SUMMER 2002 AMTRAK TRAVELOGUE

SUMMER 2002 AMTRAK TRAVELOGUE

PART II OF V

THE SOUTHWEST CHIEF

by Carol Larsen

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2002

Once in the station, my first stop was to check in at the Metropolitan Lounge. I wanted to leave my suitcase and carry-on so I could explore the station, but was a bit concerned about leaving my camera and radio equipment in the baggage room there, which is accessible by other passengers. A red-cap was standing by the counter, arranging to store other people's bags in a locked room, which I felt was a good idea. After disposing of my luggage, I was free to roam.

In my other travels, I never ventured out of the waiting rooms/lounge area. In the ticket area I saw two men in kilts buying tickets from Chicago to Milwaukee, obviously to attend the Milwaukee Irish Fest. That's what I would have been doing this weekend if not for the convention. Next I checked out a couple of other floors before returning to the lounge for some free soda and to listen to my radio while people-watching. I'm a public relations person, so I can spend a lot of time doing that. A group from Holiday Vacations was there, waiting to

take the California Zephyr. I've traveled with Holiday several times, but never on any of their Amtrak tours since I can do that on my own.

When it was boarding time for the Empire Builder's 2:10 departure and the California Zephyr's 2:15 departure, I left the lounge again, going to both concourses to see other passengers departing on their respective trips. While I was roaming around, a Metra train from Aurora, IL arrived. A group of about a half dozen railroad police detrained and came through the station. With their black uniforms lettered in white on the back, gun belts, etc. they looked more like a SWAT team. I later heard they were on constant patrol through the Metra train that was

filled with people coming to Chicago for the Lakefront Festival. They must have expected some sort of trouble. I remember that festival from when I grew up in Chicago. There were boating events, precision air performances, etc. It was also fun to see all the pleasure craft converging on the area for the best viewing.

I returned to the Metropolitan Lounge for another half hour. During that time, Conductor Jim White called the Southwest Chief passengers to the counter to take their tickets and check our names on his manifest. Everyone who had a NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers) discount on their tickets was requested to show their NARP membership card. Fortunately, I carry all my membership cards with me, although it's the first time I've had to show my card.

At 2:35 I claimed my luggage, just as the boarding call came for First Class passengers on the Southwest Chief. The 0330 car was far down the platform near the front of the train. Even having to walk that far, by 2:45 I had already been greeted by my sleeper attendant, Rene Cardonne, and was ensconced in room number 5 on the upper level. I noticed that the room was facing south, rather than north as an odd-numbered room would normally have been on the westbound Southwest Chief. This apparently was one of the instances when a car is positioned in reverse.

We departed the station on time at 3:15 PM, but upon reaching the yards we had a thirty-four minute stop to pick up mail and express cars. Since returning from the trip, I read in a NARP bulletin that Amtrak will soon discontinue carrying express shipments which have been an unexpected financial drag, delayed trains, and angered the freight railroads that Amtrak depends upon. On the return trip, I especially noticed large numbers of express cars in our consist.

During the wait, Anthony Williams came around to greet us individually, although he had already made a PA announcement. He introduced himself as the "Train Chief" rather than "Chief of Onboard Services," the title I'm accustomed to. I wonder if that's a new title for the position. Three years ago it was rumored there would soon be no Chief at all. Anthony was soon followed by Jeff Johnson from the diner, taking dinner reservations. I chose 5:00 PM, the earliest, since I hadn't stopped for lunch while perusing the station.

When we were once again underway at 3:49, Rene came to each room to explain the facilities. He mentioned that he had coffee and soda for us at the beverage center at the top of the stairs. Rene has a different procedure for making up our beds, doing all of them around 9:00 PM. That worked fine for me. I would probably be in the lounge car watching a movie about that time. Irfan, the lounge car attendant, had announced that the 5:00 PM movie would be "The Rookie," but I didn't catch the title of the 8:00 PM show. I thought I had seen "The Rookie," and then remembered it was a good one about a baseball player. Still, I didn't need to see it again.

