CrazyTrain
Train Attendant
Hi all! I had my second trip to Chicago on the City of New Orleans October 17-23. I rode coach this time, because I couldn't afford a roomette with all the stuff that's been going on in my life this year. Truly, riding coach wasn't as bad as I expected. I mean it was more crowded than I expected going up. Last year when I rode, I walked to the very end of the train to record the ride as we were passing through rural Mississippi and the last car was completely empty. Even with a seat mate, I got a decent night's sleep.
Coming back was less than ideal, but I rolled with it. We left Chicago on time at 8:05 PM on the 22nd. This time I didn't have a seat mate because the guy assigned to sit next to me was not interested in sitting in one of those seats all night. I think he rode pretty much the whole way in the observation car. One thing I will say is that I have learned my lesson about being the first in line to get on. When we were boarding in New Orleans, the car attendant was like, "Sit wherever you want." In Chicago, however, the guy was like, "You have seat XXX." And that seat was the first one in the car. So not only did I not have a tray to eat any meals at my seat, I was awakened every time someone went through the doors. For some reason, that was way more often than I expected, considering we'd left at night and I'd chatted with the couple behind me at least until 10:30.
I truly have no idea what time the trouble began, but I know that we stopped just south of Effingham, IL after midnight. We weren't at a station either. I don't know how long we were stopped, but after a while we got going again. When we did get moving again, it felt like we were going way faster than we should, but we made it to the next station without incident. I drifted off to sleep again, only to be awakened by a second stop, also not at a station. I was able to figure out where we were by pulling up MapQuest on my phone. At that point we were roughly a thirty minute drive from Carbondale, IL. I was more awake this time and wondered for a long time where all the Amtrak employees had gone. The first time we stopped, I saw them walking back and forth. The second time, it was as if they'd all disappeared. The woman across the aisle from me informed me, after a trip to the toilet, that a guy told her that he'd walked the entire length of the train and that no employees were to be found. I found that odd, but at no point was I really afraid or anything. I managed to sleep again, only to be woken around 6:30 by the train moving again.
It was at this point that the conductor came on and explained what had happened. The engine had died and we'd been waiting for a freight engine to come attach to us and get us going again. So of course the rest of the ride was at breakneck speed. I mean we'd stop at each station only long enough to get people off or on, then we were gone again. We really didn't have any proper smoke stops either. When it was all said and done, a 19 hour train ride turned into a 26 hour ride because we pulled into New Orleans at 11:15.
Yes, it was a hassle to be late, but the way I figure it, if a train's engine dies, you simply stop going. If a plane's engine dies, you're going to die too, so I'd rather be delayed than dead. I did talk to Amtrak the following day to ask about a refund for that portion of the trip. The guy was super apologetic and said that rarely happens. He then gave me a voucher for more than the cost of the one-way ticket. Over all I am pleased with their response to the matter, as far as compensation goes, but the entire train staff left a lot to be desired regarding communication. I would have appreciated knowing what was going on and that we'd inevitably be late. The woman across from me said she spoke with one of the women who worked the lounge car and was informed that the conductor didn't want to waken the sleeper car guests. I'm pretty sure we were all awake and wondering what the hell was going on and even if we weren't, I doubt they would've minded being awakened for important news like that. And on top of that, the attendants for each car could have come along and spoken to us a small group at a time to explain what was going on if the PA system couldn't be used.
Coming back was less than ideal, but I rolled with it. We left Chicago on time at 8:05 PM on the 22nd. This time I didn't have a seat mate because the guy assigned to sit next to me was not interested in sitting in one of those seats all night. I think he rode pretty much the whole way in the observation car. One thing I will say is that I have learned my lesson about being the first in line to get on. When we were boarding in New Orleans, the car attendant was like, "Sit wherever you want." In Chicago, however, the guy was like, "You have seat XXX." And that seat was the first one in the car. So not only did I not have a tray to eat any meals at my seat, I was awakened every time someone went through the doors. For some reason, that was way more often than I expected, considering we'd left at night and I'd chatted with the couple behind me at least until 10:30.
I truly have no idea what time the trouble began, but I know that we stopped just south of Effingham, IL after midnight. We weren't at a station either. I don't know how long we were stopped, but after a while we got going again. When we did get moving again, it felt like we were going way faster than we should, but we made it to the next station without incident. I drifted off to sleep again, only to be awakened by a second stop, also not at a station. I was able to figure out where we were by pulling up MapQuest on my phone. At that point we were roughly a thirty minute drive from Carbondale, IL. I was more awake this time and wondered for a long time where all the Amtrak employees had gone. The first time we stopped, I saw them walking back and forth. The second time, it was as if they'd all disappeared. The woman across the aisle from me informed me, after a trip to the toilet, that a guy told her that he'd walked the entire length of the train and that no employees were to be found. I found that odd, but at no point was I really afraid or anything. I managed to sleep again, only to be woken around 6:30 by the train moving again.
It was at this point that the conductor came on and explained what had happened. The engine had died and we'd been waiting for a freight engine to come attach to us and get us going again. So of course the rest of the ride was at breakneck speed. I mean we'd stop at each station only long enough to get people off or on, then we were gone again. We really didn't have any proper smoke stops either. When it was all said and done, a 19 hour train ride turned into a 26 hour ride because we pulled into New Orleans at 11:15.
Yes, it was a hassle to be late, but the way I figure it, if a train's engine dies, you simply stop going. If a plane's engine dies, you're going to die too, so I'd rather be delayed than dead. I did talk to Amtrak the following day to ask about a refund for that portion of the trip. The guy was super apologetic and said that rarely happens. He then gave me a voucher for more than the cost of the one-way ticket. Over all I am pleased with their response to the matter, as far as compensation goes, but the entire train staff left a lot to be desired regarding communication. I would have appreciated knowing what was going on and that we'd inevitably be late. The woman across from me said she spoke with one of the women who worked the lounge car and was informed that the conductor didn't want to waken the sleeper car guests. I'm pretty sure we were all awake and wondering what the hell was going on and even if we weren't, I doubt they would've minded being awakened for important news like that. And on top of that, the attendants for each car could have come along and spoken to us a small group at a time to explain what was going on if the PA system couldn't be used.
They have more than one engine, and it's rare to the point of fantasy that all of the engines would die at the same time. Even then, planes can glide, and approximately 90% of people involved in plane crashes survive. I understand the basis for your comparison, though.
