Looks like a roomette OKJ - LAX on the 25th is $166, which isn't bad.
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CS detour over Tehachapi Loop
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yarrow
Engineer
yarrow and i are doing the loop on 3/15. got an e-mail from amtrak yesterday confirming the route change
Hmmm....how many meals could you get on that leg? If you could get breakfast, lunch, and dinner included....it could make that extra cost more worthwhile......
Ryan
Court Jester
You'd be hard pressed to get breakfast with an 8:50 scheduled departure. If the train were on time, you might just catch it. I seem to recall that we were sitting at breakfast when we stopped there, but I don't recall if they were taking newcomers at that point.
Call it $10 for lunch and $20 for dinner - if there are two of you, that's $60 worth of food you can eat. It'd be worth it to have a private space for the day and access to the PPC for the other $100 bucks.
Call it $10 for lunch and $20 for dinner - if there are two of you, that's $60 worth of food you can eat. It'd be worth it to have a private space for the day and access to the PPC for the other $100 bucks.
Just noticed this - I figure this is something I have to do now that I live in CA. Always have envied the people who get to ride interesting detours, and this may be the one for me! Looking at a Mar 29-30 roundtrip SAN-LAX-OKJ-LAX-SAN since that is the one time I can do it without taking time off work.
With that said, does anyone have good ideas as for places to stay near OKJ/EMY? I could go over to SF, but figure that's unnecessary (and cuts down my sleep time) if I'm really just going to sleep there.. I could also possibly go a little further north, but would prefer to not have to get in too late/leave too early...
With that said, does anyone have good ideas as for places to stay near OKJ/EMY? I could go over to SF, but figure that's unnecessary (and cuts down my sleep time) if I'm really just going to sleep there.. I could also possibly go a little further north, but would prefer to not have to get in too late/leave too early...
Many have asked that before but a brief listing of some of the major places near EMY in order from distance to the train station (I'm sure others will provide feedback)...
Hyatt House
Four Points by Sheraton
Hilton Garden Inn
Courtyard by Marriott
All are probably within a 5 minute taxi ride or a 15 minute walk. The Hyatt House is just across the train tracks from the station and is accessable via a Pedestrian Bridge. I personally have stayed at the Hyatt House and Courtyard by Marriott (elite member of both of their hotel loyalty programs) and have not had problems with either (I live locally but stayed there when I had guests visiting).
Near OKJ there are...
The Jack London Inn
The Inn at Jack London Square
The Waterfront Hotel
Courtyard by Marriot
Marriott Oakland City Center
I have only stayed at the Marriott and have not had a problem there. The others have mixed reviews from what I have heard from people. The first three would be within a 10 minute walk, if that. The last two would be a 5 minute taxi ride or free shuttle bus ride (during the daytime during the week). Many people have some concerns about the area, however it is generally fine during the day time and has people out using the mid to up scale restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights. A taxi would be the best bet though at night.
Personally I prefer to stay by EMY as the lodging properties tend to be a bit nicer, but they sometimes can cost more as well. It is all up to your personal preference.
Hyatt House
Four Points by Sheraton
Hilton Garden Inn
Courtyard by Marriott
All are probably within a 5 minute taxi ride or a 15 minute walk. The Hyatt House is just across the train tracks from the station and is accessable via a Pedestrian Bridge. I personally have stayed at the Hyatt House and Courtyard by Marriott (elite member of both of their hotel loyalty programs) and have not had problems with either (I live locally but stayed there when I had guests visiting).
Near OKJ there are...
The Jack London Inn
The Inn at Jack London Square
The Waterfront Hotel
Courtyard by Marriot
Marriott Oakland City Center
I have only stayed at the Marriott and have not had a problem there. The others have mixed reviews from what I have heard from people. The first three would be within a 10 minute walk, if that. The last two would be a 5 minute taxi ride or free shuttle bus ride (during the daytime during the week). Many people have some concerns about the area, however it is generally fine during the day time and has people out using the mid to up scale restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights. A taxi would be the best bet though at night.
