This past Monday and Tuesday, Pat and I visited St. Louis. The objective was the City Museum there, which has to be one of the most eclectic collections of urban waste I’ve ever seen (it’s what they’ve done with it that makes the place so popular, especially with kids).
We took the train down and back: ballpark estimates showed two Amtrak round-trip fares to be roughly equal to–maybe a little less than–the cost of gasoline (we were figuring $3.00/gallon when we made the plans–we hadn’t foreseen the recent huge jump in gas prices). Both the museum and the old St. Louis Union Station (now a tourist-attractive shopping mall/food court) are a healthy walk from the existing Amtrak station, so all we had to do was find a hotel that was also within walking distance, and voila!–an environmentally friendly “weekend” vacation.
Initially, the plan was to keep the car at home, unused, for two days. However, reason won out, and we drove the car the mile or so we needed for getting it to a place near the Lombard station where we could leave it for more than one day, and get to it after a short walk from the train after dark Tuesday evening. From there, a Metra ride and a walk between Ogilvie and Union Station was all that was necessary. Our luggage consisted only of my backpack, so this wasn’t a hardship.
The trip to St. Louis on Amtrak 303 was a bit of a disaster, as far as the Amtrak experience. We got put into a Horizon coach whose P.A. system only released every third word or so–something that became very annoying when stations were being announced or delays explained.
Delays? Oh, yeah–practically from the get-go. I had been looking forward to breezing through Brighton Park at 30 or better (instead of the previously-obligatory stop for the crossing). But we stopped and stayed (Joe, that’s where we were when you called), and when we did get to cross, nothing was in sight on the CJ,
Glad you had a good trip, Carl. Sounds like Amtrak was quite the experience. Still though, no matter how much we’re delayed, I enjoy riding a train. Sounds like St. Louis hasn’t changed much since two years ago when I was there.
Looking forward to seeing you and Pat this weekend!
I live along the CSX Vandalia line and see them going through here, where to, I don’t know yet. Me n the wife got photos of one headed east Mon [this was so heavy, it needed a pusher], then I saw headed back west Wed. evening. I’m guessing they’re hauling coal out of Powder River basin to the power plant by Indy.
Sounds like all in all you had a good trip to St. Lou even with the delays
Interesting piece. I read elsewhere that 303 / 304 have been the latest they have been in ages this last ten or so days, up to two hours late at times. And your commentary supports the speculative reasons - late running elsewhere and sidelines for freights. It’s also great to hear that the engineer was female. Nice to get some diversity in there [:)].
Sounds like my kinda place…the Art Deco of the 20s and 30s…and the Modern Gothic 1890s to 1900s just fascinates me…the concept they put forth, especially in the industrial buildings of those times…the idea that even a warehouse should be pleasing to the eye just intrigues me…
Very nice trip report Carl…I enjoyed it. Your experience south of Alton more or less mirrors my own personal experiences on the line while riding Amtrak. If UP/etc. could work on getting the slow orders and delays on that Alton-St. Louis stretch cleaned up the trip would be much, much more desirable. Thanks for the deja vu all over again (sorry, couldn’t resist).
BC - had to run through it pretty fast. But will explore it a little closer on Monday. I am off to see the Wiz (the puters are being shut down here at noon) Tell Willy hi!
It was mentioned that there was no more track into Union Station. Has the static displays (wooden freight cars and cabooses) been moved and the last bit of track finally been pulled up? We left Scott AFB in 2001, and as of then there was still a couple of tracks leading into Union Station. What a shame if they are gone. I do like how the signal bridges were preserved.
We were in the St Louis area for almost 6 years, and I still didn’t get to see near the amount of stuff there is around there. Great place as far as architucture and railroading goes.
Sounds like a great trip. I really enjoy St. Louis. Was hoping to get there this summer, but doesnt look like it now.
Nipsco coal goes to Michigan City and Wheatfield. It is possible the Wheatfield would route to Momence and then over to Wheatfield. If so, the coal could come up frmo St. Louis and over from KC and Gibbon, Ne. Sort of a roundabout route, but considering Chicago, it might make sense. Of course, is St. Louis much better than Chicago?
Did you see the tower in Springfield (Ridgely)? Still operating as of a couple of months ago. I got invited upstairs for an hour…thought it was heaven.
Thanks for the kind words about my home town, Carl, and others, and I can say you really put yourself in the center of things on your trip.
As to “the Lou” I made a comment in the other thread about who uses that expression, but it seems to be gaining more and more usage. I heard it on a local station the other night. I don’t believe there is any way of stopping a name once it becomes commonly used, but I don’t like it.
Not that we’re the only people. I have often wondered when “The City of the Big Shoulders, Stacker of wheat, hog butcher to the world” became “Chicagoland.” No offense meant, but I liked the earlier description better. Chicagoland sounds like a theme park.
The Michigan City and Wheatfield coal trains normally come across Iowa. I think they are detouring these, and others, due to the track work on the Geneva Sub (Chicago-Clinton).
In the past, when there was a heavy schedule of track work on the old MP across Missouri, we would get a few of their trains across Iowa.
I guess that rates a “well, duh!” for me–I should have realized that possibility about the NIPSCO trains.
Ed (Blysard), I didn’t recall seeing any Art Deco buildings per se, but the way they painted up our hotel certainly qualifies in part. As for Gothic, I’d say that the City Hall qualifies, as did a couple of industrial buildings we saw on the way in.
(I didn’t make it obvious in my original story, but the route we took into the city was different from the one out. Coming in we used the Merchants Bridge to cross the river north of the city, and went down along the river [through three tunnels when we were between the river and the Arch] before curving west to reach the station; going out, we crossed the MacArthur Bridge, pretty much on the same east-west plane as the line past the station, before heading north and joining our original route.)
Ed (173), I saw the tower at Ridgley, but didn’t note whether it was operational (probably was–haven’t heard about closing it).
I think it was the Chicago Tribune, or its radio affiliate, WGN, that coined “Chicagoland” back in the late 1950s as a term for some promotion. The Trib published a Chicagoland map for many years, until recently. The term describes the city and surrounding suburbs and communities in Illinois and Indiana (and perhaps Wisconsin, to some folks’ chagrin). Carl Sandburg’s words, I think, applied only to Chicago proper, though he may have been using poetic license (he lived in Elmhurst for a time).
What gets me is the redundancies you hear in relation to this. Given my description of Chicagoland, “Chicagoland area” is a redundancy. Even worse…“the greater Chicagoland area”!
Oh, and I’ve got to add the weirdest thing I ever heard coming over a P.A. System. This was in Chicago’s Union Station, promoting security awareness: “Please add your eyes and ears to those of our own.”[%-)]