# My First AGR Award Trip



## Bob Dylan (Nov 13, 2009)

Nov.4,Wed AUS-STL Texas Eagle #22

Familiar ride on the Eagle in roomette #9, know all the crew and conductors from my many rides! bright sunny,warm day, the countryside finally green from the much needed rains in the past month! We kep time the whole way, went to sleep after LRK, woke up running along the River close to St. Louis,

we were 1 hr up on time, pulled into the station @ 6:15AM. Great service from the crew, the consist had been the usual on this route, had a lesiurly breakfast in the CCC before detraining and going in to the station to await the 8:30AM River Runner #301which is now a guaranteed connection to KCY.

The first class lounge is not open, I have not seen it open in my 4 trips through here, perhaps its just a sign? :lol:

Nov.5 Thurs STL-KCY RiverRunner #311

Loaded @ 8:00AM, consist was engine, cafe/biz car, 2 coaches (AMcans). A mostly full train, we received one non-alcoholic drink for our $12 upgrade but the seat was comfortable (2/1 leather seats, plenty of footroom)! A really nice trip through the suburbs, pretty little towns that remind me of Northern California. The ride along the River is really pretty, its very full due to heavy rains. We pass throught the Capital Jeff City, it looks pretty small and remote for the capital but a pretty place on what I saw, We kept time into Independence (the Truman Library looks pretty interesting up on the hill above the old station which is a museum. We soon pulled into the yards and slowly wound our way into downtown KCY which looks to be a mkix of old and new like most cities. Lots of rennovation going on, we arrive on time @ the Union Station, Im surprised that you have to take an elevator and walk so far to get into the station. I check my bags with Amtrak ($3 isnt bad for 2 bags), take a quick tour of the really grand station, then hop a cab to 18th and Vine,

grabsome lunch in a sandwich shop, then visit the rest of the evening in the Negro Leagues Black Baseball Museum and the Jazz Museum which are in a very modern and beautiful building! I stay till they kick me out, go up the street a couple of blocks and eat a HUGE Bar-B-Q plate @ Arthur Bryants, @ the risk of being labeled a traitor I have to say it was Great and more than I could eat!!

By this time it was dark so I took a cab (its probably walkable but it was getting cold and dark and I wasnt positive where the station was!)Returning to the station I spent a couple of hours exploring this beautiful building from another time, Im glad the folks in KCY were able to save it! It does seem forlorn @ night, such a huge place and Amtrak has just a small ticket counter/waiting room in this gem! Reminds me of Chicago where they dont use the Great Hall but even a larger scale!

The SWC pulled in early about 9:30pm, lots of pax came into the station,got baggage etc. Probaly 50 people were waiting, Id struck up conversations with several friendly folks so we took turns watching each others stuff so we could use the john, walk around etc.The luggage room guy (a kid really!0 announced all luggage had to be in/out by 10PM even though the departure is 10:55PM so this worked!

Nov. 5 Thurs SWC#3 KCY-LAX

Finally the boarding announcement, the herd starte rushing to the door, lined up @ the elevator and many went down the long walkway to the steep stairs!

Since I was in a sleeper 9#, I was in no hurry and helped a nice older lady with her stuff get to the basement where she was to ride to ABQ.

The SCA was Joann, a real ball of fire, more later on this really great OBS person!We loaded, the beds were made up already, I walked the train while we awaited the large number of folks to board/reboard: the consist: 2 engines/baggage/trans dorm/2 revenue sleepers,diner,ssl,three coaches,

Id guess that the coaches were 3/4 full, the sleepers were full!We rolled out on time heading west, I went to sleep after we left the outskirts!

Rolling through Kansas in the night (cold and clear night), as others have mentioned the tracks were very rough, more so IMHO than the CONO or SSL

between HOS and SAS, thats rough!Awoke leaving Kansas into Colorado,had a great hot shower, full breakfast and got off for some cool (cold! :lol: )air in La Junta where I saw my first sight on Snow capped mountains in the distance! We were running early, spent 45 minutes there and rolled out on schedule through Trinidad into Raton,NM through Raton Pass. The toliets had quit working, Joann and other pax said it has been a problem on this route for the poast week.She somehow got them working, we pulled in to the interesting town of Raton, got some more cool air and exercise, we loaded a large contingent of Scouts into the coaches (I thought they only rode in Summer?) and rolled out for Albuquerque on time. Lots of really large deer and herds of Antelope observed on the way, the plains with the snow cap mountains in the distance looked really cool!

