Following a 2 week stay in PDX, I started the
L O N G journey home. This included
• A trip south and west (CS PDX-MTZ)
• A trip east (CZ MTZ-CHI)
• A trip southeast and northeast (Cardinal CHI-CVS)
• A trip southwest (Crescent CVS-NOL)
• A trip west (SL NOL-SAS)
• A trip north, east and northeast (TE SAS-CHI)
• A trip east and southeast (CL CHI-WAS), and
• A trip northeast (Regional WAS-KIN)
On 3/21, I took #11 from PDX to MTZ (Martinez, CA). Due to this being a AGR award, the reservation connected to the CZ in SAC (Sacramento, CA). However, instead of waiting in SAC for over 5 hours, I chose to purchase a ticket from SAC to EMY (Emeryville, CA).
By purchasing this ticket, I earned 100 AGR points each way. And thanks to learning of the double point bonus on AU
, this earned me 400 AGR points! The reason I connected in MTZ follows.
Prior to boarding #11 in PDX, I waited in the Metropolitan Lounge at PDX. It is a compact Met Lounge, but an enjoyable and comfortable place to wait.
The CS arrived from SEA (Seattle, WA) at 1:50 PM. At that time I was allowed to board and settle into my roomette. The CS departed on time at 2:25 PM.
Arrival into ABY (Albany, OR) was 2 minutes late. Per my GPS, we did a steady 71 MPH south of there. Arrival into EUG (Eugene, OR) was over 10 minutes early!
If I saw it right, near the landslide area was a snow depth marker. What I think I read was over 9
FEET of snow!
Also at the actual landslide site, they have installed a slide indicator fence. That was not there when I last traveled that route in October.
Arrival into CMO (Chemult, OR) (sp?) was 15 minutes late, But #11 did a steady 81 MPH most of the way south. We arrived into KFS (Klamath Falls, OR) 25 minutes early! However, I did not exit the train to enjoy the extra time that we stopped, due to the
HEAVY snow that was falling!
As explained above, my AGR award included a roomette PDX-SAC on the CS connecting to a roomette on the CZ. Not wishing to wait at SAC for many hours, I purchased a coach round trip ticket SAC-EMY. I asked the SA if I could remain in the roomette from SAC-EMY.
Per the conductor, this would be OK, but I would have to purchase my breakfast. Being that arrival into SAC was scheduled for 6:15 AM, I agreed to this.
However, a
LONG stretch of slow orders north of SAC kept speeds to 15 MPH! This caused arrival into SAC to be
40 minutes late! I had began breakfast well prior to SAC. But I was charged $12 for breakfast!
If I did not make this additional (coach ticket) purchase and did not make this request and agreement, and just had a roomette to SAC, my meal should have been included! If you’re on the train at mealtime, that meal is included. With scheduled arrival at 6:15 AM and the breakfast service beginning at 6:30 AM, normally I would not get breakfast. But because the CS was late, I should have received a meal!
With the late CS, I kept an eye close to the time and the schedules of the CS and CZ. There were 3 stations where I could transfer between trains. Upon arrival into MTZ (Martinez, CA), and with the CS losing time, I decided the connection at EMY would be too close. (There was only 1 hour between trains.)
So I decided to bail at MTZ – and wait about an hour there. As it turned out, I could had gone to EMY as there was 14 minutes between trains. But that is too close to call.
At MTZ, I boarded #6 (the CZ) to CHI with an on time departure at 9:49 AM. With the conductor’s OK, I was allowed to occupy the roomette I had reserved from SAC upon boarding in MTZ.
#6 passed #5 west of the Donner Pass. At the time, and throughout the Pass crossing, there was
HEAVY snow! Arrival into RNO (Reno, NV) was 7 minutes late.
During the 1st day, it was announced that lunch and dinner would be by reservation only. But both days, lunch was open seating. Dinner was the only meal you needed reservations.
Speaking of dinner, the
ONLY reservation times offered were at 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM! And this was true for both days! When I was at the 5 PM seating, I noticed that only about ½ the Diner was being used. And the SAME ½ was being used for the late seating. (During the breakfast and lunch meals, the complete car was being used.)
The CZ consisted of 2 P42s, a baggage car, a trans-dorm, 2 sleepers (in the front), a Diner, a Sightseer and 3 coaches.
#6 arrived into SLC over 1 hour early! (And that includes the time zone change!) Arrival into GJT (Grand Junction, CO) was 25 minutes early.
The CZ follows the Colorado River for 238 miles in western CO.
UP was doing track work east of GJT, resulting in many areas of slow orders. East of GSC (Glenwood Springs, CO) #6 met #5, and at Bond, there were 3 freights waiting for #6 to pass!
For dinner on the second day, I chose the 5:00 PM seating. Due to the proximity of the Moffat Tunnel, we were called to dinner early. (Due to the 6.1 mile length of the tunnel, you are not supposed to pass between cars inside the tunnel.) As on the previous day, only ½ the car was used.
Arrival into DEN (Denver, CO) was 30 minutes early.
