# The Tuscaloosa Turn That Flopped...



## had8ley (Mar 20, 2009)

We got home from Ireland late Wednesday night and I couldn't sleep well. I awoke at 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning and called Julie. Bingo! #19 was running an hour or so late. Turns out they had to rescue a VRE train somewhere around Alexandria and make 7 additional stops with 200 pax that filled the aisles of an already crowded #19. I backed the Jeep out of the carport into a pea soup fog. I was thinking #20 would miss the carded time of 8:07 a.m. at Slidell. Well, lo and behold, at 8:04 here comes #20; you couldn't even see his ditch nor head lights as he crossed over the crossing just south of the end of the platform at Slidell. What happened next should have told me to turn the Jeep around and go home. I counted two 100 series locos, one bag and ooppsss....ONE Viewliner. I was supposed to be in the #11 car but it was bad ordered in NOL at the last minute. If anyone spies a lonesome Viewliner in NOL it's not a mirage. Oh well I thought, I haven't ridden the coach in some time so I gave it a shot. Breakfast was good~ scrambled eggs but when I asked for egg substitute they said that you had to order the omelet to get them even though they pour the eggs for both dishes out a carton. The LSA said it was a labor concession since they pulled the prep cook out of the kitchen. Go figure! We had a beautiful day to travel and everything ran well until we hit about 6 miles south of Meridian. We had a red stop signal~ I never knew it took so long to drag 6 miles at 10 mph. After a short crew change and an even shorter smoke break we were headed north once again. I was riding in the last deadhead coach and a guy ran up to the train outside the station at Meridian shaking his fist; I heard the conductor tell the agent that he was welcome to catch tomorrow's train as we highballed out of the station.

We pulled into Tuscaloosa at the time #19 was supposed to arrive~ 1:11 p.m. I asked the station agent to watch my bag and went exploring as #19 had fallen down some more and was due at 2:45. I found a neighborhood catfish shack about three blocks from the depot. Not much to look at but the catfish were certainly good. I strolled back to the depot where a slip of paper said, New train time~ 2:45. Well #19 rolled in at 3:10 and off we went. For some reason the baggage car number caught my eye~ 1702. I made the mistake of getting up to get a Pepsi and someone grabbed my window seat. It's nice to see a full train at this time of the year. There were many more young peolpe than I can ever remember seeing in the past.

We changed crews in Meridian and highballed south. I sat in the lounge because pass riders are supposed to give their seats to revenue pax. I met a carman from NOL who lived in Meridian and worked in the NOL car shop. We headed for the diner and ordered a couple of steaks just in time. Just as the SA was delivering our meal we went into emergency! A tree had fallen onto the track, came back up under the baggage car, and broke the train line. I will commend the crew, who I know well, for the two hours it took to unload the baggage car into the Viewliners and go about four miles away to a feed mill to set the bad order baggage car out. When the crew go to the mill there were cars just in the clear and blue flagged. The conductor had to go find someone in the mill to remove the blue flag; then they couldn't cut the air in because of the broken train line on the head (baggage)car. In the meantime the lounge car LSA had gone forward to help unload bags. There was a rather rowdy crowd on the other end of a thank goodness double ended tabled lounge. The drunken fools were helping themselves to everything behind the counter. I think the LSA's tip jar even disappeared. I went and got an SA out of the coaches and told her what was going on. She came and guarded what was left of the inventory on the counter.

After what seemed an eternity. the engines came back against the train. We had been sitting in relative darkness for about an hour of the time we were stopped. I then decided to try and take a nap. All of a sudden there's a shouting match going on from behind the cafe counter.

Some teen-ager wanted a Coke instead of a Pepsi. The LSA tried very hard to appease him by saying that Amtrak only sold Pepsi products. This just infuriated him more to where the conductor and A/C had to intervene. The kid wanted his money back but the sale had already been rung up. Well, everyone thought that was the end of the idiot. He comes back with his mother who wants to know who accused him of trying to pick up a 14 year old girl. We looked at each other in total bewilderment. Just as the conductor thought he had everything under control a man come into the lounge car and wanted to know if the conductor was going to buy him a new shirt because someone had spilled two drops, yes drops, of beer on his shirt when the train lurched as a pax was passing through the car. Some people!!!

