AMTRAK TRIP REPORT by Walter Zullig, Jr

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My plan to attend a three day conference in Chicago evolved into a full transcontinental trip when the announcement was made that the Desert Wind and Pioneer were to be discontinued effective November 10. I had never ridden the Union Pacific routes between Salt Lake City and the junction with the Santa Fe at Daggett, CA and between Portland, OR and Ogden, UT. A late evening call to Amtrak booked the entire trip without problem although subsequent follow up with my travel agent was necessary to produce sleeping car space on some segments.

Since I was making a long rail trip anyway I decided to make it a little longer by going via Washington so as to ride the Capitol Limited WAS-CHI and returning via Boston so as to ride the Albany-Boston segment once again since it, too, was slated for elimination. I would depart from New Rochelle, NY, near my home town of Larchmont, and ride a NE Direct train to WAS, thence #29 to CHI. From CHI I would use #35 to LAX, then #14 to Oakland. After two days in the Bay Area I would continue to Portland on #14, thence after a few hours there, the Talgo to Seattle. The next morning I would leave for Chicago on #26 and after a few hours in the Windy City, #48/448 to Boston with a quick NE Direct connection back to New Rochelle. Three nights would be spent in Superliner coaches, two in economy bedrooms, one in a deluxe bedroom and one in a Heritage roomette.

My journey started on Wednesday, September 25th. Tickets in hand, I headed for the Metro-North Larchmont station to catch the 9:22 AM train for New Rochelle. About an hour earlier my daughter had driven my wife to LaGuardia Airport as she would be flying to south Florida for the 2 weeks I'd be away. Metro-North delivered me to NRO at 9:26 and Amtrak #143 from Springfield, MA pulled in 2 minutes late at 9:42. Its consist was AEM-7 #922, 4 Amcars and 2 mail cars. Two cars had a good load, the other 2 moderate loads. The snack bar had dinette tables at one end, club seats at the other but was in use for coach seating. The train was clean with everything in working order.

"Wow, you've got quite a trip ahead of you," exclaimed the conductor as he thumbed through my ticket. "It should really be great after Denver." We overtook the southbound Silver Star while in 30th St. Station PHL--its consist included 2 Viewliner sleepers and a 10-6 Heritage car. Train 20, the Crescent, passed us there; it was on time and had 2 Viewliners in the consist.

The ride was a uneventful business-like Corridor trip. Washington's Union Station was reached 2 minutes late at 1:53 PM. The station was quite full, even at this midday hour. I checked into the Metropolitan Lounge, then crossed the street to tour the Smithsonian's Postal Museum located in the old City Post Office building. The visit was well worth the time and the RPO car was of special interest. After returning to Union Station I browsed some shops and then returned to the lounge.

A preboarding announcement for #29 was made about 3:35 and I headed out to Track 16. The lead engine was Genesis #815, followed by F40 #300, 6 head end cars, 1 transition sleeper, 2 sleepers, diner, Sightseer lounge, 2 coaches and another transition sleeper. The train presented an excellent appearance. The friendly attendant took my bag and showed me upstairs to my economy room; I had just finished reading the hand outs and exploring the car when we glided off to an on time start at 4:05. Soon it was "ticket time" followed by "meal voucher time" with the Train Chief. Then I adjourned to the Sightseer lounge to enjoy the scenic ride. One surprise was the large number of CSX freights we passed between WAS and Cumberland; I also noted that virtually no railroad buildings are left at Martinsburg which once was a busy place.

Dinner was by reservations and mine was for 7 PM. The call was promptly made and the set up, service and food were quite impressive. Coach passengers were seated in one end of the car; first class patrons in the other end. The first class section featured additional amenities such as complimentary wine. Even before the crew could take orders, a man from England started requesting his red wine and became rather loud when it didn't come instantly. I enjoyed dinner with a couple from Newburg, NY, enroute to LA. Nearby were travelers from Germany, France, England and Spain. The food was excellent, the service a little slow but who's in a hurry. While in the diner the train stopped at the B&O's Rockwood, PA station where an ambulance was on hand to tend to a medical problem with one of the passengers. After 23 minutes it seemed that he was OK and we continued west. My dinner had started at Cumberland and I didn't leave the car until 2 hours later. Meanwhile we had climbed Sand Patch, twisting and turning our way along.

Train 29's ridership was good but not at 100%. The sleepers were sold out and a few customers were accommodated in one of the transition cars. After showering I did some reading to await the Pittsburgh arrival where several friends enroute to the same conference would join, having traveled from New York on the 3 Rivers, Train # 47. They were on the platform there and #47's equipment was on an adjacent track. That train wyes before entering the Pittsburgh station and then backs in. When #29 pulled in, #47's road engine pulled the two Amfleet II NYP-CHI coaches and the mail cars back and coupled them to the rear. Thus the passengers in those thru coaches must ride backwards from PGH-CHI!

My friends were in the same car so we chatted awhile before turning in. The next morning I awoke at Toledo where we were nearly an hour late. A passenger who had boarded in Cleveland later told me the train had a long wait East of the station there for Conrail freight traffic to pass. I joined my friends for breakfast; upon returning each seat had a gift box containing a Capitol Limited glass coffee mug, a very nice touch. The sky opened up at South Bend and the heavy rain continued into Chicago. Luckily the hotel entrance was under cover and my first day's activities were all indoors. Train 29 backed into Union Station at 9:39, 34 minutes late, after a most enjoyable trip with a very good crew.

