Seaboard92
Engineer
So you want to be a car host? Well here is my short little blog about how that life goes and decide for yourself if you are up to the challenge. It is quite the adventure and well worth doing it. It is hard but rewarding work. Here is a list of what we did and when we did it.
Friday 04/22/16
0445: Deadhead into destination to be ready to work at nine. For just that required leaving at 4:45 to make the drive up to Greensboro, NC to work the N&W 611 excursions. The time we asked that was the earliest we could come in to help stock the train and prepare her for departure was at nine am. Not a bad drive till the last fifteen minutes in the pouring blinding rain.
0900: Our excursion manager was not train side yet as he was off running some errand for the trip. So we sat in the first class managers truck and went over some of the plans for first class service.
0935: Adam our excursion manager arrives back and we board the train and meet the crew from Friends of the 261 who are with the Super Dome and Wisconsin Valley of whom we will be directly working with. After going over some basics and introductions we proceeded to tour the first class cars to get familiar with the layout of the cars.
1000: Inspect all restrooms on the train to insure they are stocked with toilet paper, paper towels, and soap
1010: Bring boxes of cups, plates and platters from the NS 42 (Car 1) to the Super Dome (Car 5) to get things in place from the storage (non revenue) areas. 425 ft one way, 850 ft round trip. We made about six trips. It is very difficult to move bulky boxes down corridors that are almost as wide as the car. Doors on the end are also an issue, especially cars that the doors don't stay open for.
1035: Bring a box of souvenirs from NS 42 (Car 1) to Concessions (PRR Paul Revere Car 12) 1,445 ft total trip from base to 42 onward to Revere. Again the boxes didn't really fit well down hallways especially the lower levels of any dome cars.
1045: On our way back to base camp in the Super Dome Adam asked us to sweep out the dust bunny out of one of the NS EX N&W coaches. We arrive to find the entire car needing to be swept as it had not been done prior.
1055: We start cleaning vestibules from soot, dirt, and other objects from Car 10 on towards car one. Our process is to sweep the area between the cars, then the top of the trap. Before opening the trap and cleaning the stair assembly. Breaks are taken on the hot rail side whenever NS routed a freight or passenger train alongside.
1200: Asked to accompany Joey, and Paul to Sams Club to buy supplies for the breakfast meal service, and other supplies. We left our broom on call four's trap to continue when we got back.
1210: We grab two long flat bed carts in Sams. We grab 47 boxes of Croissants, three cases of egg yolks, and a bunch of other things I've since forgotten. Grand total of our shopping bill 1800-1900 range. We ended up with four flat bed carts, and got several strange looks and had to have a register open up to deal with us. And were accompanied by an employee to help us find everything and push one of our carts.
1315: We arrive back trainside and back Paul's truck as close to the Scenic View's vestibule as Super Dome our main service car lacks a vestibule. I climb on and shut the trap, and we bucket brigaded the supplies up to the kitchen/prep area of the Super Dome. Amtrak passed by during this time making great time.
1330: Unloading Paul's truck is completed and we go back to sweeping. We finish our sweeping and work our way to car 1 and then start back at car 10 towards car 19.
1500: Make a trip with Paul to Panera to grab coaches box breakfasts, and fruit cups, and I think something else.
1530: Short fifteen minute lunch at Chick Fil A next door to Panera.
1600: Begin loading the Panera into any available cooler. Cooler space is hard to come by and coach class stuff is stored in the Revere, and fruit cups for first class get stowed anywhere with open room.
1645: Begin filling the bathrooms with supplies that we had bought.
1700: Collect trash from all of the cars that has been left over and bring it to the dumpster by the yard office.
1745: Adam attaches me to the crew watering the train as a lookout for mainline traffic on the hot rail side of the train.
1815: Car Host meeting my fellow host Ryan went to that in my place while I worked still on the hot rail side.
2030: Watering the cars is finished and I get back on board. Our next task is to move different boxes to and from different cars.
2130: Start labeling the cars with VMT car signs, and take down the NCTM signs.
2145: The search for tape has finally found us tape. It wasn't the best tape but it did it's job 40 percent of the time.
