After several weeks of organizing, a trip to Pennsylvania with railfan friends and a large buck messing up my van, I am now ready to submit my trip report on our recent AU Gathering in St Louis. 
Claudia and I had a great time and were so glad to meet so many nice people in the AU group. You all made us feel welcome and we look forward to future get togethers.
Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Group Gathering
St Louis Missouri Oct 7-11, 2010
Capitol Ltd #29 Cleveland –Chicago
Texas Eagle #21 Chicago – St Louis
Missouri River Runner #311 St. Louis – Kansas City
Southwest Chief #4 Kansas City - Chicago
Capitol Ltd #30 Chicago – Cleveland
Thursday Oct 7, 2010
After great anticipation for our first Amtrak trip in over a year, we prepared to leave at 1am Thursday Oct 7 for Cleveland. We said goodbye to Mr. Gato and hoped he would be fine for our four-day excursion.
The ride up I-71 was uneventful with very little traffic and we arrived at the CLE parking lot around 2:15 am. (We had checked Amtrak website and called Julie to verify that our Capitol Ltd #29 would be at least an hour late after a delay just outside of WAS on Wednesday afternoon.
The station was full of passengers waiting for the four trains that would stop in CLE during the early morning hours. We checked in at the ticket office and had the agent print our tickets for the CL and TE trains. He noted that the Cap was still running nearly an hour and half late and that the dispatcher may let the Lakeshore #49/449 pass since it was running on time. We also exchanged an old voucher we had from a previous trip and had not used. It is now good until Oct 2011.
Last evening I had sent an email to AlanB that his New York train might beat us to Chicago and that turned out to be the case. He was riding with his mother, Grace, The Traveler, and The Jackal.
The eastbound Capitol Ltd #30 was running very late and those passengers, who should have now been on their way, were still waiting for an announcement.
We acquired a system timetable, the new one was not available yet, and looked through that as we waited. Finally an announcement was made that the Lakeshore Ltd would arrive first and then our Capitol Ltd #29 would follow about 15-20 minutes later. It was now 3:30am.
As the passengers for the Lakeshore made their way to the platform, I suggested to Claudia we should go outside and be first in line when the Cap arrived. We had lower level coach seats for our ride to Toledo and I hoped we could get two seats together in the car. The Lakeshore pulled in and a number of people got off and boarded. #49 was not scheduled to leave until 3:45 so it had some layover time. I suspected most of the AU members were sleeping so didn’t bother to wave. **smile**
After it departed it seemed like no time until we saw the ditch lights of the Cap coming toward us. We quickly made our way to the last coach and gave our tickets to the conductor. We entered the nice quiet room on the lower level and there seemed to be plenty of seats. We grabbed a pair on the north side of the train, stored our luggage and sat back for the two-hour ride to TOL. It is now 4am and we are an hour down on the schedule.
There was a lot of activity up and down the stairway for that time in the morning and at first the sliding door between our LL seats and the hallway remained stuck open. Then the assistant conductor came in and fixed the door slide and it was a nice ride the remainder of the trip. She decided to sit in the first seat across the aisle from us and except for the little old lady who bugged her much of the trip, we had a quiet ride. The train was nearly full with coach and sleeper passengers and she had been very busy. She told us she was on the extra board but had mostly steady work this summer and fall. She lived near Toledo and served both the Lakeshore and Cap trains and sometimes on Michigan service trains.
We headed out across the Cuyahoga River bridge and moved south along I-71 toward Hopkins Airport before making a wide turn to the west. Our first stop is Elyria and only one passenger got off the train. We picked up a couple in Sandusky and then headed out across the long Sandusky Bay bridge. On the right you can see the lights of Cedar Point across the bay. Although the park is closed during the week now, there are special Halloween events on the fall weekends.
Quite a number of NS freights passed by and hopefully this is a sign of economic recovery. We arrived in TOL, but had to wait for the Lake Shore and a freight train to leave before we could enter the station. I believe we ran about a block or so behind them most of the trip.
Finally we were cleared for the depot and we departed our car at around 6am, an hour later than normal. Crews change here so we had plenty of time to walk to the front of the train to get into our sleeper car #2900: Room #6. We met our SCA Bill who we had on previous trips. He is a personable man, efficient in his ways. Since it was nearly time for breakfast, we told him to go ahead and make up the bed and leave it in the seat position. He was glad he didn’t have to make up another bed since our room had just been vacated.
We told him we were supposed to meet some friends for breakfast and would make our way to the diner around 6:30. Our previous conversations with Shanghai (Dick) online had a plan that we would eat in the CCC car together. Since we were late I went to his room in the 2901 car, but he was not there.
Claudia and I decided to go on up to the diner and as we entered the car we found Shanghai, Mike J1-3235 and PennyK having breakfast in the first booth. We said hello and moved to a circular booth and joined NJCoastExp (Piotr) at the table. We had never met these members before, but they were very friendly and we said our hellos and had some conversations while we waited to be served. Turns out that Shanghai had gone to our room to get us up but found that because the train was late someone else still occupied Room #6 (oh the embarrassment of it all ***smile***). They had never heard of Railroad Bill--- He didn’t know we were using Guest Rewards and did not get our sleeper until we reached TOL.
