Passenger Trains > A pleasant ride on the CZ

I'm currently sitting in Chicago's Metropolitan Lounge, having come off #6 (22) and awaiting the call for #48.  I was fortunate just a couple of weeks back to have found sleeper accommodations on both trains that would allow me to train home to Massachusetts from a week of meetings in Silicon Valley.  Amtrak, to their credit, is running three sleepers daily on the CZ, which perhaps combined with high fares has reduced the need to book months in advance as had been the case in years past. 

I'll grade this trip a "B" so far -

- Timekeeping was loose but within what we've come to expect as margin of error for LD trains.  A few minutes late getting positioned at Emeryville lead to a late departure, followed by congestion delays on the Cal-P.  The run over the Rio Grande was an hour or more late, but with padding Denver departure was about forty minutes down and BNSF improved on that by a few minutes, getting us to Chicago 32 minutes down.  The "safety stops" and brake tests associated with backup moves into Denver and Chicago contribute the seeming lack of urgency with which Amtrak operates LD trains these days.

- Our OBS crew was largely friendly, although somewhat sloppy.  My sleeper attendant was a pleasant young man, but took no initiative to change over the room in the evenings or mornings.  The dining car steward was an enormous man who rarely left his "office" in a booth next to the serving station.  He even appeared to have nodded off while customers were still in the diner at the end of one meal.  The diner crew seemed more interested limiting the hours they needed to work than in serving customers...today's only lunch seating was at 10:50am due to the "early arrival into Chicago".  (Scheduled arrival is 2:50pm, actual was 3:20).  Best performers where the lounge attendant and coach attendant who took the initiative to vacuum the upper level lounge floor a couple of times.  Conductors were all solid.

- The diner was sold out of ice cream by the end of lunch the first day out of Emeryville.  By early  the second evening there were no deserts left at all.  The advertised menu special of pork shank was already gone by dinner the first day.  Inventory management seems to be a problem.  On the other hand what they had was well-prepared and I'll give credit for stocking a reasonable variety of beers in the lounge

- The condition of my bedroom was pretty poor.  Because the air conditioning had been over performing on #5, the attendant had duct taped newspaper over the vent - he said Amtrak mechanical had told him that was the only option, and obviously no one in Oakland was able to fix the car.  Similarly, the cabinet doors were all duct taped to stop rattles, and the bathroom module seems had duct tape top to bottom were it joined the car bulkhead.  One of the two blankets in the room was heavily shredded.  The truck under my end of the car groaned continually...fortunately I can sleep through anything :-)

- All that aside, the Zephyr experience is priceless.  The scenery from Sacramento to Denver is a spectacular as any in North America.  It amazes me that Amtrak hasn't done more to sell this - the Canadian's route has nothing on the Zephyr's.  Plus, every train trips is an opportunity to meet interesting people from all corners of the earth.  One of my table-mates last evening was a ninety-five year old woman from Ecuador.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures:

1) Heritage unit 156 gets an enthusiastic greeting from the Emeryville agent.

2) Jury-rigged solution to an over-active air conditioner.

3) Duct tape decor - tacky, but effective.

4) #6 climbing the Sierra

5) At Grand Junction Saturday

6) "Fresh air" stop at Fraser/Winter Park



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/16 19:30 by DavidP.

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Does not sound worthy of a B grade, perhaps a C because what you described is all too usual, normal or average. Not so good, especially staff issues.

Over active air conditioner is way better than no air conditioning, especially with the hot weather currently hitting us.
What did you eat for breakfast and dinner, with the advertised specialties being sold out? 

still gotta think the Canadian is better overall experience...service matters a lot

That grade is a F+. There is no excuse for that type of service , food maint. or whatever. If this is the best Amtrak can do , it may be time to just let it go.

kingman Wrote:
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> That grade is a F+. There is no excuse for that
> type of service , food maint. or whatever. If this
> is the best Amtrak can do , it may be time to just
> let it go.
Let it go? Your opinion based on this review? I put on 10 to 15 thousand miles a year on Amtrak long distance trains and have always had good experiences. When was the last time you rode?

There seem to be quite a few old codgers on TO that want trains to be like they were 75 years ago. It ain't gonna happen.

