CofNO trip - booked

Anybody have thoughts or experiences on CofNO? I'm booked for a late May trip to a bachelor party, going all the way CHI-NOL and back. I've never gone further south than Stuenkel Road on the Metra suburban service on this route, so it's going to be a totally new ride. I haven't covered so much new ground in about ten years - my travels tend to be on CZ to ski, Chief to Kansas City, and midwest corridors for meetings and social events.

Edit - GBN, I reluctantly upgraded to sleeper for the trip south and shorthaul sleper MEM-CHI for the trip north. They're sold out NOL-MEM in sleeper. I wouldn't mind taking the whole trip northbound in coach, but the southbound trip in sleeper is a good idea for me. I hate waking up in the morning in coach (I get up with sunrise some days) and having another 8 hours of grogginess in coach. If I wake up in coach, I want off soon.

My 2010 experiences "ridin' on the City of New Orleans" are noted within this topic:

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 46&t=52949

Tadman, I like your idea about N/B in coach. I did it back in '06, and slept like a baby from Memphis to about an hour outside of CUS.

I don't have many comments. It's overall a pretty uneventful trip. (Did the RT back in '08 for Mardi Gras; "white" roomette both ways. Ended up getting my money back as I didn't travel on the peak days.) Scenery ain't much; bring a good book. Seemed a bit slow going on either side of the Memphis area. Southbound we arrived early thanks to padding; northbound we had to effect a 3-way meet at Stuenkel and thus ended up being a 1/2 hour late. Still, not horrible. I still caught #333, the 10:20a connection to Milwaukee, without any problem.

I was surprised that all three meals were served in the "Cashew Cafe", at least going south: dinner at and after leaving CUS; breakfast in the morning, and an abbreviated basic lunch, which afforded views of some interesting running alongside Lake Ponchartrain. Don't recall what the meal service schedule was, going north. Almost certainly just dinner and breakfast.

The coaches on this train can be, uh, interesting. They don't call it "The Chicken Bone" for nothing.

As for work experience? I only ran #59 one time, from Chicago to Carbondale; we had a good trip, but got held up over a half-hour at Irvington (south end of Centralia) for the northbound "pig" train. Was told that this was normal operating procedure! Heh, I was still "green" enough back then, to think that such lengthy and intentional delays were "faux pas".... Well, anyway, 59 seems to have very good timekeeping these days.

EricL wrote:The coaches on this train can be, uh, interesting. They don't call it "The Chicken Bone" for nothing.

Eric had told me this a few years back, prior to me taking #58 north for a weekend at home during my undergraduate time in Champaign; something to the effect of "There are always people eating chicken on that train." I heeded this factoid as perhaps being a joke or something and didn't really think that Col. Sanders would have much of a presence on my early morning departure.

Well, I was wrong. It wasn't Col. Sanders, but as soon as I sat down in my seat I saw that the guy next to me was wholeheartedly in the midst of consuming an entire meal from Popeye's. Not just the chicken, but the rice, biscuits, and mashed potatoes too. Given the size of this meal it was still being consumed well past Kankakee, possibly even into the vicinity of Homewood. The train was running a bit late that day so I boarded at about 7:00a - still pretty early for a five-piece chicken meal - and my traveling cohort had obviously boarded the train at a previous stop. I didn't know you could buy Popeye's in the wee hours of the morning, if it wasn't leftover from the previous evening. In the case of the latter, I don't find the concept of consuming cold mashed potatoes to be terribly appetizing.

One other thing I remember about this northbound trip is that the diner crew seemed to want to curtail breakfast service ASAP prior to arrival in Chicago. Upon boarding at Champaign I wanted to grab some breakfast, but not 15 minutes after leaving it was announced over the PA that the diner was closing up shop.

Hehe I'll fit right in, then.

I took this pic last spring. I ran out of time to grab lunch, so I got take-out Brown's Chicken on my way to the South Shore and had my own dining car feast on my way to Indiana. Turns out Brown's stinks, though - I'd much rather have Popeye's or KFC.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- ... 4652_n.jpg

I went last year CHI-NOL and back via Roomette on my vacation. Overall it's a pretty uneventful trip with the CONO travelling overnight through Kentucky and Tennessee both ways. The train arrived in NOUPT almost an hour early, and on the trip back we got into CHI about a half hour early.

Standing by in this forum and the trip report forum for an update!

Here you go -

The trip down was great. Our sleeper attendant was great and so was one of the diner staff (note written to the railroad thanking them for this) and it made the journey really good. What I didn't like - the 800-number folks (and website) all tell you that sleeper pax can board at 7p for a dinner seating. False. You twiddle your thumbs until 840p for an "express dinner" menu (IE Lunch), and they look at you like you have two heads if you ask about the 7p dinner seating with steak on the menu. The ride itself was great, I'd recommend it as a perfect short sleeper trip.