Well at least I got a flat iron but I seriously doubt it was worth the three hour delay and the nonsense that went along with it. Good trip; sad pax to ride with. I wouldn't wish the #19 leg on the devil himself !!!

P.S. Sorry for all the typos. I was so hopped up I wrote the original at 1:30 a.m.


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## the_traveler (Mar 20, 2009)

Good report. I just hope I don't meet that same sorry crowd of pax next week!


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## MrFSS (Mar 20, 2009)

Did you get to ride any trains in Ireland?


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## Long Train Runnin' (Mar 20, 2009)

Good report, just kind of sad that you had to deal with bad ordered cars and some very interesting people.


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## had8ley (Mar 20, 2009)

MrFSS said:


> Did you get to ride any trains in Ireland?


Unfortunately no Tom. We did a lot of walking and talking and stayed pretty much in two cities.


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## saxman (Mar 20, 2009)

Wow, quite a trip. Even though those type of passengers get annoying, its still entertaining to hear those stories about them.


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## ourlouisiana (Mar 20, 2009)

Sounds like you had a very interesting day trip !!!

Never thought about it, we are taking the Crescent the week after Easter, hope we don't run into the same type of crowd !!!


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## had8ley (Mar 20, 2009)

This was a once in a lifetime experience. The only worse trip I can remember was when we were pulling 150 loaded cars out of a chemical plant with 2 ragged, rusty, worn out GP-7's. The dispatcher was afraid to let us hit the main for fear we would lose an engine and lay down dead on his main line. We sat in the hole for 8 hours until finally the mosquitoes got tired of eating us up. The fireman and I CLOSED the windows and doors on the way out the door and threw two fusees into the cab. The temperature just about matched the humidity~ 100 degrees. We went and sat down on the rail in front of the engines. We didn't smell pretty when we got off but we had some blood left.


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## amtrakwolverine (Mar 20, 2009)

had8ley said:


> This was a once in a lifetime experience. The only worse trip I can remember was when we were pulling 150 loaded cars out of a chemical plant with 2 ragged, rusty, worn out GP-7's. The dispatcher was afraid to let us hit the main for fear we would lose an engine and lay down dead on his main line. We sat in the hole for 8 hours until finally the mosquitoes got tired of eating us up. The fireman and I CLOSED the windows and doors on the way out the door and threw two fusees into the cab. The temperature just about matched the humidity~ 100 degrees. We went and sat down on the rail in front of the engines. We didn't smell pretty when we got off but we had some blood left.


so you just sat there until your shift was over. you guys didn't have any other locos to attach so you get on the main line?


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## had8ley (Mar 20, 2009)

KISS_ALIVE said:


> had8ley said:
> 
> 
> > This was a once in a lifetime experience. The only worse trip I can remember was when we were pulling 150 loaded cars out of a chemical plant with 2 ragged, rusty, worn out GP-7's. The dispatcher was afraid to let us hit the main for fear we would lose an engine and lay down dead on his main line. We sat in the hole for 8 hours until finally the mosquitoes got tired of eating us up. The fireman and I CLOSED the windows and doors on the way out the door and threw two fusees into the cab. The temperature just about matched the humidity~ 100 degrees. We went and sat down on the rail in front of the engines. We didn't smell pretty when we got off but we had some blood left.
> ...


Nope...on an outlying job you have just the power you leave the yard with. We did get the cars out of the plant and into the first siding.


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## had8ley (Mar 21, 2009)

Just a follow up to the Tuscaloosa flop. I called Amtrak to commend the crew of #19 for the excellent jobs they did on the ground as well as on board. The Crescent manager wasn't in but I did get to talk to the asst. supt. He was painfully aware of the bad order and the 3'30" delay but had no idea about the three ring circus that took place on board. Just my theory; if a manager had been on board about 99% of the shenanigans would never have transpired.


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## amtrakwolverine (Mar 21, 2009)

or if undercover cops were onboard.


