Just returned from our annual Birthday Loop Tour Cleveland-Washington DC- New Orleans- Chicago- Cleveland. Here is our report
Amtrak Spring 2012 Birthday Loop Tour
Cleveland-Washington DC-New Orleans-Chicago-Cleveland
April 16-23, 2012
Monday April 16--
After packing and preparing for the trip, we said goodbye to Mr. Gato and headed up I-71 toward Cleveland. We discovered that we had left our hats and Claudia’s cell phone behind. (So much for long term planning-smile). We arrived at CLE around midnight, parked the car and proceeded to the ticket window to have our tickets printed. As usual, the CLE staff is most accommodating and friendly and we talked to him about our AGR free trips and how we really like to travel by train.
A check on train status showed that #30, Capitol Limited, was running about fifteen minutes late in to Toledo but anticipated no further delays. Several westbound freights passed the station. The waiting area was filling up with future CL passengers, most of which we would find were coach bound. Several talked of taking the Pennsylvanian out of Pittsburgh.
At 1:18 the call came to board the train. We were only 19 minutes late. Locomotives #19 and 152 headed up the consist. We walked to the left out the door and found our sleeping car #3001 and the conductor waiting at the door. He informed us that we were to use Room E instead of our ticketed Room C since it was not ready. That was fine with us and we proceeded to carry our luggage up the stairway. The luggage area on the ground floor was completely full and thus, I had to lug our large bag upstairs and find someplace to store it in the limited space on a Superliner bedroom. The beds were down and we were ready to get some sleep.
Unfortunately, the air conditioning could not be controlled and the room was rather chilly all night long. It was a refurbed Superliner I and at least did not have lots of rattles like our bedroom had in January. I sat up for a while watching as we left Cleveland and made our way into Ravenna before I decided to climb up into my bunk. Those upper bunks in a Superliner are really tight and for those with claustrophobia, it would be a negative experience.
The tracks on the CL route are pretty smooth and except for the temp controls, it is usually easy to fall asleep on 30 and 29. Must have dozed off because I did not remember Pittsburgh stop. We awoke around 6 and were just outside Connellsville, Pa.
Since we had showered before we left home last evening, we freshened up and headed down to the diner for our 6:30 breakfast. We enjoyed a conversation with Cedrick and Lilly from England. They were visiting their son in Chicago and decided to take their first US train trip to Washington to view the sights. I had the pancakes and bacon. Claudia had the scrambled eggs, grits and bacon. Our servers were friendly and the LSA was keeping everything organized. It was announced that anyone who wished to have a lunch would need to come back to the diner before we reached Martinsburg, WVa. That would be around 10:30.
When we returned to the room, Jamal, our SCA, had set up the room and introduced himself. I thought we had been with him on another CL trip. He was very friendly and had juice, coffee and a USA Today newspaper on hand for us.
The Youghiogheny River was running swiftly as our train moved along trying to make up a little time. The leaves were not yet fully formed on the trees so a good view of the mountains and streams was afforded us. As we entered Cumberland, Md. a gentleman came down the hallway and was enjoying the scenery outside our room. His name was Jeff and he was from Perth, Australia. He had flown to LA and taken the Coast Starlight up to Seattle and then across on the Empire Builder to Chicago. We talked about his US experiences, trains in Australia, and his forthcoming trip to DC. He recommended we see New Zealand before Australia since it was green and the people were very friendly. We offered to show him our bedroom as he found the roomettes a bit cramped. He noticed that food portions in the US were unusually large and enjoyed the “newer” cars compared to the trains in Australia. We sat in the room and talked for a while and then he decided to head to the diner to catch an Angus Burger before the diner closed. We opted to wait until DC to have lunch. That is one of the great disadvantages to this train in that they choose to cut off lunch so early. But the LSA was a great guy and after they closed, he walked the train distributing the carnations that were on the dining car tables to passengers in sleeper. Since it was Claudia’s birthday, she was appreciative of his kind favor. He also found the two little girls in the family room and made sure they had flowers as well. The Cap crews have been a great improvement over some of our early trips a few years ago.
As we passed through Cumberland, Md., there were many trains moving in and out of the large CSX yard. This is the place where my brother took his engineer training back in the early 1970s. Since we were running a little late, there was only a brief stop and I decided not to get out of the train since I had several photos of Cumberland station on our last trip in January.
Lots of construction still taking place between Cumberland and Martinsburg and with the slow orders we did not pick up any lost time. Still 26 minutes late by the time we reached the Martinsburg station. I did notice that we had some private varnish on the rear of our train. A green coach that unfortunately I was not able to identify its origins. I was hoping to get a glimpse of it when we got to DC but with all the security on the platform, everyone was moved along toward the station.
Martinsburg had many passengers boarding. Always enjoy the town with its modern station next to the old buildings from the past. We entered Harpers Ferry still about 25 minutes down. As we pulled out onto the great bridge across the Potomac River, Jamal said he would open the window on the door so I could get some better pictures of the town and bridges, etc. We both noticed a large flock of vultures roosting on the rocks below and several tourists out on the old railroad bridge. Thanks to him for being so accommodating.
We moved through the tunnel and now we are back in Maryland. The temperatures outside are heating up and it is destined to be a warm day by the time we get to DC. We pass Point of Rocks, Md., the site of where the original B&O line from Baltimore meets the line to DC. A very nice old station still sits near the junction, although no passenger trains stop there anymore. I believe the MARC trains do stop there for commuter service.
It is not long before we reach the suburbs of Rockville and a brief stop there to let a few passengers out. Even though we are now 40 minutes late, there is plenty of padding in the schedule and we therefore arrive only 7 minutes down when we enter WAS. Plenty of VRE and MARC trains in the yards and a couple of Acelas are perched on the platform ready to leave. We say goodbye to Jamal and leave a nice tip for his great service.
We take the long walk up the platform and up the escalator to the main concourse of the station. Found the Acela Lounge and stored our bags. Our Crescent #19 was scheduled to leave at 6:30 but the attendant recommended we be ready to board by 6:00pm.
Toured the food court looking for a good lunch and decided on the pasta specials of lasagna and salad in the crowded area downstairs. Afterward we decided to walk to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights and other historic documents found there. The lines were surprisingly short and thus we were able to enjoy many parts of the Archives without a large crowd. We have been here before, but it’s always inspiring to see the old papers again and hope that our country will survive its present economic and cultural turmoil.
We worked our way back down the Mall and decided to stop at the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art to see a fantastic display of Japanese prints and tapestries depicting all kinds of fowl and butterflies. It was nice to sit in the center of this large gallery and enjoy the fine art. Viewed a few more artworks and then decided to walk back to the station. It was a very warm day, nearly 88 degrees and it was good there was a breeze to soften the temps a bit.
As usual there were a number of protestors near the Capitol and lots of political signs for both sides in the current debate. A pickup truck with large placards reminding us that the world was coming to an end and it was all Obama’s fault. Another religious man with his bible in front of Union Station asking for everyone to repent. Such is life in Washington DC.
We returned to the Acela Lounge and proceeded to check out the Wi-Fi on our new Kindle Fire. Although the signal strength was a bit weak at first, it picked up and we had good reception for the hour or so we waited for our Crescent to board. Plenty of snacks and drinks in the lounge. Although not as large as the lounge in Chicago, it shows a bit more class and with the business clientele from DC using all the Acelas and other NEC trains; it is also a different experience.
At 6:00pm the call came to meet at the East Door for an attendant to take us to the appropriate track. It was a bit of a walk and glad we were there on time because we may have gotten lost trying to find this gate on our own. We walked the platform and found that all the sleepers on the Crescent were at the front of the train. We were in Car 1911, Bedroom A. Our SCA was Charles I, a stately African-American man who was a take- charge sort of guy. He was friendly, checked on our comfort and had our dinner reservation made for 6:30pm, which was great since I was getting hungry.
