It already constituted a pretty long trip if you boarded the Number 6 Amtrak on Tuesday when it originated its route in Emeryville, Calif.

By time the 139 passengers and 12 crew members reached the Mt. Pleasant station shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday, though, they were several hours behind schedule and uncertain how the train ever would cross the Mississippi River. Their mode of transportation soon had to change, thanks to a Mississippi-based transportation problem.

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad would not allow trains to cross its Burlington bridge over the river after possible damage when sections of a barge broke loose upstream and came into contact with the bridge. In addition, the Iowa Department of Transportation stopped allowing traffic on the U.S. 34 Mississippi River Bridge for the same reason.

While the U.S. 34 bridge reopened late Thursday, the status of the BNSF bridge was less certain. Mary Cannon, conductor on the Amtrak delayed in Mt. Pleasant, said once passengers were transferred, she and a skeleton crew would wait out the bridge reopening behind several freight trains.

"They're all safely on buses," Cannon said.

The passengers packed into four Trailways appeared to be handling the situation with good humor. Jim Kottmeier of Grinnell did note some irony about his trip to Chicago from the perspective of his front-row bus seat.

"I could have driven there by now - but at $80 for gas," he said.

For Micah Merrifield of Steamboat Springs, Colo., the bridge closing amounted to only a delay of a few hours - but Mt. Pleasant was his final stop anyway. He dozed on an outside bench while waiting for his ride to visit his former hometown of Cedar Rapids.

For more, see our May 2 print edition.