Rene knew I was going to Williams, so asked if I was going to the convention. He obviously was aware of it, so I asked if anyone else in the car was also going. He indicated that the people in room E were. Rene and I also had a discussion about this car being an unrefurbished Superliner I car. I was surprised there were still some of them around and in quite good condition. The only thing lacking was room amenities, little gifts and fresh flowers that were

provided in each room. These were discontinued prior to my last trip. There were, however, fresh flowers at the beverage center.

Naperville, IL (4:16P CDT) 4:30P CDT

(Scheduled times will be shown in parentheses, followed by actual times.)

I began writing this travelogue and before I knew it, Pauline in the diner was giving the call for the 5:00 seating. In light of some diner menu changes I became aware of through NARP bulletins, I was pleased that the tables were still set with linen, china, and silverware, with fresh flowers on each. Jeff showed me to a table occupied by a woman named Laura, whose friend Jim had returned to their room to get his jacket. It was a bit cool in the diner, but I didn't

think I needed my sweater. We were soon joined by Marshall, who would be visiting friends in Albuquerque. Laura and Jim, from the western suburbs of Chicago, were going to the convention, but were detraining at Flagstaff where they could get a rental car.

Earlier this year, Amtrak instituted a plan for standardized menus, the same food served on all Amtrak trains each day. I wondered if the quality of the meals would be affected, but was pleased with the quality and variety. Although the menu for each of the three meals remains the same for the entire trip, there are enough choices available to satisfy even a person riding for several days on the entire route.

Mendota, IL (5:06P CDT) 5:20P CDT

Princeton, IL (5:29P CDT) 5:40P CDT

Helen was our server. I had the New York Strip steak with rice, green beans, and the sweetest tasting baby carrots; tossed salad; roll; iced tea; and chocolate truffle cake for dessert. I don't remember what entrees the others had, but we all had the truffle cake except Laura who had apple pie ala mode. We all remembered the turtle pie that was previously served on Amtrak. That was the favorite dessert on the Zephyr when I rode three years ago.

Having discovered that we were all interested in various aspects of railroading, we lingered in conversation until at 6:20 Pauline had to hurry us out before the next seating. I heard some interesting stories about sleeper reservations. Jim knows someone who booked a sleeper accommodation on the Zephyr. Amtrak phoned him to say that the sleeper needed to be used on the Southwest Chief, so he would have to take coach. In contrast, Marshall received a call from Amtrak a couple of weeks before the trip, offering to upgrade him from coach to First

Class at a discount price. After a half hour conversation, they finally made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Those strange happenings were the only indication in my entire trip that all might not be well. To their credit, operating and service crew members all seemed in good spirits. Equipment and supplies appeared to be in as good order as possible, even better than some other times.

Galesburg, IL (6:19-6:21P CDT) 6:30-6:40P CDT (Smoking Stop)

After leaving the diner, I returned briefly to my room in time for the stop at Galesburg which we were told would be a smoking stop. It was announced earlier that the smoking lounge car had been bad-ordered in Chicago, necessitating several lengthened stops for smokers. I don't smoke, but went out on the platform long enough to write down some car numbers for this travelogue. I returned to my room until the Fort Madison, IA stop.

Fort Madison, IA (7:22P CDT) 7:40-7:49P CDT (Smoking Stop/Engineer Change)

I suddenly realized that if I didn't move to the Sightseer Lounge car quickly, I might not have a decent seat for the movie. Not to worry--there weren't that many people there so I had a double seat in front of the monitor. The movie, "A Rumor of Angels," was about a boy whose mother died in an accident and who became friends with a widow whose son was killed in war. I enjoyed the movie, despite difficulty hearing some of the dialog when the car door opened for

people going to and from the diner and the rush of air from the ventilation.