2200: We have finished organizing the signs which were all mixed up in a box, and we are short one or two cars. While other cars do not have enough signs to have the job the right way. Each car should have two signs on one side, for a grand total of four. Along with one on each door on the inside of the car.
2230: All of the car hosts who came for the meeting are long gone by several hours, and Paul is retiring to his room on the train.
2300: Knowing we have to be back at four AM we call it quits, and finish labeling on car eight, and spread signs for the morning to the rest of the cars. We then let ourselves out after buttoning all the traps up.
2315: We get Steak and Shake for dinner off the 4 dollar menu.
2330: We check into our hotel which is three miles away from the yard.
2345: Passed out
Estimated walking distance about 13 miles.
Saturday: Roanoker Trip 1
0330: Alarm rings to get us out of our brief slumber.
0345: We depart the hotel after getting into our uniform (Black pants, white button down, black tie) and drive three miles to the yard.
0400: We enter thru the Wisconsin Valley and go to check in with Chef Joey.
0405: I go to finish labeling the cars while Ryan my partner works in the kitchen. Enroute I open the trap for the crew briefing car WATX 539.
0515: I finished every cars signs. Most cars had to be redone due to the crappy tape. Then I had to move the radios from the chargers in NS 42 to the WATX 539.
0530: Button up all the traps except for WATX 539 in preparation for movement.
0545: Scheduled time for the safety briefing it actually happened around 6 when a late Crescent passed headed north. I missed the briefing while chasing after some other task.
0600: We shove off from the yard to go to the Greensboro station. And I get a ten minute breather to sit down also known as the calm before the storm.
0615: We arrive in the Amtrak station and set up our boarding. My boarding location has a bum trap door release so takes some extra force.
0625: The first passengers are allowed onto the platform. Only ticketed passengers are allowed onto the platform. Amtrak staff are shuttling passengers who can't walk to and from the train.
0645: The furthest boarding locations from the station entrance button up and passengers for those cars enter closer ones. Boarding passengers you develop a rhythm for inspecting the ticket, saying "watch your step, thanks for riding, welcome aboard,...." . Some passengers are a bit harder to load because of their difficulties ascending the steps of our heritage cars.
0700: We button up our trap, and do a cross check of our doors we are responsible for.
0704: The train leaves Greensboro for Roanoke.
0707: I arrive back in my car and first breakfast service preparation is in full gear.
0715: I start rolling up forks for breakfast service to go out with the food. And I get aquatinted with our two new members of our downstairs crew. Steve and Carrol. Steve is a flight attendant for American Airlines and is fantastic at prepping, and his wife Carol is amazing at getting everything ready to go. And I've learned so much from them, and hope to work with them in the future.
0730: First red box of breakfast sandwiches are ready to move to the Stampede Pass.
0735: Second Red Box bound for the Prairie View is ready to move. So Steve and I carry it round trip to and the car. It barely clears the door from downstairs to upstairs on our Super Dome.
0740: Third Red Box leaves for the Scenic View with sandwiches. And we then go after the red box in Stampede Pass which isn't ready for pick up.
0745: We begin plating breakfast for the Super Dome for our upstairs waitresses to pick up.
0800: Two red boxes arrive back in Super Dome. The first one leaves for Wisconsin Valley two minutes later. The second leaves for Berlin and NS 42 media passengers five minutes after that.
0815: First bathroom inspection of Super Dome, Wisconsin Valley, and Stampede Pass. Inspections should happen every hour on the hour.
0830: The Red box from Prairie View returns and we fill it with special order breakfasts for Stampede Pass and send it back out.
0845: Specials for Valley, and both view cars are ready and leave within ten minutes.
0855: Berlin specials are ready to get walked to their destination.
0915: Sent to get the rest of the red boxes to bring back to the car.
0930: Continue wrapping silverware for dinner service and placing in counted bags.
0945: Preparation for second breakfast service of vegetable and cheese trays starts to be prepared.
1000: We believe we are arriving an hour early to Roanoke so we really bust butt to get breakfast service out.
1015: First tray goes out to Stampede Pass.
1025: Two trays to each view car goes out.
1030: Individual delivery to customers in Berlin sleeper delivered by us arrives.
1045: Last of the trays goes out, and we preform a bathroom inspection.
1100: We get to the outskirts of Roanoke while we take a short break and snack on extra food from breakfast service and actually get a chance to look out the window.
1115: I report to my vestibule for boarding team duty.
1130: Three step is given and we begin detraining. We keep our trap open the entire time of Roanoke stop, and I was required to be at the door at all times.
1230: Panera shows up to deliver dinner service, and tomorrow's breakfast service items. Storage space is again very short and stuff gets put in any hole we can find.
1245: Loading of that is done and Chick Fil A arrives for our crew lunches.
1315: First passengers return to the train. I stay on vestibule duty till departure. I do get to talk to the Road Foreman for Amtrak out of JAX whom is a friend of mine.
1500: Boarding is completed and we proceed to pull forward and wye on the Winston Salem line.
1505: Rolling more silverware and bagging it.
1515: First dinner service goes out.
1600: Last tray for first dinner service goes out.
1605: Bathroom inspection time.
1615: Count all the passengers in each first class car to proportion out an accurate amount of sandwiches for second dinner service.
1645: Start raiding the refrigerators of sandwiches to proportion them out for the right car. All sandwiches are in the Valley and not the super dome.
1655: We discover we are short sandwiches and have to pull some from crew dinners to feed our customers.
1715: First items start getting delivered to each car. There are five individual components for each car that have to be delivered, and you can only take one at a time.
1815: Second dinner service is over. Bathroom inspection happens directly after that.
1845: We start moving our trash into the vestibule in preparation of arrival in Greensboro.
1900: We retrieve all of our trays from the second meal service to be washed in the Super Dome dish washer.
1915: I report to the vestibule for boarding team duty.
1930: Detraining takes place. Two minutes later Amtrak No. 79 pulls in on the other platform and begins detraining. And a freight train meets both of us in the station headed north.
1945: We are ready to depart, and let Amtrak go ahead of us. Instead of heading straight to the yard we wye the train. While we are running the wye my partner and I make a sweep of all the bathrooms and get the trash out of them.
2030: We reach our stop for the coaling of the engine after running the wye and all car hosts head home or to the hotel for the night. My partner and I threw the trash from all the vestibules to the ground. Then started hauling the close bags to the dumpster and Adam the excursion manager took the Gator out to grab the ones further away.
2100: We start buttoning up all traps while walking the train to get our brooms for sweeping duty. As we reach Stampede Pass's trap the train begins to move and we shut that trap while rolling. Watching the steps fold up then made me feel like an Amtrak conductor for a minute. We proceeded to ride the top part of the dutch door while we repositioned from the main line into the siding for thirty minutes, with full PPE on.
2145: We begin sweeping out all vestibules on the train from the head end to the rear end.
2245: We start our finial check of all trash, vestibules, and work our way back to the head end.
2315: We lock ourselves out again by climbing down from an NS coach and closing the door behind us.
2330: We hit the Wendy's drive thru.
2345: We eat dinner, and shower.
0000: We go to bed.
Estimated walking millage 17 miles.
Sunday: Day two of the Roanoker
0330: We wake up from our very short slumber.
0345 We into our car and drive to Pomona Yard and walk down the train. We spooked a skunk but didn't get hit by the stench luckily.
0400: We let ourselves onto the train via an NS door, and went to the kitchen in Super Dome to report for work.
0415: I started stocking all of the restrooms on the train with supplies for them, and popped the WATX 539 for the crew meeting.
0430: Started dispensing route guides to the coaches whose hosts didn't bother to do that the night before.
0515: I grab a radio from the WATX 539 for my use all day so I could communicate with Adam as needed. And vacuum my cars out.
0545: We finally bump into our boss Paul for first class and get his run down of the day before. And head to the safety meeting. I again missed it because I had to retrieve something from 42 for the Revere.
0600: We shove off for the station. And I sit down and enjoy the few minutes of calm we have left.
0615: We pop our trap open at the station. And prepare for boarding todays passengers. It is a lighter load which will help speed us along.
