Educate me on rail travel

[waksupi]

I've been checking out Amtrac, and the scheduling and charges are confusing. I'm looking for something like a 15 day rail pass in the future, and don't understand everything I see on the web site. Canadian info welcome, too.

[stephenj]

Good luck on understanding the schedules .
I used amtrak once ... wasnt a bad trip .. comfortable and way faster then a bus
How ever you have to be careful of schedules .. sometimes you can get stranded at a station
For 12 -14 hours or longer if you have to wait for a "special "

And strangly enough if you arent careful your kinda expensive train ride can turn into a bus ride

[freebullet]

Umm...I thought this was going to be an interesting thread on the of timing of rail to slide travel er sumpthin. Guess not. I prefer to drive everywhere, I can't really help with a train travel thread.

[gon2shoot]

Rail travel? You being run out of town?

[Petrol & Powder]

The time tables are not user friendly but if you just let the Amtrak webpage do the work for you, it's fairly straight forward. I've never used the Amtrak rail pass option and have always opted for a ticket on a specific train. They do limit the number of travel "segments" available on the pass, so be careful with your trip planning.

[elk hunter]

I don't have any direct experience with AMTRAC, but have considered going places via rail and have talked with friends that have. The following are some of the things I was told.

You need to check carefully as pointed out by "Stephnej" because you can buy a ticket to get from point A to point B from AMTRAC but there may not any tracks within 200 miles of point B so you end up riding a bus from the nearest AMTRAC station.

If you ride coach for any distance and want to sleep you will need to take your own pillow and blanket as they don't furnish them.

I've been told that in some areas freight trains are given priority over passenger service so you could experience long delays sitting on a siding waiting for other trains to go by.

[clyde-the-pointer]

The trans Canada railway is on my bucket list. Expensive but gotta be one of the most scenic trips around. Anyone here ever done it?

[waksupi]

I think I just have cabin fever, and want to go somewhere, some how.
True on the bus ride, I think that is in effect in this area at the time, due to avalanche danger.

[reloader28]

We rode Amtrak from northern Idaho to the twin cities and back when I was around 10 years old.
I've always liked trains and thought that trip was awesome.
I've wanted to take another ride with the wife sometime, but theres no route close to me.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Seven years ago we took the California Zephyr from Illinois to Calif. Look up California Zephyr on the internet. It sounds like a cruise ship only on land. We were going out to see my new grandson in San Fran. We got on and 1/2 hr. later the toilet was out on our car and you had to go to the next one. (no big deal, right?) it was. The bathroom was incredibly cramped and dirtier than a construction site. We arrive in Denver an hour late, had to switch cars and that took 3 hrs. We had to wait on a side track for an hour so some tunnel could get enough air in it so we wouldn,t choke from the freight train smoke. We arrived in Calif. 7 hrs. late. The return trip was worse and we arrive back just over 12 hrs. late. Food was incredibly expensive and they assigned where you sat in the lunch car. Food was only available during breakfast, dinner and supper. The problem was, the dinner time was at 6:00pm but the diner car ran off of whatever time zone it was in at that moment. It was really expensive and they wouldn't let me get a refund at San Fran. The supposed sleeper car had duct tape covering tears in the seat and in the tiny bathroom was a slot for putting your Gillette safety blades in........... no joke. Never again. I could type for a very long time on how messed up it was. Oh ya. somewhere in Utah, we sat in the middle of nowhere for three hours because the engineer had run out of hours because of previous delays............CRAZY!
We have taken the train across Illinois up to Chicago and that was a nice trip in a new car....... Just don't go a long ways.

[square butte]

I used to get on Amtrak in Whitefish in the evening and overnight travel to Portland OR about- arriving about mid morning the next day - Sometimes further south. I really enjoyed it - But that was in the early and mid 80's. It was pretty reasonably priced then. Probably gotten worse. About 5 years ago, had to Ride Amtrak between Wash. DC and Burlington , VT after a bunch of planes were cancelled due to storms. That ride was the pits until we got up out of those un-named eastern seaboard state and got north of the Vermont border.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I did the same ride from WF to Portland years ago when My brother got married,
I thought, yeah, the night ride and I can sleep- wrong, the thing stops at every crossing
turns the lights on and sounds the dinger just about 2 seconds after you doze off.
Day travel would be more fun so you can see

[ShooterAZ]

When in college I would ride the rails between flagstaff and Albuquerque when coming home from breaks. Lots of nice scenery on that stretch of track. I found it quite enjoyable to take the train.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

......

