Checkout time at the Club Quarter Hotel is noon, so I was in no hurry to checkout. I walked down to a nearby Dunkin Donut and had a couple of donuts and a cup of coffee. As a walked down the street I got to experience some Chicago Weather with 20 mph wind and snow flurries so when I returned to my room, I used the time to edit some photos and re-organize my backpacks.
About 11:30 I used the app on my phone to check out of the hotel and began the half-mile walk to Union Station. It had stopped snowing but the temperature on my phone showed 29 degrees and the wind was still blowing.
By the time I completed the 10-12 minute walk, I was pretty cold and quickly made my way to the Metropolitan Lounge and checked in. Once I was checked-into the Metropolitan Lounge I stored my backpacks in to free baggage storage room.
The Metropolitan Lounge he in Chicago is a large area spread over two floors with very comfortable chairs and plenty of electrical outlet to charge your phone and other devices. The lounge also features free drinks and snack and all in all it is a very comfortable place to wait.
In the early afternoon the sun came out and I decided to walk around the block and have lunch at Beggar's Pizza. Yep I opted for another Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and it was very good and filling.
After lunch, I made my way back to Union Station and settled down and and passed the time reading and editing photos until it was time to board my train.
At about 6:15 the first call to board Train #30 the Capital Limited, which is an over night train to Washington, D. C. We was scheduled to depart at 6:40 p.m. and arrive shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday November 10.
We departed right on time at 6:40 p.m. and quickly made out in the darkness into Indiana. The Capital Limited does not have a dining car so they give you boxed microwaved meals for dinner. I had my boxed dinner as we made our way toward South Bend, Indiana.
About 9:30 p.m. my sleeping car attendant made my bed and I ended the day by reading a little before turning in somewhere east of South Bend Indiana.
I slept good, but was surprised to wake up about 6:30 a.m. and look out the window and see the Cleveland Browns Football Stadium. We were schedule to arrive in Cleveland about midnight and should be in or getting close to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.My car attendant told me that after leaving South Bend, a freight train had broken down in front of us and we could not get around it and were stopped for over 3 hours. Once we got going again the dispatchers pulled us over onto a siding where we waited for another two hours while they moved timed freight past us.
So he in Cleveland we were running over 5 hours late and it was obvious that I would not make my connection in Washington.
The rest of the trip to Washington was uneventful and we arrived at about 6:20 p.m. Move than 5-hours late. As we approached Washington the Conductor informed me that I was being placed on the Southbound Crescent, Train #19 to Lynchburg. Once in Lynchburg I would be taxied on to Roanoke.
Upon arriving in Washington I was met by an Amtrak Gust Services Agent and escorted to the Crescent. On my original train I had a business class ticket but on the Crescent I was in coach.
We were about 20-minutes late leaving Washington, pulling out a couple of minutes after 7 p.m. with a 10 p.m. scheduled arrive into Lynchburg.
Things were moving on pretty good until we arrived for out station stop in Charlottesville, Virginia. Here we sat for the next hours. A southbound CSX Freight Train had struck a pedestrian a few miles in front of us so we were stuck here while everything was investigated.
While we were stopped in Charlottesville, our locomotive crew ran out of hours so even after the track was cleared we couldn't go anywhere until a new crew was shuttled up to Charlottesville.
Finally about 3:30 a.m. we pulled out of Charlottesville and about an hour and a half later I arrived in Lynchburg. There was a taxi waiting for me at the station I was off on the final leg of my journey.
I negotiated with the cab driver to take me all the way to my car was was parked at my former office. So 6:30 a.m. picked up my keys and pulled out onto Route 460 and headed toward Christiansburg.
At 7:05 a.m. on Sunday November 11, after 8,671 - miles, I pulled into my garage and officially ended my 2018 Amtrak Arizona Adventure.
Even with the ordeal getting from Chicago to Roanoke, it was an absolutely amazing adventure.
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