pdxjim
Service Attendant
PDX-ESM-PDX
On April 2, I arrived at Portland Union Station to ride the Empire Builder #28 to Essex, Montana. I had planned a trip to the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex Montana to use part of a voucher given to me by Amtrak after a terrible trip in December 2014 on the California Zephyr and Empire Builder.
I had a great experience with the usual Metropolitan Lounge attendant Frank. He is friendly and very helpful. We chatted about the Empire Builder and he printed me the consist of both the Portland and Seattle sections. Frank also told me that we would have a private car, the Sierra Hotel, attached at the back of the train.
Right on time, I boarded my sleeper at the back of the train. The SCA Chris warned me the floors had just been mopped, and yes, they were very slick carrying bags onboard. Chris didn’t offer to help anyone with luggage and made a very bad impression later on, that I will tell about.
My room 2 had poor climate control and was very hot. When I wiped down the table and surrounding arm rests, my Clorox wipe was completely brown with dirt. Under the table and on the seats were piles of crumbs. This just affirmed my belief that Amtrak cleaning crews do not do a thorough job.
I also immediately noticed this sleeper had been converted with the touch controls for lighting and attendant call button. Somebody at Amtrak forgot to put a switch in the room to control the intercom volume, so forget taking a nap.
My room was equipped with the latest Southwest Chief timetable. Come on Amtrak, the little details are really simple. One of the toilets was locked for the entire trip and sometimes a line began for the remaining two.
I managed a few pictures of the dome car Sierra Hotel out the back door of my sleeper as we were leaving Portland. Amtrak staff forgot to close the sleeper door so I had a very clear view. I sent another passenger to alert the conductor and Kitty arrived to close and lock the door, but not before we had traveled over the Willamette River on the way to Vancouver, Washington.
I got some great pictures, but the danger of a passenger falling out… well you get the idea. After the door was sealed and locked, the window was so dirty it was really impossible to get good pictures. It is really sad that this section of the train is not washed on the outside before the return trip to Chicago.
On the plus side I was given a cold dinner choice of beef, chicken, or shrimp. Quite honestly, this dinner is one of the best offered on the Amtrak system. The meals are prepared by a local Portland deli/café called Outtakes Quick Cuisine. I enjoyed roasted shrimp with hazelnut dressing over greens and a fennel and orange salad. The meal also included a fruit salad, pecan chocolate chunk and a dinner roll.
SCA Chris told the Portland sleeper several times on the intercom that he was going to bed at 9pm and that the beds must be set up by that time, or too bad. For a fairly young Amtrak employee, his customer service skills were atrocious.
The Portland consist was:
Locomotive Amtrak 71
Lounge 33030
Coach 31030
Coach 34111
Sleeper 32022
I took my dinner up to the lounge to sit at a table and enjoy the beautiful Columbia River Gorge scenery. Unfortunately diesel fumes were leaking in the front door from the locomotive.
After dinner I took a shower. I found a big hunk of hair clogging the drain and left over soap in the shelf. Since I was the first user, it was quite clear that the cleaning crew failed again.
I notified SCA Chris about the issue and he did nothing. The shower was in the same condition the next morning.
We arrived in Pasco after 10pm and Chris woke me up by giving a very loud briefing to the passengers who were occupying the room across the hall from me.
The next morning I woke up and headed for the Seattle diner and enjoyed excellent service from Jim. The special omelette was quite good.
I got some nice pictures when the train went by Whitefish Lake. A large group boarded the Portland sleeper in Whitefish and had several sets of skis. They were loaded in a compartment opened from outside the train. Who knew they had that much space hidden in there?! SCA Chris told the group loudly “I won’t be up at 3:30am in the morning, so ask the conductor to get your luggage”.
I arrived in Essex about an hour late and was met by the courtesy van of the Izaak Walton Inn. A short ride and I arrived at the inn, where I checked in and got a room on the top floor of the inn with a view facing to the west with a clear view of the BNSF mainline and their shops.
I enjoyed a great weekend watching trains from a pedestrian/utility vehicle bridge over the mainlines. The bridge leads to cabins and four caboose rented out by the Izaak Walton Inn. The weather was a little crazy, snow and sun at the same time and a bitter 20mph+ wind.
The BNSF crews were friendly hitting their horns and bells as they went by. Helper engines from the Essex yard are added here to help freight over Marias Pass which is about 20 miles east of Essex.
There are also more caboose rooms and also a Great Northern locomotive for rent on the north side of the tracks.
