Took an Amtrak mini vacation with my Bride. Here is her report which she posted on the Amtrak forums:
Pontiac IL to Fort Worth TX round trip on the Texas Eagle
At the Pontiac IL station, waiting to board today’s southbound TE. Similar to my hometown station, this is unmanned and trains barely stop for passengers. Amtrak claims the Eaglette will be 6 minutes late arriving here; we shall see.
There’s an interactive TE schedule online, with links to hotels and points of interest at each station, including Pontiac.
Boarded pretty much on time. Going upstairs to the bedrooms was tricky with luggage in hand and on the back. Our SCA is Andre, and is very polite.
Some new choices on the Flex Dining menu; I’m trying the Beef Paprikash tonight.
Just left Bloomington a few minutes ago; there was a brief fresh air break there (only 5 minutes, so we ordered supper instead of getting off the train).A little bit later at each station from Lincoln to Alton, the train made up some time between Alton and St Louis — just in time for us to walk the length of the train to the dining car!
Supper presentation was microwave entree, but high quality and imaginative. The Beef Paprikash wasn’t as spicy as I had feared; we had to eat quickly, though, so we could return to our bedroom while the train was stopped. Brought dessert back with us to the room, but no coffee until morning. 🙁
Moved our bags to the side by the bathroom and jump seat after supper, so we can access them once the beds are made up. We found out the hard way that the hubby couldn’t get into the top bunk in our bedroom, and he wouldn’t let me attempt that feat either. Fortunately, the bottom bunk in our bedroom was a little bit wider than a twin bed, and the jump seat was still open, so I scrunched up at the end closest to the door, and the hubby scrunched up at the window end, with his feet on the jump seat. We slept more or less, but we’ll want to pick up a couple of cheap throw blankets in Fort Worth for the overnight trip back.
Late 1 3/4 hours departing the last stop before Hope ARK, but the interactive map indicates that we’re still expecting to arrive in Fort Worth on time.
The bourbon apple crepes are a new item on the breakfast menu, and quite tasty. It helps to have someone else open the cream and sugar for coffee on a rapidly moving train, while the other person holds the cup like a gimbal compass! Waiting for the next stop before we head back to our room.
Finally arrived at Hope ARK 10-15 minutes after returning from breakfast, and the train is now 2:20 late, although the announcement claimed we would still be on time for Fort Worth.
A roomette passenger told me that the free coffee in the sleeping car is only in the morning, and often only for an hour.
1:40 late leaving Texarkana, per the announcement. A derailment last week and track repairs have resulted in heavy freight traffic holding up the TE. Longview passengers have a guaranteed connection to the bus, even if the train is still running late. On to Texas!
Held up by more freight trains just short of Longview. Now 1:55 late, but still expected to arrive on time at Fort Worth. Untangling huge ball of cotton yarn for a crochet project.
Arrived in Mineola at 11:30, about 2 hours late; 4 people boarded. Arrival in Fort Worth now est. 1:47PM, 1/2 hour late.
SCA Andre will be tidying our bedroom soon, and then lunch will be delivered here.Accidentally reported on lunch in the main Texas Eagle thread.
Just left Dallas at 1:40PM; arrival in Fort Worth now predicted for 2:23PM, over an hour late. Might not need to buy cheap throw blankets this afternoon after all, as we saw SCA Andre bring blankets for the next passengers in our bedroom. So we can request blankets tomorrow if they are not provided automatically.
[In response to a question on the Amtrak forums about the purpose of the trip:]Just for fun. Neither of us have been on Amtrak overnight in over 40 years, so this is something of an experiment to see for ourselves what the sleeping car experience is like, and how well we can handle it as 60-somethings. The Texas Eagle works especially well for us as a first time current sleeping car experience, because we can board the train from a nearby local station.
