# Great trip!



## Rob_C (Dec 26, 2009)

Day 1 – Los Angeles

DAY ONE PHOTOS

The first day began in Los Angeles in the evening of December 13th. We hitched a ride into LAUS with family. As we turned onto one of the feeder streets for Alameda St. the Southwest Chief was backing into the station.

A quick drop off at the station and we headed into the main terminal. This was a first, seeing Union Station decorated for the holidays. A quick shot of the tree by the main entrance, and some of the wreaths led me to decide to chronicle the different Amtrak holiday displays as we cross the nation.

Next we headed over to quick-trak and printed a boatload of tickets. The coach line was already forming for #4, but being in a sleeper we didn’t sweat it and enjoyed Union Station’s very comfortable seats a short distance away. Being mid-Dec. the station was fairly quiet (and a Sunday night). We must have missed the sleeper announcement and heard the general boarding call over the PA. My travelling companion commented how it was a shame we couldn’t use the Traxx as a lounge.

Gathering our gear we headed out to track 11 and were directed in the sleeper direction.

We walked up to an empty platform and were greeted by our SA. We were in car 430, a Superliner II with the name “Florida”. I thought the names had all been removed from these cars, but it was nice to see a name on this one, as well as the original phase IV paint. However the inside of the car was in good shape and I have to say we prefer the II to the Superliner I. The closet isn’t big enough in the Superliner I for two people’s winter weather gear and makes you feel a bit more cramped. I guess they both have their plusses and minuses, but for us the Superliner II was a bit better.

Heading up to room 8 it wasn’t long before the train started moving. Our LSA came around soon for dinner reservations. Since we had a late lunch, we opted for an 8:30pm seating. We watched the LA suburbs go by and were seated around San Bernardino in the diner.

I decided to order the steak and my companion had ???. The steak was very tasty. I like whatever marinate they are using. I did have to cut off the very edge of one side of the meat, as it was hard and tough, but as I understand that's pretty normal for this cut of beef. Would definitely recommend the steak.

Being in the late seating we were not rushed and enjoyed the time with our tablemates until well after Victorville. We enjoyed ice cream for dessert. Can’t go wrong there! Heading back to the room we were asked to have our rooms put down so we headed to the lounge. It was fairly crowded and had some rather loud folks using quite a bit of profanity. This kept up until a bit after Barstow (another station with nice holiday decorations). At that point we decided to head to bed.

Onto Day 2!


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## Rob_C (Dec 27, 2009)

Day 2

DAY TWO PHOTOS

Having a history of not sleeping on trains *at all*, I decided to take an Ambien. Much to my pleasant surprise I was out in about an hour and completely missed Needles, Kingman and Williams. However I did awake early well before dawn and Flagstaff to a brilliant meteor shower! I quickly realized it must be that time of year for the Leonid (sp?) or Persid showers and 7,000 feet up in the AZ Mountains is a great place to see them! There must have been a meteor every five seconds going on outside the windows with the pine trees as a backdrop. A definite rare moment!

Pretty soon we were rolling into an on-time arrival at Flagstaff, AZ. Lots of snow, always a treat for California beach natives! Unfortunately by the time the sun was coming up we had left the beauty of the forest behind for dry Arizona desert. We headed to the diner around Winslow. I had the egg sandwich which is mostly bread. Amtrak’s breakfast IMHO is probably their weakest meal.

Between Winslow and Gallup I spent some time hanging around the window of the last coach. Not knowing the route that well I often found myself seeing some good scenery or curvy track, make a beeline for the end of the train and have completely missed it. Oh well.

Arrived in ABQ an hour early. My travel mate headed for a convenience store with limited success while I wandered up to the locomotives to take pictures, then headed back to use the shower while the train was in ABQ. (just be sure to do this *after* they change the water, or you could wind up with the water cutting out on you as our SA warned).

After getting cleaned up we departed ABQ and had lunch with a nice couple from MO. The gentleman seemed to know the terrain and made for a nice lunch discussion as we passed through Lamy.

