Passenger Trains > Recent trip on the Coast Starlight

     I've read good and bad on trips people have taken on Amtrak, but since the last time I was on a intercity train was on the real California Zephyr, So I have had no comment since I had not experienced it first hand. I had thought some had past judgment on good ol Amtrak a little on the harsh side, after all, I've had crappy food a lot of times so why are people so opinionated about the food service. Now I kinda get it.
   
     So from the beginning, I had a sudden family emergency come up, we had lost our oldest son and I had to go to LA to pick up his remains. My Truck was in the shop, No flights  out of Redding on the weekend and the rental car places were closed till Monday and none available. My wife wanted me on my way and the only option really was Amtrak on #11 the Coast Starlight on Sunday. So onto the site I went trying to get a ticket. I put in the date South and a return the following day on #14. Easy enough.....nope. I went through the whole thing reserved both ways, it said each train was only 1/4 full, fine and dandy till I went to pay, nope said there was a conflict. Didn't say what. Not even a hint. So I ran it again, this time it was a 100 dollars more, same result. Did it a third time, another 100 dollars. Yet it kept saying it still had a roomette available both ways. A roomette was desired since I was going to have our Sons ashes and a coach seat just wasn't any more practical than having him sent home FedEx . So as a result, I made a phone call to Amtrak to get it straightened it out. The lady was nice and I told her why I was traveling on short notice, she went on and said she saw the same thing and explained their computer was showing an error, I could get there on Sunday for 250 bucks, but the train the next morning was full between LA and San Luis. Interesting that the northbound train cost 3 time what southbound was. So since they are only running 3 days a week I had to wait till Wednesday to catch the #14 north. Strike one for Covid.
   
    The Coast Starlight is amply named, If you want to get on in Redding its going to be in the middle of the night. 2:30 AM doesn't get much more starlight than than. Even though I know its easier to win the lottery than expect the train early, but I still showed up 1:45 to be on the safe side. Amtrak did send out a message via text to say #11 was delayed by 20 minutes. It did arrive at 2:35 AM so I wasn't to bent out of shape, not really a long delay, other than being at the Amtrak depot in the middle of the night with no waiting room and plenty of homeless jerks making folk waiting for the train uncomfortable. Ya that was a big strike for Amtrak, glad it was me and not my wife. It did look up from there.
   
   The Train stopped and a car attendant poked his head out from the second car in the train which was the sleeper and called my name. Kinda cool I thought, then he welcomed me and told me where my roomette was. The Roomette was already made down for me, again, pretty cool. Now with the bed made down there isn't much room to get inside to allow standing to situate my things, but I've slept in a bus at work many times so not really an issue. got read for bed and hit the sheets. Now for a rail fan it was pretty cool being the second car from the engines, you can hear them rumble, very soothing. I wasn't worried about hitting any cars as the engineer never stopped blowing the horn all the way to Sacramento. I had no Idea there was so many grade crossing, trails and goat paths. I was slightly puzzled that there were no written documentation to tell me how thing were scheduled. Later I found out there is no loud speaker announcements between 10pm and 8 am. As much as the engineer was laying on the horn, did it matter? OK ya I know he had a job to do, he did it real well. The hog on #14 on the trip north wasn't nearly as heavy handed.
   
     So after a few hours sleep I got up went to brush my teeth and freshen up, the shower had a mop and cleaning supplies stored in it. That kinda sucked. Maybe Amtrak should say in their brochure showers avalible if not used for storage. Could be the attendant was going to clean it but had to deal with the stop. By this time we were in Oakland so I stepped off the train with my trusty mask to enjoy my own breath as Amtrak requires you to were them on the platform. Good thing I brushed my teeth.​ While Amtrak does require you to wear masks on board the train and on the platforms, you didn't need to wear one in your roomette.

   The attendant told me I could go for breakfast any time I would like, so off to the Diner I went. There were only 4 of us in the Diner at that time and that's when I found out only Sleeper passengers were permitted. So this was my first contact with the Flex menu. ( there was one in my room as well ) As was reported already by someone elses trip about the omelette, ya it was a  Days Inn quality continental breakfast with package processed potato pieces. At least they had Tabasco to help it along. Now the Dining Car Attendant (DCA) was great. Very helpful and professional in every way. He brought my food in a plastic tray that held the food and plastic utensils and my coffee. Big bonus for Amtrak, the coffee is darn good. When I returned to my Roomette it had already been readied for daytime use.
   
     The south valley has some pretty marginal track in places, its pretty interesting watching the diaphragms bounce back and forth, fairly violent at times and quite a few slow orders. The DCA came around to see if I needed anything and get my lunch request, I told him I want the full experience and was going to try the cafe.
    