The ride home was decent - I was in coach to Memphis due to lack of sleeper space. After that I moved to sleeper, but it was in the trans-dorm car. That means immediately behind the one locomotive, which led to an "OH MY GOD THATS LOUD" night. The engine noise was ok, but the horn made it like living inside Louie Armstrong's trumped. ouch! I'd advocate bringing back the baggage just for that reason. Our diner staff was very nice, although I smuggled a quart of Gumbo on board in NOL for dinner. No way am I passing up real NOL food to eat in the diner.

I was in a Superliner I sleeper on the way down and a Superliner II sleeper on the way back. Despite the fact the SL-2's are 20 years old now, they are a far nice ride in sleeper. My experience in coach was that there's really no diff, but in sleeper there's a lot of doors and lights and gadgets that can either rattle all night or stop working. The SL2 seems to be a lot more robustly built, along with features that are given less moving parts to shake loose. Big improvement.

Here's some pics from NOL:

58 at Jackson, MS
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j37 ... 9db23a.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

St. Charles (original) streetcar
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j37 ... b05589.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Riverfront streetcar
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j37 ... f42b94.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NOPB local on the riverfront, immediately parallel to the streetcar tracks in pic above
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j37 ... 40b8c9.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cripple Creeek next to 59 after we backed in
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j37 ... aea421.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fun bonus - I got this new hat at a trade show last week. It's really from Fairbanks-Morse/Alco, who still build stationary engines for powerplants.
http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j37 ... e36d14.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Glad to learn, Mr. Dunville, that you have graduated from High School, Undergraduate College, Law School and have now graduated to Sleeper.

There's no turning back now.

The only way that "hear the train blow" will be solved is for Amtrak to return to the railroad practice system-wide of placing Sleepers where they belong - on the rear.

I guess the only way to ensure a Sleeper-rear is to patronize Mr. Ellis. Who knows; one of these days I just might bite for a one way bird (NO is simply a "zero destination" with me - I've been away from the frat house too long to be too much interested in that varietal of bacchanal anymore) other way PRJ.

It sounds like you had a good time. Probably not as good as being in the railroad.net villa but then again, what is?

That being said, I need clarification please. You stated:

Tadman wrote:
The ride home was decent - I was in coach to Memphis due to lack of sleeper space. After that I moved to sleeper, but it was in the trans-dorm car. That means immediately behind the one locomotive, which led to an "OH MY GOD THATS LOUD" night. The engine noise was ok, but the horn made it like living inside Louie Armstrong's trumped. ouch! I'd advocate bringing back the baggage just for that reason.

I'm not well versed on Western Ops. Does this mean this train doesn't have a baggage car?

For some reason,#3+#4,#58+#59 seem to keep the sleepers on the head half of the train,Diner and Lounge in the middle
Coaches on the rear half. Does #58+#59 use Coach/Baggage Cars?

Mr. Backshop, it would appear the only Superliner equipped train that excepts the "sleepers head" rule is 5-6, California Zephyr, 53, (Southbound only) Auto Train, 27-28 (Portland) Builder, and 421-422, Eagle Sunset In the case of all but the Zephyr; those Sleepers are rear solely for operational convenience.

It is my understanding, and I am quite prepared to be challenged regarding the accuracy of this, Zephyr Sleepers are rear because there is a Local Agreement in place where a Coach Attendant will handle T-Dorm rooms occupied by revenue passengers. This is in exchange for assigning not less than two Coach Attendants.

For myself, I had an adverse incident with "hear the train blow". During March 2012, I was riding 352 CHI-ARB. I have a friend (former client; now retired just like me) who resides "within sound" of MP 224 (Michiana Shores). I was riding Business Class where the A-I car was on the head. I was not looking forward to "honk honk", but that beat the alternative of the "moshing pit' Coaches. I decided to call him from the train with a "HIYA; hear the train blow?" call. His reaction; "do you have to listen to that all the way to Ann Arbor?"; "Fraid so; and I'm paying extra for the privilege". "Boy, you wouldn't catch me riding that; now I know not to think about riding Amtrak".

From my experience the CONO doesn't carry enough passengers to warrant the need for a baggage car (or even a second locomotive), and the coach/baggage more than accomodates its current traffic.

I have never traveled in the trans/dorm car so I have no idea how loud the horn gets at night; Last year when I rode #58/#59 I was in the sleeper behind the trans/dorm, and while I could hear the horn throughout the night it didn't really affect my ability to sleep that much; But maybe that's just me.

#3+#4 normally have a Baggage car on the head end,sometimes deadheading equipment as well.
Not suprized #58+#59 use a Coach/Baggage.