(The following story by Becky Manley appeared on The Journal Gazette website on January 2.)
WATERLOO — Despite early-morning darkness and bitter cold, optimism seems to reign at the local Amtrak train station.
During the most recent fiscal year, more than 16,200 passengers traveled to and from the Waterloo station, which is nothing more than a dimly lit metal and plastic structure normally associated with smoking.
Cars waiting to either drop off or pickup passengers park either across the street from the station or drive up the steep stone and grass-covered bank that serves as the station’s parking lot.
Aside from the shelter, the only amenities the station offers are a cement ramp to the platform and a pay phone.
Four days before Christmas, the holiday spirit was apparent in three Advent calendars abandoned on the shelter’s cement floor and a sticker of a jolly Santa Claus someone placed beneath the train schedules posted on the shelter’s side.
Two daily Amtrak trains – the Capitol Limited and the Lake Shore Limited – serve the Waterloo station. Each train heads west in the early morning and returns east late at night.
On two recent Fridays, a diverse group of passengers was found waiting in cold and dark for the trains – some of which ran late. Despite the difficulties of train travel, many travelers say the comfort, affordable tickets, as well as the nostalgic appeal of train travel make it worth the effort.
Across the street, a towering snowman lifted twig arms into the sky as if to welcome train passengers.
The holiday spirit was apparent among the dozen or so passengers waiting for the westbound 6:24 a.m. Capitol Limited.
Most passengers opted to wait in warm, idling cars for the train to arrive.
Those clinging to the warmth of car heaters included Marilyn Tolbert, 59, and Catherine Tran, 21, who waited for the westbound Capitol Limited in Tolbert’s PT Cruiser.
The train was already seven minutes late, a fact that did nothing to dispel Tolbert’s and Tran’s high spirits.
Tran, who is dating Tolbert’s son, said it was the second time she would take the train to Glendale Heights, Ill.
“From the glorious station of Waterloo. Not even a toilet,” Tolbert said, laughing as she gestured across the street to the shelter.
Tolbert, an experienced train traveler, said though she knows train travel often isn’t expedient, its slowness can offer passengers a relaxing, nostalgic time.
“I’m stretching to feel those warm memories,” Tolbert said with a smile.
While Tolbert and Tran stayed warm, Joyce Neilson, 54, of Kendallville, waited with her family inside the shelter.
Neilson, who traveled with her son, daughter and husband, said they were headed to Utah for a holiday visit.
Surrounded by bags, Neilson’s ears perked up at the sound of a distant train whistle. She walked to the edge of the platform.
“Is this our train?” Neilson asked.
It wasn’t. As an eastbound freight train passed, Neilson returned to the cluster of bags her family had deposited inside the shelter.
Neilson seemed impressed at the cost of train tickets for her family, which was about $940 for three roundtrip tickets and one one-way ticket.
The one-way ticket was for her son, Mark Neilson, who will remain in Utah to attend Brigham Young University.
After noticing the Advent calendars on the shelter’s floor, Joyce Neilson picked them up for closer inspection.
“Oh, it’s a product of Poland,” Neilson said after examining one of the three calendars.
A week later – four days before New Year’s Day – the trampled Advent calendars remained on the shelter’s floor.
Across the street, the snowman no longer had such lofty stature and its branch arms had fallen to the ground.
Again, optimistic people waited in the Waterloo shelter in 30-degree cold.
“You’ve heard of the Griswolds? Well, we’re the Greers,” Suzette Greer, 61, of Houston said.
Greer waited with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren for the Capitol Limited.
Her husband, Bill Greer, 64, noted the irony of the situation.
“We came all the way from Houston to ride the train.”
When asked why, Bill Greer gestured to his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. “These people,” he said.
Once in Chicago, the family said the women will see “Wicked” and the men will catch a Bulls game.
The Greers enjoyed better luck than passengers the prior Friday: The Capitol Limited was early by a handful of minutes.
Passengers debarking from the train included Kim Smith, 26, of Fort Wayne, who was returning from a four-day visit with her grandmother in Washington, D.C.
Smith said she enjoys the comforts of train travel – such as the lounge and being able to walk around during travel – although she noted her outbound train was more than an hour late.
“Other than that, the ride is awesome,” Smith said.
Travelers came armed with amusements to pass the time while on the train.
Shannon Stairhime, 26, of Chicago, planned to listen to a Podcast of her favorite National Public Radio feature, “This American Life.”
Steve Andrews, 24, of Los Angeles, carried the Clive Cussler novel “The Chase.”
Already two chapters into the book, Andrews was certain he would continue reading it during his 53-hour trip to L.A.
Although a plane might be faster, Andrews said the train ticket, at less than $200, was cheaper.
His mother, Terri Andrews, had no worries about her son’s trip.
“Like I said, he’s on an adventure. He’ll be fine.”
The second train of the morning, the Lake Shore Limited, arrived about 7:45 a.m. After a short wait, families exchanged final hugs.
In addition to a hug, Terri Andrews shared advice with Steve Andrews.
“Don’t talk to strangers.”