LaPlata, MO (8:25P CDT) 8:46P CDT

After the movie ended at 9:20, I went downstairs into the cafe to see what kind of Southwest Chief souvenirs Irfan had for sale. He was on break and the sign indicated only playing cards, postcards, and blankets. I decided to check again in the morning in case other items weren't listed.

Kansas City, MO (10:31-10:41P CDT) 10:50-11:15P (Smoking Stop/Conductor Change/

Express/Mail/Service Stop)

Back in my room, Rene had made up my bed as planned. I stayed up until the stop at Kansas City, MO, during which I was on the platform again. It was warm and muggy, but not unbearable. I hate humid weather, one of the things I hated about growing up in Chicago. It was after midnight before I finally turned out the lights in my room. I could see an almost-full moon that would be full on Thursday, the evening I would be at the Grand Canyon on one of the convention excursions.

MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2002

I had barely put my head on the pillow after watching the landscape by moonlight when we crawled to a stop. We began moving again, but as I raised my head to see where we were, I noticed the trees disappearing in the wrong direction. As I normally do, I had my radio earphone plugged into my ear for overnight. Since I live so far from trains and am unable to hear rail communications, I take advantage of every opportunity to make the most of my rail trips! I hadn't heard anything that might precipitate this backward move. Now I listened more

closely and determined we had backed up over twenty car lengths, finally proceeding forward again in a roll-by. I never did learn what that was about unless it's routine in that area. During the remainder of the night, I was vaguely aware of several Kansas station stops and minor radio chat, but I otherwise slept very well.

Lawrence, KS (1:06A CDT)

Topeka, KS (1:37A CDT)

Newton, KS (3:39A CDT)

Hutchinson, KS (4:17A CDT)

Dodge City, KS (5:56A CDT)

I awoke somewhere around the stop I decided was Dodge City, KS, but lay there in my cozy bed until 6:30 AM. I felt compelled to be up and doing, even though this would be only 5:30 AM MDT, the zone we would soon enter. As the sun rose, it looked as though it would be a clear day, but by the time I headed for the diner just before 7:00 AM MDT, the skies had turned gloomy.

Jeff seated me at an empty table in Tony's section, where I was soon joined by a man and his son from LaGrange, IL. They were going to Flagstaff to visit the Grand Canyon. We became involved in a conversation about the complicated time zone changes, just as we were joined by a man going to Los Angeles. This was the first rail trip for the boy and his father, so I was able to answer a few questions for them. Tony brought my order of scrambled eggs, sausage patties, croissant, grits, and orange juice. I was glad to have my breakfast early in order to leave more time before lunch. On the train I eat almost three times as much food in a day as I do at home.

Regarding the time zones, upon leaving Kansas, the train also leaves the Central Time Zone which, at this time of year, is on Daylight Saving time. Colorado and New Mexico are in the Mountain Time Zone and also on Daylight Saving time. Arizona, also in the Mountain Time Zone, doesn't change to Daylight Saving, so is always on Mountain Standard Time. When the train reaches California, that state is on Pacific Daylight time, which is the same time as Mountain Standard time. I said it was complicated, at least for people who don't travel much.

Garden City, KS (6:40A CDT) 7:20A CDT

After leaving the diner, I went to the lower level of the lounge car to check on souvenirs again. Irfan had two unlisted items in a bin under the counter. He sold me a Southwest Chief key ring/medallion and a colorful enameled tack pin with the same logo. I returned to my room until the stop at LaJunta, a crew change/service stop.

Lamar, CO (6:58A MDT) 7:52A MDT

LaJunta, CO (9:03A MDT) 8:38-9:13A MDT (Crew Change/Service Stop)

Since we were forty minutes late at Garden City and about fifty-five minutes late at Lamar, I was surprised when we were twenty-five minutes early into LaJunta, obviously due to a heavily padded schedule for that area. Instead of having only ten minutes to walk the platform and get car numbers, I had the luxury of thirty-five minutes. By then, the weather was clearing and was a pleasant 67 degrees, becoming sunny shortly thereafter.

