Tragedy on Amtrak

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved with the tragedy last night on Amtrak #188. Hats off to the first responders who arrived on the scene very quickly, and to the passengers and crews who helped others from the accident. For those injured or lost in this tragic accident, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your families.

Until next time

The Lake Shore Limited continued to chug along, and we finally reached Worcester about twenty minutes late. I ended up de-training there as it's a little closer to my house than Boston so I would be home about two hours earlier.

In summary, this trip took me through 15 states in 5 days, and on three different trains. Now to plan the next one!

Day 5: the Lake Shore Limited

I hopped into bed immediately following the wine reception. For some reason, sleep eluded me for a good portion of the night as we rolled along. After sleeping fitfully for a few hours, I decided to go have breakfast. It was around 7 am and I had slept through Indiana and Ohio.

For breakfast I opted for the quiche, which was not an option on the Western trains. It was a ton of food - as per normal. 

I tried to get some pictures of the sun rising. 

This is the Erie, PA stop. It is kind of hard to see but that is a crumbling platform above. It looks like it is no longer in use. Much of the scenery through this section of the train is just like this in that it hardens back to a time when this area had more people, more industry, more trains, etc. As we passed outside of Buffalo I saw an amazing yet crumbling train station. 

It was the old Buffalo Central Station which was completed in 1929 and was an Art Deco masterpiece. Now it sits vacant although it is owned by a nonprofit with the goal of restoring and redeveloping it. 

We also passed Lake Erie a few times. It was very icy. A light snow covered the ground for much of the day. Where is spring?!

We also passed by a snowy vineyard. 

At the Utica Station I saw these old train cars parked outside. 

At some point I had lunch with two other people traveling alone. One gentleman leads meditation retreats and he is heading to a center in Mass for two months. The woman was from Washington and was traveling to NYC to visit two of her grown children. 

I went back to my room and napped for a while. At some point Tim and I talked and we decided I should detrain in Worcester. I found the car attendant and let him know so that I could be sure to head to the right door at Worcester. 

We arrived in Albany about ten minutes late but since there is a long dwell time there, they completed the station work quickly and we left around 4 or 5 minutes late. Outside of Pittsfield we sat on a siding for about half an hour and then the westbound 449 passed us on the way to Albany. I think they were running late. 

At 4:30 I headed to the lounge car for "dinner". They have an abbreviated menu for sleeper pax. 

I saw with a couple from Martha's Vineyard. Their families have lived on the island for generations and she runs a liquor store on the island. A very interesting couple! I opted for the pasta and passed on dessert. 

I actually think I had this same dish in summer 2012 when I was last on this train. 

I headed back to my room to watch the countryside glide past. Western Mass has a familiar quality to the landscape and I felt happy to be close to home. We followed streams and went through the woods. There was snow on the ground and the trees were bare. I imagine this is a lovely ride when the foliage is changing colors in the fall. 

Chicago

Well as the old adage goes, a late train only becomes later. Outside of Naperville, we had to wait for the westbound California Zephyr to pass on a stretch of single track. So we sat for around 45 minutes until it blazed past us and we continued on our way. Here are some pictures of the rural countryside west of Chicago. I think it's a mix of Iowa and Illinois. 

And then the city of Chicago:

I waited in the Metropolitan Lounge for a but and then decided to explore. I headed over to the Great Hall which was hosting an event and closed to the public. 

They let me take that picture of the ceiling - but you can see the pipe and drape blocking access. As you exit the great hall there is this sign:

And the best thing on the left - a counter with beer and cocktails to go!! 

My friend Noelle picked me up for dinner and we went to a Greek restaurant. I had a big yummy Greek salad and a gyros platter. It was a welcome respite from the amChow I had all week. 

We had a fabulous dinner catching up - I have missed her since she moved out here - and I was back in the metro lounge by 8 pm to wait for them to call the Lake Shore Limited, my third and final leg of my cross country odyssey. 

I got this nice shot of Union station when I returned:

The Lake Shore Limited is actually two trains in one - the 48 and the 448. It splits in Albany with the longer portion going to Penn Station in New York an a little train going to Boston. I have a room in the Boston sleeper, car 4820.  

The LSL normally boards around 8:15. We got an announcement that the train would be a little late and they called us at 9 pm to board. We were all led out of the lounge together and directed to our train. The Boston sleeper was at the very front of the train and it was a LONG walk to it. 

