I'm on the California Zephyr tomorrow -- Monday Apr 23 -- to Chicago. Does anyone know typically how early they will board sleeper passengers?
Boarding CZ in Emeryville
- Thread starter howard-nysf
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ColdRain&Snow
Lead Service Attendant
There's no preboarding at Emeryville. Provided things are running on time, the train will arrive at EMY from the Oakland yard right around 8:30 to 8:40 for the 9:10 departure. Everyone will board then. With the sleepers on the rear end, they will end up just past the station near the pedestrian bridge, so it's a short jaunt to your sleeper.
yep that was my experience last month. Not what you expect at an originating station but that is how they do it. No lounge, either.
johnny.menhennet
Conductor
My experience was quite different when I traveled sleeper EMY-DEN. The train pulled in late at 9:20, everybody got on, and we were off by 9:25. There was no preboarding whatsoever.
ColdRain&Snow
Lead Service Attendant
Huh? Other than your train being late, for which I included a disclaimer about timeliness, there is very little difference between what I described and what you experienced. When #6 leaves the yard on time, it arrives at EMY between 8:30 and 8:45, after which it boards and dwells until its 9:10 departure slot. There is no preboarding (for sleeper pax or any other group) as I stated in my response. Everyone boards together. If the train is late, as in your case, it will arrive and board everyone as quickly as possible (though 5 minutes is an exaggeration) before whistle off and departure. Far from "quite different," that's the only difference between the two scenarios, and it's merely attributed to #6 getting a late start in your particular case.
Thanks all. Just what I needed to know.
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