     He gave me a tag to present so it was all taken care of and brought me more coffee. Did I say how good the coffee was. I ventured to the Cafe where I got the microwave Burger and a Tea. Yep, just like a microwave burger from AM PM. (Mini Mart in the west) Sergio the DCA came around for my dinner reservation and I had the Garlic and Herb Cod, again in the plastic tray. Better then anything I ever got on a plane. Cant complain about it. But then I saw the menu online and realized I missed out on a steak if they had the normal menu which had a much better selection. Interesting enough other than a few slow times we never once went in the hole for a freight. The rest of the trip south was uneventful other than late in the day it did get kinda stuffy on the lower deck in the sleeper. The Sleeping Car Attendant (SCA) was definitely Johnny on the spot to see if I needed anything. Its good to be the King. I did ask him if he could go back and get a coach passenger to play fiddle for me.

Amtrak did make up for their tardy arrival in Redding by arriving in Los Angeles at 8:05 an hour early.




 



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/21 15:50 by TomG.

Thank You for sharing Tom...  I am sorry for Your Loss.

    For my return trip North on #14, things were a bit different. My brother had to drop me off at Union Station at 6am so he could get to work, so I had from 6am to 10am to kill.  I read about the LA Metropolitan Lounge reserved for Sleeping Car Passengers and Business Class on the Amtrak website and thought I'd check it out.. It was locked but you rang the Bell and a nice lady came and let you in and positioned you in a seat that was socially distant. She was very nice and brought me Coffee and a muffin and returned often to see if anyone need anything. Again I wondered if any of the coach passengers had arrived so one could come play fiddle for us, maybe carry my bags. I was very surprised at Union Station, when I arrived on #11 the Oscars were just ending, hey, I saw Sarah Michelle Geller headed to her car, I said hello but she didn't recognize me. Maybe it was the mask. But on Wednesday they still had not cleaned up and removed the barriers from the main entrance. Sucked as I would like to have seen the main hall. Did I tell you I saw Sarah Michelle Geller, pretty cool Huh. So I enjoyed my beverage ( did I tell you how good the coffee was ) in the Lounge until the nice lady told us that they were going to take us via electric car to train side so we didn't have to walk, just as well as I didn't think a coach passenger was going to carry my bags. Seriously though there was Red Cap service but I wasn't going to hand my bag or or Ern to anyone. In the past pretty much every trip I ever had on Greyhound or Airplane, my luggage always went on a much longer vacation than I have. Im that guy that if I took a Taxi across town my bags would end up on a rickshaw in some other country.

    So they dropped us train side in 3 or 4 carts right as #14 was backing in. Interesting to note on the way down with #11 we had 9 cars and a baggage. 3 sleepers, diner, cafe, 3 coaches, business class coach then baggage. On #14 no baggage, still a 10 car train. 3 sleepers, diner, cafe, 4 coaches and the business class coach which I imagine didn't hear the horn nearly as well as the sleeper passengers, their loss.

When it was lunch time, I tried the Red Wine Braised Beef. Here is where things slipped a cog as it wasn't as good as the trip South. You would think that everyone would have the same training the same for the same jobs. The DCA was Indian, not our friendly kind that have Casinos and we stole land from, the the east kind that Christopher Columbus was looking for. This chap was hard to understand anything he said, and didn't get my food right till the third time he brought it, and then it was in a cardboard box. What happened to the cute little plastic tray thingy? I felt like I was from coach or something. Then after I returned to my roomette he started calling my name on the loud speaker, hard to understand, but my Car Attendant recognized it too and knew I already ate. So she went to straighten him out. My SCA took my dinner order and reservation time and when I returned to the diner I was there for awhile before he brought me someone elses diner. I had the Asian Noodle Bowl and and he brought me the Shrimp, second time he got it right, but the shrimp dinner he brought first did look good. I figured if he called me again, this time I was going to eat again since the portions weren't huge guy like portions. Maybe that's why I'm on a diet..I regress.

    By Santa Barbara we had stopped 3 times to eject rowdy passengers from the coach section for not wearing the mandated masks and one who had just a tad to much of the drink and the fellas in blue came and asked him to go down town and party with them at the hoosegow. This put us an hour late. I'm thinking hey, they did it once, maybe lightning can strike twice in the same place. Nope. This is the part that makes no sense. I know we had to change engineers in Oakland, but we stopped at Oakland, Emeryville, Martinez, Davis and Sacramento.  Each of these stops were for 10 to 15 minutes and no apparent action happening around the train, and no one even on the platforms. Its not like we had to wait for anyone as we were an hour late, if they went there by then they ain't comin. So as a result we arrived in Redding at 4:10 am instead of the middle of the night scheduled 3:06am. Anyone who has ever caught a train at 3am knows the AM stands Oh my god its early. Or late. Good news we got our son home where he belongs.

    I have to admit I did think the Food service and the flex menu was indeed lacking. I laughed in the cafe when I saw the cardboard trash can blocking the access to the rest of the cafe car lower section so the staff could hang out. If Amtrak is going to condone this, they should at least put up a partition for their privacy and not look like they are hording the good seats. But then again, if it were me, that's where I would have been instead of upstairs having to deal with the idiot with his socks and shoes off and putting his feet on the widow glass.....fffhhh coach passengers....