Really like the Viewliner sleepers that have much more storage space and more room in the upper bunk. We got our things organized and the train pulled out on time. Took some photos of DC as we crossed the Potomac and headed for Alexandria, VA. We headed down to the diner and were seated by ourselves. Sometimes it is nice to have a private table and surprisingly only about a half dozen groups were seated in the diner for supper at that time, each getting their own table. Diner staff very accommodating on that course. We each had a good steak, baked potato and salad with an orange cheesecake to top off the meal. Everything was excellent and it proved to be a nice birthday meal for Claudia as we headed into the Virginia countryside that evening.
We asked Charles to put down our beds around 9:30pm after we left Charlottesville and we stayed up until Lynchburg before we headed to our bunks around 10.
Tuesday April 17
We awoke a little after 6am and were just going through Toccoa, Ga. The train was on time but what a night it had been. The tracks were very rough, lots of crossovers and frogs all night and I didn’t sleep much at all. When we were in Greensboro, Charlotte and Greenville, there was a quiet period in the stations due to crew changes and fueling, when I drifted off but soon the train was rocking and rolling again. Lots of whistle blowing added to the negative experience. But nonetheless, it was morning and after a fresh shower down the hall—no waiting—we were ready for a new day. We headed to breakfast and met our great servers and LSA, T. Brown and Jolene, who were very friendly and efficient. We again were seated by ourselves at first and then a gentleman joined us as we were finishing. We enjoyed eggs, bacon and grits, juice and milk to start the day.
We finished in time to return to the room and get ready to check out the Atlanta station. We arrived at 7:51, almost 20 minutes early but being at the head of the train, it was a long walk to the station on a chilly morning. Decided to get some good shots of our locomotives (#160 and #65) and a clear view of the Atlanta skyline and the Interstate 75 bridge below. Talked to Charles awhile and watched as baggage was loaded and unloaded into the train. Several passengers made it to the platform before the official call and were chastised for not following orders. Saw the use of the handicapped lift chair to get someone off the train. The announcement from the station was telling coach passengers to board the front of the train, which was no longer correct. Charles was laughing that the station agent was still thinking the sleepers were on the rear.
After a long stay and a good morning walk, the call came to board again and at 8:38am we were on our way. Large freight yards on the west side of town. Wondered if General Sherman had marched through here on his way to burning Atlanta nearly 150 years ago.
We decided to sit up in the Café-Lounge Car for a while to enjoy the scenery. There were not many people in the car, plenty of seats except for the two booths taken up by the Amtrak staff. One of the conductors seemed to spend most of his time gabbing on his cell phone and never left the car while we were there. The lounge car attendant was business like in his manner but had little business during the mid-morning hours to keep him busy.
Enjoyed the west Georgia countryside and noticed that the Kudzu plants have taken over much of the tree and plant life in some areas. Another example of man messing with nature and producing unintended consequences.
We arrived in Anniston, Alabama at 10am Central Time and were reminded to turn our watches back an hour. Lots of military operations here with the large depot and tank facilities and another section that was used for chemical weapons (which of course we no longer have- or do we?) Lots of little towns where the railroad runs right down the main street. The tracks follow closely to US Route 78 and I -20 into Birmingham.
We decided to eat lunch around 11 so as to be able to get off in Birmingham for a rest stop. Our lunch companions were Bill and Ruth from southern Alabama, who were on an anniversary trip to Washington paid for by their daughters. They were riding to Meridian, Mississippi where the daughters would pick them up and drive them back to their home north of Mobile. They lamented not having a Sunset Ltd service nearer their home and now must drive quite a ways to catch Amtrak. She likes riding trains better than he does, but they had an enjoyable stay in DC, saw lots of monuments and museums in their two day stay. Bill & I were comparing golf stories and he also likes to do woodworking. We had the Angus Burgers for lunch, which are always top quality.
We arrived in Birmingham about 10 minutes early so that gave us nearly half an hour to walk outside. It had rained a little and the skies were darkening as we got some exercise to walk off all that food. The Birmingham station/platform is really an old dilapidated looking place. Rusting metal and broken concrete walkways and an old elevator that brings passengers up to track level from the street level station. Did not go into the station but it does seem sad that a large city does not have a better showplace for their Amtrak station. Talked to the engineer who was changing places with a new man here. He lives in Charlotte, NC and makes the Birmingham to Charlotte run later in the day when #20 arrives northbound.
As we left Birmingham and headed toward Tuscaloosa we could see twisted trees and remnants of the tornadoes that hit Alabama a year ago. Terrible devastation and loss of life in this area last April. The Tuscaloosa station is a nice old brick building and there were lots of people disembarking and boarding here. We left about 7 minutes late and started west toward Meridian.
The skies opened up after that and we had a steady rain but no storms from this point on. Made photos out the window very difficult though. We arrived in Meridian 15 minutes early with some padding allowed. Saw our friends Bill & Ruth meeting their daughters at the station and waved goodbye. The Meridian station is a real showplace with modern design and nice platform area.
One thing I discovered was that there was scattered Wi-Fi service around the station areas and if I had my Kindle Fire on, I could pick up internet service until we left the area. Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Meridian had a strong signal on the train and a couple of smaller towns in Mississippi also provided a brief power source, although only for a few minutes. In checking my weather app, it noted that New Orleans was under a flood warning at the time as they had 3” of rain in about a two hour period of time.
The remainder of the late afternoon was spent looking out through a rain spotted window at little towns. We stayed about five minutes down through Laurel, Hattiesburg, and Picayune, MS and remained so as we entered Slidell. There was an abbreviated supper served around 4pm. We again were seated by ourselves and I chose the half chicken dinner, while Claudia had a nice steak with both of us enjoying the orange cheesecake for dessert. Few people eating in the diner. Jolene said that many people plan to have dinner in New Orleans and they usually don’t have a big crowd for the abbreviated menu that lasts only an hour.
After Slidell, Lake Pontchartrain is the highlight of the entrance into NOL. With the stormy weather, the waves were bashing against the rocks and bridges. Not a good day to be out on the lake. One strange thing was that the engineer continued to blow the horn the entire way across the lake. Since there are no crossings and there didn’t seem to be any track work going on, I could not understand this procedure. It got to be a bit annoying after a while but soon we entered the northern suburbs of New Orleans. A large above ground cemetery was on our left side and some remnants of Hurricane Katrina, even after all this time. After a long slow approach to the yards and the subsequent back up move into the station, we still arrived at NOL twenty minutes early at around 7 PM.
We said goodbye to Charles with an appropriate tip and moved toward the station. Although our hotel was not too far from the station on Loyola Avenue, we opted to take a cab and get to our Hampton Inn on Carondelet Street in a timely manner. We had heard that New Orleans cab service is pretty shaky. Our driver put the bags in the trunk and asks where we were headed. We started out and he never started the meter. (Reminded us of our recent trip to Boston). He did take the shortest route to the hotel by my rendering but charged us $11 for the ride, which I had calculated to be $8. Oh, well, at least we were safe in our hotel.
The Hampton Inn Downtown is in a very historical building that was once one of the largest skyscrapers in New Orleans. A bellboy carried our bags into the hotel and brought them to the room after we had checked in. The desk staff was very friendly and informed us that our room keycards would be necessary to use the elevators and enter the hotel after 10pm. I like that kind of security. Our room was very nice with two queen sized beds and large screen TV, microwave, refrigerator and in room safe. We had a room facing the front of the building and although the view was mostly of the tall hotel buildings and offices across the street, it was better than the back side facing the air conditioning units.
