I am sending this report from onboard the northbound Coast Starlight, using wireless Internet at San Jose Station.
My flight out from Connecticut to Los Angeles was delayed 3 hours due to heavy thunderstorms in the East. Got to the Sheraton about 11:30pm Took the FlyAway bus from LAX to Union station this morning. Traffic was light on the freeways, and we made it in 30 minutes. Nice service !
Union Station was horrible - hot, humid, no air conditioning, crowded, and the usual silence from Amtrak about the train’s status.. They sure need a Metro Lounge there.
We departed 37 minutes late, from the scheduled 10:15am. Moved right along, and arrived in San Jose only 8 minutes off scheduled travel time. Consist included.2 locos, baggage, 4 sleepers, Pacific Parlour, Diner, Sightseer Lounge, and four coaches. Coaches were packed, sleepers not that busy. Maybe they were just moving equipment north. I have a roomette, which was on the Ocean side, but there was no problem getting a seat in the Parlour Car.
Weather was the usual gray gloom up to Santa Barbara, then cleared up nicely for the most scenic part of the coast. Saw some flocks of pelicans following the train, or maybe we were following them. The scenery here is gorgeous, but I can’t help being peeved at UP for not removing those obsolete telephone poles and wires that spoil the view so much of the time.
There was one short hold near Pismo Beach for the southbound #11 which was running ON TIME. ( a first ? ). I assume it had originated in SAC, as that is as far north as yesterday’s #14 went. It had very few passengers, and no Parlor Car.
The wine tasting was great, as always. I am not a fussy eater, but I would say that the food in the dining car was lackluster; Service was slow, but the waiters did their best.
Looking forward to seeing the UP wreck at Klamath Lake tomorrow. This will be the second year in row that I will have seen a train wreck.. Last year, I saw one at Marias Pass in Montana from the Empire Builder. Air travel should be so exciting. !
Best wishes to all.
Posts: 133 | From: Canaan, CT | Registered: Dec 2004
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Russ, Glad to hear you at least made the train since it did not go north of Sacramento yesterday. I totally agree with you about a Metropolitan lounge at LAUS. I have never understood how New York, Chicago, Portland, all have one but Los Angeles does not. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.
A.
Posts: 1082 | From: Los Angeles, CA. USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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I'm not sure about the need for a lounge in LA. I enjoy sitting in that great hall and soaking up the atmosphere of a classic station. Likewise I'd rather sit in the great hall in Chicago than that cramped, crowded hole they call a lounge. It's only good to store your bag. Likewise in Washington, it's more pleasant to have a drink in one of the many good restaurants in the main concourse than sit in the dark lounge.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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When you're in the Cascades, look down for some old wooden reefers left behind from a derailment in the '60's.
Posts: 286 | From: Knee deep in the retention tank | Registered: Jan 2006
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palmland: You wouldn't enjoy the LA waiting hall when it's 90, humid, and has no air circulation, much less air conditioning. I've been there several times this past week and it's unbearable. I'd rather sit in a dark hole if it was air conditioned.
There was a plan to open a Metropolitan Lounge back in the early '90's when the first Lounges opened, but that idea was nixed long ago.
Posts: 286 | From: Knee deep in the retention tank | Registered: Jan 2006
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quote:Originally posted by RussM: Saturday , July 29, 9:20 pm Looking forward to seeing the UP wreck at Klamath Lake tomorrow. This will be the second year in row that I will have seen a train wreck.. Last year, I saw one at Marias Pass in Montana from the Empire Builder. Air travel should be so exciting. !
It is: Posts: 286 | From: Knee deep in the retention tank | Registered: Jan 2006
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quote:Originally posted by palmland: I'd rather sit in the great hall in Chicago than that cramped, crowded hole they call a lounge.
I suspect you have not visited the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago in quite some time. Since the expansion and renovation I would hardly call it a cramped, crowded hole.
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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In my opinion the lounge in Chicago is not cramped or crowded and not a hole by any means. It is quite comfortable and especially nice to get your lunch and sit at the tables there to eat. It surely beats the noise and confusion of the other eating options. As to DC, we have always found it very comfortable and quiet. For those who want to wander around the shops and eateries it gives a place to relax when your wanderings are done. But then to each his own.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Just arrived in Eugene (my destination) only 8 1/2 hours late ! That derailment at Modoc Point really has things snarled up. UP was giving the Coast Starlight a very hard time, making us wait at every siding they have. All the derailed cars were wheels up along the shoreline. I don't know if they were deliberately rolled over to clear the track or not. Anyway, it was a nice trip, despite being so long. I do feel sorry for the service crew who will probably get into Seattle about 4am, and have to report back to work at 7:30am. Ouch !
Posts: 133 | From: Canaan, CT | Registered: Dec 2004
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Picture is a few years old. It is in Hong Kong's old Kai Tak airport. The flight is a China Airlines (this is Taiwan based not to be confused with the several airlines based in the mainland) flight that was taking off just before the airport was shut down due to approaching typhoon. It flipped over, caught fire and ended up sliding down the runway upside down. Amazingly, most of the passengers and crew survived. This and a couple of others crashes of the same model plane under conditions that were really not that bad are one of the things that make me feel a lot more comfotable if the builder's label says "Boeing" instead of "Airbus". Even the name should be a warning. Why would we want to get on a plane by someone that thinks they are building a bus with wings?
