As we make our way into the kiddy car I notice they are
playing the movie Oceans 11 in the lounge car. I
am stuck with Steve and Blue's Clues in the kiddy car
(hehe).
3:00PM my scanner picks up a defect detector. There is a
defect with one of #14 axles. They are now stopping the
train. I notice they announced the problem to the
passengers soon after I heard it on my scanner. Very good
of them to do that. They are now walking the train to
inspect the axles. The crew has found nothing so on we go.
We have only been idle on the tracks for about 30 minutes. I
didn't mind at all. We are right by a lake. Wonderful
scenery here.
We are not stopping in Chemult Oregon. There is a stop here
but I suppose no one is getting on or off. Chris and I are
having lunch now. We are both having the 14/11 burger with
chips and soda. Our next stop is going to be Eugene,
Oregon. We have been cleared per the dispatcher into
Eugene which is about 30 minutes away.
5:30 PM Chris is back in the kiddy car again. The Blue's
Clues tape is the same one when we first came in. It just
repeats over and over again. Chris doesn't care though; he
is way to busy playing with the toys they have here.
I made dinner reservations for 5:30. I was so full from
the 14/11 burger that I am having salad. Chris is having a
hot dog with mashed potatoes. Both of us are having the
famous desert the Coast Starlight is known for: the turtle
pie, and it is great.
There is an announcement that slow orders are in place from
Eugene to Portland Oregon. The day before FRA inspectors
were out in full force and fined the UP and Amtrak for
violating orders. This is announced by the crew. They also
tell us we will be delayed into Portland due to the slow
orders. We can only travel 30 MPH in most of these areas.
We are now in Portland, Oregon; it is 8:20PM. We are about
4 1/2 hours late. Not a big deal to me because I am
returning the next day anyhow. I got off the train and
entered the depot here. This is very nice. I will take
some photos of the depot here at Portland tomorrow.