Since neither of us had gotten much sleep on the train, we opted to just watch some TV and get to bed early for a full day tomorrow. We will leave Bourbon Street this evening for the young partiers. Good night.
Without going into great detail on non Amtrak part of the vacation suffice it to say that we had a great three days in New Orleans and visited the Garden District, Magazine Street Shops and homes, cemetery tour, riverboat ride to the 1814 New Orleans Battlefield, Walking tour of French Quarter, many rides on the streetcars, good food and interesting people. No gambling at the Casino but watched many others lose their money :giggle: cheated by the cab drivers--panhandled by the best--toured the tall ships on display- had some Cafe du Monde beignets (not overly impressed) Highly recommend the Hampton Inn in NOL for wonderful beds, great breakfast and quality staff.
Toured Washington DC National Archives and National Gallery of Art
Toured Chicago-rode the EL, a day at the Field Museum was a highlight
Part 2 NOL-CHI-CLE City of New Orleans #58 and Capitol Limited #30
Friday April 20
Awoke on our last day in New Orleans. Our train doesn’t leave until 1:45pm so will spend the morning exploring the French Quarter. We head down to breakfast and find that the hotel had filled up overnight and the room was full. Managed to find a table to sit down and enjoyed a Danish, boiled eggs and yogurt. Some rather rude people are hogging the tables with conversation and reading their newspapers while others are looking for a place to sit. We head back upstairs and finish packing for the trip home. I had checked with the bellman and he said there would be no problem in getting a cab out front. The desk clerk had approved us extending our checkout to 12:45 so we were set. There is a large crane set up across Carondelet St which is lifting building materials onto a nearby roof. Quite an operation to get that thing setup.
Started down St Charles St which becomes Royal Street on the other side of Canal. Lots of shops, both antique and boutiques along this way. We pass a building that was once the Louisiana Bank and is now a police station. Lots of police scooter and motorcycles in the gated parking area and police cars on the street. Good location to control the nightlife in the French Quarter. We pass several nice jewelry stores, rock shops and clothing boutiques as we continue along Royal Street. Beads hanging from the balconies and trees. Quite a crowd on the streets this morning.
We pass the Louisiana District Courts building with a large statue of Justice White in front. There is a street mime painted in silver doing a demonstration and having photos taken with young kids watching. More beautiful old homes with wrought iron balconies and flowers everywhere. Stop at a couple of art galleries to view their paintings and a nice rock shop with slabs and cut stones; a reminder of our trips to Arizona.
We then turn south on St Ann Street and eventually end up at Jackson Square, where vendors, fortune tellers; and a nice jazz band is playing in front of the St Louis Cathedral. We listen for a while and also take a look at the artists set up around the square.
After a brief walk up Decatur Street we move over to Chartres Street and pass the Pierre Maspero’s Restaurant which has a plaque which denotes its early history as a slave exchange point in New Orleans. This was also the building where Andrew Jackson met with the Lafitte brothers to plan the defense of the city from the British in 1814. We finish our walk back to Canal Street and are just a block away from the hotel. It is getting warm as temps are expected in the low 80s today.
We return to our room and clean out the refrigerator of our crackers, yogurt, etc. We head out the door, hoping to someday return to this very nice and convenient Hampton Inn. The bellmen grab a cab for us and as usual the driver never turns on his meter. He does take a direct route to the train station and in a short order we are there. He charges $11 for the ride and I decide that can include his tip. No more cabby rip-offs for us. The news in New Orleans is that a new streetcar line is expected to be completed later this year along Loyola Avenue which will run by the New Orleans Union Station. It would connect with the Canal Street line. I am sure the cab drivers will not be happy about that!
We find that the Magnolia Lounge is closed for renovations so we must place our bags on the chairs outside that door while we get our tickets for the trip home. The agent is a very friendly African-American lady with a great personality. She prints our tickets on the CONO and the Cap Ltd coming home. We talk about Guest Rewards program and she is very positive employee for Amtrak. I get some photos out front of the station and the nice murals on the inside. Stop at the Subway for a beverage and wait with the other passengers for the boarding call. Our train was now being backed into the station and soon the conductor made an announcement for passenger to form two lines. On the left were coach passengers and on the right, the sleepers. An Amtrak Police officer was guarding the door. He did not check any IDs for those of us in sleeper, but I noticed he was stopping a few coach passengers to check them out.
The CONO now has the sleepers up front so we had a little walk to get to our 5800 car Bedroom B. Our SCA was Manny and his smiling face welcomed us to the train. He guided us into the car and helped lift luggage onto the train. I stored our large bag downstairs and we carried our duffels upstairs. Lots of copies of timetables and route guides by the table and everything was in order. I wanted to get some photos of the locomotive and was hopeful I could walk to the front of the train.
Talked to Manny and he said great. There are two locomotives up there. One is our #132 and the other is an earlier model # 504 (Class B32-8WH) sitting on the track beside us. Got some nice close-ups of the two and the activity of loading bags and passengers boarding on this sunny day. Baggage is loaded on the combine coach bag car at the rear. There were also two old Express Trak boxcars sitting on a side track. Take some photos of the Superdome and Arena and then head back to our car.
Talked to Manny about his Amtrak career. He obviously loves his job since he drives from Atlanta where he lives. Not sure why he doesn’t live closer, but perhaps he was working some eastern trains at one time??. He was always checking his manifests and well prepared for our trip ahead. We had a long discussion about Amtrak Unlimited Group and I told him he had some very good recommendations from our group. A big smile on his face on hearing that.
It was time to leave so I went back to the room and left right on time at 1:45CST. As we slowly made our way out of town we passed lots of freight tracks, Interstate highways and then out into a swampy area. Manny was making announcements about safety, meal arrangements, etc. when we came to a stop. Apparently the southbound CONO was heading our way and we would wait for it to pass us. We were stopped along a watery ditch that had all kinds of birds and fish jumping up in the water. We were also stopped on the flight path for the airport and planes were flying very low over the train as they prepared to land. Quite an interesting stop as we waited. Soon the #59 passed by and we were off along Lake Pontchartrain paralleling the Interstate across the lake. We arrived 15 minutes late into Hammond due to our delay and pretty much stayed 15 minutes down through most of the trip. After a scenic run along the lake we pass through Ponchatoula, which has a very nice station that has been turned into an antique shop and other businesses.
The Hammond station is our first stop. A nice old brick building in a quaint little town. There are a few coach passengers boarding but no one is sleeper as our car is full. There are a few people in the dorm sleeper of which Manny is in charge as well. He will be a busy man with a full house.
The new station in Brookhaven, MS was just opened last August and is a nice transportation center that replaced an Amshak platform. A few people get on here and we are swiftly on our way again. It is now after 4pm and I am glad we reserved the 5 pm dinner since we are getting pretty hungry.
Next stop in Hazlehurst; a fine brick building that again hosts a small group of passengers waiting to board. An old red caboose and nice park adjoin the station and add to its pleasurable viewing. Lots of CN and Grand Trunk locomotives are in the yards and pulling some moderate size freight trains as we make our way north. Also viewed a nice consist of two Kansas City Southern locos with an NS unit waiting in the yards outside of Jackson.
We are down in the diner have a fine meal when we pass through Jackson, MS. We have made up our small running deficit with some timely padding and are now back on schedule. Dinner is with Jackie and Morgan and we have a nice conversation about their Amtrak travels. Claudia and I both have the steak which was cooked perfectly. I failed to note the names of our dining car staff, but they were excellent and friendly. Some ice cream back in the room to top off the meal.
