After the train arrived our car attendants from the sleepers came into the waiting room to guide us to our cars. They called out things like, "Are there any 730's?" Most of us looked at each other not knowing what this meant but four guys who were veteran Amtrak travelers explained that they were referring to the car number printed on our tickets.
The attendant for my car was Bill, a great guy with a sense of humor. Those of us in Bill's car had to walk a long way along the platform because our car was at the very end of the train. The Empire Builder divides into two trains in Spokane with one section going to Seattle and the other to Portland. Our car was the last one on the train as the only sleeper going to Portland.
When we reached the doorway Bill called out rapid fire directions to our roomettes. Despite the late hour I was able to follow his, "take a left, take a right up the stairs, take a right, take a right to roomette 2" directions. The only thing that made it difficult was the car was completely powered down and in the dark. I was only able to see the #2 on the outside of my roomette because of the glow of the platform lights. Those of us boarding and groping for light switches commented to each other about the power outage when Bill came upstairs and explained that the power would be on soon. His whispered comments reminded us that other passengers who boarded earlier might be sleeping. We stood outside of our roomettes in the hallway because it was so dark. I remember wishing I had followed the advice on that Amtrak discussion forum and brought along a flashlight.
Bill visited each of us separately to talk about the amenities of the room, the location of the bathrooms and showers, the times the dining car operated, events onboard, and most importantly for me, the location of the coffee urn that he would have ready first thing in the morning! I would be very grateful for the handy coffee the next two mornings. It was a center of activity and socializing as most of us started the day at Bill's coffee urn. Some of the comments I'd read on that Amtrak discussion forum I mentioned earlier mentioned that not all car attendants were as reliable in making coffee and supplying cream and sugar. Bill was always on top of it for us.
After Bill left to talk to other passengers I fumbled around in the roomette finally smart enough to feel for the window curtains so I could pull them open. This, of course, allowed plenty of platform light into the roomette so I could now see the space that would be my home for the next two days. The bed had been prepared so I crawled onto it and sat with my legs stretched out. Even though we were still at the station I already felt lots of anticipatory excitement about the journey.
St. Paul is a maintenance stop for the Empire Builder so we sat for some time. Eventually the power surged and my roomette's lights came on along with the air conditioning. I quickly acclimated myself to the light switches and set them to a pleasing low light. I set up my camera to take a photo of myself in the roomette (above). After stowing my back pack and acquainting myself with the rest of the roomette's features I turned of the light so I could enjoy the night time scenery.
I was surprised by how gently and silently we got underway. There was a slight nudge and the train freely rolled out of the station. As we moved slowly through St. Paul toward Minneapolis I enjoyed getting a rail view of familiar sites such as the container yard in the Midway area, the bridge over I-35, Northtown yard, the back of the Home Depot I shop at...
Eventually we crossed over a highway I recognized as I-694 and I had to laugh because, at 1:10 AM, I was now only three miles away from my house...that I left at 7:00! We continue to move through town and I recognize Coon Rapids and the junction where the line branches toward Duluth and Superior WI. We pick up speed and I enjoy hearing the soft sound of the lead unit's horn blowing warnings for crossings.
This photo was taken much later in the trip but it represents the innumerable times I found myself on the more fun side of a railroad crossing! It's much better to be rolling through a crossing while cars wait than to be in the car wistfully wishing to be on the train. At night the red flashing lights were bright and festive. I loved the classic Doppler effect sound of the bells at crossings
(Ding Ding Ding Diinng Diiinnnng Diiiinnnnng).
The train continued north of the Twin Cities until we left clusters of industries and homes behind for longer stretches of darkness. A thunderstorm created frequent flashes of lighting that made a great show out my large window. Each flash gave me a view of miles of open space. I was keyed up and have trouble getting to sleep but eventually after 2:30 AM I nodded off to the patter of rain on my window.
Next: It's 5 AM....Where are we?
No comments:
Post a Comment