I go back to the Chicago Metropolitan Lounge at 5:10, flash my Select+ Card and my train ticket. The agent tells me that I should go to the main waiting room at around 5:30 for regular coach boarding. I pick my backpack up from the red cap and hear an announcement for lounge boarding for the Sleepers on the Cardinal. I enjoy different snack selections today, Royal Gold Pretzels and disgusting a surprise, Nacho Cheese Doritos. (I loved them as a kid but now their a bit much).
At 5:30 I’m sitting in the lounge and hear the boarding call for sleepers. I decide to follow them out and see what happens. I get to the first coach and find the conductor. She gives me the look of you weren’t supposed to do that. I apologize saying Im Select+ and in New York I was allowed to board with the sleeping car passengers when I started my trip. I’m handed seat 65 and although I realize this will be by the door at the front of the coach I don’t complaint. At least I’ve gotten a window seat on tonights overnight run.
I board and soon after an old hobo sits next to me who discusses how he attends the hobo convention every year and how he will run for king. An Amish family next sits down behind me. The problem with boarding early is an extra 40 minutes stuck in coach. Today I boarded early as an experiment and I guess it worked. I did get a window. My seat mate then starts talking about how anti-smoking bans are bad science. Very quickly I realize that my seat mate is a peace of work and get really sick of him. He even rants about how there are no health risks to second hand smoke. The car gradually fills up and an Amtrak cop walks the train (the only other time I’ve noticed them are K9s walking Acela’s in New York-Penn).
The kids behind me are talking but I find them a bit amusing with their Pennsylvanian Dutch.
- 6:07 – Announcement “All seats are reserved, sit in the seat your assigned”
- 6:10 – Someone who is station staff clearly walks through (he’s is wearing a hard hat) and does something in the vestibule with the breaks. I hear him say something about “All Clear.” into his radio. I check my iPhone and notice that the Empire Builder arrive at 5:52 so I have a feeling were waiting for something related to that train.
- 6:15 – I hear a bang, I think the door closing.
- 6:18 – They announce that we’re delayed, waiting for them to tie another engine on replacing one of the two current engines and that there will be a slight bump when that happens. They finish by asking everyone to be in a seat since the lights will go out briefly.
Our attendant comes through handing out seat checks. We get a shared one, which won’t matter, I’ve learned the Capital Limited is a train that you can’t wander to a new seat on. My seat mate had fallen asleep before getting woken up byl the attendant asking us our destinations. He’s now awake and is back to ranting.
Eventually the conductor comes through to scan our tickets and someone across from me gets the random ID check. She starts digging in her purse for it and the conductor says she will be right back. I hear “Passenger coming your way in a wheelchair going to DC can I send him?” over the conductors radio. We still don’t have HEP. The conductor abandons ticket collection to deal with this passenger. Eventally returning
- 6:39 – Regain HEP.
- 6:40 – The steward comes through with reservations for the diner. For the first time this trip I don’t want one!
At 6:48 we finally depart! I finally make my way to the sunny science of the sightseer lounge with my dinner. I nearly laugh when I notice there is clearly a lighter load tonight. DC doesn’t take up the entire front coach. A few SOBs are there. The middle coach is half empty with the tray tables out in the rear seats and far too many reserved signs. This crew is running too strict a show and really doesn’t want anyone moving around.
- 6:56 – Pass US Cellular field. We’re not parallel to any Metra Line. The conductors sit behind me in the lounge, I hear lots of beeping, I guess scanning tickets that were collected. I’ve done the Chicago departure enough times I don’t really bother with notes.
- 7:12 – Welcome to Indiana I see the sign from a nearby freeway as we go over freight cars.
- 7:14 – Pass Hammond-Whiting, IL. It was a good suburban stop for Eastern trains except NS wants to avoid trains stopping there because its on a busy freight line. Today only a few Wolverines stop. We get are first (and nearly last) glimpse of Lake Michigan. The conductors stop an Amish family walking there toddler barefoot through the aisle telling him he ought to have shoes on.