The Inn has incredible food which is a little expensive, but there is nothing else within 30 miles.
I really enjoyed the Easter buffet and actually did community seating with some ladies from Spokane who shared their tourism experiences in Glacier National Park.
The evening of April 5, I received an email from Amtrak advising me of the delay for my arriving train to return to Portland. I had wifi access in the Inn (no cell service) and kept an eye on the arrival time.
I learned today from fellow passengers that the train was delayed leaving Chicago because of an engine failure as well as a toilet failure in the Portland sleeper. Departure from Chicago was delayed about 2 ½ hours.
Near Glascow Montana, a freight train had a broken coupler and that added to the delay which had built to four hours.
The Inn dropped me at the Essex flag stop which has a very nice new heated platform to keep ice and snow at bay.
I was the only passenger boarding and expected the rear sleeper to stop close by. The engineer just kept driving and I was forced to walk two car lengths toward the front of the train to board.
The conductor checked me off the manifest and the SCA was there to confirm my room number. It turns out the SCA was Jessie, the same SCA that I had such a bad experience with last December. The experience was so extreme, that Amtrak completely refunded my accommodation charge. Maybe I’ll write up a travel report on that ill-fated trip.
I immediately jumped under the covers because my room was cold and nothing I did to the heat controls worked. I closed the AC vent as well as I could, but I woke up with a stuffed up nose, probably due to the altitude changes. I looked for Kleenex, but alas, none in my room.
We arrived in Spokane four hours late and successfully divided the train; one section with the diner to Seattle, the other section to Portland with the lounge car.
I walked up to the lounge to get my cold breakfast and the LSA Catherine offered to heat the breakfast sandwich. This meal was also very good and included a ham and cheese croissant sandwich, yogurt, fruit, and a berry cobbler.
I took a quick shower after breakfast, but the used towel bag was so enormous there was very little space to change.
We were thirty minutes from Pasco, when one of the conductors made an announcement. “We are terminating the train in Pasco, and you will all be bussed to your final destinations.” She stated that the train had missed a BNSF maintenance window and that was the reason the train was terminating.
You could hear the collective groaning from the 130 or so passengers in coach and sleepers.
As I stepped off the train in Pasco, I asked both conductors separately when they knew the train would be terminated. They both told me that when they reported to work in Spokane, they were aware the train would only reach Pasco.
I was really angry, because if I had been notified earlier, I would have chosen to stay on the Seattle section and continue to Seattle and then take a Cascades to Portland.
I hate busses and as it turns out, I hate them even worse now.
I jumped on the “express” bus which was designated to go directly to Portland because there was a connection issue with the Coast Starlight. Passengers were “assured” that the Starlight would hold for them no matter what. Uh huh, yeah sure, in what universe?
The chartered bus had a terrible diesel odor inside which was so bad, I ,and others, got headaches. I could even taste the diesel in my mouth and felt nausea. I went forward and complained to the driver who just shrugged me off and told me to move forward. I said “to where, the seats are all full”?
We drove about half way when the driver on his own decided to make a rest stop at Biggs Junction, which is a major truck stop on Interstate 84 and Highway 97 in Oregon.
Unfortunately, the Oregon Department of Transportation was doing construction to this entire freeway interchange and multiple flaggers had created a traffic jam with about 100 semi trucks and tourists trying to get out of the fast food restaurants and gas stations.
We stopped at McDonalds where I jumped off the bus for fresh air and asked the driver for his company information. I talked with the dispatcher who was horrified at the conditions I relayed and she promised action. Nothing on this planet could get a Big Mac into my tummy after the nausea I was feeling.
Because of the traffic, it took us exactly 30 minutes to get back on the freeway headed to Portland. The passengers hoping to make the Coast Starlight were really getting nervous. We arrived at Portland Union Station at 2:15pm and after some fast action by Amtrak personnel, the Coast Starlight departed on schedule.
Imagine our surprise when we saw that the other bus which had stopped at every station between Portland and Pasco had reached Portland ahead of us!
I contacted the bus company later and asked why nothing was done, and I told them I was afraid they were going to use the same bus to take passengers back to Pasco today.
She said since I was the only one that complained, they didn’t take it seriously.
I replied… “Okay, I hope you won’t mind me complaining to the Washington State Public Utility Commission, because I already did and that bus needs to be red flagged. I want your manager to call me back.”
On the whole, the train trip was a disaster, but I had a most excellent time in Essex. I heartily recommend a visit there. The staff, facilities and food are just amazing.
