Amtrak Spring Loop Tour CLE-NOL 2015

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Railroad Bill

Buckeye Train Watcher
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2007
Messages
3,917
Location
Northern Ohio
[SIZE=14pt]Amtrak Spring Loop Tour 2015[/SIZE]​
[SIZE=14pt]Cleveland-Chicago-San Antonio-New Orleans-Chicago-Cleveland[/SIZE]​
[SIZE=14pt]April 17-25, 2015[/SIZE]​
[SIZE=12pt] Friday April 17. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Our traditions dictate that we take a week long Amtrak trip during our birthday month and thus, after some detailed planning we arranged for trips on the Capitol Limited, Texas Eagle, Sunset Limited, City of New Orleans and return to Cleveland on the Capitol Ltd. One link in this trip, San Antonio to New Orleans was new trackage for us and thus we hoped to see Houston and the Louisiana bayou country in daylight on our eastbound trip. We had enough AGR points to cover bedrooms in several of the trains and with double points in effect, decided to pay for some of the other sections. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We started our adventure on the early morning of April 17 as we drove to Cleveland to board the Capitol Ltd #29. After checking for train status at Pittsburgh and finding the CL only about 30 minutes late, we opted to arrive in CLE by 1:30am to give us plenty of wiggle room. We found the waiting room nearly full of passengers as the eastbound #30 was running late and the two westbounds #29 &49 were nearly on time.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Not as many Amish passengers as we usually see this time, but with planting season coming up, there will be fewer travelers than in the winter. I checked with our favorite CLE agent and he provided us with the newest Amtrak System Timetable just released that week. Nice photo of the Ethan Allen in upstate NY on the cover. We had decided to pay for a bedroom from CLE-CHI so as to avoid the “Toledo Shuffle” and stay in our room for the entire trip. A big discount was available back in October when we bought the tickets.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Our train finally arrived in CLE at 3:20 just a half hour down and we made our way to Car 2901 Room D. Our locomotives were P42—#136 and P-32-8 #513. We were met by one of the conductors who scanned our tickets and directed us up the stairs. Crawled into bed for a short nap before arriving in Toledo around 5:30am. Decided to get up and ready for breakfast that was being served at 6:30. Our seating companions were Matt & Debbie from Fort Wayne who had just boarded in Waterloo, Indiana and were heading to Chicago for a day trip visitation. We had the cheese omelets, grits, bacon and croissant and they were an excellent way to start the day. The sun was rising in the east as we passed the country fields of northern Indiana and headed toward Elkhart. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We returned to the room to find that our SCA Perry had folded the beds and we were ready for day service. Perry was a nice guy and very efficient. Restrooms were immaculate downstairs (I always check them out even when we are in a bedroom). He stopped in to introduce himself and we talked for a while before he moved on to other rooms. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] After quick stops in Elkhart and South Bend we approached the Lake Michigan bayou country, moving past Chesterton in prompt order, passing several freights, as the NS Dispatcher was playing nice guy today. We passed the Canadian National yards near Gary with numerous CN and old South Shore locos waiting for service. We moved into Chicago on a slightly foggy morning and passed White Sox stadium and over the Chicago River to the Amtrak yards. A noticeable shortage of locomotives in the yards compared to other trips. We arrived at CHI about 9:15 still a half hour down but well within the bounds of great OTP for Amtrak. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Made our way to the Metro Lounge, met by a friendly agent who told us to be ready to board our TE 21 by 1:00pm. Stored our bags in the Red Cap Luggage Room, grabbed a quick snack and off into the city we went. Not enough time for a museum visit this morning so decided to walk the streets looking for more unusual architecture (of which there is an abundance in Chicago). Walked down Adams and especially enjoyed the Rookery Building with its Romanesque styles built in 1888. Ended up at the Chicago Board of Trade building and enjoyed its Art Deco designs and inside sculptures, paintings, etc. No tours of the building available to individuals since security is tighter after 911, but the staff was friendly and let us roam some hallways looking at the art. Walked back to Adams Street and had a good sandwich at the Potbelly Deli on the river. Sat on the patio and watched tour boats and some barges on the Chicago River. Worked our way back to the station and enjoyed a sunny early afternoon in the Great Hall. Its grandeur is still amazing each time we visit. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Time to move back to the Metro Lounge, grab our bags and prepare to board Texas Eagle #21 and #421. We are called for the “kindergarten walk” at 1:10 and make our way to Car 2130 Room D. Our SCA Benail is a nice young man who welcomes us aboard and says he will be up once the train leaves the station. I walk down the platform to check out our motive power. P42 #168 is our lone engine and as time progresses a wayward engine it will be. Our sleeping car is titled George M. Pullman, which according to records was the last Pulllman style car Superliner 1. The number 32009 was significant since the number 9 was George Pullman’s car number. It was a nice car but still showing its age after 30+ years of work. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We pull out of Union Station right on time 1:45 CST and as we leave the tunnel I notice a line of private cars sitting on Track 24. Among them was the Sierra Hotel, Louisville & Nashville car (Oliver Hazzard Perry) and several other Pullman style cars. Not sure where they were going or coming from, but an impressive row of private varnish indeed. As we pass the Amtrak yard, the conductor comes on the IC and announces that we will be traveling on the “Detour Route” AKA “Amish Route” to St Louis. This is the first I had known about this change of itinerary and was a bit disappointed since I have been on this route twice in the past few years and its novelty has now run its course. The conductor reminded passengers that we would not have any stops (or smoke stops) and that smoking is a Federal offense on Amtrak trains. I wonder how many smokers would have opted out of this trip if they had known this ahead of time?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Anyway, we move out of the city, but before we reach Dolton Jct. our train goes into emergency and we are stopped. The conductor is good about announcing our position and says we have a broken air hose and as soon as it can be repaired we will be on our way. Wellllll! They decided to try to duct tape the hose and we moved another few miles before it blew again. Union Pacific crews brought out another air hose and after another half hour delay we were moving again. We did see some nice locomotive action with NS, UP, CN and lots of private GATX etc. switchers. The route traverses mostly rural farmland, through such thriving metropoli as Momence, Watseka and Sidney, Illinois. A crew change stop at Villa Grove and then continuing on to Tuscola, Sullivan and Findlay and Pana. Although the scenery was nice, our constant stopping for freights and our broken air hose problem led us to be running two hours late on the trip to St Louis. We reserved dinner for 5pm and enjoyed our dinner companions, Scott and Nancy from Portland Maine. She was a school secretary so we had lots of educational stories to share. We also told them of our visit to Portland and how we would like to return for another visit. They were on their way to Dallas to meet some friends for a short stay and were concerned about getting to Dallas late. I had the steak, which was unfortunately one of the poorest pieces of meat ever encountered on Amtrak. Claudia had the lasagna and it was very good. Our dining car staff was excellent and so was the cheesecake and chocolate mousse. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Just outside of Pana, we smelled cigarette smoke in our hallway. Only a few minutes later, the conductor was yelling at a passenger in one of the roomettes who must have been caught with his cigs on fire. The passenger screamed and denied he was smoking, but the conductor told him to prepare to be thrown off the train. Although I have little sympathy for smokers, the length of this journey had now gone beyond the scope of what smokers had anticipated, especially this man who thought we would be on the regular TE route with adequate stops for relief. Since the train did not stop again until we reached St Louis at around 9:30pm, I suspect that the violator did not get kicked until STL.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We had Benail turn down our beds at 9pm and wife was already snoozing when we reached St Louis. I stayed up to watch our trip across the Mississippi River and the brilliant lighted Arch, but too tired to get off for our brief stay, so went to bed hoping for a better day tomorrow. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Saturday April 18.[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] Happy Birthday to Me…..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] As it turned out, our continuing mechanical problem caused us to stop numerous times throughout the night and by the time we reached Little Rock, Arkansas we were almost five hours behind schedule.. 8am vs. 3am. We did manage to sleep well, since the train spent much of the night sitting in one place. We awoke in northern Arkansas and went for a shower and then breakfast around 7. We enjoyed another fine conversation with Scott and Nancy from Maine at breakfast as we ordered the omelet and French toast. Our LSA was Carol who ran an efficient operation in the diner and was very friendly. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We did get to see Little Rock in daylight and also Hope, the home of former President Bill Clinton. The park rangers on the porch waved at us as we left the new Hope station. But many passengers were not happy about the late running and those with connections in Longview with the bus were concerned about that as well. The new conductor (the old crew outlawed north of Little Rock and we had to wait for a new engineer and conductor team) assured everyone that the buses would be waiting for them when we arrived in Longview. We had other concerns, namely whether we would get to San Antonio in time to utilize the hotel we had reserved and whether to cancel before losing our money. We were also in contact with our AU friend Jim H from Austin who was scheduled to meet us there for a brief hello.