I discovered there were so many express cars on the end of the train that they stretched way past the platform and as far as I could see. Later I heard there were 35 cars on our train, which would mean 18 cars past the last passenger car. I noticed in a later curve that the last four express cars were in the Phase IV color scheme although others were in various shades of blue, green, and grey. While on the platform, I met more NRHS members. One man said he remembered me from previous conventions. I had overheard another couple in the diner saying

they were going to the convention. I approached them, saying that I thought we were going to the same event. They surprised me by asking, "Are you Carol?" It seemed that Rene told them I was asking about other Williams passengers. They said, "Rene warned us about you," so I said, "You must be the people in room E. Rene warned me about you, too." Tony and Roberta are from Connecticut. I also met Rene's twelve-year-old son, Chris, who was traveling with him.

Around 10:30 I headed for the lounge car where National Park Service volunteers were doing a presentation, but the commentary could be heard only in the lower level which was full. A speaker problem prevented hearing it upstairs, but Howard Stutzman was there with some animal pelts and Native American crafts. He gave me brochures for five National Park sites I have yet to visit. Howard's wife rode along with him that day, so I enjoyed meeting her, too.

I had noticed a number of Amish people and always enjoyed meeting them on trains, especially now after visiting their areas of Indiana last summer. I also met more NRHS members from various parts of the country. One of them, Helen, spotted the canvas tote bag I was using to carry my camera, radio, and writing equipment when leaving my room. Its logo of last year's convention tipped her off that I was an NRHS member. She and her husband, Smoky, are from

Lancaster, PA. Speaking of my radio, a man sitting next to me sent his son to their room for his scanner so he could monitor, too.

Trinidad, CO (10:27A MDT) 10:27-10:29A MDT

At 10:58 while I was visiting with other passengers in the lounge car and waiting to go through Raton Pass and tunnel, the train came to a sudden stop, obviously having been thrown into emergency. I had missed hearing the HBD report, so didn't know the reason. We saw the engineer "walking the train" after I heard him on the radio informing the dispatcher where we were and the stop due to an air leak. What he found was a broken hose at one of the roadrailers. He had a replacement hose, but the configuration of the roadrailer didn't allow him to reach the connecting point. They decided to get a long hose to bypass that car, with the new hose being trucked out from Raton, NM. At 12:03 we were underway again, but now an hour late. During the delay, we were informed periodically of the estimated repair time, but I still enjoyed the advantage of hearing the details on my radio.

I went to the diner, put my name on Jeff's list for lunch, and returned to the lounge car. The National Park people had fixed the speaker problem and were shortly to have a National Park Trivia contest. Soon the train went through Raton Pass where Helen alerted us to a light brown bear near the tracks.

Raton, NM (11:28A MDT) 12:25-12:34P MDT

I was called to the diner at 12:50, before the Trivia contest, as were Laura, Jim, and a man named David, another NRHS member. We enjoyed comparing notes on previous conventions and rail experiences, while eating meals brought by our server, Joe. I chose the stir-fry in order to have a lighter lunch. David ordered that on my recommendation while Jim had the burger and Laura the southwest chicken salad. The salad looked so good that I decided to have that on my return trip. For dessert, I had cheesecake with strawberries while the others had apple pie, ice cream with chocolate sauce, and cheesecake with chocolate sauce. I'm not a big dessert eater at home, but can't seem to resist it on Amtrak.

On returning to the lounge car at 2:05, I found that I had missed the Trivia contest, but the interesting commentary continued. Judging from our arrival at Las Vegas, NM, we were still about an hour late. We passed Southwest Chief train #4, which was approximately on time.

