Sat. 10/17/09 CHI-AUS TE#21
Relaxed in the lounge after eating a CHI Dog from the food court upstairs on this cold/wet fall day in the Windy City!The lounge was very full with several tour groups for the Western trains and even some already there for the later Eastern LD and various area trains!Another reminder that the lounge needs to be enlarged, I suggest moving it back to the Great Hall where it was when the lounge was being remodeled, seemed to be more room then?
We had out tickets lifted about 1:00PM, was watching the start of the Texas-OU game, we lined up and were led by the attendant on the great circular route through the station (guess the cold and wet kept us from the outside shortcut!)to where the Eagle was awaiting, the consist was; 1 engine/baggage
car(which is unusual), trans-dorm,revenue sleeper (another old tired Superliner I), two diner-lounges (no SSL???), three coaches with the last one being the 321 STL coach.
Our SCA was Courtney, a friendly and helpful attendant who was very good with introductions in person and over the pa, helped with luggage, showed the newbies how everything worked etc. etc. He had fresh coffee, juice and ice out, told everyone when dinner reservations would start and made a great first impression!We rolled out on time @ 1:45PM, took quiet awhile going through the yards and South CHI, lots of freights and passenger trains manuvering around on this cool, clearing day>(the sun came out!
)
Rolled down the line making the various stops through Joliet, Pontiac,Bloomington, Lincoln,Springfield with lots of folks getting on! The sleeper filled up and the coaches looked almost full, guess this is good for Amtrak and a sign that more trains are needed!I had made a dinner reservation for 7PM so was in the diner when we hit STL, lots of folks on the third coach detrained, it was now going to be deadheaded to DAL(more later on this). Since Id been in the "new" Gateway Station , stayed on the train and enjoyed my FLAT IRON STEAK! :lol: and ice cream for dessert! Had some coffee and a baileys in the lounge after we rolled out on a dark cool,night heading for the Ozarks and the unknown? :lol:
Courtney had asked when folks wanted their beds down, he already had mine down,even had an extra blanket (the A/C worked very good on this train!!!)and I went and took a nice hot shower (lucky me, the whole trip there was good hot water even if it maybe was heated by a wood fire on these old,tired cars! :lol: Read a little bit and was asleep, didnt wake up until we pulled into Texarkana on time about 6AM!
Went to the diner, had my usual omelet and trimmings, the SA named Miss Polly (that was on her name tag) was a real character, she kidded folks that she wished it was still the old days when everyone dressed up to travel but admitted she probably wouldnt have had her job since women didnt do this in the old days!Good service, more on this later! We rolled through the Pineywoods of East Texas, hit Marshall where the train had to be spotted three times due to the short platform ,rolled over to Longview where pax transferred for Houston (bus) and Shrevport (van), rolled on out for Mineola and into DAL an hour early!
Here we picked up lots of happy UT fans dressed in burnt orange, they filled the CCC-Lounges and started ordering adult beverages @ an accelerated rate,we would soon run out before reaching Austin! :lol: Unhappy Sooner fans boarding the Heartland Flyer in Dallas (its a special only for this game,),
we rolled out for FTW past the Jerry Dome (aka Cowboy Heavan) and into FTW where we would spend an hour!
The empty 321 coach was now full as we picked up more UT fans, and some pax even took roomettes for the run to AUS and SAS!! I ate the veggie burger as they were running out of stuff, not bad, skipped dessert, the diet starts Monday!! :lol: If theyd had Bourbon pecan pie I might have been tempted!
Watched the northbound #22 roll into the station, load, backout and highball for DAL and points North! We pulled out @ 2:30PM after #22 was gone, headed out for Cleburne, McGregor, Temple,Taylor and Austin! Early supper due to the diner crew getting off in Austin, I had the Veggie Pasta (its very tasty, I like Spinach and Pasta),skipped dessert again since Id eaten lunch such a short time before! We kept time @ all the stations on this sunny,warm day in Central Texas, the UT fans were having a high time (literally and figuratively) in the lounge and coach, I got my stuff ready when we hit Taylor on time, rolled down Mopac into Austin on time, glad to see my girlfriend waiting @ the station which is now 7 days and has checked baggage service!!
Great to be home, a wondferful trip, like the traveler says already planning the next one which will be to the west and be partly AGR paid , have to get it in while the weather is good and before the holiday blackouts and heavy travel days!
Ill close with a comment on the OBS, all things considered I cant say a bad word about any of the OBS on all the trains I rode this trip (the Eagles/LSL/Maple Leaf (Amtrak and VIA)/The Wolverine/The Cities)! Only the old Superliners Is and the lack of SSLs on the Eagle and the CONO
were complaints, it was afun trip and I cant wait to ride the SWC and CZ next month (along with the CS and EB again! compliments of AGR!!
I really enjoyed the diner crews (Michelle and Polly were standouts!) and the SCAs were the best Ive had, really enjoyed the Viewliner sleeper from CHI-ROC even if I had to spend my daughter and granddaughters inheritance for it! :lol: Amtrak will hear from me on this great service!!(and tips were appropriate!!)
Great to be back in Texas for a little while but dreaming of the next adventure when I hear the boarding call and roll out for another trip to paradise!!
