Passenger Trains > Amtrak Trip Report, Chief, City & Sunset

On Saturday 9/5 I left Flagstaff on the Chief to Chicago.  My next leg of the trip was Chicago to Memphis with an overnight stay in Central Station Hotel  above the train station. The next day we traveled Memphis to New Orleans then left the following Saturday back to Maricopa, Arizona.  Trains were empty and crews were constantly on the PA about wearing mask. All passengers complied and wore mask.  I'll break out each segment below.
Southwest Chief:
 The train was 1/2 late into Flagstaff and the crew let everyone spread out between the 3 coaches to get away from each other. The train was about 30% full with a lot of Amish riders who didn't have to wear mask like regular riders. The train experienced no other delays and was an hour early into KC and Chicago. Only rough track experienced was Eastern Colorado and Kansas.
City of New Orleans:
Train was packed full of college kids who all exited in Champagne, IL and was a half hour early into Memphis. After an overnight Stay in Memphis we re-boarded the train again which also a half hour early. This time the train have about a dozen passengers in 1 coach and the other 2 coaches blocked off. The train was an hour early into New Orleans. The Central Station Hotel is great place to stay  and check out if you are ever in Memphis
Sunset:
Worst crew to be dealt with, The crew forced everyone to site in the front half of 1 coach in assigned seats not letting passengers distance themselves from each other while constantly threatening to throw anyone off the train who didn't have a mask on. When passengers asked why they couldn't sit in the other coaches the crew wouldn't give a straight answer. The train carried refuges from New Orleans back to Western Louisiana. The train was an hour early into San Antonio. The Texas Eagle section's crew was smarter and nicer then the Los Angeles Based crew on the Sunset. The Eagles crew flipped the foot rest up forcing passengers to sit every other row to distance themselves from each other vs the Sunset crew cramming everyone else in the front half of 1 car. The 3rd coach was not opened to passengers until Tucson with Tucson and Maricopa being larger loading stops.  Not sure why the crew couldn't of let everyone spread out and fill in as more people came aboard. We lost about a half hour off the schedule on West Texas but made up for it and were 45 minutes early into Maricopa.
The Sunset crew was constantly barking about  wearing mask then would all hang out in half the dinning car that was off limits to passengers without mask on to chat. The tables were filthy in all 3 observation cars and  I'm not sure why on board crews cant wipe them down for cleanliness as they have plenty of time on the train. All 3 observation cars didn't look like they were ever cleaned on the inside as they had lots of dust and grime on them. All the quipment is pretty worn out but still comfortable to ride. The Chief and City of NOL had nice and friendly crews and overall it was a great journey with awesome scenery. The Conductor from San Antonio to El Paso was really good of giving history and narrative on the PA along the journey and the 2 buck burritos sold in El Paso to the waiting train are really good.

Why don't the Amish have to wear masks?  The same rules should apply to everyone....including the crews.  No clue what mask wearing has with religious beliefs. The Amish I saw on my recent trip were wearing masks.  With 3x per week service coming, crappy crews should be the ones laid off or fired..not the good crews as you had on the City and Chief. But we all know that won't happen. Sad they couldn't keep things clean. But lower your mask to eat while eating with no one else around and you get yelled at. Nice. 

You ought to write up that awful crew to your Copngessional delagation, Coscia, and Flynn.

mococomike Wrote:
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The Chief and City
> of NOL had nice and friendly crews and overall it
> was a great journey with awesome scenery.

I'm curious as to which parts of the City of New Orleans route you found scenic.  Ten years ago, I rode the City from New Orleans to Chicago.  Aside from the views approaching Chicago, the night time views of Memphis and seeing a crocodile sunning itself somewhere north of New Orleans, the scenery was pleasant, but nothing I would rate as "awesome."  Maybe the views are better in the southbound direction.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/20 14:33 by RuleG.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why don't the Amish have to wear masks?  The same
> rules should apply to everyone....including the
> crews.  No clue what mask wearing has with
> religious beliefs. The Amish I saw on my recent
> trip were wearing masks.  With 3x per week
> service coming, crappy crews should be the ones
> laid off or fired..not the good crews as you had
> on the City and Chief. But we all know that won't
> happen. Sad they couldn't keep things clean. But
> lower your mask to eat while eating with no one
> else around and you get yelled at. Nice. 