0630: The first of passengers show up from the station onto the platform. There is the usual confusion of which car to get to. Doesn't help that our lead host had no idea which cars were where in the consist. So I ended up having to check all the tickets as well as insure the customers safety while they boarded the train.
0700: We close our vestibule down and prepare for departure.
0707: The train takes off for Roanoke, VA. And I jump right into gear for first breakfast service.
0730: We get the fist of our breakfast ready to go and delivered on time for service. We are able to get our speed going as we got past the learning curve of Saturday, but we still had to wait for Red Boxes to turn. Which often wasn't as fast as we would have liked it.
0830: First Breakfast service has concluded and I made a bathroom inspection to ensure quality for our customers.
0930: We started making our vegetable trays and cheese trays. We had to pick out our produce carefully due to the way they were stacked in the car the items became frozen.
1015: We had our trays ready and go into delivery. And our first delivery failed as the train took a hard switch and one of our crew members dropped a tray on the ground. I then proceeded to clean the spill up, and get it worked out.
1045: Last of second breakfast service gets out.
1110: Bathroom inspection followed by sweeping out the vestibules between all first class cars. Just sweeping clear of the main path and into the corners.
1120: Start the shove back into our station stop, and I reported for boarding team duty.
1145: Detraining had been completed and most hosts went out for lunch or all sat in one area for lunch. We buttoned our trap up this time and I proceeded to work.
1215: Adam calls me to open up the Valley for him to bring first class crew their BBQ lunch. And I get that out of the way.
1220: Adam calls me to open up the Revere for coach class crew lunch while I am down by car two so I hustle and get there in time to open it up for him.
1230: I start moving our trash that we had set out here from where it was sitting over the guard rail onto the actual platform to make it easier for the Gator crew to pick it up.
1245: Panera bread shows up with three cars to bring us our dinner order of cheese, salads, and sandwiches.
1315: Loading Panera is completed with less crew members then Saturday, basically Panera staff, Paul, Jeffery and myself.
1330: My partner comes back from Thelmas with fried chicken for both of us.
1331: Paul calls me on the radio to expect Panera again as our crew discovered they forgot our Salads, even though they charged us for them.
1345: Panera comes back trackside and brings our three bags of salads.
1400: We open our trap for reboarding the train.
1500: We set off for Greensboro.
1515: We have our trays ready to ship out to each car, with Berlin getting four smaller individual trays.
1600: Our first afternoon service is completed. And we take counts for dinner service and do a restroom check.
1620: We start picking up our platters from the cars from the first afternoon service.
1700: We begin getting everything organized for dinner service, and the non perishable items started getting delivered to their respective cars.
1730: We begin moving the sandwiches to each car.
1800: Bathroom inspection, and a small break.
1830: We begin moving all of our trash down to the vestibules for unloading in the yard.
1900: We are on the outskirts of Greensboro so I report to my boarding team and start preparing for detraining.
1915: Arrival back into Greensboro, and detraining begins.
1930: Detraining is completed and we move forward to begin our wye move. Ryan and I then start from car one and move our way back to start getting bathroom trash taken care of and cleaned.
2000: We finish with that and tour the Dover Harbor and Dearing and make some good connections for a little bit. Dover Harbor invited us to eat some of their Pound Cake which was fantastic and we spent some time enjoying that.
2045: We report up to where the engine is being coaled to set up a perimeter to keep fans at a safe distance. We did not arrive in time and started sweeping the vestibules from car 1 to Car five. Car Five was locked and we were unable to pass it, which is when they started moving the train to it's final parking spot. Where we got stuck for a good hour during switching waiting to reach the other half of the train.
2145: We get back to cleaning the vestibules of the entire train and our excursion manager invites us back for the next run up in Roanoke due to our hard work.
2300: We have finished cleaning vestibules, and doing cross checks of the entire train.
2315: We let ourselves out again and tell Adam we are leaving and he thanks us again for our good work.
2330: We show up at IHOP and get togo.
2350: Back to the hotel to eat our IHOP in bed.
0000: We are out cold.
Monday: The drive home
1130: We wake up from our slumber.
1200: We check out of the hotel and head south towards home. We got lost a bit and took a short break along the route home to visit some rail history sites.
