Passenger Trains > On 41, headed for DC and Savannah (on 97 from DC)

I just boarded train 41 at Chicago for DC.  Sadly, my window is not on the platform side, so my squeegee cannot yet be used.  It would be desirable, but the windows are not disgusting, at least.  I will be able to see outside just fine, I suspect.  Once we are out in the light, I will know for sure.  

Boarding was fine.  I did not arrive at the station until 605, and I boarded with everyone.  It was orderly and generally well done.  Good instructions.  Sort of.  They boarded bedrooms first, and everyone went!  So I stepped up and said, "I am in a sleeper."  I was told I could board right away.  But people do not understand the difference between a roomette and sleeper, so everyone boarded but me, because I know the difference!  Sometimes knowledge get in the way.  Regardless, no complaints about boarding.  Everyone was friendly, no dragons.

I am in a Viewliner I.  I thought it would be a 2, but that is fine.  I like these older cars just fine.  It is clean and in good working order.  The attendant seem solid, and since our car has a dinner reservation for 830, the whole car, I will take dinner in my room, I think.  There are two Avelia trains in the station, one on either side of us.  They are good looking cars.  

There was one passenger who boarded with a bike and handed it up to the baggage car.  First I have seen that, and I am glad that folks use the service.  

More later, as we make progress toward DC.  

Oh, I am off in DC, making some business calls and doing two zoom meetings in the Metropolitan Lounge, and then boarding the Meteor for Savannah.  If the Floridian is hours and hours late, I will rebook to 41 to Savannah, but I am reasonably confident that we will get to DC close to on time.  Famous last words.  I probably just jinxed it all.
 
 

We just passed the Chicago wash rack.  Contrary to gushing RPA reports about a car washer operating in Chicago, it is SHUT DOWN.  Barricades in front of it on both sides, rusty rails leading in and out.  This is ridiculous, Amtrak.  Pathetic.  Just a total lack of concern and/or complete incompetence.  Probably both.

My windows are not the best, but certainly not the worst.  My spouse would not care, I do.  Regardless, I can live with them, and my brain will adjust to the view and take it out of the field of vision eventually, which is kinda cool.

Ha!  They just announced that coach passengers can eat in the diner at 830 pm or 9 pm.  For $45.  Given today's restaurant prices, that is not outrageous, but I would bet there are few takers.  $30-$35 I would do.  $45 is just too high for the quality of the food and service.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/25 16:55 by Chessie1963.

I am enjoying your real time posts, keep them coming!

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So. Still TESTING  car  washer in Chicago!!  Or  waiting  to  CARTIFY!! Amtrak  overpromise  and under peform.  
As  in  ACELA  2  launch!!

We are rolling into Elkhart at about 9:40 pm, and dinner is not yet here.  I asked my attendant if I should just go to the 830 seating.  "No, no, he is preparing yours."  Meanwhile, no one in the car has received anything.  My rationale for eating in my room was to eat before 10 pm eastern, but it appears that will not be the case.  My advice?  If you take this train from Chicago, eat before you board.  Especially if you get hangry, as I do!  Sorry, but that is affecting this post! 

You will see a Superliner on the rear of our train if you are on camera.  I am not sure what type as I was in a crowd on the way out.  There are two Chargers up front.  We are now pulling out of Elkhart.

More in the morning.

Ok.  Dinner was spectacular.  The steak was cooked to order, and spot on.  The salad was the usual, the potatoes were very good, the carrots and green beans done just right with a touch of crisp in the beans but not the carrots.

Cheesecake for dessert and a Stone IPA before bed completes a nice evening.

Maybe be more patient than me out of Chicago and get dinner.  I stand corrected.

Thanks for your posts and bringing us along with you onboard .

