I boarded The Canadian #1 on the 16th of December/04 in Toronto on my way to Vancouver. This portion of my trip was by far the best. I had the extra-large bedroom "F" in a manor sleeper which was warm and comfortable with all the plumbing and lights working properly (unlike my subsequent Amtrak trains). We departed on time and with a few exceptions that was true across the country. We arrived 20 minutes early into Vancouver, and I was most pleased with everything on board this train: excellent food in the diner, friendly crew, clean windows in the dome car. In other words everything that makes for a wonderful rail journey.

My next train trip should have been on the Cascade Train 517 departing Vancouver BC to Seattle on the 19 of December/04. I knew something was wrong upon arriving at the station for the 6:00 pm departure when I saw people milling about the amtrak departure desk with no Amtrak people in sight. I spotted the Via train service manager taking tickets for that evening's Canadian, and he broke the bad news that due to some problem with a washout the Cascade was being replaced with a BUS!! Oh God no, not the dreaded bus. But indeed it was a bus, and as there was no car-rental agency in the station, I had no choice but to take it. After three hours of screaming babies in a bus where every seat was taken and being kicked off the bus with all our luggage at the border for customs and immigration, it finally pulled into King St. Station an hour earlier than the train. I really can't imagine why anyone would ever choose the bus over the train--it was really quite awful.

Upon arriving at my hotel in a state of shock, and not believing that I actually rode this bus I did recover to some extent with a double shot of Gin and tonic. The next day I boarded the Coast Starlight #11 for Los Angeles. We departed ten minutes late and arrived in L.A. over five hours late at 2:15 am (most grateful that there was not a bus in sight). I had a really excellent sleeping car attendant named Cruze (I think that's the spelling), about the best I've ever had on Amtrak. He was always there making sure I was comfortable, taking my baggage, putting down the beds, always available when I rang the bell etc. Harry in the Parlour car again first rate (with three choices of wine at the tasting), and a really good rack of lamb in the diner. A few disappointments about the Starlight: no special soaps and shampoo, no extra large towels, no special stationery kits etc. and my sleeping car held together with duct tape (the sliding wall to the next bedroom was taped up to prevent it from opening) However it is still Amtrak's best train.

My ultimate destination was Las Vegas Nev. where for some extraordinary reason my elderly mother has decided to take up residence. As everyone on this board knows rail service does not exist to this city, so I had to rent a car from Hertz in L.A. About the only thing that I found of interest in Las Vegas was that on the day of my arrival the Monorail was put back in service, and I took a ride on it. It takes all of 17 minutes to go from one end to the other. It consisted of three very small cars and is a slow and bumpy ride. Not really a transportation system, just something to deliver gamblers from one casino to another.

Now for Count Dracula. What does this have to do with Amtrak you say? Try boarding at Barstow Calif. late at night. I was booked on the Southwest Chief #4 departing that city on the 26th of Dec/04. In order to connect from Las Vegas I hired a limousine ($300-yikes) and my Romanian (Transylvanian) driver seemed rather surprised that I wanted to be dropped off at such a lonely, remote and apparently abandoned railway station. I too was surprised to find a locked-up station with a non-working pay phone attached to the outside wall. Upon the departure of my limo it was very apparent that the only inhabitants of this station were hundreds of squeeling bats. Only lots of fog and the howling of wolves would have completed this gothic scene. I called Amtrak on my cell phone and was told that #4 was on time (it arrived 15 minutes late) and that a security guard was supposed to open the station 30 minutes before train time. No such guard appeared. One of the train crew later told me that Amtrak has nothing to do with operating the station. A word of advice: do not use Barstow unless you really want to visit Dracula's bat cave.

As for The Southwest Chief, it ran early or on time for most of the trip (one hour early into Albuquerque and 45 minutes early into Chicago. All seemed to be going well until after Albuquerque all of the toilets in the 430 car ceased operation. Some sort of electrical problem that could not be fixed. Most inconvenient having to use the toilets in the 31 sleeper (which had no name, the 30 sleeper was Iowa). I intend to write to Amtrak seeking compensation for I had a deluxe bedroom and was expecting my own working toilet, at least we had hot and cold running water. A fairly mediocre dining car crew (although I had a great lamb shank) but "MO" my sleeping car attendant was very good.

My last segment was on the Lake Shore Ltd #48. We departed 28 minutes late, but at least I had a standard bedroom (roomette) to Buffalo with a working toilet (although more duct tape over bits and pieces of the bedroom). I didn't get into the dining car until 11:00 pm (est) and I was not pleased with such a late dinner with plastic plates and utensils. A rather glum dining car crew did deliver another really good lank shank (is this something new on the menu?) I arrived in Buffalo over an hour late where I made a taxi connection ($80 with tip) to Niagara Falls Ont. and yes the Via train had long gone so again it was a bus--1 hr and 40 minutes to Toronto.

I don't think I will take this route again. Perhaps I can persuade my mother to move to sunny Winnipeg.

[This message has been edited by royaltrain (edited 12-30-2004).]