ACE trip

[lazytom]

Hi!

I'm considering a (just for fun) trip on ACE this March. Do any of you have any experience with them? Since I live and work in the Silicon Valley, I would take one of the evening trains to Stockton and return in the mornings. Obviously, I'd like to take in as much "scenery" as possible - so from your experience, how much of the line can be seen when taking the last Stockton trains in the evening/morning? Are there any places to stay (decent hotels/motels) near the Stockton station?

Thanks

Marcel

 

[battalion51]

All I can tell you about ACE is that it's run by scabs. (Anyone who knows anything about Unions knows what I'm talking about.)

 

[jccollins]

I'd recommend taking ACE Train #4 on a Friday evening from San Jose to Stockton ACE Station, arriving about 6:48pm. From there you could take a taxi over to the Amtrak Station (about one mile, but NOT a very safe neighborhood to walk in) and then take the 8:05pm scheduled Amtrak Thruway Bus up to Sacramento (arrives in SAC about 9:00pm).

The Sacramento Amtrak Station is right in Old Town and there are a few nice hotels nearby, much nicer than you will find anywhere near the station in Stockton. The next morning you could walk around Old Town (if you wanted to) and/or just hop on a Capitol Corridor train directly back to San Jose. The scenery from the Capitols is quite nice and the train runs along the bay between Martinez and Richmond. If you haven't taken the Capitols before it should be a real treat.

UNIONS: Amtrak's biggest problem. The folks over at ACE are are a bit smarter. h34r:

 

[Trogdor]

Disagree about unions being Amtrak's biggest problem.

Amtrak's actual biggest problem (pick one):

Incompetent (or apathetic) management

Political hostility

No national transportation policy

Freight railroad hostility

Funding

Unions are quite a ways down the list.

 

[battalion51]

It's always been my opinion that the Union is what keeps America's workers protected. Almost any blue collar job is Unionized, which keeps the large work forces protected from Management's whims. It provides the workers in a craft legal protection, rights, bargaining power, etc. There are even white collar jobs that are Unionized, teachers being the leading example. The Union keeps workforces strong and united. You either get what you want as a group, or the company pays the price, which is why there is no room for scab organizations like Herzog which take jobs from the Unionized employees.

 

[Conrail]

AMRTAK :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: