Last Minute July 2013 Trip Report

[Devil's Advocate]

At 6:30AM I arrived at the station in San Antonio for the 7:00AM departure of the Texas Eagle. Rather than get out and line up I sat in my friend's car and tried to get my ticket to come up on my phone. Amtrak's phone app couldn't find my trip no matter what I entered. I hope they eventually change this so we can have quick and easy access to all our trips in one location. I tried downloading the PDF from the email account Amtrak has for me but I wasn't able to. After forwarding the email to another account everything worked as intended and I was ready to board. I bid my friend adieu and walked over to where everyone was lined up.

The sleeper passengers are usually lined up separately but I had apparently missed that line. It didn't bother me though. If I were in a rush I wouldn't be on Amtrak to begin with. The line speed alternated between moving quickly and getting completely stuck. I just hung back and waited. When the line was just about to finish I took my place. After all the work trying to get my ticket to display properly on my phone the conductor simply looked me up by name and checked me in manually. That gave me a bit of a laugh.

I was directed to the transdorm at the front of the train. I know some folks don't like the transdorm but it doesn't bother me. I can understand being annoyed if the SCA ignores you but other than that I feel the transdorm is similar to any other roomette. When I boarded the SCA wasn't there but he showed up soon afterward and confirmed I was the right guy in the right room. He was friendly and relaxed and made sure we knew where the drinks and ice were.

The train began moving on time and then came to a halt a few seconds later. I didn't have my scanner so I wasn't sure what the hold up was. For that matter I wasn't sure conventional scanners still worked anymore. We started and stopped again a few more times but we weren't moving continuously until we were about fifteen minutes late. Even then the speed was much slower than I'm used to on the NB Eagle. Eventually we came to yet another stop and the conductor informed us that there was freight traffic ahead that was preventing us from running at full speed.

As regulars will probably know I'm not exactly a fan of the diner, but I do enjoy the French toast and sausage when available. Thanks to some changes to staff layover locations the Eagle now offers a hot breakfast for folks departing San Antonio. The diner staff was friendly but also very slow. I wasn't expecting a speed meal but I could sense other folks becoming confused as to what the delay was. The staff never took the time to manage expectations or explain what the hold up was.

Nearly an hour after being seated the food finally arrived. I was curious about the crab cake with Hollandaise sauce but went with my old standby instead. The French toast was warm and tasty to my palate. The coffee is supposed to be better as the machines are being changed out with replacements. I felt the coffee was improved but was still below what I'd call good. Coffee seems like such a simple thing to excel at, and yet quality cups are becoming surprisingly rare.

My SCA had percolated coffee in the sleeper but by the time I got back all I wanted to do was sleep. I managed to stay awake as far as Austin and then I was out. I woke up again somewhere south of Cleburne. I watched the scenery go by and when we reached Forth Worth I jumped out to go find the hotdog vendor. Unfortunately he was nowhere to be found. I briefly considered getting a Subway sandwich but the train was late getting in and the Subway staff were moving like molasses. I had a quick look around and got back on board. We had an abbreviated stop in Dallas next to the super shiny soap opera hotel and then were were on our way North again.

 

[jimhudson]

Chris: Freight traffic has really been picking up lately on the Eagle route and of course Amtrak is always given last call by the UP Dispatchers! I'll be interested to read more details about the Equipment, Food and On-board Staff as your trip progresses! As to the Hot Dog Guy, I understand he was run off to the Convention Center due to complaints by Subway which, as you know, is the only Game in the FTW Station! Hope the trip through the Piney woods and the Wilds of Arkansas and MIssouri goes well!

 

[stntylr]

If you look out just past Taylor when the TE is going through Bartlett you can see the set where the TV show Revolution is being filmed.

 

[JayPea]

Enjoying your report so far. Next Tuesday my uncle and I are going from Bloomington-Normal to Los Angeles on the TE so I am especially interested in it!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I started my second morning with a minor dilemma. Knowing that I wouldn't have access to a shower until late at night while food would be available virtually everywhere I decided to shower before eating. When I was done cleaning up I went to the diner but every booth had already filled up and there was only an hour or so before we arrived at my disembarkation point. The staff insisted on adding me to the waiting list but based on the previous day's meals I knew it was probably too late. I spent a half hour or so in the lounge car as we made our way North just in case things worked out.

As I was getting ready to disembark I thought about my first leg of the trip. For the most part the experience had gone well. The staff were friendly and easy to get along with. Even though the food was unhealthy and of unremarkable quality it was still reasonably filling. The train had fallen a bit behind schedule but not by enough to cause any serious problems. The Eagle's scenery is becoming old news to me, but I still enjoyed seeing a couple of the stops I've never had a chance to explore and wondering what was on the other side of the tracks or inside the depot. </p>

There were a few complications. Chief among them were the poorly configured toilets and shower rooms. Being a tall guy makes it hard enough to use the on board facilities but being a tall guy with a wonky knee and sprained calf makes it darn near impossible. I also had the unfortunate experience of accidentally opening a restroom door on a lady who didn't realize she hadn't actually locked the door. If they kept the inside lights low until the door was locked I don't think that would happen anymore. Staying in the first car was only moderately noisy at first but then we got a new engineer who blew that horn as loud as it could go and that made it rather hard to sleep.</p>

That being said I still considered it a successful trip. It didn't come close to living up to the standards written in the employee manual but nothing truly bad happened and there were also a few positive surprises as well, such as easy access to the famous frozen typhoid cubes and roomette doors that latched from the outside. I'm talking about the locks with the red ball on the inside. I wish all sleepers had them. The train reversed direction to pickup another car before dropping me off in a city I'd never explored before. It was a sunny day with beautiful weather when I arrived. A day full of curiosities was just getting started.