The following day, Friday, September 28, I was able to make a round trip from Chicago to Antioch on Metra's new 52-mile North Central Line which operates via the Wisconsin Central RR and had opened on August 19th. Train 105 departed Union Station at 1:25 and arrived Antioch on time at 2:52. The first 12 miles are on ex Milw. Rd. track to Franklin Park where a new double track connection has been constructed at the diamond crossing with the Wisconsin Central. From there CTC has been installed with a 4 track line for the first few miles past the WC freight yards. Several new passing tracks have been constructed and old ones extended. WC's freight business had greatly increased from the time RTA began passenger service discussions and the line now has about 30 freight trains a day. Passenger service consists of 3 inbound morning trains and 3 outbound evening trains plus a mid-day return originating in Chicago. More capacity is said to be needed if any additional commuter trains are to operate.

Ridership on outbound #105 was quite good, especially to the further out points. The real surprise was the 40 some inbound riders who would have no way to return until Monday afternoon. Much housing construction was in progress with some large homes being built very close to the tracks. Northbound we passed 2 WC freights and overtook another; southbound we passed two WC's. One feature of the line is a station near O'Hare Airport with a bus connection to bridge the gap to the people mover. This could become quite popular, especially if service is expanded and the mover is extended to the rail station.

A CTA friend met the train in Union Station and a few of us rode the Evanston Exp. to Howard St. where we viewed operations, then rode the Skokie Swift and the Evanston Branch to Davis St. where we had dinner in a nearby restaurant. The return from there was in time to catch the evening's last Ravenswood train operating to the Loop which ran near the hotel.

On Saturday, September 28, I joined a planned trip to the South Shore Line's Michigan City Shops. Train 505 departed Randolph St. at 8 AM and arrived Carroll Ave. Mich City at 9:40. Shortly after our arrival there, a 6 car special from CHI passed enroute to a Notre Dame football game at South Bend. A South Shore staff member mentioned that the following week 3 specials with 22 cars would be operated to South Bend. I returned to CHI on #506 departing Mich City at 11:20 AM and arriving Randolph St. at 1PM. It had been two years since my last ride on the South Shore; the street running thru Michigan City always is interesting.

After a quick trip back to the hotel for my suitcase, I reached Union Station about 1:45 in plenty of time for #35's departure at 3:05. About 2:40 an Usher started a long speech about the boarding process which seemed complex. Most people just wanted to get on but she continued that disabled, people with small children, etc., would get on first. "Don't worry, there's a seat for everyone." A very professional conductor stationed himself just inside the gate and directed each patron to the proper car depending on destination. Following the head end cars, the train had a transition sleeper, 3 sleepers, diner, Sightseer lounge, 3 coaches, 2 more sleepers for Denver and 4 private cars lettered "Wisconsin & Southern RR Co." I was in the 8th car from the rear, surrounded by senior citizen couples enroute to Las Vegas; indeed, 2/3 of the coach passengers seemed destined to Vegas. Many of them hardly ever left their seats and had packed sufficient food for the entire trip! They were quiet so I slept well both nights.

Quite a few freights, many with foreign power, as well as some commuter trains were passed between Chicago and Aurora. Train #6 passed West of Naperville, about an hour late. My tablemates at dinner were a lady from the Detroit area and a couple from Cleveland, all headed for Vegas. The Cleveland couple were surprised over my knowledge of their city; they had used the new Waterfront Line a few times and deemed it "a goldmine for RTA". Soon we were crossing the Mississippi River bridge into the ex. Burlington Railroad's namesake city.

This trip provided my first experience with Amtrak's new "smoke stop" policy on Western long distance trains. Since smoking is prohibited on board, passengers are allowed off for a smoke wherever the train stops for 5 minutes or more. Some use the stops for a "photo op"; others for mere leg stretching. Our first was Galesburg, IL. Upon completion of the station work the conductor radios the engineer: "Give us the whistle," whereupon 4 blasts are sounded as the all aboard signal. This procedure is repeated at countless locations and now seems to be standard procedure on the Western trains. I also noticed that crew districts now are much longer than on previous trips. Train 35's two conductors operated CHI-Omaha, Omaha-DEN, DEN-Grand Jct., Grand Jct.-SLC, SLC-Vegas, Vegas-LAX. These are long distances, some in excess of 500 miles.

I slept well in my Superliner coach seat and awoke at Fort Morgan to find us nearly on time. Soon the Rocky Mountains could be seen on the horizon and we passed some empty cattle pens which were full of mooing cattle on some earlier trips over this route. Arrival at Denver's Union Station came just 5" late. Here one F40, mail car, the 2 rear sleepers and 4 private cars were removed. A large crowd detrained but just as many boarded and the crew spent a little time hunting for seats for all the newcomers. We departed DEN on time on what was a beautiful day for a ride thru (not around) the Rockies. Deciding to put the Sightseer lounge to good use, I reached it in time to claim one of the last seats. More "ohoos" and "ahhs" were heard as the scenery gradually unfolded. The ride was nice but at this point I really was wishing for a good old fashioned dome! The Train Chief made several announcements to prepare everyone for our passage through Moffat Tunnel. The conductor then advised of a "change of plans" in that we would have to await an Eastbound coal train which was enroute. The wait was not long but after it passed we moved a short distance to the East Portal only to wait 35 minutes, perhaps to allow the tunnel ventilators to do their job. The priority accorded the coal train made us an hour late by Winter Park. About here I started to notice that the "s" on the SP's no trespassing signs had been painted over with a yellow "U" to designate the new owner.

Lunch was with a young woman with two children about 4 and 6, enroute from Boston to Salt Lake City. She warned me that I'd be sorry but the choice was the Steward's, not mine. Having had kids of my own I thought it would be allright but I was wrong. The kids were the "Dennis the Menace" type and I sometimes felt like Mr. Wilson.

Back to the lounge after lunch to further enjoy the Rockies. Around Glenwood Springs the trees were changing color--lots of orange and yellow tints which people thought were aspens. The train continued to lose time to the point where we were nearly 2 hours late at Helper. Nearly everything we passed were coal trains. The two ladies in front of me were traveling to Provo and continually asked the attendant, conductor and Train Chief to be sure to get them off there. I dozed off after leaving Helper at 10:15 and woke up briefly at Salt Lake City when two persons came up the aisle and sat down where the Provo ladies had been. Glad they made it OK! The one hour SLC stop must have been curtailed and we departed the ex D&RGW station only 53 minutes late. Just after leaving I spotted a large illuminated UP shield and some of the City's wide streets. Shortly we entered the UP and I dropped off to sleep for the rest of the night.

I slept even more soundly this second night and was awakened just before sunrise by overhearing the man seated behind me marveling at the beautiful scenery. Indeed, we were traversing Nevada's Delamar Mountains with their many interesting rock formations. About an hour later civilization came into view in the form of houses and roads. Soon the Vegas skyline appeared; when announcing the station, the conductor urged the leg stretchers to not enter the casino. "Most people who do get carried away and have a 2-3 day wait for the next train." About 2/3 of the riders detrained here, many of them senior citizens. Almost as many boarded, most of them a younger set enroute to LA. The station is built into the Union Plaza Hotel. It's modern but small and contains a direct walkway into the casino/hotel. Years ago I had heard stories of slot machines in the UP station; would have tried them but there were none in the Amtrak building and I heeded the conductor's advice about entering the casino!

Departure from Las Vegas came exactly one hour, 11 minutes late at 9:31 AM. Soon we were away from civilization once again, running through desert country, some of which was scenic. Meeting an Eastbound stack train at CIMA resulted in an 8-minute delay; several other freights were in sidings awaiting our passage. The Desert Wind entered ATSF trackage at Daggett at 12:39 PM after which I walked to the diner for an uneventful lunch. We remained 1 hour, 11 minutes late at the historic station and Harvey House in Barstow which is in the restoration process. After lunch I adjourned to the Sightseer Lounge to view the trip through Cajon Pass. BNSF has erected a chain link fence with barbed wire top and floodlights on both sides of the right-of-way starting about 2 miles East of Summit and extending to the grade crossing there. Enroute we passed a rent-a-cop security car within the fenced-in area. This gives the impression of passing a prison or the boarder of an Eastern European nation in the Iron Curtain days. The railroad installed it as a result of two runaway trains on Cajon; unfortunately the established cause of one was someone's closing an angle cock while the train was stopped in this area waiting for a signal. We passed several UP and BNSF freights in the Cajon area.

The smoke stop at San Bernardino gave me the opportunity to photograph a Metrolink commuter train awaiting its departure for LA. Imagine commuter trains in the LA area and 60 miles out at that! Soon we entered another segment of new trackage for me--the ATSF line from San Berdoo to Fullerton. My several previous trips through this area had been via Pasadena. Quite a few detrained at Fullerton, many enroute to points on the San Diego line. Since the connection had been missed, the conductor announced the time of the next train.

Shortly after Fullerton we halted at CP BASTA awaiting a Southbound Metrolink train. We needed to switch to the Southbound track to run past a Northbound freight doing some local switching. The stop was just opposite a complex where an aunt of mine had lived until several years ago. Quite a lot of freight as well as some Metrolink traffic was encountered between Fullerton and LA so we had some slowdowns and stops enroute. Our Desert Wind arrived LAUPT at 4:45 PM, one hour 10 minutes late. I quickly detrained as wanted to ride and photograph LAMTA's Blue Line while there was sunlight.

There followed a quick walk across the plaza to my hotel, check in, and return to a very busy Union Passenger Terminal. After a few quick shots of Metrolink trains, I entered the Red Line subway after purchasing a transfer ticket @$1.60 from a machine. The Red Line's stainless steel cars remind me of Baltimore & Miami's. Four stops later I was at the downtown transfer station and boarded a Blue Line 2 car train just prior to its departure. All seats were taken and there were a few standees as it was about 5:30 PM. Detraining at Pico Blvd., the first station outside the tunnel, I grabbed photos of several trains and then continued on to Firestone station which was elevated and had SP tracks alongside. The reason I jumped off here was that an SP freight was approaching just in time to be photographed. Several LRV shots later, I detrained at the Imperial station in Watts, where I did some more photography at grade level until running out of light. At that point I caught the next car to Long Beach, arriving there 12 minutes before my ticket expired at 7:28. At one station three officers had been checking tickets at the exit; this was the only inspection I had seen on this honor system line.

After dinner in Long Beach I returned on the Blue Line. The LRV's get up to good speed on the r-of-w and for several miles we played "leap frog" with a long Eastbound SP freight moving at a constant speed of about 40 mph while we stopped at stations.

The following day, October 1, was one of the highlights of the trip, the ride from LA to Oakland on the Coast Starlight. I arrived at LAUPT extra early, checked my suitcase to Oakland and began photographing Amtrak and Metrolink. Although I had seen several Metrolink trains with borrowed GoTransit cars, I didn't get to photograph any of them. Attempts to obtain Metrolink timetables were futile--their ticket and information windows both professed to not have any. Supposedly they were available in racks on the trains but I walked through 2 cars and didn't see any.

A long line had formed downstairs for Train #14's 9:30 AM departure. The conductors began checking the passengers in about 8:50 and it soon became clear that there was something special about this train. At the desk the conductors inquired as to destination, then issued a "boarding pass" containing a car number. Mine was 1430, the rear car, which had only Bay Area riders. The car attendant greeted me at the door and pointed the way upstairs. The entire train was Superliner II equipment and was immaculate. Shortly after the on time departure, the amiable Train Chief began his announcement describing the train's features, dining car hours, etc., and concluded, "Our first stop is beautiful Gleeendalee." The car attendant came with the conductor for the ticket lift and then handed each rider a pillow and very nice booklet describing the points of interest. Later he noticed my radio with the earphone and asked me to update him about any problems. "You'll be one of the first to know," I promised.

