# Silver Star ORL - WAS - ORL



## pennyk (Nov 30, 2009)

I went to visit my sister in Maryland for a long weekend over the Thanksgiving holiday.

On Thursday, November 26, 2009, I arrived at the Orlando station about 2 hours early (because it was convenient for my ride). Because it was Thanksgiving, the station was more dead than usual. The television was on and an NFL game was on tv. The men in the waiting room were watching the tv and I occupied myself by reading and texting.

The Northbound Silver Star (92) arrived in Orlando a bit early and we boarded the train around 7pm. I was the only sleeping car passenger boarding in Orlando. The other 20 something passengers (including a few children) were in coach.

When I approached my sleeper (towards the rear of the train unfortunately), I was welcomed by Leo, the SCA for car 9210. I was in roomette 5. Leo helped me with my luggage and told me I could go to the dining car whenever I wanted. The sleeper was pretty empty.

The consist was 2 engines, baggage car, 5 coaches, lounge, diner, 2 sleepers.

After getting organized and cleaning my compartment with Clorox wipes, I went to the dining car. Initially, I was the only person at the table, but a few minutes later a couple from coach joined me at my table. Less than half the tables in the diner were occupied.

The dining car attendants were terrific. George, who took my order, checked the ingredients for all of the entrees to determine which ones contained garlic. The only entrée without garlic was the Thanksgiving special - turkey, which I ordered (without the dressing, gravy and mashed potatoes). The turkey was ok, however it was a bit salty. My table mates (from St. Pete on their way to WAS) both had the turkey special also. They thought the turkey was ok, but did not care for the dressing. I had the pumpkin pecan praline pie for dessert, which was very good. Fortunately, I ran a 5k “Turkey Trot” Thursday morning to burn off some of the calories.

Leo was eating dinner in the diner when I left to go back to my roomette. He was sitting with one of the dining car attendants. I stopped to chat for a while. Leo’s meal did not look like anything on the menu. He told me that for Thanksgiving, his mother made him a “feast” and brought it to the West Palm Beach train station and handed it off to him. I thought that was pretty sweet.

Leo made up my room at 10pm, exactly when I requested it be done. Leo brought me an extra blanket stating he thought I might need it.

We arrived in Jacksonville about 10 minutes early, around 10:30pm. It was a smoking stop, so I went outside for some air. As I was walking toward the front of the train, I saw and heard an altercation between a passenger and an assistant conductor. Because it was cold out and I was dressed for warmer weather, I went back to my sleeper fairly soon even though we were in Jax for a while. I found out more details about the altercation the next morning. The pax had been drinking in the lounge and was getting very loud and using very inappropriate language. When asked by the conductor to tone it down, the pax got more verbally abusive. Outside the train in Jax, the pax shoved the assistant conductor, the police were called and the pax was taken to jail in handcuffs. The train had departed Jax on time and prior to the police arriving.

I slept very well and was very happy that I had the extra blanket. The train was a bit rough through the Carolinas, but it was not too bad.

I went to breakfast around 6:45am and was seated with a woman from coach who was traveling from Orlando to Raleigh, who had already started eating. She had been visiting her daughter and 5 grandchildren in Orlando. It became evident that she was what I consider a religious zealot and I tended to not pay too much attention to her rants (rather than disagree with her). She was a very large woman who had an extremely difficult time getting out of the booth. While getting out of the booth, she caused the remainder of her coffee to spill on the table and floor. The attendants immediately cleaned it up. The attendants and I later discussed the difficulty of older passengers getting around on a moving train. For breakfast, I had the egg substitute cheese omelet, grits, biscuit, bacon, hot tea, and diet pepsi.

We continued to run early. Leo explained to me that there was virtually no freight traffic on Thanksgiving because CSX has to pay its engineers 2½ times on holidays. He said the only freight training running on Thanksgiving was the Tropicana orange juice train. I found this information interesting.

