# Back from our trip



## Susan (Nov 6, 2006)

We loved loved loved the train trip! We took the SW Chief from ABQ to CHI, then the Lakeshore Limited from CHI to BUF and all back again. I can't wait to go again! We never did the upgrade to a bedroom. Now that I'm back and don't have a big bill staring me in the face, I'm glad. The attendants were all very helpful, attentive, and pleasant.

The food...eh... not so great, but a few things were pretty ok. The lunch pizza was too hot (instead of tomato sauce, tobasco...I realized later it was supposed to be Buffalo chicken pizza. The cod was bland and not the best. The oatmeal was a little lumpy but passable. The hamburger and chicken sandwiches were good. The beef dinner was good. Roast chicken was good, broccoli cooked right one night, over cooked another. Breakfast quiche..yuk. Hashbrowns, BLEH, YUK, PHOOEY! Baked potato good. Omlette was ok, chicken fried steak was cold. Cheesecake passable, chocolate cake yummy. Coffee, not so much. One lady we sat w/ at lunch was mad because she had been told by an Amtrak rep about a month ago when she made her reservations that there would be china and gourmet food and was hugely upset w/ the misrepresentation as she upgraded to a bedroom based on this information. The diner staff were pretty good...however, I think they were training a few new employees as a few people seemed to be struggling, but no big deal except on the LSL for breakfast. One gal was making wise cracks and goofing off while the other was doing all the work. This resulted in extremely poor service and angry diners who were pretty vocal about their disatisfaction but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.

As I may have mentioned earlier, my husband had to use medical equipment and therefore required a working electrical outlet. When we returned on the SW Cheif, we discovered that the outlet had been filled in w/ some kind of epoxy material making it unusable. We were moved from number 2 roomette to number 10. As a result, we got more bounce and jiggle as we were right over the wheels and I got a bad case of motion sickness. I should have refused this room and demanded something else as I was a little worried this might happen when he moved us down there. By the time I was feeling bad, it was well into the trip and not worth the hassle of moving since I wasn't sick sick. Since it was evening, I told the attendant I wasn't feeling well and needed to lie down and he promptly made up our beds. I felt much better after lying down.

About smoking...oh wow. The conductor on the Chief made a major big deal about this and warned that if caught, you would be put off the train at the next stop. Fine w/ me as I hate cig smoke. But he was kind of funny. After the huge tirade he made against it, he comes back about an hour later announcing his disappointment in discovering that someone was caught smoking and we got to hear it all again. It was quite humorous. I'm very glad they don't tolerate it though. On the LSL in the middle of the night, I smelled smoke but was too drowsy to get up and make a fuss. It seemed that soon after we made a stop and I never smelled it again...perhaps the offenders were put off. There also seemed to be quite a problem w/ people wandering around the train w/o shoes on, which required more announcements.

The red caps on CHI on our way to BUF were good, on the way back we were not happy w/ one of the guys. He seemed put out that we needed his assistance and needed a ton of direction from us as to what we needed and where we needed it. I would have thought it was us except we'd had no problems w/ the others.

Since we had a layover in CHI, we visited the Sears Tower on the way back. If you go be prepared for security checks as if you are at the airport. We also got our pics taken and I got the idea it wasn't a choice. You had an option to purchase them though as a souvenier. We ate at Lou Mitchell's, which was GREAT! It's real near the station and the food was fantastic! The tower and restaurant were all w/i easy walking distance (I blew a disk in my back earlier in the summer and am still not 100% and it was not too challenging a walk for me). The neighborhood felt very safe, albiet a panhandler here and there..we just ignored them or said, "no" and they left us alone.

Sorry for the lengthy post. Can't wait for the next trip!


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## gswager (Nov 6, 2006)

Glad that you had a great time on Amtrak, despite some minor problems as I would expected!

Besides the Amtrak employees, the food is the 2nd most common topic because they made a change to SDS, just like the airlines. It used to be cooked almost everything in the gallery which came up pretty good. Now, they're just a warmer in convection, almost like left-over food that need to be reheated.


