AMtrak story written on a borrowed I-Pad. in These titles mean nothing.

This is the kind of story you expect to hear about our government subsidized railroad passenger service.

But first a disclaimer.

This is my fifth or maybe sixth trip from LACrosse to St. Paul and every single time the trains have been on time or close to on time. This time I anticipated even less chance of delay because the railroad freight business is down from the last few years boom.

But it didn’t quite work out that way.

When I got to the lovely old depot a little less than an hour before scheduled departure, I was told the train would be a little late. I didn’t quite get the time - twenty or forty minutes, maybe.

The people who were joining me in the trip west gradually assembled, along with those seeing them off and the people who were waiting for arrivals from the east. We settled into the old varnished wooden benches and later moved outside into the humid evening under the canopy along the rails. There’s were benches and steps to sit on, conversations with diverse people, none of whom were in a big hurry - they were taking the train, weren’t they?
As we waited, the heat and humidity turned into a storm. High winds, lightning, heavy rain came and went. Soon afterward we were outside again, watching the yellow sunset and catching drips on our bare arms and the backs of our necks.

Then the station agent came out and announced a new fifty minute delay - turns out a tree had fallen across the path of the train and had to be removed. Cell phone communication between those who were waiting for arrivals and those they were waiting for who were in the train increased. Turned out the train was close to LaCrosse, in West Salem to be precise. We also learned that the earlier delay resulted from the train hitting a cow.

After a few false alarms consisting of bright red Canadian switch engines crossing on the double tracks ahead of us and two full size freights that headed west, AMtrak’s Empire Builder in all its stainless steel glory pulled in- or maybe it is aluminum?

It was two and a half hours late.

Just across the Mississippi we stopped again - weather related we were told. They had to check that a switch was in the right position.
Otherwise the trip to St.Paul’s Union Station was uneventful. We were still two and a half hours late but we were in fairly good spirits.

Putting the whole thing in perspective - it’s taken me longer than two and a half hours to type this..... and I’ve sworn more.

That is more, not moire.

Have fun everyone. I am.

Last updated June 11, 2016