A Special Morning on the Texas Eagle

Railway Age

May 1 was Amtrak’s 55th birthday. Five years ago, “America’s Railroad” celebrated its “Fiftieth” with an event that featured then-President “Amtrak Joe” Biden. COVID-19 was running wild at the time, so I covered the ceremony by listening online. Things are different five years later, and the mood around Amtrak, and in many other places, is more subdued. Yet there was something about this morning on Amtrak that deserves to be told.

This report comes to you from on board Amtrak Train 21, the Texas Eagle, on its way between Marshall and Longview, Tex.. I’m going to Dallas, where I will ride the new Silver Line on Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The ride from Chicago had been pleasant but uneventful, and the train had been running on or close to schedule. Then I stepped into the lounge car, walked down the stairs, and prepared to order my morning cup of coffee. The attendant’s area looked different, with an eye-catching set of menu cards that featured pictures and prices for all the food and drink items, as stickers on the doors of the refrigerated compartments that identified the contents inside in big easy-to-read letters.

I wondered if Amtrak had issued new menu cards, because the ones I saw looked different from any I had seen on Amtrak before. The answer was no. Amtrak did not make those cards, but Attendant Rachael Finley did. They had a “professional” look, but they are homemade. Rachel keeps them with her and puts them up at the beginning of each trip.

There is something else that’s different about Rachael’s lounge-car experience. She plays songs on her smartphone that promote the train, the lounge car, the menu items and the places along the route’ AI-generated tunes that Rachael inspired.

There was an organization called the Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization (TEMPO) formed in 1998 to promote the train, but it has been some time since TEMPO was active. Now Rachael Finley carries on the tradition from behind the counter.

That’s what makes Amtrak special: the crew members, with their initiative, their positive attitude toward the riders, and the willingness of at least some of them to go to extra effort to promote their train and give passengers another reason to ride again.

Rachel’s songs can be found on YouTube. Her song “Cafe Blues Texas Eagle” describes her take on her job. It’s done as a 1940s-style jump swing/jump tune, and the background features a trumpeter who sounds somewhat like Roy Eldridge. Good for you, Rachael! Happy Birthday, Amtrak!

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