Into ABQ early, wed have an hour/20min layover, visited the station, looked over the Indian vendors array, bought a couple of Souvenirs for the daughter/girlfriend and granddaughter, some folks ordered food in the snack bar in the station, looks very efficient and modern yet fits the city!(Amtrak take note before builkding an ymore Amshaks!)We finally rolled out, had a great dinner in the diner, went to bed early helped by a couple of Sam Adams

and a Baileys or two, slept like a baby!Awoke during the stops in Flagstaff and Williams, a couple got off there and it remeinded me of Beaumont, nothing there in the cold and dark but a van pulled up and some got on/off, we then rolled out west!

A word here about Joann (Amtrak sure heard from me about her!), what a friendly,helpful,professional SCA, she told me shed worked 15 straight days, was working on her Holiday $$ for her kids and 6 grandkids!Best service Id received ever from an SCA and what a friendly person!She woke me up between Victorville,CA and San Bernadino so I could shower and have an early breakfast!We rolled through the burbs of LAX,Pulled in 45 mins early @ 7:30AM. It was saturday but still large crowds on the platforms, in the tunnels and station! I went to the Lobby and was surprised to see that the Traxx Lounge opened @ 8:30AM for the CS #14, so had some juice and coffe,l read the paper while I relaxed before going in to the lounge and relaxing a. The conductor came and pulled the tickets about 9:30,the red caps loaded up the luggage and they let us go board about 9:45AM.

Sat 11/07 CS#14 LAX-PDX

Met our SCA Joey Cortez, loaded for room #6 (it was on the good side, the left! :lol: ), walked the train.The consist: 2 engines/baggage/trans dorm/3 revenue sleepers/PPC!  diner/ssl/2 coaches/1 deadhead Caltrain coach (Joey said it was being deadheaded to the Bay Area).We rolled out on time on a Sunny.perfect S. Cal day, up through the Burbs, soon through the stops to Beautiful Santa Barbara, along the coast all the usual suspects camping and hanging out on the beach and the surfers wewre thick as flies, the wind was up and the breakers fairly large!Had a great luch (pasta nad shrimp salad)in the PPC,rode along visiting with friendly folks from all over the world. I skipped the wine and cheese tasting since there was a large crowd but they let us stay in the ez chairs so ahd a couple of cool drinks as we rolled along,. Keeping time we soon got the famous Horseshoe Curve, lots of folks excited over this one. Soon it was starting to slowly get dark, as we rolled out of Paso Robles someone shot @ the train hitting one of the top windows in the PPC blowing lots of glass into the seats. The OBS and conductor came, surveyed the situation, duct taped!!! the window, told us it was the second time it had happened in a week, that Amtrak police would be on the lookout and the car would be removed from service upon return to LAX, that a window had to be custom made for these and it cost like $3,000 for this! They cleaned up the glass, taped off the first two chairs by the damaged window and we rolled out!

Had a great dinner in the PPC (Salmon),a couple of Baileys, talked with folks till we hit San Jose (we were 30 mins. down) but a large group got off/on so we spent about 30 mins. in the station, it was getting cool and damp!Rolled up to OKJ, made a brief stop, then into the yards to remove the CalTrain car, pickup a deadhead coach(dont know why?neither did the OBS??)Rolled out through Martinez, the beds were made, I went to sleep, slept through SAC,

woke up as the sun was coming up near Mt. Shasta, a sunny cold morrning with lots of snow on everything, what a grand sight!Had a a good hot brekfast in the diner, took a hot shower and hung out in the PPC with new made friends till we hit Klamath Falls, still about 30 mins down. Had a 30 min layover

("please stay trainside and listen for the boarding announcement"), it was a clear and coold morning in Southern Oregon!

We rolled up throughEugene/Albany?Salem into Portland as the sky darkened and it started to rain! We crossed the river and pulled into PDX 30 minutes down, it was a great trip, thanks to a great SCA (Joey was called in to Amtrak too!)and we detrained and headed for the Lounge where the real adventure begin! To be contin ued in Part II!!


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## MrFSS (Nov 13, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> . . . as we rolled out of Paso Robles someone shot @ the train hitting one of the top windows in the PPC blowing lots of glass into the seats. The OBS and conductor came, surveyed the situation, duct taped!!! the window, told us it was the second time it had happened in a week, that Amtrak police would be on the lookout and the car would be removed from service upon return to LAX, that a window had to be custom made for these and it cost like $3,000 for this! They cleaned up the glass, taped off the first two chairs by the damaged window and we rolled out!