Personally I prefer to stay by EMY as the lodging properties tend to be a bit nicer, but they sometimes can cost more as well. It is all up to your personal preference.
When I rode going south two years ago we actually arrived late.
This was entirely because Metrolink decided to run us behind one of their trains instead of in front of it. Otherwise we would have been early.
I've always been offered breakfast out of San Jose when the train was on time.
When I rode southbound through the loop last, I ate breakfast in Oakland as we sat for about an hour, waiting for the pilot UP crew. And they were definitely take people from coach, because I was the only one at my table who didn't produce an AGR MC to pay, as I was in a sleeper.
I have stayed at the Four Points. It is about a ten minute walk. It's also closer to Bay Street.
The Hilton is on the other side of the Interstate and isn't easily walkable.
If you board at Emeryville, you will definitely get breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you board at OKJ and have a roomette, your SCA should insure that you will get breakfast also.
I think it may be the other way around - EMY is before OKJ going southbound. In any case, I just booked SAN-LAX-OKJ-LAX-SAN for 3/29-30 - tickets and hotel can be cancelled up until the day before, so if the detour ends early I can cancel. Thought about doing EMY, but I'm worried we'll get to OKJ extremely early and we'll be sitting there a while... Just doing coach both ways - as much as I'd like to do the PPC, an additional $280 round-trip doesn't seem worth it...
In any case, I do hope I get to do it before they finish the track work - would do earlier, but this time involves no time off for me... This will be the second "just for the heck of it" train trip for me - the other one was last year, when I took the Wolverine, Cardinal, #66, and LSL in a loop (and the latter train detoured through Michigan right after I got off it and onto a bus to Michigan)...
In any case, I do hope I get to do it before they finish the track work - would do earlier, but this time involves no time off for me... This will be the second "just for the heck of it" train trip for me - the other one was last year, when I took the Wolverine, Cardinal, #66, and LSL in a loop (and the latter train detoured through Michigan right after I got off it and onto a bus to Michigan)...
The train will never get to OKJ any earlier than 8:30am (5 minutes before the scheduled arrival time) on the way south. On the way north the train will not pull into OKJ early (Scheduled in at 9:23pm), rather it will generally pull in a little late as it waits for Capitol Corridor Train 548 to depart the station at 9:25pm before pulling in.
No, chakk has got it right.....if you board at EMY, since it is earlier, you have a better chance of getting breakfast in, before it's over...
Just pulled of a Train Status on 11(13) from Amtrak's site....already shows an ETA in Los Angeles of 8:33 PM on the 14th. Considering the detour, I am surprised they give that early ETA, well....so early.....
I would have thought they would just show an on time ETA, until thre train was much closer to LAX, tomorrow afternoon.....
I would have thought they would just show an on time ETA, until thre train was much closer to LAX, tomorrow afternoon.....
Yeah, I read that message wrong - if you board at EMY, you'll have a better chance of breakfast than boarding at OKJ. Also, I seem to have missed an important detail in all of this - the detour is only for the 11 (southbound) train, NOT the 14 (northbound) train. Given that, I'm probably going to do something different - thinking of taking the red-eye bus-train connection up 3/28 and going SB on 3/29 (skipping the hotel), or perhaps give myself a day in the Bay Area and do the same with an overnight...
I was aboard the Coast Starlight detour that was the first passenger train in 30 years to go the Tehachapi route; Jun 22, 2008. They've since become almost commonplace.I hope someone on the first detour gives us a trip report.....
Tehachapi: The Report - http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/23408-tehachapi-the-report/page-1?hl=tehachapi
Coast Starlight Tehachapi Detour, Picasa photo album - http://picasaweb.google.com/WhoozOn1st/CoastStarlightTehachapiDetour# - the train had private varnish dome car Silver Solarium tacked to the end, and it shows up frequently in pics shot out the back of the last Superliner coach.
Entering the Tehachapi Loop tunnel (the loop is at Walong), aboard train 14.