Claudia and I decide to share our two breakfasts of eggs and RR French toast. It was nice to eat on the train again and service was pretty good. As we enjoyed the meal I came to remember that I had not taken my Prevacid pill that morning. This was a no-no and my concern was later justified. It turned out the French toast had some cinnamon and nutmeg in it and my stomach was about to react negatively.
After an enjoyable conversation with Piotr we went back to our room, which was now ready for occupancy. I decided to take my pill and drink some water but too late. Started getting violent pains and decided to go downstairs where I could stand up and let the breakfast settle. Spent an hour down there and finally the pain let up after downing about a half roll of Tums. So much for remembering my medications from here on out.
As we moved across northern Indiana we stopped at Waterloo where several people boarded the train. There are usually some Amish folk that get on here as well as those from Fort Wayne, who no longer have access to a direct Amtrak line.
Elkhart brought some morning light and the NYC RR museum cars on the left side of the train. We enjoyed some further conversations with Piotr and soon we were in South Bend, still running a short distance behind the Lakeshore Ltd.
Lots of NS freights still passing us and we passing them. The dispatcher was moving us along as we entered the suburbs of Chicago. It was announced that we would back into the CUS, the first time that had happened to us on this train. Perhaps the construction of the new high speed rail line just outside the Amtrak shops made it necessary for safety reasons.??.
We slowly turned on the westbound track used by the CZ and SWC and then backed into the station. Although passengers were told to remain seated until the train stopped, most, of course, ignored the announcement and pushed and shoved to get out the door. Since we were not in a big hurry we waited until the roaming hoard got out the door. Gave a tip to Bill and said goodbye.
We had a long walk the length of the train but did manage to get our engine numbers as the train passed us in CLE. (#99—824—158). The middle unit was a larger locomotive, a Genesis P-40, that we had not seen before; the other two were common ones that are used on this train quite often.
We worked our way to the Metro Lounge with our AU colleagues and after stowing our luggage; we made our way to the rear corner of the lounge, the designated meeting room of the AU group. We had never met any of these people before and after some limited introductions, we found a seat to enjoy their company. This PRE_GATHERING was planned to enable everyone to meet and have lunch at Giordano’s pizza place. We met AlanB, his mother, Grace, The Traveler, RTaburn, Bill Haithcoat, The Wolverine, Jacorbett, The Jackal (from Alaska) along with Kaybee, and those we had met on our Capitol Ltd trip. Shanghai, NJCoastExp, PennyK and Mike J-1 3235.
A decision was made to order pizza and have a couple of people go get it and bring back to the lounge. As much as I really wanted a Giordano pizza, I was afraid my stomach needed some peace and calm after the morning episode. Claudia and I decided to take a quick walk outside and then go to our favorite deli, Nino Panninis and get some subs. Claudia opted for her favorite egg salad and I took the turkey sub.
When we returned to the Metro Lounge we all had lunch and enjoyed conversations. Alan had some new information on future Amtrak car construction. We were happy that this group I had been a part of for nearly four years was a personable group with many a diverse background and stories to tell. I was looking forward to riding to ST Louis and meeting the other “famous” members of the troop
Our boarding call was for 1PM so Claudia and I decided to go back outside and watch the boats on the river and enjoy the nice fall day. We returned to the lounge via the Great Hall, a fantastic walk through RR history there. We retrieved our bags from the Redcap and rejoined the group until our call for Trains 21-421 came over the speaker. We said goodbye to Robert as he was heading out to check on a new job on an excursion railroad in Wisconsin. He had been a part of the park interpreter service on the EB but that apparently was ending.
Some of the group had opted to take Lincoln Service trains earlier in the day even though they would be bustituted from Springfield to ST Louis due to track work. Others would be joining us in St Louis on Friday morning for various reasons.
Our call came at 1:30 and we marched out the side door exit and on to our Texas Eagle train. Our car was 2130 and Room #5 and our car attendant would be Jim. He was a personable guy who made several announcements, explained the workings of the room and the rules of the train. (Seems like this happens less and less on other trains we have been on). Several other AU members were in our car, while PennyK was in a bedroom.
We all got settled in and had some conversations as the train started out of the train shed on time.
Then just as suddenly, we went into emergency and the train made an abrupt stop. Wasn’t sure what the problem was, but we sat for several minutes until it was determined that our air hose was dragging on the ground and had caught on a frog and disconnected. And if that wasn’t enough, we were blocking the pathway for the California Zephyr that was scheduled to leave fifteen minutes after us.
After some additional delays we made it out into the light and stopped by the Amtrak shops where some repairs were made. We were able to observe the extensive track work that was taking place in the yards, concrete ties and steel rails being laid for the new high-speed line to operate between CHI and STL.
We were now 45 minutes down and still not moving. Eventually we were on our way on a detour route to St Louis. This was an exciting event for our group since this route had not been used as a passenger route for many years. We crossed over the construction area and headed out of town on the route used by the Cardinal to leave the city. After we reached Dolton Jct. we would proceed over the tracks once owned by the C&EI, heading directly south through the western Illinois countryside. 290 miles to St Louis.
Because of our delays in Chicago we had lost our slot with freight traffic, which was rather extensive, and our delays became greater. There were several places where we sat for over 15 minutes waiting for passing trains. By the time we reached Momence, just 40 miles south of Chicago, we had used 2 hours of our expected five-hour trip.
