The Amtrak passenger train is made up of several types of cars. Of course, there are the passenger cars, which are arranged with rows of four seats which are split in half with a wide aisle.
There are also sleeper cars for the folks making a long journey, and a dining car for those wishing to eat a sit-down restaurant type meal. Then, there is the observation car, which is where I usually end up.
When you board the train, the staff tells you which passenger car is for you, and you pick an empty seat. You are given a stiff cardstock piece of paper about one-third the size of a dollar bill to place over your chosen seat, for instance, 49 window, and that "saves" your seat for you as you travel up and down the train. I try to get a window seat, of course. Sometimes, though, they are all taken. Then I just put my stub on any of the open slots and head for the observation car.
It is roomy. It is usually almost empty. It has huge windows. There are table seats, swivel double seats and fixed double seats, and a smattering of single seats.
Coming home on Saturday night, the train was almost full. I headed to the observation car. It ended up filling up, also.
Here are some of the folks I met:
These folks are from Indiana. They got on the Amtrak train in Chicago and they're headed to Arizona. I asked permission to take their pictures, and that started a conversation that lasted for quite a while. They were both very interesting.
They are travelling with their parents, who were also very gracious. This lady has the most beautiful blue eyes and a very sweet smile.
The back two tables were filled with roustabouts, who talked loudly about the oil business. I could hear them talk about their wages and the need for workers, especially crane operators. They made a couple of trips to the cafe for more beer and soda.
This lady was part of a foursome from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They had a couple of coolers filled with snackies and wine. The coolers were opened often, haha.
The two women sat together, and the guys sat in the table across from them. When one of the women suggested a domino game, I asked if I could take their picture sometime during the game. They smiled, and told me to go ahead. It wasn't until I looked at the picture on my computer that I saw that the lady in orange had put the yellow domino box on top of the cooler so it would be in the picture. Funny lady.
Now this guy was the most interesting on the trip. His name is Lee, and he is the dining car attendant. He was coming down the aisle in the observation car, asking folks for dinner reservations. I had my camera poised. He saw it and dramatically feigned shyness. "You're not going to take my picture, are you?" he asked of me.
"Well, I was thinking about it, but I guess I wont," I replied, laughing.
"Ahhhh, go ahead and take it," he said, and then posed for me as he stood in the aisle.
Unfortunately, my camera was already lowered, so I missed the shot.
Later, when he was finished taking passengers' reservations, he came back into the observation car and plopped down across from me.
I still had my camera out, taking speed pictures out the window, but when he posed once again, I got the shot. What a character.
As the sun got lower in the sky, without the bright patches of sunlight hitting the tabletops, this gentleman from the Gettysburg group began videoing the passing farmland. Look to the right of him, and you can see a daddy holding his little girl as they also look out the window.
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