NorthCoastHiawatha
OBS Chief
Well I had intended to post part two in Chicago but the computer in the metropolitan was really slow.
Seattle to Washington DC was on Delta Airlines.
6/24 Northeast Regional #86
After taking the Red Line from my hotel to Washington Union Station, I had about an hour to kill. So I stopped by McDonald's for a cup of coffee and headed to the Quik-Trak machine. I arrived gate H to find that we would have 15 minute departure delay. This turned into 25 minutes. However I was not worried as I had at least a three hour layover in New York. So we were finally called for boarding and I was able to find a window seat all to myself and the next to me would remain vacent all the way to New York. The trip was uneventful until we reached Philadelphia went we suffered some kind engine problems and I'm guessing new AEM-7 was quickly swapped in. We were now 35 minutes behind schedule but I was ok with that as it cut down my layover a little bit. We continued north out of Philly and I noticed the rusted hulks of 5 SEPTA PCC cars tucked behind a warehouse of some sort. (I noted this in my notebook as a mere curiosity). We zipped north through New Jersey and into the Hudson River Tunnel and into Penn Station. I will say this about Penn Station it is the dirtiest and dingiest station I have seen in my travels.
6/24 Lake Shore Limited #49
After a three hour layover I was ready to continue my journey home. We were herded over to gate 6E and descended to track level and I boarded the coach in front of the diner. Once again I was able to get a window seat all to myself for the entire trip. After waiting for a few a stragglers we departed 7 minutes late. Lateness would become a theme on my trip as you will later find out. After the sub terrain departure from New York City, the Hudson River soon came into view as we shot northward. I would have taken picture but no one had bothered to clean the windows. After a quick run up the Hudson we managed to make up some time and arrived 12 minutes early into Albany. After adding the Boston section the train was now 12 cars long. A Baggage,a viewliner, two amfleet coachs, an Horizon cafe, 4 more amfleet coaches, 2 viewliners and the other baggage car. I decided to have dinner in the diner, which seemed a lot more unorganized then I'm used to out west. There were no reservations and you just walked in and kinda sat where ever. Anyway I ordered the chicken and it was good so I can't complain. We cruised into the night and I attempted to sleep. It helped that I had the seat to myself but not by much. By morning we some how managed to lose time and we now 1 hour late. I enjoyed breakfast as we crossed into Indiana and we rolled into Chicago and I will say it would have probably been the best part of the journey if I had been in sleeper.
6/25 Empire Builder #27
Here is where the fun starts. After a few hours in Chicago it was time to board train 27. This was the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most. Everything started out smooth and we even left Milwaukee a little ahead of schedule. Then things went horribly wrong. First we had to stop due a "stalled freight" (I wonder if they didn't really want the passengers to know it was our train and hoped they could fix the problem quickly). Anyhow they announced the freight was cleared and shortly announced we were having problems. We limped along for a few miles before being stopped dead in our tracks. The lead locomotive had lost all braking power and we need a freight loco to lead us. So we snatched and old junker off the freight parked next to us. We were able to proceed but only at 55 mph which would seriously impede our progress. At this time the complaining started, one family demanded the sleeping car attended give them a rental car and their money back. This same family would complain endlessly until they got off at Minneapolis vowing to sue Amtrak for the distress and time lost. I overheard another passenger remark that the "attended needed to lighten the hell up". I really had to bite my tongue. We continued on and lost more and more and more and more time. We arrived in Minneapolis about 5 hours 30 minutes late. When I woke up we were barely into North Dakota and we continued across the state reaching Montana in late afternoon. We reached Havre at around 8:20 and all passengers connecting in Portland were told to see the ticket agent in the depot. So I changed my 2:50 connection to Tukwila to the 6:15 train and we pushed forth and hit East Glacier shortly after midnight. As we approached Spokane at around 6 something in morning and we were told that all passengers going to Portland needed to be bussed. However upon arrival in Spokane only those connecting to the CS would need to get on the bus. We continued on down to Pasco and down the Columbia to arrive in Vancouver 4 hours hours late. I was originally supposed to go into Portland but if I got off in Portland I could still make my original connection. So changed my ticket back and got on board.
6/27 Cascades 516
The last leg of my journey, back on my home turf the Cascades service. However this would not be like the normal routine. This time we would get delayed leaving Vancouver due to signal problems. I fell asleep shortly there after and didn't wake up till Tacoma. We were now 55 minutes late and we arrived in Tukwila at 6:40. A family member brought me home and I collapsed on the couch.
So that was in a nutshell my trip in all its unproofread glory.
