LATE trip on 91 - 92 today, WPK-TPA-WPK

[AmtrakWPK]

Took 91 - 92 today WPK-TPA-WPK. Also had tickets TPA-Sebring-TPA to extend the trip, but we were 4 hours+ late on the WPK-TPA leg and would have gotten into Sebring at least a half hour past the 92 departure NB, so elected to just stay in Tampa. But then 92 was about two and half hours late, so we would have been ok to go to Sebring (hindsight). I know the 91 delay was at least partly from the WAS derailment. Wonder if Miami Joe (or anybody else) would know why 92 was so late leaving MIA? I heard it was equipment trouble but wonder if somebody could amplify. It was a nice trip, and especially nice to ride the new route, but it sure shot our schedule out the window. The only benefit to the lateness was that I knew last night that 91 was already 3.5 hours late, so we didn't have to get up quite so early (normal departure from WPK = 0755)

 

[battalion51]

Sounds like you had a friend of mine as the AC on your WPK-TPA leg, I'll be headed north with him tomorrow on 92. I spoke with Joe this evening about how the trains have been doing, and he said they've been having a number of cars come in with Anti-freeze problems. They've only had 4 or 5 guys servicing both trains so that's been causing late departures. Needless to say I'll be checking in on 92 before I head down to the station tomorrow.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

The conductor on that leg is a friend of ours - Willy Billy. He said he was wondering what had happened to us (it's been probably a year since we've seen him) . We've had several trips where he was conductor or AC and had time to just sit and chew the fat between stations. And now we've got his schedule again so we'll probably take some more WPK-TPA-WPK trips when we know he'll be on either NB or SB with us. I think we'll get the Fla railpasses again this year - we didn't renew them last year.

 

[AlanB]

And now we've got his schedule again so we'll probably take some more WPK-TPA-WPK trips when we know he'll be on either NB or SB with us. I think we'll get the Fla railpasses again this year - we didn't renew them last year.

Well now that you get 100 Amtrak GR points minimum, no matter how cheap your ticket was, there is a good reason to take more trips. A free sleeper just got easier to get.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Yeah, I just saw that. Which is why I also just signed up for AGR, and I know I can send in the stubs to get credited since it's within the time window of the sign-up date.



Now, Since 91 was so late we didn't use the TPA-Sebring-TPA tickets. I wonder if I'm better off sending the stubs in anyway for the GR points, or getting the (cheap tickets) refund. We didn't use them because 91 was so late we would have gotten to Sebring after 92 would have already left, by over a half-hour.....(by the timetable, anyway)?? Normally we'd have 3 hours between arriving in Sebring on 91 and catching 92 at Sebring NB.

 

[Trogdor]

I wonder if I'm better off sending the stubs in anyway for the GR points, or getting the (cheap tickets) refund.

In general, you'll find the cash (refund/fare) worth more than the points. It'll take you a few thousand points to earn a "free" trip, and you'd only get 100 points by paying for the trip.