I boarded, dropped my stuff in my room and headed down to the dining car. I has to walk through two coaches, the lounge, three or four more coaches, and finally the dining car. My reward was a very nice cheese plate and a glass of wine. 

This is one of the amenities that Amtrak is cutting so this is the last week of the wine and cheese reception. I'm not sure what they will offer - if anything - on this train starting April 1st in place of this. 

Day 4: Nebraska, Iowa & Illinois

I went to bed a little outside of Denver and slept soundly, rocked to sleep by the train and of course with my ear plugs. 

I woke up as we pulled to a stop aroun 7:15 am. It was Omaha, NE. I pulled out the time table and quickly discovered that our record of early arrivals had been broken and we were now running two hours late. I was still in bed so I didn't get out to look - which is too bad because apparently there is a beautiful old station there. 

I also learned that we lost another hour overnight as a semi-truck hit a train overpass. We has to wait for the bridge to be inspected and declared safe before we could cross it. 

I headed to the dining car for breakfast, where I was sat with a 72 year old man. He didn't tell me his name but I did learn his entire life story. He was in the Air Force, then went to college, then went to Vietnam, then retired after 20 years from the Air Force. Then he worked at the IRS, then was a salesman, and now he is retired but works for Winnebago transporting RVs. So he was taking the train from Salt Lake City to Iowa and then driving an RV back. Winnebago pays him six cents a mile plus gas to do this. 

The only question he asked me during our meal as I let him chatter away was where I was from. I told him I grew up in NJ and now lived in Providence. "A liberal city in a liberal state!" he exclaimed. I shook my head yes and said that was why I lived there instead of Texas (where he grew up). He asked me what I thought of Chris Christie - and I guess he didn't like my answer - because he went back to regaling me with his stories. :)

We passed into Iowa. We saw lots of fields!

We went along the Des Moines River for a while and I thought this little campground was interesting. 

I took a shower and took a little nap. We stopped for a few minutes in Ottumwa. 

Then we stopped at another little town. This was where my car stopped (the station is to the left). 

Around 12 I headed to the dining car for lunch. I was seated with Barry again and two young guys from California. The three of them chatted about San Francisco and Barry regaled us with stories about when he was in Vietnam in 1965-1966. We also lamented that good bagels were hard to find in places other than New York! 

We passed through the town of Burlington, on the banks of the Mississippi River. The town seemed to have a heaviness to it that I couldn't put my finger on. I imagine that 100 years ago it was bustling with the train and the river, but it is one of those places that the modern era has not been kind to. 

Here we are approaching the river:

And here we are crossing it on a rusty drawbridge:

And here is Burlington from the eastern side of the river:

After lunch I headed back to my room to pack up all my stuff. If we don't lose any more time we should arrive in Chicago around 4 pm. 

Descending into Denver

After we left winter park, we passed a ski slope. 

Then we entered the Moffat Tunnel, which goes through the continental divide. It took us about 7 minutes to clear the tunnel. Then we waited on a siding for about 20 more minutes while a freight train went through. 

Just as the train for moving I was called to dinner, and the conductor told us to look out the left of the train for the best views. The good news is that I was in the dining car so I could see them. The bad news is that since I was at dinner I wasn't able to capture them to share with you all. 

We emerged from the tunnel into a scenic vista that was so powerful. Folks this right here so far has been the best scenery yet of all my train travels in our great nation. We descended down the side of the mountain, with each new curve showing something more beautiful than the one before. We went through tunnels and continued climbing down the mountain. Suddenly we rounded a corner and saw Denver in the valley below. I was able to grab this picture later but it does not so this beautiful vista any justice. 

It is hard to see but in the far off distance is the city rising up from the plains. 

I enjoyed dinner with the nice couple from upstate NY that I had shared lunch with and another woman traveling to Naperville. Here is the obligatory amSalad and amRoll. 

Then I had the steak. I asked for it rare and it came back RARE. Yum. 

For dessert I went with the cheesecake with fruit topping. This is the same dessert that I had on the Coast Starlight but the chef there took it out of the plastic bowl prior to serving it. 

I had a great time at dinner joking and laughing with my table mates and the crew. 