    Over all I didn't enjoy the 18 hours each way that's only a 8 hour drive as a rail fan. But in the process I noticed how many elderly folks use the train, many that had trouble walking. The amazing numbers of people that lined the tracks that waved at the train both directions. Everywere people stopped to wave us along. One couple had a bench in their back yard and were there both ways, ( of course for those lucky stiffs it was day time) waving their hearts outs. Its then that it hit me, Amtrak west isn't just some tourist attraction where the east hauls people for work and the rest is play, its Americana. It does bring joy to people on and off the train that pay their fair share of taxes and get the excitement out of it as much as Baseball and Grandmas Apple Pie.


( no coach passenger were harmed in this review, it you were offended or feel sorry for the coach folk, please ask Santa for a sense of humor)



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/21 15:37 by TomG.

Good report. They don't block the section for the crew to hang out". They probably want no one down there. This is the nit picking, entitlement attitudes I have seen in folks after the lock down. Complain about the smallest thing instead of enjoying life. Hope On board workers got a free 2 week vacation working thru the pandemic like managers get bonuses. They will need it with the new and unimproved American after lockdown.lol
Also, with the very low ticket prices in the coaches, the former bus riders have switched to Amtrak and it doesn't make for a safe environment. Keep your eyes on your belongings.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/21 05:01 by grlhughes.

I recall a frequent Starlight conductor telling me a few years ago that the call #11 & #14 "The Coast Barfight."  Looks like it continues to deserve the dubious moniker.

-John

jcaestecker Wrote:
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> I recall a frequent Starlight conductor telling me
> a few years ago that the call #11 & #14 "The Coast
> Barfight."  Looks like it continues to deserve
> the dubious moniker.
>
> -John

From my recent trip on 21 and 314, it's that way across the whole system. Amtrak seems to be pushing booze and that's never a good thing when your in the business of transporting people. For most of us, we don't want to be on a "party bus" for immature middle age adult children afraid of growing old and dying. Very big on #313/314 and Missouri can't figure out why ridership hasn't come back to put 311/316 back on.#duh.lol

Posted from Android



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/21 05:59 by grlhughes.

Can they sell booze on trains in Missouri on Sundays ? 

New Haven commuter bar cars cross-subsidized dining cars to Boston. Amtrak is a reincarnated Penn Central. Makes sense now. 

Tom, count your blessings that you won't become a HOMELESS JERK !!

jeff56 Wrote:
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> Tom, count your blessings that you won't become a
> HOMELESS JERK !!

Nothing wrong with being homeless.  But the JERK part comes when the person walks around asking people for money and then being aggressive when they say no.  

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can they sell booze on trains in Missouri on
> Sundays ? 
>
> New Haven commuter bar cars cross-subsidized
> dining cars to Boston. Amtrak is a reincarnated
> Penn Central. Makes sense now. 

ALOT of alcohol sold on Sunday.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/21 08:14 by grlhughes.

Dinner is what you have in the “Diner”. It is a Dining Car. Rant over.

Posted from iPhone

TomG:

First, my condolences for your terrible loss.

Second, while a bit hard to read because of the lack of white space (paragraph separation is your friend), this had to be one of the more entertaining posts I've read on TO in a while.  Honest, not politically correct (TOTALLY appreciate that!), often quite funny and witty, and on point.  Love the "get a coach passenger to play fiddle for us" bit - very amusing!  Sorry to hear Michelle Gellar didn't recognize you - I'll have to talk to her people about that.

Thanks for brightening my day!

Thank you for the detailed report.I am very sorry to hear of your loss.Bill Webb 

PE-717 Wrote:
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> Dinner is what you have in the “Diner”. It is
> a Dining Car. Rant over.
>
> Posted from iPhone

Its a good rant, It was late and I was getting kinda punchy. Dinner...Diner.....You say potato I say potato.....You notice in you head you say it right, but when its written down, its just....potato....

And as for the Fiddle joke, I cant take credit for it, it was based on something said by the great Jim Gaffigan.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/21 13:42 by TomG.

jeff56 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tom, count your blessings that you won't become a
> HOMELESS JERK !!

Jeffy they were obnoxious, cussing and harassing people that were there for a reason. So Ya, HOMELESS JERKS. The nice homeless were sleeping off their fix in the park 6 blocks away or at the 7 Eleven not bothering anyone. Now if this still sticks in your craw, message me privately with your address and Ill take it to the Amtrak Station. Maybe they might like a change of location.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/21 14:49 by TomG.

Great  trip report Tom... 
So sorry about you loss...:(:(:(
Thank you for sharing this story with us...:):):)

I have never appreciated the use of paragraphs until I tried to read the OP's posts.

It's a shame--a big, BIG shame--that Amtrak is still so inconsisent and problematic, FIFTY years on. Brian Rosenwald, bless him, really did try to make the Starlight something better, and to see it blossom in the '90s was a joy. (Never mind that timekeeping still sucked.) But the letdown was inevitable, and nowadays, as much as I like train travel, I'd just as soon fly.

DFWJIM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have never appreciated the use of paragraphs
> until I tried to read the OP's posts.

Really started bothering me too. So much for a Community College Education.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/21 15:24 by TomG.

Tom-my condolences  to your family and you, thank you for taking the time to share with others.