# My National Train Day Adventure



## chuljin (May 12, 2008)

*Amtrak 768, GDL->LAX (9:10-9:25a)*

Since I have a thin stack of unreserved GDL->LAX tickets left over from my point-running days, I was originally going to take Amtrak 768. In the event, I arrived at GDL ungodly early, and didn't want to miss a moment of the festivities, so I got the first southbound train that arrived, which was:

*Metrolink 260, GDL->LAX (8:23-8:40a)*

Typical uneventful 10+-minute Metrolink trip, similar to the one I make every day. 

*National Train Day LAX Events*

This was one of the individually-published 'large station' events.

Getting there early (see above) did me little good, as very little had been set up when I got there at about 8:45.

In the area between the main hall and the old Harvey restaurant ('arcade', they call it), there was a model train display and, say 15-20 vendor tables. When I first got there, the only ones set up were RailPAC (whose petitions I duly signed) and Metro at their half of the combined Metro/Metrolink table.

I got the new Spring Timetable from the Amtrak information booth, and alternated between reading that and playing with the train simulators, trying to get my Acela to go (I never did, even with the brakes released and full throttle...I guess I'll stick to being a passenger), until things finally started hopping.

_Some highlights from LAX:_

Of interest to Coast Starlighters: Amtrak's own booth/table here had a heavy focus on the CS; a representative mentioned that the new-and-improved service will be 'soft-launched' for testing and debugging, *with PPCs on all four trainsets*, on May 19, with the official launch still planned for June 10. This was good news to me, as I'll be in roomette 3 on #11 on May 27 (the one that will have left SEA on May 26).

On track 12, they had, for tours, a fantasy trainset consisting of a sleeper, an 'arcade' coach, a Surfliner business car, and PPC 'Willamette Valley'. I found the sleeper and surfliner cars were unremarkable, respectively despite never having been in one and because I'd been in dozens, though it was nice to try sitting in the room I'll soon occupy. The PPC was most impressive, and I look forward to this feature of my upcoming trip. I'd never seen what was there before, but theater downstairs (now?) has a large flat-screen TV. The 'arcade' coach seemed to be a regular superliner coach in which they'd replaced one whole end of the lower level coach seats with four arcade machines, which seemed to be purpose-built squat low-center-of-gravity ones rather than the tall presumably tip-prone ones you'd see at a stationary arcade. Pictures of these are among those at the link below.

A NTD bag was given to each attendee, containing a t-shirt, a fan, a bumper sticker, and a few other things.

Aside from this, I gathered some 20 more pounds of other swag from the various vendors, including fold-up cardboard train 'models' from Amtrak, Metro, Metrolink, and SD Trolley, which are now prominently displayed on my desk at work.  I *may* come back and edit this post with a full list.

In addition, some 'paid' swag: They opened up the little store across from the Amtrak information desk to unload some 'old' style Coast Starlight paraphernalia...I picked up a t-shirt, a polo shirt, a luggage tag, and a pen, for only $20 total.

Somehow I missed they keynote by the Director of CalTrans. :| Apparently, there was to be a concert by Drake Bell at 2:30, but since I am not a 10-year-old girl, I hopped on:

*Amtrak 774, LAX->SNA (12:25-1:15p)*

Someone must have told people about the NTD discounts, as the train was full (though not oppressively so). It was noteworthy, though not at all unpleasant (meeting people is part of the fun of trains) that this was the first time I shared a two-seater with a stranger in Business.

*National Train Day SNA 'Event'*

The 'additional events' page at nationaltrainday.com said that SNA would have 'Scheduled activities will include information from a local rail enthusiast group, refreshments, stickers and other giveaways while supplies last, and staff available to answer inquiries.'

No local rail enthusiast group, refreshments, or stickers were in evidence, but staff was available to answer inquiries in the usual way, in the form of the usual station agents, and the other giveways, including the now-ubiquitous 'train fans' were spread neatly on a table in front of the ticket office.

There was, however, unplanned entertainment, in the form of a woman, who'd just gotten off the same train as me, yelling at the station agent about 'the lazy conductors not asking people for tickets when [she] was sure there were people who didn't have one' and how it was unfair that as an AGR member who had 'gotten five free trips!' it was unfair that 'none of those people paid for tickets when [she] did.'

I felt sorry for the station agents, and it occurred to me that station agents are never thanked for anything, so I bought each of the station agents on duty a bottle of water (lowest common denominator) and then had a bowl of chili from the little cafe there (btw, it's much better than 'train station chili' would suggest) and waited until it was time to board:

*Amtrak 578, SNA->IRV (2:51-3:02p)*

Unremarkable 11-minute trip, except for the fact that, despite the artificial popularity created by the promotional discount, I had a two-seater to myself in coach.

*National Train Day IRV Non-Event*

The 'additional events' page at nationaltrainday.com said that IRV would have 'Scheduled activities will include information from a local rail enthusiast group, refreshments, stickers and other giveaways while supplies last, and staff available to answer inquiries.'

There was not a damn thing (I picked up a Metro Orange Line timetable and Coaster timetable here, though neither of these services comes any closer to Irvine than about 50 miles  ), so I got my usual Diet Coke and surfed the web until it was time to board:

*Amtrak 580, IRV->SNC (4:04-4:18p)*

Unremarkable 14-minute trip, except that I again had a two-seater to myself in coach.

*National Train Day SNC Non-Event*

The 'additional events' page at nationaltrainday.com said that SNC would have 'Scheduled activities will include information from a local rail enthusiast group, refreshments, stickers and other giveaways while supplies last, and staff available to answer inquiries.'

There was nothing here when I got here, though some indication (balloons and NTD bags, though they may have come from elsewhere) that there might have been earlier.

