KmH
Engineer
I booked a Double Days points run from OTM (Ottumwa) to BRL (Burlington) for March 30.
I have a long distant trip booked April 30 - OTM to EUG (Eugene).
This one day round trip would let me re-familiarize myself with many train riding aspects prior to my trip next month.
I started watching the #6(28) on Track-a-Train on the 28th.
It got about 30 minutes late on the 28th, but by the evening of the 29th it was back on time.
The CZ has a scheduled, 9:09 AM departure from OTM.
I have to drive about 2 hours to get to OTM, so I turned in early to facilitate getting up early the morning of the 30th. I'm a 'night owl', and not normally an early riser.
So up early (Jeez Louise! 5:30 AM!) I check Track-a-Train and see the CZ is running 1 hour and 57 minutes late and hadn't yet reached OMA (Omaha).
I briefly thought about getting some more sleep.
Instead I chose to proceed on the assumption padding in the schedule would allow the train to make up some time.
I dawdled a bit, had a extra cup of nice, rich, dark roast coffee and hit the road at 6:30 AM just in time to see the County Sheriff doing a early morning drive-around check of the small rural Iowa town I call home.
As I turned east onto the county highway the eastern sky was noticeable lighter as the Earth raced towards the East to meet the below the horizon Sun.
About 20 miles into my drive I stopped at the side of the road (State Highway 146) and snapped a photo of the eastern sky just before the Sun came up.
I stopped in Grinnell, IA to get a take away breakfast (2 - Egg McMuffins, coffee) and some gasoline.
The only excitement afterwards was between Eddyville and Ottumwa.
An 18 wheeler had missed a slight curve in the divided highway (US 63) and gone off the shoulder of the northbound lanes and crashed (between 165th and 212th streets). I suspect the truck driver fell asleep.
I pulled into the OTM station parking lot at 8:30, bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to ride a train.
I checked with the ticket agent who said the CZ ETA was now 11:20 AM mocking my earlier, positive assumption schedule padding would improve the arrival ETA.
The station was packed with people (all 3 of us with my arrival) waiting for the train.
Actually the OTM station is pretty nice for being in a small Iowa town.
Upstairs is the Wapello County Historical Museum which must help with maintaining the building.
The station also functions as a Greyhound and Trailways bus station.
The station has seating for about 30, soft drink/water and snack machines, magazines to read, and a 1938 photo of the 1st CZ stopped at the station surrounded by an admiring crowd.
The CZ ETA was updated to 11:57 AM, which is pretty close to when the train finally arrived.
Of note was the 2 P-42DC locomotives had sequential numbers - 158 & 159 - and right behind them were 2 of the new ACS-64's - 639 & 638.
The Heritage baggage car following them looked really old, worn, and ragged on the outside.
The rest of the 'consist' was - transition sleeper, coach/baggage, coach, sightseer/lounge, dining car, sleeper, sleeper.
AU member Agent (aka A. Train on YouTube) made a video of the train pulling out of the station. I'm in the second coach car, seat 64, on the side of the train opposite where Agent was, but I didn't know at that time he was in Ottumwa. I was going to be looking for him in Agency City, 7 miles out of Ottumwa.
The BRL station is undergoing a renovation, by volunteers. Haste does not appear to be part of the plan and the renovation seems to have started about 10 years ago. No one was at the station doing any renovation work. See post #2. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to.) There is no ticket agent, no vending machines, inside seating on 3 benches for maybe 12 people at the station.
I needed to visit the men's room. One of the 2 necessity rooms (the woman's room) was closed for renovation. The Men's room was temporarily re-assigned as the Woman's room, with a hand lettered sign taped onto the wall over the Men's Room signage.
I did not see another restroom, until I noticed a blue port-a-potty out in front of the station.
Venturing outside I saw that, sure enough, a small sign taped to the outside of the blue port-a-potty door declared - "Men's Room". So under duress, but to my relief, I availed myself use of the provided, bright blue, facility.
Is it reverse sexism preempting the Mens' Room for women to use and making the guys use the port-a-potty? LOL: See post #2. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to)
Once inside the port-a-potty I was comforted by the sticker on the door telling users: See post #2. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to)
I walked a short distance into town and had a disappointing, very pedestrian meal of spaghetti and meat sauce at an Italian food place - Napoli Pizza and Restaurant. I've eaten essentially the same spaghetti and meat sauce meal at diners and truck stops all over the USA for most of my adult life.
The restaurant door has a sign that declares the restaurant does not accept credit/debit cards. Cash only.
I have been told Napoli Pizza and Restaurant makes good pizza, so if it's pizza you want, you might want to give the place a try anyway
Here is a shot of the west entrance to the BRL yard as I walked back towards the station. The bridge the train crosses from Illinois to Iowa over the Mississippi is in the background: See post #3. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to.)
And looking at the Mississippi up river a tad from the BRL yard from the east most train loading platform, and the cable stay Illinois/Iowa automobile bridge: See post #3. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to.)
The #5(30) was on-time, and the ride back to OTM was just as pleasant as the eastbound leg.[/size]
The coach car my return seat was in looked a fair bit fresher than the eastbound coach car.[/size]
There seemed to be quite a few more grade crossings between BRL and MTP (Mount Pleasant), than between MTP and OTM.
But perhaps not surprisingly, the train ride part of the day was to short to be satisfying
On the drive home from OTM, 3 wreckers were in the process of putting the tractor of the overturned 18 wheeler on a flatbed trailer so it could be hauled away.
I stopped at a favorite Mexican food restaurant in Grinnell for a quick dinner and got home about 9:30 PM.
