"Live blogging" aboard the California Zephyr

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I’m going to be trying an experiment in technology and rail travel this weekend, July 1st: I will be “live blogging” a trip aboard the Amtrak California Zephyr as I ride between Denver and San Francisco. For the 30-odd hours of the run, starting around 8am Mountain time, I will post updates and photos from onboard.

I’ll be writing about the experience–the service, what the ride is like, the scenery, and so on–as I travel. I figure railfans will find this fun and different.

Live blogging has been tried at various events, like conventions and sporting events, but isn’t very common on moving vehicles, and certainly not trains.

Take a look, if you’d like to see how it goes. The blog site is http://zephyr.midnightrailroader.com and there is currently a welcome page up.

2

Sounds like a fun idea. I’ve put your blog in the favorites so I can monitor it on July 1st. [tup]

3

Jim (Eolafan) has posted live reports of his trips on Amtrak between Chicago (or Joliet) and Springfield, Illinois, on the Forum, so it’s doable. It’s also fascinating to the rest of us, so go for it!

4

I’ll especially be interested in reading about the scenery and such that way. I’ve only been on the CZ headed the other direction. Looking forward to reading the report!

5

I’ll also be interested in how your trip goes. I’m hoping to ride the Zephyr myself later this summer, and I’m also interested in blogging my trip.

What kind of technology are you using to get your posts out? I’d have thought wireless through the rockies would have been difficult, if not impossible.

6

I’m happy to hear that somebody else is going to follow my lead in doing live blogs from an Amtrak train trip “live”. The only real challenge you might have is if your broadband card has trouble picking up a signal in some of the more remote areas in which the CZ travels, which are likely to also be the areas with the best photo opportunities (such as mountainous areas, etc.). Best of luck to you, I look forward to reading your blog.

7

[:)]

I also am curious about how you will get your information out. My experience with my broadband on AMTRAK is that it gets a signal at about one station out of three, but most of the time the train isn’t stopped long enough to establish contact, log in, and upload e-mails.

[:)] [:)]

8

My Verizon broadband card seems to do better than you describe and although it gets interrupted from time to time, most of the time it gets SOME signal at least.