Chessie1963 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We are rolling into Elkhart at about 9:40 pm, and
> dinner is not yet here.  I asked my attendant if
> I should just go to the 830 seating.  "No, no, he
> is preparing yours."  Meanwhile, no one in the
> car has received anything.  My rationale for
> eating in my room was to eat before 10 pm eastern,
> but it appears that will not be the case.  My
> advice?  If you take this train from Chicago, eat
> before you board.  Especially if you get hangry,
> as I do!  Sorry, but that is affecting this
> post! 
>
> You will see a Superliner on the rear of our train
> if you are on camera.  I am not sure what type as
> I was in a crowd on the way out.  There are two
> Chargers up front.  We are now pulling out of
> Elkhart.
>
> More in the morning.

That Superliner you see on the back was a sleeper.  Perhaps goiing to be assighed on the Auto-train?

The dinner process out of Chicago on the Floridian is absolutely horrendous. And I feel sorry for the onboard dining staff dealing with this. I wrote about it in my May trip on the Floridian from Chicago to DC......I took the FIRST reservation possible in Diner - 7:30 pm (central), but the priority then was to feed those taking meals in their room, so we sat for an hour or so plus waiting for our dinner. Means while, the next two seating times were out of synch so then they just had EVERYONE come to the diner who wanted dinner at like 10:30 pm (eastern). Breakfast and lunch the next day (coming into DC) were much more orderly. Chessie's #41 (27) is ironically ontime! One solution would be to have an extra food server/preparer operate the Floridian between Chicago and Toledo (west and eastbound exclusively). It's just such a HUGE rush out of Chicago. 

The sun is filtering through a humid haze as we roll toward Cumberland, pretty much on time.  The NS trackage that I wrote about last week west of Toledo was a wild ride last night.  I don't know how many times I was jostled awake.  A bit after Cleveland, things smoothed out.  

The interior of each sleeper is kinda dirty, not due to lack of attention, but due to no refresh in some time.  Carpets are showing what are likely water stains, there is dirt in corners, etc.  Time for a deep clean and refresh. 

I took a shower down the hall, and that was good, then went off to breakfast.  I sat with a fellow from Oklanhoma who is headed to DC as a tourist.  We had a nice chat.  I got the scrambled eggs with bacon.  It was good, but fell short of the quality of last night's dinner.  My Sooner breakfast mate agreed that dinner last night was terrific.

As to the way dining works out of Chicago, yea, it is rough.  Too many people all at once.  Last night the folks in the diner were served first, and those in their rooms evidently last or near the last.  I got my food at 940 pm eastern.  I was trying to concoct a better way to get it done, but I am not sure I have one.  Maybe offer a nice box dinner alternative for in-room dining?  Just heat and serve and that would take a load off of the kitchen.  I dunno...

They said the diner is setting up for lunch.  For some reason I did not think we would get lunch before DC, but then again, there are a lot of folks continuing on past DC, so it makes sense.  I may skip it.

So far, a good trip.  Nothing fancy, just Amtrak getting it done.

Oh!  And one more thing!  There is actually coffee in my sleeper!  I have not seen that really since COVID ended!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/25 06:25 by Chessie1963.

I am going through emails while we crawl after Cumberland.  We are moving at about 10 mph and have been.  Must be some freight congestion up around the yard area.  Anyhow, in my emails was a survey about my Lake Shore Limited trip last Thursday/Friday.  There were some new questions about security at the stations as well as on board the train.  Further, there were questions about the presence of the homeless at the origin and destination stations.  I have not seen that before.  Nothing about window cleanliness!

This is my. last post on this thread unless something significant happens.  I will post from 97 this evening or upon arrival in Savannah tomorrow morning.

And I am already back...we departed Cumberland on time and we are now told that there is a disabled train in front of us.  On the track next to us there is a garbage train that is, for some reason, dead in the water.  We were just told that we may be awhile while crews try to move the train in front of us, or the trash train next to us.  I am not sure just how much info our crew actually has...it all sounds odd to me.  And I have some basic operating knowledge from about 30 years ago.  Tech has changed, but the principles are the same as they were back then.

