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I took the Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle from El Paso to Austin on Saturday, January 26, 2008.  Only a true train buff would take the train from El Paso to Austin.  It requires an 8.5 hour sleepover in San Antonio. Mercifully, I can afford a roomette.  Clearly, this is not a good idea for a coach passenger.I used the on-line ticketing kiosk to pick-up my ticket at the El Paso Station on Friday afternoon.  It was a piece of cake; I slid my credit card into the reader, and it recognized me immediately.  I was asked a few simple questions and, voila, I had my ticket.  It was pretty slick.  The ticket office was not manned when I dropped by the station, so the on-line ticking kiosk was convenient.  If it had not been there, I would have had to wait until Saturday morning to get my ticket.The El Paso station was squeaky clean.  It is an old union station that was opened in 1906, and it has been restored.  It was designed by the Chicago firm of Daniel H. Burnham, which also designed Washington's Union Station. The El Paso station is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Sun Metro, which is the El Paso transit system, and Amtrak appear to be the major tenants.When I got up Saturday morning I checked on-line to see how Number 2 was running.  Much to my surprise, the Amtrak web-site showed that the train was on time.  Given the Sunset's perpetual tardiness, I must have gasped in surprise.  I had breakfast and walked from my hotel to the station.  When I got there I was told by the ticket agent that the train would arrive about 9:15 a.m. or nearly an hour late.  I told him that the train was shown as being on time.  "What happened", I asked him?  He said that it was stuck about 16 miles west of town because of track work and freight traffic congestion.  Being a veteran train traveler, I broke out a book and settled into one of the benches to wait for the train.  About 9:15 the agent announced that the Sunset was further delayed and would arrive at approximately 10:00.  Around 10:15 he came into the waiting area and announced that the train was further delayed because the crew had exceeded the 12 hour operating limit.  Apparently the El Paso to Alpine crew had to be driven out to the train so that they could bring it into the station.  In any case, the agent's frustration got the better of him - I understand how he must have felt, and he came down pretty hard on the Union Pacific.  This is not the first time that I have heard an Amtrak employee publicly dump his spleen on the UP.  It is a good example, unfortunately, of how persistently late running trains can sap the morale of Amtrak's employees.The train arrived at 11:03.  It consisted of two locos, a transition sleeper, a New Orleans sleeper, a lounge car, a dinning car, two New Orleans coaches (one was a baggage coach), one Chicago coach and one Chicago sleeper.  I had Roomette #5 in car 2230 - New Hampshire.  It was clean and properly stocked with towels, wash cloths, and bottled water.  However, the safety card that is normally in the room was missing.  Also, a copy of the schedule and route information, which is also normally in the room, was missing.The New Hampshire showed its age.  The carpet in my room, at least, was a bit threadbare.   Moreover, the occupied/not occupied indicators on the toilet doors are faded, and it was practically impossible to tell whether they were occupied outside of trying the door.When I got on the train the car attendant told me that I had a lunch reservation for noon.  I told him that noon was a bit early, and I asked him if I could get a later reservation.  He said that he did not know and told me that I should go up to the dining car to see if the steward could give me a later time.  He was a bit gruff; perhaps he too was frustrated by the late running train.  In any case, after giving it a second thought, I decided that noon would be okay for lunch.  Subsequently, he came back to my room and told me that I could have a new lunch reservation for 2:00 if desired.  I kept the noon reservation.We departed for Alpine and points east about 11:30.  But apparently the train gods don't look favorably on the Sunset.  About two miles east of the station the train stopped.  A passenger had gotten sick and had to be removed from it.  This delayed us another 45 minutes.  Finally, at 12:15 or thereabouts we got underway for Alpine.  From then on it was clear sailing all the way to Alpine and San Antonio.  We did not have to take to a siding for any passing freights.  And since Number 1 had derailed near Houston, we did not have to worry about it.    I had the garden burger for lunch.  It was terrible.  It was hard as a rock.  Either it had not been prepared properly before it was put on the train or it was not heated correctly.  I was afraid that if I dropped it on the table I might have broken it.  That is the table.After lunch I went to the lounge car.  Newspapers were scattered all over the floor.  This is a potential safety hazard.  If someone inadvertently steps on them, he or she could take a tumble.  Newspapers slide easily on carpet.  I picked them up and put them in the trash receptacle.  No one from the crew seemed to notice them.The best scenery on the El Paso to San Antonio run is arguably between Marfa and Sanderson.  The train cuts through the southern edge of the Davis Mountains.  Between Marfa and Alpine it climbs over the 5,000 foot Paisano Pass.  This is not like crossing the Rockies, although the Davis Mountains are part of the Southern Rocky Mountains, but it is a good substitute.  I have been bicycling in and around Alpine for many years.  I know the area well.  Although I have traveled to many beautiful spots in Asia, North America, and the UK, at the end of the day I always come back to Alpine and the Davis Mountains.   The train got to Sanderson about just as the sun was setting, so I did not have an opportunity to see the high bridge over the Pecos River.    I counted approximately 56 passengers on the train between El Paso and Del Rio.  Twelve passengers got on the Sunset at El Paso; I did not count the number getting off.  It boarded one passenger at Alpine; none got off that I could see.  I did not see anyone get on or off the train at Del Rio.  It had approximately 20 passengers whose seat checks indicated that they were getting off in San Antonio.  I saw very few seat checks for New Orleans.  Dinner was a big improvement over the noon meal.  I had the vegetarian selection.  I don't remember the name of it, but it was like a soufflé.  It was very well prepared.  And much to my delight it came with a crisp salad, a roll, and mixed vegetables that had not been overcooked.  Gone from the plate was the rubbery broccoli that I have commented on to Amtrak management.  I topped the meal off with a piece of cheese cake.  It was perfect.  The meal was one of the best that I have had recently on Amtrak.  On the Eagle out of San Antonio I was served a cold breakfast.  The dining car crew does not get on the train until Austin, and the dinner does not open until after departing Austin.  A blueberry muffin came with breakfast.  It was cold and crumbly.  It was awful.  The other items were OK.  It is hard to screw up cereal, milk and fruit.  I understand the challenge of serving breakfast to the sleeping car passengers on the Eagle out of San Antonio, but Amtrak needs to do a better job of it.The lounge car windows on the Eagle, unlike those on the Sunset, were dirty.  Dirty windows in a sightseeing car a good impression does not make.
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