Capitol Limited - Wolverine - Cardinal

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districtRich

districtRich

Service Attendant
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
126
Location
Finland
[SIZE=14.6667px]I’ll be posting to this thread as I make my trip. I’m on the Capitol Limited from DC to Chicago where I am connecting to the Wolverine back to Troy, Michigan to visit family for a week. On the 26th I’ll take the Wolverine back to Chicago where I will connect with the Cardinal back to DC.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]So far this trip has started like normal: two friends came with me to Washington Union Station and we had a Manhattan at the bar in the middle of the great hall before we walked around to check out the stores in the old concourse. As usual, the bartender makes a great Manhattan! They left me around 3:15 and I went to the Acela lounge to wait to board the Capitol Limited. At checkin the attendant asked when I would like dinner on the train and I told him 8pm. For a holiday travel weekend the lounge didn’t seem too busy at all. I think the train was definitely close to selling out, but maybe not everyone in the sleeper cars knows to go to the lounge to wait.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]They called the lounge crowd to board about 3:30 and we went out the lounge door to track 15. The consist is three coaches, SSL, CCC, two sleepers, transition, baggage, and engines. I boarded car 2900 and met Percy my sleeping car attendant. The roomette was stocked with the two bottles of water as usual and I hung my coat up, waited for Percy to come back to introduce himself again, and then I went to the SSL to sit as we pulled out of Washington Union Station.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The lounge didn’t take too long to fill up. Once the conductor scanned the coach passengers tickets they started filing through to the lounge and the cafe section of the dining car. The sunset was gorgeous as we went through the suburbs of DC. By the time we got to Harpers Ferry it was dark out. The ice machine in the cafe section of the dining car isn’t working, so the attendant is relying on bags of ice brought up from the lower level of the dining car.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]I stepped outside at Cumberland with the smokers to take a pic and stretch my leg, They didn’t give them the full 7 minutes to smoke, but they sure seemed appreciative of the break anyway. We just turned west to head towards Pittsburgh (and now I lost my cell signal, so when this posts I’m sure I’ll be closer to Pittsburgh).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Dinner was delicious. They were short of staff as most of the train is apparently being serviced by staff from the extra board. The dining car only had 1 waiter serving the dining side. Miles did an amazing job though and served everyone efficiently and accurately. I had the steak, veggies, side salad, and strawberry cheesecake. I ordered red wine for a drink, and unfortunately when I got back to my roomette I knocked the glass over onto the sheets. Percy had already turned the room into night mode and I made a mess. He quickly came and changed the sheets without trouble though. I'm off to the SSL to finish a glass of wine that is left and then I will get to bed.[/SIZE]
 
Miles was my server when I traveled on the CL last summer. He's wonderful. :)
 
Always enjoy our rides on the Capitol Ltd. If you watch out the window as you wind through the mountains east of Connelsville, you can watch the signal lights all red or green glowing down the long grades for each block. Also as you leave Pittsburgh *if you are still awake; you will pass through one of the largest rail yards on the NS lines (former PRR) as you move along the Ohio River. Have a great trip to Chicago.. :)
 
I just finished having breakfast in the dining car. Miles was very busy again taking everyone's orders and serving about 6 full tables at 6:45 am. The scrambled eggs were good, but the biscuit was too soft. We're approaching Elkhart and seem to be on time so far. Percy came by and made up my room while I was having breakfast. I plan to take a shower soon because once I get to Chicago I still have a layover and then another 6 hours on the train back east to Troy, MI.
 
oregon pioneer said:
I am glad you will be taking the Cardinal east bound. That is the direction I took last month, and I look forward to your description. I wonder, is there snow anywhere on your route yet?
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I saw a dusting of snow as we went across northern Indiana towards Chicago. I just boarded the Wolverine in Chicago and the vestibule has snow in it and there is snow on the steps.
 
OlympianHiawatha said:
districtRich said:
but the biscuit was too soft.
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My usual experience with the Biscuits is they are too hard and crumble like sawdust. And with no Gravy around to help them out, it can be a task getting them down :unsure: :lol:
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It was like a soft sponge. I think they heated it in a microwave or something and it just turned into a soft mess.
 
We arrived on the Capitol Limited into Chicago 20 minutes early today. After going into the station I went to the Metropolitan Lounge to check in and drop my bag off. I had about 4 hours to kill before boarding the Wolverine so I decided to just walk over to State Street and do some shopping. Macy's in the old Marshall Fields building sure was decorated nicely. I then walked over to Cloud Gate to take a few pics before trekking up Michigan Avenue to the Water Tower Place mall. By now it was about time to head back so I decided to take the L back to Quincy. I figured I'd take the "scenic" route so I took the red line from Chicago down to Jackson, walked over to the blue line and took that back up to Clark/Lake, then I took the pink line around the loop to Quincy.

