# Fresh air stops; Food delivery; Time off train



## Alicia (Mar 16, 2021)

Can you get off the train for fresh air? Has anyone had food delivered to the train?


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## caravanman (Mar 16, 2021)

The Long Distance trains do stop for a few minutes for a fresh air or smoke break. It is usually only 5 minutes or so, except for a crew change stop. It can be 6 hours or more between each fresh air stop...
They get cut short if the train is running behind schedule. Amtrak Long Distance trains often run several hours late, so it would be tricky indeed to order food for delivery to meet your train, but not impossible if you were lucky...


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

This is related to my situation. 

Taking the Eastbound Chief and then Westbound Eagle soon, anyone know the best smoke breaks to have food delivered? And is burrito lady operating?


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## Seaboard92 (Mar 16, 2021)

Cal said:


> This is related to my situation.
> 
> Taking the Eastbound Chief and then Westbound Eagle soon, anyone know the best smoke breaks to have food delivered? And is burrito lady operating?


Tell me your end points and I can give you some recommendations on where to get food. 

If you tell me where you are wanting to travel to the OP I can tell you where and when the fresh air stops are and any that have potential for food delivery. I've been thinking about writing a small eBook on places you can order food on Amtrak


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

Seaboard92 said:


> Tell me your end points and I can give you some recommendations on where to get food.
> 
> If you tell me where you are wanting to travel to the OP I can tell you where and when the fresh air stops are and any that have potential for food delivery. I've been thinking about writing a small eBook on places you can order food on Amtrak


FUL-CHI then CHI-LAX


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

I posted another thread about it among other things, however since it got few replies I posted here.

I also posted the trip in the trips thread.


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 16, 2021)

Albuqurque is really the only stop long enough on #4 to order food to be delivered to the Train ( #3 has a longer Dwell Time so you could go to a Food place yourself ).

On the Eagle, St Louis is usually a fairly long stop ( if close to on time) but since you can either eat a Late Lunch in Chicago, or take Food on the Train with you to avoid Dinner in the Diner) but its after 8pm and is last call in the Diner.( Theres nothing in the Station upstairs)except a Small Really Bad Pizza Hut/KFC Combo joint.

You're next opportunity isnt until Ft Worth. Breakfast is served around Texarkana- Longview depending on the OTP, Lunch starts around Dallas and ends in Ft Worth so you could get food delivered to the Station in Ft Worth.( the only thing in the Station is Subway that's usually very busy and Vending Machines).

Dinner will be served after the Temple Stop with Austin last call for Sleeper passengers.

After that San Antonio is a long layover, theres been plenty of trip reports on this Layover so Google it)

Lunch usually starts after the Alpine Stop ( fairly brief if not on time), and El Paso does have the Burrito Lady when she does visit the Station.( shes not always there).El Paso makes it difficult to get thru the Gate to the Platform for Non- Ticketed people.

After that you'll have time in Tucson to pickup something from the Nice but pricey Cafe in the Station, there is also a Convience store that sells snacky stuff.

You could get Delivery to the Station if you call before arrival once you know your arrival time. ( I'd ask the Conductor and/or your SCA).

After that it's dark till you roll into LAX @ 0- Dark Thirty, you might want to grab some Breakfast snacks and Coffee in the Metrp Lounge ( Free) or the Starbucks in the Lobby @ Big Bucks Prices.


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

Bob Dylan said:


> Albuqurque is really the only stop long enough on #4 to order food to be delivered to the Train ( #3 has a longer Dwell Time so you could go to a Food place yourself ).
> 
> On the Eagle, St Louis is usually a fairly long stop ( if close to on time) but since you can either eat a Late Lunch in Chicago, or take Food on the Train with you to avoid Dinner in the Diner) but its after 8pm and is last call in the Diner.
> 
> ...


I think I'll try to get things at Albuquerque, Fort Worth, El Paso, and Tuscan. 

I think, since #21 has a 50 minute long stop in Fort Worth, should be able to get something from Subway. 

And how do you define "nice" in the Tuscan cafe? Do they have sandwhiches or things that could count as a meal? Or just some nice snacks.


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 16, 2021)

Cal said:


> I think I'll try to get things at Albuquerque, Fort Worth, El Paso, and Tuscan.
> 
> I think, since #21 has a 50 minute long stop in Fort Worth, should be able to get something from Subway.
> 
> And how do you define "nice" in the Tuscan cafe? Do they have sandwhiches or things that could count as a meal? Or just some nice snacks.


IIn Tucson it's a white table cloth place, good food and drink, but pricey. You might be better off ordering food delivered to the Station.