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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OK, I'll give the Chicago lounge another try when we take the EB in September. But I still like the soaring waiting rooms in the grand stations.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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You are right ,Palmland,the grand old halls have much more in the way of atmosphere than do the lounges. The lounges could be any lobby anywhere. But the couches and chairs in the lounges surely beat the hard wooden seats in the halls. So I will take the comfort over atmosphere.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Picture is a few years old. It is in Hong Kong's old Kai Tak airport. The flight is a China Airlines (this is Taiwan based not to be confused with the several airlines based in the mainland) flight that was taking off just before the airport was shut down due to approaching typhoon. It flipped over, caught fire and ended up sliding down the runway upside down. Amazingly, most of the passengers and crew survived. This and a couple of others crashes of the same model plane under conditions that were really not that bad are one of the things that make me feel a lot more comfotable if the builder's label says "Boeing" instead of "Airbus". Even the name should be a warning. Why would we want to get on a plane by someone that thinks they are building a bus with wings?
Actually it was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 that crashed (the same plane that is taxiing in the foreground). Built practically in my backyard, as opposed to halfway around the world in Europe.
I posted that pic in response to RussM's comment about how air travelers should experience the "excitement" of a wreck up close Posts: 286 | From: Knee deep in the retention tank | Registered: Jan 2006
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quote:Originally posted by PaulB: When you're in the Cascades, look down for some old wooden reefers left behind from a derailment in the '60's.
There's gotta be a bad pun in there about finding some old reefer that derailed folks out in the NW back in the 60's, but I won 't make it. Hits to close to home. Ira
Posts: 300 | From: Denver, CO USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:Originally posted by George Harris: It is in Hong Kong's old Kai Tak airport.
Chek Lap Kok actually - Kai Tak closed the previous year.
quote:Originally posted by George Harris: The flight is a China Airlines (this is Taiwan based not to be confused with the several airlines based in the mainland) flight
Operated by China Airlines but wet leased from Mandarin Airlines, but yes, both Taiwan.
quote:Originally posted by George Harris: that was taking off
Landing, not taking off. It hit the ground hard, right wing down, and rolled and yawed to the right, finishing up inverted and reversed next to the runway.
quote:Originally posted by George Harris: This and a couple of others crashes of the same model plane under conditions that were really not that bad are one of the things that make me feel a lot more comfotable if the builder's label says "Boeing" instead of "Airbus". Even the name should be a warning.
A matter of opinion whether Boeing or Airbus, but all your disparaging comments about Europe in general do suggest a hint of racism there.
quote:Originally posted by George Harris: Why would we want to get on a plane by someone that thinks they are building a bus with wings?
I can think of far more important things to consider than what the plane is called. Has somebody gotten into your RailForum account, Mr. Harris, as your posts don't normally contain this sort of drivel?
Geoff M.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Sorry, I thought it was at the old airport. I will admit to having forgotten a lot of the details. A few years previous I had been a fairly regular China Airlines passenger and still do not hesitate to fly on them.
No, I don't like airbus. Sorry you consider it drivel, but I still try to avoid getting on airbus planes. There have been some negative things said about their control systems from some pilots I know, which does not help my confidence, plus a few other things I will not go into simply to avoid arguements. The "bus with wings" was a joke.
I am European ancestry, but sometimes my dealing with Europeans leaves me saying, "now I understand why my ancestors got on little wooden ships 300 years ago and risked drowning to leave." It must be nice to never doubt that you always have the answers, and if not all you have to do is consult the "expert back in ____ (fill in blank with name of the European country you came from)" Not trying to be offensive, just my experience.
George
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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quote:Originally posted by George Harris: No, I don't like airbus. Sorry you consider it drivel, but I still try to avoid getting on airbus planes. There have been some negative things said about their control systems from some pilots I know, which does not help my confidence, plus a few other things I will not go into simply to avoid arguements. The "bus with wings" was a joke.
I am European ancestry, but sometimes my dealing with Europeans leaves me saying, "now I understand why my ancestors got on little wooden ships 300 years ago and risked drowning to leave." It must be nice to never doubt that you always have the answers, and if not all you have to do is consult the "expert back in ____ (fill in blank with name of the European country you came from)" Not trying to be offensive, just my experience.
George
I don't like airbuses either. The noisiest plane I've been in was an airbus {320, I think}. It had a 2-3-2 seating, and sounded like someone left a window open for the entire trip from Newark to Houston. The fact that they worked on one of the 2 GE jet engines for about 2 hours, while it was sitting at the gate so we all could see the "progress" of the repair, didn't set too well with me...
And fortunately, both sets of my grandparents left Europe in the early 1900's. I wonder if they knew what was going to happen to their homelands in less than a century? {sissification and socialization of the continent}
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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There's gotta be a bad pun in there about finding some old reefer that derailed folks out in the NW back in the 60's, but I won 't make it. Hits to close to home. Ira
I want to hear more about Ira's 60's experiences with old reefers and derailed folks in the NW.
Posts: 445 | Registered: May 2002
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