Who in the world are you?

[drdumont]

What do you mean about "incurring the wrath of my employers, who didn't get a rakeoff from rail travel" ?

Don't know if I answered this, so here goes (maybe again) -
The manager who inherited me on purchase of my previous employer never particularly liked independent thinkers. I steadfastly refuse to ride in a center seat, on Continental Airlines, on any Airbus, nor would I drive Asian branded rental cars. Still don't.
(I have over 8 Million miles on American Airlines alone, and of course, seldom rode in Steerage).
Many times I could find a better airfare and less hours in travel, but the Corporate Travel Agent tried to book me on unsuitable flights, and steadfastly refused to book AMTRAK ("Our computers won't book AMTRAK"). My manager always had First Class upgrade coupons and was driving a leased car courtesy of the Travel Agency.
When I was assigned somewhere, and wished to ride AMTRAK or my airline/airport choice, I would make up any difference in airfare, and of course did not claim the hours for travel other than what their airline would incur.
It came to a head one day, and in the course of a heated conversation, he hung up on me, after speaking uncivilly about the marital status of my parents, and horrifyingly insulted my sainted mother. I called the competition and within an hour was hired over the phone at a better rate and no problems with travel arrangements ("You're a professional - you know how to do your job, we're not nannies or travel agents").
I wanted to invite the other guy to micturate along a given length of woven sisal, but my better breeding prevailed, so I FEDEXed my keys, credentials and other paraphernalia including a recording of his remarks vis a vis my mother, and resigned instanter. The CEO of the company was not amused, nor their attorney.
I AMTRAKED to my first assignment the next day, found the keys to the mobile unit (which I had never seen) in the standard hiding place, and engineered a 12 camera two network three language soccer match series over the next 3 days. Worked for them until they got bought.

Oh yeah - The other company sent me a letter of apology, and asked if I would care to reconsider. Nice of them. The other guy was gone for good.

Final note - I will retire (After 57 years) on 3 January 2021. I have three AMTRAK routes to go, and my Tesla wants to stretch its legs. First trip planned - DFW-LaPlata via Tesla, then the Chief to LAX, LAX-EMY, EMY-GBB, GBB-LAP, then LAP-DFW via Tesla. Took my daughter and granddaughter DFW-CHI-LAX-DFW, now there are two more Foamers in the house, and my wife wants to go, too.

Yeah, I take travel seriously. And am an unrepentant Foamer.

 

[drdumont]

As a fellow newbie, and former Broadcast Engineer and Manager, let me extend the same warm welcome I've received here. If we ever meet up we'd certainly have a lot to talk about!

I guess the stents worked, I'm still here. Pulling the plug on 3 January after 57 years in the bidness. It's just too hard to have fun in broadcasting anymore.
Created monsters - daughter, granddaughter and wife now Foamers. And bought a couple of Teslas, so we have trips planned including both means of travel.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

My user name is a play on words on my name. I also use it on a couple of music related places on the web. Sax player and big music fan. Recently retired library worker. former resident of Saskatchewan. My dad was a big rail fan and it's a recently reawakened interest of mine. Old enuff to remember riding the train pre-Amtrak, CNR pre-VIA, and both Amtrak and VIA Rail a little. Some rail in Europe including the TGV. Hoping to take a long journey by rail some time soon.

 

[jiml]

I guess the stents worked, I'm still here. Pulling the plug on 3 January after 57 years in the bidness. It's just too hard to have fun in broadcasting anymore.
Created monsters - daughter, granddaughter and wife now Foamers. And bought a couple of Teslas, so we have trips planned including both means of travel.

Congratulations on your retirement. I saw a picture of an Ampex VR-2000 the other day, which brought back a lot of memories of the "fun" part.

 

[drdumont]

Congratulations on your retirement. I saw a picture of an Ampex VR-2000 the other day, which brought back a lot of memories of the "fun" part.

Intersyncs, Head equalizing probes, the whine of the headwheel, rassling those monsters in and out of mobile units... Yeah, those were fun days. But, like firing a steam engine or rebuilding a Diesel power unit, the end product was a thing of beauty and a joy to behold, and for some strange reason, I miss them.

And now back to rebooting computers to fix problems. For another 188 days, but who's counting?

 

[jiml]

Intersyncs, Head equalizing probes, the whine of the headwheel, rassling those monsters in and out of mobile units... Yeah, those were fun days. But, like firing a steam engine or rebuilding a Diesel power unit, the end product was a thing of beauty and a joy to behold, and for some strange reason, I miss them.