A walk through the train revealed a 13 car consist, including one private car on the rear. In addition to the baggage car, there were 4 sleepers, the Pacific Parlor Car [ex ATSF high level lounge car], diner, Sightseer Lounge and 4 coaches. After settling in the Sightseer Lounge, I soon discovered the train had an on-board Entertainer, a young woman who assisted with the children, made balloons and led games such as trivial pursuit. She also announced the location of the Kiddie Room, another feature located on the bottom level of one of the coaches. The room was well stocked with games and toys and kids having lots of fun. A sign indicated that no adults would be admitted without a child. In a subsequent letter to Amtrak, I suggested that this feature be incorporated into the NY-Florida trains which have a lot of family travel.

Oddly, the train seemed to have a lot of empty seats. At Santa Barbara the reason became apparent as we awaited a Grant Stage bus bringing connecting passengers from Train #3 from either Barstow or San Berdoo. #3 was over two hours late so the connecting riders and their wagonload of checked baggage were given a shortcut bus ride. San Diego Train #721 was in the Santa Barbara station and looked classy with its California F59 engine and bi- level coaches. Lunch after Santa Barbara was a special treat. Trains 14 and 11 have a special menu with more than the usual choices. My selection, Castroville Tortellini, was an excellent vegetarian item with cheese, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olives with garlic bread. I really enjoyed it and asked the waiter to pass on my compliments to the chef.

We were nearly on time for the traditional half-way leg stretching, photo and smoke stop at San Luis Obispo. A train with a string of empty container cars was waiting to follow us out. Up on the mountain we entered CHORRO Siding for a double meet. First came a long Ex. 7034 followed by Train #11, our Southbound counterpart. Both trains had to be met here as the next siding was in use for clearing a rather bad derailment with a number of containers overboard. After the two Southbounds arrived SLO, the empty container train was to go North to Cuesta to be loaded with the spilled boxes. Later two additional private cars, UP "Native Son" and Santa Fe dome "Plaza Santa Fe" were added to the rear at Salinas by a switch crew which was about to outlaw.

Dinner was another excellent meal thoroughly enjoyed by all. I noticed passengers from Germany, Australia, India and a group of about 24 from England. Many of them marveled at the food which was quite a complement to the chef and Amtrak. Oakland arrival came one hour, 5 minutes late, but almost too soon, at 9:15 PM. After claiming my suitcase and exploring the new station at Jack London Sq., I walked the few blocks to my motel on Broadway at 3rd. In the lobby a 3-person SP crew was asking for interior rooms NOT overlooking the ex. WP tracks on 3rd St. She only had rooms along the tracks which made them unhappy. Next I came along and requested a room overlooking the tracks. "No, yours is a nice big room on the other side; I saved it for you even though one of those railroad men would love to have had it." Nevertheless, I did hear a few SP and WP trains during the night but slept very well.

One cannot pass through or near the City on the Bay without stopping for at least 2 days which is what I did. One goal was to ride/photograph the Muni PCC's now on the F-Market line painted in color schemes from various cities. However, the evening news told about the demolition of a Freeway which would start the following morning and require the closure of a portion of Market St. for a few weeks. Sure enough, the morning news had shots of Caltrans employees erecting barricades across Market St. After breakfast I rode BART to Powell St. A glance confirmed that the F lines was "bussed" for the construction. So I made the best of the situation by spending more time than otherwise riding cable cars and the Muni Metro with my $6 MUNI "all day sucker". Also rode the new BART extension to COLMA, about 5 minutes beyond Daly City.

The weather was beautiful and I enjoyed the day. One new addition to MUNI since my last trip was the construction of two new stations on the M Line in the center-of-road trackage near San Francisco State U. These are pre-pay stations with ticket vending machines at the entrances. The cable car ticket machines no longer are in use and have been replaced with manned kiosks at some locations, "pay on the car" at others. Also made a quick trip to the "SP Depot" (still called that by many persons) at 4th & Townsend. Explored the place and took a few photos but nothing new since my last trip.

After dinner in Chinatown and a cable car ride in the cool evening, I took BART back to Oakland for the night. A long freight passed on the ex WP as I was walking toward Jack London Square.

The following day, October 3, started early as I rode the 7:15 AM train from Oakland to Martinez. The train was a Capitol enroute to Sacramento from San Jose. One of the reasons for making this short trip was the opportunity to ride the new California cars. They somewhat resemble GoTransit/Tri-Rail cars but are quite spacious. One surprise was that the seats don't recline. The cars contain huge windows and many built in features such as laptop outlets. A former Santa Fe high level car was being used for food service pending delivery of a sufficient number of California diners. Shortly after our smooth start, "Good morning sir, may I have your ticket please?" The young female trainperson took my ticket and attached a sticky tab seat check to the overhead rack. The California cars rode quite well and the trip was scenic, especially while running along the water at Pinole. We passed several trains, including an almost on time #11, along the way.

The Martinez station crew always seems friendly and proud of the level of train service available here. One sign read: "Yes, you may leave your stuff here while exploring Martinez. See agent." After a little walking around and train photography, including one SP freight, I caught #711 from Bakersfield back to Oakland. It, too, had California cars but all the sliding doors didn't open. Unlike the practice on the outbound trip, only doors having crew members opened and step boxes were used. The return was just a few minutes late. I filled out a CALDOT response card to comment on the service. Although there are many positive aspects, I mentioned that the running time between Emeryville and Oakland should be shortened. This 5-mile trip is mainly through yard track and required 22 minutes. Much freeway and railroad construction was underway thus adding more delay. Perhaps the objective is to speed things up once all the construction has been completed.

