My wife and I took the Amtrak from Texas to St. Louis to see our son last weekend. A lot of interesting observations along the way: Several abandoned sidings left to age alongside new ones. A complete rebuild of a mainline outside Mesquite, TX. Sectional track piles I’ve been told are for quick repairs of damaged track. Amazed at how close together real tracks are. I could have reached out and touched (or lost an arm) as freight trains came in the opposite direction. Lots of old rails and ties just lying on the side of the trackbed. Very neat and very messy ballast jobs. Gravel piles for end of sidings. And of course, lots and lots of locomotives, rolling stock and old railroad depots. Also, lots of ideas for scenery and trackside structures.
The ride itself was mostly enjoyable. Modern trains are much smoother and quieter inside than I remember from the 60’s (last time I rode a train). Seats were comfortable with lots of leg room. The lounge and dining cars gave me some exercise and a great view when I was tired of watching from my seat. However, bathrooms were not cleaned the entire trip, drunks and disruptive folks were allowed to stay on the train and they didn’t have a seat for my wife and I for the first 200 miles of our return trip. We sat in the lounge car until some folks got off in Poplar Bluff, MO at 1:00 in the morning. Train going was an hour and a half late but right on time returning. We decided we would try a sleeping room if we took the train overnight again but that almost doubles the cost of the trip and makes it the same or more than flying.
I took Amtrak last year to upstate NY from NYC. I was happy for the most part except for the food which was terrible and expensive. Got a lot of ideas for modeling by looking out the window.
I’ve taken three round trip long distance train trips in my life and have fond memories of each.
The first was Omaha-Chicago for Christmas in 1959 on the Burglington to visit my maternal grandparents with the added bonus of a side trip to Milwaukee on the North Shore to spend New Year’s with my dad’s relatives.
The next one was Omaha-LA on Amtrak in 1979 for a family renunion. The train went to Denver and then swung north into Wyoming. The train split in Ogden with the Desert Wind taking the UP’s southern branch to LA.
Five years ago, I traveled Toledo-Oakland for my niece’s wedding, changing trains in Chicago. By then, Amtrak had rerouted their Denver-Ogden line to go through Colorado but due to track maintenance, we got rerouted to the old Wyoming route, which was a major disappointment.
On both the Amtrak trips, I rode coach the whole way. I didn’t mind the earlier one but my old bones had trouble sleeping comfortably in the coach seats on the later trip. If I had it to do over, I would have spent the extra money for a sleeper.
The cars were essentially the same on both Amtrak trips. The biggest difference was the quality of the dining service. On the early trip, I remember having a restaurant quality prime rib dinner. On the later, the choices were more what you might see in an inexpensive family style restaurant. Okay but not great.
I’d like to take one more trip before cashing it in. Either the northern tier to the Pacific Northwest or the Canadian route to Vancouver. I’ll be sure to get sleeping accomodations next time.
I have taken Amtrak from Dallas to St. Louis. We had a room in the crew car. It was a little strange but very nice and quiet. Sleepers are the only way to travel if you are going long distance. I have been on four trains of Amtrak’s. The Texas Eagle, Heartland Flyer, Sunset Limited and the Coast Starlight are all different feeling. The Eagle north out of Dallas was the roughest ride. The coast is not really bad for a sleeper in many cases if you consider that you would have to pay for a hotel room and all your meals are included. The meals I have had on Amtrak have been very good. The cafe cars?? well that is a different story but still not bad.
About 10 years ago I did a round trip to Eugene Oregon from Waterloo Indiana. It was a 2 day trip west of chicago. I rode coach. I had some problem sleeping the first night but once I got used to it I was okay. Food was good and I felt fairly priced. the trip was in August and I thought the cars were a little on the cold side. On the return trip I overheard a young man comment to his mother that the car was cold. She acknowledeged that yes it was and wonderd why. I looked over at her and said, “It keeps people from stinking” … she looked kind of funny at me and then I reminded her…“2 days on a train without a shower”.
On the trip to Eugene I actually arrived abnout 5 minutes early. It was a bus connection from Portland to Eugene and there was a layover in Portland of about 90 minutes waiting for the bus connection. The return trip was all rail. Eugene to Portland (2 hours late), Portland to Chicago(Now 4 hours late) and of course still 4 hours behind by the time I got to Waterloo. But in both cases of changeing trains the connection was held for the arriving trains passengers. I think I had a guarenteed connection that would have made them put me in hotel if I missed a connection and is was not my fault.
The first time I traveled on Amtrak was from Washington, DC to NYC. The train was full with no extra seats. This woman with six kids sat across from us and did nothing but beat on those kids from DC to Newark. Last time I ever rode in coach. It’s either a bedroom/roomette or the club car.
If you ride Amtrak, save the “paper” – it was pure happenstance that folks saved the tickets, baggage checks, paper coasters, menus, seat “savers,” and other throw away material from the glory days of train travel. Decades from now people will enjoy that stuff from today. When the Amtrak 40th anniversary tour train came to town, it was amazing to see the scope and variety of collectable “paper” and other stuff that they had on display. Much of it was familiar to me but I had never saved it perhaps out of a “it’s only Amtrak” mindset.
In the mid '70s and through the 1980s I would buy a coach ticket on the Champion or The Silver Meteor or Silver Star between points on the NEC, then ask the conductor to upgrade my ticket to a “Parlor Seat in Room.” If there was a room available it could be sold as a Parlor seat and the cost difference was only a few dollars. Sometimes the rooms were reserved from points south of DC so Amtrak was glad to sell the otherwise unsold space.
On one occasion, while travelling with a friend, we scored a Drawing Room on the Regal Palm a Santa Fe 4-4-2 pressed into service during a holiday rush. The porter apologized for having us in this “old, run down car” in reality, it was pristine and still in Pullman paint and upholstery. The porter seemed to think we wanted purple seats, red walls and orange curtains!
I still have some of the “Cash Fare Receipts” from those trips. I’m guessing this option is probably not available on today’s Amtrak… too bad.
I’ve taken a couple of rides on the Missouri River Runner. Though it used to be late all the time, UP did some track work and now you can set your watch by the Amtrak. It’s a pleasant ride. Half of the trip is within view of the Mighty Mo. The loco is only hauling 3 or 4 cars, so acceleration is quick. Despite the few cars, it’s never too crowded.
A couple years ago, I headed out to Philmont via the Southwest Chief. Though Kansas was boring, southern Colorado and northern New Mexico were beautiful. Amtrak still uses several ATSF mission-style stations, and every now and then, you pass an old Mikado or Consolidation in a park. And on the return trip, there was even a (now private) pullman green Santa Fe business car on the end of the train. Very cool.
Took the auto train from FL to DC last summer, had a roomette. It was a great experience, this summer I’ll take the Silver Star from Sebring Fl to DC with a roomette. From there it will be coach to Freeport ME. Looking forward to it.