# The Texas Eagle has it's Wings Clipped Again!!!



## Bob Dylan (Jul 26, 2013)

I rode a Full #22 from AUS-TAY Wednesday 10/24 for a Points/Bar-B-Q Run! Tempo has upped the fare to $8.00 each way (it was $7 a year ago, then $7.50, wonder if Tempo hired an Airline Revenue Manager???) On time, had a Nice Lunch @ Muellars and spent a Pleasant 100 Degree Afternoon @ the Really Nice Air Conditioned City Library! I checked with Julie every couple of hours on #21/#421s Progress Southbound, On Time as far as McGregor so @ 5:00PM I headed for the Picnic Table with a Roof Station and arrived @ 5:15PM for a 5:36PM Departure!

My Phone pinged an e-mail from Amtrak and it advised me of a 30 Minute Delay, pretty Routine on the UP Freight Clogged Routes now-a-days! 6PM came so I lcalled Julie and Surprise, #21/#421 has a Service Disruption between McGregor and Temple!  Since there were about 6 People waiting with me heading for places from Austin to LAX, I called Amtrak and a Agent told me that the SINGLE Engine had broke down and that UP was dragging the Train to Temple where a Mechanic would attempt to fis it since there was no Head in Power on this 104 Degree Day! (hence No A/c/ No Diner etc.) I was told to call back in an Hour and they should have Updated Info on the plan of action/Status of the Eagle!

Needless to say the other folks waiting werent happy and several called Amtrak and really got into it with the Hapless Agents who were doing the best they could! i tried to assure the others that soon as they had info Amtrak would let us know and that they WOULD get to where they were going, it was just a matter of How and When???

7:00PM came and went and people continued to call in and become irate with the Amtrak Agents!

Since I had been through this a time or two before I called Customer Service and found out that Busses had been ordered, that the Pax on the Train were inside the Temple Station and that Pizza, Snack Packs and Water was ordered for everyone!  I knew that one of the Austin Agents was working Temple that day so I called him on his Cell Phone (he's an excellent Agent and a really Nice Guy!)for an update! He told me that the Buses were arriving, that everyone for San Antonio would be loaded first since it was a #421 Day and Connections had to be made in SAS! There was a Lady with us going to LAX and several for SAS so he told me that the Bus would come by Taylor and Pick them up and that those of us going to Austin (me  ) and San Marcos would be picked up on the "Local" Second Bus which should be in Taylor around 9-9:30PM!! He also said that the Conductors and Engineer would be on the Busses but that the OBS were going to ride the Eagle back to Ft. Worth which would be hauled by a UP Rescue Engine and where it would become #22 in the morning since FTW has a Rescue Amtrak Engine available!! (Pax between SAS and Cleburne would be Bustituted on Thursday morning to FTW) This info seemed to calm down the other folks alot! ^_^

Finally about 9:30PM a Charter (Coach USA) Bus rolled in to the Taylor UP Station lot and about 10 People got off, the Conductor Unloaded their Luggage, then Loaded ours and scanned our tickets and we got on the Bus! He passed out Water, Pizza and Snack Packs to those of us boarding in Taylor and we Highballed towards Austin!  Low and Behold, the A/C quit working soon as we started up 79 heading for Round Rock and Austin! The Conductor and the Bus Driver conferred and we were given the option of getting off in Round Rock and waiting on a Substitute Bus or going on to Austin w/o AC via the Toll Road which is much faster than the I35!!! It was Unanimous to head for Austin so we made a Warm but Speedy Trip down MoPac, the Driver then had to ask the Conductor how to find the Amtrak Station in Austin, it';s not Easy, it's Austin! (even your GPS gets Lost here!  )I climbed off the [email protected] 10:30PM, only 4 Hours Late and headed for home wondering why Amtrak still runs the Eagle with one Engine, especially in the 100 Degree Summers??? :blink: :angry:

Based on previous experience (lots in Chicago!)I thought that Amtrak did a First Rate job of handling this Crisis and will be letting Customer Relations know this when I call to Complain about only the one Engine being on this Train! I am not gonna ask for a Voucher, it was only an $16 ticket and i really didnt miss out on anything but time which, as a retired person, I have plenty of! 

Time to plan my next Trip but to somewhere Cool!! :giggle:


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## billthebarn (Jul 26, 2013)

Moral of this story:

If you're in Austin and you've got a hankering for Bar-B-Q, find a local joint. lol!!


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 26, 2013)

billthebarn said:


> Moral of this story:
> If you're in Austin and you've got a hankering for Bar-B-Q, find a local joint. lol!!


:lol: But then I'd have to Drive in the Austin Road Lottery and then Wait in Line with all the Tourists and Yankees! :giggle:

(Plus theres No Points and No Train to Ride except the Red Line!!  )


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## Devil's Advocate (Jul 26, 2013)

I've been curious how smoothly your intrastate trips have been going. As a devout traveler I often get the itch to jump on the nearest train (or plane). Even though I like the idea of a weekend day trip I'd hate being stuck for hours waiting for my ride home. Do any of the turnaround stations north of Austin have a nice hotel nearby? That way I'd be able to relax in comfort even if everything went to hell with Amtrak's single engine Eagle.


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## tonys96 (Jul 26, 2013)

Well, at least you got to have some good BBQ.....we missed out on it on our trip to Taylor 

Good attitude, Jim, and I'll bet your attitude helped some of the other stranded folks ease up a little.

What's the speed limit on the toll road? 90?


