Posted on 06/16/2018 5:23:30 PM PDT by US Navy Vet
My wife and I are thinking about going from Omaha to Wash DC and up to NYC and back next May.
I always pick the “silence car”. Every time.
We took the auto train from Sanford, FL to Lorton, VA last year. The cars and accomodations seemed to be good condition and the food was edible. But the trackage was so rough and uneven that I couldn’t believe we didn’t derail, and made the coach rattle unbelievably loud. Sleep was impossible. Never again.
Took the Coast Starlight 20 years ago. Really enjoyed it. But count on them being late.
One conductor joked — We will be delayed. Our company motto.
But this delay was because someone parked a stolen pickup on the tracks and the hoodlums got their jollies watching the train crash into it.
But the people seemed to care that services the guests.
Daughter and I went from Omaha to Chicago two years ago and it was OK. No Wi-Fi, and power for phones was hit and miss. On the upside, the seats are spacious and you can bring a cooler with food and drinks.
Had a two hour delay on the return trip and it’s like riding a Greyhound. You stop at every little town. Maybe try Omaha to Chicago first before a cross country trip.
It is the last civilized mode of travel available to the American public.
But they only promise that you will leave the originating station on time. After that it’s a crap shoot.
Food, very good
Get a sleeper and the service is excellent.
Go First Class and you’ll never travel any other way again.
L
New York to DC
Amtrak is the way to go.
Anywhere else? No.
You need to be a train person.
I have traveled overnight many times. I have always spent the extra money for a first class cabin. The room is quite nice, for a train car. There is a nice sofa, table and chair with a big window. The beds that make up from the sofa are small, but reasonable. The bathroom has a little shower over the toilet that works surprisingly well.
The food is hit or miss. It is diner quality, nothing fancy. What you have to know is that for fire safety reasons, they don’t have a grill on board, so everything is either crock-potted, or microwaved. That means they can’t make a good burger, but the slow-braised short ribs are excellent. Again, hit or miss.
The service is for the most part very good. There is definitely a government subsidized employee feel to the atmosphere, and you get the occasional apathetic type, but you also get some great people that have a real knowledge of the rail and scenery. It’s better than the airlines.
The routes are also hit and miss. Some of the really old train stations are super cool, and you’ll see some of the most scenic places in the world. Unfortunately, stations are often in the seedy part of town, since they use the same rail as the freight lines.
Which brings us to another problem. Time schedules. Because they use rail that is owned by the freight companies, they must adhere to a strict schedule of hitting rail junctions. Once they (inevitably) miss one, they miss them all and are required to yield to freight traffic, which means you sit on a siding for twenty minutes while freight crawls by. The good news is you can always count on Amtrak to not be there on time.
Overall, I enjoy it enough that I won’t fly if I can make the time to take the train, despite the extra cost. Some routes have a fabulous bar car with big swiveling chairs and 180 degree view windows, but I don’t think your route does. You’ll also meet some really interesting people on the train, since they aren’t in a hurry to get where they are going, and are there for the fun of it.
Again, you’re doing it for the experience more than the travel convenience.
I used to ride on the texas eagle sometines when i had spare time...id take a bottle of wine and lunch to the observation car, put my headphones on and relax
I like AMTRAK. You can get up and walk around, enjoy the landscape, there’s a sightseeing car and snack bar, people aren’t hurrying to get somewhere. You’re thinking of a pretty long trip. Perhaps a shorter one before that to see if it’s for you would be a good idea. The last two times I made reservation, it was months ahead of time. The price was very reasonable by doing that.
I’ve taken Amtrak many times, as have family members. It’s more timely on the East Coast, but there are also a lot more shady characters, and the restrooms are typically not even close to tolerably maintained. The cars and restrooms are cleaner everywhere else that I’ve taken their trains, and the people are often more interesting, but you never know when you’ll get there. Overall, I like it enough to do it again and to put my kids on the train often. It’s worth trying for variety, even if you won’t use it as your regular mode of transportation.
If money is no object there s also the larger rooms with showers. Pretty roomy for a train.
Go online and check out their website and there should also be videos on YouTube of the accommodations and reviews.
I’d love one day to do the Trans-Siberian Railway.
I travel from Hampton roads to DC and it is quick, clean an enjoyable.
However the journey Friday nights fron DC to Norfolk can be slow because the freight trains take priority. Passenger trains are sidelined while the CSX and NSou trains go through. Plus the cars are coming back from NYC so the lavatories are less than pleasant.
“Question, has anyone here ever taken Amtrak and if so what did everyone think?”
Never.
Hi Navy Vet,
In 2008, we flew to Denver and got on the Amtrak at Union Station (that is quite the experience)road to Salt Lake City. Then, we rented a car and went to Yellowstone, etc. We did the same in reverse a week later. I think you and your wife will love it. The people you meet in the dining cars and the sandwich shop are memorable.
The only thing I would change, is I would get a sleeping car. Otherwise you have to sleep in you traveling chair.
The observation cars really make the trip.
The best of luck to you and your wife, Navy Vet.
Just took Acela BOS-NY and back yesterday..
Right idea, poor execution.
my love and I took it from Kansas City to St. Louis and back and had a great time
I took Amtrak twice from Chicago to San Francisco about 10 years ago. I loved it. I was traveling solo, but had a sleeper room. Very relaxing, loved sitting in the sight seer car and looking at the country side. Going up the mountains to remote places in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada was awesome. I actually met some really nice people that I still keep in touch with today. I’m not a chatty person, so this was a little unusual for me. The trip took 48 hours, so you do need some extra time, but I would like to do it again.
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