1900: I arrive back at my house and eat dinner.
2000: I do laundry.
2330: I start this trip report.
So do you think you can still handle being a car host?
Friday 04/22/16
0445: Deadhead into destination to be ready to work at nine. For just that required leaving at 4:45 to make the drive up to Greensboro, NC to work the N&W 611 excursions. The time we asked that was the earliest we could come in to help stock the train and prepare her for departure was at nine am. Not a bad drive till the last fifteen minutes in the pouring blinding rain.
0900: Our excursion manager was not train side yet as he was off running some errand for the trip. So we sat in the first class managers truck and went over some of the plans for first class service.
0935: Adam our excursion manager arrives back and we board the train and meet the crew from Friends of the 261 who are with the Super Dome and Wisconsin Valley of whom we will be directly working with. After going over some basics and introductions we proceeded to tour the first class cars to get familiar with the layout of the cars.
1000: Inspect all restrooms on the train to insure they are stocked with toilet paper, paper towels, and soap
1010: Bring boxes of cups, plates and platters from the NS 42 (Car 1) to the Super Dome (Car 5) to get things in place from the storage (non revenue) areas. 425 ft one way, 850 ft round trip. We made about six trips. It is very difficult to move bulky boxes down corridors that are almost as wide as the car. Doors on the end are also an issue, especially cars that the doors don't stay open for.
1035: Bring a box of souvenirs from NS 42 (Car 1) to Concessions (PRR Paul Revere Car 12) 1,445 ft total trip from base to 42 onward to Revere. Again the boxes didn't really fit well down hallways especially the lower levels of any dome cars.
1045: On our way back to base camp in the Super Dome Adam asked us to sweep out the dust bunny out of one of the NS EX N&W coaches. We arrive to find the entire car needing to be swept as it had not been done prior.
1055: We start cleaning vestibules from soot, dirt, and other objects from Car 10 on towards car one. Our process is to sweep the area between the cars, then the top of the trap. Before opening the trap and cleaning the stair assembly. Breaks are taken on the hot rail side whenever NS routed a freight or passenger train alongside.
1200: Asked to accompany Joey, and Paul to Sams Club to buy supplies for the breakfast meal service, and other supplies. We left our broom on call four's trap to continue when we got back.
1210: We grab two long flat bed carts in Sams. We grab 47 boxes of Croissants, three cases of egg yolks, and a bunch of other things I've since forgotten. Grand total of our shopping bill 1800-1900 range. We ended up with four flat bed carts, and got several strange looks and had to have a register open up to deal with us. And were accompanied by an employee to help us find everything and push one of our carts.
1315: We arrive back trainside and back Paul's truck as close to the Scenic View's vestibule as Super Dome our main service car lacks a vestibule. I climb on and shut the trap, and we bucket brigaded the supplies up to the kitchen/prep area of the Super Dome. Amtrak passed by during this time making great time.
1330: Unloading Paul's truck is completed and we go back to sweeping. We finish our sweeping and work our way to car 1 and then start back at car 10 towards car 19.
1500: Make a trip with Paul to Panera to grab coaches box breakfasts, and fruit cups, and I think something else.
1530: Short fifteen minute lunch at Chick Fil A next door to Panera.
1600: Begin loading the Panera into any available cooler. Cooler space is hard to come by and coach class stuff is stored in the Revere, and fruit cups for first class get stowed anywhere with open room.
1645: Begin filling the bathrooms with supplies that we had bought.
1700: Collect trash from all of the cars that has been left over and bring it to the dumpster by the yard office.
1745: Adam attaches me to the crew watering the train as a lookout for mainline traffic on the hot rail side of the train.
1815: Car Host meeting my fellow host Ryan went to that in my place while I worked still on the hot rail side.
2030: Watering the cars is finished and I get back on board. Our next task is to move different boxes to and from different cars.
2130: Start labeling the cars with VMT car signs, and take down the NCTM signs.
2145: The search for tape has finally found us tape. It wasn't the best tape but it did it's job 40 percent of the time.
2200: We have finished organizing the signs which were all mixed up in a box, and we are short one or two cars. While other cars do not have enough signs to have the job the right way. Each car should have two signs on one side, for a grand total of four. Along with one on each door on the inside of the car.