After checking out of the hotel I returned to Amtrak to check my bag to Seattle. Thence an AC Transit bus to BART and over to San Francisco for the afternoon after first doing some photography on BART's Fremont Line. In SFO I finished covering all of MUNI's light rail lines. Return to Oakland was by 6 PM since I was to meet the editor of Rail Travel News in the Amtrak station for dinner. We met as scheduled and adjourned to a nearby restaurant for dinner and conversation outdoors by the water. He filled me in on the latest developments in Congress regarding funding for those trains which were slated for November 10th discontinuance. We both drank to the future of rail passenger service in the USA and then headed for the station as I was to board #14 to Portland.

The Coast Starlight is due into Oakland at 8:10 and out at 8:25. During the stop a crew change is made and the passengers enroute to SF transfer to the waiting motor-coaches. Southbound passengers from San Francisco also transfer here in the morning; all other San Francisco bus connections are handled at the new Emeryville station. Train 14 pulled in a few minutes late and had the same basic consist as two days ago except for the absence of any private cars and the presence of a few Superliner I cars. As we strolled along the platform a conductor said something like, "Good evening, how're you doing tonight." I responded something like, "OK, and where's the best car to use to go up to Portland." California casual. Three railroad police officers arrived at the door to my car about the same time and were interviewing a fully intoxicated passenger who was then taken off the train. It seems he boarded at LA with a 12 pack and bottle of Jack Daniels and became obnoxious after consuming most of both. The RR cops later learned he was wanted in Las Vegas. The area around my seat was nice and quiet as some riders had moved themselves out of fear that the drunk would be allowed back on.

Departure came about 1/2 hour late. A good crowd boarded shortly after at the Emeryville stop. I explored the train and settled in sometime after the 10:15 stop at Martinez. Awoke briefly at 3:15 AM [Redding] and awoke for good in the heart of redwood country about 7:30. After the Klamath Falls stop [about 45 minutes late] I headed for the diner as it was breakfast time. Our hostess, Tammy, was very pregnant but also very cheerful and ran a good dining car. As with the other meals, the Coast Starlight features a very complete breakfast menu. My tablemates were enroute from LA to Seattle and enjoying the trip. They mentioned of several stops during the night for passing freights and seemed surprised that I had slept for so many hours in a coach seat. No problem for me, so long as there's no drunks or crying babies around. This crew was not quite as good as on the trip two days ago. Whereas that crew would get an "excellent" rating, this one would get a "very good".

North of Klamath Falls, at CP FUEGO, we went in the hole for a southbound freight. By opening the conductor's window in the door I got a nice shot of it on a curve with our train in the background. One must do this discretely, a point driven home a few hours later when I heard a radio transmission from the rear brakeman regarding a person in the rear coach who "is taking pictures out the open window and refuses to close it. What should I do?" Someone responded: "Maybe we should confiscate his camera." One radio picked up the offender's voice shouting, "An Amtrak employee told me it was OK to take pictures from here." Then, about 15 minutes later the conductor called the engineer to have the train stopped at Oakridge, OR to remove this guy. "He says he has AIDS and I'm afraid of what he might do." The train must have been in a radio dead zone as the engineer couldn't raise the dispatcher. Nevertheless the conductor must have reached the Oakridge Police by cell phone as upon arrival at a clearing there we were met by a cop putting on gloves. He and a few crew members came upstairs and asked the guy to come down with them which he did. He seemed surprised as was quietly sitting in his seat at the time; at that point it probably would have been best to leave him alone as he was only going to Eugene and must have had some inconvenience getting there from Oakridge. After the special stop an announcement was made that the windows are only for crew use and should not be opened by passengers. I guess the guy's problems stemmed from his stubborn refusal to close the window and telling the brakeman he had AIDS.

Another good lunch was followed by relaxing in the lounge. Although enroute to Seattle, I was riding #14 only to Portland. This would afford the opportunity to ride the Talgo train to Seattle as well as nearly 3 hours to ride MAX. However, as we approached Portland the sky opened up and buckets of rain were coming down as we arrived there. Luckily Portland Union Station has a good system of overhead canopies so I could walk around without getting wet. However, the walk to MAX was out of the question and some of my time had been lost as the train had arrived 1 hour 9 minutes late. About a half hour out of Portland the Train Chief mentioned that about 150 people were scheduled to board there. A few sleeper rooms were open and he offered them for half- price of $30 for the trip to Seattle. "That way you can get away from the crowd. And remember: that $30 includes dinner for one or two persons." Good innovation--I hope he had some takers.

Quite a few people were in the Portland station when I arrived. Many were boarding #14, others the Empire Builder due out at 5:10 PM for Spokane and Chicago. One couple ran through the gate exactly at 5:10 and were lucky that the rear brakeman saw them. Soon the station started to fill up again as the 6 PM departure of the Talgo Train approached. I had photographed it in the station but without the F40. My hope was that the train would open early enough so as to get a shot of the large locomotive on the low-slung train. However that was not to be as the gate didn't open until 5:48, 12 minutes prior to departure. The interior was quite attractive but the seats seemed a little small. Although my seat was at a large window, the type of glass made it hard to see anything other than your reflection. The crew was friendly and an attendant came through selling headsets for watching (rather, listening to) the movie which was shown over the video screens in each car. Once purchased, the headsets could be retained for future use and some passengers had brought their own.