Apache canyon was over way too quickly and I missed most of it stuck behind an employee vacuuming the coaches! But I did catch most of the meet with with westbound #3. I will include that in the video highlights).

After lunch we headed to the lounge where a fellow was playing his guitar AND harmonica. It wasn’t too loud and complemented the scenery perfectly. I had read the thread here about how this can annoy people, but this was done very well and people were happy to have the music. The lounge also wasn’t terribly crowded, just perfect. Made for a very memorable afternoon talking to folks we had dined with and met, snapping photos, and enjoying the music. There was about 1-2 inches of snow in most places here, passing through Las Vegas, NM. The sun began to set shortly after that and by the time we got into Raton, NM it was all but gone. So we missed Raton pass, guess we’ll have to do it again in the summer or travel westward, but there are other routes on the to-do list before we do this one again.

We did have some trouble in Raton, where we heard that a passenger in the next sleeper up had come ill. We stayed in Raton a bit longer than usual, but didn’t see any ambulance even though one was supposed to meet us. As it turned out, the ambulance was waiting in La Junta and by then we were down a few minutes on the schedule.

We went to dinner as we passed Trinidad and finished just before La Junta. Made the mistake of ordering the vegetarian Canneloni. Unless you *love* spinach, I would avoid this one. My companion had the ribs and liked them a LOT. We again stayed for dessert, ice cream and chocolate brownie cake (with caramel!) Yumm! Unfortunately with nuts so my companion was out, which meant more for me. (went great with the vanilla ice cream!)

Went to bed shortly after Lamar, CO. This seems to be about where the tracks get real rough. I was expecting this thanks to the forums, and decided to take another Ambien before bed. And what do you know? I slept again! I figure if I can sleep through this section of track, one of the roughest in the system (supposedly) I can handle just about anything the freight rr’s can dish as long as I have an Ambien. Overall a great day!

Onto Day 3.


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## Rob_C (Dec 27, 2009)

Day 3

DAY THREE PHOTOS.

I awoke to Topeka KS just as the day started to break. Whoops! Realizing the train had lost about an hour over night. People were blaming the ambulance thing, but I didn’t mind. Got to see some of Kansas in daylight. Now everybody was saying how awful and boring KS is by train, but running right along the (Kansas?) River it was nice. Again a light dusting of snow here.

Passed through Lawrence, KS while having French toast in the diner. The French toast was ok. Pulled into Kansas City still an hour down and stepped out to feel the weather. Sunny but COLD. La Junta wasn’t even this cold. Of course nothing would compare to CHI in a few hours. Got some shots of downtown KCY as we rolled by. Missouri was also surprising. Where I had imagined vast flat lands it was mostly rolling hills, farms with forests/groves of trees in the background.

Had lunch around Ft. Madison, IA and the Mississippi River crossing. Had the special salad with apples which was pretty good. Hitting Illinois the scenery does get pretty flat with farms and small towns. Got some nice shots heading into Chicago and arrived about an hour late.

My first time in CHI Union Station was similar to my first experience in NYP. Overwhelmed! Lots of people going everywhere and feeling pushed. It took a little getting used to, but we made our way to the street, and decided to huff it the 3-4 blocks to the Holiday Inn. COLD! Supposedly was -4 degrees and decided to put on all the cold weather gear before venturing out from the hotel!

Briefly considered just staying in, or eating at the restaurant in the hotel, but hunger prevailed! We again huffed it back towards Union Station and over to Girodano’s for pizza. My companion loved it. Deep dish is my least favorite type of pizza so I would rate it excellent overall, but modify my ordering for next time. But I can say I tried it. Service was great, but just be ready for the 30-40 minutes they warn you about for a pizza. We smartly ordered bread sticks and hot soup to tide us over. We both loved the soup!

Heading back to the hotel is possibly the coldest I've experienced in my life. Gloves, hats, even jeans were no match for this kind of cold. We settled in for the night ready to sight-see the next day.

