Steam & Excursion > How were things on board the Joliet Rocket?

If you rode the Joliet Rocket this weekend, pulled by NKP 765, let us know how things went.

A friend of mine rode in the lowest priced seats and did not enjoy the ride. He said the car was hot for the first part of the trip, there was a long period with no power upon arrival at La Salle St. Station while the train was split in two, and the food and the festivities were none too festive at the station.

Does anyone concur, or have a better experience?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/17 05:25 by stuporchief.

I rode first class Sunday morning and very much enjoyed it. I would've liked to have food & drinks (alcohol) during the ride but I lived. The Farmland Jazz band who played in our car were actually very enjoyable to listen to I thought. The open vestibules were an AWESOME experience and I didn't realize how many cinders were sprayed out. Nothing like getting sandblasted at 67mph!! I'd do it again. We did lose power shortly when they split the train up but it didn't get uncomfortable enough for me to complain. I didn't get a chance to have any food but by the looks of my brother shoving his down his face it must've been good haha. I liked the drinks a lot at the station. I waited in the cab tour line while my friends grabbed me the drink. Seemed like it flew by while we were there. The run by was EXCELLENT into Lasalle and we got to check out the Tioga pass and Scenic View full dome as well. Big thanks to FWRHS and Metra. I hope they do another trip again because I'll be there.

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A friend of mine rode in the lowest priced seats and did not enjoy the ride.

In contrast to your friend, I paid and rode first class and enjoyed it immensely. In general, you get what you pay for.

I agree: "you get what you paid for"

What concerned me was that none of my friend's complaints had to do with the class of service he occupied. A hot car. A long (to him) period without power while the train was switched in the station. And again (to him) a lackluster party in La Salle St. Station.

As we all know, railfans don't ride in large enough numbers to support these trips. It's the "daisy pickers" who do. And their expectations are different from ours.

I'm a huge fan of the 765 -- the group that operates it is top notch. I wish them every success in the world. My comments are offered in that spirit.


Cumbresfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A friend of mine rode in the lowest priced seats
> and did not enjoy the ride.
>
> In contrast to your friend, I paid and rode first
> class and enjoyed it immensely. In general, you
> get what you pay for.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/17 06:46 by stuporchief.

I rode the Sunday afternoon trip in the first class Milwaukee Road lounge. Cold bottled water served, open vestibules at high speed, super soft comfortable seats. The fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, carrots, shrimp cocktail, rice pudding, and the two bourbon drinks were more than I could eat! One of the best excursions I've been on. I think the 765 group and Metra did a great job.

Terry Green
Garrett, IN

So now you have to buy 'first class' to even enjoy an excursion? "Let them eat cake" in coach? Being from across the country, might I ask: what were the fares?

Ed

They did have a/c problems in a few of the coaches on Sunday - it thankfully wasn't that hot of a day. The NS 40-series cars have seats that don't turn, and aren't all that great, so if your friend was on one of them he may not have been that happy.
In Chicago, it was very windy on the station platform - so it was hard to sit down and relax to eat. Some bad luck, as otherwise the weather was perfect. But the sandwiches were very good.

The 765's crew is the best, and they can make any trip go well, in my opinion.

Chris.

While the NS 40 series cars LOOK very nice, and are new and clean inside, they are NOT much in the way of creature comforts, and maybe thy don't cool all that well either. (might not be the cars themselves, but has happened on a couple of occasions) I have always avoided them and upgraded to the deluxe coach, which have always been very nice (Brice Canyon was the best off all of the ones I've ridden.)

I rode NS 29 on Saturday afternoon (one of the deluxe coaches - tickets were $140). I thought it was a very good trip. AC was out when we got on the train and a few other times during the trip, but I didn't think it was a big deal. I rode the vestibule most of the way to the runby, then moved up to the Lake Pepin vestibule afterwards to be closer to the locomotive. Vestibules were never crowded and all the passengers I saw were courteous (we circulated around so everyone that came out got some window time). We didn't do more than about 55mph, which was a little disappointing, as they seemed to be running faster on the other trips (especially the 2 on Sunday).

I thought the layover at La Salle was well executed and most people seemed to be having a good time. It would have been nice to have more space on the platform, but it's a commuter station and the organizers did a good job making it work. There were quite a lot of people dressed up for the event and perhaps this new model of excursion will be a viable alternative to what we've had in the past. As I said earlier, the vestibules weren't overly crowded as there weren't that many hardcore railfans. I'm not sure I'd travel across the country again to do it, but it was a good trip. For me, the biggest disappointment has nothing to do with the ride. Because they scrubbed the Tinley Park runby on all the trips but the one I rode, I was only able to get 1 trackside runby on each trip. I had planned on getting 2 shots by leap frogging ahead while they were at the Tinley Park stop, and it was very disappointing when I got to Oak Forest on Sunday morning and learned they hadn't stopped. Since they weren't behind schedule (like Saturday morning), I assumed (correctly) that the afternoon trip was also not going to stop at Tinley Park. I think it would have stung a little less if I hadn't traveled so far attend these trips. Oh well, it's not the first time a chase hasn't gone as planned.

-James
http://www.steamtrainvideos.com