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## had8ley (Mar 21, 2009)

KISS_ALIVE said:


> or if undercover cops were onboard.


I don't think even Special Agent Pat would have had a chance....


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## PaulM (Mar 22, 2009)

had8ley said:


> Some teen-ager wanted a Coke instead of a Pepsi. The LSA tried very hard to appease him by saying that Amtrak only sold Pepsi products. This just infuriated him more to where the conductor and A/C had to intervene. The kid wanted his money back but the sale had already been rung up.


Something is missing in your story. The way you describe it, it sounds like the kid asked for a Coke, The attendant took his money and gave him a Pepsi. The kid realized he'd gotten a Pepsi, and wanted his money back. The LSA said we only serve Pepsi and it's your tough luck.

Another interpretation is that the kid asked for a Coke and the attendant said we only serve Pepsi. The kid then said OK and paid for the Pepsi. He then changed his mind and wanted his money back.

In the first case, I wouldn't fault the attendant too much for trying to slip one past the kid. But once he was called on it, it would be outrageous not to give him is money back. If the having the sale already rung up makes this acceptable, there is something wrong with the system.

In the second case, I would call this chutzpah on the part the kid.

I almost forgot a third possible interpretation. When I was growing up in the South, "coke" (lower case) was a generic term for soft drink, soda, soda water, tonic, etc. Perhaps the kid asked for a Coke and the attendant thought he meant coke. In this case it would be a pretty sharp business practice to not give him his money back, especially if he were a Yankee.


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## ALC Rail Writer (Mar 22, 2009)

Long Train Runnin said:


> Good report, just kind of sad that you had to deal with bad ordered cars and some very interesting people.


But the people are what make the trip fun! Seriously, you could write so many books with these characters it's amazing!


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## had8ley (Mar 22, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


> Long Train Runnin said:
> 
> 
> > Good report, just kind of sad that you had to deal with bad ordered cars and some very interesting people.
> ...


The conductor whispered in my ear as I was getting off of #19 in Slidell, "I sure wish I was getting off with you." He had enough~ he was down to his T-shirt in unloading the B/O baggage car and setting it out in the middle of no where. Then he had to pull out his ringmaster's whistle when he got back to the train. Interesting trip to say the least but I wouldn't do it again.


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## ALC Rail Writer (Mar 22, 2009)

Still a very special trip with very interesting people, real people. Not the kind of stuff you find in shops in Manhattan or in planes at 35,000 feet-- that's the point of train travel, you get to meet people at their best and worst all at the same time. It's not fake...


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## amtrakwolverine (Mar 22, 2009)

PaulM said:


> had8ley said:
> 
> 
> > Some teen-ager wanted a Coke instead of a Pepsi. The LSA tried very hard to appease him by saying that Amtrak only sold Pepsi products. This just infuriated him more to where the conductor and A/C had to intervene. The kid wanted his money back but the sale had already been rung up.
> ...


but the kid goes and tells his mommy he was accused of trying to pickup a 14 year old girl.



> He comes back with his mother who wants to know who accused him of trying to pick up a 14 year old girl.


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## had8ley (Mar 23, 2009)

KISS_ALIVE said:


> PaulM said:
> 
> 
> > had8ley said:
> ...


Well the story goes a little deeper. The attendant had recently been called up for investigation for NOT selling a $1.75 cup of noodles. Turns out a spotter wanted noodles and the lounge LSA told him he was out. When they did inventory in New Orleans he found one cup stuffed under the mass of merchandise that exists behind that cafe counter.(And I don't know how they get all that stuff back there) His charge? "Denying Amtrak revenue by NOT selling a $1.75 cup of noodles." Sounds crazy but I can back it up. I think he would have sold someone a piece of cheese if they wanted a piece of the moon. And yes, he is NOL based and "cold drink" and "Coke" are almost recognized as almost one and the same. The kid belongs in a mental institution; not an Amtrak train.


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## amtrakwolverine (Mar 23, 2009)

that attendant should fight the charge of "denying amtrak revenue. He thought he was out. its not his fault 1 cup of noodles got lost when it was stocked. he doesn't stock the train with food he just sells it. i would protest. i agree with the kid going to a mental hospital.


