Most east-west long distance trains from Chicago depart in the afternoon. This afforded my dad and I several hours to enjoy the mild May weather and take in the city a bit before getting on our next train. After a brief stroll along Lake Michigan in the morning, we checked out of our hotel and rideshared our way back the Union Station.
For the second leg of this trip to Los Angeles on Amtrak's Southwest Chief, we were staying in a roomette sleeping compartment. Amtrak allows sleeping car passengers to wait in its special Metropolitan Lounges, which is in several large cities such as New York, Chicago, Washington, etc... Those lounges are typically in one section of the station that is set off from the main waiting area. They feature comfortable chairs and couches, TVs, and free snacks and beverages.
Chicago's lounge gets an A+. It had multiple rooms with comfy chairs and spacious areas for reading or working. This lounge had two floors with free snacks and sodas on one floor, and candy on the second floor. There were also cool posters of old trains of a bygone era scattered throughout the place. What could be better as you wait for your train?
Just before 3 p.m. it was time to board our train. We headed out of the lounge, through the general boarding area of the station and to the platform where the Southwest Chief was waiting. As we walked alongside the train, we passed a few private BNSF cars attached to the back. Sometimes freight companies will pay to have private cars transported on passenger trains. I regret not getting any shots of these cars, as they had an interesting design.
Our sleeping car was close to the front of the train, and the compartment we were in was on the lower level of the car. There was a decent amount of room in the roomette for two people to sit, but unlike the Viewliner I rode in last year, the Superliner roomettes don't have enough room to fit luggage. I suppose when the Superliners were built several decades back, the need for ample room for luggage may not have been a consideration. In any event, we stored our luggage in a nearby rack that is in the common area of the lower level of every car.
The Chief departed on time, just before 3p.m. local time. I always enjoy the entrances and exits from Chicago because it gives me a chance to see all of the railyards, equipment facilities and various passenger trains scattered about. On this day we passed several Metra cars -- the local commuter train service
After we crept our way out of downtown Chicago, our train gradually began to pick up speed and we rolled through the suburbs, stopping first in Naperville. We then continued through the Illinois plains, stopping in Princeton, Mendota and Galesburg just before dinnertime.
Time for my first meal in the dining car of the trip, which is one of the more interesting and unique aspects of train travel. The price of the meal is included in the fare for sleeping car passengers on long distance trains. When the pandemic began Amtrak switched its dining car operations to a boxed meal service, but it has slowly been bringing back full white tablecloth-style dining on the long distance routes.
Dining on the rails features community seating, meaning that if your party is typically less than three or four people you are seating with another passenger who is a stranger (of course they won't be a stranger anymore once your meal is over). For this meal, my dad and I enjoyed the company of an older gentleman who was traveling from Chicago to Albuquerque, and was a train buff at heart.
I last ate a freshly prepared meal in an Amtrak dining car 17 years ago, and I have to say I don't remember the food being this good. But I was blown this time. I had caprese skewers for the first course, a delicious flat iron steak which was both lean and flavorful for the main course, and a decadent chocolate mousse cake for dessert! Honestly, the only thing better than a good meal is a good meal on the train while you watch America's heartland roll by.
Not long after returning to my roomette, we crossed the mighty Mississippi and made our first extended "smoke" stop at Fort Madison, Iowa.
Smoke stops are called that because they are opportunities for passengers to light up outside. But they are also nice opportunities for smokers and nonsmokers alike to stretch their legs, get some fresh air and take a few photos. Fort Madison has a very cute, historic depot and this was a nice opportunity to step off the train for a few minutes before it began to get dark.
After Fort Madison our train quickly made its way across the southeastern corner of Iowa and into Missouri. We made our last stop of the day in La Plata before night fell. We were only running about a half hour late at this point.
When it was time to retire for the evening, we called our car attendant by pushing a button inside the roomette, and he converted the seats into bunk beds in a few short minutes. I told my dad I would take the top bunk. The bed itself was fairly comfortable although at six feet, I had great difficulty in climbing up and maneuvering myself into a sitting position since there wasn't enough clearance for me to sit up straight on the bed. Still, once I accomplished this I was able to lie down and feel at ease.
We will be traversing Kansas at night, and should enter Colorado some time in the morning.
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