MrEd
Conductor
9/29/9 City of New Orleans
I wanted to ride the City of New Orleans again from Chicago to New Orleans. We had a tour group from Japan on the train, about fifty people. One of the men had his wallet picked out of his pocket before we got on the train. Best to use caution in a big city. From the lounge we left through the back door and wandered down and across some tracks. They are doing some track work in the station so this was a little unusual.
I immediately made my way from my car to the diner to get a good seat. It was a clear night and I had a good view of the skyline, the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Everyone from our sleeper eventually came in to eat. The menu change did not happen yet as I had hoped, two more weeks I am told. When I returned to the car I found a whirlwind downstairs, things were flying around as we made our way south. I thought someone left a window open, but turns out the door was open. The garbage can was sucked outside, very strange sight. Well everything was soon rectified. I got to meet the conductor downstairs at his desk in the transition sleeper.
Train got stuck behind a freight that had to go into emergency stop. So I had some restful sleep last night, it put us one and a half hour down but there is plenty of padding in the schedule. The lady in room 14 kept turning her light on during the night by using the yellow button, so I kept waking up. This sleeper is very old and worn out. One of the locks for the rest room has duct tape on it. All the facilities did seem to work though and they had hot water, just a slow trickle but it was hot.
My windows have mud on them; I guess nobody washed this car in Chicago. I know we didn’t go through any mud along the way.
After breakfast in Memphis I got off the train for some fresh air. It was 55 degrees out, had plenty of time since this was a refueling stop. The have a restored trolley that now serves the Memphis station, downstairs out in front. The Memphis Central Station was constructed in 1914 and has been restored; now it is half train station and half police station. If you walk across the parking lot and look down to the street you will see the words to the song the City of New Orleans painted on a wall. Despite all it has going for it, Memphis might be best known as the birthplace of Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, the first self serve grocery store.
Lake Comorant, Mississippi – I could not see the lake.
We stopped to remove some defective equipment from service, just not sure what that might have been. I hope it wasn’t the baggage car as I have some stuff in it.
My best friend is from Greenwood, MS. It was at one time a big cotton producing area, maybe because it is on the Yazoo River. I now spend more time in Greenwood then my friend does. They have a crew change in Greenwood so there is time to get off to stretch the legs. We have already made up most of the time we lost last night.
Before the train comes to New Orleans, it crosses the Pass-Manchac waterway that connects Lake Maurepas with Lake Pontchatrain. “This is also the beginning of the longest single railroad curve in the United States, extending over nine miles”. I don’t really feel nine miles of curve though.
This is a nice train but only has limited service; they do call it full service though, so it is a little confusing. In the diner they have a limited full service menu. I feel bad for the one person stuck running the kitchen all alone. There must be not enough people for a full service dining car.
I wanted to ride the City of New Orleans again from Chicago to New Orleans. We had a tour group from Japan on the train, about fifty people. One of the men had his wallet picked out of his pocket before we got on the train. Best to use caution in a big city. From the lounge we left through the back door and wandered down and across some tracks. They are doing some track work in the station so this was a little unusual.
I immediately made my way from my car to the diner to get a good seat. It was a clear night and I had a good view of the skyline, the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Everyone from our sleeper eventually came in to eat. The menu change did not happen yet as I had hoped, two more weeks I am told. When I returned to the car I found a whirlwind downstairs, things were flying around as we made our way south. I thought someone left a window open, but turns out the door was open. The garbage can was sucked outside, very strange sight. Well everything was soon rectified. I got to meet the conductor downstairs at his desk in the transition sleeper.
Train got stuck behind a freight that had to go into emergency stop. So I had some restful sleep last night, it put us one and a half hour down but there is plenty of padding in the schedule. The lady in room 14 kept turning her light on during the night by using the yellow button, so I kept waking up. This sleeper is very old and worn out. One of the locks for the rest room has duct tape on it. All the facilities did seem to work though and they had hot water, just a slow trickle but it was hot.
My windows have mud on them; I guess nobody washed this car in Chicago. I know we didn’t go through any mud along the way.
After breakfast in Memphis I got off the train for some fresh air. It was 55 degrees out, had plenty of time since this was a refueling stop. The have a restored trolley that now serves the Memphis station, downstairs out in front. The Memphis Central Station was constructed in 1914 and has been restored; now it is half train station and half police station. If you walk across the parking lot and look down to the street you will see the words to the song the City of New Orleans painted on a wall. Despite all it has going for it, Memphis might be best known as the birthplace of Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, the first self serve grocery store.
Lake Comorant, Mississippi – I could not see the lake.
We stopped to remove some defective equipment from service, just not sure what that might have been. I hope it wasn’t the baggage car as I have some stuff in it.
My best friend is from Greenwood, MS. It was at one time a big cotton producing area, maybe because it is on the Yazoo River. I now spend more time in Greenwood then my friend does. They have a crew change in Greenwood so there is time to get off to stretch the legs. We have already made up most of the time we lost last night.
Before the train comes to New Orleans, it crosses the Pass-Manchac waterway that connects Lake Maurepas with Lake Pontchatrain. “This is also the beginning of the longest single railroad curve in the United States, extending over nine miles”. I don’t really feel nine miles of curve though.
This is a nice train but only has limited service; they do call it full service though, so it is a little confusing. In the diner they have a limited full service menu. I feel bad for the one person stuck running the kitchen all alone. There must be not enough people for a full service dining car.