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## AlanB (Nov 7, 2006)

Susan,

Thanks for the post, no worries about it being too long. We love to read about other's travels on Amtrak. 

And I'm glad that overall you had a great trip. Very strange about that electrical outlet though, don't think that I've ever seen that happen before. 

I am however, going to move this over to our "Trip Reports" section, so that others looking for trip reports will be able to find it. 

Again, thanks for the report!


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2006)

AlanB said:


> ]
> I am however, going to move this over to our "Trip Reports" section, so that others looking for trip reports will be able to find it.
> 
> Again, thanks for the report!


no prob about the move...it was weird about that outlet. All I can figure is that there was something wrong w/ it and they had to plug it up. I forgot to mention that on our way out, we had roomette 2 and had to be moved to 4 as they needed 2 for coffee because something was wrong w/ the usual coffee center. I think it was electrical.

I think my biggest disappointment had to do w/ some of the other travelers. They seemed so demanding and impatient w/ the attendants and diner staff. There seemed to be a fair bit of negativity amongst some of our fellow passengers. Things were'nt perfect, but we were prepared to have a good time regardless. When you travel you just have expect the unexpected and roll w/ it.


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## Sam Damon (Nov 7, 2006)

Susan,

Thanks for the trip report. When people are prepared to deal with Amtrak's service issues from the start, it seems to make a completely different attitude towards their trip. As long as your expectations are kept modest, Amtrak tends not to disappoint. The SDS food, though, is something that could well irritate me, as well as the goof-off. Also, your reports help us here at these forums keep an eye on what's happening throughout the Amtrak system.

Amtrak's LD trains have been starved of capital investment for so long, it's amazing anyone's riding them. Keep in mind Amtrak's current fleet, for the most part, is older than the fleet inherited from the railroads when Amtrak started in 1971. Amfleet cars were constructed beginning in 1974; Superliners in 1979. Viewliners are more recent, but there's only 50 of them in the fleet. No time or money for heavy maintenance.


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2006)

Sam Damon said:


> Amtrak's LD trains have been starved of capital investment for so long, it's amazing anyone's riding them.


Another note, it seemed that most people we talked to...and there were plenty because we ate in the diner for all but one meal (which we had in our room, that was fun), said they took the train because they refuse to fly any more. Which is why I wanted to ride the train as well. My issues had to do w/ a long history of safety issues w/ the airlines. Near mid air collisions, fire in the cockpit, frozen lines, turbulance so bad, a flight attendant freaked out and started screaming hysterically...and on it goes. Based on what I observed, the trains seemed to be pretty full and we traveled in the middle of the week, off season.

I am of the belief that the trains need to be federally funded. The government doesn't mind funding the airlines when they're in trouble, and they sure don't mind giving handouts to people who don't want to work for an honest living. Safe, comfortable, public transporatation should be a given in this "land of plenty". If I'm not mistaken it could be done similarly to how the post office is run.


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## Susan (Nov 7, 2006)

sorry I forgot to ID myself up above


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## PRR 60 (Nov 7, 2006)

Sam Damon said:


> ...No time or money for heavy maintenance.


For the record, in FY2005 Amtrak performed heavy overhauls on 58 Superliners and light overhauls on 21 Viewliners.


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## Sam Damon (Nov 7, 2006)

One last note before I'm off to election day nuttiness.

PRR 60 is correct when he asserts Amtrak performed the heavy overhauls on 58 Superliners and light overhauls on 21 Viewliners. It is my understanding the Superliners in question merely had the running gear overhauled, and *not* the electrical cabinets, interior pipes, and the like. I understand those items are the original items installed back when the cars were built, around 1979...

PRR 60 is right to call me out on this. Even so, the devil remains in the details. Smooth running cars are nice, but if the AC is crapping out, the toilets won't flush, and the customer ends up unhappy, you haven't gained much.

Off to election day stuff... have a nice evening, all.


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