March 26,2012

ST. LOUIS TO ST. JAMES, MO

I left Dallas by train yesterday about 3:40 p.m. and arrived in St. Louis this morning about 7:15 a.m., a 15+ hour trip. I was able to sleep a little, but the train stopped in several cities and passengers tended to make a fair amount of noise when boarding.

NOTE: Interesting information I learned from riding the train (but not checked for accuracy)

1. Freight trains have priority over passenger trains. AMTRAK simply rents the tracks. Our train from San Antonio to Dallas was delayed for almost an hour because it had to wait for freight trains to pass.
2. The top speed for AMTRAK trains is 79 mph. Average speed is 75 mph, so there is little leeway in making up lost time.
3. Alcoholic beverages cannot be served on Sundays in Arkansas. When our train passed into Arkansas on Sunday night at 8:00 p.m., all sales of alcohol were stopped and an anouncement was made over the PA system regarding the Arkansas blue laws.

I spent some time exploring the St. Louis Union Station. It has been beautifully restored and is a pleasant place to just rest and enjoy. I took a few photos.

The Marriott Hotel is in Union Station

Grand Hall

The enclosed mall includes many shops and restaurants

I had originally decided to take the bus to Kansas City today, but the schedule did not work well. So I decided to rent a car for four days to have more flexibility. Budget rent-a-car has an office in the Sheridan Hotel just blocks from Union Station, so I rented a car and drove out of the city on Highway 44 (old Route 66) to St. James, MO. It's time for a little R&R - early to bed.