Arrived at Fort Worth about an hour late. Very long platforms before one gets to the station proper. A mini trolley was bringing disabled passengers to the train, but we didn’t know that it could be ridden back to the station by seniors like us, so we were exhausted by the time we reached the station. Our hotel was so close that Molly the Trolley (a free service) doesn’t stop there, so we walked the 2 blocks in 90F/32C heat, and were even more exhausted by the time we got there.
Free bottled water and ice water, a luggage cart to put our bags on, and a room next to the elevator all have helped, though. Having a good long sit with hotel coffee and the butter cake saved from lunch now.
[In response to advice on the Amtrak forums about a better sleeping car option:]The other alternatives I thought of were either the family bedroom or the accessible bedroom – but getting 2 roomettes across from each other would probably be easier. I remember from last year’s Missouri River Runner trip that the shared toilets in Business Class and coach were roomier, and YouTube videos seem to demonstrate that the same is true in the sleeping car. And having room to turn around in the shared shower room would be a real blessing!
An excellent, filling hotel breakfast this morning. Killing time in the room until checkout. Subway at the station doesn’t seem too bad now – anything to minimize walking in Illinois August heat in October! Definitely will inquire about the mini trolley to the platform for disabled and elderly passengers.
In the Fort Worth station, waiting for our train. Just finished lunch at the Subway next door. (They are out of Coke this morning, so the hubby made do with lemonade.) The staff at my hometown Subway know me and seem friendlier, but they’re just as chatty with the regulars as was the staff here.
Asked about the mini trolley to the platform for disabled passengers we saw yesterday, and the gal at Amtrak info called it the shuttle – and elderly passengers are allowed to ride it, too! We just need to wait for the boarding call for our train, and the shuttle boards then,too.
[In response to a shopping suggestion on the Amtrak forums:] The heat wasn’t too bad yet when we walked to the station this morning, shortly before 11AM. Thanks for the tip! If we didn’t have the luggage with us, we’d probably go there, a bookstore in Fort Worth, as we both love shopping for books. We will probably just stay in the station until our train comes, though.
We moved where we were sitting from near the station entrance to near the Amtrak window. An Amtrak employee approached us just now and asked our destination. When we told her, she immediately offered to take us to the train on the shuttle. How considerate!
Just left Fort Worth TX, and we have SCA Andre again!
Our bedroom this time has a wiggly jump seat. Waiting to make our dinner reservation. Debating whether or not to walk to the dining car. The hubby would like to have it delivered to the room. We compromised: if we have supper delivered tonight, we will walk to the dining car for breakfast tomorrow.
Supper was delivered at about 6PM. The hubby ordered the butter chicken, which was the only dinner option we hadn’t yet tried. The sauce was both sweet and spicy, and the rice tasted better than the cilantro rice which came with my salmon. I saw the coffee urn was still going when I threw out our supper trash; however, I found out the hard way that only the dregs were left. :(. A fresh pot was made soon afterwards, though, and it tasted much better.Waiting for the beds to be made up now. Will ask for blankets, as we don’t plan to use the top bunk.
[In response to a question about our hotel on the Amtrak forums:]We stayed at the Hampton Inn — that may be the “Hilton” you were thinking of, as it’s part of the Hilton family of hotel chains and participates in the Hilton Honors program. We walked the 2 blocks there and back from the station — but it was a much easier walk at 10:30AM Tuesday than it had been mid-afternoon Monday. If a 2-block walk is out of the question, one of the hotels further away BUT directly adjacent to one of the “Molly the Trolley” stops would probably be a better option. And definitely let the SCA know that you would like a ride on the “shuttle” from the platform to the station — that alone is a 1/4 mile / 400m hike! (And nothing but “lean against” high benches to rest at along the way.)
Ran out of cellular data this morning, and couldn’t connect to St Louis station Wi-Fi, so had to wait until I got home to post about today’s journey.
Tempted by the omelet and sausages the hubby had for breakfast on the southbound TE, but went with the blander Continental breakfast instead. The muffin was excellent, with a cinnamon streusel topping, and the instant oatmeal at least already had about the right amount of hot water pre-added by the dining car attendant. The yogurt serving was small but adequate, with the fruit already mixed in.