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## AlanB (Mar 23, 2009)

KISS_ALIVE said:


> that attendant should fight the charge of "denying amtrak revenue. He thought he was out. its not his fault 1 cup of noodles got lost when it was stocked. he doesn't stock the train with food he just sells it. i would protest. i agree with the kid going to a mental hospital.


While the attendant doesn't carry the food out to the train, he/she does take all the food out of the boxes that it gets delivered in and displays it on the counter. Since the noodles were on the counter, even though they were hidden, technically it is his fault.

I'm not saying that the attendant was actually wrong, people do make honest mistakes and I believe that's what happened here. But again, it is the attendant who puts out all the merchandise and places it in the fridges and cabinets.


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## had8ley (Mar 23, 2009)

AlanB said:


> KISS_ALIVE said:
> 
> 
> > that attendant should fight the charge of "denying amtrak revenue. He thought he was out. its not his fault 1 cup of noodles got lost when it was stocked. he doesn't stock the train with food he just sells it. i would protest. i agree with the kid going to a mental hospital.
> ...


I would agree that he is responsible to sell all that he can find. I doubt seriously that there is any LSA that can display all their inventory unless they've been out for a week and were never re-supplied. I just wonder what it cost to hold an investigation for a $1.75 cup of noodles? People do make mistakes and overlooking one cup of noodles in the mountain of inventory is not hard to do. According to the LSA the noodles were underneath some boxes in his storage area~ not in plain sight for sale.


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## AlanB (Mar 23, 2009)

had8ley said:


> I would agree that he is responsible to sell all that he can find. I doubt seriously that there is any LSA that can display all their inventory unless they've been out for a week and were never re-supplied. I just wonder what it cost to hold an investigation for a $1.75 cup of noodles? People do make mistakes and overlooking one cup of noodles in the mountain of inventory is not hard to do. According to the LSA the noodles were underneath some boxes in his storage area~ not in plain sight for sale.


And frankly I'd much rather see the LSA attending to customers and actually selling them the food that can be easily seen, rather than spending 5 minutes rumaging through boxes and compartments trying to find a cup of noodles to sell at $1.75.


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## PaulM (Mar 23, 2009)

I still didn't hear anything in the story to indicate the kid is a mental case. The latest installment makes it sounds like the LSA took his noodle problem out on the kid.

I did mention the possibility of there being something wrong with the system. The noodle story only bolsters my gut feel. Maybe the customer relations department should take over the snack bar. Think of all the vouchers that could be saved this way. Even if a voucher doesn't cost Amtrak revenue, dishing them out must cost more than a few snacks.


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## had8ley (Mar 24, 2009)

PaulM said:


> I still didn't hear anything in the story to indicate the kid is a mental case. The latest installment makes it sounds like the LSA took his noodle problem out on the kid.
> I did mention the possibility of there being something wrong with the system. The noodle story only bolsters my gut feel. Maybe the customer relations department should take over the snack bar. Think of all the vouchers that could be saved this way. Even if a voucher doesn't cost Amtrak revenue, dishing them out must cost more than a few snacks.


I thought everyone would pick up on the kid returning with momma in tow and making up the 14 year old female story that had absolutely nothing to do with the Coke or the noodles.


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## tp49 (Mar 26, 2009)

AlanB said:


> had8ley said:
> 
> 
> > I would agree that he is responsible to sell all that he can find. I doubt seriously that there is any LSA that can display all their inventory unless they've been out for a week and were never re-supplied. I just wonder what it cost to hold an investigation for a $1.75 cup of noodles? People do make mistakes and overlooking one cup of noodles in the mountain of inventory is not hard to do. According to the LSA the noodles were underneath some boxes in his storage area~ not in plain sight for sale.
> ...


True, and how much revenue would the LSA be denying Amtrak if say he had several people in line and spent five minutes hunting for a $1.75 cup of noodles? Any one or a couple of those people might get impatient and just go back to their seat not spending a dime. Anyone know the average amount someone spends in the lounge per purchase?


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