We arrived in Memphis around 10pm and had a long layover here so decided to get off and get some photos of the station. Lots of people getting off and boarding here. Weather has turned cold and my short pants look a bit out of place on the platform **smile**. After some photos of the train, I go inside the station and find the agent is not at the window but is helping with the large amount of baggage to be loaded. But there is a loud commotion coming from the downstairs and I decide to investigate. Turns out the lower flower was rented out for a high school prom. Lots of wild music and kids having a good time. Reminds me of my old days as a high school principal. Chaperones were perhaps not having as good a time **smile**.
Anyway, back up the stairs and out to the train on a chilly night. Manny was making up our beds and we were ready to say goodnight after a long day. A nice touch with some chocolate kisses on our pillows and you can tell he takes pride in his work. He reminded us that breakfast would be express and served only between 6 and 7am so we needed to rise early if we wanted to eat.
Saturday April 21.
We have a decent night’s sleep and are up at 5:30. We decide to try the in room showers to see how that worked. There is not much room but we both managed to utilize the facility without getting water outside the bathroom/shower unit. Does take some wiping down afterward and if not for the fact we would be leaving the train at 9am in Chicago, we probably would not use this shower and opt for the one downstairs.
Breakfast was scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon juice and milk. We enjoyed a conversation with Linda and Elwood, both from Indiana but not traveling together. Debate over the wind turbines and their usefulness, efficiency, and esthetic qualities ensued as we enjoyed the central Illinois countryside. Linda was meeting her son in Chicago and they would be going to the Cubs game this afternoon. As Cincinnati Reds fans, we probably would have been given a rough time in Wrigley Field that afternoon, but we decided not to attend the game today.
Manny made up our beds while we were eating and we enjoyed the final run into the suburbs of Chicago that morning. We could see the skyline as we passed by Soldier Field and the Field Museum, which we would visit later in the day. The train makes a long swinging move over the Amtrak north/south tracks we use on the Capitol Ltd and then a long backup move once we have moved down to grade level. Even though we were still running a few minutes late into Homewood, we arrived in Union Station 9 minutes early.
We said goodbye to Manny with a generous tip and hope to see him on future trips. Too bad all attendants are not from his mold. We walked the platform to the Metro Lounge. Hardly anyone there since the Cap-LSL have not arrived yet. Agents gave us our passes and we scheduled dinner for the 6:30 sitting. We park our luggage with the Redcap in the baggage room and head out to get some CTA passes. As we walk along Jackson Street we stop in the Walgreens to get the passes since they are not sold in the station—must be a deal the CTA has with drug stores in town---and then walk to the Quincy station.
But alas, our efforts are for naught as the EL in under reconstruction on the west loop and not trains are running up there. The construction boss says we can board on the other end at Adams/Wabash, so we walk on down Jackson. It is a cold windy day, typical Chicago weather. We climb the steps to board the Orange Line train and there is some confusion since all of the El trains are running on these tracks in different directions than the normal routes. We only have one stop before we depart at Roosevelt and then join the crowds walking up the street toward the museums. Sun is shining now but wind is still cold.
We are very impressed with the museum grounds and since we have never been to the Field Museum, it was quite an experience. There were special exhibits for Genghis Khan; the museum mummy collection was on display and many exhibits for Native American cultures. We got a 3D movie ticket for the Egyptian mummy film which was pretty good. Lunch was at McDonalds along with a large group of middle school kids who were typically loud and boisterous.
After lunch we toured the rocks and minerals section-a favorite of my geology major wife-meteorites and gemstones a special highlight. Of course, Sue the dinosaur, the mammoths and other neat things on the main floor. After five hours of touring our legs had reached their limit and we still had a walk back to the EL and then to the station. Probably will take a bus next time.
We rode the Orange Line around to the Clark Lake stop and then worked our way back to Union Station. We needed to get some food since supper on the Capitol Ltd was not scheduled until 6:30 so we stopped at the Pizza Hut for a fettuccini Alfred and small pizza. Many of the places in the food court were closed on a Saturday PM.
We returned to the Metro Lounge and found it crowded but were able to find two seats together. Passengers were arriving from the western LD trains and a few CL & Cardinal passengers were getting settled in. Tried the Wi-Fi signal on my Kindle Fire and it was working well. Checked email, Amtrak Unlimited site and the weather at home. Wish I had some texting skills and I could send some live notes to the AU but it takes me forever to type a few words. Texter handicapped. **smile***.
At 5:30 the call came for Capitol Ltd passengers who needed Red Cap service to come to the front desk. All of a sudden everyone seemed to be to the front and the frantic agent had to make several calls to remind sleeper passengers not needing Red Caps to stay put. (Like a flock of lemmings **smile**. I knew they always board Cap Ltd passengers from the east rear doors in the Lounge so we just moved over there and were nearly first in line. A minute later the agent came and unlocked the door and told everyone to follow her to gate Track 26.
As usual the sleepers were up front so a long walk up to Car 3001, Bedroom C and to our surprise, our car attendant was Jamal. He laughed and said “I thought I left you guys in Washington”. I told him we circled around and timed it so we would get him again back to Cleveland.
We explained our normal routine as Guest Rewards passengers that we would have our bedroom until Toledo and then usually switched to LL Coach seats for the ride to CLE. Jamal checked the manifest and said “there is no one in your room after Toledo, so why not just stay there for the ride to CLE—oh happy day- first time we have been able to stay in the room on all of our previous AGR trips. I told him we didn’t need to have the beds put down to save him extra work and that pleased him as well. He said he would talk to the new conductor in Toledo and let him know we were still in the sleeper. Such a deal!!
Jamal said we could go down to dinner at 6:30 so as our train moved out of the station, we said goodbye to Chicago and got freshened up for dinner. Since the time changes back to Eastern DST soon after leaving Chicago, there was some confusion among the sleeper passengers about what time they were to have dinner. I told them that the dinner times were based on CST and that they should take that into consideration when going to the diner.
We were seated by our friendly server Paula, who was very efficient and took our orders promptly. We were joined by a gentleman from New Mexico who had some interesting perspectives on the Rail Runner and Amtrak service on the SWC. He lives south of Belen and said that although the Trancom route would be more convenient for his travels, he suspects that Amtrak will not abandon the Raton Pass line. But he said New Mexico doesn’t want to spend more money on rail right now since many believe the Rail Runner is kind of a boondoggle and too costly to operate. We settled in with our steaks and baked potatoes and enjoyed the ride across Indiana.
There were two short delays to let freights pass outside of Elkhart and before we reached Toledo that put us a half hour behind. We were so glad when we reached TOL that we did not need to change cars and could enjoy a little more comfort for the two hour ride to CLE.
Jamal talked to the new conductor and apparently he scanned our reservation into his records even though he did not collect our tickets.
We were hoping to arrive in CLE soon after 1am but just before Elyria we came to a stop and we sat- and sat- for over a half hour for one lowly coal train that eventually passed us. That made us 1.5 hours late into CLE. Grrrrr. At least we were not sitting in coach—smile—
We said goodbye to Jamal and tipped generously for his kind service. Our car was waiting and off we went down I-71. We reached home around 4am and found our loving cat waiting to greet us. Another fun Amtrak adventure has ended.
A general review of our trip would include the superior staff on all four trains we rode. Both sleeper car attendants and dining staff were friendly and efficient in their jobs. The food was almost always good—some cold rice and beans was an exception. All of our steaks were great. Although we have ridden these routes previously, we always enjoy seeing the countryside and meeting new people. Weather was nice in Washington, New Orleans and typical Chicago for this time of year. We enjoyed the museums, the streetcar rides, another ride on the EL, riverboat cruise and walking through the past.