While walking through the sleeper, I noticed that both bedrooms A & B had a chair across from the couch, whereas the last time I traveled on the Silver Star, there were no chairs. Although I did not go into either bedroom, I looked in and it appeared that the car was secured to the side of the train and it looked like it could be rotated.

Friday morning, I got off the train at Raleigh and it was pretty cold (for me and the other Floridians). Even though Rocky Mount is not normally a smoking stop, we were able to get off because we were running early and had to wait. The sun had started to come out and I put on my coat when I went outside and was much more comfortable. I was still wearing my sandals (with socks), so my feet were pretty cold.

During the morning, I attempted to charge my cell phone and netbook and discovered that the outlet in my room was not working. I mentioned it to Leo and he immediately reset the outlet and it started working.

My lunch reservation was at 12:15pm and I went to the dining car at that time. Only 2 other tables were occupied. I sat by myself for a while and ordered the hamburger and diet pepsi and tirimisu for dessert. Shortly after I got my food, a young man from coach with whom I had spoken at breakfast sat and my table. He ordered the black bean spicy veggie burger. He thought it was good, but not spicy enough. My table mate and I had an incredibly interesting conversation about his life. He was born in Tanzania (of Indian descent) and came to this country to study art at the Savannah Art Institute. He was taking the train from Savannah to NYP because he just got a job as an animator in NY and was moving to Brooklyn. I found his story fascinating and was quite impressed with this 28 year old man.

While in the diner, finishing dessert and tea, we stopped at the Quantico station (which was very confusing to all of us). It turned out that a coach passenger had a seizure and paramedics were called. We were delayed for about 15 minutes and the passenger was transported.

In spite of the delay, we arrived in WAS early. Upon arriving, I went to the Acela lounge for a soft drink then took the Metro to Greenbelt where I was picked up by my sister.

After spending a very nice weekend with my sister and nephews, it was time to return home and on Sunday, November 29th, one of my nephews drove me to the Greenbelt Metro station. He decided to take the Metro with me in order to have lunch with a high school friend who is now living near Union Station. It was very nice having company and someone to help me with my luggage. I expected Union Station to be a zoo, but it did not look too bad.

The Acela lounge was crowded, but not too bad at the time I arrived. I dropped off my luggage and went “shopping.” I bought an Obama refrigerator magnet for a friend. When I returned to the lounge around 2pm, there were a few seats left and I snagged one. There were fewer than normal seats because the alcove between the 2 tv sets was roped off and all the chairs were removed.

In the Acela Lounge, I was unable to connect to the internet using the Acela wifi, even though I tried many times. Also to my disappointment, there were no chips - only muffins. By 2:15, there were no seats left at all and many passengers were standing and sitting on ledges. My guess is that most of the people in the lounge were waiting for the 4pm Capitol Limited, because only 3 of us boarded the 91 Silver Star from the Lounge.

On my return trip on the Silver Star, I was in roomette 3 in car 9110 and Will was my attendant. The sleeper looked completely full and Will appeared to be a bit harried. He helped me with my luggage and made sure that I was familiar with the room. He then informed that within an hour, my dinner reservations would be taken. We left WAS right on time. .Upon entering my roomette, I cleaned the surfaces with Clorox wipes. Judging by how many wipes I used, this room was dirtier than the one I occupied northbound.

The consist was 2 engines, baggage, 6 coaches (one more than my northbound trip), lounge, diner, 2 sleepers. I was told that the extra coach was because increased demand (this is the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the train is full).

A dining car attendant came through our sleeper and offered dinner times ranging from 5pm to 6:45pm. I chose 6pm and also inquired if any of the entrees were garlic free. I figured that the attendants would be too busy during dinner to check. The attendant taking the reservation told me off the top of her head that the salmon was garlic free.

An announcement was later made to the entire train that an attendant would be coming through coach taking dinner reservations. The menu selections and prices were mentioned. Shortly thereafter, I took a walk to the rear of the train (one car back) to look out the back. I then decided to walk to the front of the train - a much longer walk. Dinner had not started yet, but the lounge car was packed with coach pax waiting in line for food and/or drinks. All the tables on the coach side of the lounge were occupied; however, there were a few seats on the diner side that were not occupied by Amtrak personnel.