When did they close the gift shop that was inside Denver Union Station? I admit that the last time I was at DEN was in 2003.
#6 left OTM (Ottumwa, IA) 30 minutes late. Due to padding, arrival into CHI was 10 minutes early.
#50 (the Cardinal) departed CHI on time a 5:45 PM. Unlike my last trip on the Cardinal, dinner was anytime before 9 PM. (Last October, they called all sleeper passengers to dinner at once.)
One difference I observed between a Viewliner roomette and a Superliner roomette is that the Viewliner has 2 power outlets while the Superliner only has 1.
#50 was 42 minutes late into CHW (Charleston, WV). I found the track to be very rough.
I got a little worried at PRC (Prince, WV) when #50 started the departure from the station by backing up. (Prince was the site of the infamous debacle last October!) But it was just to get around a freight that was on the main line.
Speaking of the October debacle, I noticed that the freight yard that we stopped at was within ½ mile of the station. So why did they make us disembark on the uneven ground to board the buses instead of at the flat platform of the Prince station?
The consist of #50 was 1 P42, 3 coaches, a café/lounge and 1 sleeper (on the back).
At CLF (Clifton Forge, VA), we passed thru the refueling depot while on the mainline. This was the 1st time I noticed this. Usually, the refueling depot is off to the side on a siding.
We arrived CVS (Charlottesville, VA) 1 hour 37 minutes late!
Due to the late arrival of #50, my 6 hour layover became 4 ½ hours. However it was still better than my last “connection” at CVS – with my arrival on #50 at 2:47 AM instead of 2:47 PM and 6 hours after the departure of #19!
I boarded #19 at 8:52 PM. To my surprise, dinner was still being served. (Until 9 PM.) Thus, I received dinner!
The tracks and the light rolling were so soothing and restful that night. I awoke fully rested and ready to get up. Then I looked at the clock. It read 1:15 AM!
(Maybe I was tired by then!
)
Back to sleep!
We arrived BHM (Birmingham, AL) on time. However during one of the few train meets that caused us to wait, we were delayed over 30 minutes. And this was for another Amtrak train – our meet with #20!
#19 arrived into NOL (New Orleans, LA) about 30 minutes late.
I spent the night in NOL. This was my only night on the trip “not moving” - so I got a good night’s sleep, right?
WRONG! At about 11 PM, a
SEVERE thunderstorm moved through New Orleans! (Luckily for me, the worst part hit a few miles north of the city.)
Being cheap (and wanting to earn some double AGR points), I bought a coach ticket from NOL-SAS (San Antonio, TX). While waiting to board inside the station, the police ID’ed everyone everybody in line. This was the 1st time I was ID’ed on Amtrak – and it was not even aboard the train!
While boarding, everybody was assigned seats. (I don’t know why – I’d guesstimate there were 50-75 people on the train – if that much!) But the luck of the draw gave me seat #7. That means
• It was a window seat – so I could use my GPS,
• It had a power outlet – so I could power my netbook, and
• It was 1 row away from “the railfan’s window”!
This Superliner coach had power at every seat. In fact, even when I had a roomette I walked to coach. All except 2 had power plugs at every seat!
#1 departed NOL on time at 11:55 AM. We crossed the Huey P Long bridge at 12:20 PM. That is a strange feeling with 2 tracks between 2 lanes of cars each way. And that bridge is indeed
LONG – not just by it’s name!
We stopped outside of SCH (Schriever, LA) for a train to pass. And again, it was an Amtrak train - #2! We met #2 at 1:44 PM, but we did not start moving again until after 2 PM. We finally reached SCH at 2:14 PM.
Due to the severe storms overnight, the signals along the tracks were giving wrong information. This was known, and we were allowed to proceed slowly – at 15 MPH for many miles! At 3:50 PM, #1 was at the “high rate of speed” of 25 MPH!
By the time we reached NIB (New Iberia, LA), we were 1:40 late! However, we made up time. Even with
HEAVY rain & thunder on the LA/TX border, #1 was only 1 hour late into BMT (Beaumont, TX).
I finally got to see the infamous Beaumont “station” – and it’s as bad as they say! Just before our arrival, it rained. You could not even get from the train to your car – or from one end of the train to the other on the platform – without either walking thru a large puddle or thru the rocks!
Surprisingly, it is a smoking stop on the SL. Luckily, it stopped raining by the time we got there.
There must be a lot of padding, as #1 arrived HOS (Houston, TX) early. And we arrived SAS over 1 hour early!
That made my connection time from 2 AM until 7 AM.
Departure of #22 was at 7 AM and on time. This was one of the days that the SL (from LA) does not operate. Because the dining car crew does not board until AUS (Austin, TX), sleeping car passengers receive a continental breakfast box out of SAS.
#22 consisted of 1 P42, a trans-dorm, 1 sleeper, CCC, Sightseer (which was staffed, despite what the schedule says) and 2 coaches. “Train” #322 (1 coach) was added at STL (St Louis, MO).