Relaxed in the lounge after eating a CHI Dog from the food court upstairs on this cold/wet fall day in the Windy City!The lounge was very full with several tour groups for the Western trains and even some already there for the later Eastern LD and various area trains!Another reminder that the lounge needs to be enlarged, I suggest moving it back to the Great Hall where it was when the lounge was being remodeled, seemed to be more room then?
We had out tickets lifted about 1:00PM, was watching the start of the Texas-OU game, we lined up and were led by the attendant on the great circular route through the station (guess the cold and wet kept us from the outside shortcut!)to where the Eagle was awaiting, the consist was; 1 engine/baggage
car(which is unusual), trans-dorm,revenue sleeper (another old tired Superliner I), two diner-lounges (no SSL???), three coaches with the last one being the 321 STL coach.
Our SCA was Courtney, a friendly and helpful attendant who was very good with introductions in person and over the pa, helped with luggage, showed the newbies how everything worked etc. etc. He had fresh coffee, juice and ice out, told everyone when dinner reservations would start and made a great first impression!We rolled out on time @ 1:45PM, took quiet awhile going through the yards and South CHI, lots of freights and passenger trains manuvering around on this cool, clearing day>(the sun came out!
)Rolled down the line making the various stops through Joliet, Pontiac,Bloomington, Lincoln,Springfield with lots of folks getting on! The sleeper filled up and the coaches looked almost full, guess this is good for Amtrak and a sign that more trains are needed!I had made a dinner reservation for 7PM so was in the diner when we hit STL, lots of folks on the third coach detrained, it was now going to be deadheaded to DAL(more later on this). Since Id been in the "new" Gateway Station , stayed on the train and enjoyed my FLAT IRON STEAK! :lol: and ice cream for dessert! Had some coffee and a baileys in the lounge after we rolled out on a dark cool,night heading for the Ozarks and the unknown? :lol:
Courtney had asked when folks wanted their beds down, he already had mine down,even had an extra blanket (the A/C worked very good on this train!!!)and I went and took a nice hot shower (lucky me, the whole trip there was good hot water even if it maybe was heated by a wood fire on these old,tired cars! :lol: Read a little bit and was asleep, didnt wake up until we pulled into Texarkana on time about 6AM!
Went to the diner, had my usual omelet and trimmings, the SA named Miss Polly (that was on her name tag) was a real character, she kidded folks that she wished it was still the old days when everyone dressed up to travel but admitted she probably wouldnt have had her job since women didnt do this in the old days!Good service, more on this later! We rolled through the Pineywoods of East Texas, hit Marshall where the train had to be spotted three times due to the short platform ,rolled over to Longview where pax transferred for Houston (bus) and Shrevport (van), rolled on out for Mineola and into DAL an hour early!
Here we picked up lots of happy UT fans dressed in burnt orange, they filled the CCC-Lounges and started ordering adult beverages @ an accelerated rate,we would soon run out before reaching Austin! :lol: Unhappy Sooner fans boarding the Heartland Flyer in Dallas (its a special only for this game,),
we rolled out for FTW past the Jerry Dome (aka Cowboy Heavan) and into FTW where we would spend an hour!
The empty 321 coach was now full as we picked up more UT fans, and some pax even took roomettes for the run to AUS and SAS!! I ate the veggie burger as they were running out of stuff, not bad, skipped dessert, the diet starts Monday!! :lol: If theyd had Bourbon pecan pie I might have been tempted!
Watched the northbound #22 roll into the station, load, backout and highball for DAL and points North! We pulled out @ 2:30PM after #22 was gone, headed out for Cleburne, McGregor, Temple,Taylor and Austin! Early supper due to the diner crew getting off in Austin, I had the Veggie Pasta (its very tasty, I like Spinach and Pasta),skipped dessert again since Id eaten lunch such a short time before! We kept time @ all the stations on this sunny,warm day in Central Texas, the UT fans were having a high time (literally and figuratively) in the lounge and coach, I got my stuff ready when we hit Taylor on time, rolled down Mopac into Austin on time, glad to see my girlfriend waiting @ the station which is now 7 days and has checked baggage service!!
Great to be home, a wondferful trip, like the traveler says already planning the next one which will be to the west and be partly AGR paid
, have to get it in while the weather is good and before the holiday blackouts and heavy travel days!Ill close with a comment on the OBS, all things considered I cant say a bad word about any of the OBS on all the trains I rode this trip (the Eagles/LSL/Maple Leaf (Amtrak and VIA)/The Wolverine/The Cities)! Only the old Superliners Is and the lack of SSLs on the Eagle and the CONO
were complaints, it was afun trip and I cant wait to ride the SWC and CZ next month (along with the CS and EB again! compliments of AGR!!
I really enjoyed the diner crews (Michelle and Polly were standouts!) and the SCAs were the best Ive had, really enjoyed the Viewliner sleeper from CHI-ROC even if I had to spend my daughter and granddaughters inheritance for it! :lol: Amtrak will hear from me on this great service!!(and tips were appropriate!!)
Great to be back in Texas for a little while but dreaming of the next adventure when I hear the boarding call and roll out for another trip to paradise!!
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