[fouronesix]

Travel agent. That's what they do.

[dbosman]

Another thing, if you opt for a sleeper, check the "bed" length and width. Many, many, people would have to sleep curled up and not stretch.

[1989toddm]

Have taken amtrak couple times from Washington to Indiana. Loved it! However they are dirtier than most other travel, and we have never had a sleeper car. My wife loved it as well, it's relaxing unless you are the impatient type. Whole different kind of people than you meet on say a 6 hr plane ride. There might be that 1 guy who gets off every stop for a smoke and smells up your end of the car, but shoot, spend your time in the lounge car instead! Has booths and fairly comfortable seats. Take books, playing cards, anything to pass the time, but don't be surprised if you spend hours talking to someone you sat down beside. Food was great and still served on real china. Good coffee. Next trip if I'm not in a hurry we will definitely take train. Hope my rambling helps a bit! Oh also be aware you may be stranded for hours because of weather, bridge problems, train/car accident, or other things that we usually wouldn't think about.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

.....!

[Petrol & Powder]

"Amtrak" encompasses a lot of different experiences. I've heard the horror stories and believed them - but my experiences have mostly been positive. Most of my rail travel has been on the Northeast corridor and that IS different from most of the Amtrak world. I've never had the bus ride in the middle of my journey but that's because I planned my trips specifically to avoid the bus segments.
For the most part, I've been very happy with Amtrak. The feel of the entire experience is just different from other forms of travel. You have to have the right mindset but trains can have some strong appeal. Plan carefully, go into it with the right mindset, take it for what it is and you'll likely walk away with an enjoyable experience.
It is a shame that America cannot do better with our rail system. This country was made for trains! We should be able to do it better but somehow we lost the edge with the advent of interstate highways and air travel. Maybe passenger rail service will someday reclaim it's place in America or maybe it will not. In the meantime, I'll use trains when they fit my needs.

[TXGunNut]

I took many train rides forty-plus years ago on a Eurail pass. If Amtrac ever reaches that level we'll see lots more folks travelling by train, including me.

[SciFiJim]

If it is choice of train or bus, take the train. Is is much more comfortable. I used to take the train from San Diego to LA to see my girl when I was in the Navy. Very comfortable and scenic. Last year I had to travel to the in-laws to pick up a car. I took the train from Fresno to Portland OR. Not much to see in the middle of the night, but when it was light, I saw areas I wouldn't have seen otherwise. It was crowded for the first part (during the night), so sleep was impossible. If I have to travel that distance again, I would fly or drive.

[1989toddm]

123.Diesel Benz, I didn't mention that the last trip we took, rode 2 hrs to Spokane and sat for 8 hours waiting on a train from Seattle that ran into a mudslide. Then between Spokane and Chicago we had 3 more waits adding up to being at least 15 hrs (I forget exactly) late over the whole trip. But we still enjoyed it:coffee:

[MtGun44]

Just keep in mind that Amtrac is not a serious transportation system, it is a government
mandated PITA to the rail companies who have wanted to shut it down for decades but
the government will not let them. Their business is freight, people are a problem.

I have traveled by train in Europe and the former soviet countries very extensively in the last
10 years, and only once in the US - but long enough ago to not be useful as a comparison.
Europe is much more compact and airlines are not as workable as they are here, so
trains remain fairly viable. The former soviet states have such miserable roads that even
the old trains are far better, and the few new trains are wonderful. Here, outside of the NE
area, with high enough density to make it sort of work, the traffic is too lean to make it pay.

Some folks have fun on some sections, but many inconveniences exist. From what I
have been told by a few friends that have done some travel on trains relatively recently - the
experiences reported sound like a fair cross section. Nice sometimes, but insanely screwed
up at other times. I have toyed with the idea myself, and may yet try it - with low expectations.

Bill

[waksupi]

The local train here would be the Empire Builder in Whitefish. I don't think I have to go far across the border in Canada to hit a passenger line. Anyone rode it? Exchange rate is favorable for us at the time, wonder of wonders.

[BruceB]

The local train here would be the Empire Builder in Whitefish. I don't think I have to go far across the border in Canada to hit a passenger line. Anyone rode it? Exchange rate is favorable for us at the time, wonder of wonders.

