- Joined
- Jul 30, 2007
- Messages
- 5
After lurking here for several months, I finally took the train.
I hadn't been on an America train since I was 8 (a long time ago on the City of Portland) and my wife had never been on one. We decided to go to Reno after Christmas and I convinced her we should take the train down - what a great opportunity to turn a mundane two hour plane ride into a 24 hour adventure. So we make reservations for PDX to SAC on the Coast Starlight and SAC to RNO on the California Zephyr. There was something like a four hour stopover in SAC but with the performance record of the Starlight I figured we might make it. Keeping an eye on the arrivals each day, by December something had happened and the CS was performing quite well.
The day, December 26th finally came. We get dropped off at Portland's Union Station with plenty of time to spare. The ticket agent was friendly and helpful and we settled in to one of the ancient wooden benches - unpadded but quite comfortable. The depot's glory may be faded, but it's still there. Marble everywhere accented with dark wood. All in all, and pretty much as I remember it as a kid picking up Grandma.
We lined up and got our seat assignments and shortly the train pulled in on time. The consist had several sleepers, the parlour, diner, sightseer, and three or so coaches. We were in the first coach behind the sightseer lounge. Several youth groups had been put together in the last coach. The coach was nice. The seats were comfy with scads of legroom. Plenty of overhead space for everybody and it was clean. It was a bit comical as we all looked for the seatbelts. One little thing; who designed the stairway, an ex-submariner?
Oops, there is trouble right away. Immediately after the station we have to cross a bridge and, of course, it had to be lifted for river traffic. No problem, but unfortunately it wouldn't lock back in the down position. It took an hour and a half before it was passable. It certainly wasn't Amtrak's fault and the crew kept us informed.
Here's where the big difference between an airplane and a train struck me. The train is much more CIVILIZED! I've been in a plane stuck on the tarmac and it's not a pretty sight. But on the train, it's much calmer. Sure everybody wanted to get going, and at least one passenger peppered the conductor with questions, but it was warm and not stuffy, we could stretch out and relax, or get up and walk around and the restrooms were fully operational (no more passengers must please refrain). If I had be stuck someplace, this was better than most.
Once we got going things were nice. Walk up to the sightseer and grab a couple of scotches for me, a soda for the wife, some chips and settle down. Walking is interesting when the train is swaying but even I adapted quickly. We quietly snaked thru the back yards of Portland, thru Oregon City and down the valley stopping at Salem, Albany, and Eugene. The quietness was amazing; we were just silently gliding along. The train was pretty full but didn't feel that way. We made 7:30 reservations for the diner, the earliest they had, and were seated about ten minutes late after leaving Eugene. At night there's not a lot between Eugene and Chemult but the occasional bit of civilization with snow and Christmas lights was a sight to see.
The diner had the new menu. We were seated with a nice couple from the Seattle area. Our server was a hoot! "What do ya have a hankerin for?” I had a steak and my wife the burger (oops they were out of cheese - huh didn't they realize there would be a one to one relationship between burgers and cheese?). Crisp salad, good steak - rare as requested, nice desserts. The tab for both of us was $42, including a drink for me, not bad at all. I think I overtipped at 20% as our server sure seemed happy. Back in the coach the conductor came thru with a bag of stuffed toys and gave them out to the children on board, merry Christmas!
There seemed to be a constant flow of teenagers with the youth groups going from their coach to the sightseer, not obnoxious but it was the same kids time after time. The conductor got them to try and stay in location for longer periods of time and all was well.
Speaking of youth, it never changes. The kid (20 or so) across the aisle was going to meet a friend in Redding and didn’t know the address. I lent him my cell to call his friend. Of course he had to leave a message and his friend called back while he was up in the lounge car. We finally got them connected. I remember when I was young and footloose, sometimes I miss it too.
I had to pity the folks who got on at Chemult . It's in the middle of nowhere, it was bitter cold out, we were late, and the "station" is, I guess you call it an Amshack. Brrrr!
Ah, to streach out for a night's sleep. The conductor handed out pillows and we had the foresight to bring travel blankets. Ouch! At 58 our bodies just don't conform the way they used to. It would be nicer if the car was darker, but it was dark enough and plenty warm – almost too warm. We found semi-comfortable positions and got some rest. Next time a sleeper! I woke up at every stop, even though the conductors tried to keep things quiet.
What a gorgeous sunrise in central California. Grab a cup of coffee. The California tracks seemed smoother than those in Oregon and, for a change we seem to be booking right along, we made up about a half an hour getting into Sacramento only about an hour late.
Portland's station has a faded glory, Sacramento's is just faded. We seemed to come in to the outermost set of tracks and had to take the filthy tunnel to the station. The station is dirty, shabby and cold. All the staff work behind glass, kinda like a bank in a bad neighbourhood. Lovely old wooden benches with built in heaters - but only a couple worked and the bums had staked them out. The station rent-a-cops must have been scared of them as they went out of their way to not disturb them. Several exterior doors were missing their closers, so they managed to be open all the time blowing cold air in. There didn't appear to be any place close to get breakfast so a sweet roll and coffee from the cart it was.