We traveled through many small towns with elevators and miles of cornfields. We passed west of Champaign and other larger Illinois towns as we slowly made our way southbound. (See our route here--)
The LSA, Jonathan, came around to take dinner reservations and we decided on 5:30pm. He was a nice guy with a good personality and we would enjoy his efficient ways in the diner later. We went down to the diner at 5:30 and enjoyed a very good NY Strip steak, baked potato, salad and green beans. Took some cheesecake back to the room for later.
We are now three hours down on our schedule and the pleasant trip we expected on the detour route was now in the dark, where we could not enjoy any of the new scenery. PennyK used her GPS to track our whereabouts since the train only stopped once to change crews.
After a long trip we finally reached the outskirts of St Louis and enjoyed the ride over the Mississippi River and the lights of the city. We saw the Arch to our north as we moved into the station. We stood in the vestibule talking to Jim as we crossed the bridge. He did a nice job of keeping the restrooms clean and supplies available. We gave him a nice tip and wished more Amtrak employees were like him.
Claudia and I had originally thought about taking a cab to our hotel, The Downtown Hilton, but everyone else wanted to ride the Red Line and walk, so we joined the group. After everyone walked through the station and out to the light rail line, we purchased tickets and waited for our car. It was now after 11pm and it had been a long 24 hours since we left Ashland. The ST Louis terminal is a combined transportation center for trains, buses and subways and is a modern facility only opened a few years ago.
We board the Red Line train and in a short time we are off down the line. We get off at the Convention Center stop and take the elevator to the street level.
Our merry band of wonderers then started walking to the Hilton, about a four-block trip on a nicely warm evening. On arrival in the lobby we met GG-1 (Eric) and some other members before heading to our room
We checked into our room #721 and briefly unpacked. A very nice room with 2 queen beds. We have an early start planned for tomorrow so we head for bed.
Friday, October 8
We arose early, as this would be a busy day of riding Metros and visiting the Challenger steam engine in St Louis. Our hotel offered a buffet breakfast but we decided to eat light and get downstairs to join the group for its walk to the Metro station.
We joined some new members of the group in the lobby around 7:30am and walked to the Convention Center Metro station where Claudia would board the Red Line to Swansea, IL to visit with her cousin Susan. The remainder of the group went down to the westbound trackside and waited for the next car. I bought my day pass for $7.50 that would let you ride subways, buses, etc all day for one money.
Besides AlanB, his mother Grace, Traveler, Wolverine, Piotr, Eric (GG-1), Bill Haithcoat, Jackal, Shanghai and several others, we joined commuters on Car 4005 heading toward the Civic Center station. I forgot to shut off my flash on my camera while on the car and was promptly reprimanded by the driver. “ Opps—My Bad”
We arrived at around 8am and met up with several other members who were staying at other hotels, or who just arrived on northbound TE earlier that morning. New arrivals included Patrick-- Whooze, Caravanman from England, MistyOLR from St Louis, Kaybee, Mike J1-3235, and Jishnu. We waited on the street for Bus 32 that was to transport us to the UP yards where the great steam engine awaited our arrival. After several other buses departed, #32 came on the scene and our merry band climbed on board.
It was a short ride to the drop-off point on South Ewing Avenue, but a longer walk to get to the tracks where the UP colored train was sitting. There were several coaches, a dome car, some special cars containing a gift shop, two water tanks, a fuel tank tender and then came the giant Challenger 4-8-8-4 locomotive. This engine is stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming but was on one of its national tours across the country. It was built by the ALCO in July 1943 and is the largest steam engine still in operation today in the US. We were so lucky that it was in St Louis during our Gathering. There was a local railroad group sponsoring the event and they had a table where they passed out information and signed people up for tours. The locomotive and its consist had made a special trip into town on a previous day and would leave on Saturday for another trip to a rail fare along the Missouri River Runner route.
I took several photos of the train and especially around the large locomotive that was fascinating by its shear size. Steam coming out of its vents and a great sense of history as I walked around the behemoth. I climbed up the stairway for a look at the cab and its massive amount of controls. It surely took a skilled engineer to keep this train moving.
After photographing several UP and BNSF freights moving through the yards, I moved to the souvenir car where I was able to get a nice T-shirt with the engine on the front and a magnet for my collection. It was now nearly 10am and the schedule called for us to return to Ewing Avenue, catch a returning bus to the Civic Center and then ride the Red Line to the LaClede’s Landing stop.
All detrained at LaClede’s landing, a rather old style brick edifice that was part of the original Eads Bridge built in the 19th century across the Mississippi River. We needed to walk down stairs and take elevators to reach the riverfront level and then walked through a pleasant tree lined park on our way to the Arch, our next destination.
Group leaders had arranged to have tickets to ride up to the top of the Arch and they moved to the line where security was tight. I had decided not to go up since I had been up in the Arch on two previous trips to St Louis and preferred to avoid the small cars another time. I wanted to explore the riverfront and then take another tour of the very nice Western Expansion Museum that was in the underground entrance to the Arch.
After taking some photos outside I decided to get in line for the security search. We had to take all things out of pockets, belts off, watches, anything metal. I thought I had complied with the rules, but on entering the x-ray machine, the bells went off and I was nailed. Yes, I had forgotten to take off my Amtrak hat, which contained a dozen metal Amtrak pins. Whoops again. The security guard had a sense of humor and after taking possession of my hat; I was able to proceed to the basket where all my belongings had been placed.