I have a long distant trip booked April 30 - OTM to EUG (Eugene).
This one day round trip would let me re-familiarize myself with many train riding aspects prior to my trip next month.
I started watching the #6(28) on Track-a-Train on the 28th.
It got about 30 minutes late on the 28th, but by the evening of the 29th it was back on time.
The CZ has a scheduled, 9:09 AM departure from OTM.
I have to drive about 2 hours to get to OTM, so I turned in early to facilitate getting up early the morning of the 30th. I'm a 'night owl', and not normally an early riser.
So up early (Jeez Louise! 5:30 AM!) I check Track-a-Train and see the CZ is running 1 hour and 57 minutes late and hadn't yet reached OMA (Omaha).
I briefly thought about getting some more sleep.
Instead I chose to proceed on the assumption padding in the schedule would allow the train to make up some time.
I dawdled a bit, had a extra cup of nice, rich, dark roast coffee and hit the road at 6:30 AM just in time to see the County Sheriff doing a early morning drive-around check of the small rural Iowa town I call home.
As I turned east onto the county highway the eastern sky was noticeable lighter as the Earth raced towards the East to meet the below the horizon Sun.
About 20 miles into my drive I stopped at the side of the road (State Highway 146) and snapped a photo of the eastern sky just before the Sun came up.
I stopped in Grinnell, IA to get a take away breakfast (2 - Egg McMuffins, coffee) and some gasoline.
The only excitement afterwards was between Eddyville and Ottumwa.
An 18 wheeler had missed a slight curve in the divided highway (US 63) and gone off the shoulder of the northbound lanes and crashed (between 165th and 212th streets). I suspect the truck driver fell asleep.
I pulled into the OTM station parking lot at 8:30, bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to ride a train.
I checked with the ticket agent who said the CZ ETA was now 11:20 AM mocking my earlier, positive assumption schedule padding would improve the arrival ETA.
The station was packed with people (all 3 of us with my arrival) waiting for the train.
Actually the OTM station is pretty nice for being in a small Iowa town.
Upstairs is the Wapello County Historical Museum which must help with maintaining the building.
The station also functions as a Greyhound and Trailways bus station.
The station has seating for about 30, soft drink/water and snack machines, magazines to read, and a 1938 photo of the 1st CZ stopped at the station surrounded by an admiring crowd.
The CZ ETA was updated to 11:57 AM, which is pretty close to when the train finally arrived.
Of note was the 2 P-42DC locomotives had sequential numbers - 158 & 159 - and right behind them were 2 of the new ACS-64's - 639 & 638.
The Heritage baggage car following them looked really old, worn, and ragged on the outside.
The rest of the 'consist' was - transition sleeper, coach/baggage, coach, sightseer/lounge, dining car, sleeper, sleeper.
AU member Agent (aka A. Train on YouTube) made a video of the train pulling out of the station. I'm in the second coach car, seat 64, on the side of the train opposite where Agent was, but I didn't know at that time he was in Ottumwa. I was going to be looking for him in Agency City, 7 miles out of Ottumwa.
The BRL station is undergoing a renovation, by volunteers. Haste does not appear to be part of the plan and the renovation seems to have started about 10 years ago. No one was at the station doing any renovation work. See post #2. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to.) There is no ticket agent, no vending machines, inside seating on 3 benches for maybe 12 people at the station.
I needed to visit the men's room. One of the 2 necessity rooms (the woman's room) was closed for renovation. The Men's room was temporarily re-assigned as the Woman's room, with a hand lettered sign taped onto the wall over the Men's Room signage.
I did not see another restroom, until I noticed a blue port-a-potty out in front of the station.
Venturing outside I saw that, sure enough, a small sign taped to the outside of the blue port-a-potty door declared - "Men's Room". So under duress, but to my relief, I availed myself use of the provided, bright blue, facility.
Is it reverse sexism preempting the Mens' Room for women to use and making the guys use the port-a-potty? LOL: See post #2. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to)
Once inside the port-a-potty I was comforted by the sticker on the door telling users: See post #2. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to)
I walked a short distance into town and had a disappointing, very pedestrian meal of spaghetti and meat sauce at an Italian food place - Napoli Pizza and Restaurant. I've eaten essentially the same spaghetti and meat sauce meal at diners and truck stops all over the USA for most of my adult life.
The restaurant door has a sign that declares the restaurant does not accept credit/debit cards. Cash only.
I have been told Napoli Pizza and Restaurant makes good pizza, so if it's pizza you want, you might want to give the place a try anyway
Here is a shot of the west entrance to the BRL yard as I walked back towards the station. The bridge the train crosses from Illinois to Iowa over the Mississippi is in the background: See post #3. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to.)
And looking at the Mississippi up river a tad from the BRL yard from the east most train loading platform, and the cable stay Illinois/Iowa automobile bridge: See post #3. (Sorry, but you have posted more images than you are allowed to.)
The #5(30) was on-time, and the ride back to OTM was just as pleasant as the eastbound leg.[/size]
The coach car my return seat was in looked a fair bit fresher than the eastbound coach car.[/size]
There seemed to be quite a few more grade crossings between BRL and MTP (Mount Pleasant), than between MTP and OTM.
But perhaps not surprisingly, the train ride part of the day was to short to be satisfying
On the drive home from OTM, 3 wreckers were in the process of putting the tractor of the overturned 18 wheeler on a flatbed trailer so it could be hauled away.
I stopped at a favorite Mexican food restaurant in Grinnell for a quick dinner and got home about 9:30 PM.
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