Onto day four!


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## Rob_C (Dec 27, 2009)

Day 4

DAY FOUR PHOTOS

We got a relatively early start (for us) checking out about 9am. Had cold Giordano’s leftovers for breakfast in the room to save time and headed over to CUS to drop our luggage in the Metro Lounge then to the Willis (Sears) tower. No lines! Very sparse numbers of folks were there about 10am on a sunny but COLD Chicago day. (around -4F according to the bank sign.) Quite a rush going up the elevator at 26 feet per second! (same for going down) and the view was great on this clear sunny day. Good views of the rail yards, loved the glass overhang, got some post cards and then went down for lunch at a deli in the Willis building.

Next hopped on the bus tour. Pretty informative, but we could have probably found cheaper transportation to the Science Museum which ended up being our final destination. (which we had to catch a cab to get to anyway). The museum was decked to the hilt for the holidays which was a nice touch. (I would rate the inside of the science museum decorations right behind the White House Tree display in DC). Even had a wreath on the old Pioneer train. We of course spent some time at the model railroad, exploring and also checked out the white house (of all things) and submarine exhibits. We also anted up for the inside tour of the U-Boat which was cool and well worth the extra expense!

That took us to about 4pm and time to catch a cab directly to Union Station. Arrived at the Metro Lounge and checked email.

Boarding was very disorganized for the Capitol Limited and they announced it at about 6pm. We wandered around a bit before we found the right track which was wrong on the board. Nobody was there, but checking with a maintenance guy it was the right place to be. He looked at me funny when I said we were here to board and told us the they still had a lot of work to do to the train, switching out a locomotive as the train had just arrived not that long ago being 6 hours late after hitting two kids. I remember seeing this on the forums and it clicked, this was the train. 

We didn’t have to wait too long for more passengers to show up and the doors opened. Mayhem ensued in the sold out train and our poor SA was overwhelmed with griping passengers. With the engine swap out and lateness the train did not get rolling out of CHI until after 7:30pm an hour late. In fact, the CONO was next to us and started boarding well after we had but left first.

To add to the problems with boarding many people did not get dinner reservations. I only got one by hearing passengers talking about it and heading up to the diner. But it all worked out and they eventually got power going and started dinner. We ate somewhere between CHI and South Bend, and again took our time as we were one of the last seatings. Off to sleep around Waterloo, IN.

Onto day 5!


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## Long Train Runnin' (Dec 27, 2009)

Great reports! I look forward to reading the rest.



> Next hopped on the bus tour. Pretty informative, but we could have probably found cheaper transportation to the Science Museum which ended up being our final destination. (which we had to catch a cab to get to anyway).


There is a bus to the Science museum. Granted its not very frequent but you can catch it a few blocks from the station and take it straight to the museum.


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## Rob_C (Dec 27, 2009)

Day 5

DAY FIVE PHOTOS

The day started before dawn as we pulled into Pittsburg, PA. Being an hour late meant sunrise before Connellsville, PA and the best scenery that follows it. We had breakfast in the diner (real diner, not a CCC) sometime after Connellsville and this was called a “Brunch”. Not sure if this is new or not as I thought we would get at least an abbreviated lunch into DC, but apparently not. This left us hungry around noontime so a burger from the café and goldfish crackers from the Club Acela would have to do.

There was a light dusting of snow still in place over the pass and into Cumberland. A brief smoke stop was announced, but only one coach was opened making it a bit of a pain to get out for a breather. The diner closed around 11am and the crew started cleaning the train. Not sure if this consist turns around the same day or not, but it certainly could the way the crew was going at it!

I spent some time in the lounge which was sparsely populated most of the morning but got a bit more crowded mid-day. Most of the folks there seemed to be interested in things other than the sightseeing. (in contrast to what was observed on the Chief). Harper’s Ferry came and went and despite being an hour late, the train arrived into DC on time. Probably the most disappointing part of the trip was just how bare the hills and mountains looked without any foliage on the trees or snow on the ground except at higher elevations. Of course this is our fault for time of travel, but I was surprised by the lack of evergreen in this part of the country. However the stark beauty of the winter landscape was interesting in and of itself.