While walking, I caught up with the dining car attendants who were passing out menus and taking reservations. It appears that they had a very efficient system. One attendant was up front announcing that another attendant would be behind her to take reservations. The first attendant had menus and she invited questions about the menu and dining car. I had never seen that before, but maybe I had never been on a completely full train or had not been in coach when reservations were taken. I was positively impressed.

I glanced into bedrooms A & B while walking through the train and noticed that none of the bedrooms that were visible contained a chair, unlike the northbound 92.

We arrived in Richmond a few minutes late and I was dumbfounded by the number of people disembarking (a few sleeper pax and a boatload of coach passengers, many of whom looked like college students returning to school after Thanksgiving with parents). We stayed in Richmond a very long time and I had a great view of the station parking lot from my window. There seemed to be an endless stream of cars leaving the station. We left Richmond about 20 minutes late. When we arrived in Richmond, northbound 90 Palmetto was in the station and it left while we were still there.

I went to dinner at 6pm and was the 4th person seated at a table. I was seated next to a very elderly gentleman who was very hard of hearing and had very shaky hands. Fortunately, he was not drinking red wine. The couple sitting across from me were already eating their entrees. They were a brother and sister traveling from PHL to Key West. They planned to spend the night in a hotel in Miami (near the bus station) and then take the bus from Miami to Key West. The man had done this 11 times in the past. The elderly man had been visiting family in Washington and was returning home to Winter Park (the stop right before Orlando). The PHL couple was eating the steak. They thought it was good, but a bit chewy - not worth the price if they had to shell out $22. They each had the cheesecake for dessert and thought it was good even though they thought it was a bit frozen. I ordered the salmon and it was great. The elderly man ordered the chicken. He said it was ok. He opted against dessert, but ordered decaf coffee. It was served to him in a “to go” cup. Even with a cup with a lid, he still spilled on the table and himself. Again, I was positively impressed that the dining car attendants had the foresight not to give this man an “open” cup of coffee.

For dessert, I had one of the richest brownies I had ever eaten. A third attendant had taken our orders (other than the 2 that were taking reservations earlier) and she was probably the most attractive Amtrak employee I have seen. Her name is Michelle and she is young, pretty and blonde. She was also a very good attendant. After the PHL couple left the dining car, another couple was seated at our table. I was almost finished pigging out, so I did not spend much time talking to them and I know that they wanted to turn the table. The new couple was returning home to Southern Pines, NC from Baltimore.

That evening, I spent several hours looking out the window, listening to my ipod and writing this trip report on my netbook.

I was pleased that the coffee/hot water machine in my sleeper was working. I enjoy hot tea and did not have to go to the dining or lounge car to get my hot water (as I did on my northbound trip). In Raleigh, I got off the train to get some fresh air. Several passengers got on at that stop and Will was busy cleaning the rooms of the departing passengers for the arriving passengers. We seemed to stay in Raleigh for quite some time. My guess is that we were more than a half hour late at that time.

Will made up my room at my requested time of 10pm. I slept pretty well despite the rough track and rattling of the upper bunk in my room.

I woke up at 6:15am and went to the diner at 6:30 (thinking it would be packed and I would have to eat early). There was only 1 occupied table when I arrived and I was seated at a vacant table. I soon was joined by a gentleman who was traveling to Orlando with his step father (who was on his way to move to a retirement home in nearby Ormond Beach). His 91 year old step father was still sleeping in the H room. I had the omelet, bacon, biscuit and although I ordered grits, I was served potatoes. Because the potatoes were seasoned, I opted not to eat them because of my allergies. I requested a diet Pepsi from the attendant that served my food. It is possible that the LSA called him down on that, but I am not sure. In the past, I have had mixed results in getting a diet Pepsi for breakfast. I always tip better when I get one.