I would estimate the passenger load at about 125. We departed Portland 5" down due to a late Thruway Bus from Eugene which had become stuck in traffic. There followed a 22" delay at the Columbia River bridge which had been open for a boat and wouldn't close and lock properly. About 30 more customers boarded at Kelso and Olympia where it was still raining. [Naturally the sun had come out just as we were ready to leave PDX].

One of the nice features of the train is that it has both a diner and a lounge car. The menu looked excellent and all food was provided by Larry's Market of Seattle. Although the diner with its 2-1 tables really looked elegant, I passed on it and opted for a soup and hero sandwich in the lounge car which was quite good. The car did a good business during the time I was eating at one of the tables; it also had a counter with about 5 seats. Since the train was built to Spanish design, it had no drinking water taps which are a feature of all US trains. This was announced and passengers were invited to come to the lounge car where free jugs of ice water and cups were available on the counter. Another difference was the washroom instructions in four languages: Spanish, German, French and Italian! The Talgo had occasional bursts of speed but probably doesn't exceed 79. We passed many freight trains enroute.

Seattle was wet but the rain had stopped there prior to our arrival at 10:24 PM (9:50). Although the baggage room was closed for the night, a helpful Amtrak employee got my checked suitcase out and I was off to the Pacific Plaza Hotel via cab. A friend had arrived earlier from Victoria, BC, and was at the hotel when I arrived. He would be leaving with me on Train 26 the following morning.

The following morning, Saturday, October 5, I started my 2 1/2 day trip to Chicago on the Pioneer. Since I had a companion as far as Denver, we took a deluxe bedroom for that part of the trip. From there I had an economy bedroom the rest of the way to Chicago. We hoped to catch a trackless trolley to the station but the first vehicle going there was a bus so we hopped on for the free ride in the downtown zone. King Street Station was rather full when we got there shortly after 7 AM. Good crowds were on hand for the Vancouver Talgo, due out at 7:45 as well as our Pioneer, #26, due out at 7:30. The conductors were at a desk issuing boarding passes for the Vancouver train but our train could be boarded when announced about 7:15.

Our room was set up with a table, tablecloth, flowers and two Pioneer wine goblets, a bottle of wine and two snack packs. A nice, first class touch. However, there was little need for the snack packs in view of the more than ample meals provided. Our consist out of Seattle was two F40's, one MHC, 2 sleepers, a diner, two coaches, a diner used as a lounge car, hi-level coach/dorm used for overflow passengers and two private cars, "Montecito" and "Yerba Buena", which had an observation platform. The cars from the lounge to the rear were enroute to Denver; all others to CHI.

After the on time start at 7:31, we headed to the diner for an excellent breakfast. A walk through the train confirmed that it was nearly full out of Seattle. A large number were enroute to Portland but an equally large number boarded there for points further east. Paul, our lounge car attendant, was a most gracious person and proudly pointed out that he has been with Amtrak for 21 years. At Portland we went up front to photograph the train during the 15 minute stop as it had been too dark to do that at Seattle. We encountered a most intense young man loading cargo into the MHC with a forklift. He drew an imaginary line on the platform and loudly said, "Go no further than this point until I am finished." To keep out of his way we walked foreword on a parallel platform but he continued to get upset at numerous other passengers who wanted to look at the engines, even dropping some of the boxes of cargo during the process.

We had lost some time coming down from Seattle and were 40 minutes late out of Portland. Soon the train ran along the MAX light rail line and we spotted an LRV. Some passengers at the LRV stops seemed amazed to see our train which comes through only 3 days a week. Also, one of the Heritage trolleys had been crossing the Steel Bridge as we neared it. Shortly after leaving the Portland area we sighted the scenic Columbia River which we would parallel for nearly 175 miles to the Hinkle area. The Train Chief made announcements regarding many of the points of interest such as The Dalles and Bonneville Dams. The scenic beauty was enhanced by the occasional freight on the BNSF [ex. SP&S] across the river in Washington!

Our companions as lunch were a couple from north of Milwaukee who were enjoying their trip. We had a nice chat which became "interesting" when the man suggested that Amtrak should be privatized. I asked him if he recalled the "bad old days" of rail travel in the two or three years before Amtrak and pointed out many of the steps Amtrak has taken to become more efficient. They were friendly folks and we chatted with them a few more times during the trip. Our dining car Steward was of Chinese descent and used some strange pronunciations during his PA announcements on the train. For example, "meatloaf" sounded like "midruf" and we once had "10, no make that 9 minute" before the diner would close. He had a good sense of humor and ran a good diner. Westbound #25 was passed at Milepost 71 East of Hood River, at 2:06 PM and appeared to be a little over an hour late. This is a busy freight line and we passed numerous freights enroute--sometimes one in nearly every siding. We also passed the state pen at Pendleton--I guess that's not the origin of the town's name!

We kept losing time and were down l hour 14 minutes at Baker City. Several hours later we turned in for the night. The deluxe rooms have a large lower and slightly smaller upper with private sink as well as a bath and shower room. When the lower bed is down it's a tight squeeze to stand in front of the sink or get in or out of the room but can be done. I slept reasonably well but the ride seemed bumpy in places during the night.

