GoldenSpike
Lead Service Attendant
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
- Messages
- 319
After joining friends to attend RailFest2011 at Rock Island, IL, I returned home using 30k AGR points for a BR on the SWC and a FBR on the CS.
The last time I used the Metro Lounge at CUS was a year ago on another SWC-CS trip. This time it made me wonder if Amtrak has become a cheapskate. Last year: bottled water, soft drinks, coffee, pretzels and chips. This year: Coffee. The soft drink machine was out of order.
The train left Chicago on Sunday afternoon 7.24, 30 minutes late because the Empire Builder was late in boarding for their trip. For lunch the next day, I ordered the chef's special. It was very special. I bit into a narrow sharp pointed piece of semi-hard plastic - perhaps part of the covering of a prepared food item that had broken off. Luckily I didn't swallow it without chewing the food. I can imagine the slicing and dicing going on once swallowed. I showed the object in the food to the waitstaff. They offered a replacement meal.
By now we are running 3 hours late. Just after lunch I heard an announcement summoning all staff to the diner. I knew it did not bode well and I was right. They later announced there was a washout between Raton and Albuquerque (ABQ). Our train was going to be turned around at Raton and it would be the E/B train. The actual E/B train in ABQ was going to be turned around and become our W/B.
Given the logistics of obtaining buses, transferring pax and turning trains around and prepping them, the staff did a great job. In other areas they blew it. The Amtrak staff had to scurry and clean our compartments and make up fresh beds because the E/B pax would be taking over our spaces and vice versa. It fouled up the staff plans because they had to stay with the train to go back to Chicago and vice-versa
On arrival at Raton they off-loaded checked baggage on to a bus to be taken ahead to ABQ. The E/B pax were enroute by bus. Many boy scouts were there to board for the W/B. Amtrak lost brownie points with the scout leaders whose groups were trying out Amtrak for the first time and likely their last. It seems thousands of scouts pass through here for their 80-mile tred in the moutains. Not only was our train late, they started to board and were stopped. Amtrak didn't bother to tell them what came next they and all other W/B pax had to wait there while we continued W/B down the line for over 30 min., do a wye and return to Raton. Then we would board busses. All it would take is the station announce to the waiting pax what the heck was going on instead of letting confusion and hard-feelings reign.
I had never done wye on a train. We just did one on our RailFest excursion and now days later we were doing one on Amtrak! Nor had I been on a W/B train that was now going E/B! By the time we returned to Raton, the multitude of charter busses had arrived with the E/B pax. There was a gaggle of W/B and E/B pax wandering around on the platform. I brought to the attention of the station staff an elderly woman who seemed to be confused. She was roaming from the bus to the train to the station. I feared she would get on the train or the bus in error in the ensuing chaos.
Gathering up our stuff we trudged over to the buses with our luggage and boarded for our 230-mile/4 hour bus ride to ABQ. I was in the front seats across from the driver. After noting two cases of bottled water in the seats across from us, I asked the driver if the water was for us. She didn't know but stated Amtrak put them on. Self and seatmate broke them open and passed the bottles back water-brigade style.
On arrival ABQ late more chaos as all gathered up their luggage and got on the waiting train to set up house again. We had missed dinner hours ago and the train staff said nothing until some of the pax reminded them of a missed dinner. Only then did they announce we could get anything we wanted at the snack bar. We departed about ll p.m. - now six hours late. I'm jinxed about having dinner on the SWC as it relates to ABQ. The last time I took it, the water lines blew on the diner while at this stop. KFC was waiting at Gallup with dinners for the sleeper pax.
I knew this adventure (we saw Kingman AZ and Barstow CA in daylight) did not bode well for my two-hour window to connect with the CS in LAX. I was right. Just before lunch they announced all pax having connections with the CS would get off at our next stop: San Bernardino CA.
We would be bused to Bakersfield CA and placed on the San Joaquin (sp?) for Sacramento to meet up with our missed CS.
Gather luggage up again and trudge to a waiting bus for another multi-hour/several hundred mile trip to Bakersfield. We had mere minutes to
board before departure. Miss it and we would have to wait several hours. SOP on this and some of the other trains is you get off at Stockton and board a bus for SAC. Whoopee! Trudge with luggage a third time from train to bus for a one hour jaunt. A second night without dinner.