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 26, 2013)

Chris: Temple has the I35 Chain Motels (and usual Suspect Fast food Joints) close to the Amtrak Station (a few Blocks to the West of the Station) and the Best Mom and Pop Diner in Texas is Downtoiwn a Couple of Blocks away! (We's Burgers and More/Great Plate Lunches but only Open Mon-Fri) You already know about the Rail Museum in the old Santa Fe Station and also there is a Great City Library close to We's where I hang out when waiting for #21/#421! Cleburne also has a few Motels and Resturants and is the last place you can do a Day turn since #22 usually gets to FTW Late (after #21 Leaves) even though once in awhile #21 is Late and you can make a turn in FTW which of course has Plenty to do and Places to stay!) If you are wanting to go West you could ride #421/#1 to Alpine (plenty of Hotels/Motels/Resturants/Clubs etc.)and on Thursdays do a same day turn on #2/#422! (or Flagstop @ Sanderson and sleep under a Bridge! :giggle: )

Tony: Muellers is still working on restoring the original Pit that burned but in the Meantime cooking great Smoked Meats on Big Iron Pits! Since Texas Monthly picked them #2 in Texas in the Top 50 Issue (Franklins in Austin was #1!!!) they usually sell out of meat by 100PM Mon-Sat/Closed Sunday! the Joint opens @ 11:00AM and the Line grows fast!The Speed Limit is now 85 on the Toll Roads outside City Limits and I've never seen a Cop there and very little Traffic except during Rush Hours! Age and Experience has given me, as the Serenity Prayer says, the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can and the Wisdom to know the difference! People everywhere have been very kind with their help and advice when I have been traveling (including AUers! )so I try to pass it on! As Blanche Dubois said in "A Streetcar Named Desire': "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers!"


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## the_traveler (Jul 26, 2013)

I'm surprised you didn't get on the bus PA and do a play-by-play guide. And I'm really surprised you did not tell the driver how to get to the AUS station! (You must know the way with you eye closed.)


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## printman2000 (Jul 28, 2013)

The most surprising part of this to me was that the agents on the phone knew that much information! When I call, usually all they know is there is a service disruption.

Jim, how did you get an email about a late train? I have not heard of that service.


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## AmtrakBlue (Jul 28, 2013)

When you order tickets on line there is an option to receive text messages if the train is running x+ minutes late.


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 28, 2013)

printman2000 said:


> The most surprising part of this to me was that the agents on the phone knew that much information! When I call, usually all they know is there is a service disruption.
> Jim, how did you get an email about a late train? I have not heard of that service.


Betty answered your question about e-mails (you can choose e-mail or text when making rez on-line and choose the time frame/ 30 mins etc)

The agents that had all the info were Customer Service Agents, not regular Amtrak Agents, I know what you mean about Lack of info from Amtrak! Also the Agent working Temple that day, as I said, is a friend of mine from the Austin Station, and I called him on his Cell Phone!


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## VentureForth (Jul 29, 2013)

Always had an issue with the TE running only one engine.


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## PGer (Jul 31, 2013)

Strange question, but I'm taking my kids for the first time on a trip from Missouri down to Texas. We should have plenty of time to catch the switch in St. Louis even if delayed 4 hrs. I'm wondering about the 4 hr bus ride we have at the end...it's been ages since I rode a bus so, do they have bathrooms on them? I'm traveling with 2 children so need to make sure we won't end up with accidents on the way. And of course after reading your review of the recent run on Texas Eagle I'm a little nervous as that is one of them we will be taking (Missouri River Runner to Texas Eagle with a connecting bus to Houston (only has 12 min from arrival of train to departure of bus though  )


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 31, 2013)

PGer said:


> Strange question, but I'm taking my kids for the first time on a trip from Missouri down to Texas. We should have plenty of time to catch the switch in St. Louis even if delayed 4 hrs. I'm wondering about the 4 hr bus ride we have at the end...it's been ages since I rode a bus so, do they have bathrooms on them? I'm traveling with 2 children so need to make sure we won't end up with accidents on the way. And of course after reading your review of the recent run on Texas Eagle I'm a little nervous as that is one of them we will be taking (Missouri River Runner to Texas Eagle with a connecting bus to Houston (only has 12 min from arrival of train to departure of bus though  )


Not to worry! The Bus Connection from the Texas Eagle in Longview to Houston is a Bus just for Amtrak Passengers and will be waiting @ the Station when the Eagle arrives @ the Longview Station! (They also take passengers on another Bus to Shreveport, Louisiana) The Bus is a Modern, Clean Charter Bus with a Restroom and Video Screens and there will also be a Meal stop on the way to Houston in East Texas! (I believe it is @ a McDonalds, Breakfast will have been served on the train after Texarkana)!) The River Runner to St. Louis has a good On-Time Record and the Eagle usually leaves St. Louis around 8PM @ night where ya'll will be able to have Dinner in the Diner or in the Cafe in the Sightseer Lounge Car!


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## PGerk (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks so much for all the info.! We actually have friends meeting us in St. Louis since it's a long stretch that we wait to board the Texas Eagle. They are going to take us to see the Arch and out to eat Pizza before we board. Plan to get some breakfast on board though as the French toast looks YUMMY! Nice to know there is a meal stop though. Planned to bring some meals along for the River Runner part of the trip (breakfast and lunch) to save us some money. Hoping we can also find outlets to keep phone and DSs charged up, but have plenty of games, books and coloring activities to help keep them busy. I have read a lot of complaints about annoying children on board and I don't want that to be the case with my children. Bit nervous about this first trip, but if it all works out nicely we may do it again to visit Cali and Michigan where we have family.


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