Train spends Sunday in Odessa

The Amtrak passenger train that normally flies through Odessa in the middle of the night was forced to sit on the tracks in our fair town from very early Sunday morning (around 5 a.m. according to some Odessa early birds) until about mid-afternoon. Several unfamiliar faces were seen at the local grocery store, and enquiries to the cashier about them were answered with reports that a freight train elsewhere on the track had broken down and was being repaired. The Record's efforts to confirm the information with Amtrak were unsuccessful.

We did learn, however, that at least two other Amrak trains were stranded in Montana due to avalanches and bad weather. News reports that cited frustration with airline travel as having caused an increase in people taking the train also went on to describe the frustrations of the people stuck in Montana waiting for assistance. In one instance the passengers were to be taken by bus to a nearby town with amenities and in another the train was to be towed to another town. Passengers had their complaints about the situation but also said that they had banded together to help each other, sharing food and whatever else they could to assist others during the long waits for help.