I checked with AlanB about the anticipated time of our departure, since they had not yet been in line to go up into the Arch, and then proceeded to the museum. I had remembered some of the displays from our last visit but there were some new interactive areas that were very interesting. Lots of school kids on field trips today and so I moved along to see what I could before the tour groups moved in.
I checked out the souvenir shop for another magnet and then walked up the ramp to the outside. I still had at least 45 minutes until the group would be leaving so I decided to walk up the hill past the old courthouse and down the street to our hotel. Needed to get some nourishment to tide me over until lunch. It was a nice walk on a beautiful fall day in the 80s. I decided to walk toward the LaClede’s Landing end of the park in case the group had already left the Arch, but after backtracking found they had not yet emerged from the underground. Talked with some of the members waiting outside and then saw some more photographic moments with a large barge on the river and a AEP unit coal train heading into the tunnels under the Eads Bridge.
Soon the remainder of the group started walking toward the Metro station and I caught up with them in time to catch the Red Line train back to Union Station for lunch.
Train 1015 emerged from the tunnel and we were off. A nice ride to Union Station stop where we climbed a stairway to surface level. The old station and its metal train shed was much as I had remembered it on our trip in 2004.
I decided to join the group at the tables where several newly arrived members had congregated. Tom Mr.FSS and his wife, Sharon had made ID cards for those of us who had not attended previous Gatherings and I said hello to JaCorbett, Jim Hudson, RailfanLink (Al), Diesteldorf, RR Dude and many others.
We all make our way to the food court and after a few samples I decide on the California Chicken, which was very good. Lots of great conversations at the long tables. It was a pleasure to finally meet many of the people I had conversed with and read about on the AU site.
After our meal I took a walk around the lower floor of the station and note there are several empty storefronts and it looks somewhat abandoned. I hope the owners are able to bring in more businesses and keep the old station viable. Hard economic times have taken its toll.
The group is finally ready to depart around 2:30 and we make our way back to the Metro terminal and wait for a Red Line train to take us out to the far eastern reaches of the line in Illinois. We hop on and retrace some of the earlier stations in downtown before heading out over the Eads Bridge and cross the Mississippi River. It was neat to think of the construction of this bridge over the Mississippi River and the part that the Wabash RR, Joseph Ramsey and the Terminal RR had in its construction and history.
We pass into Illinois and through some urban areas of E St Louis and eventually make our way into the countryside. Lots of suburban housing areas, malls and businesses line the way. We pass Swansea and I think about Claudia and hope she is having a good time with her cousin on this beautiful day.
Lots of good conversation about Metros, Amtrak and life in general as we reach the end of the line at Shiloh-Scott terminal. The group must detrain here and cross the platform for our return train to St Louis. The cars are very clean and new and it is a pleasurable ride. We cross back into St Louis and head west on the Red Line toward the airport. This is the part of the line that Claudia and I had ridden when I was doing research at the U of Mo at St Louis. We passed those two stops and slowly made our way toward the airport, Lambert being the last stop on the Red Line. Again we hopped across to an eastbound car and were retracing our path back to Forest Park Station. There the group would change to the Blue Line trains for a new route.
After checking the time, it was already after 5 and I had agreed to meet Claudia back at the hotel to freshen up before dinner. I wanted to make sure she got back o.k. so I opted to stay on the Red Line and head back to downtown. PennyK also wanted to go back to her room so we rode back while the others said goodbye for their trip. I was sorry to miss the Blue Line, but will catch it on our next excursion to St Louis.
Penny and I had wondered which station was the shortest walk to the hotel so she got off at 8th& Pine and I rode on to LaClede’s Landing. It turned out they were about the same distance as I met her in the lobby at about the same time. I took elevator to the room and shortly after Claudia arrived from her ride from Swansea. She had a great day with Susan, exploring her house, having lunch and checking out some local shops.
After changing clothes and then arranging to meet Penny in the lobby, we walked to the LaClede’s Landing area where we were to meet at the Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner. I had thought the group might still be riding the Blue Line but as it turned out they were already at the restaurant. We had to wait until our 7pm reservation time since many groups and individuals were having dinner there that evening. We stood outside for a while admiring the horses and carriages that took tours of the city. Wish we had time to try them out. We met EverydayMatters (Betty) and had some interesting conversations with Caravanman (Eddie) RR Dude, and RailfanLink (Al) before dinner.
We were then sent to the large room where two long banquet style tables were setup. One large group was just finishing their meal and it was good that our large group of over 40 had a few minutes of fun and frolic without interfering with other people. The ordering process took awhile and I was glad that some food made it to the table as my stomach was beginning to whine. I sat next to Whooze and his wife Alice, Tom and his wife Sharon and Eric and Al while Claudia struck up a conversation with Chris (Diesteldorf) and Piotr.
I had the chicken fettuccini and Claudia had the special lasagna and other Italian delights. Topped off with some spumoni ice cream and it was a very nice dinner. It took even longer for the staff to figure out the checks and collect the money but we finally made our way out the door. I checked with Alan on our morning departure time on the MORR train and told him that Claudia and I would be taking a cab since we had to haul our luggage to the train.