And now back to rebooting computers to fix problems. For another 188 days, but who's counting?

We used 1200C's in mobiles until they were replaced by Sony 1-inch.

 

[drdumont]

I had 2000s in the semis, and 1200s in the smaller units. One had a Velocity Comp and the editor. When I ralized how dumb that was, I moved the VelComp to the other machine. Reminded me of Hercules and the Augean Stables. Also modified the Intersyncs so you could set the whole unit up with the meter. Took ages to find a 20 position rotary switch. Even Al Sturm, the Ampex Service guy loved that part.
Mobile Color, Inc, ABC News/Sports, NMT. When I wasn't driving a unit, I took AMTRAK whenever possible.

My pal Lurch - 42 states, over 300K miles. Requiescat In Pace, old friend.
2 VR-1200s, 6 PC-70s, HS-100, Homemade switcher and audio console.
And a Vidifont, yet. CAT 350 with Jake, 5 speed and Georgia Overdrive.
Many, many ball games, live events, even a Pepsi (yuk) Challenge.
WHITHER DOC? - And yes, there IS a railroad connection!

 

[Keith1951]

Hello, I just signed up with Amtrak Unlimited Discussion yesterday, June 29,2021. The reason was I wanted to find out what happened to the route guides and schedules I used to see on the website. I know now, I have been told its Amtraks stupidity...not my words. I am a 69 year old retired man from Ohio. I along with my wife (65) started riding Amtrak back in 2015 and have kept riding every year. We always take a trip every year, we ride the rails to our destination then fly back home at the end of the vacation. We road coach ONE time and that was enough, now we only get a bedroom because its convenient having a private bathroom / shower. So far we have ridden the Lakeshore Limited a few times, Silver Star & Meteor twice each, Coast Starlight once and Texas Eagle once. We skipped last year for the obvious reason. We are booked on the California Zephyr for 2022. Riding Amtrak to us is a vacation in itself. Two things I wish Amtrak would do is put bathrooms in the superliner roomettes and put some type of lock on the sleeper rooms. We had an issue once when we went to dinner and came back and someone had our door open. They said they thought it was their room, but I didnt believe that. Overall, I like riding Amtrak and will continue to do so.

 

[PaTrainFan]

Hello, I just signed up with Amtrak Unlimited Discussion yesterday, June 29,2021. The reason was I wanted to find out what happened to the route guides and schedules I used to see on the website. I know now, I have been told its Amtraks stupidity...not my words. I am a 69 year old retired man from Ohio. I along with my wife (65) started riding Amtrak back in 2015 and have kept riding every year. We always take a trip every year, we ride the rails to our destination then fly back home at the end of the vacation. We road coach ONE time and that was enough, now we only get a bedroom because its convenient having a private bathroom / shower. So far we have ridden the Lakeshore Limited a few times, Silver Star & Meteor twice each, Coast Starlight once and Texas Eagle once. We skipped last year for the obvious reason. We are booked on the California Zephyr for 2022. Riding Amtrak to us is a vacation in itself. Two things I wish Amtrak would do is put bathrooms in the superliner roomettes and put some type of lock on the sleeper rooms. We had an issue once when we went to dinner and came back and someone had our door open. They said they thought it was their room, but I didnt believe that. Overall, I like riding Amtrak and will continue to do so.

Welcome to the forum. You'll gain a lot of knowledge and (for the most part) enjoy the interaction with (mostly) like minds. Amtrak isn't going to do any major overhauls of Superliners, and is just now doing superficial upgrades. In the current configuration, as I'm sure you noticed, it would be impossible to add bathrooms to the roomettes as they are tight enough for two people. Not to mention, the toilets in the original Viewliners were panned by many and not included in the new Viewliners IIs.

Locks would be nice, but interestingly in all my years (30+) of riding Amtrak I have never heard of any widespread security issues in the sleepers. Which is not to say there haven't been occasional problems, yours nothwithstanding, but I am amazed how "safe" it is. Bit it always makes sense to take valuables with you when you go to the loungs or diner. But obviously you are very secure when you're in the room as that locking mechanism seems to work well. You'll love the Zephyr, arguably the best Amtrak ride of them all!

 

[Keith1951]

Welcome to the forum. You'll gain a lot of knowledge and (for the most part) enjoy the interaction with (mostly) like minds. Amtrak isn't going to do any major overhauls of Superliners, and is just now doing superficial upgrades. In the current configuration, as I'm sure you noticed, it would be impossible to add bathrooms to the roomettes as they are tight enough for two people. Not to mention, the toilets in the original Viewliners were panned by many and not included in the new Viewliners IIs.