When I awoke the following morning we were in Ogden, UT and about 1 and 3/4 hours late. My friend got out earlier and enjoyed a full breakfast in the diner but I relaxed in bed and got breakfast from Paul in the lounge car. "Anything you'd like, it's yours." After breakfast we enjoyed the ride through southern Wyoming from the lounge and our deluxe bedroom which now had been made up for day travel. At times I feared that this could be my last trip thru Evanston, Green River and Laramie, the route traversed by so many UP passenger trains over the years. Some diesels were on hand at Rawlins where the conductor made an announcement that "the windows in the doors are for crew use only and should not be opened." The ride went fast on the beautiful day and we sometimes passed freights on streetcar-type headways. East and West of Laramie I was looking for some of the many photo locations I used while visiting my daughter there in 1994. We availed ourselves of the 10 minute Laramie smoke stop to inspect the station and get some photos, including each of us standing in front of the UP shield on the building. Soon our car attendant shouted his "allll aboooarrrd" and we were underway for the ride over Sherman Hill which I especially enjoyed now that I've been "on the ground" at many spots in that area. About 45 minutes out of Laramie, at MP 534, we ran past a freight derailment which stirred up some interest from the passengers.

The Borie departure came nearly 3 hours late but we reached Denver just a little over 2 hours down. Shortly before arrival there, the attendant moved my luggage into my new economy room in the adjacent car. The train first backed the two private cars on to a siding, then pulled forward and backed on to Track 3. Train #6, the California Zephyr, was way out of the station on the approach tracks. Our Train #26 then uncoupled its rear two cars, then pulled forward and backed the remaining cars on to Track 1. Once that had been done, the engines and Denver destined MHC were cut off and Train #6 backed down on to our train. Sometime during all this I said goodby to my friend who headed to his hotel via the Transit Mall. Once the trains had been coupled the many Denver- originating passengers were allowed to board.

Departure from Denver as Train #6 came at 9:14, exactly one hour after our arrival and 44 minutes late. Many of #26's passengers had been enroute to Denver but nearly all of them were replaced by riders boarding there. The train now was a very long 17 cars and quite full. It had 3 head end cars, 6 sleepers, 5 coaches, 2 diners and one Sightseer Lounge; of those, 5 (2 coaches, 2 sleepers and a diner) had come in on #26. Both diners were used and needed but each had slightly different hours leading to announcements such as: "Lunch is now being served in the diner" followed by, "That pertains to the Seattle diner; the San Francisco diner will not be open for 10 minutes yet." OK so long as one knows which is which!

I dropped off to sleep after Fort Morgan. The next morning, October 7th, I awoke about 7:15 and went downstairs to wash up and shower as we were in the Omaha station, an hour late at 7:44. After another delicious breakfast, I spent a few hours watching the cornfields from the Sightseer Lounge. By Osceola we had made up some time and I was hoping for a close to on-time arrival in Chicago as I had wanted to take some photographs in the area between trains. Unfortunately that was not to be. Shortly after passing the new connection between ATSF and CB&Q lines in the middle of a cornfield West of Galesburg, the conductor announced that we would be delayed because of the need to be rerouted around a freight derailment outside of Galesburg. While I pondered the interesting detour routes we might take, some passengers said, "What, another freight derailment? How many have we seen this trip?" Luckily the SP train had derailed at "Graham" just east of a switch we used to take a route south, east and then north back to the Galesburg station. It provided a good view of the yards there and a few freights but little else. One SP engine was on the ground and we were "walked" past it; several truckless tank cars also were on hand with sand around them to absorb any spills.

The detour cost us 37 minutes and we left Galesburg 119 minutes late. From there the ride was fast and we backed into Chicago's Union Station an hour, 25 minutes late at 5:40 PM. In view of the hour and the dark, rainy weather, I gave up on the photography. After leaving my suitcase in the Metropolitan Lounge with a "48" [as in "Train 48"] sticker I ventured outside to go for a ride on the Orange Line L. Several other passengers who were transferring in CHI cautioned against this as "that's not very safe" but I laughed and promised to meet them on #48. However a block away from the station a rather heavy rain started so I returned and spent the remaining time wandering around the historic building and the rather full Metropolitan Lounge.

About 7:30, #48's conductor began checking passengers in at the desk, saying "You sound like someone who is from Boston," after seeing my ticket to that destination. Perhaps I do to a midwesterner, but not to a Bostonian! Just as he took my ticket, the boarding announcement was made so I proceeded out to my heritage sleeper, Car 4810- "Pacific Skies", which was way up front directly behind the baggage car. The excellent attendant got me settled in but I soon roamed around to note the consist and watch the boarding process. The six Amfleet II coaches were being loaded by destination and seemed quite full out of CHI. The two Viewliner sleepers and my heritage car for Boston also were sold out.

The train was off to a smooth on-time departure at 8 PM. The attendant mentioned that shortly thereafter the diner steward would make a PA call "OK, 4810" indicating that the sleeper passengers should be sent back for dinner. About 8:30 he, I and several other passengers wondered what had happened to dinner. He called on the PA for the dining car steward to pick up the intercom but received no response. Finally he started walking to the diner but was delayed by passengers' questions so I got there first.

The Heritage diner was nearly full but there was one empty table near the kitchen. The female steward and a waitress were in the middle of an argument by the kitchen; after standing next to them for about a minute I apologized for having to interrupt their discussion but asked to be seated. I also mentioned the lack of an announcement in my car. Smiling, the steward seated and said that the announcement had been made but our attendant must not have turned the system on. She really got nasty when he arrived but he correctly declined to argue the point in front of customers and sought out the Train Chief. While this was going on an elderly lady entered the car and just seated herself opposite me--the steward started to "chew her out" but soon realized the woman was hard of hearing so it would have done no good. At least the steward and waitress agreed on one thing--passengers cannot seat themselves! A few minutes later two ladies from Tasmania, traveling from San Francisco to Buffalo, joined us and the table was complete.