2230: All of the car hosts who came for the meeting are long gone by several hours, and Paul is retiring to his room on the train.
2300: Knowing we have to be back at four AM we call it quits, and finish labeling on car eight, and spread signs for the morning to the rest of the cars. We then let ourselves out after buttoning all the traps up.
2315: We get Steak and Shake for dinner off the 4 dollar menu.
2330: We check into our hotel which is three miles away from the yard.
2345: Passed out
Estimated walking distance about 13 miles.
Saturday: Roanoker Trip 1
0330: Alarm rings to get us out of our brief slumber.
0345: We depart the hotel after getting into our uniform (Black pants, white button down, black tie) and drive three miles to the yard.
0400: We enter thru the Wisconsin Valley and go to check in with Chef Joey.
0405: I go to finish labeling the cars while Ryan my partner works in the kitchen. Enroute I open the trap for the crew briefing car WATX 539.
0515: I finished every cars signs. Most cars had to be redone due to the crappy tape. Then I had to move the radios from the chargers in NS 42 to the WATX 539.
0530: Button up all the traps except for WATX 539 in preparation for movement.
0545: Scheduled time for the safety briefing it actually happened around 6 when a late Crescent passed headed north. I missed the briefing while chasing after some other task.
0600: We shove off from the yard to go to the Greensboro station. And I get a ten minute breather to sit down also known as the calm before the storm.
0615: We arrive in the Amtrak station and set up our boarding. My boarding location has a bum trap door release so takes some extra force.
0625: The first passengers are allowed onto the platform. Only ticketed passengers are allowed onto the platform. Amtrak staff are shuttling passengers who can't walk to and from the train.
0645: The furthest boarding locations from the station entrance button up and passengers for those cars enter closer ones. Boarding passengers you develop a rhythm for inspecting the ticket, saying "watch your step, thanks for riding, welcome aboard,...." . Some passengers are a bit harder to load because of their difficulties ascending the steps of our heritage cars.
0700: We button up our trap, and do a cross check of our doors we are responsible for.
0704: The train leaves Greensboro for Roanoke.
0707: I arrive back in my car and first breakfast service preparation is in full gear.
0715: I start rolling up forks for breakfast service to go out with the food. And I get aquatinted with our two new members of our downstairs crew. Steve and Carrol. Steve is a flight attendant for American Airlines and is fantastic at prepping, and his wife Carol is amazing at getting everything ready to go. And I've learned so much from them, and hope to work with them in the future.
0730: First red box of breakfast sandwiches are ready to move to the Stampede Pass.
0735: Second Red Box bound for the Prairie View is ready to move. So Steve and I carry it round trip to and the car. It barely clears the door from downstairs to upstairs on our Super Dome.
0740: Third Red Box leaves for the Scenic View with sandwiches. And we then go after the red box in Stampede Pass which isn't ready for pick up.
0745: We begin plating breakfast for the Super Dome for our upstairs waitresses to pick up.
0800: Two red boxes arrive back in Super Dome. The first one leaves for Wisconsin Valley two minutes later. The second leaves for Berlin and NS 42 media passengers five minutes after that.
0815: First bathroom inspection of Super Dome, Wisconsin Valley, and Stampede Pass. Inspections should happen every hour on the hour.
0830: The Red box from Prairie View returns and we fill it with special order breakfasts for Stampede Pass and send it back out.
0845: Specials for Valley, and both view cars are ready and leave within ten minutes.
0855: Berlin specials are ready to get walked to their destination.
0915: Sent to get the rest of the red boxes to bring back to the car.
0930: Continue wrapping silverware for dinner service and placing in counted bags.
0945: Preparation for second breakfast service of vegetable and cheese trays starts to be prepared.
1000: We believe we are arriving an hour early to Roanoke so we really bust butt to get breakfast service out.
1015: First tray goes out to Stampede Pass.
1025: Two trays to each view car goes out.
1030: Individual delivery to customers in Berlin sleeper delivered by us arrives.
1045: Last of the trays goes out, and we preform a bathroom inspection.