(If y'all have any questions about the specifics just ask)

 

[Bob Dylan]

Chris:Looking forward to your Impressions of St. Louis which has come along way in the past few Years!! As to Breakfast before hitting St. Louis, the Eagle is usually Early into St. Louis and Ive never had to Wait to Eat whether still Rolling North into the Burbs or sitting in the Station! If #22 was On-Time into St. Louis you should have had a fairly Long Dwell Time so maybe you could have eaten before you De-Boarded, I've done it several times? Good to hear that Nothing Major went wrong and that the Single Engine Eagle made it through the Hills of Arkansas and Missouri without Breaking Down!

 

[tonys96]

Chris: Freight traffic has really been picking up lately on the Eagle route and of course Amtrak is always given last call by the UP Dispatchers! I'll be interested to read more details about the Equipment, Food and On-board Staff as your trip progresses! As to the Hot Dog Guy, I understand he was run off to the Convention Center due to complaints by Subway which, as you know, is the only Game in the FTW Station! Hope the trip through the Piney woods and the Wilds of Arkansas and MIssouri goes well!

Hot dog guy was in FTW two Saturdays ago.

 

[tonys96]

RE: The Eagle's scenery is becoming old news to me, but I still enjoyed seeing a couple of the stops I've never had a chance to explore and wondering what was on the other side of the tracks or inside the depot

The Depot @ Marshall is fascinating. Has a really nice museum in it. Takes at least an hour to do it justice.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Chris: Freight traffic has really been picking up lately on the Eagle route and of course Amtrak is always given last call by the UP Dispatchers! I'll be interested to read more details about the Equipment, Food and On-board Staff as your trip progresses! As to the Hot Dog Guy, I understand he was run off to the Convention Center due to complaints by Subway which, as you know, is the only Game in the FTW Station! Hope the trip through the Piney woods and the Wilds of Arkansas and MIssouri goes well!

Hot dog guy was in FTW two Saturdays ago.

Hope he gets to stay so those of us passing thru FTW can enjoy his really Good Dogs.Sausage and Coke, No Pepsi! ^_^

 

[VentureForth]

Hey Jim - I appreciate your enthusiasm for Amtrak. But to say that Amtrak is given last call is really just hyperbole. One of the things that I've been trying to point out about the possibility of running the SWC along the Transcon is that they will have to contend with putting Amtrak often at the same speed as the freights. Even if the entire route is double tracked, if traffic is heavy, where are you going to let Amtrak pass? Sometimes, the best you can do is just keep up with the flow. If the P limit is 79, but you're stuck behind F's at 59 going in both directions, it's really hard to hopscotch around them.

One of the most interesting apps I've downloaded for my PC is ATCS - it's a dispatcher-display look at traffic available only from the ATCS users group on Yahoo!. One thing I've noticed is that sometimes, you can't just pass one train around another because there's already a train there. Or one coming the other direction. Yes, yes, we all DO know that UP is not very Amtrak friendly. But to say they get last call may not entirely be accurate.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hey Jim - I appreciate your enthusiasm for Amtrak. But to say that Amtrak is given last call is really just hyperbole. One of the things that I've been trying to point out about the possibility of running the SWC along the Transcon is that they will have to contend with putting Amtrak often at the same speed as the freights. Even if the entire route is double tracked, if traffic is heavy, where are you going to let Amtrak pass? Sometimes, the best you can do is just keep up with the flow. If the P limit is 79, but you're stuck behind F's at 59 going in both directions, it's really hard to hopscotch around them.
One of the most interesting apps I've downloaded for my PC is ATCS - it's a dispatcher-display look at traffic available only from the ATCS users group on Yahoo!. One thing I've noticed is that sometimes, you can't just pass one train around another because there's already a train there. Or one coming the other direction. Yes, yes, we all DO know that UP is not very Amtrak friendly. But to say they get last call may not entirely be accurate.

We'll have to agree to disagree about the UP Dispatchers! BNSF in FTW does a really good job with Amtrak, Ive been in their Dispatching Center and talked with the Mgr. in Temple last year @ the BNSF Rail Fan Day and he told us that they Always try to give Amtrak prriority when possible! The UP story is somewhat different based on My Experience on the Eagles, from the Taylor Yard to Austin (30 miles) I have been on Trains that left Taylor or Austin On Time and Sat in the Hole as Long as 2 Hours while Freights, Rock and Coal Trains chugged by up the MoPac Hill, sometimes as many as 6 @ one time! #21 and #22 are pretty much Late every Day South of FTW to San Marcos but of course with the Padding Built into the Schedule into San Antonio they usually make up most of the Time only to have to do the Looooooooooooong Loop and backing Move into the Old Sunset station in SAS! (these moves take as much time as SMC-SAS! )

Even the Freight Crews in Taylor have told me that UP Dispatchers give them Priority on this Line including the Switching in the Taylor Yard where Ive sat for as long as an Hour on #21 waiting on Switching to be completed! YMMV