I had catfish with rice which was quite good. After all the delicious meals on Superliner diners I was surprised at the lack of baked potatoes ["we haven't had them in 2 years"]. My three tablemates were served long before me. While they were being served I was offered catfish with mashed potatoes which was for someone at another table. Several persons at the table behind us also were brought the wrong items. After what seemed to be an eternity my meal came--the waitress said she "forgot to order it". Finally finishing dinner at 10:15 PM I thought I'd have a drink in the lounge car before turning in. No way--the lounge car was full of smoke. On this train smoking is permitted during certain hours and had been announced to start at 11 PM. It seems the smokers got started an hour early, thereby making the car uninhabitable. So the drink was carried back to my room effectively ending any opportunity for further conversation with my fellow passengers.

For the next hour or so I enjoyed the luxury of my roomette complete with a little toilet noise which soon will be a thing of the past on Amtrak. Since I was in the second car, I was lulled to sleep by the engine's whistle as well as the motion. Sleep came about midnight and I recall nothing until about 8:30 the next morning, October 8th. I briefly considered getting up but then thought of Amtrak's advertising slogan, "Do what you wanna do". What I wanted to do was to relax in the luxury of my roomette with the engine whistling up ahead. So that's just what I did for another hour, finally rising at 9:43 as we entered Syracuse.

Breakfast was in the lounge car which seemed smoke free. Upon finishing I walked to the diner to inquire about lunch since I was in the Boston section and would have to eat before Albany. Based on last night's experience, I was not surprised to learn that lunch would not be served until 12:30PM. I reminded the steward that the train would be in the Albany station at that time and couldn't serve as the power would be off for the switching. Thus the 12:30 in reality would become 1 PM and the Boston passengers would be out of luck. Sorry, nothing could be done and I had resolved myself to a snack bar lunch.

About 11:30 the Train Chief came up to the Boston sleeper and advised the passengers that they could have lunch by going to the diner about 11:55. The surly looks from the waitresses clearly indicated that the Chief had overruled them and they were not happy about it. Although the Chief had given us menus, when order taking time came we were told: "Forget the menus, here's what we have". I had a hamburger plate and finished about 5 minutes after the Albany arrival. Four Boston passengers at the table across the aisle never got served and eventually left in disgust.

After the station stop at Albany the front of the train [engines, baggage, 10-6 sleeper, 3 Amfleet II coaches and Amfleet II lounge] pulled forward on to the Boston line. A long platform has been built so the train can wait there while the other cars are being switched; those who come out of the station to reboard have a long walk, "half way to Boston" as one rider put it. Meanwhile the New York section was switched on to a waiting 700 series AMD with an Amcafe and Amfleet coach. Finally, the Boston mail cars which had been on the rear of #48, were placed on the rear of #448 and we were ready to go.

Train 48 whistled off at 1 PM (12:50) and we departed 6 minutes late at 1:16. The ride on the connecting trackage rebuilt by Amtrak went fast and we soon entered Conrail's Boston Line from Selkirk at Post Road Crossing. An Eastbound freight was waiting to follow us out and much track and signal work was underway in the area. The ride through the Berkshires is quite scenic. The B&A has been single-tracked since my last trip and we passed quite a few freights enroute. One CR freight was on hand at North Adams Jct., just East of Pittsfield and two more passed shortly thereafter. While the train was moving through the Berkshires, I began to seriously consider my options for the final leg home. The plan was to stay on #448 into BOS where I would have 14 minutes to catch #179. If necessary I could gain a few more minutes by dropping off at Back Bay. Although we were running only 5 minutes late, a meet with even one CR freight could change that to a point where the connection would be jeopardized. Thus I opted to detrain in Springfield where I would have about 2 1/2 hours to explore and would get home about 2 hours earlier. Besides, it had been about 10 years since my last trip on the Springfield Line.

Springfield arrival came at 3:34 (3:29) where I was greeted by dark and drizzly weather. Since my last visit Amtrak has built a new station at track level with stair and elevator access to the street. The underpass no longer is used and passengers use a walkway over the tracks to reach the trains. While there several Conrail freights passed. The first action was a Southbound B&M (Guilford) heralded by a radio transmission: "We need to cross the diamond, back into the station and proceed to the yard." The two Guilford scheme units [one MeC and one ST] and 27 cars provided some interesting photo ops in the station.

Train 477 consisted of F40 #217 and 3 coaches, of which one was open at SPG. Shortly before departure #449 arrived on a parallel track and was still in the station when we departed on time at 6 PM. It had the same basic consist as did its Eastbound counterpart. The Trainman was confused with my ticket although I explained that a BOS-NYP ticket should be good from Springfield as it would have been good BOS-NYP via SPG. After consulting with the conductor he accepted it and then inquired about my trip. He was glad to hear that I had enjoyed nearly all of it. Some stops on this line are only a few minutes apart which really seemed strange in view of the long distances--sometimes several hours--between stations on some of the trains I had ridden. After a brief stop at NHV we pulled down and then backed on to become part of #177 from Boston. After the NHV departure I headed to the snack bar for dinner while traversing the familiar Metro-North line. All too soon came Stamford and then my destination of New Rochelle one minute late at 8:57 PM. So here I was, 8791 miles and 12 days later, back on the same platform from which I had started out for Washington on September 25th. My daughter was on hand to meet me. The trip was relaxing, fun and just about everything I could have wanted. And, I really felt "stuffed" like someone getting off a cruise ship, after traveling first class across the country for the past four days!

FROM - TO	MILES

New Rochelle-Washington	245
Washington-Chicago	780
Chicago-Antioch & return	104
Chicago-Michigan City & return	114
Chicago-Los Angeles	2397
Los Angeles-Oakland	463
Oakland-Martinez & return	64
Oakland-Portland-Seattle	926
Seattle-Ogden-Denver-Chicago	2662
Chicago-Albany-Springfield	919
Springfield-NHV-New Rochelle	117

Total Miles:	8791

TRANSCONTINENTAL AMTRAK TRIP REPORT