Once back in the Metropolitan Lounge they announced boarding for 352 Wolverine to Pontiac. We all gathered near the door and one of the lounge attendants came over and gave a few minutes talk about the new Metropolitan Lounge that is opening in June. She definitely seemed very proud of it. She talked about the showers and heated floors in the showers that it will have, and the two story lobby, and the million dollars worth of furniture. You could tell she was excited to start working out of a nicer lounge.

She led us out to the track and we boarded the business car which is the half cafe/half business seating car. The seating is 2-1 which is nice because I don't have to deal with a seatmate, The train is completely sold out so I'm definitely glad I booked early and was able to get a business seat. There is snow on the steps and in the vestibule. It must have been some wintry weather on the ride in to Chicago.
 
Showers in the Metro Lounge?!!!

This is great news, if one is riding Coach on a LD trip it will make purchasing the AGR Lounge Passes worthwhile or even an upgrade to Biz Class if making connections in CHI from a LD Train in Coach to a connecting train with Biz Class!
 
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Bob Dylan said:
Showers in the Metro Lounge?!!!

This is great news, if one is riding Coach on a LD trip it will make purchasing the AGR Lounge Passes worthwhile or even an upgrade to Biz Class if making connections in CHI from a LD Train in Coach to a connecting train with Biz Class!
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Yeah she said two showers each for men and women....with heated floors! She was definitely excited about the heated floors :)
 
I'm back on the Wolverine. I boarded at Troy, MI, this morning at 5:58am. The new station in Troy is very nice. The station itself is on the east side of the tracks and there is a high bridge over the tracks to the platform on the other side. On my way here last weekend I had an Amfleet half cafe/half business and this morning it's a Horizon (I think) half cafe/half business. The lighting in this car is very bright and sterile at this hour of the morning. It's a shame it can't be dimmer when it's dark outside. I don't know how people can catch any sleep in this harsh lighting. The lack of overhead storage is annoying too. The cafe car opened just as we left Dearborn and I had a breakfast sandwich, coffee, and a water. It seems we're on time, so once I get to Chicago I plan to wander around the city again and wait until it's time to board the Cardinal back to DC.
 
Looks like it will be a cold blustery day in Chicago today. (what's new :) ). Hope you had a nice holiday and enjoy your return trip to D.C. Sounds like a good day to hang out in a museum in CHI until your Cardinal leaves.
 
Railroad Bill said:
Looks like it will be a cold blustery day in Chicago today. (what's new :) ). Hope you had a nice holiday and enjoy your return trip to D.C. Sounds like a good day to hang out in a museum in CHI until your Cardinal leaves.
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I did the Field and the Science and Industry museums a few months ago. I plan to get some deep dish this time and maybe I'll check out the after Christmas sales on Michigan Ave
 
[SIZE=14.6667px]So now on the Cardinal! We left on time in the rainy evening and heaed out towards Indiana. Nearly right after we boarded the dining car attendant came though the sleeper call all of us to dinner. He said he wanted to serve us before he opened it up to coach. It looked like when I was boarding that there were 3 or 4 coach cars. Anyway, since it’s the Cardinal it’s heat and serve entrees and he’s the only person working the dining half of the car. My dinner companions and I all remarked about how poor his attitude was during dinner. The couple at the table across from me asked when breakfast would be served and he said back, “Let’s finish dinner first.” I know he’s the only attendant for the dining car but his overall attitude was unfriendly and poor. And it turns out that only one table came from coach. He had 4 tables to serve.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]After dinner at around 9:30pm ET once we switched time zones, I pushed the call button and my attendant came right away and made up the top bunk. He never got a chance to introduce himself because of the way dinner was called so suddenly. I slept decently as we passed through Indiana and Ohio. When I woke up after 6am we had just left Portsmouth and were almost to Ashland, KY. I put on my shoes and went to the dining car for breakfast. This time service was a bit better, but it was still abrupt. I had the breakfast sandwich which was egg and bacon in a wrap and it was quite good. After that I went back to my room and then took a shower.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]As we were passing through West Virginia it was finally time for lunch, or so I thought. At 12:10 I went to the dining car and no one was there, not even the cafe attendant. I asked one of the conductors who was sitting down what the deal was and he went to look for someone. A few minutes later the cafe attendate came back, but there was still no dining attendant and people were already sitting down in the dining area. I went back to my room for a minute and when I got back around 12:20 or so the dining attendant finally arrived. He made an announcement that since everyone showed up at once that service would be a bit slow which seemed odd since he was the one that came after everyone arrived. I was sat at a table with a father and adult son. The adult son wanted a hot dog, but the dining attendant wouldn’t serve him one. I’m not sure if that’s policy or not but in a customer service position you would think that if others are ordering at the table and you have to go microwave all the food anyway that a hot dog wouldn’t be a big deal, but it was. The son got up and ordered from the cafe attendant and then sat back down with us. I had the chicken sandwich on the pretzel bun which was actually delicious. It definitely made up for the poor attitude of the dining car attendant. This was the first meal that I decided not to leave a tip. He didn’t intorduce himself at all, but his name tag said something like J. Pallotta. This was unfortnate because after my ride on the Capitol Limited to Chicago with Miles I took the time this past week to write a note to Amtrak saying how much I enjoyed Miles’ service. It’s a shame the service on the Cardinal went downhill.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]We’re now closing in on Staunton, VA. I hope the rest of the trip is relaxing. At least I shouldn’t have to deal with the dining car anymore. The dining experience definitely put a sour taste in my mouth for the Cardinal. I did enjoy the upper bunk in the roomette though over the Superliner. I honestly perfer the communal bathroom too over having to do your business in your own compartment too. The scenery for the Cardinal is much nicer than the Capitol Limited though. The New River Gorge is beautiful even in the middle of winter with all the barren trees.[/SIZE]
 