1100: We get to the outskirts of Roanoke while we take a short break and snack on extra food from breakfast service and actually get a chance to look out the window.
1115: I report to my vestibule for boarding team duty.
1130: Three step is given and we begin detraining. We keep our trap open the entire time of Roanoke stop, and I was required to be at the door at all times.
1230: Panera shows up to deliver dinner service, and tomorrow's breakfast service items. Storage space is again very short and stuff gets put in any hole we can find.
1245: Loading of that is done and Chick Fil A arrives for our crew lunches.
1315: First passengers return to the train. I stay on vestibule duty till departure. I do get to talk to the Road Foreman for Amtrak out of JAX whom is a friend of mine.
1500: Boarding is completed and we proceed to pull forward and wye on the Winston Salem line.
1505: Rolling more silverware and bagging it.
1515: First dinner service goes out.
1600: Last tray for first dinner service goes out.
1605: Bathroom inspection time.
1615: Count all the passengers in each first class car to proportion out an accurate amount of sandwiches for second dinner service.
1645: Start raiding the refrigerators of sandwiches to proportion them out for the right car. All sandwiches are in the Valley and not the super dome.
1655: We discover we are short sandwiches and have to pull some from crew dinners to feed our customers.
1715: First items start getting delivered to each car. There are five individual components for each car that have to be delivered, and you can only take one at a time.
1815: Second dinner service is over. Bathroom inspection happens directly after that.
1845: We start moving our trash into the vestibule in preparation of arrival in Greensboro.
1900: We retrieve all of our trays from the second meal service to be washed in the Super Dome dish washer.
1915: I report to the vestibule for boarding team duty.
1930: Detraining takes place. Two minutes later Amtrak No. 79 pulls in on the other platform and begins detraining. And a freight train meets both of us in the station headed north.
1945: We are ready to depart, and let Amtrak go ahead of us. Instead of heading straight to the yard we wye the train. While we are running the wye my partner and I make a sweep of all the bathrooms and get the trash out of them.
2030: We reach our stop for the coaling of the engine after running the wye and all car hosts head home or to the hotel for the night. My partner and I threw the trash from all the vestibules to the ground. Then started hauling the close bags to the dumpster and Adam the excursion manager took the Gator out to grab the ones further away.
2100: We start buttoning up all traps while walking the train to get our brooms for sweeping duty. As we reach Stampede Pass's trap the train begins to move and we shut that trap while rolling. Watching the steps fold up then made me feel like an Amtrak conductor for a minute. We proceeded to ride the top part of the dutch door while we repositioned from the main line into the siding for thirty minutes, with full PPE on.
2145: We begin sweeping out all vestibules on the train from the head end to the rear end.
2245: We start our finial check of all trash, vestibules, and work our way back to the head end.
2315: We lock ourselves out again by climbing down from an NS coach and closing the door behind us.
2330: We hit the Wendy's drive thru.
2345: We eat dinner, and shower.
0000: We go to bed.
Estimated walking millage 17 miles.
Sunday: Day two of the Roanoker
0330: We wake up from our very short slumber.
0345 We into our car and drive to Pomona Yard and walk down the train. We spooked a skunk but didn't get hit by the stench luckily.
0400: We let ourselves onto the train via an NS door, and went to the kitchen in Super Dome to report for work.
0415: I started stocking all of the restrooms on the train with supplies for them, and popped the WATX 539 for the crew meeting.
0430: Started dispensing route guides to the coaches whose hosts didn't bother to do that the night before.
0515: I grab a radio from the WATX 539 for my use all day so I could communicate with Adam as needed. And vacuum my cars out.
0545: We finally bump into our boss Paul for first class and get his run down of the day before. And head to the safety meeting. I again missed it because I had to retrieve something from 42 for the Revere.
0600: We shove off for the station. And I sit down and enjoy the few minutes of calm we have left.
0615: We pop our trap open at the station. And prepare for boarding todays passengers. It is a lighter load which will help speed us along.
0630: The first of passengers show up from the station onto the platform. There is the usual confusion of which car to get to. Doesn't help that our lead host had no idea which cars were where in the consist. So I ended up having to check all the tickets as well as insure the customers safety while they boarded the train.