Did they find the bullet? Might match something in the databases.


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## ALC Rail Writer (Nov 13, 2009)

Sounds like it had to have been a pretty heavy gun to do that--


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## cpamtfan (Nov 13, 2009)

Thats why its a pain to keep these cars in service, every thing costs so much in it.

Now we have to figure out who the Amtrak sniper is, because if this were to injure or kill some passenger, that could not be good.


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## ALC Rail Writer (Nov 13, 2009)

Le's not call it a sniper. Could be a drunk hillbilly with a shotgun and a deer slug.


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## pennyk (Nov 13, 2009)

Thanks Jim. I enjoyed your trip report and am looking forward to part 2.


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## AlanB (Nov 13, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


> Le's not call it a sniper. Could be a drunk hillbilly with a shotgun and a deer slug.


Not twice in one week. Someone is using that train for target practice or something worse, if you ask me.


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## ALC Rail Writer (Nov 13, 2009)

AlanB said:


> ALC_Rail_Writer said:
> 
> 
> > Le's not call it a sniper. Could be a drunk hillbilly with a shotgun and a deer slug.
> ...


Hillbillies can strike twice in the same place.

I just wouldn't want anybody to blow this into some sort of targeted attack intended to cause maximum fear and damage... especially after the DC Sniper got offed, people's sensitivities can be quite high.

I'd think it is the product of somebody dumb with little more to do than a sniper which is, by definition, "A sniper is a highly trained marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles. In addition to marksmanship, military snipers are also trained in camouflage, field craft, infiltration, reconnaissance and observation techniques"


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## the_traveler (Nov 14, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> > ALC_Rail_Writer said:
> ...


Maybe he/she/it just used the train for target practice, and just shot "a car of a train" and was a "drunk hillbilly" - but if their aim was off, and it struck 1 or 2 feet lower, then they would easily be a sniper (or worse)! 

However, I think anytime you shoot a weapon anywhere near where people are (and you can assume people are aboard a *passenger* train), you are a sniper!


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 14, 2009)

MrFSS said:


> jimhudson said:
> 
> 
> > . . . as we rolled out of Paso Robles someone shot @ the train hitting one of the top windows in the PPC blowing lots of glass into the seats. The OBS and conductor came, surveyed the situation, duct taped!!! the window, told us it was the second time it had happened in a week, that Amtrak police would be on the lookout and the car would be removed from service upon return to LAX, that a window had to be custom made for these and it cost like $3,000 for this! They cleaned up the glass, taped off the first two chairs by the damaged window and we rolled out!
> ...


No bullet Tom,the conductor told the SA in the PPC that the Amtrak and Paso Robles police were on the lookout, that a kid gang was thought to be possibly responsible as this was the second window in a week to be hit in this area! Im glad no-one was hurt, the glass is really thick, which is good but with so few of these gems left itsgetting harder and harder to make/find parts! Hope these idiots are caught and get some hard time bustin rocks as they used to say! I know that rocks are thrown @ trains all the time, stuff is put on the tracks and gun shots are more common than most folks realize, thankfully no-one has been injured or killed by these cretins!


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## acelafan (Nov 15, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> Nov.4,Wed AUS-STL Texas Eagle #22Familiar ride on the Eagle in roomette #9, know all the crew and conductors from my many rides! bright sunny,warm day, the countryside finally green from the much needed rains in the past month! We kep time the whole way, went to sleep after LRK, woke up running along the River close to St. Louis,
> 
> we were 1 hr up on time, pulled into the station @ 6:15AM. Great service from the crew, the consist had been the usual on this route, had a lesiurly breakfast in the CCC before detraining and going in to the station to await the 8:30AM River Runner #301which is now a guaranteed connection to KCY.
> 
> ...


Sounds like a great trip and a lot fun from start to finish! I'm looking forward to my first AGR trip too and still working out the plans.

Question: Say I booked a trip from BOS to PDX via the Lake Shore Limited, Southwest Chief, and then the Coast Starlight. It would be one AGR reservation for 2 people sharing a roomette. Is it possible for my companion to meet me in Chicago and hop on board there, or would Amtrak cancel their ticket upon realizing that they did not board the train at the origin with me in Boston? Put simply, my friend doesn't want to spend as much time on the train with me, but is willing to hop on mid-way especially to travel through the west. Can you do that on Amtrak since each segment is ticketed separately (I think?) The airlines wouldn't allow it, of course! Thanks for any clarification.