Two major transcontinental lines, Canadian Pacific through Calgary and Banff to Vancouver, and Canadian National through Edmonton and Jasper to Vancouver

I was fortunate to ride both these lines across the country back in the '60s, three or four days from Toronto or Montreal to the West Coast.

The CPR had "The Canadian", and CNR had the "Super Continental"..... "name trains" that carried the banners for their respective lines.

This was in the days when railroads took vast pride in their "name" trains, and dining cars set tables with six or eight pieces of silver per seat, and four or five glasses for each dining customer, and, of course, monogrammed china. Multiple-course meals, big menus, chocolates on the pillows, impeccable service, an attendant in every sleeping car 24 hours per day, beds turned down at night.... it was an experience in luxury.

That day is done, but I still appreciate the fact I was able to see it for myself.

"The Canadian" even stopped at a place miles away from any town, just so passengers could disembark to photograph Mount Robson, one of the most spectacular peaks in North America. There was no road access to that view when I traveled the route, but perhaps folks in cars can see it now.

I enjoy train travel; maybe that's partly because railroading runs pretty deep in my family.

[Petrol & Powder]

MtGun44 hit it on the head. AMTRAK is a federally subsidized passenger rail system. It the NE corridor it actually makes money and is real intercity rail system (albeit still govt' run and less than perfect) but in the vast stretches of the west it's government subsidized roots show. Most of the nation's rail system is geared towards freight and without AMTRAK, there would be no passenger rail service.
I'm a capitalist, no two ways about it. I don't think government is the solution to every problem. I also think competition in the private sector is a powerful yet useful force. However, big transportation systems seem to be one of those places that may require government intrusion. Interstate highways, federal flight controllers, customs inspectors and the federal railroad administration are all examples of necessary government oversight of transportation and commerce.
We all know the history of railroads. The advent of passenger airlines and high speed interstate highways led to the decline of passenger rail service. Maybe privately run passenger rail service should be allowed to make it on its own or die? I'm not sure what the answer is but I wish America did train travel better. I think America has what it takes for an excellent passenger rail system.

[onceabull]

Waksupi: Go North to the nearest Point to catch the CP passenger line,then E. or W. to satify whatever urge is jonesing you @ the moment ,if it was me I would do a layover in Banff and/or Calgary...BUT, I would surely be waiting until the trout season was open....Onceabull

[Crash_Corrigan]

Once upon a time, long ago ('57) in a faraway land I found myself in Rochester NY for the summer. I was staying with relatives whilst I attended summer school in Rochester. Classes were made very tolerable as the ratio of boys to girls was awesome. It was a blast and I had a ball at school. Back with my Aunt and Uncle it was also very nice. I met relatives that I had never heard of and I was treated like visiting royalty.

These people of the North were the family of my Father. Apparently he was well loved and respected by all and he was a big deal up there. As his son I was treated like a Prince who was about to ascend to the throne. I had gone up there in early June and on July 4th weekend my parents arrived with my beloved bicycle. All too soon there were gone but I certainly made good use of the bike. The remaining weeks of that summer passed all too slowly and in mid August I was put on a NY Central RR train along with my bike to disembark in Kingston NY.

It was a very enjoyable trip and I kept myself occupied between peering out the windows, or the rear door, or from the observation cars, eating in the dining car and generally finding mischief to get into for 8 hours.

Finally I arrived in Kingston NY and my folks were there to collect me and my bike. Then came an 18 mile drive to our family summer home in High Falls, NY.
Making the final turn down the long driveway to the right I could see a 20 foot long banner on the barn: WELCOME HOME DANNY. Then there was a lot of yelling and chaos ensued. About 50 people were there to greet me and welcome me home.

It was an awesome summer the high point of which was the train ride from Rochester and the welcome I found when I got home.

[hiram1]

$3 bucks for a coke

[waksupi]

$3 bucks for a coke

Heck, that's cheap. Bought one in an airport lately?

[FredBuddy]

In 1967 I enlisted in the Army in Columbus, Ohio. They put 6 of us on a train to Trenton, Ft Dix, NJ. Porter, dining car with starched tablecloth and napkins, china, sleeper, big breakfast in dining car, the whole nine yards. Then we arrived in Trenton, and you know the rest of the story.

