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Old 11 Apr 16, 08:10 PM  
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Grand Train Journey across USA (2006) - Day 14

Day 14 – (1/7/06) – ‘Round my Indiana homesteads wave the cornfields - (from the State song of Indiana – “On the banks of the Wabash, far away”).

Today finds us out shopping and we also take the opportunity to ride the “L” – the elevated rail service which has a loop around the city centre on the Brown Line. It turns out to be a little more complicated than the Underground in London – finding entrances becomes quite a game!



A two day, as many trips as you like ticket is $9- about £4 and so is excellent value although trying to buy one involves going into an office block and up two floors to the CTA travel authority offices, a location some 6 blocks from the nearest station.. They are not sold at the stations themselves! We do some travelling around through the canyons of skyscrapers. You’ve got admit it looks like a scene from a Superhero movie where any time now we will be rescued from imminent disaster!





It’s quite humid because the temperature is 93 degrees F although rain is expected over the weekend. A little more shopping, especially for two more suitcases, finds us in Marshall Fields Department store and then we are back to the hotel for an afternoon respite and to enjoy the air conditioning and some cocktails in the lounge.



Late afternoon and we’re now waiting in the hotel lobby to depart to Union Station for Amtrak’s “Cardinal” service to Washington D.C. If on time we should arrive tomorrow evening at 7:45 p.m.(2nd July) but experience is teaching us otherwise……..

We wait for a pre booked minivan to take us to the station but it doesn’t arrive. As a back-up we cram all our suitcases into an ordinary cab – whoever decided that you had to sit with your knees under your chin, should be forced to spend the rest of their life in the back of one of those things! By using a strap, the trunk (boot) is held down but we have visions that our luggage is going to be dispensed into State Street as we travel. The cab driver drops us at Union Station but only after he has departed do we discover that we are at the rear of the terminus! Several stairs and a half mile platform walk later we get to where we ought to be. As Homer Simpson would say that cab driver “just made the list!”

There is no check in service for baggage available so we have to use the “Red Cap” porter service to get our bags to the “Cardinal” waiting room. I think a full cross section of American citizens formed the congregation assembled here. Every US walk of life was strewn before us.



We manage to find a couple of seats. An announcement is made to inform us our service will be one hour late in departing. Nothing new there then! Across from where we are sat are what we think to be an Amish family. There’s Mom and Dad looking somewhat like the two characters on the famous “American Gothic” painting. If you’ve never seen it ... :



Then there is Grandma. A face that could sour milk. A young girl about 7 sits in her Colonial pilgrim bonnet and John Boy – 16 or 17 - sits separately in his dungarees and straw hat minding his own business..

It’s actually quite a scene that we haven’t come across before whilst touring the USA and we have vowed to do Pennsylvania one of these days although we do have a trip to Philadelphia coming up in a few a days time.

Into this melting pot of humanity comes a group of American Girl Guides. They are vivacious and bubbly and rather loud. Their shorts were, as my mother would have said, up around their eyebrows. They are shrieking and larking around and they actually ask Darrin to take a group photo of them.

John Boy has seen these goings on and we think he had just discovered his hormones. His eyes are out like organ stops.

Suddenly Grandma jumps up and rushes over to the boy and some conversation takes place. The next minute the boy’s eyes are transfixed to the ground. We imagine the line was something like: “Avert your eyes from those wanton girls you sinful child or you will burn in hell!”

I had to get up and leave the room. I was choking with laughter. Darrin wasn’t far behind. I had tears rolling down my face. By the time we go back into the room the Amish family had disappeared.

Eventually, the announcement asks us to go the platform. It’s the very same one we had hoofed along with luggage about two hours ago.



Our sleeper coach does not provide a lot of room for storing suitcases but we get them on board. They have to sit at the end of the coach and as many have four castors its like watching a crowd of Weebles moving from one side of the carriage to the other.

The sleeper room-ette is larger than those of the Starlight and Zephyr services and there is even a small storage area at eye level. Having the toilet alongside the bottom bunk is somewhat concerning – Darrin is sat where the bunk will form from the passenger seat:



Also of concern is the wash basin immediately above the loo but we just decide we’ll have to be extra careful:



The train, as we guessed, leaves Chicago one hour and fifteen minutes late! This journey will be some 921 miles. The blurb says we should reach Indianapolis by midnight and Cincinnati early next morning. In all, to Washington D C should take 26 hours 30 minutes. Well, there’s no chance of that! We will pass through more cornfields but this time they will be in Central Indiana. Then there’s Cincinnati and the Ohio River valley before passing through the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Shenandoah Valley follows before we arrive in Washington D C. The train carries on a further 225 miles to New York City.

Once again it’s dark by now so any pictures following here will be daylight shots.

