Pontiac IL to Fort Worth TX round trip on the Texas Eagle

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MccfamschoolMom

MccfamschoolMom

Conductor
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2020
Messages
1,245
Location
Dwight, IL
At the Pontiac IL station, waiting to board today's southbound TE. Similar to my hometown station, this is unmanned and trains barely stop for passengers. Amtrak claims the Eaglette will be 6 minutes late arriving here; we shall see. There's an interactive TE schedule online, with links to hotels and points of interest at each station, including Pontiac.
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Boarded pretty much on time. Going upstairs to the bedrooms was tricky with luggage in hand and on the back. Our SCA is Andre, and is very polite. Some new choices on the Flex Dining menu; I'm trying the Beef Paprikash tonight.
Just left Bloomington a few minutes ago; there was a brief fresh air break there (only 5 minutes, so we ordered supper instead of getting off the train).
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A little bit later at each station from Lincoln to Alton, the train made up some time between Alton and St Louis -- just in time for us to walk the length of the train to the dining car! Supper presentation was microwave entree, but high quality and imaginative. The Beef Paprikash wasn't as spicy as I had feared; we had to eat quickly, though, so we could return to our bedroom while the train was stopped. Brought dessert back with us to the room, but no coffee until morning. :( Moved our bags to the side by the bathroom and jump seat after supper, so we can access them once the beds are made up.View attachment IMG_20241006_190502_399.jpg
 
We found out the hard way that the hubby couldn't get into the top bunk in our bedroom, and he wouldn't let me attempt that feat either. Fortunately, the bottom bunk in our bedroom was a little bit wider than a twin bed, and the jump seat was still open, so I scrunched up at the end closest to the door, and the hubby scrunched up at the window end, with his feet on the jump seat. We slept more or less, but we'll want to pick up a couple of cheap throw blankets in Fort Worth for the overnight trip back.
Late 1 3/4 hours departing the last stop before Hope ARK, but the interactive map indicates that we're still expecting to arrive in Fort Worth on time.
 
The bourbon apple crepes are a new item on the breakfast menu, and quite tasty. It helps to have someone else open the cream and sugar for coffee on a rapidly moving train, while the other person holds the cup like a gimbal compass! Waiting for the next stop before we head back to our room.
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Finally arrived at Hope ARK 10-15 minutes after returning from breakfast, and the train is now 2:20 late, although the announcement claimed we would still be on time for Fort Worth. A roomette passenger told me that the free coffee in the sleeping car is only in the morning, and often only for an hour.
 
Ah now I see it.

Darn. Was hoping for more allergy friendly options as we only had two options for lunch / dinner on the TE.

Instead we're now down to a single option with the removal of the beef Burgundy. Guess it's a good thing I like Alfredo.

If I didn't need a sleeper for health reasons, I'd just save the money and do coach with mountain House meals.
 
Accidentally reported on lunch in the main Texas Eagle thread. Just left Dallas at 1:40PM; arrival in Fort Worth now predicted for 2:23PM, over an hour late. Might not need to buy cheap throw blankets this afternoon after all, as we saw SCA Andre bring blankets for the next passengers in our bedroom. So we can request blankets tomorrow if they are not provided automatically.
 
caravanman said:
Thanks for posting, is your trip "just for fun", it seems a quick out and back!
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Just for fun. Neither of us have been on Amtrak overnight in over 40 years, so this is something of an experiment to see for ourselves what the sleeping car experience is like, and how well we can handle it as 60-somethings. The Texas Eagle works especially well for us as a first time current sleeping car experience, because we can board the train from a nearby local station.
 
MccfamschoolMom said:
Just for fun. Neither of us have been on Amtrak overnight in over 40 years, so this is something of an experiment to see for ourselves what the sleeping car experience is like, and how well we can handle it as 60-somethings. The Texas Eagle works especially well for us as a first time current sleeping car experience, because we can board the train from a nearby local station.
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Good for you! Best wishes for a good homeward journey!
 
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Arrived at Fort Worth about an hour late. Very long platforms before one gets to the station proper. A mini trolley was bringing disabled passengers to the train, but we didn't know that it could be ridden back to the station by seniors like us, so we were exhausted by the time we reached the station. Our hotel was so close that Molly the Trolley (a free service) doesn't stop there, so we walked the 2 blocks in 90F/32C heat, and were even more exhausted by the time we got there. Free bottled water and ice water, a luggage cart to put our bags on, and a room next to the elevator all have helped, though. Having a good long sit with hotel coffee and the butter cake saved from lunch now.
 
MccfamschoolMom said:
Just for fun. Neither of us have been on Amtrak overnight in over 40 years, so this is something of an experiment to see for ourselves what the sleeping car experience is like, and how well we can handle it as 60-somethings. The Texas Eagle works especially well for us as a first time current sleeping car experience, because we can board the train from a nearby local station.
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Tip for future from two other seniors: get two roomettes across the hall from each other. Usually about the same price as a bedroom with no upper bunk to cope with. You sit together during the day and have a choice of scenery from both sides of the train. The lack of a private bathroom is unfortunate but a worthwhile sacrifice in our opinion.

Enjoying your report!
 
jiml said:
Tip for future from two other seniors: get two roomettes across the hall from each other. Usually about the same price as a bedroom with no upper bunk to cope with. You sit together during the day and have a choice of scenery from both sides of the train. The lack of a private bathroom is unfortunate but a worthwhile sacrifice in our opinion.

Enjoying your report!
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The other alternatives I thought of were either the family bedroom or the accessible bedroom - but getting 2 roomettes across from each other would probably be easier. I remember from last year's Missouri River Runner trip that the shared toilets in Business Class and coach were roomier, and YouTube videos seem to demonstrate that the same is true in the sleeping car. And having room to turn around in the shared shower room would be a real blessing!
 
An excellent, filling hotel breakfast this morning. Killing time in the room until checkout. Subway at the station doesn't seem too bad now - anything to minimize walking in Illinois August heat in October! Definitely will inquire about the mini trolley to the platform for disabled and elderly passengers.
 
MccfamschoolMom said:
An excellent, filling hotel breakfast this morning. Killing time in the room until checkout. Subway at the station doesn't seem too bad now - anything to minimize walking in Illinois August heat in October! Definitely will inquire about the mini trolley to the platform for disabled and elderly passengers.
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If you need to kill a little extra time if the train is late and don't mind a short walk in the heat, Barber's Book Store on West 8th and Throckmorton should be close to your hotel and is open until 3pm CT. I do not recommend carrying luggage over there; it's a crammed used bookstore.
 
In the Fort Worth station, waiting for our train. Just finished lunch at the Subway next door. (They are out of Coke this morning, so the hubby made do with lemonade.) The staff at my hometown Subway know me and seem friendlier, but they're just as chatty with the regulars as was the staff here.
Asked about the mini trolley to the platform for disabled passengers we saw yesterday, and the gal at Amtrak info called it the shuttle - and elderly passengers are allowed to ride it, too! We just need to wait for the boarding call for our train, and the shuttle boards then,too.
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allanorn said:
If you need to kill a little extra time if the train is late and don't mind a short walk in the heat, Barber's Book Store on West 8th and Throckmorton should be close to your hotel and is open until 3pm CT. I do not recommend carrying luggage over there; it's a crammed used bookstore.
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The heat wasn't too bad yet when we walked to the station this morning, shortly before 11AM. Thanks for the tip! If we didn't have the luggage with us, we'd probably go there, as we both love shopping for books. We will probably just stay in the station until our train comes, though.
 

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