The crew in the dining car is Valerie, John and Liz. They have been great on this trip and they seem to have a very good system down for managing the crowds and getting us fed and the tables turned over. John heard about my selfie with Lamar so he got in on the action, too. 

Having a great crew can make a trip so much better, and I have been really impressed with this group. 

We rolled into Denver just as I got back to my room after dinner. 

Then we pulled off to the side and proceeded to back into Union Station in Denver. I believe this station is recently re-opened.  We passed Coors Field as we backed up, where the Rockies play. 

By the time we completed our back up operation it was 7 pm and we were now running late. I popped out to grab a few pictures. 

It looked like the platforms were brand new. They had a higher low level platform that didn't require use of the yellow stool to board the train. 

As soon as we pulled in a crew came by and washed the outsides of the windows of the train. It was a nice touch. 

As we sat in the station the sun began to set. The HEP cycled on and off a few times and I started to get a little nervous about lengthy stop. I pulled out the scanner and learned that maintainence was fixing a hot water issue with the sleepers. Since I had showered before bed yesterday I hadn't realized that was a problem today!

There was also a problem with the pump as they refueled. The great thing about having the scanner is that I can hear all this chatter and not get too freaked out. 

And at 7:54 I heard the conductor say "highball Denver" and I knew we would be good to go! Just a second later the train whistle sounded and we slowly pulled away from the platform. It was now totally dark out so I missed the sunset, but I snuggled into my roomette and prepared to watch the twinkling lights of the world pass me by. 

Colorado

After we pulled out of Grand Junction we continued along the river for a while. We passed a dam and some farmland. 

We even passed a school with the mountains behind them. 

Right before lunch we pulled into Glenwood Springs a few minutes early so we had time to get out and walk along the platform again. There were some big box stores tucked under the mountain. 

The stop also had a cute little station. 

I got back on the train and headed to the dining car for lunch. I was seated with the same couple from yesterday traveling to upstairs NY and an elderly man from Iowa. 

Once seated at my table I spotted a hotel with hot springs across the river. 

It's kind of hard to see but there was a big pool behind the hotel with a giant water slide and lots of people swimming. 

For lunch I had the cheeseburger. It was actually warm and juicy. The chef on this crew is actually pretty good and I continue to be pleasantly surprised. 

We continued along the river. There was a walking trail with lots of people on it running along the other side of the river and along the road. 

You will also notice that the river was down to a trickle at points. This is the mighty Colorado River so it seems to be a little disconcerting to see it so low. 

We passed a dam and then the river picked up a little. 

This little development was tucked between the mountain and the river. 

Above I noticed some cows grazing on the field. 

We pulled into Dell Canyon and started going slowly as we needed to wait for the westbound zephyr #5 on a siding. I saw a bald eagle fly by. This is a low canyon. 

You can sort of see the front of the train as we went along this curve. I noticed a little waterfall on this side. 

The conductor said that in the summer many people raft or canoe and that this spot underneath the tree is one of the best camp sites along the Colorado. 

We waited in the siding for about ten minutes before the westbound zephyr barreled past us in a blur. 

As we headed deeper into the mountains there was some more snow. 

We passed some more little ranches an farms. 

Then it got snowier. 

These guys were fishing. 

We continued through the canyons and the mountains. 

The train was hugging the cliff at this point and going very slowly. I turned on my scanner to find out what was up, and I heard the engineer of my train talking with dispatch. There are wires along the hills that are activated when there is a rockslide and they has gone off. We want slowly through the entire area but did not encounter any rocky debris on the tracks. 

We emerged from the canyon to beautiful  vistas. 

We proceeded at full speed towards out next stop of Granby, CO except now we were running a little late. 

We then headed into Beyera (deyers?) canyon and I heard on the scanner that the slide detector had gone off. We came to a halt as there were indeed some rocks in the way. Some staff members detained to check it out and see if they could move it. I heard the engineer speak with the dispatcher about the situation on my scanner. The dispatcher said she should send something out to help if necessary. 

I was about to bust out the Xanax when I heard the chatter on the scanner. The guys were able to move the rock out of the way and there was no dage to the rail. We proceeded at a SLOW speed through the slide area and continued on our way to Granby past the frozen river. 

We passed a clear signal, the conductor (Brad) said highball on the radio, and with some loud horns of the train we proceeded.