Amtrak Journeys, the train is the vacation.

2005-06-05T14:19:00.000-05:00

Union Station, Kansas City (built 1914, restored 1999). The facility can hold 10,000 people. Click the photo for larger image.

The decision

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You find yourself at MCI (Kansas City airport) and need to get to Houston, Texas. Oh, the photo above is not MCI – I’ll get to that in a minute. Flying from Kansas City to Houston would take about 2 hours.

Can I handle another flight? And the last time I went through “secondary security” the metal zipper in my pants set off the wand. Traveling Amtrak from Kansas City to Houston via Los Angeles could take 4 days. That settles it – spin 180º, through the automatic doors, and end up on the curb where I find the KCATA (Kansas City Area Transportation Authority) 129-Express bus. One dollar later, I am headed downtown to Amtrak in Union Station.

What a contrast! MCI airport vs. that magnificent building in the photo above. Union Station was the name given to all rail passenger terminals serving multiple railroads during the golden age of rail travel.

As passenger rail service declined, President Nixon created the National Rail Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) in 1971. This consolidated all passenger service into a for-profit entity with its board of directors appointed by the President of the United States (a recipe for success).

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Amtrak ticketing: Kansas City-Los Angeles

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The staff at the Amtrak ticketing counter were very friendly and complimented me on my wise decision to take the train. I had made my reservations using Amtrak's website ( http://www.amtrak.com ). The agent printed my tickets and read them over (72+ hours on train, traveling 3,452 miles – all to arrive at a city that was 800 miles to the south). Looking up at me, he said, “Like to ride the train?”

It was around 6pm and the Southwest Chief was scheduled to leave at 10:55pm. I asked the agents about dining options in the neighborhood. There was plenty of time.

About 8 restaurants in Union Station and several more across the tracks. After some discussion about the dining possibilities. I said that I would do some sightseeing, then dinner, and see them later.

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Union Station, Kansas City. Interior view of Grand Hall with 95ft ceiling and 3,500lb chandeliers. Union Cafe occupies the center area.

Looking around Union Station

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Walking around the meticulously restored Union Station offered many photo opportunities. In addition to the restaurants there are exhibits, events, and a Science Museum. You’ll have to check it out…
http://www.unionstation.org/index.cfm

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Walk across the Main Street bridge to the Freighthouse

Jack Stack Barbecue

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Directly across the tracks from Union Station is the “Freighthouse” built in 1887 for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. The old brick building is 500 feet long by 40 feet wide. At one end (left side of the photo, you can see the red neon sign) is Jack Stack Barbecue.

I have eaten BBQ in Fulshear, Texas - and that qualifies me as an expert. So I had to try Jack Stack’s. I sat on the outdoor patio where you watch the trains go by. After I ordered a combination meat plate, the waiter brought two bowls (not cups) of sauce. TWO BOWLS of sauce for one person; what a waste, I thought. After finishing off the combo plate of very tasty sliced beef and sausage, I stared at the two empty bowls of sauce.

Some years ago, I remember admitting to a friend; that as far as I was concerned, French Fries are only an excuse to consume ketchup, catchup, and more catsup.

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Typical Superliner Roomette in the sleeping configuration. The "bed" transforms into two facing, roomy seats.

The best part of the night train

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A proper train trip must have two nights on the train. I mean two nights in what Amtrak calls a “Roomette” or “Bedroom Suite” or “Family Bedroom” or “Accessible Bedroom”. If you are traveling alone, that is probably a “Roomette” pictured above. This Roomette is on the upper floor of a Superliner Sleeper. Traveling in the sleeper car is like camping out for wimps – you think you’re roughing it but you’re really not.

A Roomette is ideal for one person. It can accommodate a second person. In the photo above the upper bunk bed is latched in the up-position. I would not want to share this space with someone I was not compatible with.

I have done an overnight trip in Coach (only once!). It is like falling asleep in your living room recliner. Then at 2:37am, you wake up with a stiff back and stumble off to bed where you get completely horizontal. The only problem with the train is when you wake up in coach you don’t have a place to go to get horizontal.

Anyway the vacation is the train. And on this trip there are no hotel stays. So first class on Amtrak it is.

I noticed that the everyone on the train calls everyone in first class, “sleepers”. Like in the dining car when your sit down – the first question from the staff is “Coach or sleeper?”

2005-06-05T13:59:00.000-05:00

Upper floor observation level of the Superliner Sightseer Lounge car

The Sightseer Lounge Car

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Pictured above is the upper deck of the Superliner Sightseer Lounge Car. The Sightseer Lounge Car is where Coach and Sleepers mix it up. Here is where you can meet others or quietly listen in on conversations.

Downstairs is The Lounge which offers table-seating and the Snack-Bar. Which is exactly that. You can get snacks (sandwiches/hot dogs) and drinks (soft/alcoholic).