We arrived SAC about 9 p.m. The CS we missed normally arrives at midnight. It is running an hour late!
I decided to go to a nearby restaurant and eat a very slowwww dinner. The ticket folks didn't charge me (usually $3 a piece) to store my luggage.
I pointed out my ordeal, being a sleeper pax and wouldn't be doing this if things were normal.
Walking back, I was crossing the street in front of the station when my sandal caught the curb and sent me flying onto rough ashpalt. I was carrying my computer case in the left, so the right hand took the brunt of the fall trying to stop it. Back to the station with scuffed knees and bleeding hand.
I finally got settled in to the FBR I missed enjoying from LAX. We left SAC about 2 a.m. By breakfast later that morning I was going through withdrawals of not being on a bus (kidding). My hand was severely swollen and bruised. The dining staff saw it and kindly provided me with a towel and a bag of ice to wrap my hand in. The day was spent in the PPC talking while my hand 'chilled' out. The conductor and other friendly staff dropped by to socialize. Troubling however, a staffer made disparaging remarks to us about the AGR program. He mentioned several boarding in Oregon had roomettes so they could earn extra points to get 'Goldenspike status.' For all I know he equated them with being 'foamers.'
After missing dinner two nights in a row I was looking forward to a hunk of steak. Not to be as I use the right hand for cutting.
Approaching my destination of TAC, I savored the view along Puget Sound and the Narrows Bridge. It is my understanding Amtrak will vacate this route for that of the Sounder train being extended out to Lakewood. Track improvements will be made north of Olympia. The route will be the tracks next to I-5 in the area of Ft. Lewis and McChord AFB. A steep grade is involved from there down to the Sounder station where it seems Amtrak will also set up shop...about three blocks from their present location. A plus for this is Greyhound other bus routes and Tacoma light rail converge here.
On arrival, I drove up to an ER to deal with my hand and spent several hours doing x-rays, a shot, meds and an arm splint to hold me off until I got home. A follow-up revealed I have hairline fracture in the thumb joint so will be in a splint for another month.
Who said traveling is boring?
The last time I used the Metro Lounge at CUS was a year ago on another SWC-CS trip. This time it made me wonder if Amtrak has become a cheapskate. Last year: bottled water, soft drinks, coffee, pretzels and chips. This year: Coffee. The soft drink machine was out of order.
The train left Chicago on Sunday afternoon 7.24, 30 minutes late because the Empire Builder was late in boarding for their trip. For lunch the next day, I ordered the chef's special. It was very special. I bit into a narrow sharp pointed piece of semi-hard plastic - perhaps part of the covering of a prepared food item that had broken off. Luckily I didn't swallow it without chewing the food. I can imagine the slicing and dicing going on once swallowed. I showed the object in the food to the waitstaff. They offered a replacement meal.
By now we are running 3 hours late. Just after lunch I heard an announcement summoning all staff to the diner. I knew it did not bode well and I was right. They later announced there was a washout between Raton and Albuquerque (ABQ). Our train was going to be turned around at Raton and it would be the E/B train. The actual E/B train in ABQ was going to be turned around and become our W/B.
Given the logistics of obtaining buses, transferring pax and turning trains around and prepping them, the staff did a great job. In other areas they blew it. The Amtrak staff had to scurry and clean our compartments and make up fresh beds because the E/B pax would be taking over our spaces and vice versa. It fouled up the staff plans because they had to stay with the train to go back to Chicago and vice-versa
On arrival at Raton they off-loaded checked baggage on to a bus to be taken ahead to ABQ. The E/B pax were enroute by bus. Many boy scouts were there to board for the W/B. Amtrak lost brownie points with the scout leaders whose groups were trying out Amtrak for the first time and likely their last. It seems thousands of scouts pass through here for their 80-mile tred in the moutains. Not only was our train late, they started to board and were stopped. Amtrak didn't bother to tell them what came next they and all other W/B pax had to wait there while we continued W/B down the line for over 30 min., do a wye and return to Raton. Then we would board busses. All it would take is the station announce to the waiting pax what the heck was going on instead of letting confusion and hard-feelings reign.