Dick (Shanghai) followed us back to the Hilton and we decided to finish our packing and watch some TV before heading for bed. A long day of riding the rails and another one would come on Saturday morning.
Claudia and I had a great time and were so glad to meet so many nice people in the AU group. You all made us feel welcome and we look forward to future get togethers.
Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Group Gathering
St Louis Missouri Oct 7-11, 2010
Capitol Ltd #29 Cleveland –Chicago
Texas Eagle #21 Chicago – St Louis
Missouri River Runner #311 St. Louis – Kansas City
Southwest Chief #4 Kansas City - Chicago
Capitol Ltd #30 Chicago – Cleveland
Thursday Oct 7, 2010
After great anticipation for our first Amtrak trip in over a year, we prepared to leave at 1am Thursday Oct 7 for Cleveland. We said goodbye to Mr. Gato and hoped he would be fine for our four-day excursion.
The ride up I-71 was uneventful with very little traffic and we arrived at the CLE parking lot around 2:15 am. (We had checked Amtrak website and called Julie to verify that our Capitol Ltd #29 would be at least an hour late after a delay just outside of WAS on Wednesday afternoon.
The station was full of passengers waiting for the four trains that would stop in CLE during the early morning hours. We checked in at the ticket office and had the agent print our tickets for the CL and TE trains. He noted that the Cap was still running nearly an hour and half late and that the dispatcher may let the Lakeshore #49/449 pass since it was running on time. We also exchanged an old voucher we had from a previous trip and had not used. It is now good until Oct 2011.
Last evening I had sent an email to AlanB that his New York train might beat us to Chicago and that turned out to be the case. He was riding with his mother, Grace, The Traveler, and The Jackal.
The eastbound Capitol Ltd #30 was running very late and those passengers, who should have now been on their way, were still waiting for an announcement.
We acquired a system timetable, the new one was not available yet, and looked through that as we waited. Finally an announcement was made that the Lakeshore Ltd would arrive first and then our Capitol Ltd #29 would follow about 15-20 minutes later. It was now 3:30am.
As the passengers for the Lakeshore made their way to the platform, I suggested to Claudia we should go outside and be first in line when the Cap arrived. We had lower level coach seats for our ride to Toledo and I hoped we could get two seats together in the car. The Lakeshore pulled in and a number of people got off and boarded. #49 was not scheduled to leave until 3:45 so it had some layover time. I suspected most of the AU members were sleeping so didn’t bother to wave. **smile**
After it departed it seemed like no time until we saw the ditch lights of the Cap coming toward us. We quickly made our way to the last coach and gave our tickets to the conductor. We entered the nice quiet room on the lower level and there seemed to be plenty of seats. We grabbed a pair on the north side of the train, stored our luggage and sat back for the two-hour ride to TOL. It is now 4am and we are an hour down on the schedule.
There was a lot of activity up and down the stairway for that time in the morning and at first the sliding door between our LL seats and the hallway remained stuck open. Then the assistant conductor came in and fixed the door slide and it was a nice ride the remainder of the trip. She decided to sit in the first seat across the aisle from us and except for the little old lady who bugged her much of the trip, we had a quiet ride. The train was nearly full with coach and sleeper passengers and she had been very busy. She told us she was on the extra board but had mostly steady work this summer and fall. She lived near Toledo and served both the Lakeshore and Cap trains and sometimes on Michigan service trains.
We headed out across the Cuyahoga River bridge and moved south along I-71 toward Hopkins Airport before making a wide turn to the west. Our first stop is Elyria and only one passenger got off the train. We picked up a couple in Sandusky and then headed out across the long Sandusky Bay bridge. On the right you can see the lights of Cedar Point across the bay. Although the park is closed during the week now, there are special Halloween events on the fall weekends.
Quite a number of NS freights passed by and hopefully this is a sign of economic recovery. We arrived in TOL, but had to wait for the Lake Shore and a freight train to leave before we could enter the station. I believe we ran about a block or so behind them most of the trip.
Finally we were cleared for the depot and we departed our car at around 6am, an hour later than normal. Crews change here so we had plenty of time to walk to the front of the train to get into our sleeper car #2900: Room #6. We met our SCA Bill who we had on previous trips. He is a personable man, efficient in his ways. Since it was nearly time for breakfast, we told him to go ahead and make up the bed and leave it in the seat position. He was glad he didn’t have to make up another bed since our room had just been vacated.
We told him we were supposed to meet some friends for breakfast and would make our way to the diner around 6:30. Our previous conversations with Shanghai (Dick) online had a plan that we would eat in the CCC car together. Since we were late I went to his room in the 2901 car, but he was not there.
Claudia and I decided to go on up to the diner and as we entered the car we found Shanghai, Mike J1-3235 and PennyK having breakfast in the first booth. We said hello and moved to a circular booth and joined NJCoastExp (Piotr) at the table. We had never met these members before, but they were very friendly and we said our hellos and had some conversations while we waited to be served. Turns out that Shanghai had gone to our room to get us up but found that because the train was late someone else still occupied Room #6 (oh the embarrassment of it all ***smile***). They had never heard of Railroad Bill--- He didn’t know we were using Guest Rewards and did not get our sleeper until we reached TOL.
Claudia and I decide to share our two breakfasts of eggs and RR French toast. It was nice to eat on the train again and service was pretty good. As we enjoyed the meal I came to remember that I had not taken my Prevacid pill that morning. This was a no-no and my concern was later justified. It turned out the French toast had some cinnamon and nutmeg in it and my stomach was about to react negatively.
