I’m traveling to Texas today from LV via thruway bus & Texas Eagle

[iliketrains]

I'm really enjoying your posts. What time is our dinner reservation?

LOL it’s 7pm. I think I will order the steak. Might as well go for the most expensive item since I’m in a sleeper and the meals are included. I won’t eat the cheesecake but I will order it too and take to my roomette. I might give to some folks I met in coach.

 

[iliketrains]

My dinner reservation is at 7pm. They just called the 6pm folks. Then we crossed time zones and my phone and watch automatically adjusted. It’s now after 7pm!! So happens to my reservation? Well I will soon find out.

I might be mistaken and my reservation is 7:15. We’ll see what happens.

 

[SarahZ]

My dinner reservation is at 7pm. They just called the 6pm folks. Then we crossed time zones and my phone and watch automatically adjusted. It’s now after 7pm!! So happens to my reservation? Well I will soon find out.

I might be mistaken and my reservation is 7:15. We’ll see what happens.

The dining car still operates on the previous time zone. You'll be called at 8:00 current time/7:00 kitchen time.

 

[iliketrains]

The dining car still operates on the previous time zone. You'll be called at 8:00 current time/7:00 kitchen time.

Cool!!

 

[iliketrains]

We departed Alpine about an hour late. The train is catching up to being on time. Here is my pic of my dinner. I also had some drinks with some great folks in the lounge car;so, I’m sleepy. LOL.

This has been a fun and enjoyable train ride. Looking forward to waking up for breakfast in the morning.

 

[iliketrains]

The dining car still operates on the previous time zone. You'll be called at 8:00 current time/7:00 kitchen time.

Yes you were right. He called me for dinner as you said he would.

 

[iliketrains]

I woke at 3:02 am and Siri said we are only 119 miles from San Antonio. My speedometer app said we are traveling close to 70mph. At this rate we will be very close to being on time into San Antonio, where we are expected at 4:50am. There my sleeping car and a coach car (maybe a 2nd coach too) will be detached and added to the Texas Eagle for 7:00am departure to Chicago, The Sunset Limited then journeys to New Orleans. Everyone I met and have been socializing with are on the Sunset Limited. So I’ll be on my own. We also get a totally new crew as the current crew continues to New Orleans. Back to sleep for me so that I can be awake during the transition at San Antonio.

 

[iliketrains]

We arrived at San Antonio at about 5:23am. My attendant shared with me that my sleeper and one coach car will separate. I am not allowed off the train until we have separated and attached to the Texas Eagle. At about 5:30am the power was cut off and shortly afterwards I could feel my sleeper car being separated. As soon as it is attached the power will be restored and we will proceed to the platform.

 

[iliketrains]

We are now attached to the Texas Eagle and moving to the platform. It’s 6:10am. I think I hear doors are opening. I have about 50 minutes before we depart. Gonna go into the station and check things out.

 

[iliketrains]

Ok I’m not understanding. I got off the train and my car is still last. There has been no change. The train is moving now, now I see another train that is on tracks next to my train. I’ll see what happens next. In the mean time. Here are pics of all the folks waiting. I don’t know if they are waiting for Texas Eagle or Sunset Limited or both.

 

[iliketrains]

Ok they just announced that Sunset folks will board first.

 

[iliketrains]

The Sunset people are boarding. It’s not a lot of them. So, that means the big crowd I see are mostly Texas Eagle passengers.

 

[iliketrains]

Ok I now see that I was attached to the Texas Eagle at the end. It left the platform to go and rearrange my sleeper and the coach from from the SL toward the front. I don’t understand why it has to be moved to the front. I’m happy that is because I will now be much closer to the dining car. However, why must it be moved to the front? Maybe because the coach cars at the end of Texas Eagle will detach at St.Louis and having my car at the front makes it easier to detach the coaches at St.Louis?

 

[iliketrains]

The Texas Eagle is now pulling back in. My sleeper should be up front now rather than the last car as it was before.

 

[iliketrains]

Yep my sleeper is now the second car from the front. I better stay onboard and not risk getting left! Call for breakfast should be soon. It’s 6:52am and we are scheduled to leave at 7:00am. Since boarding just started, I imagine we will not leave on time.

 

[iliketrains]

The new sleeping car attendant is Ricardo. He just came by and introduced himself. He stated the easiest way to reach him is the call button. Sounds like he is a friendly and accessible attendant.

 

[iliketrains]

And we are departing exactly at 7:20am. Only 20 minutes late. They announced first call for breakfast will not be until 8:00am! I’m hungry! Hurry up Amtrak!

 

[Pat Harper]

I have enjoyed reading about your experience. I've been on the Sunset a few times. Hopefully will get to ride it again in April if things work out.

 

[Bob Dylan]

And we are departing exactly at 7:20am. Only 20 minutes late. They announced first call for breakfast will not be until 8:00am! I’m hungry! Hurry up Amtrak!

Wave as you roll through Austin on this Beautiful Sunny Fall Day!!

 

[iliketrains]

I have enjoyed reading about your experience. I've been on the Sunset a few times. Hopefully will get to ride it again in April if things work out.

Thanks for reading this!

 

[iliketrains]

Wave as you roll through Austin on this Beautiful Sunny Fall Day!!

OK!

 

[Asher]

I have never ridden the T Eagle, looking forward to your contribution on what it's all about

 

[iliketrains]

We arrived in San Marcos at 8:52am. That means we are still 20 minutes late. The attendant pronounced the city’s name as San Marcus and not San Marcose. That is the way we pronounce here in Texas. So, the attendant must be a Texan. There is a city with the same name in California in San Diego County and they and people not from Texas pronounce it as San Marcose.

 

[iliketrains]

We are in Austin. Here are some pics as we approached the station. The river pic is the Colorado River. I noticed that an engineer off boarded. This train has a full load. The attendant told me he has 10 sleeping car passengers onboarding here in Austin. An announcement was just made that train is full and everyone must have a seat mate. These are probably Thanksgiving travelers returning home.

I know when we travel out of Austin to Taylor, TX we will travel down the middle of the Mopac Expressway. I will get a pic of it. I was told the expressway is named Mopac because at the time it was built Missouri Pacific existed and owned the land and donated the land. The tracks were still in use and therefore the expressway was built on each side of the tracks. Union Pacific now owns the track and Amtrak Texas Eagle uses the track.

 

[iliketrains]

Here we are riding in the middle of the freeway. I used to live in Austin and used Mopac often. This a light traffic day. It’s usually jam packed and slow moving.