Now where will we go on next year’s Birthday Loop Tour??
Amtrak Spring 2012 Birthday Loop Tour
Cleveland-Washington DC-New Orleans-Chicago-Cleveland
April 16-23, 2012
Monday April 16--
After packing and preparing for the trip, we said goodbye to Mr. Gato and headed up I-71 toward Cleveland. We discovered that we had left our hats and Claudia’s cell phone behind. (So much for long term planning-smile). We arrived at CLE around midnight, parked the car and proceeded to the ticket window to have our tickets printed. As usual, the CLE staff is most accommodating and friendly and we talked to him about our AGR free trips and how we really like to travel by train.
A check on train status showed that #30, Capitol Limited, was running about fifteen minutes late in to Toledo but anticipated no further delays. Several westbound freights passed the station. The waiting area was filling up with future CL passengers, most of which we would find were coach bound. Several talked of taking the Pennsylvanian out of Pittsburgh.
At 1:18 the call came to board the train. We were only 19 minutes late. Locomotives #19 and 152 headed up the consist. We walked to the left out the door and found our sleeping car #3001 and the conductor waiting at the door. He informed us that we were to use Room E instead of our ticketed Room C since it was not ready. That was fine with us and we proceeded to carry our luggage up the stairway. The luggage area on the ground floor was completely full and thus, I had to lug our large bag upstairs and find someplace to store it in the limited space on a Superliner bedroom. The beds were down and we were ready to get some sleep.
Unfortunately, the air conditioning could not be controlled and the room was rather chilly all night long. It was a refurbed Superliner I and at least did not have lots of rattles like our bedroom had in January. I sat up for a while watching as we left Cleveland and made our way into Ravenna before I decided to climb up into my bunk. Those upper bunks in a Superliner are really tight and for those with claustrophobia, it would be a negative experience.
The tracks on the CL route are pretty smooth and except for the temp controls, it is usually easy to fall asleep on 30 and 29. Must have dozed off because I did not remember Pittsburgh stop. We awoke around 6 and were just outside Connellsville, Pa.
Since we had showered before we left home last evening, we freshened up and headed down to the diner for our 6:30 breakfast. We enjoyed a conversation with Cedrick and Lilly from England. They were visiting their son in Chicago and decided to take their first US train trip to Washington to view the sights. I had the pancakes and bacon. Claudia had the scrambled eggs, grits and bacon. Our servers were friendly and the LSA was keeping everything organized. It was announced that anyone who wished to have a lunch would need to come back to the diner before we reached Martinsburg, WVa. That would be around 10:30.
When we returned to the room, Jamal, our SCA, had set up the room and introduced himself. I thought we had been with him on another CL trip. He was very friendly and had juice, coffee and a USA Today newspaper on hand for us.
The Youghiogheny River was running swiftly as our train moved along trying to make up a little time. The leaves were not yet fully formed on the trees so a good view of the mountains and streams was afforded us. As we entered Cumberland, Md. a gentleman came down the hallway and was enjoying the scenery outside our room. His name was Jeff and he was from Perth, Australia. He had flown to LA and taken the Coast Starlight up to Seattle and then across on the Empire Builder to Chicago. We talked about his US experiences, trains in Australia, and his forthcoming trip to DC. He recommended we see New Zealand before Australia since it was green and the people were very friendly. We offered to show him our bedroom as he found the roomettes a bit cramped. He noticed that food portions in the US were unusually large and enjoyed the “newer” cars compared to the trains in Australia. We sat in the room and talked for a while and then he decided to head to the diner to catch an Angus Burger before the diner closed. We opted to wait until DC to have lunch. That is one of the great disadvantages to this train in that they choose to cut off lunch so early. But the LSA was a great guy and after they closed, he walked the train distributing the carnations that were on the dining car tables to passengers in sleeper. Since it was Claudia’s birthday, she was appreciative of his kind favor. He also found the two little girls in the family room and made sure they had flowers as well. The Cap crews have been a great improvement over some of our early trips a few years ago.
As we passed through Cumberland, Md., there were many trains moving in and out of the large CSX yard. This is the place where my brother took his engineer training back in the early 1970s. Since we were running a little late, there was only a brief stop and I decided not to get out of the train since I had several photos of Cumberland station on our last trip in January.
Lots of construction still taking place between Cumberland and Martinsburg and with the slow orders we did not pick up any lost time. Still 26 minutes late by the time we reached the Martinsburg station. I did notice that we had some private varnish on the rear of our train. A green coach that unfortunately I was not able to identify its origins. I was hoping to get a glimpse of it when we got to DC but with all the security on the platform, everyone was moved along toward the station.
Martinsburg had many passengers boarding. Always enjoy the town with its modern station next to the old buildings from the past. We entered Harpers Ferry still about 25 minutes down. As we pulled out onto the great bridge across the Potomac River, Jamal said he would open the window on the door so I could get some better pictures of the town and bridges, etc. We both noticed a large flock of vultures roosting on the rocks below and several tourists out on the old railroad bridge. Thanks to him for being so accommodating.
We moved through the tunnel and now we are back in Maryland. The temperatures outside are heating up and it is destined to be a warm day by the time we get to DC. We pass Point of Rocks, Md., the site of where the original B&O line from Baltimore meets the line to DC. A very nice old station still sits near the junction, although no passenger trains stop there anymore. I believe the MARC trains do stop there for commuter service.
It is not long before we reach the suburbs of Rockville and a brief stop there to let a few passengers out. Even though we are now 40 minutes late, there is plenty of padding in the schedule and we therefore arrive only 7 minutes down when we enter WAS. Plenty of VRE and MARC trains in the yards and a couple of Acelas are perched on the platform ready to leave. We say goodbye to Jamal and leave a nice tip for his great service.
We take the long walk up the platform and up the escalator to the main concourse of the station. Found the Acela Lounge and stored our bags. Our Crescent #19 was scheduled to leave at 6:30 but the attendant recommended we be ready to board by 6:00pm.
Toured the food court looking for a good lunch and decided on the pasta specials of lasagna and salad in the crowded area downstairs. Afterward we decided to walk to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights and other historic documents found there. The lines were surprisingly short and thus we were able to enjoy many parts of the Archives without a large crowd. We have been here before, but it’s always inspiring to see the old papers again and hope that our country will survive its present economic and cultural turmoil.
We worked our way back down the Mall and decided to stop at the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art to see a fantastic display of Japanese prints and tapestries depicting all kinds of fowl and butterflies. It was nice to sit in the center of this large gallery and enjoy the fine art. Viewed a few more artworks and then decided to walk back to the station. It was a very warm day, nearly 88 degrees and it was good there was a breeze to soften the temps a bit.
As usual there were a number of protestors near the Capitol and lots of political signs for both sides in the current debate. A pickup truck with large placards reminding us that the world was coming to an end and it was all Obama’s fault. Another religious man with his bible in front of Union Station asking for everyone to repent. Such is life in Washington DC.
We returned to the Acela Lounge and proceeded to check out the Wi-Fi on our new Kindle Fire. Although the signal strength was a bit weak at first, it picked up and we had good reception for the hour or so we waited for our Crescent to board. Plenty of snacks and drinks in the lounge. Although not as large as the lounge in Chicago, it shows a bit more class and with the business clientele from DC using all the Acelas and other NEC trains; it is also a different experience.
At 6:00pm the call came to meet at the East Door for an attendant to take us to the appropriate track. It was a bit of a walk and glad we were there on time because we may have gotten lost trying to find this gate on our own. We walked the platform and found that all the sleepers on the Crescent were at the front of the train. We were in Car 1911, Bedroom A. Our SCA was Charles I, a stately African-American man who was a take- charge sort of guy. He was friendly, checked on our comfort and had our dinner reservation made for 6:30pm, which was great since I was getting hungry.