With any luck this will be a short delay.  I have several zoom meetings that I had hoped to do from the station in DC, starting at 230 pm.  I thought that would be enough of a buffer...fingers crossed.

We are on the move, and I think we lost 50-60 minutes.  There are a number of freight trains on either side of Cumberland, and we are getting threaded through it all.  We took a delay, but I expect we will still make DC reasonably close to the advertised.

Regarding lunch...you only get lunch on board if you are going beyond DC.  Those of us exiting at DC do not get lunch on board.  Here is where a nice little box would be a cool touch.  But, you know.  It is not a big deal at all.  Just thinking about it.

And if the train is 5 hours late into Maryland, do you still not get lunch if you're leaving the train at DC?

Sounds like an OK trip so far. Thanks for sharing.

Last post!  For real...

The sleepers are about half full now, out of Harper's Ferry.  The train was pretty much sold out out of Chicago, but folks started stepping off at Pittsburgh and that has continued.  I was encouraged to see a lot of bikes.  At Connelsville, Martinsburg, and Harper's Ferry there were folks grabbing their bikes from the baggage car.  

I did go to lunch, and was served, even though Ram (that was the fellow's name) knew I was off at DC.  He said it was fine and that I must have misunderstood what he meant.  Fair enough.

So yes, overall a fine trip.  We should be in DC at a decent time.  I have enjoyed the crew, my fellow passengers, and the trip in general.

The train needs a bath.  Not desperately, but it definitely needs a wash of some sort.  The inside however, I am impressed with how the sleeper attendants are prepping for the DC flip of the train and crew.  I was told that relatively few folks ride Chicago to Florida.  Some, but not a lot.

 

Chessie1963 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Last post!  For real...
>
> The sleepers are about half full now, out of
> Harper's Ferry.  The train was pretty much sold
> out out of Chicago, but folks started stepping off
> at Pittsburgh and that has continued.  I was
> encouraged to see a lot of bikes.  At
> Connelsville, Martinsburg, and Harper's Ferry
> there were folks grabbing their bikes from the
> baggage car.  
>
> I did go to lunch, and was served, even though Ram
> (that was the fellow's name) knew I was off at DC.
>  He said it was fine and that I must have
> misunderstood what he meant.  Fair enough.
>
> So yes, overall a fine trip.  We should be in DC
> at a decent time.  I have enjoyed the crew, my
> fellow passengers, and the trip in general.
>
> The train needs a bath.  Not desperately, but it
> definitely needs a wash of some sort.  The inside
> however, I am impressed with how the sleeper
> attendants are prepping for the DC flip of the
> train and crew.  I was told that relatively few
> folks ride Chicago to Florida.  Some, but not a
> lot.
>
>

Thanks for the on the spot reports. Some many problems with this train would be solved if they just reverted to running it as two separate trains: the Capitol between Washington and Chicago and a truncated Silver Star between DC and Miami.

Delay Notification: As of 1:28 PM ET, Train 97 will be delayed departing New York (NYP) due to the late arrival of equipment.
A delay of up to 1 hour is expected. We appreciate your patience during this process and are committed to providing
additional details as soon as they become available. For customers waiting to board this train, departure estimates
are subject to change.

To bad since the equipment has been in Sunnyside since Saturday.  The train was cancelled yesterday (Sunday)

jeff56 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Delay Notification: As of 1:28 PM ET, Train 97
> will be delayed departing New York (NYP) due to
> the late arrival of equipment.
> A delay of up to 1 hour is expected. We appreciate
> your patience during this process and are
> committed to providing
> additional details as soon as they become
> available. For customers waiting to board this
> train, departure estimates
> are subject to change.
>
> To bad since the equipment has been in Sunnyside
> since Saturday.  The train was cancelled
> yesterday (Sunday)

I guess the "same day turn" for 97/98 won't be instituted anytime soon.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/25 14:07 by Lackawanna484.

Yea. I just saw this. Crazy. And typical lately.

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