- 7:34 CDT – Pass a South Shore Line Station
I spend the night typing up my TripLog of the Empire Builder that I will soon post. I also enjoy the second slice of cold pizza I have followed by the Quesadilla I bought in Union Station. Both eating choices were excellent.
- 9:13EDT – Announcement for South Bend with the conductor reminding us that we’re a little bit late and to not attempt a cigarette. Toledo will be our first fresh air stop.
At 9:19 we arrive at South Bend, one of there days I’ll get off here and take the South Shore line into Chicago. More people are getting on than off. There are tracks between us and the station. I see one family not using the grade crossing but making a beeline over the ballast and tracks to their van. Although it isn’t dark yet I see flashes that are clearly the start of fireworks. We leave at 9:25.
- 9:30 – A good night announcement and that Toledo and Pittsburgh will be the only night smoke stops. I wonder about Cleveland. They tells us to be seated under our seat checks if we’re detaining during the night. We see a few fireworks on and off into the dusk.
- 9:49 – I’m exhausted and return to my seat. My “hobo” seat mate is charging an electronic cigarette. I wonder if he will try and smoke it. I know their illegal on Amtrak. I plop my backpack down in front of me. It makes a decent footrest. Now turn off those lights please. My car is full. I see more fireworks, the lights are still on, sleeping is card.
At 10:41 we arrive in Waterloo for a quick stop. We leave into the night. I walk the train and find the lights on in the last two and off in the first coach. I ask the attendant and am told the lights in my coach will soon be off. I go to the bathroom and see the attendant flicking switches, good! I return to my seat and my odd seat mate is grabbing his luggage and tells me he’s going to the lounge with a go ahead and take it so I can pass out over two seats. Excellent this oddball just made my night! I tell him to feel free to wake me up if he wants his seat.
- 11:54 – I’ve defiantly fallen asleep but the crew saying Toledo to a few people in my car getting off wakes me up. I step off for the obligatory walk. I hear fireworks off in the distance. The crew now opens every door. On a previous trip it was just one for the smoke stop. At least they have learned this. There is an old lady getting on with canes. I learn that Toledo has a wheelchair avalible. I find six seats still empty in the middle coach and the attendant going through telling people to sit in their assigned seats. As expected people haven’t complied.
- 12:06 – The old man is back, saying they were kicked out of the lounge and told to go back to their normal seats. This crew is running way too tight a ship! He tells me he will go back and read in there soon soon.
- 12:09 – They move someone who is clearly PGH back to my car. My seat mate goes back to the lounge and I try and go back to sleep across both seats.
- 12:58 – Awake for Sandusky. I think we get a double-spot.
- 2:09 – Leave Cleveland, I’m only awake briefly.
- 3:07 – Up for Alliance
- 4:19 – I think we’re in PGH but come to a stop north of the city.
- 4:47 – The conductor saying 5 minutes or less to Pittsburgh as we pass downtown. I see the conductor make another set of seat numbers for the new PGH passengers.
We arrive at 4:53, I walk up to the next coach to get off to skip the line. some people were either seated there or managed to move to the rear. There a few singles asleep across two seats.
I step off the train and find an agent at the ticket office. He is telling people boarding for the Pennsylvanian will be at 7:10. I ask if I can leave my bag and get an “of course”. I’m not asked asked to pay the $4.00 fee but I am handed a different generation red cap bag check. I start chuckling. I’ve never seen one of these tags until this trip in Chicago.
I walk outside the station towards an 24 hour Restaurant I’ve found. I hear the double-toot at 5:07 from the Capital Limited.
At 5:17 I get to the restaurant, the Parmitie Brothers and most of the chairs are up. It’s more of a sandwich place, and I’m too early for their breakfast special. I share the place with a bum and sit down at the counter. Soon two cops walk in. I enjoy a decent but odd meal of eggs cheese in a sandwich with cole-slaw and french fries in it, their specialty. but I should have skipped their coffee.
Next I walk downtown to Starbucks and buy a mocha who’s caffeine should get me through the day (and let me blog the Pennsylvanian for the first time). I start waking back to the station to retrieve my luggage and board the Pennsylvanian and recognize some Amish from the train also taking a walk. Their jaywalking too.