CHI-NOL -Part III

[Bob Dylan]

Tues 10/13/09 CHI-NOl on the CONO #59

Killed some time in a cool/damp CHI by visiting the Hostel mentioned by other members, looks like a good deal for sure!When I have a layover in CHI will use it for certain! Had another really good Pizza @ Giordanos, stocked up on snacks @ the Walgreens and went back to the lounge to watch TV/rest up/warm up for the trip south.

The lounge was fairly full but once the Western Trains and the Cardinal and CL departed it cleared out, only a few folks left, most for the LSL!

We boarded @ 7:15PM, the consist was: 2 engines, baggage car,trans-dorm, revenue sleeper, CCC (diner-lounge), 3 coaches, the last one empty as a deadhead! SCA was Joe, roomette #2, the sleeper was sp old I think it was on Lincolns funeral train!! They had us head for the diner soon as wed pulled out @ 8:00PM on time, backed up and headed south! Since it was a full sleeper, the diner was crowded, lucked out and missed the mafia 3 seater. Sat with some pleasant,friendly folks heading to NOL for a vacation, first timers! Being the day after a holiday the coaches were full too!(back one empty!!)

The food service attendant was Michelle, very friendly and a great waitperson, the LSA mostly was glued to her booth working on paperwork!

Michelle told us thonight was the next to the last day for the old menu, it would change Thursday! I ordered the crab cakes, good as usual, and had the

always delicious bourbon pecan pie with vanilla ice cream for desert! After eating we moved to the tables in the CCC and had a few adult beverages

while discussing the world situation and New Orleans! Being tired after a long day, I eased down and took a nice hot shower (the Superliner was old but a goody, just in needed of refreshing and updating but everything worked, no duct tape needed!Slep like a baby to Memphis, wed held time all night, either the tracks have had work or I was so tired I never felt any rough patches on this trip down like this summer when it was very rough during the night!

We spent an hour and half in warm and clear Memphis being early, got our papers and I went and had a nice omelete brekfast (Im not a french toast fancier!),we rolled south and I went and read the paper, took a little nap and went to anearly lunch since we were running early and New Orleans food is waiting!!Had the pizza, not bad!!!Visited with some friendly folks Id met before, all of them tourists, great service from Michelle as before, the LSA must have gotten stuck in her booth, she was still there, perhaps from the night before! :lol:

Stopped for a couple of freights and the Northbound CONO but rolled into LA. and the swamps early, could see NOL across the Lake on this very warm,clear day! Backed into the station 15 minutes early, caught a cab and headed for the hotel to rest up for one of my favorite cities! (Not Bourbon Street, Im old, been there, done that! :lol: )More to come in Part IV, the highlights of my visit, the trip north back to CHI and the trip South on the Eagle south towards home!!

 

[MrEd]

Jim

Sorry you missed out on the new menu, but you did get a nice slice of pie.

 

[MrFSS]

Michelle was in the CCC in June on my trip - she is first rate.

Sounds like you are having a great trip.

 

[cpamtfan]

Nice report ! The third coach is on the train because CN (the owner of the tracks) mandated that any train going down their trackage had to have a minimum of 30(?) axles on their train. Amtrak was like two short so they had to add an empty coach, wasting what could hae been in revenue if CN wasn't so stubborn :angry: .

 

[AlanB]

Amtrak was like two short so they had to add an empty coach, wasting what could hae been in revenue if CN wasn't so stubborn :angry: .

From what Jim says in his report, it's Amtrak that was wasting revenue space this time around. Sounds like they could have probably sold seats in that coach, had they been so inclined to do so. That may not always be true, but at least in this case it sure seems like they could have sold seats.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Amtrak was like two short so they had to add an empty coach, wasting what could hae been in revenue if CN wasn't so stubborn :angry: .

From what Jim says in his report, it's Amtrak that was wasting revenue space this time around. Sounds like they could have probably sold seats in that coach, had they been so inclined to do so. That may not always be true, but at least in this case it sure seems like they could have sold seats.

As usual you are correct Alan, the other two coaches were very full, dont understand why they couldnt have spread em out unless the SA would have had to taken care of 3 coaches or was lazy! :lol: Whats is the limit for OBS on the number of cars they can handle, Ive seen 2 but never more??

Also on the Eagle from CHI-STL we had the 321 coach that was full to St. Louis, emptied out there, rode empty until Dallas, then it was filled with

UT fans celebrating their victory over the Sooners, we picked up some moire in FTW so it was a loud and happy crowd on the way to Austin, Im sure the Heartland Flyer wasnt as joyus on the way back to Oklahoma!!

 

[the_traveler]

(Im not a french toast fancier!)

No french toast? That's enough reason to get thrown from the train! :lol:

 

[cpamtfan]

Well making one SA run three coaches with 80 seats isn't very easy lol. They could have sold the space, and they might have been,but there just weren't enough seats to warrent the opening of the second coach. If they spread the people out, it would make it hard for the attendant to do his/her duties since he/she would have to run through the coaches. I'm just saying...

 

[pennyk]

Thank you for another interesting trip report. I am looking forward to the next part. I, too, am not a fan of french toast.