You make a good point if we go to 3 days, this is Amtrak's chance.to get rid of the crappy i don't care employees... now I'm sure the great ones will be the one gone as this is Amtrak and they never use common sense.

Posted from Android

Been like that for years, nothing new here!

I am so sick of these passenger hostile Amtrak crews.  This is the difference between a not-for-profit and a for-profit business.  The crappy, unhelpful attitude of so many Amtrak employees is sickening.  Fire these jokers!!!  But, Amtrak won't because they can't.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/20 19:55 by wtsherman100.

They an still dona good job and have pride in what they do. If some can do it anyone can do it. The bathrooms can get nasty, especially when an attendant ignores it. Others I've seen keep them very clean. It's all an attitude.

Posted from Android

I've had many many amazing Amtrak crew and many of my experiences of Amtrak travel have been significantly improved by the crew, the Sunset being the only exception.
I asked to move due to my window having something wrong with it meaning I literally couldn't see out of it (pre-Covid). I even volunteered to downgrade from a Bedroom to a Roomette with no refund - I just wanted to be able to see!  I was told by the Conductor to stay where I was or get off. I got off!

Memma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've had many many amazing Amtrak crew and many of
> my experiences of Amtrak travel have been
> significantly improved by the crew, the Sunset
> being the only exception.
> I asked to move due to my window having something
> wrong with it meaning I literally couldn't see out
> of it (pre-Covid). I even volunteered to downgrade
> from a Bedroom to a Roomette with no refund - I
> just wanted to be able to see!  I was told by the
> Conductor to stay where I was or get off. I got
> off!

Good for you!  I am spending my hard earned money elsewhere these days.

-John

goduckies Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> andersonb109 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why don't the Amish have to wear masks?  The
> same
> > rules should apply to everyone....including the
> > crews.  No clue what mask wearing has with
> > religious beliefs. The Amish I saw on my recent
> > trip were wearing masks.  With 3x per week
> > service coming, crappy crews should be the ones
> > laid off or fired..not the good crews as you
> had
> > on the City and Chief. But we all know that
> won't
> > happen. Sad they couldn't keep things clean.
> But
> > lower your mask to eat while eating with no one
> > else around and you get yelled at. Nice. 
>
> You make a good point if we go to 3 days, this is
> Amtrak's chance.to get rid of the crappy i don't
> care employees... now I'm sure the great ones will
> be the one gone as this is Amtrak and they never
> use common sense.
>
> Posted from Android

Will not happen. It's all done by seniority, last hired, first fired. You can be the best in the world, and be let go, while the worst hang on, because they've been breathing longer. It's assinine.

The Sunset is Amtrak's junk  train, literally.  It was the last to be converted to Superliners and the equipment is the last to be serviced, if at all, even though there is a three day layover in LA.  The Chief and the Starlight get the good equipment and the Sunset gets whatever is left over.  If management had their way, the train would be dumped faster than you could say Amtrak.  As for the crews, they have their own separate training program from the "Friendly" Southern Pacific public relations department headed by the ghost of D. J. Russell. :-)

At one point (early 2000's) the Sunset, I thought, was notorious for getting the Superliner II's in equipment, along with the Coast Starlight. Always felt LA would pluck any Superliner II off the Southwest Chief - if one appeared - and immediately reserve it for the Coast Starlight or Sunset Limited.......If equipment was broke on the Southwest Chief, they could just ignore it, turn it around, and send back to Chicago. Rosenwald also wanted the flagship Coast Starlight with Superliner II's.