Really like the Viewliner sleepers that have much more storage space and more room in the upper bunk. We got our things organized and the train pulled out on time. Took some photos of DC as we crossed the Potomac and headed for Alexandria, VA. We headed down to the diner and were seated by ourselves. Sometimes it is nice to have a private table and surprisingly only about a half dozen groups were seated in the diner for supper at that time, each getting their own table. Diner staff very accommodating on that course. We each had a good steak, baked potato and salad with an orange cheesecake to top off the meal. Everything was excellent and it proved to be a nice birthday meal for Claudia as we headed into the Virginia countryside that evening.
We asked Charles to put down our beds around 9:30pm after we left Charlottesville and we stayed up until Lynchburg before we headed to our bunks around 10.
Tuesday April 17
We awoke a little after 6am and were just going through Toccoa, Ga. The train was on time but what a night it had been. The tracks were very rough, lots of crossovers and frogs all night and I didn’t sleep much at all. When we were in Greensboro, Charlotte and Greenville, there was a quiet period in the stations due to crew changes and fueling, when I drifted off but soon the train was rocking and rolling again. Lots of whistle blowing added to the negative experience. But nonetheless, it was morning and after a fresh shower down the hall—no waiting—we were ready for a new day. We headed to breakfast and met our great servers and LSA, T. Brown and Jolene, who were very friendly and efficient. We again were seated by ourselves at first and then a gentleman joined us as we were finishing. We enjoyed eggs, bacon and grits, juice and milk to start the day.
We finished in time to return to the room and get ready to check out the Atlanta station. We arrived at 7:51, almost 20 minutes early but being at the head of the train, it was a long walk to the station on a chilly morning. Decided to get some good shots of our locomotives (#160 and #65) and a clear view of the Atlanta skyline and the Interstate 75 bridge below. Talked to Charles awhile and watched as baggage was loaded and unloaded into the train. Several passengers made it to the platform before the official call and were chastised for not following orders. Saw the use of the handicapped lift chair to get someone off the train. The announcement from the station was telling coach passengers to board the front of the train, which was no longer correct. Charles was laughing that the station agent was still thinking the sleepers were on the rear.
After a long stay and a good morning walk, the call came to board again and at 8:38am we were on our way. Large freight yards on the west side of town. Wondered if General Sherman had marched through here on his way to burning Atlanta nearly 150 years ago.
We decided to sit up in the Café-Lounge Car for a while to enjoy the scenery. There were not many people in the car, plenty of seats except for the two booths taken up by the Amtrak staff. One of the conductors seemed to spend most of his time gabbing on his cell phone and never left the car while we were there. The lounge car attendant was business like in his manner but had little business during the mid-morning hours to keep him busy.
Enjoyed the west Georgia countryside and noticed that the Kudzu plants have taken over much of the tree and plant life in some areas. Another example of man messing with nature and producing unintended consequences.
We arrived in Anniston, Alabama at 10am Central Time and were reminded to turn our watches back an hour. Lots of military operations here with the large depot and tank facilities and another section that was used for chemical weapons (which of course we no longer have- or do we?) Lots of little towns where the railroad runs right down the main street. The tracks follow closely to US Route 78 and I -20 into Birmingham.
We decided to eat lunch around 11 so as to be able to get off in Birmingham for a rest stop. Our lunch companions were Bill and Ruth from southern Alabama, who were on an anniversary trip to Washington paid for by their daughters. They were riding to Meridian, Mississippi where the daughters would pick them up and drive them back to their home north of Mobile. They lamented not having a Sunset Ltd service nearer their home and now must drive quite a ways to catch Amtrak. She likes riding trains better than he does, but they had an enjoyable stay in DC, saw lots of monuments and museums in their two day stay. Bill & I were comparing golf stories and he also likes to do woodworking. We had the Angus Burgers for lunch, which are always top quality.
We arrived in Birmingham about 10 minutes early so that gave us nearly half an hour to walk outside. It had rained a little and the skies were darkening as we got some exercise to walk off all that food. The Birmingham station/platform is really an old dilapidated looking place. Rusting metal and broken concrete walkways and an old elevator that brings passengers up to track level from the street level station. Did not go into the station but it does seem sad that a large city does not have a better showplace for their Amtrak station. Talked to the engineer who was changing places with a new man here. He lives in Charlotte, NC and makes the Birmingham to Charlotte run later in the day when #20 arrives northbound.
As we left Birmingham and headed toward Tuscaloosa we could see twisted trees and remnants of the tornadoes that hit Alabama a year ago. Terrible devastation and loss of life in this area last April. The Tuscaloosa station is a nice old brick building and there were lots of people disembarking and boarding here. We left about 7 minutes late and started west toward Meridian.
The skies opened up after that and we had a steady rain but no storms from this point on. Made photos out the window very difficult though. We arrived in Meridian 15 minutes early with some padding allowed. Saw our friends Bill & Ruth meeting their daughters at the station and waved goodbye. The Meridian station is a real showplace with modern design and nice platform area.
One thing I discovered was that there was scattered Wi-Fi service around the station areas and if I had my Kindle Fire on, I could pick up internet service until we left the area. Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Meridian had a strong signal on the train and a couple of smaller towns in Mississippi also provided a brief power source, although only for a few minutes. In checking my weather app, it noted that New Orleans was under a flood warning at the time as they had 3” of rain in about a two hour period of time.
The remainder of the late afternoon was spent looking out through a rain spotted window at little towns. We stayed about five minutes down through Laurel, Hattiesburg, and Picayune, MS and remained so as we entered Slidell. There was an abbreviated supper served around 4pm. We again were seated by ourselves and I chose the half chicken dinner, while Claudia had a nice steak with both of us enjoying the orange cheesecake for dessert. Few people eating in the diner. Jolene said that many people plan to have dinner in New Orleans and they usually don’t have a big crowd for the abbreviated menu that lasts only an hour.
After Slidell, Lake Pontchartrain is the highlight of the entrance into NOL. With the stormy weather, the waves were bashing against the rocks and bridges. Not a good day to be out on the lake. One strange thing was that the engineer continued to blow the horn the entire way across the lake. Since there are no crossings and there didn’t seem to be any track work going on, I could not understand this procedure. It got to be a bit annoying after a while but soon we entered the northern suburbs of New Orleans. A large above ground cemetery was on our left side and some remnants of Hurricane Katrina, even after all this time. After a long slow approach to the yards and the subsequent back up move into the station, we still arrived at NOL twenty minutes early at around 7 PM.
We said goodbye to Charles with an appropriate tip and moved toward the station. Although our hotel was not too far from the station on Loyola Avenue, we opted to take a cab and get to our Hampton Inn on Carondelet Street in a timely manner. We had heard that New Orleans cab service is pretty shaky. Our driver put the bags in the trunk and asks where we were headed. We started out and he never started the meter. (Reminded us of our recent trip to Boston). He did take the shortest route to the hotel by my rendering but charged us $11 for the ride, which I had calculated to be $8. Oh, well, at least we were safe in our hotel.
The Hampton Inn Downtown is in a very historical building that was once one of the largest skyscrapers in New Orleans. A bellboy carried our bags into the hotel and brought them to the room after we had checked in. The desk staff was very friendly and informed us that our room keycards would be necessary to use the elevators and enter the hotel after 10pm. I like that kind of security. Our room was very nice with two queen sized beds and large screen TV, microwave, refrigerator and in room safe. We had a room facing the front of the building and although the view was mostly of the tall hotel buildings and offices across the street, it was better than the back side facing the air conditioning units.