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As always, Great Pic Patrick! :hi:Agreed. Great photo's....I was aboard the Coast Starlight detour that was the first passenger train in 30 years to go the Tehachapi route; Jun 22, 2008. They've since become almost commonplace.I hope someone on the first detour gives us a trip report.....
Tehachapi: The Report - http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/23408-tehachapi-the-report/page-1?hl=tehachapi
Coast Starlight Tehachapi Detour, Picasa photo album - http://picasaweb.google.com/WhoozOn1st/CoastStarlightTehachapiDetour# - the train had private varnish dome car Silver Solarium tacked to the end, and it shows up frequently in pics shot out the back of the last Superliner coach.
Entering the Tehachapi Loop tunnel (the loop is at Walong), aboard train 14.
Regarding your comment of the detour becoming commonplace....perhaps it's time for Amtrak to consider again running an overnite regularly scheduled train on that route, where the longer running time versus the bus-rail combo would not matter....and perhaps consider running it on to Seattle as well, to complement the CS with a daylight train over that segment.....I think it would do well.....
Perhaps modify it to switch back to the BNSF at Bakersfield on the regular route, or have it go directly to Sacramento, to make up the longer time from LA to Bakersfield, with a connection to Oakland, or whatever....
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calwatch
Lead Service Attendant
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The San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee has looked at this for a while and even written up proposed schedules. Aside from the UP's longstanding objection to a route through there, I'm not convinced that it would do well. All of these schedules pass through at night, and basically most passengers would be trying to sleep in a California Car that barely reclines, with those bright lights and announcements every hour every time the train hits a stop. You'd have to get a sleeper somewhere to use on this train, and that would only carry a few dozen people.
While there may seem to be a lot of people on the overnight bus from LA to Bakersfield, in reality that is very peaky and on weekday mornings it might have a couple of dozen people at most. The northbound bus-train combo, while leaving LA at almost 2 AM, actually seems to work for my trips up north, but now I generally am considering Megabus for the return if I don't feel like flying or if this is a spur of the moment trip with $150+ air fares. I don't think being held hostage on a train in the middle of the night, with "recovery time" stops in Palmdale and Bakersfield to watch the clock catch up due to all that single track, is that great an idea. The Amtrak detour concept actually works pretty well. Run several trains a year to allow foamers, railfans, etc. to ride over Tehachapi and enjoy the scenery. The rest of the year, the bus is not ideal, but it's a heck of a lot more cost effective than sending a few dozen people on an eight hour ride over the mountain, just so they don't have to get up.
While there may seem to be a lot of people on the overnight bus from LA to Bakersfield, in reality that is very peaky and on weekday mornings it might have a couple of dozen people at most. The northbound bus-train combo, while leaving LA at almost 2 AM, actually seems to work for my trips up north, but now I generally am considering Megabus for the return if I don't feel like flying or if this is a spur of the moment trip with $150+ air fares. I don't think being held hostage on a train in the middle of the night, with "recovery time" stops in Palmdale and Bakersfield to watch the clock catch up due to all that single track, is that great an idea. The Amtrak detour concept actually works pretty well. Run several trains a year to allow foamers, railfans, etc. to ride over Tehachapi and enjoy the scenery. The rest of the year, the bus is not ideal, but it's a heck of a lot more cost effective than sending a few dozen people on an eight hour ride over the mountain, just so they don't have to get up.
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calwatch
Lead Service Attendant
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It ultimately arrived 16 minutes late. My friend is planning to come down from Sacramento to Yuma on Sundays so at least the connection to the Sunset is still being made. http://74.242.203.68/scripts/archivefinder.pl?seltrain=11&selmonth=03&selyear=2013&selday=12
yarrow
Engineer
yarrow and i are on the cs. left sac 30 min late. so we will hopefully get into la about the scheduled time tonight. beautiful morning in the ppc
Outstanding! Hope you'll be able to post a trip report so that the "toot loop group" will know what to expect next weekend.
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