# East Bound across the country -- CS, CZ, Card & NE Regional



## oregon pioneer (Nov 17, 2015)

This is the first part of my big train trip to visit family and friends in New England over the holidays.

11/17 – Bend to Sacramento

It was a chilly evening and already dark, so I went into Hawthorne Station (Bend's intermodal transportation center) to wait for the High DesertPoint shuttle bus, which showed up right on time. I was the fourth and last passenger to board the bus ( a very nice hi-top van). In spite of falling snow, the drive to Chemult was quick and uneventful. The driver took us to the truck stop across from the platform so we could walk around and wait where it was warm.

Unlike other times I've been on this route, the driver didn't have it arranged for the train conductor to call him, so we went over to the station about the time the train was due (even though we knew it was probably going to be a little late), and sat in the van till the lights came up on the platform. Then we hauled our bags up the ramp in an inch of fresh snow. The train showed up within five minutes. The sleeper door closest to the Pacific Parlour Car was open. Since it's a short platform, the Conductor instructed the three sleeper passengers to board, and everyone else to wait so they could spot the train for coach. We put our stuff in our roomettes, and went right to the diner as instructed. It was late, so I didn't want to eat a heavy meal. I had the crab/shrimp cakes (which were tasty, though like many others I would have preferred the salmon), and skipped salad and dessert.

Our attendant, Dan, works hard and he works smart. The luggage rack was completely full, and I have a big roller bag with me because it's a long trip, so he hauled my bag upstairs and put it in the empty roomette opposite mine. It's the first time anyone has done that for me, and it was wonderful to have all my stuff so handy! Dan kept the car immaculate (including cleaning the toilets and emptying the trash overnight). He woke us up with a half-hour warning into Sac'to, and then we got a slow order and it ended up being over an hour.

My friend Danelle, who works for the California government, was waiting to take me out to breakfast! I checked my big bag, and we drove to the Fox and Goose, an English-pub sort of place that serves three meals. I opted for a veggie scramble that had spinach, broccoli and goat cheese in it, with potatoes on the side and wheat toast with marmalade. Delicious, but way more food than I needed! I did take a walk before coming back to the station, so that made me feel a little better. Waiting now for the California Zephyr, which went down over 20 minutes right from the start this morning. Oh, well, I don't care as long as we get to the other end in time for my connection to the Card!


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 17, 2015)

Nice start to a great trip! Great to see that the NW is getting much needed moisture after such a brutal stretch of weather and fires!


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## Rail Freak (Nov 17, 2015)

Have Fun Jennifer!!!!


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## caravanman (Nov 18, 2015)

Hi,

Nice to imagine the fresh snow falling... we are not expecting any snow here for months. I have made a note of the "Fox and Goose" pub for my next visit to Sac... looks a lot better than the "old town" tourist offerings, and near the tram too!

Best wishes for your trip and fingers crossed for your connection in Chicago...

Ed.


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## Mystic River Dragon (Nov 18, 2015)

Wishing you a continued good trip as you travel out here to the east!


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## oregon pioneer (Nov 19, 2015)

Thanks all for your comments! I am in Chicago, and making that connection to the Card! Yay! Read on...

11/17-19: Sacramento to Chicago

They are still working on the Sacramento station, but at least they now have a first-class seating area marked off with a row of signs and other scrounged barricades. Comfy chairs, sofas, and internet. The CZ was late, so I let the Red Cap take all the other pax out to the platform, and then I used the restroom and walked out. Last good walk for two days, I might as well, LOL! The train pulled in about 5 minutes after I got to the platform, and didn't waste too much time loading up and leaving. I observed with interest that a man got on the lower level, in a roomette, with a smallish service dog. Not even to Roseville, yet, and someone in a jacket labeled “police” on the back has just gone down the hallway. Interesting... this is the CZ, after all. SCA is Mark, seems pretty good. (note: they said later she *is* Amtrak police, but was just taking the train home).

About Roseville, they announced lunch. I I ordered the full meal salad with chicken, so I'd have enough room for dessert. The salad was delicious! Finishing off my meal with the chocolate pudding tart and some hot tea as we climbed through the Sierras, I could truly believe this is a civilized way to travel!

