apple-wood sausage. Good as always.
Issue #4, two coach passengers boarding in Lincoln, IL. One made it on time, the other was just a little late and was running to catch the train. The train left on time, so the first passenger pulled the emergency brake by the boarding door. The train came to a quick stop. After the police showed up the gentleman was give an "Uber ride" to the police station to spend a few days in jail.
Issue #5, the one that really made me mad. Lunch headed into Chicago. The train is scheduled to get in about 2:00, but we were 5 hours late. They elected to wait to 1:00 to finally give us a snack pack. They served lunch at 3:00. This was really screwed up. They should have feed us lunch at the normal time, THEN give us a snack pack late in the afternoon.
Lunch/diner was the cheeseburger with bacon and avocado, good as always.
Arrived into Chicago 7:30ish. Relaxed in the great Metro lounge for an hour or so and then off on the Lake Shore Limited. ON TIME at 9:30. I was scheduled to have seven hour layover. I was going to visit the old Sears town, but nope, maybe next time.
Right to bed for a good night sleep, I got very little on the TE.
Breakfast was terrible compared to the morning before, but the attendant was excellent. I got a few hard boiled eggs and a packaged blue berry muffin.
Mid morning, still on time, and I heard a pop. The train came to a quick stop and I listened to the crew on the scanner figure out what I had guessed. The air hose between my sleeper and the next had came loose. Lost about ten minutes which they made up over the next few hours.
Lunch was the beef something or another, bad.
Diner was the Alfredo Chicken, it was good.
They packed the train in Albany, even the sleepers, which up to that point were pretty empty.
Made to NYC Penn station on time.
Now in NYC for a partial day of being a tourist, and it is about to rain, great. Maybe next time I come to NYC for work I will get to go to the Intrepid museum.
Jim