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## Alicia (Mar 16, 2021)

Seaboard92 said:


> Tell me your end points and I can give you some recommendations on where to get food.
> 
> If you tell me where you are wanting to travel to the OP I can tell you where and when the fresh air stops are and any that have potential for food delivery. I've been thinking about writing a small eBook on places you can order food on Amtrak


I’m going from Chicago to Seattle. Leaving Thursday arriving Saturday


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

Bob Dylan said:


> IIn Tucson it's a white table cloth place, good food and drink, but pricey. You might be better off ordering food delivered to the Station.


Okay, thanks


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## Seaboard92 (Mar 16, 2021)

Cal said:


> FUL-CHI then CHI-LAX



Southwest Chief No. 4 
Albuquerque is 28 Minutes
-Uber Eats

Nearby
-Silver St Market (Silver Ave, 2nd St) (4 minute walk) Connivence Store 
-Cecilia Cafe (Silver Ave, 6th St) (10 Minute Walk) (Better for westbound) New Mexican Cuisine 
-Lulu Kitchen (Gold Ave, 3 St) (7 Minute Walk) Chinese 
-Three Sisters (Gold Ave, 1 St) (2 Minute Walk) New Mexican Cuisine
-Baca Boys Cafe (Central Ave, 4th St) (7 Minute Walk) Mexican 
-Sister (Central Ave, 5th St) (8 Minute Walk) Pub Grub
-Lindy's Diner (Central Ave, 5th St) (10 Minute Walk) American Diner. Also does delivery 


Raton is 5 Minutes
No Recovery time before the stop so likely no food is reachable in time. You can call Burno's Pizza and Wings which is next to the station and see if they would walk it to the platform. 

La Junta is Ten Minutes there appears to be 21 minutes of recovery time prior. 
-Lucy's Taco (3rd St, Raton) (About 4 Minutes)
-Other options in town all close around 2 PM

Kansas City is 35 Minutes (30 in reality because boarding gates close 5-10 minutes prior)
-I don't see breakfast places. You can try Uber Eats

Now that being said there is recovery time ahead of all of those. 

Texas Eagle No. 21 
St. Louis 34 Minutes (Boarding Gates close 5 minutes prior) Todays train used 23 minutes of recovery time prior so it could arrive up to 23 minutes early (not guaranteed) 
-Use Uber Eats as nothing else is located near the station 

Texarkana, Marshal, and Longview all can be a smoke stop depending on how smooth your train gets over the line. Marshal is a crew change. However the platform there is so short they do multiple spots. Marshal has 20 minutes recovery time before it.

Dallas is 20 minutes. There looks to be about 20 minutes of recovery time coming into Dallas. 
-Bullion/Bullion To Go (Record St, Young St) (3 Minute Walk) French
-Or use Uber Eats 
-If Mike's Chicken is offered on Uber Eats get it, by far the best fried chicken I've ever had and I'm from the southeast. 

Fort Worth 45 Minutes. There appears to be 35 minutes ahead of it as well in recovery time. 
-Use Uber Eats as most of the options are a good 15 minute walk away if not 20 minutes. 

Austin is 8 Minutes. 
-Stop too short for anything but Uber Eats

San Antonio It could arrive 1 hour 14 minutes early. 

Connection: Is roughly four hours. If you are on the Thru Cars they may do a brief smoke break when the Eagle arrives but once switching starts you have to wait till the Sunset Limited's boarding call which is in the wee hours. 

-So many options in four hours you could go to. Or you could Uber Eats if you want to stay in your thru sleeper for the switching. 

Sunset Limited No. 1 
-Alpine is ten minutes and appears to have 21 ish minutes of recovery time ahead of it. This is a double spot crew change. 
-Judy's Bread and Breakfast Bakery (Across the St.) (1 Minute Walk) Breakfast Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
-Everything else doesn't open early enough

-El Paso 25 minutes
-Uber Eats
-Taco Lady
-Tabla (Durango St, Western St) (5 Minute Walk) Mexican

-Tuscon 50 Minutes 
-Uber Eats for Delivery 
-Empire Pizza & Pub (Congress, 6th Ave) (4 Minute Walk) Pizza
-O'Malley's Bar & Grill (8th St, 4th Ave) (10 Minute Walk) Irish Pub

I hope this helps a bit. Please remember just because a train normally stops for that long doesn't mean it will if it is running late. Hopefully you will get a good clean run and arrive everywhere a bit early and you can take advantage of some of these. Walking distances are one way not round trip.


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## Cal (Mar 16, 2021)

Seaboard92 said:


> Southwest Chief No. 4
> Albuquerque is 28 Minutes
> -Uber Eats
> 
> ...


Thank you! This really helps. Just gonna try Albuqurque, possibly Raton or La Junta, Fort Worth, El Paos, and Tuscon


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## Seaboard92 (Mar 17, 2021)

Cal said:


> Thank you! This really helps. Just gonna try Albuqurque, possibly Raton or La Junta, Fort Worth, El Paos, and Tuscon



La Junta is the better bet. 