The Cardinal leaves Chicago’s Union Station through a passage beneath the Post Office building passing from Union pacific tracks to Grand Trunk Western to CSX tracks. Amtrak has its extensive 21st Street yards here where trains are set up to travel to every corner of the land.



We pass by Comiskey Park, now a car park area but where the White Sox baseball used to be played before the built the new stadium.

The route crosses the south branch of the Chicago River and heads for Roby. The New Regal Theatre was opened by Chicagos first black mayor as a centre for African-American culture.

Next are grain elevators and ships being loaded at the Calumet River. Hammond-Whiting denotes we are leaving the industrial environment as we make for Dyer. Dyer has an amazingly short platform so local trains have to stop several times in the station to allow passengers on and off.

Cedar Lake whizzes by:



As we cross the Kankakee river we proceed through Shelby, Lowell and Creston before crossing Indiana’s plains. At the Toledo, Peoria & Western line crossing we pass from Central to Eastern time where watches should be put on one hour. The train travels beneath Interstate 65 on its way to Indianapolis before crossing the Wabash River.



The next major city is Lafayette. This is a typical mid-American city where the train runs directly alongside Main Street and the old station is a mere storefront. Lafayette was the birthplace of Alvah Roebuck, one of the founders of Sear Roebuck (Remember Sears Tower in Chicago ?)

The Cardinal is now on Seaboard tracks and by 3a.m. we reach Indianapolis:



Indianapolis is the capital city of the State of Indiana and was the home town of Steve McQueen. It is a huge distribution and logistics centre, as more interstate highways intersect here than any other city in the U.S. It is also famous for its motor racetrack – the Speedway. The 2.5 mile track was built in 1909 and incorporates an entire golf course. The Indy 500 race takes place each Memorial Sunday drawing the world’s largest sports crowd.



By the time we reach Cincinnati dawn is breaking. In 1790, the governor of the Northwest Territory, Arthur St. Clair, proceeded to establish Hamilton County and made Losantiville the county seat. St. Clair disliked the name Losantiville and changed the town's name to Cincinnati. The town's name is recognition of the Roman citizen soldier Cincinnatus.



The city is famous for its pork packing industry and even more famous for Cincinnati Chilli – a combination of pork and beans but also cheese, onions, spaghetti and hot dog.

A co-operative project of seven rail-road companies, Union terminal opened in 1933 to centralise the passenger and freight operations of Pennsylvania Chesapeake & Ohio, Norfolk & Western, Southern Louisville & & Nashville and the Baltimore & Ohio rail-roads. Now partly a museum, this is one of the most opulent railway stations ever built:






We rise from our bunks to 2nd July.


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Old 11 Apr 16, 09:44 PM  
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Geoff. A nice day and those pictures of the El are very surreal. A great way to get around a City but what a blight on the landscape.
Those temperatures! What a difference the Northern States see between Summer and Winter!
I did chuckle about the Amish family and the others. A clash of cultures!
Washington will be interesting albeit I was distinctly unimpressed by it, mainly the poverty and rich meets poor areas. Lovely parts though.
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Old 11 Apr 16, 10:04 PM  
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Geoff. Going back to your report. I had another look at that couple with the pitchfork. It should have a speech bubble above it " you are not marrying my daughter"!
Finally I really don't think it's a very good idea to have the loo in the sleeping compartment! Poor Darrin having to sit next to it
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Old 11 Apr 16, 10:07 PM  
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Yes - the loo was somewhat off putting!
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Old 11 Apr 16, 11:55 PM  
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I am so enjoying this report

I believe I have read most if not all

They are so enjoyable and informative

All ready looking forward to the next
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Old 12 Apr 16, 01:13 AM  
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Did make me laugh about the Amish family! Bet John Boy had a good talking to and had to suffer afterwards for his thoughts

The USA is far from just Disney - east or west - and it has such beauty and grandeur which your photos always capture.

Your trip reports are always an inspiration to me - please do one of Yellowstone as I love reading them so much. It's also such a keepsake for you and Darrin to look back on good times.
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Old 12 Apr 16, 06:54 AM  
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I've just caught up 😊 wow I would love to ride the 'L' although it seems to be a bit if a faff to get tickets. Those were the days! When $9=£4!
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Old 21 Apr 16, 10:36 PM  
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We also laughed about the Amish Lad, Bless him.

Was the film "French Connection" made with the car chase under the railway?

Did you see the big silver bean or wasn't it there in 2006?

Lesley and Melvin
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Old 16 Feb 17, 11:19 PM  
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another great day
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Old 16 Feb 17, 11:28 PM  
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Just to say we will be seeing the actual "American Gothic" painting at the Royal Academy in London in just over a week's time. It's on loan from Chicago until 4th June and there will also be works by Jackson Pollock and Edward Hopper on display.
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