Since neither of us had gotten much sleep on the train, we opted to just watch some TV and get to bed early for a full day tomorrow. We will leave Bourbon Street this evening for the young partiers. Good night.
Without going into great detail on non Amtrak part of the vacation suffice it to say that we had a great three days in New Orleans and visited the Garden District, Magazine Street Shops and homes, cemetery tour, riverboat ride to the 1814 New Orleans Battlefield, Walking tour of French Quarter, many rides on the streetcars, good food and interesting people. No gambling at the Casino but watched many others lose their money :giggle: cheated by the cab drivers--panhandled by the best--toured the tall ships on display- had some Cafe du Monde beignets (not overly impressed) Highly recommend the Hampton Inn in NOL for wonderful beds, great breakfast and quality staff.
Toured Washington DC National Archives and National Gallery of Art
Toured Chicago-rode the EL, a day at the Field Museum was a highlight
Part 2 NOL-CHI-CLE City of New Orleans #58 and Capitol Limited #30
Friday April 20
Awoke on our last day in New Orleans. Our train doesn’t leave until 1:45pm so will spend the morning exploring the French Quarter. We head down to breakfast and find that the hotel had filled up overnight and the room was full. Managed to find a table to sit down and enjoyed a Danish, boiled eggs and yogurt. Some rather rude people are hogging the tables with conversation and reading their newspapers while others are looking for a place to sit. We head back upstairs and finish packing for the trip home. I had checked with the bellman and he said there would be no problem in getting a cab out front. The desk clerk had approved us extending our checkout to 12:45 so we were set. There is a large crane set up across Carondelet St which is lifting building materials onto a nearby roof. Quite an operation to get that thing setup.
Started down St Charles St which becomes Royal Street on the other side of Canal. Lots of shops, both antique and boutiques along this way. We pass a building that was once the Louisiana Bank and is now a police station. Lots of police scooter and motorcycles in the gated parking area and police cars on the street. Good location to control the nightlife in the French Quarter. We pass several nice jewelry stores, rock shops and clothing boutiques as we continue along Royal Street. Beads hanging from the balconies and trees. Quite a crowd on the streets this morning.
We pass the Louisiana District Courts building with a large statue of Justice White in front. There is a street mime painted in silver doing a demonstration and having photos taken with young kids watching. More beautiful old homes with wrought iron balconies and flowers everywhere. Stop at a couple of art galleries to view their paintings and a nice rock shop with slabs and cut stones; a reminder of our trips to Arizona.
We then turn south on St Ann Street and eventually end up at Jackson Square, where vendors, fortune tellers; and a nice jazz band is playing in front of the St Louis Cathedral. We listen for a while and also take a look at the artists set up around the square.
After a brief walk up Decatur Street we move over to Chartres Street and pass the Pierre Maspero’s Restaurant which has a plaque which denotes its early history as a slave exchange point in New Orleans. This was also the building where Andrew Jackson met with the Lafitte brothers to plan the defense of the city from the British in 1814. We finish our walk back to Canal Street and are just a block away from the hotel. It is getting warm as temps are expected in the low 80s today.
We return to our room and clean out the refrigerator of our crackers, yogurt, etc. We head out the door, hoping to someday return to this very nice and convenient Hampton Inn. The bellmen grab a cab for us and as usual the driver never turns on his meter. He does take a direct route to the train station and in a short order we are there. He charges $11 for the ride and I decide that can include his tip. No more cabby rip-offs for us. The news in New Orleans is that a new streetcar line is expected to be completed later this year along Loyola Avenue which will run by the New Orleans Union Station. It would connect with the Canal Street line. I am sure the cab drivers will not be happy about that!
We find that the Magnolia Lounge is closed for renovations so we must place our bags on the chairs outside that door while we get our tickets for the trip home. The agent is a very friendly African-American lady with a great personality. She prints our tickets on the CONO and the Cap Ltd coming home. We talk about Guest Rewards program and she is very positive employee for Amtrak. I get some photos out front of the station and the nice murals on the inside. Stop at the Subway for a beverage and wait with the other passengers for the boarding call. Our train was now being backed into the station and soon the conductor made an announcement for passenger to form two lines. On the left were coach passengers and on the right, the sleepers. An Amtrak Police officer was guarding the door. He did not check any IDs for those of us in sleeper, but I noticed he was stopping a few coach passengers to check them out.
The CONO now has the sleepers up front so we had a little walk to get to our 5800 car Bedroom B. Our SCA was Manny and his smiling face welcomed us to the train. He guided us into the car and helped lift luggage onto the train. I stored our large bag downstairs and we carried our duffels upstairs. Lots of copies of timetables and route guides by the table and everything was in order. I wanted to get some photos of the locomotive and was hopeful I could walk to the front of the train.
Talked to Manny and he said great. There are two locomotives up there. One is our #132 and the other is an earlier model # 504 (Class B32-8WH) sitting on the track beside us. Got some nice close-ups of the two and the activity of loading bags and passengers boarding on this sunny day. Baggage is loaded on the combine coach bag car at the rear. There were also two old Express Trak boxcars sitting on a side track. Take some photos of the Superdome and Arena and then head back to our car.
Talked to Manny about his Amtrak career. He obviously loves his job since he drives from Atlanta where he lives. Not sure why he doesn’t live closer, but perhaps he was working some eastern trains at one time??. He was always checking his manifests and well prepared for our trip ahead. We had a long discussion about Amtrak Unlimited Group and I told him he had some very good recommendations from our group. A big smile on his face on hearing that.
It was time to leave so I went back to the room and left right on time at 1:45CST. As we slowly made our way out of town we passed lots of freight tracks, Interstate highways and then out into a swampy area. Manny was making announcements about safety, meal arrangements, etc. when we came to a stop. Apparently the southbound CONO was heading our way and we would wait for it to pass us. We were stopped along a watery ditch that had all kinds of birds and fish jumping up in the water. We were also stopped on the flight path for the airport and planes were flying very low over the train as they prepared to land. Quite an interesting stop as we waited. Soon the #59 passed by and we were off along Lake Pontchartrain paralleling the Interstate across the lake. We arrived 15 minutes late into Hammond due to our delay and pretty much stayed 15 minutes down through most of the trip. After a scenic run along the lake we pass through Ponchatoula, which has a very nice station that has been turned into an antique shop and other businesses.
The Hammond station is our first stop. A nice old brick building in a quaint little town. There are a few coach passengers boarding but no one is sleeper as our car is full. There are a few people in the dorm sleeper of which Manny is in charge as well. He will be a busy man with a full house.
The new station in Brookhaven, MS was just opened last August and is a nice transportation center that replaced an Amshak platform. A few people get on here and we are swiftly on our way again. It is now after 4pm and I am glad we reserved the 5 pm dinner since we are getting pretty hungry.
Next stop in Hazlehurst; a fine brick building that again hosts a small group of passengers waiting to board. An old red caboose and nice park adjoin the station and add to its pleasurable viewing. Lots of CN and Grand Trunk locomotives are in the yards and pulling some moderate size freight trains as we make our way north. Also viewed a nice consist of two Kansas City Southern locos with an NS unit waiting in the yards outside of Jackson.
We are down in the diner have a fine meal when we pass through Jackson, MS. We have made up our small running deficit with some timely padding and are now back on schedule. Dinner is with Jackie and Morgan and we have a nice conversation about their Amtrak travels. Claudia and I both have the steak which was cooked perfectly. I failed to note the names of our dining car staff, but they were excellent and friendly. Some ice cream back in the room to top off the meal.