Las Vegas, NM (1:08P MDT) 2:10-2:20P MDT

Between Las Vegas and Lamy, NM we saw some domestic llamas. I heard the engineer and conductor discussing how a week earlier the llamas were lying on the Pecos River bridge ahead of the train and only moved after the train had to stop. It reminded me of an experience in 1995 when I was riding on the Zephyr through Nebraska in the middle of the night. The train stopped and then proceeded slowly and haltingly. I heard on the radio that there were cattle on the track ahead of the train. The operating crew members were out there trying to shoo them off, but the cattle continued to run along the track ahead of the train. The ensuing transmissions were well worth the price of my ticket!

Lamy, NM (2:57P MDT) 3:57-4:05P MDT

At 4:05, Jeff was taking dinner reservations and found Laura, Jim, and me still in the lounge car. I had intended to take 7:00 for dinner so as not to miss the stop at Albuquerque. By then, all Jeff had left was 5:30, 8:00, and 8:30. The three of us decided on 8:00. This would still allow plenty of time before our destinations later in the evening.

At 4:12 the train stopped again in the middle of nowhere and stayed there until 4:29 while the crew checked axles. They had received an indication of a problem with an axle on the lounge car, but found nothing and reported this as a faulty HBD.

Irfan announced the movie titles for the evening would be "Elmer Fudd" at 5:00 and "A Beautiful Mind" right after Albuquerque. These posed no conflict with my dinner reservation as I didn't care to see "Elmer" and had already seen "A Beautiful Mind." As the National Park Service people packed up their equipment, I returned to my room in preparation for our stop at Albuquerque.

Albuquerque, NM (4:47-5:20P MDT) 5:30-6:05P MDT (Crew Change/Service Stop)

Listening to NOAA Weather on my radio, I heard flash flood warnings for Albuquerque until 6:10 PM. It was very cloudy with a few drops of rain in the air, but that didn't interfere with our stop. Several tables of Native American jewelry sales were set up as usual, with passengers making purchases.

Farther down the platform was the new multi-modal station building, very attractive in a traditional Spanish design. On my return trip, I heard that Amtrak isn't using this municipal station because the rent is too high. Other cities charge Amtrak $1.00 for rent to have the trains as part of their transportation coordination. It had been expected that Amtrak and Greyhound would use the building, but so far the offices are empty. Amtrak refused to pay

the exorbitant rent, so presently only city buses are stopping there. There are future plans for some sort of light rail system serving the Albuquerque area that would also stop at the station.

Since the train was still running about forty-five minutes late, we were warned that the operating crew change/service stop time might be cut short, but we had the full number of minutes. There was plenty of time for photos, browsing at the jewelry tables, and visiting with other NRHS members. I also had time to slip the zip-lock bag containing my clothing change back into the pouch on the front of my suitcase.

I was back in my room, listening to my radios, when Rene brought Chris to show him what I was doing. "You've got to see this!" When I met Chris on the platform, I asked him about the walkie-talkie he was carrying, but hadn't mentioned my radios. Chris and Rene keep in contact with what I believe were FRS (Family Radio Service) radios. Chris wanted to hear all about scanners, Ham radios, repeaters, etc. I hope he can follow through on his interest since he's

at a good age to become involved. We had a nice chat until one of the younger passengers dragged him off for some other activity.

Since our train was running so late, I used my cell phone to call ahead to the Fray Marcos Hotel in Williams to reconfirm my reservation. They know how late the trains can be and were prepared to expect a number of us as late arrivals. Reconfirming is always a good idea, though. This was my first time having a cell phone on the train, although I've had it for two years now. What a difference it made in being able to check my answering machine at home and make a couple of other necessary calls. I also received some calls. In the past, I had to wait until service stops and hope there would be a convenient, unused phone available.

At 7:55 I headed for the diner where Pauline seated me with Laura and Jim in Helen's section. I had the broiled pork, Laura had the vegetarian selection, and Jim had the chicken. They had decided to skip dessert and I was still talking myself out of it when we learned the diner was all out of desserts. That's what comes of having a late dinner on the last evening of the run. I didn't feel as though I had room for dessert anyway, so I wasn't really disappointed.