Locks would be nice, but interestingly in all my years (30+) of riding Amtrak I have never heard of any widespread security issues in the sleepers. Which is not to say there haven't been occasional problems, yours nothwithstanding, but I am amazed how "safe" it is. Bit it always makes sense to take valuables with you when you go to the loungs or diner. But obviously you are very secure when you're in the room as that locking mechanism seems to work well. You'll love the Zephyr, arguably the best Amtrak ride of them all!

Thank you

 

[barskin]

Hi. I'm barskin - this is the first syllable of my first name and the last syllable of my last name. I am going to be taking, alone, my first big train trip in a long, long time, Boston to San Antonio on the LSL (in a roomette) and the TE (in a bedroom). I hope you won't mind if I pester you with questions.

 

[pennyk]

Hi. I'm barskin - this is the first syllable of my first name and the last syllable of my last name. I am going to be taking, alone, my first big train trip in a long, long time, Boston to San Antonio on the LSL (in a roomette) and the TE (in a bedroom). I hope you won't mind if I pester you with questions.

Welcome to AU.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hi. I'm barskin - this is the first syllable of my first name and the last syllable of my last name. I am going to be taking, alone, my first big train trip in a long, long time, Boston to San Antonio on the LSL (in a roomette) and the TE (in a bedroom). I hope you won't mind if I pester you with questions.

Welcome to AU.

Well be glad to help you with your questions, but please read the Trip
Reports and Multiple threads on AU, especially the Forum with tips for First time Riders!

 

[oregon pioneer]

Hi. I'm barskin - this is the first syllable of my first name and the last syllable of my last name. I am going to be taking, alone, my first big train trip in a long, long time, Boston to San Antonio on the LSL (in a roomette) and the TE (in a bedroom). I hope you won't mind if I pester you with questions.

Welcome, and don't worry about asking too many questions. There are no stupid questions right now, as everything changes frequently in the Time of Covid. I've ridden Amtrak quite a bit, but I am sure for my next trip (hopefully next winter) I will have questions about what has changed since the Before Times. I'm originally from New England, so the terminus of my trip is usually in the Boston area (BBY, BOS, or RTE) where family meets me.

 

[pawanranta]

Hi, I'm a travel blogger from Himachal (a state in northern India).

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hi, I'm a travel blogger from Himachal (a state in northern India).

Welcome, we have folks from all over the World on AU including several members from India, and those who love to visitvIndia and ride the Trains!

Hopefully India will soon become Safer to visit and the Indian people can get Vaccinated and return to daily Life!

 

[JontyMort]

I‘ve been posting for a few months, so I probably should rectify the omission of who I am. In the infancy of the internet, I remember reading some wise advice: never post anything on the web that you wouldn’t be happy to see on your boss’s desk, your mother’s coffee table, or the front page of your local newspaper. To back up the advice, I usually post in a very thinly veiled version of my real name - which is Jonathan Morton. I’m a real estate lawyer from Worcester in England (working - when not working from home - in Birmingham), and trying to keep out of mischief before retirement. The interest in things Amtrak stems from planning a long sabbatical trip in the US and Canada, supposed to be happening later this year. But I’m reasonably sound on railway stuff in Britain, and normally do as much train travel as I can.

 

[PVD]

Welcome, we have a few wonderful members from England, and they have many interesting perspectives and visits under their belts...

 

[Bembidion]

I'm new to the forum and am a 61 year old happily married teacher. Living in Meriden, Connecticut, I have the fortunate circumstance of three rail travel options: Amtrak, CT Rail, and Metro North. In fact, I joke with my daughter who lives in Milford that it's easy for her to get her train-liking dad to come and help with stuff because I'm always a sucker for a train ride (which is a lot more fun than battling traffic!).