[Maven]

Waksupi, This is from the Trainorders.com site, posted on March 8:

Avalanche on Marias Pass in Montana, early in the week. Though it was cleared,
Amtrak can't run with passengers due to BNSF embargo on loaded passenger trains
in active landslide/avalanche areas.

That would be a disruption in itself while passengers ride Shelby-Whitefish by bus
and train runs empty. But then another series of avalanches occurred Thursday that meant
NOTHING could run, not freight, not an empty Amtrak. So the bustitution became a
bus-BRIDGE instead, between a terminated Train 7 at Shelby and a terminated Train 8
at Whitefish, which then are turned around back to where they came from.

Both main tracks were cleared and returned to service at 8:30 p.m. Central Time on
Friday, Mar. 7. Doesn't mean Amtrak is allowed to run with passengers, though; that
will depend on the severity of the continuing avalanche threat.

This was in addition to the other chronic problems on the route this year. Sadly, an
Empire Builder that isn't hours late is a rarity these days. Take a look at:

America's Least Reliable Train



Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/14 18:49 by GenePoon.


[ Reply To This

[jaysouth]

Have you noticed lately that you have a hard time getting oriented and going in the right direction and always late? Do you have dirty bathrooms, surly employees and bad food? Beware, you may be suffering from AMTRAC!

Last year I rode a train from Vienna to Frankfurt quicker than the last train I rode from DC to NYC.

[MtGun44]

LOL! You haven't seen bad trains and "dirty bathroom" and you can't even get close
to what you get on an Indian train at the medium level of service. We got on one
first class and it was really impressive, and the ordinary "normal level" sleeper
was OK, very basic but acceptable (but really bad bathrooms). We had to
take one "cheap train" (not the lowest class of service, but minimal) sleeper
for 18 hours. Folks were pleasant, but count on someone sitting on the end
of your (reserved) bed unless you literally kick them off and they think you
are a butthead for not letting them use the part you aren't actually
ON at the time. When we got to our reserved seat/bed there were about
6 guys sharing it - had to show tickets and motion them off to claim
our bench. If you wanted the whole thing - you had to lay down. Nothing
unpleasant but it is very crowded and they are not shy about crowding into "your
space". Not at all sure what percentage actually bought tickets.

Got pretty sick of the idiot RailWay Guard pointing his Sterling subgun
at me and everyone else all the time. Found out later that they never,
ever, EVER get any ammo, so I guess they treat it like a piece of firewood
for a reason. The guards in Mumbai ran when the terrorist came in, and
I was amazed that none of them even tried to fight back. Problem was
nobody knew they had zero training and no ammo. Just a uniform and
a rifle or subgun to carry, no way to use it.

A WHOLE different train experience. :bigsmyl2:

Bill

[NVScouter]

When I lived in Germany in the early 90s I rode the train all over. Nice, clean, reasonable, and a heck of a way to travel. I went back post Euro and cost was over double, people were crowded a lot more, bad tempered and more seats on the same cars (tip from airlines do doubt). During Octoberfest they used to run free trains with everybody sharing beer, climbing in windows. etc.

I tried to take AMTRAK a few times and the time of trip/number of stops VS cost wasnt even almost comparable to airplanes. I think as was stated they have to take passengers but make it so you dont want them to take you. Its sad traveling by rail is smooth and scenic.

[waksupi]

You guys make it sound so good, maybe I'll just hitch hike somewhere!

[Duckiller]

