Never did I ever think my Halloween would come early on Amtrak 6800 out of the Santa Fe Station in San Diego. In fact on Saturday morning of the 19th of October, it did come early.
I left the downtown "Y" at about eight o'clock. I felt thrilled to take advantage of the new Amtrak program. With my Coaster pass, I could tap it and ride on some of Amtrak trains. The new schedule had some Amtrak trains dismount at the same Coaster stations. I intended to use my Compass monthly pass on the 6800 out of San Diego's Santa Fe Station at 8:19. And why not? It was free!!!
My compact Chevy Cavalier would be picked up at about 8:50 and I could drive the rest of the way to L.A to visit my second daughter Lindsay. I needed to help her choose a room mate. I often left my car at commuter stations for a day since driving into San Diego is costly, dangerous, and time consuming. I love to riding trains, trolleys, and buses since I could read, sleep or just enjoy San Diego's many pristine sights.
I provided my knapsack with two pairs of underwear, a tuna sandwich, toiletries and three different medications. I needed a pick up since yesterday had been forgettable. At about eight ten, I left the downtown YMCA and proceeded to the Santa Fe Station. I felt jubilant that to ride the early train since the Coaster would leave more than one hour later. All I needed to do now was to tap my Compass pass on a machine and take my 74 year old body into the Amtrak car on track two.
It was now a little past boarding time. An Amtrak official announced the "train would be one or two hours delayed due to an incident." I have heard the term "incident" used before. It usually meant a suicide on the tracks.I couldn't wait the one or two hours. An Amtrak ticket seller told me to "Take the bus just to be sure."
I moved to the Green Line Trolley bench. A man asked if he could sit next to me. Now who could say no to the giant of a man. He asked me for scores of the games. I gave him the sports pages and began to take the Trolley to Old Town and pick up a #30 bus to the VA which would connect with a 101, I thought I heard an announcement at the Santa Fe Station.
The Amtrak announced, "We will be boarding in five minutes." I felt relieved about not needing to take the two buses. A security guard confirmed that train 6800 would indeed leave in five minutes.
Back into the line I hurried. "This is first call for Amtrak to Goleta, with stops in..." I entered the train on track three and unwound my legs. It felt good to be a Coaster passenger on a Amtrak train, since the two were now wedded. A ticket lady told me they had a total of "90 passengers the night before on this special new schedule."
I removed my Tale of Two City book by Dickens and began to relax. Just then the trains conductor announced,. "We will need to go 30 miles an hour due to the incident up ahead." Oh shit! I would be one The Little Engine that Could and prayed the big # 6800 would.. The train now slowly moved out of the Santa Fe Station. At least it lurched forward. Now stressed out, I removed my tuna on rye.
A baby across from me gave me the eye, she wanted my sandwich. Yet the train was not going thirty, more like twenty. We picked up a few passengers at Old Town and continued north. This time the train traveled slower than ten miles an hour, then five, and suddenly stopped. No announcement was made.
Number 6800 now played stop and go for thirty minutes. What was meant by incident? The conductors finally came on, . "I apologize for not informing you earlier. We had problems with the front cab, and a person committed suicide in Leucadia. .We will revert to Plan B, turn around the train and return to San Diego. Shit Shit Shit! I opened up my celery with peanut butter inside and gulped each piece down.
All awhile the train went two step forward and stopped. Two steps forward and stopped again. The the conductor came on again. "We will revert to plan C. We are now not turning the cab around again and will take you to the Sorrento Valley Station. Some of you will take a Coaster just behind us." (Of course that was supposed to be my original train.
"Hooray, Hooray I screamed." It felt good to be able to now get to Encinitas and pick up my car, even it two hours later.
Oh yes, I wrote about the tricks Amtrak played on us. My treat was living to tell you about it.
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