 

[pennyk]

I‘ve been posting for a few months, so I probably should rectify the omission of who I am. In the infancy of the internet, I remember reading some wise advice: never post anything on the web that you wouldn’t be happy to see on your boss’s desk, your mother’s coffee table, or the front page of your local newspaper. To back up the advice, I usually post in a very thinly veiled version of my real name - which is Jonathan Morton. I’m a real estate lawyer from Worcester in England (working - when not working from home - in Birmingham), and trying to keep out of mischief before retirement. The interest in things Amtrak stems from planning a long sabbatical trip in the US and Canada, supposed to be happening later this year. But I’m reasonably sound on railway stuff in Britain, and normally do as much train travel as I can.

welcome to AU

 

[pennyk]

I'm new to the forum and am a 61 year old happily married teacher. Living in Meriden, Connecticut, I have the fortunate circumstance of three rail travel options: Amtrak, CT Rail, and Metro North. In fact, I joke with my daughter who lives in Milford that it's easy for her to get her train-liking dad to come and help with stuff because I'm always a sucker for a train ride (which is a lot more fun than battling traffic!).

welcome to AU

 

[Bembidion]

I'm 36 years old. I'm a born and raised Tennessean living in the same small town my pioneer ancestors settled in 1807. I have a bachelor of arts in social science and foreign language with a business minor. I'm an Episcopalian and very active in the church.

I grew up in a railroad culture. I live only one block from an active CSX mainline that members of my family worked on for years. We have a railroad museum in our town where I currently serve on the board of directors. I have other civic interests as well, but chiefly I'm interested in making rural small towns more liveable and economically viable. I see passenger rail and bus transportation as a way to improve the livelihood of small town America.

Politically I am conservative, socially and fiscally. I do NOT see Amtrak as a "communist rail system". I have misgivings about some of Amtrak's operating patterns, but overall I am pleased with the company and I hope they continually improve. I have traveled over 35,000 miles on Amtrak in a 25-year period.

I love to read and study history and I enjoy architecture as well.

I enjoy railroading, but I do not consider myself a "railfan". When I travel Amtrak or any other passenger railroad, I cleverly disguise myself as an ordinary, everyday passenger. I came to this forum because I like to discuss the way Amtrak operates, how it can improve, and what needs to be corrected, though I don't pretend to be an expert who knows more than the people who work at it every day. I like to help people plan trips on Amtrak so that they can enjoy it as much as I do.

I have generally thought of conservatives as being anti-Amtrak, but am pleasantly surprised that I have found some like myself who do. In fact, the guy who first got me interested in rail travel was as fanatical a conservative as I have ever seen, but was also a huge Amtrak supporter.

 

[PNW Pax]

I've been following this site for a month, and I finally posted my first reply today. I joined AU to stay abreast of AMTRAK service issues.

I have been fascinated by passenger trains since I was a child and rode the Shasta Daylight from Eugene to Portland, Oregon to visit my grandparents. As an adult, I rode the Mt. Rainier, Pioneer, and Coast Starlight to serve my consulting clients in western Washington. I have since taken the Empire Builder (3x), Lakeshore Limited (3x), California Zephyr (2x), Cardinal (1x), and Southwest Chief (1x). Regional trains include the Capitols, Surfliners, and, of course, the Cascades. Last month I took the Portland section of the Empire Builder from Portland to Spokane because I usually take the Empire Builder out of Seattle. The scenery along the Columbia River gorge was spectacular. I have ridden the Coast Starlight numerous times, the latest being on #14 in February 2020. I'm booked on #11 next week,

I was an executive in the public transit, public utilities, healthcare, and various governmental agencies. I was happiest in public transit. I loved the smell of diesel exhaust in the morning when our buses were starting the day. My latest public transit involvement was as an advisory committee member for Sound Transit's West Seattle to Ballard light rail line.

I am a member of All Aboard Washington and the Rail Passenger Association.

 

[JohnV]

69 YO husband and father of two sons who grew up in Alton, IL. My great-great-grandfather was an associate of George Pullman and involved in the foundry business. Rode the GM&O often between Alton, the state capitol in Springfield, Bloomington (for undergraduate college) and Chicago. Was regional political director in IL for Ronald Reagan's presidential campaigns. Wife and I have taken Empire Builder twice, Coast Starlight (Vancouver, WA to LA) four times, Southwest Chief (CHI-LA) four times, Orient Express (London-Venice) three times, and I have taken Acela numerous times NY-DC, dozens of European inter-city trains, EuroStar (London-Paris and Brussels to London). Now living on Kauai so just riding the waves.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

I have generally thought of conservatives as being anti-Amtrak, but am pleasantly surprised that I have found some like myself who do. In fact, the guy who first got me interested in rail travel was as fanatical a conservative as I have ever seen, but was also a huge Amtrak supporter.

It al depends what you're trying to conserve. I find such broad brush designations of little help in determining what people are really like or where they stand on any particular policy issue. I come more or less 'from the left side', but try very hard to take people and issues one at a time. Supporting basic infrastructure should be a practical and technical issue, not a partisan one.