Take the train. It is fun and you have more room than on an airplane. Have taken the Super Chief, LA tho Chicago via southern route, California SF to Chi when a section came from LA to meet the SF portion in Salt lake City, Empire Builder Chi to Seattle and Coast Starlight, Seattle to LA. Went coach and had a great time. Snack bar in Club Car is like eating at 7-11. Dining car served very nice meals. We had heard that the train did not provide blankets so we brought "throws". Amtrac sold similar blankets for less than we paid at Target. I am/was over 6' and am rarely comfortable on and airplane unless I get bumped to 1st class. Have a lot more room on the train and you can get up and walk around. DON'T sit in the lower level on western trains. You see movement just outside window. On upper level you look farther away at passing scenery and does't wear you out as much .Road from Minneapolis to Seattle in the lower level because of mechanical problem with a door. Total wore us out. Try to sit in mid car. If there is a problem with the door(s) the noise won't bother as much. Railroads don't want to deal with passengers and once you get behind schedule you will have to pull off a sidings to let the on time freigt trains pass. Government won't spend enough money to properly maintain equipment. Your trip may not be perfect but it should be enjoyable. the Car attendant will help with minor problems and the conductors are BIG men that have a good relationship with law enforcement all along their route and will take care of serious trouble makers. In Galena Ill. someone got thrown off into the hands of the local police. There was a serious drunk on one trip. He got cut off in the club car. His wife was an enabler and bought his beer for him. She got cut off and they were both threatened to be thrown off if they didn't behave. These problems were handled quietly and politely, unless you were close by you never knew anything was wrong. Because multi-passenger sleeping cars are made for midgets we have always traveled coach. First class gets you a private sleeping car ,three meals a day coffe and juice in the morning along with a newspaper. Coach is much more social. There are lots of interesting people to meet ,talk to and get to know in coach. We stopped traveling by train when my wife developed mobility problems. Mobility impaired can travel by train but will have to sit in lower level that is not a nice as upper level. Bathroom are all on lower level. You have to be able to go up and down stairs or sit in lower level. Amtrac trains are not bad, as Bruce said Canadian trains are very nice. You aren't a crown prince traveling on the Orient Express. Relax and enjoy yout trip.

[kootne]

waksupi, we frieght our kids back and forth on Amtrac from Pasco and Spokane, it stops a mile from my house so is handy on my end. it's a crapshoot on the schedule, seems to be much better when the weather is nice. There is a way to check it on the web.

Last year my wife and I checked off an item on my bucket list. We took a trip on the Alaska Marine Highway (State owned ferry) from Bellingham, Washington to Skagway, Ak. and back. Wonderful trip, I am a serious ferry fan now. The cool thing is that next door to the ferry facility is where Amtrac station is located in Bellingham. So if I go again on the ferry, (and you should if you haven't) I'm just going to walk down to the Amtrac station in Libby, ride to Bellingham, walk across the street and get on the boat.
just my .02
kootne

[waksupi]

waksupi, we frieght our kids back and forth on Amtrac from Pasco and Spokane, it stops a mile from my house so is handy on my end. it's a crapshoot on the schedule, seems to be much better when the weather is nice. There is a way to check it on the web.

Last year my wife and I checked off an item on my bucket list. We took a trip on the Alaska Marine Highway (State owned ferry) from Bellingham, Washington to Skagway, Ak. and back. Wonderful trip, I am a serious ferry fan now. The cool thing is that next door to the ferry facility is where Amtrac station is located in Bellingham. So if I go again on the ferry, (and you should if you haven't) I'm just going to walk down to the Amtrac station in Libby, ride to Bellingham, walk across the street and get on the boat.
just my .02
kootne

That is some good info! Thanks.

[Just Duke]

I think I just have cabin fever, and want to go somewhere, some how.
True on the bus ride, I think that is in effect in this area at the time, due to avalanche danger.

The Empire/ Builder should take you to the East coast. Online is a real time GPS location map of any Amtrak you need to find.
http://www.amtrak.com/empire-builder-train
You can see documentaries of its travels on youtube.

[Just Duke]

http://www.amtrak.com/firearms-in-checked-baggage

[waksupi]

The Empire/ Builder should take you to the East coast. Online is a real time GPS location map of any Amtrak you need to find.
http://www.amtrak.com/empire-builder-train
You can see documentaries of its travels on youtube.

They don't have a train strong enough to take me east!

[10x]

The trans Canada railway is on my bucket list. Expensive but gotta be one of the most scenic trips around. Anyone here ever done it?
The best in Canada are from Calgary to Vancouver. and Edmonton to Vancouver, or Calgary to Prince Rupert. Riding across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and S. Alberta to Calgary is sort of nice but kind of like spending 3 days in Nebraska. Northern Ont. is not bad but like spending a couple of days in Wisconsin - looking at trees or a lake.

[bearcove]

One thing to be aware of is only some of the stations can check bags or get out your checked bag. All weapons must go in checked bags. Guns, bows... To go to my place in MO we need to go past it to a stop to get the bags out. Same drive from each stop just an extra hour on train. With just carry on any stop. Not as picky about how much you carry on! Its a train what's an extra 100 lbs.

Fun way to travel. I can sleep while someone else drives. Sleeper car is cool!