Awhile back, in a previous blog, I mentioned my nostalgic attraction to train travel of the past. Those were the days before the Interstate Highway System was created and before multiple and affordable airlines appeared. I do have happy memories of taking the train several times to NYC for fun weekends and of using the rails to visit family in my hometown in the Mohawk Valley while on breaks from school. The porters and conductors were pleasant and helpful, the dining cars fairly elegant and the trains were known for their strict adherence to the posted schedules. The rides were a great way to see the land outside the cities and the clickety-clack of the wheels was very relaxing.
A couple of decades later, in the ’70’s, while living in northern Va., my beloved and I planned a family trip to Disney World with our four children. They were all growing up rapidly—the eldest beginning college— when we realized that the upcoming summer vacation might be the last truly “family” one. Instead of our usual trek to the Outer Banks of NC, we would do something special. I still had those warm, fuzzy recollections of train travel and actually convinced my husband that we should travel to Orlando by train as I wanted our children to know the experience of “riding the rails.” I promoted this “experience” as an adventure.
Well, an adventure it was indeed! Comfortable and pleasant, it was NOT! Things did not begin well when we boarded the train at the Quantico station as it arrived one hour and 20 minutes late. Once entering our assigned car, we learned the trip was over-booked, and there were only four seats (2 at one end of the car, two at the other end) for the six of us. We put children #1 and 3 in one section and #2 and 4 in the other, with husband standing by one pairing and I standing at the other pairing. It wasn’t until we were miles south of Richmond that six seats became available in another car. We eventually made it to our destination two and a half hours beyond scheduled arrival time. Not a good way to begin a trip but hey, things could have been worse. Right?
And sure enough, things did get much worse on our return trip several days later. (Thank goodness we all had a lovely time at Disney, especially since both parental units were museum people, not amusement park people. But, we survived. Epcot, along with our wonderful hotel with all its amenities, ensured that we had a marvelous vacation.)
Our return trip to Quantico started off pretty well with departure “almost” on time. The station manager did a great job of getting passengers and luggage aboard, and we had seats together. The fact that there were couple of broken foot rests and and one seat had a pile of someone’s trash under it as well as crumbs atop of it, were readily addressed by the car conductor. The big problems began a few hours later, when a restroom was needed. We had to walk through three cars before we could find one that didn’t have a flooded floor, that actually had toilet paper and didn’t have a gagging stench. I think the most memorable part occurred shortly after midnight, when the woman seated behind me turned on her overhead light, took a picnic basket out from the overhead compartment and began to have an uproariously good time. First came the aroma of her fried chicken, followed by the telltale smell of beer and finished off by the unmistakable scent of marijuana. She was very generous with her “joint,” offering a hit to her male companion. Somehow, we couldn’t share her fun-loving spirit. Eventually the car porter came down the aisle and told her to put out her light but I swear he then joined them for a few minutes before disappearing to the rear of our car. The loud laughter and sickly smells continued until the woman moved into another car. By now, it was nearly two am and all six of us were awake and feeling woozy—perhaps a bit affected from the “weed.” The temperature had dropped considerably in our car and we were freezing. As we trekked our way to the Club Car, I couldn’t help but note that our porter and two other porters were nicely curled up and sleeping soundly in the reclining seats at the rear of our car. (Made me wonder if they hadn’t accepted an offer of a “hit!” ) They looked so darn comfortable, I really hesitated to awaken them with our petty complaints.
The Club Car had its own problems as their electrical system was acting up—hence, the lights, ventilation, and air-conditioning were erratic at best, as was the ability to produce steam for making coffee. I was also frankly surprised about the very open poker game being played aboard the train—I naively thought that public gambling had ended back in the 30’s. The one positive bright spot of all this was the endearing good humor, kindness and courtesy of our waiter. He was truly unflappable! Our son, then around 15, played cards with a girl traveling with her family who had also escaped to the Club Car, and he seemed to make the most of the unexpected all nighter. As dawn appeared and more people came into the Club Car, the connecting entrance kept jamming, causing difficulty for several passengers trying to enter. We all bonded instantly, regaling each other with our tales of woe and disenchantment.
Once safely back home, I wrote a rather lengthy letter to Amtrak telling them of our experience. I even cc’d copies to the ICC and our Congressional Rep. I truly thought it was well written, with a dash of humor but alas! it all was for nought as I never heard a single word from anyone. I of course took the brunt of everyone’s discontent and could only remind them, I had promised them an Adventure, nothing more!
Isn’t it amazing that I still enjoy traveling by train! It beats the traffic on I-95N and once we retired and caught on to Quiet Cars and Business Class, our trips to DC, Philly and NYC were very enjoyable. I am leaving soon on my first round trip ride aboard the Acela —Amtrak’s only high speed train operating at present, going from DC to Boston and back. My expectations are running high.
Oh Amtrak, dear Amtrak, do not disappoint me!
Happy travels to all who choose “the rails.”
Such fun family memories of that exciting trip!! 😘