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I returned to San Francisco late last night from a weekend trip to southern CA. I flew from San Francisco down to San Diego Friday morning and took a trolley ride to Tijuana, opera performance Friday night. Saturday morning I took the 9:30 am Surfliner up to LA. The trip was very pleasant, on time and very well patronized. Lots of young people; lots of offing and oning at most stops. Another opera performance Saturday night at the incredible Los Angeles theater, a movie palace from the 1930's on Broadway and 6th. Sunday morning I took the Starlight 14(23) back up to SF. The usual 11 car consist; not so well patronized; early into San Luis Obispo then we lost about half an hour slow-and-go starting around Santa Margarita to Salinas. After that OK, arriving Oakland about 40 minutes late. This is pretty much a repeat of my trip 6 weeks ago. There was a Parlour Car and there was also one on the 11(22) which we met about four hours late. Not much freight traffic - mostly SB Surfliners we pulled over for. The CA scenery as usual I found mesmerizing, this time featuring fields and hillsides of flowering yellow mustard. For my first 32 yrs or so in CA I pretty much ignored the southern half of the state. Now Amtrak is helping me appreciate that remarkable region of our wonderful country.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Thanks for your report. I'd like to hear some particulars on the 'Coast Starlight' portion. You say 'not so well' patronized. Is it safe to say that the abysmal timekeeping over the last 18 months is beginning to reduce this train's ridership? At least in coach?
sbalax Member # 2801
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This sounds like a great trip. We were in the San Diego area this past weekend for a wedding and noticed how green everything is right now. We would have taken the Surfliner but really needed a car once we got to Oceanside. With a bit more time for planning we could have made it work.
Frank in cool, soon to be dark SBA
City of Miami Member # 2922
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Well, yes, David, I would say that's the bottom of it but I don't think it's recent. Didn't it start with the annulment of all service for a month or so in Feb/Mar 2005? It probably hasn't recovered. The coaches this weekend were probably more than half filled. I was assigned a seatmate on boarding who turned out to be a very interesting person. About half way through I moved back to a set of seats the attendant had labeled TAC even though no one ever sat there. She never acknowledged that I existed. A lot of people got off at San Jose and Oakland so it was pretty depleted after that.
Last week on the southbound #11 I had a roommette from Seattle to Emeryville. Fewer than half were occupied and only a handful of the bedrooms too. The Parlour Car was never fully occupied.
My personal assessment is that #11 is OK to San Francisco but south of here the accumulation of late time is too much putting you in severe danger of bustitution. I wouldn't do it; I take the San Joaquin south. #14 is the reverse, working pretty well up to San Francisco and then steadily accumulating delays. It is too late into the terminus in both directions. It is too late to check into many hotels and too late to ask friends to pick me up. Should I decide to make that trip north in the future I would go only to Portland or even Eugene, stay over and then take a Cascade train the rest of the way.
This being said it is still my favorite train: the scenery is unparalleled.
notelvis Member # 3071
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quote:Originally posted by City of Miami: Should I decide to make that trip north in the future I would go only to Portland or even Eugene, stay over and then take a Cascade train the rest of the way.
This being said it is still my favorite train: the scenery is unparalleled.
Thanks for the additional insight - I actually did exactly this when riding the 'Coast Starlight' north from LAX last June. I agonized over whether I should bail in Eugene or Portland before settling on Portland.......where we managed to arrive before midnight.......barely.
Ridership at that point was pretty solid still BUT I could see some of the non-railfan regulars with the look of "What happened? This train was so good the last time......"
sojourner Member # 3134
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This year I am going out & back on the Empire Builder and then on to Vancouver, but next year I was thinking I should go out on the Zephyr and take the Starlight north and only come back on the Empire Builder. I was thinking just what you suggest, City of Miami--to go as far as Eugene and overnight, and take a Cascades train next morning, so that I can insure I get to SEattle at a decent hour. Besides, I've always wanted to see Eugene (I've seen Portland already). So I have a question: Do you know a good, not too expensive convenient place to stay in Eugene that would be OK for a female alone? Thanks!
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Sojourner - I don't know that much about Eugene, but it IS a college town (University of Oregon), so I would imagine you would be able to find some safe reasonably-priced lodging near the station.
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