After dinner, Mark came by to ask when I wanted the bed made up. I was pleased to see he had opened the blanket and put it the mattress already. He said they are instructed to do it either way: leave it in the bag, or put it in. He chooses to perform the extra service, for which I thanked (and will tip) him. Once again, I was unable to get the blue “night light” in the ceiling of my refurbished roomette to go completely dark. A low blue glow remains all night. Are they all this way now?

I woke up as it was getting light to find we were still climbing the grade to Soldier Summit. I think that means we're late. But within minutes we broke over the summit and picked up speed. The morning light hitting the rimrock in the snow made a beautiful view to accompany breakfast conversation. Including the longer stop in Helper to remove a passenger who had over-imbibed, we are now an hour and ten minutes late.

Our Conductor from SLC to Grand Junction, Roger Wheelwright, grew up in Utah. He is a wonderful interpretive guide, making announcements about the points of interest as they are visible. He pointed out the Henry Mountains, Skyline Arch, the Thelma and Louise store, and desert bighorn sheep along the Colorado. I spotted AAA Solar as we pulled into Grand Junction. Lovely orchards, even a vineyard, as we leave Grand Junction and head up the Colorado. Solar arrays on train switches, irrigation controls and a weigh station.

I walked on the platform and took a photo at Glenwood Springs. Here's our attendant Mark. He's one of the better ones:




I alternated reading and knitting. As we approached the higher mountains, it got cloudier and began to snow a little. Juvenile eagles, their heads not white yet, floated on the air currents above the river. Mature eagles sat formally in bare cottonwoods and pine snags above the chilly currents. The rest of the wildlife was hunkered down out of sight. The snow intensified, and by the time we reached the next outdoor break stop at Fraser/Winter Park, I had no desire to go outside.

I ate dinner early, so I would be ready to go into the station in Denver. I decided to treat myself to a glass of red wine to accompany the steak. The whole service crew on this train is excellent. The diner staff has done a great job with the limited menu, preparing and presenting the food as beautifully as possible. I love the chocolate mousse “tart,” which has a fudgy cake crust. I will eat it every meal until they run out, or I get to Cincinnati (where I switch to coach).

Denver Union Station has been beautifully fixed-up, so I had to take a photo. Very little of it seems to be devoted to actual station functions. It was full of restaurants, shops, bars, people and holiday cheer.




I carried my netbook inside with me, and managed to connect to the internet and check email. We had been warned to take only 20 minutes, to try and make up some time. After I got back to the train, they closed all the doors and then messed around for several more minutes over something about an engine issue. We finally pulled out still 34 minutes down, but it's an improvement.

Woke up only about an hour behind, and stayed that way all morning, what a relief! Had wonderful company for breakfast, lunch, and a knitting session in the SSL. One of the nicest things abut train travel is the people that we get to share a small piece of our lives with!


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 19, 2015)

Most enjoyable, thanks for sharing!

More! More!


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## oregon pioneer (Nov 20, 2015)

11/19-20: Chicago to Baltimore on THE CARDINAL

Woohoo, I am ON THE CARD! It's a full sleeper, and someone is going to occupy my room out of Cincinnati, so yes, I will have to get up and move out whenever we get there. But we are leaving CHI at least an hour late, so maybe I will get to sleep just a little later. The SCA, who says “call me 'T'”, seems like a good one He says he will be up at Cinci to change over the rooms (for every one emptying, there will be replacement people), so I just said “Wake me when you need me to get up and switch.”

Because the train was late out of the gate, they threw our dinner reservations out the window, and just called us all in at once. We were seated in the order we walked in the door, and given a choice of two entrees, roasted chicken or beef pot roast (which I chose). The diner crew was good-natured and hard-working, and they got us served as quickly as possible, but we all agreed we were not in a hurry to get anywhere, LOL, and speed just didn't matter. Our server explained how one of the hard choices they had to make was to have one less entree, and keep the chocolate tart. Three out of the four at my table approved of THAT choice! I made one more wine splurge, because of the good company.