The SAC depot must have been where all the jokes about public address systems came from. Neither I nor the folks around me could ever really understand what they were saying. There was a nice, fancy electronic schedule board. Unfortunately it was static, showing only the scheduled times, not the actual times. At any rate we figured when the train was arriving and where to wait for it and were on the platform when it came in. Sacramento? Arnold, you can have it.
We board the Zephyr and again it is full but does not feel crowded. One couple is griping about their seats (they feel they should have better seats because they have reserved seats) but everybody else is happy. Warm, comfy, and all of us bound for Reno are in the last car. Once again, some good conversations strike up between perfect strangers. The equipment seems to be a bit older than that on the Starlight but it is clean and in good shape. One silliness, there’s an AC outlet in the car, but it is totally blocked by a seat. I’d been using the Verizon Navigator software in my phone to see where we were and my battery was very low, I would have charged it up if I could have gotten to the outlet, but I didn’t really need it.
The dining car lady is on the PA, and on the PA, and on the PA. We’d hoped to have lunch but after accommodating the Pullman passengers they were virtually out of reservations so nope. In fact, the lack of seating on the diner on the Zephyr was the only really sour note on the whole trip. We settled for a hot dogs from the lounge.
We had expected great scenery on this leg of the trip and WOW, we weren’t disappointed. There was an interpreter on board giving us the history of the building of the transcontinental railroad and pointing out the sights along the way. And once we got into the Sierras what sights they were. Sure the freeway blasts its way straight through, but this stretch is an engineering marvel. The train seemed to creep its way along; I guess this is not the high speed section of the run. Slow was OK as the scenery was just breathtaking. Unfortunately we also had to wait about 45 minutes for a freight train and the westbound Zephyr to pass us before we entered a section of the line that was single track. Someday I’ve got to take the Empire Builder through Glacier; it’s such a pleasure to sit back and watch the scenery rather than the road.
On to Reno, and the ditch is finally done, no more grade crossings in town. If you come to gamble, you just can't beat the location of the station in Reno. It's an easy walk to our hotel, the Silver Legacy – how many places can you walk to a choice of good hotels from the station. All in all, it was a lovely trip. We win small in Reno, have a great time, and fly back home on Southwest (yeech!).
It won't do for every trip, especially if one is in a hurry, but this won’t be our last time on the train.
I hadn't been on an America train since I was 8 (a long time ago on the City of Portland) and my wife had never been on one. We decided to go to Reno after Christmas and I convinced her we should take the train down - what a great opportunity to turn a mundane two hour plane ride into a 24 hour adventure. So we make reservations for PDX to SAC on the Coast Starlight and SAC to RNO on the California Zephyr. There was something like a four hour stopover in SAC but with the performance record of the Starlight I figured we might make it. Keeping an eye on the arrivals each day, by December something had happened and the CS was performing quite well.
The day, December 26th finally came. We get dropped off at Portland's Union Station with plenty of time to spare. The ticket agent was friendly and helpful and we settled in to one of the ancient wooden benches - unpadded but quite comfortable. The depot's glory may be faded, but it's still there. Marble everywhere accented with dark wood. All in all, and pretty much as I remember it as a kid picking up Grandma.
We lined up and got our seat assignments and shortly the train pulled in on time. The consist had several sleepers, the parlour, diner, sightseer, and three or so coaches. We were in the first coach behind the sightseer lounge. Several youth groups had been put together in the last coach. The coach was nice. The seats were comfy with scads of legroom. Plenty of overhead space for everybody and it was clean. It was a bit comical as we all looked for the seatbelts. One little thing; who designed the stairway, an ex-submariner?
Oops, there is trouble right away. Immediately after the station we have to cross a bridge and, of course, it had to be lifted for river traffic. No problem, but unfortunately it wouldn't lock back in the down position. It took an hour and a half before it was passable. It certainly wasn't Amtrak's fault and the crew kept us informed.
Here's where the big difference between an airplane and a train struck me. The train is much more CIVILIZED! I've been in a plane stuck on the tarmac and it's not a pretty sight. But on the train, it's much calmer. Sure everybody wanted to get going, and at least one passenger peppered the conductor with questions, but it was warm and not stuffy, we could stretch out and relax, or get up and walk around and the restrooms were fully operational (no more passengers must please refrain). If I had be stuck someplace, this was better than most.
Once we got going things were nice. Walk up to the sightseer and grab a couple of scotches for me, a soda for the wife, some chips and settle down. Walking is interesting when the train is swaying but even I adapted quickly. We quietly snaked thru the back yards of Portland, thru Oregon City and down the valley stopping at Salem, Albany, and Eugene. The quietness was amazing; we were just silently gliding along. The train was pretty full but didn't feel that way. We made 7:30 reservations for the diner, the earliest they had, and were seated about ten minutes late after leaving Eugene. At night there's not a lot between Eugene and Chemult but the occasional bit of civilization with snow and Christmas lights was a sight to see.
