Steamboat Pilot & Today
tant came back and lectured Jesse but 20s had been wasted. allowed him to continue the trek to I was taking notes about the train California. ride, writing about how one rafter For Jesse and me, it was our first floating down the Colorado River in long-haul train trip, and I declared it the canyon showed off to the train travelers by performing a backflip off was the best way to travel if you have some extra time. his boat. I did not realize this experiCountless others enjoying the river greeted the Amtrak train by showing off their tan lines and revealing their backsides by mooning the passengers. Jesse, however, was digging a little deeper with his note taking. He was not writing Conductor: responsible for all on-board services, includabout how Colorado ing ticket collection, safety of passengers and the safe river rats like to greet operation of a train. the Amtrak passenDining car steward: responsible for the operation of the gers as the train passed dining car and staff. through the canyon. Lounge car attendant: provides services for passengers Instead, Jesse had in the sleeping cars, including room preparation, luggage service and any other services. four pages written so Train attendant: provides services to the passengers in far about his life and coach. some humbling events that led him to discover he had Crohn’s, an intestinal disease Sleeping cars provide a wide range of private rooms. that made him lose 40 Coach cars have wide reclining seats with leg rests. The dining car offers a wide variety of meals, rangpounds and robbed him ing from hot dogs, steak and pasta specials. of what he thought were Announcements are made regarding dining car hours. some of his prime years. The observation car has large windows and lounge seatHe nearly died, he ing. said, and had surgery to The cafe area is located on the lower level. remove eight inches of Bathrooms are located on the lower levels of each car. his intestine. In addition to that, the tattoo-covered masBring a pillow (both head and neck) and sleeping bag or sage therapist from blanket. Florida, who talked Seats at the front of the car have the most leg room. about wanting to work Bring snacks and beverages if you do not want to rely at a high-end resort, also on the cafe and dining car. had a history of abusing During some stops, passengers are allowed to get off drugs, and he did a stint the train. Get out and enjoy the sun. Passengers cannot leave the train during “quick stops.” in rehab. Talk to people. Long-distance trips attract a “What drugs?” I very social group of passengers. asked. “You name it,” he answered. Jesse was full of ambition and said he wanted to share his ence was in jeopardy until I talklife story with the world while traved to two California Railroad Museeling to visit family out west, then um volunteers, train enthusiasts who returning to Florida. provide occasional historical comHe still seemed to have a tendenmentary to passengers over the train’s cy to get into trouble, and Jesse’s life speaker system. story became more interesting when Mike Eash and Niels Harms he returned from the downstairs bath- together have logged 6,500 hours of room with a look on his face like he volunteer time on the trains. had just been grounded. “The long-distance trains might be “They caught me smoking weed in on the chopping block,” Niels said. the bathroom,” Jesse said. “We can’t build more freeways. We He was not allowed to leave his have to have trains.” seat until the conductor decided what to do with him. Funding cuts Jesse was told he might get kicked off the train at the next stop in HelpEarlier this year, President Doner, Utah. ald Trump unveiled a transportation Marijuana is still illegal in Utah, budget that would cut $630 million in and with a population of 2,000 peofederal subsidies that Amtrak receives ple, there likely was not a lot of help for long-distance rail service. in Helper as the sun was setting. The Washington Post reported that I toyed with Jesse’s paranoid state, Trump’s transportation budget called and he wrote down phone numbers in the long-distance trains “a vestige of case there were cops waiting for him when train service was the only viable on the platform transcontinental option.” Ultimately, the conductor’s assisWith other options, like air and
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