Posted from iPhone

The over active air conditioner has always been that way - we always traveled with duck tape and a few newspapers.
And this was in the 1990's; think of the person in the upper bunk and the AC just breezing away.
I saw the attendant use a roll of toilet paper to keep the bottom bunk down - so many quick fixes available.
 

As an admitted old codger, I agree with most of what Highball7 wrote. My trips on Amtrak have all gone well. Still, I find this business in the diner to be outrageous, and arguably, more common. It's reaching the point where one may as well pack a picnic basket. Or buy from Fortnums. And yes, west of Denver is nothing but beautiful. d



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 04:54 by dpudave.

Totally  terrible! I rode Pullmans all over the west and remember when a Pullman porter
would replace your towels if you just happened to wash your hands during the day!

lynnpowell Wrote:
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> Over active air conditioner is way better than no
> air conditioning, especially with the hot weather
> currently hitting us.

I share that "glass half full" view :-). Point is after 35+ years experience with Superliners you would think Amtrak could have figured out a better system to regulate temperature than duct tape and newspaper.

> What did you eat for breakfast and dinner, with
> the advertised specialties being sold out? 

Had French toast the first day, dipped into my stash of fruit and Kind bars the second. As far as I know the breakfast stock held up.

Dave

Posted from iPhone

jeff56 Wrote:
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>
> I saw the attendant use a roll of toilet paper to
> keep the bottom bunk down - so many quick fixes
> available.
>  


I had that experience also.  It must be the accepted way to fix stuff.  When he left I got under the seat and fixed the latch.  It worked just fine.  What it needed was some WD40, lol.  Amtrak maintainence is just hopeless.

For the price you pay for a sleeper, what  you're showing me is just not acceptable.  Duct tape is reflective of no-mainenance and a "don't care" attitude.  Amtrak is not in the same league as VIA, that's for certain.  If anything, Amtrak's CZ seems to be in the line of the last days of Southern Pacific's own passenger train service.   Let's just put a train on tracks and little more.

DavidP Wrote:
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>
> I share that "glass half full" view :-). Point is
> after 35+ years experience with Superliners you
> would think Amtrak could have figured out a better
> system to regulate temperature than duct tape and
> newspaper.
>
Yes but that would require some effort.  The effort Amtrak displays on LD trains was
exemplified by your dining car steward.

Too bad the railroads involved at the time didn't force Amtrak to cease using the name California Zephyr
as the Santa Fe did with the name Super Chief.  The condition of the Superliners appear to be close to
that of some private railroads in 1970.  The private railroads that according to Amtrak's revisionist history had
poorly maintained equipment; surly unmotivated employees; and poor food service all in an effort to drive passengers
away.

Glad you enjoyed the trip  I HATE to fly but on a recent trip to California Amtrak was not even an option.  I would
have been like a caged animal after paying top dollar for FIRST CLASS accommodations to find duct tape all over.
I doubt that the undercarriage is maintained any better.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 07:52 by Englewood.

duck tape  seriously, if  i was you forward your comments to customer service and NARP

Are they really doing back up moves into chicago again?  In the past, they would go head in and then turn the train around when they took it our for service.



 

kbmiflyer Wrote:
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> Are they really doing back up moves into chicago
> again?  In the past, they would go head in and
> then turn the train around when they took it our
> for service.

This added an extra 15-20 minutes to our arrival recently. Not sure why this has to be tacked to the end of a 53 hour trip given the 24 hours they have to turn the train for 5(XX). The pictures of a duct taped bedroom are troubling. We pay quite a bit to travel in them, and that makes them look like the backseat of a junked car. Disappointing. 

KCG...Train management has been made aware of the TO post and they found it in this morning e-mails.

Now if they would only do something, besides having a morning briefing.

I have been on both and the Canadian gets a A+.  My three trips on the "Z" would be a B+.  My three Empire builders would also get a B+.  The GN version taken in 1957(?) is an A+ because of the domes as withthe Canadian.
teebone Wrote:
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> still gotta think the Canadian is better overall
> experience...service matters a lot

I always bring a roll of gaffer tape and a bunch of shims for rattles and whatnot.