F
Fred wisconsin
Guest
I just finished up a trip on the southwest chief, and here is my report. I boarded at Williams jct, where as many of you know, you take a shuttle bus to a spot in the woods under a street light. The chief was a modest 10 minutes late and the 2 buses from local hotels allowed us to wait in the warmth of the bus till the train arrived. My roomette was ready and waiting and after helping a few elderly ladies bring their luggage aboard, i settled in.
A short 2 hour nap and off to the dining car for breakfast. On the way there, i came across Rick, the car attendant in the next car. He was greeting everyone in sight with a hearty good morning and calling them by name like everyone was an old friend, or at least a future old friend. He even tracked down one passenger in the diner, to ask if he wanted the bed folded up. He went out of his way the entire trip to be pleasant. No doubt in anyone's mind that he enjoyed his job, and making his passengers comfortable. My car attendant was Brian. A little more reserved personality, but he kept the car clean, and did everytask expected.
Dining car staff was efficient and friendly. Food was generally good.Not great, but acceptable.This was the first trip that i have taken where i was not rushed out to make room for the next customer. The use of the dining car seemed to be about one seating per booth, but spread over 2 or 3 seating times. My dining table mates were enjoyable, and we had several lively discussions.
Our arrival in Chicago was about 30 minutes late. Pretty good, since we had encountered several track repair slow downs.
The highlight for me was the impromptu chats in the lounge car. A farmer (me), a retired irish immigrant with a mischievous sparkle in his eye, an actress from new england, an electrical engineer and his restaurant owner spouse, a teacher, and a young man about to head off to college. Where on earth could you experience such a great mix of ages and life experiences, for an hour long chat? Each contributed when they felt like it and just listened when they wanted. The mix changed as the route passed including visitors to our country, making the experience all the better. The trip ended in Chicago, with wishes for continued good travels exchanged among many passengers.
A short 2 hour nap and off to the dining car for breakfast. On the way there, i came across Rick, the car attendant in the next car. He was greeting everyone in sight with a hearty good morning and calling them by name like everyone was an old friend, or at least a future old friend. He even tracked down one passenger in the diner, to ask if he wanted the bed folded up. He went out of his way the entire trip to be pleasant. No doubt in anyone's mind that he enjoyed his job, and making his passengers comfortable. My car attendant was Brian. A little more reserved personality, but he kept the car clean, and did everytask expected.
Dining car staff was efficient and friendly. Food was generally good.Not great, but acceptable.This was the first trip that i have taken where i was not rushed out to make room for the next customer. The use of the dining car seemed to be about one seating per booth, but spread over 2 or 3 seating times. My dining table mates were enjoyable, and we had several lively discussions.
Our arrival in Chicago was about 30 minutes late. Pretty good, since we had encountered several track repair slow downs.
The highlight for me was the impromptu chats in the lounge car. A farmer (me), a retired irish immigrant with a mischievous sparkle in his eye, an actress from new england, an electrical engineer and his restaurant owner spouse, a teacher, and a young man about to head off to college. Where on earth could you experience such a great mix of ages and life experiences, for an hour long chat? Each contributed when they felt like it and just listened when they wanted. The mix changed as the route passed including visitors to our country, making the experience all the better. The trip ended in Chicago, with wishes for continued good travels exchanged among many passengers.
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