SCA Andre had already raised the top bunk (where we had put the used bedding) and emptied our trash by the time we returned to our room, during the LONG stop at St Louis.
We could have drunk coffee in the room, or even have eaten lunch during the early shift (10:15AM), but just opted for more bottled water instead, as we were eager to get home.
Arrived at Pontiac at about 11:40AM, pretty much on time. Concluding thoughts on the trip to follow.
Well, I finally had some Mexican food for a meal this week — but it wasn’t until after we got home, via an El Monterrey microwave entree! 😉
Some final thoughts on this week’s Texas Eagle trip:– There is a LOT one can do in Fort Worth, even just within the downtown area, and I would have loved for us to have had a couple more days to explore that city. Since the hubby and I are half the staff of our small law firm, however, it’s very difficult to arrange that much time away from the office. For others who do have the time for a longer vacation, though, Fort Worth makes an excellent place to end a journey on the southbound Texas Eagle, if one doesn’t wish to continue all the way to LA.–
Our hotel (the Hampton Inn, just 2 blocks away from Fort Worth Central Station) was very comfortable, with thoughtful staff, an ideal room location near the elevator, and the best hotel breakfast we’ve ever had. However, if you aren’t physically up to the walk from the station (especially if you weren’t aware of the shuttle service for disabled & elderly passengers, to spare you that 1/4 mile walk from platform to station), a hotel immediately adjacent to one of “Molly the Trolley’s” stops might be a better choice.–
Consider carefully whether or not members of your party can manage a climb into the upper berth of a roomette or bedroom. The steps in a roomette may provide a more stable climb than the ladder in a bedroom, but eliminates the possibility of squeezing 2 people into the lower berth + jump seat, as we ended up doing. Having learned from this experience, the hubby and I will in future follow the advice of one of the Grounded Life Travel videos on YouTube, and book a pair of roomettes across from each other instead. (Also because we just didn’t have enough room in the ensuite shower/toilet to do anything other than #1.)–
We quite enjoyed the Flexible Dining meals, whose menu had been recently changed (the old menu was still up on the Amtrak website this week). They were quite filling, and allowed us to sample some cuisine types we hadn’t previously tried. Bear in mind, however, that neither of us had been in an Amtrak dining car (last year’s Cafe Car on the regional trains doesn’t count) in over 40 years, so we don’t yet have a Traditional Dining experience to compare the Flex meals against.
On the other hand, the big problem with Flexible Dining is that, with fewer choices, and the same choices to pick from for both lunch and supper, repeat meals can quickly become an issue, especially on round trips on the same route or trips on multiple routes with Flexible Dining.
I have read elsewhere in the Amtak forums that on the CONO, the “flex meals” consist of “free” Cafe Car chow for sleeping car passengers. Adding “free” (with sleeper ticket purchase) Cafe Car chow to the regular Flexible Dining options would increase the available choices, especially for those on special diets or with food allergies. Traditional Dining, however (as we saw from a Sunset Limited menu left in a lower-level roomette) will doubtless be superior, at least because more options = fewer repeats.–
Getting a little exercise during one’s trip can help stave off the boredom drowsies and sore, creaky joints from sitting in one spot too long. BUT the two main options are either climbing downstairs to the platform during a fresh air break, or walking the length of the train to & from meals. Either one must negotiate those incredibly skinny stairs multiple times, and quickly reboard so one doesn’t get left behind, or one must stagger from seat back headrest to seat back headrest through the coach cars if heading to a meal on a moving train. There are risks attached to either option!An overnight on the Eaglette each way to/from Fort Worth was a good “learning experience” for the hubby and me, and we will bear the lessons learned in mind when planning our next Amtrak vacation.
Not my method of travel but a great trip!
Even though our 4 are grown we still go camping in a tent trailer -to either the mountains or the beach.
And when we return, the house always seems like a mansion.