After an enjoyable conversation with Piotr we went back to our room, which was now ready for occupancy. I decided to take my pill and drink some water but too late. Started getting violent pains and decided to go downstairs where I could stand up and let the breakfast settle. Spent an hour down there and finally the pain let up after downing about a half roll of Tums. So much for remembering my medications from here on out.
As we moved across northern Indiana we stopped at Waterloo where several people boarded the train. There are usually some Amish folk that get on here as well as those from Fort Wayne, who no longer have access to a direct Amtrak line.
Elkhart brought some morning light and the NYC RR museum cars on the left side of the train. We enjoyed some further conversations with Piotr and soon we were in South Bend, still running a short distance behind the Lakeshore Ltd.
Lots of NS freights still passing us and we passing them. The dispatcher was moving us along as we entered the suburbs of Chicago. It was announced that we would back into the CUS, the first time that had happened to us on this train. Perhaps the construction of the new high speed rail line just outside the Amtrak shops made it necessary for safety reasons.??.
We slowly turned on the westbound track used by the CZ and SWC and then backed into the station. Although passengers were told to remain seated until the train stopped, most, of course, ignored the announcement and pushed and shoved to get out the door. Since we were not in a big hurry we waited until the roaming hoard got out the door. Gave a tip to Bill and said goodbye.
We had a long walk the length of the train but did manage to get our engine numbers as the train passed us in CLE. (#99—824—158). The middle unit was a larger locomotive, a Genesis P-40, that we had not seen before; the other two were common ones that are used on this train quite often.
We worked our way to the Metro Lounge with our AU colleagues and after stowing our luggage; we made our way to the rear corner of the lounge, the designated meeting room of the AU group. We had never met any of these people before and after some limited introductions, we found a seat to enjoy their company. This PRE_GATHERING was planned to enable everyone to meet and have lunch at Giordano’s pizza place. We met AlanB, his mother, Grace, The Traveler, RTaburn, Bill Haithcoat, The Wolverine, Jacorbett, The Jackal (from Alaska) along with Kaybee, and those we had met on our Capitol Ltd trip. Shanghai, NJCoastExp, PennyK and Mike J-1 3235.
A decision was made to order pizza and have a couple of people go get it and bring back to the lounge. As much as I really wanted a Giordano pizza, I was afraid my stomach needed some peace and calm after the morning episode. Claudia and I decided to take a quick walk outside and then go to our favorite deli, Nino Panninis and get some subs. Claudia opted for her favorite egg salad and I took the turkey sub.
When we returned to the Metro Lounge we all had lunch and enjoyed conversations. Alan had some new information on future Amtrak car construction. We were happy that this group I had been a part of for nearly four years was a personable group with many a diverse background and stories to tell. I was looking forward to riding to ST Louis and meeting the other “famous” members of the troop
Our boarding call was for 1PM so Claudia and I decided to go back outside and watch the boats on the river and enjoy the nice fall day. We returned to the lounge via the Great Hall, a fantastic walk through RR history there. We retrieved our bags from the Redcap and rejoined the group until our call for Trains 21-421 came over the speaker. We said goodbye to Robert as he was heading out to check on a new job on an excursion railroad in Wisconsin. He had been a part of the park interpreter service on the EB but that apparently was ending.
Some of the group had opted to take Lincoln Service trains earlier in the day even though they would be bustituted from Springfield to ST Louis due to track work. Others would be joining us in St Louis on Friday morning for various reasons.
Our call came at 1:30 and we marched out the side door exit and on to our Texas Eagle train. Our car was 2130 and Room #5 and our car attendant would be Jim. He was a personable guy who made several announcements, explained the workings of the room and the rules of the train. (Seems like this happens less and less on other trains we have been on). Several other AU members were in our car, while PennyK was in a bedroom.
We all got settled in and had some conversations as the train started out of the train shed on time.
Then just as suddenly, we went into emergency and the train made an abrupt stop. Wasn’t sure what the problem was, but we sat for several minutes until it was determined that our air hose was dragging on the ground and had caught on a frog and disconnected. And if that wasn’t enough, we were blocking the pathway for the California Zephyr that was scheduled to leave fifteen minutes after us.
After some additional delays we made it out into the light and stopped by the Amtrak shops where some repairs were made. We were able to observe the extensive track work that was taking place in the yards, concrete ties and steel rails being laid for the new high-speed line to operate between CHI and STL.
We were now 45 minutes down and still not moving. Eventually we were on our way on a detour route to St Louis. This was an exciting event for our group since this route had not been used as a passenger route for many years. We crossed over the construction area and headed out of town on the route used by the Cardinal to leave the city. After we reached Dolton Jct. we would proceed over the tracks once owned by the C&EI, heading directly south through the western Illinois countryside. 290 miles to St Louis.
Because of our delays in Chicago we had lost our slot with freight traffic, which was rather extensive, and our delays became greater. There were several places where we sat for over 15 minutes waiting for passing trains. By the time we reached Momence, just 40 miles south of Chicago, we had used 2 hours of our expected five-hour trip.