We arrived in Memphis around 10pm and had a long layover here so decided to get off and get some photos of the station. Lots of people getting off and boarding here. Weather has turned cold and my short pants look a bit out of place on the platform **smile**. After some photos of the train, I go inside the station and find the agent is not at the window but is helping with the large amount of baggage to be loaded. But there is a loud commotion coming from the downstairs and I decide to investigate. Turns out the lower flower was rented out for a high school prom. Lots of wild music and kids having a good time. Reminds me of my old days as a high school principal. Chaperones were perhaps not having as good a time **smile**.
Anyway, back up the stairs and out to the train on a chilly night. Manny was making up our beds and we were ready to say goodnight after a long day. A nice touch with some chocolate kisses on our pillows and you can tell he takes pride in his work. He reminded us that breakfast would be express and served only between 6 and 7am so we needed to rise early if we wanted to eat.
Saturday April 21.
We have a decent night’s sleep and are up at 5:30. We decide to try the in room showers to see how that worked. There is not much room but we both managed to utilize the facility without getting water outside the bathroom/shower unit. Does take some wiping down afterward and if not for the fact we would be leaving the train at 9am in Chicago, we probably would not use this shower and opt for the one downstairs.
Breakfast was scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon juice and milk. We enjoyed a conversation with Linda and Elwood, both from Indiana but not traveling together. Debate over the wind turbines and their usefulness, efficiency, and esthetic qualities ensued as we enjoyed the central Illinois countryside. Linda was meeting her son in Chicago and they would be going to the Cubs game this afternoon. As Cincinnati Reds fans, we probably would have been given a rough time in Wrigley Field that afternoon, but we decided not to attend the game today.
Manny made up our beds while we were eating and we enjoyed the final run into the suburbs of Chicago that morning. We could see the skyline as we passed by Soldier Field and the Field Museum, which we would visit later in the day. The train makes a long swinging move over the Amtrak north/south tracks we use on the Capitol Ltd and then a long backup move once we have moved down to grade level. Even though we were still running a few minutes late into Homewood, we arrived in Union Station 9 minutes early.
We said goodbye to Manny with a generous tip and hope to see him on future trips. Too bad all attendants are not from his mold. We walked the platform to the Metro Lounge. Hardly anyone there since the Cap-LSL have not arrived yet. Agents gave us our passes and we scheduled dinner for the 6:30 sitting. We park our luggage with the Redcap in the baggage room and head out to get some CTA passes. As we walk along Jackson Street we stop in the Walgreens to get the passes since they are not sold in the station—must be a deal the CTA has with drug stores in town---and then walk to the Quincy station.
But alas, our efforts are for naught as the EL in under reconstruction on the west loop and not trains are running up there. The construction boss says we can board on the other end at Adams/Wabash, so we walk on down Jackson. It is a cold windy day, typical Chicago weather. We climb the steps to board the Orange Line train and there is some confusion since all of the El trains are running on these tracks in different directions than the normal routes. We only have one stop before we depart at Roosevelt and then join the crowds walking up the street toward the museums. Sun is shining now but wind is still cold.
We are very impressed with the museum grounds and since we have never been to the Field Museum, it was quite an experience. There were special exhibits for Genghis Khan; the museum mummy collection was on display and many exhibits for Native American cultures. We got a 3D movie ticket for the Egyptian mummy film which was pretty good. Lunch was at McDonalds along with a large group of middle school kids who were typically loud and boisterous.
After lunch we toured the rocks and minerals section-a favorite of my geology major wife-meteorites and gemstones a special highlight. Of course, Sue the dinosaur, the mammoths and other neat things on the main floor. After five hours of touring our legs had reached their limit and we still had a walk back to the EL and then to the station. Probably will take a bus next time.
We rode the Orange Line around to the Clark Lake stop and then worked our way back to Union Station. We needed to get some food since supper on the Capitol Ltd was not scheduled until 6:30 so we stopped at the Pizza Hut for a fettuccini Alfred and small pizza. Many of the places in the food court were closed on a Saturday PM.
We returned to the Metro Lounge and found it crowded but were able to find two seats together. Passengers were arriving from the western LD trains and a few CL & Cardinal passengers were getting settled in. Tried the Wi-Fi signal on my Kindle Fire and it was working well. Checked email, Amtrak Unlimited site and the weather at home. Wish I had some texting skills and I could send some live notes to the AU but it takes me forever to type a few words. Texter handicapped. **smile***.
At 5:30 the call came for Capitol Ltd passengers who needed Red Cap service to come to the front desk. All of a sudden everyone seemed to be to the front and the frantic agent had to make several calls to remind sleeper passengers not needing Red Caps to stay put. (Like a flock of lemmings **smile**. I knew they always board Cap Ltd passengers from the east rear doors in the Lounge so we just moved over there and were nearly first in line. A minute later the agent came and unlocked the door and told everyone to follow her to gate Track 26.
As usual the sleepers were up front so a long walk up to Car 3001, Bedroom C and to our surprise, our car attendant was Jamal. He laughed and said “I thought I left you guys in Washington”. I told him we circled around and timed it so we would get him again back to Cleveland.
We explained our normal routine as Guest Rewards passengers that we would have our bedroom until Toledo and then usually switched to LL Coach seats for the ride to CLE. Jamal checked the manifest and said “there is no one in your room after Toledo, so why not just stay there for the ride to CLE—oh happy day- first time we have been able to stay in the room on all of our previous AGR trips. I told him we didn’t need to have the beds put down to save him extra work and that pleased him as well. He said he would talk to the new conductor in Toledo and let him know we were still in the sleeper. Such a deal!!
Jamal said we could go down to dinner at 6:30 so as our train moved out of the station, we said goodbye to Chicago and got freshened up for dinner. Since the time changes back to Eastern DST soon after leaving Chicago, there was some confusion among the sleeper passengers about what time they were to have dinner. I told them that the dinner times were based on CST and that they should take that into consideration when going to the diner.
We were seated by our friendly server Paula, who was very efficient and took our orders promptly. We were joined by a gentleman from New Mexico who had some interesting perspectives on the Rail Runner and Amtrak service on the SWC. He lives south of Belen and said that although the Trancom route would be more convenient for his travels, he suspects that Amtrak will not abandon the Raton Pass line. But he said New Mexico doesn’t want to spend more money on rail right now since many believe the Rail Runner is kind of a boondoggle and too costly to operate. We settled in with our steaks and baked potatoes and enjoyed the ride across Indiana.
There were two short delays to let freights pass outside of Elkhart and before we reached Toledo that put us a half hour behind. We were so glad when we reached TOL that we did not need to change cars and could enjoy a little more comfort for the two hour ride to CLE.
Jamal talked to the new conductor and apparently he scanned our reservation into his records even though he did not collect our tickets.
We were hoping to arrive in CLE soon after 1am but just before Elyria we came to a stop and we sat- and sat- for over a half hour for one lowly coal train that eventually passed us. That made us 1.5 hours late into CLE. Grrrrr. At least we were not sitting in coach—smile—
We said goodbye to Jamal and tipped generously for his kind service. Our car was waiting and off we went down I-71. We reached home around 4am and found our loving cat waiting to greet us. Another fun Amtrak adventure has ended.
A general review of our trip would include the superior staff on all four trains we rode. Both sleeper car attendants and dining staff were friendly and efficient in their jobs. The food was almost always good—some cold rice and beans was an exception. All of our steaks were great. Although we have ridden these routes previously, we always enjoy seeing the countryside and meeting new people. Weather was nice in Washington, New Orleans and typical Chicago for this time of year. We enjoyed the museums, the streetcar rides, another ride on the EL, riverboat cruise and walking through the past.
Now where will we go on next year’s Birthday Loop Tour??
