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Hi everyone!! We are back from our western train-auto trip! Everything went well, and I will have a full trip report (the AMTRAK part of it) posted soon -- right now I am not feeling that well, as I caught some kind of flu virus on the way home (maybe from eating the braised beef on the SWC?) I will submit a report in an as-yet-to-be-determined format in the next few weeks. The trip went well, though, and my wife enjoyed it also.
Some highlights:
-- "diner lite" service is edible, but not as good as the full service used to be, and the very very VERY limited menu is awful boring!! (except on the Empire Builder). Food tastes "so-so." The "special of the day" on every train was chicken-fried steak (or "country fried steak" as some call it) -- yeecccch!! We also heard that the roasted chicken pizza is pretty bad.....
-- the crews were great on all trains
-- the SWC, while running on the BNSF Transcon line (L.A. to Albuquerque) does exceptionally well with timekeeping, even with at least one freight train passing every 2-3 minutes (double-track main)-- wish UP and other railroads could do the same......
-- CSX tracks between the NE and Florida are the roughest on the system, and are getting worse!
-- Viewliner sleepers, even though they are newer than Superliners, are aging fast......
-- Izaak Walton Inn is absolutely THE BEST spot to stay for railfans -- the entire lodge is decorated in railroad themes (pictures, railroad memorabilia, railroad souvenirs, etc.)
--to Mr. Gilbert B. Norman -- I believe I saw you walking your "pooch" through a little park in Clarendon Hills about 3 PM last Sunday, when our SWC came through -- were you the bald gentlemen wearing shorts?
--Finally, I did not see ONE "train-off notice" anywhere we went, or hear ANYRHING about train-offs anywhere! What's the story, Mr. BNSF????
Full report to come later.......
--Rich K
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Not I, Mr. Rich--
Although at 65 I am rather bald, I do not wear shorts or sandals. Also, I always wear a hat.
But that day, Casey (Golden Retriever) said to me "It's too darned hot'; she wished to venture no further than the backyard for "business'.
BTW - it still is!!!
Oh, off rails; "It's too Darned Hot' is a George/Ira Gershwin composed song from the 1934 folk-opera "Porgy and Bess". If there ever were a song that evoked the discomfort of pre-air conditioned days (I knew them well as a kid), it's gotta be that one!!!! Wonder why Mr. Rich, save one August family emergency, I've never set foot in your State earlier than Thanx or later than "an early" Easter.
Lastly, the "little park" is @ West Hinsdale, MP 17.7.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Looking forward to your report. I'm sorry to hear that you became ill while traveling. I picked up something on the California Zephyr in April and cannot remember ever feeling as bad as I did when I stepped off the train in Emeryville....five hours late. And oh yes....our extra supper which was served due to our lateness was either roast chicken or, you guessed it, chicken fried steak. Amtrak must have gotten a real deal on chicken fried steak!
Beacon Hill Member # 4431
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Just a small correction: "It's Too Darned Hot" is from Kiss Me, Kate (Cole Porter). In the 50s and early 60s the first line of the song was either "according to the Kinsey Report" or "according to the latest report" depending upon the sensitivities of the intended audience. Mentioning "The Kinsey Report" was often regarded as too scandalous. "Summertime" is a great song from Porgy & Bess for hot summer days. Stay cool everyone!
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Ouch, Mr. Hill...I must stand corrected.
And "Summertime' which I once heard my Sister perform in concert, nicely fills the bill!!!
But then Italy in August (I've been there) does get hot.
We open in Venice, we next play Verona then on to Cremona....(censored lyrics)
My Mother and Father "went to the Shows" all I got to hear was the LP's.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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Just to show that nothing is really off topic with this forum:
"It's Too Darned Hot" was often performed a cappella in concert by the pop singer Jewel, who claimed "Ella Fitztgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook" was her bible. Jewel's first and biggest hit in the late 90's was "Who Will Save Your Soul" (which still holds the record for the longest run on the top 100). She wrote it as she travelled from her high school in Michigan to California, ... on the Southwest Chief.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Ella Fitzgerald does a great version of Summertime too--made even better by Louis Armstrong's trumpet playing. Ella and Louis did a music-only version (not a mounted production) of the score of Porgy and Bess--that's where it's from.
If you prefer more operatic versions, Leontyne Price has a very good one.
If you prefer something else entirely, there is Janis Joplin. Not to mention that pop version by Billy Stewart, speeded up and kinda catchy.
I also love Ella F's Cole Porter Song Book. Porter was wonderful; so clever and racey. One of my favorite songs that Ella does on that album is "Anything Goes."
In olden days a glimpse of stocking Was looked on as something shocking Now, heaven knows, Anything goes! Good writers, too, who once used better words Now only use four-letter words Writing prose . . . Anything goes!
(I love when we go off topic!)
Welcome back, Mr RRRRRich! Sorry you are feeling poorly. I got ill BEFORE I got on the Empire Builder coming home last May; it seemed liked allergies, and I think it was from all the grunge in Seattle!
train lady Member # 3920
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When I saw saw original KIss ME KATE in 1949, Too Darn Hot was sung and danced by a terrific trio of black men,Fred Davis,Eddie Sledge and Lorenzo Fuller. When it was made into a movie It was changed to Anne Miller who did the number. The original was, to me , far superior. It's not surprising that people get sick on the train though I expect it is a lot less than on a plane. One year I got viral bronchitis from the man across the hall who never stopped coughing and didn't close his door. Being exposed to so many people on the train and in the stations is a wonderful breeding ground for viruses. I hope you are feeling better.
20th Century Member # 2196
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Dare I say it? I love the way this thread has become off topic. How about "..got my bags,got my reservations, long to hear that All Aboard."? That tune comes to my mind when I take train journeys.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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OK folks, sorry bout all of this.
But we have clearly established that "It's too Darned Hot' has been performed by a number of well-known African American artists.
And from there is where my confusion came; especially considering the number of 'stifiling' scenes in "Porgy and Bess'.
I guess if there were a Moderator around here, this whole discussion would be killed, but then I guess the Moderator around here goes by the handle "Nobody's Home".
OK allow me to return to some semblance of topic. If your music training and preference falls within the "classical' genre, I can't think of a more impressive work to be listening to than the Fortuna Imperatrix from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana' when your train such as the Zephyr ascends the Rockies heading West from Denver.
Beacon Hill Member # 4431
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So let's get back on topic (sort of)...what are your favorite train songs or train movies? I nominate "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" from 42nd Street.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Only problem with that song, Mr. Hill, is that an Amtrak Attendant expects somewhat more than..... "You will give the Pullman Rorter a shiny new Quarter to turn the lights down low"
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