Anonymous Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dustin Yates Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I rode in the ATSF Tolani on the way up to
> Portola
> > on Friday. Was disappointed that 1983 wasn't
> > there (rumored screwup was the involved parties
> > forgot to turn the engine) and Tioga Pass
> didn't
> > make it from southern California (Definitely an
> > Amtrak screwup).

I would be the last to defend Amtrak here, but we have ALL heard differing stories on that one, from it being a mistake on the car owners part to a mistake on Amtrak's part. The fact is, we don't know, so let's not speculate.

> I would love to know the inside story on what
> happened here....particularly with Amtrak leaving
> the Tioga Pass behind. I can't imagine the steam
> coming out of people's ears on that one. That just
> seems like pure incompetence to me.
>
> > I was nice and comfortable inside Tolani with
> the
> > AC blasting though people in some of the domes
> > were roasting in the sun. I don't know which
> cars
> > were having the non functional A/C and if they
> > ever fixed it.

The HEP started going on the fritz in one of the cars. That was the Amtrak owned Full dome car and yes, the A/C was out in it.

> Yes, this is one of my personal pet peeves about
> extremely expensive trips like this. I already
> knew in advance that the best seats in the house
> (the dome cars) would be hotter than hell up
> there. I'm not talking about the full-length
> domes, but the Zephyr-style of dome cars. When you
> pay THAT much money (over two thousand dollars for
> a 10 hour ride I think?), I would expect to be
> comfortable. And even at that price, the cars are
> FULL--every square inch of space is taken with
> passengers. Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but
> I'm just saying that if a car holds 60 people,
> then 60 people (plus staff) will be there. For me,
> that's just too uncomfortable, especially when
> paying that type of dough. I just can't justify
> it. But apparently, I'm in the minority because
> the train was sold-out and carried around 500
> paying passengers.
>
> I also knew that since this was a very hardcore
> "foamer trip" (as opposed to a nice, relaxing
> train trip), the open vestibules would be packed
> with people and would make it impossible to just
> enjoy the open air in peace, and snap a few
> pictures here and there.
>
> I'm glad everyone had a nice time, but it's
> definitely not my cup of tea.


Actually, the A/C was working perfectly in the other domes. Yes, the domes were full, but the passengers appeared to be comfortable and were definitely happy and enjoying their trip. I know, I checked. I went up into each dome and it wasn't bad with the exception of the "Ocean View" Amtrak dome. While there were several railfans on the trip, the majority were not hardcore fans. In fact, a lot of the people we met were not even railfans at all; they were people that just thought the trip would be a fun experience. And though you can't please everyone, and there were some issues here and there, they were few and far between. The passengers I talked to and rode with Sunday were enjoying themselves and having a great time. There were tickets available for all price ranges and we had a great cross section of railfans, museum members and the casual public. We had passengers who paid a nominal fee, and passengers who paid a LOT of money to ride in first class accomodations. There was something for everyone's budget and tastes and the general consensus was that the folks were having a great time, so don't let that stop you for the next time. The tour operator and the museum, as well as the majority of passengers are hoping that we can do this again next year or soon after, so give it a shot. I can't guarantee that you'll have the time of your life, but I am reasonably confident that you'd enjoy it! We did, and on behalf of the Feather River Rail Society and the Amtrak Crew (my sister was the Conductor), I'd like to thank all of the passengers for participating and helping the FRRS in celebrating the 100th anniversary of passenger service on August 22, 1910 this past weekend.

Tom Carter
Director
Feather River Rail Society
Western Pacific Railroad Museum
A 501(c)3 Non Profit Corporation
Portola, California
www.wplives.org
tomwcarter@gmail.com