0700: We close our vestibule down and prepare for departure.
0707: The train takes off for Roanoke, VA. And I jump right into gear for first breakfast service.
0730: We get the fist of our breakfast ready to go and delivered on time for service. We are able to get our speed going as we got past the learning curve of Saturday, but we still had to wait for Red Boxes to turn. Which often wasn't as fast as we would have liked it.
0830: First Breakfast service has concluded and I made a bathroom inspection to ensure quality for our customers.
0930: We started making our vegetable trays and cheese trays. We had to pick out our produce carefully due to the way they were stacked in the car the items became frozen.
1015: We had our trays ready and go into delivery. And our first delivery failed as the train took a hard switch and one of our crew members dropped a tray on the ground. I then proceeded to clean the spill up, and get it worked out.
1045: Last of second breakfast service gets out.
1110: Bathroom inspection followed by sweeping out the vestibules between all first class cars. Just sweeping clear of the main path and into the corners.
1120: Start the shove back into our station stop, and I reported for boarding team duty.
1145: Detraining had been completed and most hosts went out for lunch or all sat in one area for lunch. We buttoned our trap up this time and I proceeded to work.
1215: Adam calls me to open up the Valley for him to bring first class crew their BBQ lunch. And I get that out of the way.
1220: Adam calls me to open up the Revere for coach class crew lunch while I am down by car two so I hustle and get there in time to open it up for him.
1230: I start moving our trash that we had set out here from where it was sitting over the guard rail onto the actual platform to make it easier for the Gator crew to pick it up.
1245: Panera bread shows up with three cars to bring us our dinner order of cheese, salads, and sandwiches.
1315: Loading Panera is completed with less crew members then Saturday, basically Panera staff, Paul, Jeffery and myself.
1330: My partner comes back from Thelmas with fried chicken for both of us.
1331: Paul calls me on the radio to expect Panera again as our crew discovered they forgot our Salads, even though they charged us for them.
1345: Panera comes back trackside and brings our three bags of salads.
1400: We open our trap for reboarding the train.
1500: We set off for Greensboro.
1515: We have our trays ready to ship out to each car, with Berlin getting four smaller individual trays.
1600: Our first afternoon service is completed. And we take counts for dinner service and do a restroom check.
1620: We start picking up our platters from the cars from the first afternoon service.
1700: We begin getting everything organized for dinner service, and the non perishable items started getting delivered to their respective cars.
1730: We begin moving the sandwiches to each car.
1800: Bathroom inspection, and a small break.
1830: We begin moving all of our trash down to the vestibules for unloading in the yard.
1900: We are on the outskirts of Greensboro so I report to my boarding team and start preparing for detraining.
1915: Arrival back into Greensboro, and detraining begins.
1930: Detraining is completed and we move forward to begin our wye move. Ryan and I then start from car one and move our way back to start getting bathroom trash taken care of and cleaned.
2000: We finish with that and tour the Dover Harbor and Dearing and make some good connections for a little bit. Dover Harbor invited us to eat some of their Pound Cake which was fantastic and we spent some time enjoying that.
2045: We report up to where the engine is being coaled to set up a perimeter to keep fans at a safe distance. We did not arrive in time and started sweeping the vestibules from car 1 to Car five. Car Five was locked and we were unable to pass it, which is when they started moving the train to it's final parking spot. Where we got stuck for a good hour during switching waiting to reach the other half of the train.
2145: We get back to cleaning the vestibules of the entire train and our excursion manager invites us back for the next run up in Roanoke due to our hard work.
2300: We have finished cleaning vestibules, and doing cross checks of the entire train.
2315: We let ourselves out again and tell Adam we are leaving and he thanks us again for our good work.
2330: We show up at IHOP and get togo.
2350: Back to the hotel to eat our IHOP in bed.
0000: We are out cold.
Monday: The drive home
1130: We wake up from our slumber.
1200: We check out of the hotel and head south towards home. We got lost a bit and took a short break along the route home to visit some rail history sites.
1900: I arrive back at my house and eat dinner.
2000: I do laundry.
2330: I start this trip report.
So do you think you can still handle being a car host?