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## the_traveler (Nov 16, 2009)

acelafan said:


> I'm looking forward to my first AGR trip too and still working out the plans.
> Question: Say I booked a trip from BOS to PDX via the Lake Shore Limited, Southwest Chief, and then the Coast Starlight. It would be one AGR reservation for 2 people sharing a roomette. Is it possible for my companion to meet me in Chicago and hop on board there, or would Amtrak cancel their ticket upon realizing that they did not board the train at the origin with me in Boston? Put simply, my friend doesn't want to spend as much time on the train with me, but is willing to hop on mid-way especially to travel through the west. Can you do that on Amtrak since each segment is ticketed separately (I think?) The airlines wouldn't allow it, of course! Thanks for any clarification.


#1 - I don't think a routing of BOS-CHI-LAX-PDX is a valid AGR routing. (It wasn't for me.  I had to start my award in CHI to go via LAX.) The good thing :blink: is that BOS-BUF is 3,000 points *in coach*  , but BUF-CHI in coach is (was) reasonable! (Even if you start in TOL (the zone border city), you will be routed on the EB.

#2 - Technically, you can't do it, *BUT* "Sam" is the AGR member that is getting the AGR award. "Sam" books BOS-PDX for "Sam" & "Bob". However, when "Sam" boards in BOS *IF THEY ASK* (and they may not), "Sam" says that "Bob" could not make it, but will join him later.

When "Sam" arrives in CHI, he is joined by "Bob"! I have done this and it is no problem. I have boarded in BHM and met my traveling companion at the connection in WAS. No problem at all!


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## acelafan (Nov 16, 2009)

the_traveler said:


> acelafan said:
> 
> 
> > I'm looking forward to my first AGR trip too and still working out the plans.
> ...


Many thanks for the clarification. I wasn't sure if it was better to ask for permission or to ask for forgiveness! 

I'm still not sure about the routing on #1 - it may not be possible on AGR...have to check on that. But excellent tip on the coach points; I had forgotten about that option, too!


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 16, 2009)

Checking Amtrak.com on a random date (December 7) it shows SIX different ways to get from BOS to PDX (all share

the LSL either #49/#449):

According to this you CAN go to LAX via the SWC and ride the CS to PDX in addition to using the Zephyer and CS from SAC or the EB #27 to PDX or #7 and a Cascades tofrom SEA-PDX. Correct me if Im wrong ( attention: the_traveler!!!)

but I believe that all are a 3 zone award so might as well take the route with the most train time which should be:

BOS-CHI LSL

CHI-LAX SWC

LAX-PDX CS

Going through SAC on the Zephyer involves a nine hour layover, the EB route to SEA would have a Talgo ride to PDX so anyway you go is good but you

indicated you wanted to go to LAX so theoreticaly its possible IF AGR will book it??


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## the_traveler (Nov 16, 2009)

If the routings include the SWC, then *YES*  it is a valid AGR choice! When I tried in March, all I got from TOL was


LSL->EB (direct to PDX)

LSL->EB (to SEA)->Cascades

LSL->CZ->CS

That's why I began in CHI - to go SWC->CS! Maybe it changed! (I hope it did!  )


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## Rumpled (Nov 16, 2009)

MrFSS said:


> Did they find the bullet? Might match something in the databases.


Someone might have been watching too much TV.

Even if it was a drunk hillbilly, probably with a rifle. Not much slug hunting out here in CA.

Whatever it was, seriously dumb and criminal.


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## acelafan (Nov 16, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> Checking Amtrak.com on a random date (December 7) it shows SIX different ways to get from BOS to PDX (all sharethe LSL either #49/#449):
> 
> According to this you CAN go to LAX via the SWC and ride the CS to PDX in addition to using the Zephyer and CS from SAC or the EB #27 to PDX or #7 and a Cascades tofrom SEA-PDX. Correct me if Im wrong ( attention: the_traveler!!!)
> 
> ...


Excellent...I thought the general rule of thumb is "if you can book it on amtrak.com then it should be bookable via AGR". I am still tossing around possible trips, but you are right: I want the most train for my AGR!


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