Jim
On April 2, I arrived at Portland Union Station to ride the Empire Builder #28 to Essex, Montana. I had planned a trip to the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex Montana to use part of a voucher given to me by Amtrak after a terrible trip in December 2014 on the California Zephyr and Empire Builder.
I had a great experience with the usual Metropolitan Lounge attendant Frank. He is friendly and very helpful. We chatted about the Empire Builder and he printed me the consist of both the Portland and Seattle sections. Frank also told me that we would have a private car, the Sierra Hotel, attached at the back of the train.
Right on time, I boarded my sleeper at the back of the train. The SCA Chris warned me the floors had just been mopped, and yes, they were very slick carrying bags onboard. Chris didn’t offer to help anyone with luggage and made a very bad impression later on, that I will tell about.
My room 2 had poor climate control and was very hot. When I wiped down the table and surrounding arm rests, my Clorox wipe was completely brown with dirt. Under the table and on the seats were piles of crumbs. This just affirmed my belief that Amtrak cleaning crews do not do a thorough job.
I also immediately noticed this sleeper had been converted with the touch controls for lighting and attendant call button. Somebody at Amtrak forgot to put a switch in the room to control the intercom volume, so forget taking a nap.
My room was equipped with the latest Southwest Chief timetable. Come on Amtrak, the little details are really simple. One of the toilets was locked for the entire trip and sometimes a line began for the remaining two.
I managed a few pictures of the dome car Sierra Hotel out the back door of my sleeper as we were leaving Portland. Amtrak staff forgot to close the sleeper door so I had a very clear view. I sent another passenger to alert the conductor and Kitty arrived to close and lock the door, but not before we had traveled over the Willamette River on the way to Vancouver, Washington.
I got some great pictures, but the danger of a passenger falling out… well you get the idea. After the door was sealed and locked, the window was so dirty it was really impossible to get good pictures. It is really sad that this section of the train is not washed on the outside before the return trip to Chicago.
On the plus side I was given a cold dinner choice of beef, chicken, or shrimp. Quite honestly, this dinner is one of the best offered on the Amtrak system. The meals are prepared by a local Portland deli/café called Outtakes Quick Cuisine. I enjoyed roasted shrimp with hazelnut dressing over greens and a fennel and orange salad. The meal also included a fruit salad, pecan chocolate chunk and a dinner roll.
SCA Chris told the Portland sleeper several times on the intercom that he was going to bed at 9pm and that the beds must be set up by that time, or too bad. For a fairly young Amtrak employee, his customer service skills were atrocious.
The Portland consist was:
Locomotive Amtrak 71
Lounge 33030
Coach 31030
Coach 34111
Sleeper 32022
I took my dinner up to the lounge to sit at a table and enjoy the beautiful Columbia River Gorge scenery. Unfortunately diesel fumes were leaking in the front door from the locomotive.
After dinner I took a shower. I found a big hunk of hair clogging the drain and left over soap in the shelf. Since I was the first user, it was quite clear that the cleaning crew failed again.
I notified SCA Chris about the issue and he did nothing. The shower was in the same condition the next morning.
We arrived in Pasco after 10pm and Chris woke me up by giving a very loud briefing to the passengers who were occupying the room across the hall from me.
The next morning I woke up and headed for the Seattle diner and enjoyed excellent service from Jim. The special omelette was quite good.
I got some nice pictures when the train went by Whitefish Lake. A large group boarded the Portland sleeper in Whitefish and had several sets of skis. They were loaded in a compartment opened from outside the train. Who knew they had that much space hidden in there?! SCA Chris told the group loudly “I won’t be up at 3:30am in the morning, so ask the conductor to get your luggage”.
I arrived in Essex about an hour late and was met by the courtesy van of the Izaak Walton Inn. A short ride and I arrived at the inn, where I checked in and got a room on the top floor of the inn with a view facing to the west with a clear view of the BNSF mainline and their shops.
I enjoyed a great weekend watching trains from a pedestrian/utility vehicle bridge over the mainlines. The bridge leads to cabins and four caboose rented out by the Izaak Walton Inn. The weather was a little crazy, snow and sun at the same time and a bitter 20mph+ wind.
The BNSF crews were friendly hitting their horns and bells as they went by. Helper engines from the Essex yard are added here to help freight over Marias Pass which is about 20 miles east of Essex.
There are also more caboose rooms and also a Great Northern locomotive for rent on the north side of the tracks.