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East of Lamy, New Mexico on the Southwest Chief

Conversations

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If you are lucky you can strike up a conversation with someone in the Lounge Car that can be incredible. On this trip, that happened to me.

The conversation started in Kansas, then through Colorado, continuing across New Mexico and finally ending in Arizona at their destination. This was 12 hours of conversation interrupted by only a one hour break.

Amazingly this conversation never entered the dreaded past history territory. Like “You know that summer between seventh and eight grade? Well I fell off my bicycle. And then we moved to Arkansas. And then in the eight grade…” OK – sometimes I can flow with that; sometimes I can’t. That's when I say, “Did you see that? One of those metal wheels flew off the trucks! I need to tell the conductor!”

No, this conversation, for almost 11 hours centered on the here and now! Admittedly a first for me – for I have a tendency to… “Hey, do you remember that summer between fifth and sixth grades? Well…”

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Ed�s near Trinidad, Colorado.

Follow up on conversations

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In really good conversations one can explore similarities as well differences. It is in the exploration of differences that one can actually learn something. I don’t know if anyone really changes their mind out of these conversations; but that’s not important. Being able to comprehend issues from different perspectives is important.

Most of the conversations on the train are funny. It’s amazing how many wannabe writers and stand-up comics ride the train.

2005-06-05T13:51:00.000-05:00

West of Lamy, New Mexico

Dining car conversations

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Due to number of passengers and limited seating in the dining car (about 40), community seating is practiced. This means as you arrive in the dining car you are directed to the next available seat. Couples or groups are kept together.

Actually this is great way to meet other travelers and in the span of a meal determine common interests and attitudes.

This can lead to some fascinating conversations. Like the time I lunched with a very alert 94 year old who had a cell phone and an e-mail address. I asked, “What was the most dramatic change have you seen in all these years?”. The reply was quick, “Communications.”

I don’t know a time without telephone and television. However this traveler described that in rural America in the late teens and into the 1920s, one would have to physically visit the person you wanted to talk with. Then farmers set up their own “telephone networks” using barb wire fences. Of course that was prone to service disruptions; but when it worked – a real time saver. I pulled my cell phone out of my pants pocket and looked at the signal strength graphic on the color LCD screen.

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A friendly greeting at Universal City Walk

Welcome to LA

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The Southwest Chief arrives in Union Station/LA only a few minutes late at around 8:30am. So now I have until the scheduled departure of Sunset Limited at 2:30pm to see Los Angeles.

One great service Amtrak provides at larger stations is “Parcel Check” for ticketed passengers. For $2 a suitcase, a uniformed Amtrak attendant will watch my bag until I call for it later in the day. Try to find someone to watch your bag at the airport while you go searching for a restroom.

2005-06-05T13:44:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles subway: Universal City Station

Metro Red Line

2005-06-05T13:43:00.000-05:00

Union Station is directly connected to the subway (Red Line and Gold Line). What better way to visit Los Angeles than subway? For a $3 day pass I can ride the subway in any direction at any time. So I took the Red Line as far as Universal City and then worked my way back to Union Station.
http://www.mta.net/riding_metro/riders_guide/planning_trip-02.htm

2005-06-05T13:41:00.000-05:00

Classic LA photo from the Hollywood & Highland Center

Hollywood

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Upon exiting Hollywood/Highland Metro Red Line station, you find yourself starring off at the iconic Hollywood sign, that famous sidewalk, and Kodak Theatre.

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Star gazing on Hollywood Blvd

And I thought some of the people on the train were strange

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I was amazed at how many old friends I ran into while playing tourist in LA.

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Union Station, Los Angeles (built 1939). Today it is a hub for the subway, light rail, MetroLink, Amtrak, and napping.

Union Station, Los Angeles

2005-06-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

There are very few people like me who vacation on the train.

So what makes the train vacation different from a cruise ship is all the passengers on the cruise ship are vacationing while 99%+ of the passengers on the train are traveling for some important reason. This diversity of passengers makes the train unique.

For me it takes very little effort to focus on the present when riding the train. It may seem strange but the scenery whirling by and enclosure of the train keeps me focused on the present. I don’t dwell on the past or wander around in the future. It’s all about where we are now or the conversation at hand.

2005-06-05T13:32:00.000-05:00

Union Station, Los Angeles. Architectural detail (interior).

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Union Station, Los Angeles. Exterior view of the courtyard.

A lazy day at Union Station

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There are a lot of sleepy heads in LA. It must be the smog.

The umbrellas, tables and chairs in the right side of the photo is the outdoor dining area for Traxx restaurant. I wanted to eat there but I had already lunched with that big green guy in the photo you saw earlier.