Gallup, NM (7:43P MDT) 8:15P MDT

After dinner, I didn't bother looking in on the lounge car as I knew they were showing the "Beautiful Mind" flick I had already seen. When I returned to my room, Chris came back for awhile to listen to my radios and talk some more. Rene was afraid that Chris was bothering me, but he was good company. Chris surprised me by going back to his room for his camera to take my picture. I should have taken one of him then, but I thought he was in one of the photos I

took on the platform earlier. When I returned home and had my photos printed, he wasn't.

Winslow, AZ (8:24P MST) 9:08-9:10P MST

We were about forty-five minutes late into Winslow, AZ. Since we were now within two stops of mine at Williams Junction, I began figuring at what time I needed to be ready to detrain. With most of my gear already packed into my carry-on, I was just sitting in my room, getting the most enjoyment out of the end of my trip when the nicest thing happened. Rene came along and gave me an envelope containing a thank-you note card. He must do this for all his passengers shortly before they detrain, but no one else has ever done that. He also thanked me personally for "putting up with Chris." I explained that it had been my pleasure. Since my tip envelope for Rene was ready and lying on the table next to my radio, this provided the perfect opportunity to give that to him. I had been going to seek him out before he would become too busy with people preparing to detrain.

Flagstaff, AZ (9:21-9:26P MST) 10:12-10:18P MST (Smoking Stop)

Despite darkness, I walked part of the platform during our stop at Flagstaff, another smoking stop. I enjoyed the smoking stops for the opportunity to step off the train and see what was happening on the platforms. I missed those stops on the return trip, when a smoking coach car was part of the consist.

When we were within a few minutes of Williams Junction and only a half hour late, I took my gear down to the vestibule and removed my suitcase from the rack. Several other passengers were beginning to congregate there, too. Then I heard Rene and Chris coming down the stairs, with Rene saying for my benefit, "I can't find Carol anywhere!" He knew I was there and I said, "Here she is!"

Williams Junction, AZ (10:04P MST) 10:52P MST

As the train came to a stop at Williams Junction, we bade each other good-bye, with Chris shaking my hand. It was a real pleasure to meet with both of them. Rene lowered my suitcase to the pavement where I was joined by a rather large group consisting mostly of NRHS members.

Three vans/mini-buses were there, with the shuttle driver from the Fray Marcos Hotel directing us which vehicle to board. It was starting to rain a little, so he said to leave the luggage for him and get in out of the rain. It was so dark that I didn't notice anything about the stop other than that the train was leaving and I was about to begin the next chapter in my latest Amtrak/NRHS Convention adventure. Regardless of how much I'm anticipating my destination, I always feel a sense of loss when the train goes on without me.

CONSIST:

All locomotives in Phase V color scheme

All passenger cars in Phase IV color scheme

First two AMTK MHC's in Phase V color scheme

Last four AMTK MHC's in Phase IV color scheme

P42 184

P42 172

P42 201

P42 99

Mail 1752

Transition Sleeper 0300 39003

Superliner II Sleeper 0331 32011 "Arizona"

Superliner I Sleeper 0330 32011

Diner 38037

Sightseer Lounge 33018

Coach 0311 34008

Coach 0312 34027

Coach 0313 31028

Coach 0314 34047

Superliner II Sleeper 0332 32091 "Minnesota"

AMTK MHC 74025

AMTK MHC 74097

18 Additional express cars

CREW:

CHIEF Anthony Williams

DINING CAR STEWARD Pauline French

Jeff Johnson

LSA (Lead Service Attendant) Irfan

SLEEPER ATTENDANT Rene Cardonne

DINER ATTENDANTS Helen

Tony

Joe

ENGINEER Wally Pomrenke (Chicago to Fort Madison)

CONDUCTOR Jim White (Chicago to Kansas City)

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