Back in late December of 1977 after seeing the movie Silver Streak, I and 3 of my friends decided to take an Amtrak rail adventure using the rail passes Amtrak offered then. If I remember correctly, they were 14 day passes and cost $300. If you got on a train on your 14th day and the trip was 2 days-- you could squeeze 16 days total. The real trick was making all the individual reservations in advance before you got on the train because a pass is just the payment for the ticket (reservation). I took care of all the pass buying on my credit card and making the reservations was easy. The trick was making them at 2:15am right after the previous days cancellations were posted. We were all young then (late 20's) and Amtrak was pretty new and regulations weren't strictly enforced. On our 1st leg, Southwest Chief from Chicago to LA, I was skinny enough to climb up into the coach's' baggage rack and sleep laying down. Even though the conductor saw me, he never said anything.
Now I know that this part isn't any crazy drama, but it is about to begin. Every part of our Amtrak trip was just as I hoped it would be. After staying in LA 4 days, we went to San Francisco for 5 days. Then to Reno for 24 hours where one of us (not me) won $6,665 playing 5 quarters on the MGM Grand slot machine and lining up 5 jackpots in a row. He decided to take his money and fly home but before he left us, I asked him if I could have his ticket home to Chicago and his rail pass. Which he gladly gave me.
Myself and my other two friends had blown all our money (about $200 each) on gambling and were almost broke. To get some sleep-- we went to the movie theater overnight (24 hour movies) and just slept in our seats waiting for the next Amtrak train. This was New Years' eve as we got on the Zephyr to Chicago and as the train proceeded east, it got colder and colder and colder until the outside temperature was something like 20 or 25 below zero. Back then in 1977, all the cars had steam heat and eventually all the steam lines froze and the heat went completely out in one car after another. In any of those cars without heat, you could easily see your breath. My guess is that is was ZERO inside.
As the heat went out in a coach, you could tell when that happened because suddenly there would be 50 or more people streaming through our car looking for vacant seats in a warm car. NOW--- I had 2 seats and 2 rail passes which were bought by me. I had my "punched tickets" in the 2 ticket clips above my seats so it did seem to be 2 people. A lot of people asked me if the empty seat next to me was taken and I said yes it was. But eventually after 300 people came through our coach with everyone asking about my seat---- other people in our coach saw this and told the Conductor. So he came to confront me. He asked who was sitting next to me and I told him that I was and showed him my tickets. He immediately and angrily told me "You need rail passes for these" I gave him my rail passes and he said he never heard of anyone buying two tickets. I just had to smart off to him by saying "You probably don't have as much experience at train riding as I do"
Well-- he was as mad as a wet hornet and took my passes to where he could radio ahead to confirm the passes were real. He returned, gave me my passes back and left. In about a half hour the heat went out in our coach. Boy---was it COLD. I endured that cold as long as I could-- about 2 hours or so. I eventually started walking back towards the rear end of the train and suddenly discovered in the sleeping car an empty room and it was warm. So I sat down there. In 15 minutes, the Conductor showed up--- and there I was---sitting in HIS seat. Oh, man--- did I get kicked out fast!!! So I went back to my 2 cold (BITTERLY COLD) seats and told my 2 friends of my adventure. They laughed. After some more time went by, I decided to try again. This time I walked back and checked both sleepers--- not just the first one where the Conductor hung out.
To my complete surprise, There were 5 --YES FIVE--TOTALLY empty coaches after the last sleeper. And every one of them was toasty warm. I explored all 5 coaches and then went to sit in the most forward seat of the 1st of the 5 coaches and just warm up. After about a half hour I went back to my original 2 seats and convinced my 2 friends to join me in the warm coaches. We sat there until it was just getting dark and suddenly ---- here was the Conductor. He was mad again and scared the heck out of my 2 friends who ran away as fast as they could. But I decided to argue with the Conductor. Basically, I said why was he hauling these 5 warm EMPTY coaches when everyone is freezing in the rest of the train. By the way-- the sleepers were warm and I don't know why that was.
The conductor changed his tone when I told him "If you make me go back to my seats, I'm going to tell EVERYONE on this train that you are pulling these 5 warm coaches. What do you think will happen THEN"? ---- So he said "ok--- sit here if you want but just remember that I told you that you can't be in these cars" That was good enough for me and since it was dark, I just sat down and went to sleep.
It was just beginning to get light and I woke up with a start. The train was stopped and quiet except for a loud CLANK--CLANK--CLANK! This happened a few times. I stood up and was still a little dizzy from waking out of a DEEP SLEEP. I stepped on the treadle and the door slid open. The big curtain that goes from car to car was taken down and there was a man pounding on the decoupling lever with a big hammer. He was SHOCKED to see me and I asked what he was doing. He replied "Are there any other people on these coaches"? and I said no. He asked again if I was SURE. --- Yes--I was sure. Then he wanted to know why I was on it and I told him. What was happening at that moment was that the 5 coaches were being uncoupled in Ogden Utah and the temperature was somewhere about 20 below zero.
That was sure close! I began walking forward through the cars and when I got to the second sleeper, the train began to move. I could feel the cars stretching out---boomp--- boomp---boomp-------- AS I entered the dining car, there was the Conductor who said exactly this to me--- "I see your still with us, Mr Behling" I walked right up to him and looked at his name tag and replied "Yes Mr (what ever his name was) I AM STILL HERE and you will be hearing from me again" Then-- as I was walking through the Club Car there was a lady conductor who said the SAME thing to me. The very same thing. I answered her the same way. I got back to my 2 seats--- both still there--- told my buddies what happened. They laughed at me but I sat down and began a rough draft of my letter to Amtrak explaining how I almost got left in the Ogden rail yard in 20 below Zero with 2 Amtrak employees knowing full well.
When we arrived at Denver Station, I went in and asked if I could buy that bedroom that the conductor was using. They looked it up and said yes. The bedroom cost me exactly $55. and I reborded the train and showed the conductor my ticket for HIS BEDROOM. After arriving home, I wrote a 4 page letter to Amtrak in Washington DC and they gave me a refund of 1/2 of my rail pass -- not both rail passes. I didn't want to push it too far.
So THAT is the craziest thing I ever saw on Amtrak. Not as good as the adventure on Silver Streak--- but it was close!