2005-06-05T13:29:00.000-05:00

The trip continues

Sunset Limited: Los Angeles-Houston

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The Sunset Limited is a very special train in the Amtrak system. It is the only coast to coast route; Los Angeles – Jacksonville, FL (with service onto Orlando). The Sunset Limited is also the oldest long distance route in the United States. Service started February 5, 1883; only a month after the bridge was completed over the Pecos River in West Texas.

The Sunset Limited is very special in another way – delays calculated in many hours are common. These delays are caused by priority scheduling for freight trains. In past trips on the Sunset Limited I have reached my destination 8 hours late. A schedule I saw from 1883 listed a 72 hour trip from New Orleans to Los Angeles. A Southern Pacific marketing brochure form the 1950s claimed New Orleans to Los Angeles in 42 hours. Today, the Amtrak schedule lists New Orleans to Los Angeles in 46 hours, but it frequently takes longer.

The Sunset Limited is my favorite train. Now today, for my first time, I get to experience the western route! All my other trips have originated in Houston, going east.

There is a blogger documenting the Sunset Limited 2 all the way from Los Angeles to Orlando. It is an excellent and entertaining chronicle of this run…
http://manypims.blogspot.com
start at “Trip No. 1” posted Sunday, May 15, 2005 and read up.

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Signboard at Union Station, Los Angeles

Los Angeles Union Station is a busy place

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I don’t know if you can read it; but the Sunset Limited’s departure is DELAYED.

We finally departed LA about an hour late.

2005-06-05T13:22:00.000-05:00

USA by Rail, by John Pitt, Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, UK

deRF

2005-06-05T13:17:00.000-05:00

A RailFan would carry some maps and perhaps guide book or two. USA by Rail, by John Pitt is an Amtrak guide written for UK-EU travelers. It covers the Amtrak routes and lists what to look for from point to point.

Then there is the “digitally enhanced RailFan” (deRF). This new breed carries radio scanners to listen in on Railroad conversations between dispatchers and engineers. They also carry GPS devices.

Another traveler (not me) in the roomette opposite me has a Magellan RoadMate 700 North America (portable GPS navigation system) http://www.magellangps.com/en/products/product.asp?PRODID=955

He says to me, “Look here on this color screen – see the 4 tracks – we are this moving red triangle. Now watch this (he presses some buttons), we are going 15mph.”

I’m impressed. Pressing more buttons, he continues, “On your side of the train is a road and in about a minute there will be another road perpendicular. This new road heads south for about 100 yards then angles to the right at 45º.”

I leap across the hallway and look out my window, “Yes! I see it! These are single lane dirt roads! That’s fantastic!”

He calls over to me, “We are 867 feet above sea level.”

I can barely speak. “Wow! Now how fast are we going?”

“19 miles per hour,” comes the response.

“What’s the altitude now?”

For the next 90 minutes the exchanges continue – just like two 10-year-old kids on Christmas morning.

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Sunset Limited, dining car

WARNING

2005-06-05T13:10:00.000-05:00

You’re getting psyched about an overnight (or better yet, 2+ nights) on the train and you know your spouse will just love it. Think again. On several trips I have dined opposite a couple where it was obvious one spouse sold, cajoled, or conned the other spouse into the trip. Not a pretty picture. This trip was no exception.

So here is the WARNING! When you drop the idea on the spouse and the response is lukewarm (“That sounds like a nice idea”) or even hesitant... Don’t bring the spouse along. Go alone! A reasonable family law judge would agree an overnight train trip - forced on someone who is not enthusiastic about it - is grounds for divorce.

Now this is NOT A WARNING: the food served in the upper level dining area is prepared to order in the kitchen below. I say the food is as good or better than your favorite casual dining restaurant. All meals are included in price of a “sleeper”. Coach passengers pay for meals in the dining car. Costs vary from $6 to $20 per meal. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at announced hours.

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The conductor is in the Lounge car

Conductor

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The guy in the cool cap is the conductor. Passenger safety is top of mind. That can also include dealing with obnoxious passengers. I saw one fellow passenger engaging in conversation with other passengers that didn’t want to talk. After few words from the conductor; I noticed that guy was well behaved for the rest of the trip.

Another time I saw a passenger trying to swindle a meal from the dining car. As we pulled away from the next stop, I saw him sitting dumbfounded on a trackside bench with his luggage.

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Quiet time in the Lounge car

Lounge Car

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There are times when the Lounge Car has few people. Time to look out the window or read. Although I brought a book on this two leg trip; I never read a page. Too much going on. I had some concerns about a continuous 4 night trip on the train: boredom, feeling too cramped on the train, etc. That never happened. Now I am thinking about a 5 or 6 night trip.

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Crew change in El Paso

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Union Station, El Paso. Exterior view, built 1905.

El Paso, 1:30pm

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Even on May 21, 2005; El Paso was around 100ºF. On days like this it is OK to walk up to other passengers looking bewildered after they step off the train, and say, “Hot enough for you?”