Overall the crew and experience on the Chief was a bit better. The Cap was not bad by any stretch of the imagination. It just did not match the one we had on the Chief.

We checked into Club Acela and waited for the final leg of our trip.

Something really delayed the southbound Silver Star that day, we were never told what, but it was over an hour late into DC coming from New York. The stop in WAS was short, but we never made the time up. We arrived into Cary, NC about midnight. Lots of sight-seeing, road trips and then flew home on Christmas day. Overall a nice trip!

I will post as video highlights as soon as I can get it edited. Enjoy!


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## Bob Dylan (Dec 27, 2009)

Enjoyed the reports and pics! Glad you enjoyed the trip, perhaps next time you can take the Cardinal east, the scenery is great even if the ride is slower! Look forward to your videos, thanks for the contributions!Really good pics too even if it was winter!


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## the_traveler (Dec 27, 2009)

Great report! Makes me want to go again! 

I agree about the tree display at the Science Museum! I used to take a trip to CHI (by train of course  ) many times specifically for the display. I haven't been there in too many years! 



Rob_C said:


> We had breakfast in the diner (real diner, not a CCC) sometime after Connellsville and this was called a “Brunch”. Not sure if this is new or not as I thought we would get at least an abbreviated lunch into DC, but apparently not.


You do! 

Although, they call it a brunch, as a sleeping car passenger, you are entitled to 2 meals that day. The difference is on the CL - and only on the CL - you can chose *ANY* item from either the breakfast or lunch section of the menu at any time during the abbreviated meal service! (I believe it runs from 6:30 to 11 or 11:30 AM.)

So you do not have to have Goldfish in the Club Acela for lunch!


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## Rob_C (Dec 27, 2009)

Good to know for next time!


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## printman2000 (Jan 7, 2010)

I was looking at your pics from day 1 and ran across this one...







I have been in many Superliner dining cars but have never see tall blue seats like that. Is this just a very old Superliner dining car or is this something new?


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## JayPea (Jan 7, 2010)

I enjoyed your reports! Makes me want to hop a train right now! I do have a couple of trips in the works later this year and reports like yours makes me want the time to pass immediately!


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## caravanman (Jan 12, 2010)

Thank you for a great trip report. I was interested to hear that your companion avoided nuts. Did your friend find the amtrak menu ok? My son has a nut allergy, and eating out is always a bit of a worry. We visit the USA often, so any tips on "safe" food are most welcome!

Ed


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## Rob_C (Jan 13, 2010)

The Apple-Walnut salad was a big no-no. He asked for it without nuts, but it came back and clearly the chef had just picked the nuts out by hand and missed a couple. *sigh* Best to avoid all together if nut is in the name.

Also the gorgeous chocolate brownie cake is still fantastic, but now it has nuts on top. Check with your server before ordering this one. I've seen it both ways.

Have fun!


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## MikefromCrete (Jan 14, 2010)

Rob_C said:


> The Apple-Walnut salad was a big no-no. He asked for it without nuts, but it came back and clearly the chef had just picked the nuts out by hand and missed a couple. *sigh* Best to avoid all together if nut is in the name.
> Also the gorgeous chocolate brownie cake is still fantastic, but now it has nuts on top. Check with your server before ordering this one. I've seen it both ways.
> 
> Have fun!



A person with nut allergies probably shouldn't order something call the Apple-WALNUT Salad in the first place.


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## Rob_C (Jan 14, 2010)

MikefromCrete said:


> Rob_C said:
> 
> 
> > The Apple-Walnut salad was a big no-no. He asked for it without nuts, but it came back and clearly the chef had just picked the nuts out by hand and missed a couple. *sigh* Best to avoid all together if nut is in the name.
> ...


I would agree 100% except they said there would be no problem to leave out the nuts.


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