# Philadelphia, Lancaster, Chicago, St. Louis Chapter III



## iron mountain (Jan 22, 2008)

We had a good trip riding the trains from St. Louis to Lancsater. Every train was ontime or early. We spent several days in the Lancaster, PA area with relatives. The Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish countrside is picturesque. There are some great chocolate shops in the area, Hershey being the biggest but Wilbur's is great also. During our visit we planned to go to the Art Museum of Philadelphia to view a Renoir exhibit. On two previous trips I made the mistake of driving into Philadelphia. The traffic was heavy and parking very hard to find. This time I informed the family that we were going to go by train. Good decision.

We rode the Keystone Service to downtown Philadelphia. The train was fast, comfortable, and punctual. I was a real treat for me to see 30th Street Station. It is very different from the more gothic styles of some, but beautiful nonetheless. We caught a cab at the station and after a short ride we arrived at the museum. We spent a great day at the museum. They had a good restuarant and had a hearty late lunch. We caught a cab back to the station. We had a little time before we caught the Keystone back to Lancaster so we checked out a restaurant/bar in the station. They featured excellent German beers. After a bit of refreshment we boarded the train for the trip back to Lancaster. The return trip was also fast, punctual, and comfortable.

After one more day with family it was time to head back to St. Louis. We caught the Pennsy at about 1:30 PM. We arrived in Pittsburgh at around 8:00PM. This is part of the trip involves a long layover. The westbound Capitol Limited doesn't arrive until 11:55PM. The Pittsburgh station doesn't have much to offer in the way of distractions. But as usual the Amtrak staff was friendly and helpful. The agent offered to stow our baggage and told what restaurants were available for ordering take out. In any event it was a long wait.

Fortunately, the Cap was on time. We happily boarded and headed to our bedroom. I slept well, unlike my wife who was having sinus problems. When I awoke it was daytime. I wanted to checkout the shower that is part of the bedroom. I am not real small, 5'10" 220 lbs., or flexible so I was curious to see if I could take a shower that was adequate. I am happy to report that it worked well.

After a good shower we got dressed and headed to the dining car for breakfast. We had french toast and it was good. The server was subpar. He was quite nonverbal. He didn't explain the menu and mumbled responses to our questions. I don't know if he was very new and shy or just incompetent. But, in either case, why on earth does Amtrak hire people to be in customer relations jobs who obviously can't do the job? Do they have a training program that either weed out those that can't or train those that can?

We were traveling through the extreme northwest part of Indiana and into the southeast Chicago region. I know that folks are awed by the great vistas of mountains and canyons in the West but I also find the industrial complex of south Chicago, Hammond, Gary, and Whiting one of the most awesome stretches of scenery anywhere. Mile after mile the train glides through what may be the mightiest industrial complex in the world. To me the huge steel super structures, factories, cranes, smoke stacks, bridges, canals, refineries, railroad yards, and storage tanks represent the "guts" of America. Raw materials come from all over to be processed, forged, and refined into the building blocks of our country. Soon we saw the white spray of the breakers as they rolled into the shore of Lake Michigan. It wasn't long before the Sears Tower and Big John greeted us as the skyline came into view.

The Cap was 20 minutes early. My reservations for the trip home from Chicago were on the Texas Eagle which didn't leave until early afternoon. Since we were early I changed my reservation for an earlier train that left at 9:25AM.

This was the final leg of our journey. We boarded #303 Lincoln Service and pulled out of Union Station on time. Up to now every segment of our journey has been either on time or early. Not so this time. It wasn't long before we were stopped. We were in Joliet. There is a diamond at the Joliet Station which is a point of heavy train traffic. A Metra Commuter train was having mechanical problems and blocked the track. This delay was about 20 minutes. Soon we were underway. But in a few minutes the train slowed down again and proceeded for a half hour or so at what seemed to be about 20 miles per hour. We were told that there was a signal problem so they had a slow order. Eventually the train picked up speed and we were rolling along pretty good. At times I wondered if the engineer was trying to make up time because it seemed thast we were really moving.

Finally we arrived in the St. Louis Metro East area. We slowly passed through railroad yards and by factories as we approached the bridge to cross the river into Missouri. Then we came to stop and sat for a time. The conductor announced that there was a trespasser so we couldn't cross it. We were told that we would have to back up and use another bridge. We backed up for 5 or 6 miles and crossed then were able to use another biridge over the the Mississippi into Missouri. When we arrived at the St. Louis station we were an hour and a half late.

All in all it was a good trip from beginning to end. I have read about travelers that have had unpleasant experiences with Amtrak employees but I have to say, with one excception, everyone we dealt with was pleasant and helpful. All of the trains that we rode except for the last one Chicago to St. Louis were either on time or early. The lateness of #303 did not appear to be the fault of Amtrak. One criticism I do have is the filthy smelly restrooms on the Lincoln Service and the Pennsylvanian. I have begun to carry a Lysol spray can and Germ X hand sanitizer because of the lack of cleanliness in the restrooms. I don't expect them to be pristine but when the stench is detectable half way down the car some body needs to get out a mop and bucket and clean them up.

I am planning another trip this fall. This time I would like to go New York City. I have checked on cost and it seems quite reasonable for two people traveling first class (sleeper and business class). I think that I would take the same trains, Lincoln Service, Capitol Limited, and Pennsylvainan eastbound. But for the experience of seeing the Hudson River I am considering returning on the Lake Shore Limited.

Bon Voyage.


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## MrFSS (Jan 22, 2008)

Thanks for the great report. Glad you had a good trip! I agree about Coming into Chicago. Its always exciting to me.


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