We traveled through many small towns with elevators and miles of cornfields. We passed west of Champaign and other larger Illinois towns as we slowly made our way southbound. (See our route here--)
The LSA, Jonathan, came around to take dinner reservations and we decided on 5:30pm. He was a nice guy with a good personality and we would enjoy his efficient ways in the diner later. We went down to the diner at 5:30 and enjoyed a very good NY Strip steak, baked potato, salad and green beans. Took some cheesecake back to the room for later.
We are now three hours down on our schedule and the pleasant trip we expected on the detour route was now in the dark, where we could not enjoy any of the new scenery. PennyK used her GPS to track our whereabouts since the train only stopped once to change crews.
After a long trip we finally reached the outskirts of St Louis and enjoyed the ride over the Mississippi River and the lights of the city. We saw the Arch to our north as we moved into the station. We stood in the vestibule talking to Jim as we crossed the bridge. He did a nice job of keeping the restrooms clean and supplies available. We gave him a nice tip and wished more Amtrak employees were like him.
Claudia and I had originally thought about taking a cab to our hotel, The Downtown Hilton, but everyone else wanted to ride the Red Line and walk, so we joined the group. After everyone walked through the station and out to the light rail line, we purchased tickets and waited for our car. It was now after 11pm and it had been a long 24 hours since we left Ashland. The ST Louis terminal is a combined transportation center for trains, buses and subways and is a modern facility only opened a few years ago.
We board the Red Line train and in a short time we are off down the line. We get off at the Convention Center stop and take the elevator to the street level.
Our merry band of wonderers then started walking to the Hilton, about a four-block trip on a nicely warm evening. On arrival in the lobby we met GG-1 (Eric) and some other members before heading to our room
We checked into our room #721 and briefly unpacked. A very nice room with 2 queen beds. We have an early start planned for tomorrow so we head for bed.
Friday, October 8
We arose early, as this would be a busy day of riding Metros and visiting the Challenger steam engine in St Louis. Our hotel offered a buffet breakfast but we decided to eat light and get downstairs to join the group for its walk to the Metro station.
We joined some new members of the group in the lobby around 7:30am and walked to the Convention Center Metro station where Claudia would board the Red Line to Swansea, IL to visit with her cousin Susan. The remainder of the group went down to the westbound trackside and waited for the next car. I bought my day pass for $7.50 that would let you ride subways, buses, etc all day for one money.
Besides AlanB, his mother Grace, Traveler, Wolverine, Piotr, Eric (GG-1), Bill Haithcoat, Jackal, Shanghai and several others, we joined commuters on Car 4005 heading toward the Civic Center station. I forgot to shut off my flash on my camera while on the car and was promptly reprimanded by the driver. “ Opps—My Bad”
We arrived at around 8am and met up with several other members who were staying at other hotels, or who just arrived on northbound TE earlier that morning. New arrivals included Patrick-- Whooze, Caravanman from England, MistyOLR from St Louis, Kaybee, Mike J1-3235, and Jishnu. We waited on the street for Bus 32 that was to transport us to the UP yards where the great steam engine awaited our arrival. After several other buses departed, #32 came on the scene and our merry band climbed on board.
It was a short ride to the drop-off point on South Ewing Avenue, but a longer walk to get to the tracks where the UP colored train was sitting. There were several coaches, a dome car, some special cars containing a gift shop, two water tanks, a fuel tank tender and then came the giant Challenger 4-8-8-4 locomotive. This engine is stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming but was on one of its national tours across the country. It was built by the ALCO in July 1943 and is the largest steam engine still in operation today in the US. We were so lucky that it was in St Louis during our Gathering. There was a local railroad group sponsoring the event and they had a table where they passed out information and signed people up for tours. The locomotive and its consist had made a special trip into town on a previous day and would leave on Saturday for another trip to a rail fare along the Missouri River Runner route.
I took several photos of the train and especially around the large locomotive that was fascinating by its shear size. Steam coming out of its vents and a great sense of history as I walked around the behemoth. I climbed up the stairway for a look at the cab and its massive amount of controls. It surely took a skilled engineer to keep this train moving.
After photographing several UP and BNSF freights moving through the yards, I moved to the souvenir car where I was able to get a nice T-shirt with the engine on the front and a magnet for my collection. It was now nearly 10am and the schedule called for us to return to Ewing Avenue, catch a returning bus to the Civic Center and then ride the Red Line to the LaClede’s Landing stop.
All detrained at LaClede’s landing, a rather old style brick edifice that was part of the original Eads Bridge built in the 19th century across the Mississippi River. We needed to walk down stairs and take elevators to reach the riverfront level and then walked through a pleasant tree lined park on our way to the Arch, our next destination.
Group leaders had arranged to have tickets to ride up to the top of the Arch and they moved to the line where security was tight. I had decided not to go up since I had been up in the Arch on two previous trips to St Louis and preferred to avoid the small cars another time. I wanted to explore the riverfront and then take another tour of the very nice Western Expansion Museum that was in the underground entrance to the Arch.
After taking some photos outside I decided to get in line for the security search. We had to take all things out of pockets, belts off, watches, anything metal. I thought I had complied with the rules, but on entering the x-ray machine, the bells went off and I was nailed. Yes, I had forgotten to take off my Amtrak hat, which contained a dozen metal Amtrak pins. Whoops again. The security guard had a sense of humor and after taking possession of my hat; I was able to proceed to the basket where all my belongings had been placed.
