Stuck on the Train?

Most train travelers, generally prepare for their trip, by eating a great breakfast or lunch, and then grabbing their luggage and heading for the station. That was my intention when I boarded the 301 headed for Springfield, IL on December 1, 2006. On this specific day, I did not have time for the breakfast and had grabbed a bag of barbeque chips to snack on and a Blueberry Muffin. My thought zoomed to a nice short trip of three hours on the tracks, however that would not occur. My unpreparedness for the trip would take me from happy to frustrated by a few key things like lack of contingency plan by Illinois Amtrak officials during one of the first major snow storms in the Midwest. Coupled with that, a thirteen hour trip would sap out the energy of the passengers, crew, and anyone on the train that day.

One of the things I learned early on in my trip is that I should have prepared my self for anything. When I initially got on the train, I had no book, no activities, a cell phone with no charger, and no additional snacks. No plan. I had thought that even though Chicago's snowstorm was going on, that we would get through the ice and slush of that day. I didn't anticipate thirteen hours of frustration as the train would sit on the tracks, blocked by an earlier train which was also impacted by a tree on the tracks that had live wires. Patience was slowly leaving everyone's body as we all discussed the lack of organization on Amtrak's part.

On top of everything else, when finally our train situation was solved, we had to wait for 2 hours to get placed on local buses to take us to our final destinations. Since I was going to Springfield, IL, I would have to wait yet again because the first round of passengers were transitioned to the St. Louis, MO bound buses. The local bus to Springfield was the last for me to get on and I mean, I took the next to the last seat. The time when we all got into Springfield was Midnight on December 1st.

This tale is not to deter you from using Amtrak or any rail services, instead, it should serve warning that you should fully prepare yourself for anything that could occur in your traveling on trains.

Before you get to the station and get happy for a long and relaxing trip, make sure you prepare yourself in case of any emergencies that may crop up by eating a good meal, and bringing tools with you. The tools you should bring are: snacks (trail mixes, fresh fruit, crackers, juice, and other things just in case you get stuck are essential). That is unless you want to purchase expensive snacks on the "Snack Car" on the train. Generally a bag of chips is $1.75, a bottle of water is $2.25, you get the drift. Why not stop to your local grocery store or drug discount store so you can go ahead and load up on magazines, puzzle books, snacks, and other items.

Since you know you will be on the train for a while, whether the train gets there on time or not, bring a few things from home to make your comfortable.

Small pillows and covers can make you comfortable and help you stay relaxed as your trip continues. Bring journals, pens, and paper in case you get the writing bug. Because many of the seating areas on the train have access to outlets, a laptop, or even recharging your cell phone is possible. So don't forget about those conveniences.

Make sure to check your train car for the garbage area and the bathroom. Both are essential. After you snack, dispose your material quickly. When it's time to go to the bathroom, you'll know where to go.

Some travelers often other things with them to entertain themselves, a deck of cards goes a long way, a small portable Dvd player with headphones or your personal radio/cd player. Bring your music, your Dvds, and enjoy the scenery.

Also make sure you have your cell phone with cab numbers in case there are any delays, or a number of a family member who can go ahead and pick you up.

The most important thing is to bring patience with you in large doses, just in case of anything that may change. It doesn't do a lot of good to have an attitude with the staff or passengers if there's a delay. They can only do what they can do. During my thirteen hour trip, there was a lot of ignorance and negative attitude in short doses by most of us. Mainly because there was a lack of communication by the staff on the status of the train or updates on the train and a plan of action.

When you are in this type of situation, you might have to just relax more and make the best of a bad situation.

The smartest thing you can do in a crisis is draw upon your positive spirit to get through the rough spots. I hope you have great travels and once again, have fun, but be prepared!
Enjoy the view.

(c) 2006 by Pam Osbey