The Inn has incredible food which is a little expensive, but there is nothing else within 30 miles.
I really enjoyed the Easter buffet and actually did community seating with some ladies from Spokane who shared their tourism experiences in Glacier National Park.
The evening of April 5, I received an email from Amtrak advising me of the delay for my arriving train to return to Portland. I had wifi access in the Inn (no cell service) and kept an eye on the arrival time.
I learned today from fellow passengers that the train was delayed leaving Chicago because of an engine failure as well as a toilet failure in the Portland sleeper. Departure from Chicago was delayed about 2 ½ hours.
Near Glascow Montana, a freight train had a broken coupler and that added to the delay which had built to four hours.
The Inn dropped me at the Essex flag stop which has a very nice new heated platform to keep ice and snow at bay.
I was the only passenger boarding and expected the rear sleeper to stop close by. The engineer just kept driving and I was forced to walk two car lengths toward the front of the train to board.
The conductor checked me off the manifest and the SCA was there to confirm my room number. It turns out the SCA was Jessie, the same SCA that I had such a bad experience with last December. The experience was so extreme, that Amtrak completely refunded my accommodation charge. Maybe I’ll write up a travel report on that ill-fated trip.
I immediately jumped under the covers because my room was cold and nothing I did to the heat controls worked. I closed the AC vent as well as I could, but I woke up with a stuffed up nose, probably due to the altitude changes. I looked for Kleenex, but alas, none in my room.
We arrived in Spokane four hours late and successfully divided the train; one section with the diner to Seattle, the other section to Portland with the lounge car.
I walked up to the lounge to get my cold breakfast and the LSA Catherine offered to heat the breakfast sandwich. This meal was also very good and included a ham and cheese croissant sandwich, yogurt, fruit, and a berry cobbler.
I took a quick shower after breakfast, but the used towel bag was so enormous there was very little space to change.
We were thirty minutes from Pasco, when one of the conductors made an announcement. “We are terminating the train in Pasco, and you will all be bussed to your final destinations.” She stated that the train had missed a BNSF maintenance window and that was the reason the train was terminating.
You could hear the collective groaning from the 130 or so passengers in coach and sleepers.
As I stepped off the train in Pasco, I asked both conductors separately when they knew the train would be terminated. They both told me that when they reported to work in Spokane, they were aware the train would only reach Pasco.
I was really angry, because if I had been notified earlier, I would have chosen to stay on the Seattle section and continue to Seattle and then take a Cascades to Portland.
I hate busses and as it turns out, I hate them even worse now.
I jumped on the “express” bus which was designated to go directly to Portland because there was a connection issue with the Coast Starlight. Passengers were “assured” that the Starlight would hold for them no matter what. Uh huh, yeah sure, in what universe?
The chartered bus had a terrible diesel odor inside which was so bad, I ,and others, got headaches. I could even taste the diesel in my mouth and felt nausea. I went forward and complained to the driver who just shrugged me off and told me to move forward. I said “to where, the seats are all full”?
We drove about half way when the driver on his own decided to make a rest stop at Biggs Junction, which is a major truck stop on Interstate 84 and Highway 97 in Oregon.
Unfortunately, the Oregon Department of Transportation was doing construction to this entire freeway interchange and multiple flaggers had created a traffic jam with about 100 semi trucks and tourists trying to get out of the fast food restaurants and gas stations.
We stopped at McDonalds where I jumped off the bus for fresh air and asked the driver for his company information. I talked with the dispatcher who was horrified at the conditions I relayed and she promised action. Nothing on this planet could get a Big Mac into my tummy after the nausea I was feeling.
Because of the traffic, it took us exactly 30 minutes to get back on the freeway headed to Portland. The passengers hoping to make the Coast Starlight were really getting nervous. We arrived at Portland Union Station at 2:15pm and after some fast action by Amtrak personnel, the Coast Starlight departed on schedule.
Imagine our surprise when we saw that the other bus which had stopped at every station between Portland and Pasco had reached Portland ahead of us!
I contacted the bus company later and asked why nothing was done, and I told them I was afraid they were going to use the same bus to take passengers back to Pasco today.
She said since I was the only one that complained, they didn’t take it seriously.
I replied… “Okay, I hope you won’t mind me complaining to the Washington State Public Utility Commission, because I already did and that bus needs to be red flagged. I want your manager to call me back.”
On the whole, the train trip was a disaster, but I had a most excellent time in Essex. I heartily recommend a visit there. The staff, facilities and food are just amazing.
Jim