Seattle to Washington DC was on Delta Airlines.
6/24 Northeast Regional #86
After taking the Red Line from my hotel to Washington Union Station, I had about an hour to kill. So I stopped by McDonald's for a cup of coffee and headed to the Quik-Trak machine. I arrived gate H to find that we would have 15 minute departure delay. This turned into 25 minutes. However I was not worried as I had at least a three hour layover in New York. So we were finally called for boarding and I was able to find a window seat all to myself and the next to me would remain vacent all the way to New York. The trip was uneventful until we reached Philadelphia went we suffered some kind engine problems and I'm guessing new AEM-7 was quickly swapped in. We were now 35 minutes behind schedule but I was ok with that as it cut down my layover a little bit. We continued north out of Philly and I noticed the rusted hulks of 5 SEPTA PCC cars tucked behind a warehouse of some sort. (I noted this in my notebook as a mere curiosity). We zipped north through New Jersey and into the Hudson River Tunnel and into Penn Station. I will say this about Penn Station it is the dirtiest and dingiest station I have seen in my travels.
6/24 Lake Shore Limited #49
After a three hour layover I was ready to continue my journey home. We were herded over to gate 6E and descended to track level and I boarded the coach in front of the diner. Once again I was able to get a window seat all to myself for the entire trip. After waiting for a few a stragglers we departed 7 minutes late. Lateness would become a theme on my trip as you will later find out. After the sub terrain departure from New York City, the Hudson River soon came into view as we shot northward. I would have taken picture but no one had bothered to clean the windows. After a quick run up the Hudson we managed to make up some time and arrived 12 minutes early into Albany. After adding the Boston section the train was now 12 cars long. A Baggage,a viewliner, two amfleet coachs, an Horizon cafe, 4 more amfleet coaches, 2 viewliners and the other baggage car. I decided to have dinner in the diner, which seemed a lot more unorganized then I'm used to out west. There were no reservations and you just walked in and kinda sat where ever. Anyway I ordered the chicken and it was good so I can't complain. We cruised into the night and I attempted to sleep. It helped that I had the seat to myself but not by much. By morning we some how managed to lose time and we now 1 hour late. I enjoyed breakfast as we crossed into Indiana and we rolled into Chicago and I will say it would have probably been the best part of the journey if I had been in sleeper.
6/25 Empire Builder #27
Here is where the fun starts. After a few hours in Chicago it was time to board train 27. This was the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most. Everything started out smooth and we even left Milwaukee a little ahead of schedule. Then things went horribly wrong. First we had to stop due a "stalled freight" (I wonder if they didn't really want the passengers to know it was our train and hoped they could fix the problem quickly). Anyhow they announced the freight was cleared and shortly announced we were having problems. We limped along for a few miles before being stopped dead in our tracks. The lead locomotive had lost all braking power and we need a freight loco to lead us. So we snatched and old junker off the freight parked next to us. We were able to proceed but only at 55 mph which would seriously impede our progress. At this time the complaining started, one family demanded the sleeping car attended give them a rental car and their money back. This same family would complain endlessly until they got off at Minneapolis vowing to sue Amtrak for the distress and time lost. I overheard another passenger remark that the "attended needed to lighten the hell up". I really had to bite my tongue. We continued on and lost more and more and more and more time. We arrived in Minneapolis about 5 hours 30 minutes late. When I woke up we were barely into North Dakota and we continued across the state reaching Montana in late afternoon. We reached Havre at around 8:20 and all passengers connecting in Portland were told to see the ticket agent in the depot. So I changed my 2:50 connection to Tukwila to the 6:15 train and we pushed forth and hit East Glacier shortly after midnight. As we approached Spokane at around 6 something in morning and we were told that all passengers going to Portland needed to be bussed. However upon arrival in Spokane only those connecting to the CS would need to get on the bus. We continued on down to Pasco and down the Columbia to arrive in Vancouver 4 hours hours late. I was originally supposed to go into Portland but if I got off in Portland I could still make my original connection. So changed my ticket back and got on board.
6/27 Cascades 516
The last leg of my journey, back on my home turf the Cascades service. However this would not be like the normal routine. This time we would get delayed leaving Vancouver due to signal problems. I fell asleep shortly there after and didn't wake up till Tacoma. We were now 55 minutes late and we arrived in Tukwila at 6:40. A family member brought me home and I collapsed on the couch.
So that was in a nutshell my trip in all its unproofread glory.
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That's a looong trip in coach, sounds like you were able to sleep OK, are you perhaps young? ^_^ An interesting trip certainly, but one deserving a make good from Amtrak!