In the morning, in coach now, I was enthralled by the Appalachian scenery: a few (very few) leaves left on the trees. Rounded mountains, big rough river. The New River Gorge is amazingly beautiful, as are the Allegheny Mountains.







Approaching White Sulphur Springs, my computer picked up an Amtrak Connect signal. Whoa! I didn't think there was even a modem on this train, but I actually got online! Except for close hills and tunnels (lots of those), the signal is maintaining. Say, what? Turns out the reason we were late out of CHI was that the regular lounge/cafe car had issues. They replaced it with a cafe/business class car. It's also why the menu is so limited (almost no refrigerator space, only a microwave for preparing food), and why we have wi-fi.

We are going over a stretch of very rough track. The conductor says this is one of the few stretches of jointed rail that is still left. At times, it's the rail equivalent of a cobblestone street. Karen from Portland, seated next to me, said it was driving her nuts. I advised her to relax and just let herself jiggle and roll with it. She said that helped a lot. Old-time train riding tips, LOL!

It's the day before a holiday weekend, and the train is running quite full. There's a large Amish group returning from a wedding celebration in the Midwest, and many students getting on at each of the college towns along the route. They just stopped the train, shut the power down, and announced that they had an error message and to reboot everything before proceeding. Never seen this particular issue before. We'll see how this develops... well, hardly any time lost and the rest of the trip, still just about an hour late, is uneventful.


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## oregon pioneer (Nov 22, 2015)

11/21: BAL to RTE in the NE Regional

I'm too old to sit up on an overnight regional, so I opted to stay at the HI Hostel in Baltimore, only $33 including taxes and the $3 nonmember fee. The women’s dorm room was clean and carpeted (quiet) with attached toilet and shower facilities. Friendly people, kitchen facilities, and included make-your-own breakfast rounded out a good experience. I talked with a Chinese teacher, a young Irish woman, a man from Turkey, and a guy who was walking everywhere he went.

It was a crisp morning, warming up fast in the sunshine, so I walked about half way back to Baltimore Penn station, then hopped on one of the Charm City Circulator's free Purple Route buses for the rest of the way. I had time at the station to take a photo, and get a latte from the Dunkin Donuts inside the station.

Baltimore Penn Station:




The NE Regional #164 is pretty full, only a few seats empty. The scenery is mostly urban interspersed with coastal woodland and wetland. The first sight of the New York Skyline brought up memories of childhood trips to see my father's parents in the city. Just passing through this time, only seeing the underground platform in New York Penn Station.

Near New Haven, onwards to Rhode Island, we get into the estuaries and fens of the New England coastline. Love! About that point, the woman across from me asked the Conductor about her destination, and I realized she was a little confused and needed help. She was concerned that the station she was ticketed to was not the town where her brother lived. I reassured her that RTE (Route 128 station) was a mere ten miles distant from her brother, and the only way to get to all the way to his town was a roundabout trip from South Station via the Boston “T”, but she had no phone to let him know. I made the call to her brother, who was NOT confused, and relieved to hear specific news of her. We both got picked up at RTE by our family members (hers a brother, mine a sister), so happy endings all around! That's the end of this segment of my trip, more next month when I return westbound.


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 22, 2015)

Really enjoying sharing your trip!

Enjoy your stay in New England and Thanksgiving, looking forward to future reports as the adventure continues! ☺


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## Mystic River Dragon (Nov 23, 2015)

Welcome to the east coast!  So glad you have arrived safely in New England, one of the loveliest places to be in the fall!

Parts of the coast in Connecticut and north are lovely from the train. I hope there were still lots of boats around for you to look at, since we've had a fairly mild fall out here.

It was very kind of you to help the lady on the train, and I'm glad her brother found her.

Have a great time, and I'll look forward to reading about your return trip!


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## caravanman (Nov 24, 2015)

Nice trip report. I am pleased to hear that the H.I.Hostel in Baltimore met with your approval, I will add it to my own list of options!

Have a good visit.

Ed.


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## Asher (Nov 24, 2015)

I enjoyed your trip. Plese take another one soon.


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## NETrainfan (Dec 22, 2015)

Enjoyed your trip report. Good reading. Thanks.


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