This was my first experience with the CCC. I was not impressed! The big thing with the layout is that the 3 spot tables do not have enough room for 3 diners.
#22 arrived into FTW (Ft Worth, TX) on time and met #21 at the platform. Also waiting (for it’s later departure) was the HF.
In eastern Texas, I noticed my GPS gave a speed of 86 MPH! The station at MHL (Marshall, TX) looked interesting. But we arrived early, and because it is a crew change point, we stopped short of the platform, and could not get off.
#22 arrived into STL (St Louis, MO) over 1 hour early. I wanted to go inside to look around. However, I was stopped by the snow and cold! So I stayed aboard the warm train!
Departure from STL was on time. And #22 crossed the Mississippi River using the southern-most bridge. (I forget it’s name.)
From that point north, #22 was either on time or early at all stops. Arrival into CHI was 10 minutes early!
It seems strange that of all the train I took, the 3 that were early were the CZ, the SL and the TE!
Upon arrival, I stayed in the Metropolitan Lounge (for the 2nd time in a week). I tried to use the wifi to operate my netbook, but for some reason, I could not connect to the wifi! So I was forced to complete this TR, and later used the (slow) terminal available to read AU.
After a few hours in the Metropolitan Lounge, I boarded #30 to WAS (Washington, DC). While still in the Lounge, they took dinner reservations. I made mine for the 1st time offered – 6:30 PM. This was even before the CL was to depart from CUS, so I wouldn’t have to deal with the “rocking and rolling” while eating dinner. The only problem was – we did not start boarding #30 until 6:45 PM!
#30 consisted of 2 P42s, a baggage car, a trans-dorm, 3 sleepers (in front) , a CCC, a Sightseer (staffed) and 3 coaches. (The 3rd coach was closed off – after PGH. :huh: ). Of the 2 coaches I saw the next morning, 1 had at-seat power but the other did not.
Shortly after boarding, we were called to dinner. So I did start to eat while the train was on the platform, but then it jerked as it departed! We departed on time right at 7:05 PM.
When I awoke the following morning, sometime after PGH (Pittsburgh, PA). #30 was running 30 minutes late. We ran many miles next to the Cassleman River in MD at 30-40 mph. I don’t know if this is normal, but we continued to lose time.
We crossed the eastern continental divide (which is at about 2,200 feet) at 9:48 AM. This is the point where rain that falls on the west side flows to the Gulf of Mexico and on the east side flows to the Atlantic. (The Cassleman being on the west side flowed west.) After the divide, #30 followed the banks of the Wills Creek – which flowed east.
We then continued down Sand Patch at 20 mph. (This is indeed the posted limit.) Sand Patch has a grade of 1.94%!
We arrived into CUM (Cumberland, MD) about 55 minutes late.
Around 10:30 or so, the LSA came through the sleepers to make dinner reservations. The offerings (due to the arrival time into WAS) were for 11, 11:15, 11:30 and 11:45. I chose 11 and was told to listen for the announcement.
About 11:15, they announced “Those with an 11:15 …”? :huh: T
HEY NEVER CALLED 11! (The people I sat with also had 11 reservations also – and said the same thing!) While eating lunch, they called 11:45 – but did not call 11:30 at all!
At the end of our meal, the 2 others at my table (I was at the 3 seat table) waited and waited and waited to order desert. About 45 minutes later, we were informed that there were no deserts! (I wish this was mentioned earlier after we finished and they took the plates away! :angry: )
Arrival into RKV (Rockville, MD) was late. However, they schedule a 1 hour trip for the 23 minute trip to WAS with the arrival into WAS being only 20 minutes late.
After spending a few hours in the Club Acela in WAS, I boarded my final train
(#178) to head home to KIN! But being on an AGR award, this was ridden in BC!
I attempted to set up my GPS to measure the speed. The GPS showed we were moving at 40 mph! So what’s the problem? #178 was still sitting on the platform! (Oh – and the GPS said I was moving south, not north towards RI!)
Later, GPS said we were moving at 538 mph! I know that the NEC has “high speed rail” – but I think that speed reading might have been wrong a little! So I turned it off, and did not even try to get any readings.
I found the NEC rails to be the roughest of any I have ridden on this trip! (At least overall – there may have been some rougher areas somewhere.) And we were late. Some of those include:
NWK (Newark, NJ) – 39 minutes late
NYP (New York, NY) – 29 minutes late
STM (Stamford, CT) – 12 minutes late
NLC (New London, CT) – 5 minutes late
However, #178 arrived into KIN 1 minute early at 11:05 PM!
An interesting note about these last 3 trains: #22 arrived CHI on track 28 and #30 departed CHI on track 26. #30 arrived WAS on track 28 and #178 departed WAS on track 26!
Now my trip is finally over!
I’ll have to wait a few whole months before my next trip!
All together, this trip covered 12,842 miles! And the portions redeemed for AGR awards would have “cost” me $2,868 and were paid with 63,000 AGR points. That works out as a redemption value of 4.55¢ per point!
Plus, I earned another almost 1,000 points for the segments I purchased!