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Union Station, El Paso. Interior view.

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Lunch time in the dining car

More dining conversations

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Only on the train could one have the following conversations…

A Native American explaining how he goes hunting with his ATV and rifle.

Train travel in Asia and bullet trains in Japan.

How Admiral Kimmel and Lieutenant General Short were scapegoated for Pearl Harbor.

The service attendant had taken our drink and salad orders and we four were looking out the window as West Texas panned by. In unison everyone looked from the window; turning to each other, said, “Was that a Javelina?”

A couple on the their way to Pensacola to start new jobs and buy a house.

Another couple on the their way to Pensacola to collect their remaining belongings from storage. Their house was destroyed by the hurricanes last year. They moved out west and started over. I wonder if those two couples ever met on this trip?

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Repairs on the Lounge Car in San Antonio

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This incident was fully reported.
See http://manypims.blogspot.com
start at “Trip No. 1” posted Sunday, May 15, 2005 and read up.

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Refrigeration unit in the Lounge Car is successfully repaired

When you travel by train, you can talk with the maintenance staff

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I have never spoken to an airline mechanic or actually watched them work.

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Amtrak Genesis series locomotive number 2 in San Antonio

4,250 horsepower up close

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This GE Diesel Electric Passenger locomotive is made in Erie, Pennsylvania.

I have never stood by a jet engine as it idled.

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Roomette in the daytime configuration

Superliner Roomette

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The roomette offers two seats facing each other and a double window. Amenities include…
-“closet area” to hang clothes
- hooks on the wall to hang more stuff
- mirror
- locking door and curtains
- pull out table
- cup holders

Now this is First Class!

Showers and toilets are down the hall.

The website below is about the Texas Eagle. However what the site says about train travel applies to most long distance Amtrak trains in the West. http://www.texaseagle.com/sleeper.htm

2005-06-05T12:41:00.000-05:00

Superliner Bedroom, looking from entrance door (hallway) to window

Maybe, one day, I’ll travel in real style

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As you enter you see the sink on your left. The lower bunk is in the daytime (sofa-like) position. The upper bunk is folded up and latched to the ceiling. There is a chair which you can see by the window on the left.

More details, click…
http://www.texaseagle.com/sleeper.htm

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Superliner Bedroom, looking from window to entrance (hallway)

You could get lost in here…

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Here you see the sink by the entrance. Also the door on right opens to the fully enclosed private shower and toilet.

So the Bedrooms get private facilities.

There are 5 toilets and 1 shower to serve the 14 Roomettes on the Superliner Sleeper Car. In all my train travels I have only had to wait once (for 20 minutes) to use the shower. I have always found an available toilet.

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Transition Sleeper

If you’re lucky – a special treat!

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I was booked in the Transition Sleeper from LA-Houston. The Transition Sleeper offers only Roomettes. Half the car is sold to the public and the other half is where the crew lives during the trip.

http://www.texaseagle.com/crew.htm

I have always found the Amtrak Attendants (sleeper, dining car, and lounge) to be very professional and some very entertaining. Tipping on the train is based on service provided.

When the service is excellent, I recommend tipping on the high side. We all know about food service tipping (or not) from our restaurant experiences.

However the sleeper car attendant deserves extra recognition when throughout your trip: your bed is assembled and disassembled, when fresh towels are readily available, and when the restrooms/showers are kept in excellent condition. And as a passenger one does bear responsibility in leaving the restroom/shower the way you found it.

2005-06-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

Junkyard near Houston, Texas

Future of Amtrak

2005-06-05T12:23:00.000-05:00

The Administration wants to send Amtrak to the junkyard. I don’t get it; for what we spend in 3 days overseas – Amtrak could be funded for a year. For me, the train is play time. I represent far less than ½ of 1% of the ridership. I saw and met many people who depend on the train for real transportation.

So I propose we assemble Congress in California and load them aboard a special Amtrak train headed for DC. House of Representatives get coach and the Senators get sleepers. The Conductor can not put anyone off the train; however a two-hour time out in the baggage car for rude or rowdy behavior is permissible.

By the time they all get to DC – I assure you they would fully fund Amtrak just to keep from repeating the experience.

But, hey, what do I know? I’m just another traveler.

2005-06-05T12:22:00.000-05:00

Arriving Houston on Track 2, The Sunset Limited

Track 2 is the only operational track in Houston.

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Sunset Limited leaves Houston

On to New Orleans

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I departed the train about 5 hours late stepping into 92º temperature with 70% humidity. The one great lesson from High School came back to me – Dr. Pangloss in Voltaire’s Candide was right, “This is the best of all possible worlds.”

PS
You don’t have to get off the Sunset Limited just because I did. Follow the ride to Orlando… http://manypims.blogspot.com