I checked with AlanB about the anticipated time of our departure, since they had not yet been in line to go up into the Arch, and then proceeded to the museum. I had remembered some of the displays from our last visit but there were some new interactive areas that were very interesting. Lots of school kids on field trips today and so I moved along to see what I could before the tour groups moved in.
I checked out the souvenir shop for another magnet and then walked up the ramp to the outside. I still had at least 45 minutes until the group would be leaving so I decided to walk up the hill past the old courthouse and down the street to our hotel. Needed to get some nourishment to tide me over until lunch. It was a nice walk on a beautiful fall day in the 80s. I decided to walk toward the LaClede’s Landing end of the park in case the group had already left the Arch, but after backtracking found they had not yet emerged from the underground. Talked with some of the members waiting outside and then saw some more photographic moments with a large barge on the river and a AEP unit coal train heading into the tunnels under the Eads Bridge.
Soon the remainder of the group started walking toward the Metro station and I caught up with them in time to catch the Red Line train back to Union Station for lunch.
Train 1015 emerged from the tunnel and we were off. A nice ride to Union Station stop where we climbed a stairway to surface level. The old station and its metal train shed was much as I had remembered it on our trip in 2004.
I decided to join the group at the tables where several newly arrived members had congregated. Tom Mr.FSS and his wife, Sharon had made ID cards for those of us who had not attended previous Gatherings and I said hello to JaCorbett, Jim Hudson, RailfanLink (Al), Diesteldorf, RR Dude and many others.
We all make our way to the food court and after a few samples I decide on the California Chicken, which was very good. Lots of great conversations at the long tables. It was a pleasure to finally meet many of the people I had conversed with and read about on the AU site.
After our meal I took a walk around the lower floor of the station and note there are several empty storefronts and it looks somewhat abandoned. I hope the owners are able to bring in more businesses and keep the old station viable. Hard economic times have taken its toll.
The group is finally ready to depart around 2:30 and we make our way back to the Metro terminal and wait for a Red Line train to take us out to the far eastern reaches of the line in Illinois. We hop on and retrace some of the earlier stations in downtown before heading out over the Eads Bridge and cross the Mississippi River. It was neat to think of the construction of this bridge over the Mississippi River and the part that the Wabash RR, Joseph Ramsey and the Terminal RR had in its construction and history.
We pass into Illinois and through some urban areas of E St Louis and eventually make our way into the countryside. Lots of suburban housing areas, malls and businesses line the way. We pass Swansea and I think about Claudia and hope she is having a good time with her cousin on this beautiful day.
Lots of good conversation about Metros, Amtrak and life in general as we reach the end of the line at Shiloh-Scott terminal. The group must detrain here and cross the platform for our return train to St Louis. The cars are very clean and new and it is a pleasurable ride. We cross back into St Louis and head west on the Red Line toward the airport. This is the part of the line that Claudia and I had ridden when I was doing research at the U of Mo at St Louis. We passed those two stops and slowly made our way toward the airport, Lambert being the last stop on the Red Line. Again we hopped across to an eastbound car and were retracing our path back to Forest Park Station. There the group would change to the Blue Line trains for a new route.
After checking the time, it was already after 5 and I had agreed to meet Claudia back at the hotel to freshen up before dinner. I wanted to make sure she got back o.k. so I opted to stay on the Red Line and head back to downtown. PennyK also wanted to go back to her room so we rode back while the others said goodbye for their trip. I was sorry to miss the Blue Line, but will catch it on our next excursion to St Louis.
Penny and I had wondered which station was the shortest walk to the hotel so she got off at 8th& Pine and I rode on to LaClede’s Landing. It turned out they were about the same distance as I met her in the lobby at about the same time. I took elevator to the room and shortly after Claudia arrived from her ride from Swansea. She had a great day with Susan, exploring her house, having lunch and checking out some local shops.
After changing clothes and then arranging to meet Penny in the lobby, we walked to the LaClede’s Landing area where we were to meet at the Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner. I had thought the group might still be riding the Blue Line but as it turned out they were already at the restaurant. We had to wait until our 7pm reservation time since many groups and individuals were having dinner there that evening. We stood outside for a while admiring the horses and carriages that took tours of the city. Wish we had time to try them out. We met EverydayMatters (Betty) and had some interesting conversations with Caravanman (Eddie) RR Dude, and RailfanLink (Al) before dinner.
We were then sent to the large room where two long banquet style tables were setup. One large group was just finishing their meal and it was good that our large group of over 40 had a few minutes of fun and frolic without interfering with other people. The ordering process took awhile and I was glad that some food made it to the table as my stomach was beginning to whine. I sat next to Whooze and his wife Alice, Tom and his wife Sharon and Eric and Al while Claudia struck up a conversation with Chris (Diesteldorf) and Piotr.
I had the chicken fettuccini and Claudia had the special lasagna and other Italian delights. Topped off with some spumoni ice cream and it was a very nice dinner. It took even longer for the staff to figure out the checks and collect the money but we finally made our way out the door. I checked with Alan on our morning departure time on the MORR train and told him that Claudia and I would be taking a cab since we had to haul our luggage to the train.
Dick (Shanghai) followed us back to the Hilton and we decided to finish our packing and watch some TV before heading for bed. A long day of riding the rails and another one would come on Saturday morning.