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Lunch was served around noon as we entered Texas, still down 5 hours at Texarkana. Our lunch companions were Will and Carroll who lived in Iowa. But as fate would have it, they once lived in our small town in Ohio and we shared their memories and updated them on all the changes that had occurred since the late 1980s when they lived there. A fun conversation over Amburgers and more ice cream and cheesecake.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] When we arrived in Longview at 1:45 pm, the buses were waiting and we had a chance to get off the train and enjoy the warm weather and a little sunshine. It had rained earlier in the morning and there were storms predicted for later in the day. It was after 3 by the time we reached Mineola, Tx, which was having a festival in the park along the railroad tracks. Lots of waves as we passed by and dropped off a view passengers. We had lost another half hour due to freight traffic, but it looked like our brake problem may have been solved. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We arrived in Dallas around 5pm and had a few minutes to walk around the station platform but were told not to venture far away. I remember the last time we were here our train was so early that we accompanied Chris (Saxman) to the plaza where President Kennedy was shot and had time left for further exploration. But not today. Did get some nice pictures of the Trinity Express trains as they passed through the station. We were soon herded back into our car for the short trip to Fort Worth. We actually backed out of the Dallas station and then headed through some newly laid tracks and ROW which involved new construction up a rather steep grade. We arrived in Fort Worth at 6:30 pm and were enjoying our dinner as we entered the station. There was little time for layover here as well. We had no one sitting with us for dinner as many passengers detrained in Fort Worth. I tried the steak and was again disappointed with its quality. Must have been the same old tough cow as last night… I had called to cancel our hotel reservations in San Antonio and let Jim know we would likely not reach Austin before midnight.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Then we started south on the BNSF line toward Cleburne and had hardly reached the outskirts of the city when our train went into emergency again. Another half hour delay while the conductors tried to fix the problem. A large thunderstorm was headed our way with increasing winds, lightning and hard rain as we were stopped somewhere north of McGregor Texas. The conductor went out into the rain with another air hose but to no avail. We sat for an hour and then a BNSF crew in a pickup arrived with more air hoses. We had Benail put our beds down and we tried to sleep but our concerns were that we might miss our Sunset Ltd #2 and be stuck in San Antonio with no way to get to New Orleans without flying. We eventually arrived in Austin at 4am nearly 10 hours late. (Glad Jim did not wait up for us) smile… We then traveled through San Marcos moving along rather quickly and hoping for no more brake issues.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Sunday April 19[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We eventually made it to San Antonio around 6am and observed the controlled chaos on the platform as we unloaded our luggage with many others. The conductors had informed us that all three trains were still sitting in San Antonio and that no one would miss their connections. But no one seemed to know when we were leaving or in what order the trains might be leaving. Since breakfast had not been available on the trains, many people had cleaned out the vending machines. First our #21 pulled north of the station, then #2 backed into the station with a large contingent of private cars (Burlington Silver Splendor—Santa Fe Palm Leaf—Pullman Pacific Sands—Boston & Maine Salisbury Beach—and two other cars. Those were dropped on a siding somewhere. Of course two cars had to be transferred off of #21 to #1 and the beat goes on. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]While all of this is going on there are numerous Amtrak employees standing around; seemingly waiting for something, but no explanations. Several men got irate and started swearing at the conductors. Security came around and one very large Marine who shut that down. After spending almost four hours on the platform with no food and a complementary bottle of water supplied by the station agents, we were hungry and not in a very good mood. We were finally allowed to board our Train #2 at 9:45. Our car attendant apologized for the problems. I headed for the diner hoping we might get a bite to eat. But no go. “Sorry, the diner is closed at 9am” and the café car will not be open until the power is restored and the engines hooked up. So we ate a few crackers that I had stored away for emergencies and fumed for a while. Eventually our train left San Antonio around 11:30 but of course we still had to fuel the locomotives #201 and #131 at the fuel depot east of downtown and that took another 15-20 minutes. We were glad to be on the road finally and went down to lunch at noon for a much needed Amburger. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Unfortunately our dining car mates were two very Conservative Right Wingers who had to express their disgust with government in general and Obama in particular. We tried to be civil and steer the conversation back to trains but to little avail. One of the few times when I wish we had just grabbed our burgers and cheesecake and gone back to our room. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] It was a nice ride across Texas and although the skies started to darken, we arrived in Houston 3 hours down at around 3pm. Very impressed with the size of the city and the great skyline. Not impressed with the crappy Amtrak station that must be an embarrassment to those who travel by train in Houston. We had some time to walk around the platform before reboarding and heading eastbound. There were some nice looking private cars on a siding in Houston. Patrick Henry Creative Promotions Dome Car & Coach and another one named Texas & Pacific RR. Classy looking cars. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We had supper with a Hispanic man riding in coach who did not say much, quickly ate his chicken dinner and left. The other man was enthusiastic about train riding and we had very nice conversations about Amtrak. I decided to go with the chicken and rice after two unsuccessful steaks on the Texas Eagle. Claudia had the special beef tip and veggies. Cheesecake and chocolate mousse ended the much better meal than we had experienced at lunch. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We lost more time before arriving in Beaumont, Texas but did get some good news in that the conductor said we could stay in our room after Schriever since no one would be taking our bedroom from there to New Orleans. We had to make our AGR reservation from Chicago to Schriever, LA. to make the computer trip to New Orleans work and then buy coach tickets into NOL. (It’s the Toledo Shuffle in Louisiana.. smile).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] By the time we reached Lake Charles it was dark, but we had a brilliant thunderstorm along the way that produced a triple rainbow across the sky that was quite a nice scene to offset the day’s harrowing events. We tried to sleep a little as we left Lafayette 10:20pm (5 hours late) and prepared to watch as we eventually crossed the Huey Long Bridge at 2am in the morning. We thanked the crew for handling the situation the best they could and grabbed a cab at NOL to our hotel in downtown. A brand new Holiday Inn Express on O’Keefe Avenue was waiting our very early/late arrival at 3am. We headed off to bed and chalked this up to another wild adventure on Amtrak. Good night..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Monday April 20[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We awoke around 7 and went down to breakfast. This was a new Holiday Inn Express that just opened on March 20th. It had previously been the O’Keefe Plaza Hotel, but was purchased by IHG and totally gutted out and refurbed. Workmen were still putting finishing touches on some floors, but our room was fairly large and a nice view from the sixth floor. Breakfast was typical HIE with those great cinnamon rolls (which I can no longer eat- ) eggs, toast, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, juices, sausages and biscuits. And it is FREE. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We decided to walk up to Canal Street and catch the St Charles streetcar out to the Garden District. Rode out to Carrollton past Tulane and Loyola Universities and then returned to walk around Audubon Park, a beautiful nature preserve with large lake, birds, etc. Walked on back to Magazine Street, went into a few shops and had lunch at the Magazine Street Poboy Shop for a chicken sandwich. Some antiquing and checking out the architecture before walking back to St Charles and a streetcar ride back downtown. Canal Streetcar to the riverfront and a walk along the river viewing boats and the Steamboat Natchez. Next to Jackson Square and down to the French Market. Another ride on the RiverLine Streetcar to the mall. A good Chinese dinner and then Canal St Streetcar back to our hotel. Catching up on email with good WiFi signal and some NCIS LA before bed. A fun day in New Orleans in perfect 75 degree and sunny weather. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Tuesday April 21[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Breakfast downstairs and then call Enterprise to “pick us up” for the rental car. We received a Nissan Rogue SUV on Barrone Street just a few blocks from the hotel and off by 9:00 to visit some plantations along the Mississippi River. Crossing the enormous Huey Long Bridge was quite a thrill. We had come over this bridge on Sunday night when we arrived on the Sunset, but couldn’t see much at that time in the dark. We started up Rt. 18 (River Road) on the west bank and immediately came upon the large Union Pacific rail yard, where some obligatory photography took place for several minutes. Lots of UP power and some rental units moving about the large yards. On up the river and past some old historical markers denoting locations of plantation grounds and information about early settlers. We pass several nice restored homes and St John The Baptist Parish Church with an old cemetery containing some famous graves. We also saw Evergreen Plantation which we would like to revisit on another trip. Stopped for some snacks and then went to Laura Plantation near Vacherie, LA. for an excellent tour of this Creole style home and grounds. Our tour guide was a young girl who was Creole and did a great job of explaining the lifestyle and history of those who lived there. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] It was now late in the afternoon and decided to skip Oak Alley Plantation and cross the river and head south toward New Orleans. Found a small Canadian National yard with a few locomotive units and followed a Kansas City Southern train for a few miles before arriving at San Francisco Plantation near Gramacy, LA. This was an unusual Steamboat Gothic home that was saved by the Marathon Oil Company whose refineries surround the plantation grounds. Our tour guide did an adequate job of explaining the history of the German families who owned the house for many years. There was also an old schoolhouse and slave quarter on the property. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] There are at least six other plantations that would be an interesting visit on future trips. We started back to New Orleans on I-10 and found traffic to be fine until we reached the city. Then lots of traffic jams and we managed to get back to the rental car garage before they closed. They dropped us off at the hotel and we decided to walk to the French Quarter for dinner at Hard Rock Café. Great 70s music and an excellent waiter made the meal a treat. Tuesday night TV with NCIS and some NBA basketball before turning in for the night.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Wednesday April 22[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] After breakfast we decided to hop the Canal St streetcar and go up to City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art. A beautiful morning as we traveled the tree lined streets of Carrollton Avenue to the park. Lots of school kids on tours, but enjoyed the varied collection of art works and the special exhibit entitled “Kongo Across the Waters”, an excellent study of central African cultures and artifacts and influence on American slave history. A small collection of Impressionist works, a good display of American Indian artworks, and modern art. Spent the morning at the museum and park and then took the streetcar back to downtown. Lunch at Purple Cactus Deli on St Charles Street. Walk along the riverfront and see a large Coast Guard ship tied up to the dock, some marionette’s singing and dancing to jazz classics, Back to Jackson Square to observe the artists and con artists who surround the park.. Tarot cards to palm readers to street venders, all have their little niche in NOL. Walked down several streets in the Quarter enjoying the unique architecture and the historic plaques that told the history of the Crescent City. Back on the River Line streetcar and watching the New Orleans Belt Railway switcher do his thing on the track beside us. Had a drink and watched boats on the river for our last evening in New Orleans. Decided to walk back to the hotel to enjoy Canal Street one more time. Packing for tomorrow’s CONO trip back to Chicago.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Thursday April 23.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Breakfast downstairs and arranged for a late checkout with the hotel. But the sky is turning dark and forecasts for rain and storms convinces us to stay close to the hotel this morning. Arrange for a cab to take us to the train station. Of course the New Orleans cab drivers do not know what a meter is and always charge $10 no matter where you are going downtown. Check in with the agent at the desk and he gives me the secret password to get into the Magnolia Lounge. But after checking it out and observing there are no snacks, no drinks other than water and coffee and a crowd already engulfing the seating, we decided to stay out in the lobby and watch people and events at the station. A large senior citizen tour group from Mississippi has come in and along with the usual coach menagerie, there are plenty of people watching opportunities. Lunch is limited to the Subway or the vending machines so we opted for the former. Health food at its best.. smile. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] At 1:00pm the conductor called for sleeping car passengers to come forward for ticket scanning. They asked us to have our photo IDs ready, but never looked at them when we came to the door. Coach passengers were scanned and checked by the security guards and the other conductor. Walked out to our Train #58 and our Car 5800 Room D. Met our SCA Kevin, who proved to be a personable guy and an efficient car attendant. We talked on the platform for a while—about his Katrina experience, his four years working for Amtrak, and his home and family in Mississippi. Went up to get photos of our P-42 #50 and the adjoining P-32 Dash 8 #500 on the next track. Right on time we left New Orleans at 1:45pm and started our journey past the airport and across the edges of Lake Pontchartrain. Started raining harder and so photos out the window were limited for the first few hours. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We arrived in Hammond, LA on time and observed a Sperry Rail Car #145 sitting on the siding waiting to resume its track work after we passed. A few passengers boarded and we quickly moved north past some old depots that had been refurbished by the small towns along the route. Next stop was McComb, Mississippi, now running about 15 minutes late. A nice depot and grand old coaling tower that was decorated with a colorful railroad sign placed by the city. Brookhaven is our next stop and then a crew change in Hazelhurst allows for time to get off the train and stretch the legs. Rain has stopped and it is a nice late afternoon. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] At 5:00pm we head down to the diner for supper and are joined by Nick, a retired New Orleans police officer, originally from the Northeast. He rides Amtrak a lot and is quite knowledgeable about trains and routes. An enjoyable conversation and a good steak dinner and cheesecake for me. Claudia has the pasta and chocolate mousse. One of the things we miss about Amtrak meals are the variety of menu choices that no longer exist. We can pass on the flowers, newspapers, and juice in the sleeper, but would be nice to vary the menu every month or so. As we pass through Jackson MS, we observe lots of CN action, along with Grand Trunk and NS locos as well. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We have Kevin put down our beds around 9:30, but I want to get out in Memphis since we have about 20 minutes of layover time. The weather has cooled off when we arrive shortly after 10:15 and there are many people lined up with the conductor waiting to board. I head for the station and find a vending machine with some lemonade available and then stay out on the platform talking to Nick, Kevin and the other conductor until the All Aboard call comes around 10:40. Time for bed as another day of train riding ends. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Friday April 24[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Up early since breakfast will only be served between 6 and 7:15am this morning as we are arriving into Chicago right on time. We are passing through Effingham around 5am and its time for a shower and luggage reorganization. Unfortunately, the lady taking a shower failed to lock the door and got a bit of surprise as I almost entered her space…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We had breakfast as we were entering Champaign-Urbana, home of those Fighting Illini and enjoyed our conversations with a gentleman from Carbondale, IL who had boarded earlier this morning for a trip to Chicago to visit with relatives. He is a retired middle school teacher and coach and is now on the local school board. His tales of the Carbondale area were quite unexpected as we thought it was more of a rural area, but found they have many big city problems with crime. Good discussion of education and train riding as we had our express breakfast of scrambled eggs, croissant, etc. as we got closer to Chicago. I think the dining crew wanted to run us out as we were still talking at 8am.. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We arrived on the south side of Chicago and made the Y turn off the high line, although we did pull into the station head first instead of backing into CUS as happened on our last trip on the CONO. We were about five minutes early and said goodbye to Kevin with an appropriate tip. He was an excellent SCA as were all of our car attendants on each Amtrak train we rode. Restrooms were immaculate, trash collected and a friendly smile adds to the positive experience riding the train. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We got to the Metro Lounge around 9am and the Capitol Ltd, nor any other trains had arrived yet , so it was pretty quiet in the lounge. Stored our bags in the Red Cap Baggage Room and headed out for a morning walk to Lake Michigan. The Metro Lounge attendants were friendly on both of our Chicago visits this trip as has been the usual for us. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We walked down Adams Street and made it to Lake Front Trail of Grant Park around 9:45. But since the Chicago Art Institute did not open until 10:30, we decided to walk along the lake and watch birds, boats, and buildings of the Lake Shore Drive. At the museum we wanted to see a major exhibition entitled Ireland: Crossroads of Art & Design 1690-1840 . With our early admittance, we avoided the large crowds and were able to observe this interesting exhibit with a minimum of interference. Although I was impressed with the art and artifacts displayed, I found the show lacking in providing information about the common man in Ireland and how those who emigrated to North America represented a different class of the population than were portrayed in the exhibit. The connection sought between Old World and New World by the organizers was not there in our opinion. We had lunch in the museum café and then moved to American and European galleries before making our return walk to Union Station.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Watched some TV and checked email before the boarding call came for the Capitol Limited at 6:15pm. Since we had arranged for a 7pm dining reservation, we were glad the train was boarding on time. We were escorted by the “kindergarten agent” to Track 26 and we found our SCA Lou waiting for us on the platform. We had not had him for our SCA previously and hoped that he would try to help us avoid the Toledo Shuffle since our AGR sleeper tickets were only good to TOL this evening. We went to our room E in Car 3000 and then I walked up the platform to check out our motive power: P-42 units # 20 & # 158. The Southwest Chief was running late and those CL transfer passengers were quickly escorted across the platforms allowing us to leave on time at 6:40pm CDT. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Announcement was made for the 7:00 dining call and we made our way next door to be seated with Patsy and Sid from Kentucky who were on their way to Florida and a DisneyWorld visit. Patsy had a southern drawl that reminded me of my Kentucky cousins and Sid was more interested in writing down the numbers on the engines we saw in the Chicago yards. Candace was our server and she did an excellent job in a crowded CCC diner. Had the best steak of all the ones on the trains this trip and with mashed potatoes, a squash based veggie selection and my favorite cheesecake, we were finishing off our Amtrak adventure in style. Great conversations with Patsy and her son as we headed across the Indiana countryside. We lost about a half hour into Elkhart but were moving along quite well and passing most of the freights ahead of us. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Lou stopped by and we explained our situation with the Toledo Shuffle. He said he would find out if our room was rented in Toledo and let us know. At first it looked like we would need to move, but he returned later after talking to the conductor and said we could stay in our room into Cleveland. Yeah!!!.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] We reached Toledo around 12:30am Saturday morning and glad we did not have to change cars tonight. We lost a little more time before Sandusky, but were only an hour down into Elyria and hoped to be in our car and headed south within the next half hour. The conductor came around at Cleveland Hopkins Airport to see we were ready to detrain. But only a few minutes later the train came to a stop on the west side of town, only two miles from the station. The conductor returned with Lou saying the NS freight ahead of us had hit a pedestrian and that we would be delayed until the affair was addressed. After a couple of hours we were still sitting as Cleveland Rapid Trains moved past us on another track. I went up to the Lounge Car and found our two conductors also frustrated by the long delay. We talked for several minutes about the increasing number of pedestrian deaths on the tracks. He said he knew one engineer who had hit five different cars or pedestrians in the last year and it had had a devastating effect on his railroad career. I can only imagine the pain of that. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Finally at 5:30 we began to move; arriving in CLE nearly four hours late. We said thanks and goodbye to Lou and the conductor and headed to our car. Luckily the heavy rain had ended and except for some showers on the way home, the trip of over an hour was uneventful. We arrived home around 7am and our cat was happy to see us and we him. Lots of fur rubbing and breakfast treats before we took a nap for the morning.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Evaluation of the trip: We were very pleased with the overall service of our five SCAs and the many people who worked the dining cars along the routes. Although the cars are slowly falling apart, most were in decent condition except for the Texas Eagle that had dirty floors and torn upholstery and was obviously not cleaned properly in the Chicago yards. The food was good for the most part except for the two steaks on the TE which were much below the normal high quality. Cheesecake and chocolate mousse have our four star ratings… Our main issue was with the lack of mechanical operation on the Texas Eagle, which contributed to the problems in San Antonio that caused so much ill will for Amtrak. The TE needs a backup engine when it travels the long distance that it does. There needed to be an overhaul of Engine 168 to find out what was causing the air brake problem that led to multi hour delays. The Magnolia Lounge in New Orleans still needs some attention to meet the needs of sleeper car passengers but it rather fits in to the Big Easy philosophy of “whatever” smile.. We need a break from Amtrak for a while, but will be back in a sleeper in August on our next adventure to Denver on the CZ. Hope you enjoyed our always lengthy report and Go Amtrak.. [/SIZE]
 
Nice report Bill, I'm sure you'll post some of your great pics when you've had time to unwind and organize!

I rode #22 and #21 to Taylor today for Lunch. #1 arrived 5+ Hours Late into SAS this morning due to the storms that derailed a freight on the Huey Long Bridge. #2 arrived 3 Hours late from EL Paso resulting in all 3 Trains being in the Station @ the same time with passengers aboard ( #21 had the #421 Cutout Sleeper and Coach for LAX).

The Austin agent told us they have pulled up one of the sidings in the yards that the Sunset and Eagle use when switching resulting in the switching having to be done on the main which has lots of UP Freights.

#1 Finally left after 8am, then #2 pulled out for NOL @ 9am! Finally #22 was able to highball @_930am, arrived into Austin 2 Hours down @ 1130am.we went and had a late breakfast close yo the station and boarded #22 @ 1145am.

The consist had 2 P-42s ( should be every day!!), an ancient Heritage Bag car, Transdorm, #22 Sleeper, CCC, SSL, three Coaches and the #422 Sleeper bringing up the markers,!

After a nice late lunch @ my favorite joint and a visit to the really nice City Park .( a nice Lake and Creek, City Pool,Ball Fields Picnic Areas and tons of Birds with a Large Island in the Lake having Egrets and Herrons) we boarded ,#21 for Austin @ 520pm.

It was EARLY into Taylor, a Miracle! We highballed @ 531pm, right on schedule, and smoked into Austin @_70+, down MoPac and into the Austin Station 10 minutes EARLY!! Truly a FIRST for this Train!!!
 
Just catching up on trip reports, and enjoyed yours, as always! It sounds like this was a rare trip where the stops in between trains (instead of the trains themselves) were the highlights! I especially like the descriptions of the art exhibits you go to in different towns. I like the HIE breakfast, too, especially the cinnamon rolls (which I convince myself are small, so I can have one). Their coffee (in the room and at breakfast) is a bit weak for me, but I always bring coffee sticks when I travel, to have a strong first cup if necessary.
 
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