Thanks for your report on the Cardinal. Not all diner attendants on the Card have a bad attitude. When I took that train last month, our attendant also served all the sleeper pax all at once (and it was a full sleeper). She also explained that the service would be slower because of serving all at once, but it was said in a friendly tone, as if just to let us know what to expect. No one had any trouble with that. In fact, everyone at my table ordered wine and amused ourselves well with conversation, so we were surprised and pleased when the dinner was served more quickly than we expected. We all agreed that we were not in a hurry to get anywhere, LOL.

I think they all have a script for how to serve, and how to inform about the service. Just seems to make a big difference how the news is delivered. If in a tone of friendliness and cooperation, everyone seems to deal with it better.
 
Too bad a sorehead can ruin an otherwise great trip!

I've always enjoyed my trips on the Cardinal even though the food is generally just OK, but as was said, attitude goes a long way in the hospitality business!
 
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districtRich said:
Railroad Bill said:
Looks like it will be a cold blustery day in Chicago today. (what's new :) ). Hope you had a nice holiday and enjoy your return trip to D.C. Sounds like a good day to hang out in a museum in CHI until your Cardinal leaves.
Click to expand...
I did the Field and the Science and Industry museums a few months ago. I plan to get some deep dish this time and maybe I'll check out the after Christmas sales on Michigan Ave
Click to expand...
What did you end up doing during your layover? Was Michigan Ave. super busy with people shopping and/or returning stuff?
 
oregon pioneer said:
Thanks for your report on the Cardinal. Not all diner attendants on the Card have a bad attitude. When I took that train last month, our attendant also served all the sleeper pax all at once (and it was a full sleeper). She also explained that the service would be slower because of serving all at once, but it was said in a friendly tone, as if just to let us know what to expect. No one had any trouble with that. In fact, everyone at my table ordered wine and amused ourselves well with conversation, so we were surprised and pleased when the dinner was served more quickly than we expected. We all agreed that we were not in a hurry to get anywhere, LOL.

I think they all have a script for how to serve, and how to inform about the service. Just seems to make a big difference how the news is delivered. If in a tone of friendliness and cooperation, everyone seems to deal with it better.
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Yeah it was definitely the attitude. I knew what to expect with the one server and the convection oven meals, but he just put a sour taste in everyone's mouth.
 
SarahZ said:
districtRich said:
Railroad Bill said:
Looks like it will be a cold blustery day in Chicago today. (what's new :) ). Hope you had a nice holiday and enjoy your return trip to D.C. Sounds like a good day to hang out in a museum in CHI until your Cardinal leaves.
Click to expand...
I did the Field and the Science and Industry museums a few months ago. I plan to get some deep dish this time and maybe I'll check out the after Christmas sales on Michigan Ave
Click to expand...
What did you end up doing during your layover? Was Michigan Ave. super busy with people shopping and/or returning stuff?
Click to expand...
I spent two hours at Lou Malnati's eating pizza and having some beer. I then went over to the Macy's, but it was so crowded in front of the windows that I just hit up the discount stores around like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. It was drizzly and cold out so I think that kept some of the shoppers away, but it was still fairly crowded.
 
I had J Pallotta or whatever my last trip on the Card and I agree he's pretty much a slouch. I sometimes see him smoking on the 'platform' at CVS. You might have gotten Craig, though, who is just as remarkable except in the opposite direction. :) Excellent attitude and even manages to serve the meals with a flourish of creativity.
 

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