I was on the Texas Eagle between CHI and STL southbound on 9/2 and northbound 9/4. The Sightseer Lounge car was not on either train. They weren't letting any coach pax sit in the diner/cafe car; you could only go down there to get snacks and drinks to be consumed at your seat.

I was surprised that very little of this route was on a double tracked road. South of Joliet, it was pretty much all single track. Coming back, it took 2 hours to get from Joliet to Union Station because we were 5 hours late already (the delays occurred mainly in Arkansas), and we got stuck at a red signal before an at grade train track crossing, near Cicero Avenue where a freight train moved at tortoise speed.

The bureaucrats who run Amtrak have nothing but contempt for train travelers.