The diner had the new menu. We were seated with a nice couple from the Seattle area. Our server was a hoot! "What do ya have a hankerin for?” I had a steak and my wife the burger (oops they were out of cheese - huh didn't they realize there would be a one to one relationship between burgers and cheese?). Crisp salad, good steak - rare as requested, nice desserts. The tab for both of us was $42, including a drink for me, not bad at all. I think I overtipped at 20% as our server sure seemed happy. Back in the coach the conductor came thru with a bag of stuffed toys and gave them out to the children on board, merry Christmas!
There seemed to be a constant flow of teenagers with the youth groups going from their coach to the sightseer, not obnoxious but it was the same kids time after time. The conductor got them to try and stay in location for longer periods of time and all was well.
Speaking of youth, it never changes. The kid (20 or so) across the aisle was going to meet a friend in Redding and didn’t know the address. I lent him my cell to call his friend. Of course he had to leave a message and his friend called back while he was up in the lounge car. We finally got them connected. I remember when I was young and footloose, sometimes I miss it too.
I had to pity the folks who got on at Chemult . It's in the middle of nowhere, it was bitter cold out, we were late, and the "station" is, I guess you call it an Amshack. Brrrr!
Ah, to streach out for a night's sleep. The conductor handed out pillows and we had the foresight to bring travel blankets. Ouch! At 58 our bodies just don't conform the way they used to. It would be nicer if the car was darker, but it was dark enough and plenty warm – almost too warm. We found semi-comfortable positions and got some rest. Next time a sleeper! I woke up at every stop, even though the conductors tried to keep things quiet.
What a gorgeous sunrise in central California. Grab a cup of coffee. The California tracks seemed smoother than those in Oregon and, for a change we seem to be booking right along, we made up about a half an hour getting into Sacramento only about an hour late.
Portland's station has a faded glory, Sacramento's is just faded. We seemed to come in to the outermost set of tracks and had to take the filthy tunnel to the station. The station is dirty, shabby and cold. All the staff work behind glass, kinda like a bank in a bad neighbourhood. Lovely old wooden benches with built in heaters - but only a couple worked and the bums had staked them out. The station rent-a-cops must have been scared of them as they went out of their way to not disturb them. Several exterior doors were missing their closers, so they managed to be open all the time blowing cold air in. There didn't appear to be any place close to get breakfast so a sweet roll and coffee from the cart it was.
The SAC depot must have been where all the jokes about public address systems came from. Neither I nor the folks around me could ever really understand what they were saying. There was a nice, fancy electronic schedule board. Unfortunately it was static, showing only the scheduled times, not the actual times. At any rate we figured when the train was arriving and where to wait for it and were on the platform when it came in. Sacramento? Arnold, you can have it.
We board the Zephyr and again it is full but does not feel crowded. One couple is griping about their seats (they feel they should have better seats because they have reserved seats) but everybody else is happy. Warm, comfy, and all of us bound for Reno are in the last car. Once again, some good conversations strike up between perfect strangers. The equipment seems to be a bit older than that on the Starlight but it is clean and in good shape. One silliness, there’s an AC outlet in the car, but it is totally blocked by a seat. I’d been using the Verizon Navigator software in my phone to see where we were and my battery was very low, I would have charged it up if I could have gotten to the outlet, but I didn’t really need it.
The dining car lady is on the PA, and on the PA, and on the PA. We’d hoped to have lunch but after accommodating the Pullman passengers they were virtually out of reservations so nope. In fact, the lack of seating on the diner on the Zephyr was the only really sour note on the whole trip. We settled for a hot dogs from the lounge.
We had expected great scenery on this leg of the trip and WOW, we weren’t disappointed. There was an interpreter on board giving us the history of the building of the transcontinental railroad and pointing out the sights along the way. And once we got into the Sierras what sights they were. Sure the freeway blasts its way straight through, but this stretch is an engineering marvel. The train seemed to creep its way along; I guess this is not the high speed section of the run. Slow was OK as the scenery was just breathtaking. Unfortunately we also had to wait about 45 minutes for a freight train and the westbound Zephyr to pass us before we entered a section of the line that was single track. Someday I’ve got to take the Empire Builder through Glacier; it’s such a pleasure to sit back and watch the scenery rather than the road.
On to Reno, and the ditch is finally done, no more grade crossings in town. If you come to gamble, you just can't beat the location of the station in Reno. It's an easy walk to our hotel, the Silver Legacy – how many places can you walk to a choice of good hotels from the station. All in all, it was a lovely trip. We win small in Reno, have a great time, and fly back home on Southwest (yeech!).
It won't do for every trip, especially if one is in a hurry, but this won’t be our last time on the train.
The Station was having electrical problems that may have prevented announcements as I don't remember hearing any. The Sign when displaying other than gibberish was nice to read. Because it was down more than up I never noticed if arrival time was displayed. And lastly the tunnel when the group I was there to see departing on the CZ arrived at the SAC Station they came on the trolley and walked to the station without using a tunnel, and when we went back to board their train we also did not use a tunnel. I think I saw the tunnel entrance and if a train was stopped for some time on the track closest to the station it would be an option, otherwise using the grade crossing was more convenient. 