I thought seriously about changing my reservation from 785 to 583 (which was due in a few minutes after 580), but kept the original, as I rather like SNC, and there would have been no good way from 583 to connect on to GDL at LAX.

I made a point of hanging around on the platform to greet 583 (which was, IIRC, about 10 minutes late), and especially to say hi and 'Happy Train Day' to Gloria (whose last name I keep forgetting), who is the Business Class Attendant on 572 and 583 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, was the Attendant on my first-ever Amtrak trip in December, and remains my favorite Attendant.  SNC is single-track, single-platform, and while it was dwelling, the conductor opened the doors opposite the platform long enough to tell a family that 'you don't board from that side!' and then tear them yet another new one when they decided not to even board after all.

I then went to Nonna's House (you'd have to know the SNC area), which had moved (surprise!) and get a drumstick (the ice-cream kind), which almost melted into a sticky mess as the cashier tried to unpuzzle the intricacies of the cash register, and the lady in front of me tried to unpuzzle the intricacies of her purse to pay for her kids' ice cream. I usually also get my usual soda (yes, I am an over-consuming epicure) here, but their cooler was 'being worked on', so I went to the next closest place for fluids, Blendz (across from Sarducci's) and got an horchata smoothie. If you like horchata, or smoothies, or both, I highly recommend it.

I then went back to waiting for 785. And waiting for 785. And waiting for 785. I finally called Julie...it had left SAN 40 minutes late. This later stretched to something like 80 minutes (details below).

_Some other highlights while waiting (some good, one bad):_

I see wedding parties at and around SNC all the time. Apparently there's some venue nearby. Today's was no exception. It was remarkable, however, in that they exchanged vows trackside, and then stepped down *onto the tracks* for a few seconds for the actual moment of the pronouncement, which I thought was rather cool, but (for martinets) punishable as trespassing  .

Metrolink 658 arrived on-schedule at 5:53, and discharged some poor ill passenger onto a gurney and into a waiting ambulance before going back north as Metrolink 659 on-schedule at 6:08.

Amtrak 785 maintained its approximately 40-minute lateness until just south of SNC, where it had to wait for Metrolink 659 to clear the station (they would usually have met 'head-on' near IRV while it was still 658) and then, at last, at around 6:25, I boarded:

*Amtrak 785, SNC->GDL (**scheduled** 5:29-7:12p, **actual** [approx] 6:25-8:25p**)*

This trip was a comedy of errors, enjoyable despite (or perhaps even because of) the delays.

The first remarkable thing for me was that this was the longest Surfliner consist I'd ever seen, IIRC Loco, Business, Cafe, Coach, Coach, Cabbage (or Coach), Cabbage, Coach, Cabbage (for some reason I don't remember if it was 3 coaches and 3 cabbages or 4 coaches and 2 cabbages) for a total of 8. More surprisingly, they were all surfliners, when it usually seems difficult to scrape together just 5 surfliners instead of 4 and one superliner.

Just before FUL, I noticed that my laptop had gotten down to about 50% battery, so I decided to charge it. It wouldn't. I first suspected the power adapter, and only then noticed the eerie quietness of lost HEP. This was confirmed when we got to FUL and they announced they were looking at it and admonished us especially to 'not use the restrooms!'. They sorted it out and we were underway again after only about 5 extra minutes at FUL.

We got to LAX at about 7:45, the usual 785 SAN-LAX conductor giving his usual riotously funny speech about tap dancing or handstands on the platform during the dwell, this time amended with 'we won't be here long, we need to make up time, you'd better just not even get off the train'. As soon as we pulled in, no HEP again. I figured it would be safe for me to step off while they fixed it and quickly confirm my earlier car count. While I was on the platform, my heart fell into my stomach as, without warning ('all aboard!' or the like), all the doors suddenly closed, with me outside and my laptop and all my NTD swag inside. I saw two conductors and a large group of passengers milling about on the platform at the other end of the train, so I sprinted down there, but every door was closed. Then one of the conductors said (to himself and fellow conductors, not me) 'damn it, there's a door open down there', and I saw the cafe door open with the 'commissary wagon' in front of it. I squeezed past and back onto the train, having learned my lesson but still never figuring out why they just suddenly closed the doors, when it later turned out to be 20+ more minutes before we finally left.

At around 8:05, they opened the doors again, some people boarded, they closed the door, and we were off. The train moved...

...the train moved about 30 feet, and stopped again.

I got out my scanner and listened. If I understood right, it was now the brakes that were misbehaving. After the fix, and a debugging radio exchange between a maintenance person and 'Engineer Joe', we were off for real about 8:15. We hadn't even gotten to CP Mission when River Sub Dispatch called to say 'Um, Amtrak 785, did you forget something?' 'Huh?' 'Amtrak 785, you left two cars on track 9.' 'Huh? Oh yeah, we didn't need them any more.' Pure Keystone Cops. 

8:25 at GDL, whence I drove home.

Pictures I took are here. Note that they are unedited (except for orientation) and unlabeled. Someday I'll catch up in my effort to supply captions, tags, and locations for all of them.

Enjoy!

Chris


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## Guest (May 12, 2008)

I was at NYP.

Bag:

T-shirt

New York By Rail

Amtrak America

Amtrak Vacations

Luggage Tag

Bumper Sticker (threw out)

Pencil

Poster

Extra pluses:

Whistle

Cap

Hand-signed photo of Empire Builder

I lugged 3 bags to Newark and back.

I have the same train simulator installed on my computer! Works like a charm.


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## chuljin (May 12, 2008)

Guest said:


> I have the same train simulator installed on my computer! Works like a charm.


Because *you* know how to use it


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