While in the diner, we arrived in JAX - early. Breakfast service was more than adequate considering the train was in a station for a long break and some of the attendants got off the train. After a while the diner filled up with coach passengers and some sleeping car passengers.

I had a conversation with the couple sitting across the aisle who had gotten on the train in Richmond around 5:30pm the previous evening. At that time they were told that the only dinner reservations available were at 9pm, so they opted to eat in their room. The LSA overheard our discussion and mentioned that a reservation should have been made for them and she tried to figure out why it had not. She apologized and the couple said that it was ok. The couple was in bedroom B (in car 9111), so they had plenty of room, but no chair. Their reservation had been in bedroom A, but when they saw that the couch was facing backwards and there was no chair in A, they requested to be moved. Apparently, bedroom B was being used by Amtrak staff that was moved to A and the couple was put in room B. I am surprised that on a full train, Amtrak would not try to sell and expensive bedroom. I probably do not know the whole story.

I spent the next few hours looking out the window, relaxing and listening to my ipod. We arrived in Orlando around 10:20am, on time (despite the very crowded train).

Now I am looking forward to have my double points post and deciding whether I have to wait until next summer for my next trip.


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 30, 2009)

Nice report Penny, sounds like a fun trip for a holiday weekend! I'd venture that the bedroom was occupied by Amtrak staff since there are no trans-dorms for Viewliner trains until the new cars are built and in service! The few times Ive been east the attendants/OBS rode in everything from the H bedroom to roomettes to bedrooms! Since it was a full train guess they took the leftovers?

I doubt if youll be able to wait for your great Western trip next year, expect to see that youve scheduled a few get-a-way trips before then, as we know train travel is addictive!


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## Long Train Runnin' (Dec 1, 2009)

Very good report! Sounds like you encountered great crews!

Conversation with folks in the diner is always wonderful.


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## acelafan (Dec 1, 2009)

I enjoyed reading your report; thanks for taking the time to post it!


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## AAARGH! (Dec 2, 2009)

pennyk said:


> Apparently, bedroom B was being used by Amtrak staff that was moved to A and the couple was put in room B. I am surprised that on a full train, Amtrak would not try to sell and expensive bedroom. I probably do not know the whole story.


When I was on the Silver Star on 11/3/09, the H room was being used by the crew. And because there was a SCA being trained, two roomettes were being taken by them. I'm not sure who was in the H room, but it was definetely crew.

I wonder if their taking up rooms kicks the bucket up?


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## ALC Rail Writer (Dec 2, 2009)

AAARGH! said:


> pennyk said:
> 
> 
> > Apparently, bedroom B was being used by Amtrak staff that was moved to A and the couple was put in room B. I am surprised that on a full train, Amtrak would not try to sell and expensive bedroom. I probably do not know the whole story.
> ...


If its taken up by crew then it would be marked as space that couldn't be sold. That means that the bucket prices will go up faster because of supply and demand, but the prices don't directly go up as a result as if you booked a room or an AGR reward.


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## AlanB (Dec 2, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


> AAARGH! said:
> 
> 
> > pennyk said:
> ...


As a general rule, crew should not be booked into the H room or even a bedroom, only roomettes. However, if such a room goes unsold, then it is not uncomon to find crew using the larger rooms.

As for the bucket prices. when the single level crew dorms first went away, Amtrak started blocking out revenue rooms for the crew. Because the default settings are to provide the lowest bucket rooms first, that often left only 1 or less low bucket rooms on trains like the Lake Shore, which already don't have too many low bucket rooms because of the high demand.

Someone at Amtrak eventually figured out that this was happening and some sort of procedure was put into place to stop that from happening. It may be a simple as making sure that whomever is blocking out the crew rooms takes one or two rooms from each bucket level or perhaps they are blocking off the crew rooms first, before revenue management applies the buckets to the rooms. I'm not quite sure just how they do things, but in theory the bucket mix is now supposed to be unaffected by the crew occupying what should be revenue rooms.


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