MFF - Getting there ...
Nov. 22nd, 2004 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lionkingcmslwas not half the fun. ;=/
First I get a call real early from Tony wondering how we were going to work out getting me the check.
We ended with him leaving the check under his door mat and I leaving things he needed under same door mat.
I then go to my bank and want to "finesse" the deposit so I would have spending money on the trip. That was a no-go, but I was told that the check would clear by Friday moring and everything would be okay.
As I was leaving the bank, I decidede to check something at the ATM. As I was getting back into my car I hear a NJ Transit train blowing for the crossings in town. It was a north bound train to Philly. I remarked, to myself, that I could've caught that one if I had not dawdled. This will come important in a bit.
I head to the station and just laze around in the car. It's going to be a while for my train.
I hear in the background an announcement being made.
I get out of my car and wander over to the platform, sans bags, as there is still a bit of a wait, and then hear the automated announcement again. It was saying that the 10:30 train to Atlantic City was delayed to mechanical problems. no biggie. Things like this happen.
After about a half hour the announcement changes to "the 10:30 train to Atlantic city has been canceled."
Now this is a cause of concern to me, as that train set turns at Atlantic City and becomes my train.
A little bit later we see the train come by us, empty and some doors ajar on the loco. Not a good sign.
I quick call NJT's customer service line to see what the status is on my train. I'm told that it is on "hold" and there is no other information available. It is now after 11:00a and I'm getting nervous. I can't wait for the train after the one I want to catch, as it would put me into 30th St. Station after 3p, the Three Rivers scheduled departing time.
I decide, with much trepidation, to drive to 30th and park there.
I get to 30th and look at the sign for the new parking garage that gives the rates. The highest rates it say is 12-24 hours: $20. Remember this, as it will be important in a later post.
I'm not comfortable with how the sign is worded and head toward the older parking garage. That is full, so I have to park in the new one.
As I leave the parking garage I ask the people in the booth about the rates. They say, IIRC, that it is $20 for anything over 24 hours. Again, this will be important later.
I take my stuff into the station and proceed to wait for my train. It is now after noon and besides lsitening to the RR portable that was on my belt I'm watching the train information board the updates automatically.
At about 1:50p the board updates and I see this appear:
TRAIN: nnnn, TIME: 1:57, NAME: NJT Atlantic City Service, TO: Philadelphia, FROM: Atlantic City, STATUS (get ready for it) On Time!!!!
The stinkers ran the train I wanted to catch and it arrived on time!!! I was so ready to kill NJT.
In retrospect, I guess I could have waited until 1:00p to see if the train ran instead of driving immediately to Philly.
When the Three Rivers was shown on the board, it was originally set for stairway 7. So, everyone started to line up at stairway 7. After about 10 minutes someone noticed that they changed the stairway location and it was now stairway 9.
That is not that big of a deal, as it is a change of only one stirway, but those that had been first, now were push back further in line, and yours truly moved up to the third position, but that would become moot when we got ready to board.
When they finally called our train, they had people break up in to 4 diffrent groups: Those headed to Pittsburgh/Greensburg; those headed all the way to Chicago; those riding in Business class; and everyone else.
There were a few people that felt that they were better than everyone else and tried to butt to the front of the line. The woman who was checking tickets would have none of that and told them to either get to the back of the line, or have a seat. Way to go. ;=3
The Pittsburgh/Greensburg people were loaded first, my group was loaded second (I was the first person in line for that).
We left Philly about 30 minutes late, and then things went downhill, schedule wise, from there.
At one point we were close to an hour late. This was not Amtrak's or the freight railroad's fault though. It seems that Wednesday night a 90 car freight train de-railed right at an important junction at the entrance to the south side of Chicago. It's nice when you let people know that you work for a railroad, you get the inside scoop. :=3
I also did not sleep well on the way out. I couldn't get comforatble. THey had is some of the "long distance" Amfleet 2 equipment, instead of the newer "Horizon" coaches. :=/
In all actuality, we made up all but 15 minutes of the lateness, but this meant we got into Chicago at 8:00a, 2 minutes after the train I wanted to catch for Schaumburg left.
I waited for the 8:30a train to Schaumburg and caught that.
What was neat was seeing the north side oif Chicago and the RR related items, like the large through arch bridge that goes nowhere. According to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
quickcasey it was once part of a private elevated line that folded in the early part of the 20th century. METRA now uses it as a signal bridge, a might large signal bridge, as this thing spans the entire throat trackage of the north end of Chicago Union Station.
Also, I finally got a look at the insides of those famous CNW gallery commuter cars. I had always wondered how they could doubledeck them without dropping the lower level, like in a dome car. Well, once I boarded one, the answer became clear. Only the sides are two stories. :=3
The center aisle has no lower level ceiling. It makes perfect sense. :=3
Now that I think of it I should've took a photo of the inside. :=/
The trip to Schaumburg was uneventful andqucikcasey picked me up at the station and we headed to the hotel and MFF.
More about Friday at the con later. ;=3
First I get a call real early from Tony wondering how we were going to work out getting me the check.
We ended with him leaving the check under his door mat and I leaving things he needed under same door mat.
I then go to my bank and want to "finesse" the deposit so I would have spending money on the trip. That was a no-go, but I was told that the check would clear by Friday moring and everything would be okay.
As I was leaving the bank, I decidede to check something at the ATM. As I was getting back into my car I hear a NJ Transit train blowing for the crossings in town. It was a north bound train to Philly. I remarked, to myself, that I could've caught that one if I had not dawdled. This will come important in a bit.
I head to the station and just laze around in the car. It's going to be a while for my train.
I hear in the background an announcement being made.
I get out of my car and wander over to the platform, sans bags, as there is still a bit of a wait, and then hear the automated announcement again. It was saying that the 10:30 train to Atlantic City was delayed to mechanical problems. no biggie. Things like this happen.
After about a half hour the announcement changes to "the 10:30 train to Atlantic city has been canceled."
Now this is a cause of concern to me, as that train set turns at Atlantic City and becomes my train.
A little bit later we see the train come by us, empty and some doors ajar on the loco. Not a good sign.
I quick call NJT's customer service line to see what the status is on my train. I'm told that it is on "hold" and there is no other information available. It is now after 11:00a and I'm getting nervous. I can't wait for the train after the one I want to catch, as it would put me into 30th St. Station after 3p, the Three Rivers scheduled departing time.
I decide, with much trepidation, to drive to 30th and park there.
I get to 30th and look at the sign for the new parking garage that gives the rates. The highest rates it say is 12-24 hours: $20. Remember this, as it will be important in a later post.
I'm not comfortable with how the sign is worded and head toward the older parking garage. That is full, so I have to park in the new one.
As I leave the parking garage I ask the people in the booth about the rates. They say, IIRC, that it is $20 for anything over 24 hours. Again, this will be important later.
I take my stuff into the station and proceed to wait for my train. It is now after noon and besides lsitening to the RR portable that was on my belt I'm watching the train information board the updates automatically.
At about 1:50p the board updates and I see this appear:
TRAIN: nnnn, TIME: 1:57, NAME: NJT Atlantic City Service, TO: Philadelphia, FROM: Atlantic City, STATUS (get ready for it) On Time!!!!
The stinkers ran the train I wanted to catch and it arrived on time!!! I was so ready to kill NJT.
In retrospect, I guess I could have waited until 1:00p to see if the train ran instead of driving immediately to Philly.
When the Three Rivers was shown on the board, it was originally set for stairway 7. So, everyone started to line up at stairway 7. After about 10 minutes someone noticed that they changed the stairway location and it was now stairway 9.
That is not that big of a deal, as it is a change of only one stirway, but those that had been first, now were push back further in line, and yours truly moved up to the third position, but that would become moot when we got ready to board.
When they finally called our train, they had people break up in to 4 diffrent groups: Those headed to Pittsburgh/Greensburg; those headed all the way to Chicago; those riding in Business class; and everyone else.
There were a few people that felt that they were better than everyone else and tried to butt to the front of the line. The woman who was checking tickets would have none of that and told them to either get to the back of the line, or have a seat. Way to go. ;=3
The Pittsburgh/Greensburg people were loaded first, my group was loaded second (I was the first person in line for that).
We left Philly about 30 minutes late, and then things went downhill, schedule wise, from there.
At one point we were close to an hour late. This was not Amtrak's or the freight railroad's fault though. It seems that Wednesday night a 90 car freight train de-railed right at an important junction at the entrance to the south side of Chicago. It's nice when you let people know that you work for a railroad, you get the inside scoop. :=3
I also did not sleep well on the way out. I couldn't get comforatble. THey had is some of the "long distance" Amfleet 2 equipment, instead of the newer "Horizon" coaches. :=/
In all actuality, we made up all but 15 minutes of the lateness, but this meant we got into Chicago at 8:00a, 2 minutes after the train I wanted to catch for Schaumburg left.
I waited for the 8:30a train to Schaumburg and caught that.
What was neat was seeing the north side oif Chicago and the RR related items, like the large through arch bridge that goes nowhere. According to
quickcasey it was once part of a private elevated line that folded in the early part of the 20th century. METRA now uses it as a signal bridge, a might large signal bridge, as this thing spans the entire throat trackage of the north end of Chicago Union Station.Also, I finally got a look at the insides of those famous CNW gallery commuter cars. I had always wondered how they could doubledeck them without dropping the lower level, like in a dome car. Well, once I boarded one, the answer became clear. Only the sides are two stories. :=3
The center aisle has no lower level ceiling. It makes perfect sense. :=3
Now that I think of it I should've took a photo of the inside. :=/
The trip to Schaumburg was uneventful and
qucikcasey picked me up at the station and we headed to the hotel and MFF.More about Friday at the con later. ;=3