I had never done wye on a train. We just did one on our RailFest excursion and now days later we were doing one on Amtrak! Nor had I been on a W/B train that was now going E/B! By the time we returned to Raton, the multitude of charter busses had arrived with the E/B pax. There was a gaggle of W/B and E/B pax wandering around on the platform. I brought to the attention of the station staff an elderly woman who seemed to be confused. She was roaming from the bus to the train to the station. I feared she would get on the train or the bus in error in the ensuing chaos.
Gathering up our stuff we trudged over to the buses with our luggage and boarded for our 230-mile/4 hour bus ride to ABQ. I was in the front seats across from the driver. After noting two cases of bottled water in the seats across from us, I asked the driver if the water was for us. She didn't know but stated Amtrak put them on. Self and seatmate broke them open and passed the bottles back water-brigade style.
On arrival ABQ late more chaos as all gathered up their luggage and got on the waiting train to set up house again. We had missed dinner hours ago and the train staff said nothing until some of the pax reminded them of a missed dinner. Only then did they announce we could get anything we wanted at the snack bar. We departed about ll p.m. - now six hours late. I'm jinxed about having dinner on the SWC as it relates to ABQ. The last time I took it, the water lines blew on the diner while at this stop. KFC was waiting at Gallup with dinners for the sleeper pax.
I knew this adventure (we saw Kingman AZ and Barstow CA in daylight) did not bode well for my two-hour window to connect with the CS in LAX. I was right. Just before lunch they announced all pax having connections with the CS would get off at our next stop: San Bernardino CA.
We would be bused to Bakersfield CA and placed on the San Joaquin (sp?) for Sacramento to meet up with our missed CS.
Gather luggage up again and trudge to a waiting bus for another multi-hour/several hundred mile trip to Bakersfield. We had mere minutes to
board before departure. Miss it and we would have to wait several hours. SOP on this and some of the other trains is you get off at Stockton and board a bus for SAC. Whoopee! Trudge with luggage a third time from train to bus for a one hour jaunt. A second night without dinner.
We arrived SAC about 9 p.m. The CS we missed normally arrives at midnight. It is running an hour late!
I decided to go to a nearby restaurant and eat a very slowwww dinner. The ticket folks didn't charge me (usually $3 a piece) to store my luggage.
I pointed out my ordeal, being a sleeper pax and wouldn't be doing this if things were normal.
Walking back, I was crossing the street in front of the station when my sandal caught the curb and sent me flying onto rough ashpalt. I was carrying my computer case in the left, so the right hand took the brunt of the fall trying to stop it. Back to the station with scuffed knees and bleeding hand.
I finally got settled in to the FBR I missed enjoying from LAX. We left SAC about 2 a.m. By breakfast later that morning I was going through withdrawals of not being on a bus (kidding). My hand was severely swollen and bruised. The dining staff saw it and kindly provided me with a towel and a bag of ice to wrap my hand in. The day was spent in the PPC talking while my hand 'chilled' out. The conductor and other friendly staff dropped by to socialize. Troubling however, a staffer made disparaging remarks to us about the AGR program. He mentioned several boarding in Oregon had roomettes so they could earn extra points to get 'Goldenspike status.' For all I know he equated them with being 'foamers.'
After missing dinner two nights in a row I was looking forward to a hunk of steak. Not to be as I use the right hand for cutting.
Approaching my destination of TAC, I savored the view along Puget Sound and the Narrows Bridge. It is my understanding Amtrak will vacate this route for that of the Sounder train being extended out to Lakewood. Track improvements will be made north of Olympia. The route will be the tracks next to I-5 in the area of Ft. Lewis and McChord AFB. A steep grade is involved from there down to the Sounder station where it seems Amtrak will also set up shop...about three blocks from their present location. A plus for this is Greyhound other bus routes and Tacoma light rail converge here.
On arrival, I drove up to an ER to deal with my hand and spent several hours doing x-rays, a shot, meds and an arm splint to hold me off until I got home. A follow-up revealed I have hairline fracture in the thumb joint so will be in a splint for another month.
Who said traveling is boring?
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