Trip Report: May 3 - 18, 2001
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
Through the Pacific Northwest and Canada
by Amtrak, BC Rail and VIA Rail Canada
SEATTLE TO EUGENE
Thursday May 17, 2001
Although we would have preferred to stay at the Westin Seattle for two nights, as we had on our northbound trip, we have tickets for the Eugene Symphony tonight and reservations for a Deluxe Bedroom on the Coast Starlight. We knew that it would be risky to bet our 8 PM concert tickets on a timely arrival of the Coast Starlight into Eugene at 5:30 PM, but here we are taking chances again. Friends from Klamath Falls will be arriving into Eugene on the Northbound Starlight today at about 12:30 PM, and they will join us at the concert tonight to listen to Beethoven's Triple Concerto and Mahler's 1st Symphony, The Titan. What could go wrong? If any of you have read about our journey to San Francisco for the ballet earlier this year, you would know that plenty could go wrong.
We arrive at the King Street Station early to allow ample time to reclaim and recheck our bags that had come down on the Mt. Baker International last night. Remember, Amtrak will not check bags from Vancouver, BC, to your actual destination, they will only check them to Seattle, then you need to reclaim them at the baggage room and recheck them to your next destination. The Seattle baggage room is very efficient, and this is done with little hassle. There is even a baggage man and a red cap at the taxi arrival line to collect your bags to either check them in the baggage car, or to transfer them to your room if you are a sleeping car passenger.
Click on photos to enlarge
We collect our boarding pass from the sleeping car passenger counter, then as soon as boarding begins, we go out onto the platform to take some photos of the station platform improvements as well as the American Orient Express parked cross platform from the Coast Starlight.
Although the renovations of the King Street Station building itself are moribund (scheduled for completion in 2007, but who could care about that), there are some improvements on the platforms, such as this stairway and elevator to an overpass at street level. We find that the Pacific Parlour Car is still a part of the Coast Starlight consist, in spite of all kinds of negative rumors about the downgrading of this train. Ron, the smiling attendant of sleeper 1131, greets us profusely as we board.
Settling into Bedroom A, we take another photo of AOE across the platform from us. We still have plenty of work to do, and Bedroom A is a perfect workstation. We are back in the States, and there is a strong Sprint PCS Digital Signal along this corridor from the Canadian border to Eugene. However, we do take the time to enjoy another excellent Coast Starlight luncheon as well as the wine and cheese party in the Parlour Car. We suddenly remember that we had checked all of our bags to Klamath Falls, including our clothes for the concert in Eugene, so we phone Scott Hurd, Senior Agent at Portland Union Station. He promises to mention to the baggage man that we will be up at the baggage car to claim this bag.
Our timekeeping is excellent and we find ourselves arriving in Portland only a few minutes down. Heading right up to the baggage car, we find that we are expected and the baggage man offloads our Eugene bag. Private Car Tamalpais is spotted on Track One. Scott tells us that it has been here several days with a Lincoln Town Car parked adjacent for the owner's convenience. There is considerable hustle and bustle on the platform as the staff tries to get Number 11 out on time. As we walk up towards the engine for a photo, the fork lift driver who is unloading package express from the baggage car, pauses and waves us through. Quite different from our other recent trips through Portland where it was pedestrian beware. I am glad to note that their safety practices have improved. We photograph our Genesis locomotive and return to our sleeper for the highball. Although we depart on time, we stop on the bridge, then back into the station for 15 minutes. No explanation, but we never really make up that time into Eugene.
We arrive only 15 minutes late, and our friendly car attendant, Ron, disappoints us by not helping with our baggage, as he is taking a smoking break on the platform. (Ron, if you are reading this, I just want you to know that I had a nice gratuity in my jacket pocket, but my hands were full getting all of my luggage off your car while you were enjoying your cigarette, and I never had a chance to give it to you.)
We plan to walk right over to the Hilton to greet our friends from Klamath Falls, but are appalled to learn from the station agent that Number 14 has not yet arrived from Klamath Falls. It is already over five hours behind schedule. By the time we check in to our hotel and shower, we get a call from our friends who have just checked in at 6:30 PM, nearly six hours late on a 4.5-hour trip from Klamath Falls. The explanation was a Genesis locomotive failure.
The Library Lounge on the Concierge Floor of the Hilton has excellent snacks for cocktail hour, which is fortunate, as there is little time for dinner before our concert. Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Eugene Symphony were, as usual, excellent in their last concert of the season. Miguel has only one more season with the symphony before moving on to bigger and better things, possibly the Oregon Symphony, and he will be missed in Eugene.
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