If you can get Mike's Chicken delievered in Dallas you should do that. It's inside a laundromat and has a line wrapped around the block usually. It's amazing.


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## Seaboard92 (Mar 17, 2021)

Alicia said:


> I’m going from Chicago to Seattle. Leaving Thursday arriving Saturday



Milwaukee, WI 10 Minutes. No time to go anywhere. 

Winona, MN 6 Minutes. A Crew change so it's almost always a crew change. No time to get food. 

St Paul, MN 17 Minutes with 33 minutes of recovery time ahead of it. 
-Uber Eats
-I don't see anything open during the normal calling times. 

St. Cloud, MN technically isn't a stretch stop but if the train gets a smooth run out of St. Paul it could arrive 19 Minutes Early
-Nothing appears to be open that late at night. 

Minot, ND 37 Minutes with 68 minutes of recovery time ahead of it. 
-Daily Buzz Coffee Food Truck (Across from the station on 1st Ave SW)
-Charlie's Main St Cafe (Main, 1st Ave) (10 minute Walk) American Diner

Williston, ND Not normally a fresh air stop but if the train gets a clean run there is ten minutes of recovery time.

Havre, MT 20 Minutes
-PJ's (Across the St) American 
-Guadalajara Mexican (1st St, 4th Ave) (4 Minute Walk) Mexican
-The Pro (2nd St, 4th Ave) (6 Minute Walk) Subs/ Pizza
-Lunch Box (2nd St, 3rd Ave) (6 Minute Walk) Sandwiches
-Wolfers Diner (2nd St, 3rd Ave) (5 Minute Walk) American Diner

Shelby, MT 5 Minutes but with 21 minutes of recovery time ahead of it. 

Whitefish, MT 20 Minutes with 25 minutes of recovery time ahead of it. 
-Markus Foods (Railway and Baker) (5 Minute Walk) Grocery Store
-Tupelo Grille (Central and Railway (3 Minute Walk) Southern USA Food
-Craggy Range Bar & Grill (Central and Railway) (3 Minute Walk) Pub Grub
-Mackenzie River Pizza (Central and Railway) (3 Minute Walk) Pizza 
-Great Northern Bar & Grill (Central and Railway (4 Minute Walk) Pub Grub
-Caseys (Central and 1st) (4 Minute Walk) Pub Grub
-Abruzzo Italian (Central and 1st Ave) (5 Minute Walk) Italian 

Spokane, WA 35 Minutes with 74 Minutes of recovery time before. 
-Uber Eats
-I don't see menus for the bars open around the station that late into the night. 

Wenatchee, WA 10 Minutes

Note Recovery time is not guaranteed it is there to help a late train make up time. It can very well not occur if you are late, and even if you are on time slow running will cut recovery time down.


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## Cal (Mar 17, 2021)

Seaboard92 said:


> La Junta is the better bet.
> 
> If you can get Mike's Chicken delievered in Dallas you should do that. It's inside a laundromat and has a line wrapped around the block usually. It's amazing.


Okay, it really depends how hungry I am!


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## jebr (Mar 17, 2021)

Seaboard92 said:


> St Paul, MN 17 Minutes with 33 minutes of recovery time ahead of it.
> -Uber Eats
> -I don't see anything open during the normal calling times.
> 
> ...



St. Paul unfortunately isn't a practical option for Uber Eats - you'd have to walk outside of the station to pick it up, which involves going up an escalator and then walking about 3-5 minutes through the station out to the light rail platform (or down a few escalators to Kellogg Blvd, where the ticket counter is.) That one escalator is also used both for disembarking passengers and receiving passengers (it flips from up to down when they're done unloading passengers.) The setup isn't conducive to getting food from off-train sources.

St. Cloud is a crew change spot, and you might be able to get some delivery there (it's a college town with a few different pizza options that are likely open that late) but given it's not an official fresh air stop you might meet resistance from the conductors.


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## Seaboard92 (Mar 17, 2021)

jebr said:


> St. Paul unfortunately isn't a practical option for Uber Eats - you'd have to walk outside of the station to pick it up, which involves going up an escalator and then walking about 3-5 minutes through the station out to the light rail platform (or down a few escalators to Kellogg Blvd, where the ticket counter is.) That one escalator is also used both for disembarking passengers and receiving passengers (it flips from up to down when they're done unloading passengers.) The setup isn't conducive to getting food from off-train sources.
> 
> St. Cloud is a crew change spot, and you might be able to get some delivery there (it's a college town with a few different pizza options that are likely open that late) but given it's not an official fresh air stop you might meet resistance from the conductors.



I think if the OP asked the inbound crew nicely they might be willing especially if it arrives early like it normally does. I know that when I've had delivery done to trains at short stops the crews have been mostly accommodating provided there wasn't a delay. The food had to be at the station waiting on the train to arrive.


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