Anyone care to share their experience traveling by train in the last few years?

[Gidney N Cloyd]

Not commuting but traveling cross country. I haven't done it since I was a little kid 50 years ago (not counting occasional short trips cross-state from college in southern Illinois to Chicago).
I'm wondering about multi-day trips like from Chicago to one coast or the other.
Enjoyable? Hell?
Is it anything like the movie Silver Streak (other than crashing through Union station)?

[Demoiselle]

1. Our family took two multi-day trips together something over 20 years ago..

We took the overnight train from Philly to Chicago (two guest rooms opened to each other, two adults, two young kids.) Then we had lunch in Chicago and got on the train to Santa Fe in the afternoon. Woke up in Dodge City that first morning. The Western trains have newer facilities, and better dining than the Eastern trains...but I loved every minute of it. We spent time at a dude ranch in New Mexico, took a slow multi-day drive north , ending up in Denver. We flew home.

The other trip we took was a couple of years later. We flew to Livingston Montana, spent two weeks at a dude ranch, then drove north across Montana to get on the train to Seattle in Havre, Montana. Again, really comfortable and loved it. Only problem with that route is that it goes through some very very beautiful country at night.

I love trains and would get on one to go cross country tomorrow if I could. Service, views, food all fine. My only advice about comfort is to suggest that on the Eastern runs where the cars are older and a bit more rickety, it's more comfortable to sleep in a bed that runs lengthwise with the train, not crosswise. (Rocking is less pronounced.)

I admit I'm a train freak. The only problem with going all the way cross country is that the scheduling sometimes requires long layovers between trains. (We had to kill quite a bit of time in Chicago.)

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. Interestingly, New Mexico is one of the places I was thinking of going.

Thanks.

[Demoiselle]

18. It is SO gorgeous. You will love it. Cheers.

[surrealAmerican]

3. My experience may not be recent enough to matter, but ...

... about twelve years ago my husband, two children, and I took the train from Chicago to Santa Fe. The one thing that caught us by surprise, was that although the seats recline, they do not recline enough for a child to sleep in. Thankfully, the five-year-old was a very sound sleeper, since I scooped him up off the floor a few times without waking him.

For the kids, it was a part of the adventure. For the adults, it was a slightly less stressful alternative to flying.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. On my childhood trip 50 years ago, my mom had to sneak me on and off the train in Atlanta.

Seems somewhere between home (Chicago) and there I came down with the measles.

[NightWatcher]

4. Do trains around amusement parks or zoos count?

I was on a train that got held up by cowboys....

[Staph]

6. I've done the cross-coutry thing several times, 20 years ago.

I loved it, but I realize that it takes a certain kind of person to enjoy train travel. I can sit by the hour and watch the world pass by. I'm comfortable dining with strangers (all the tables are set for four -- if you don't have a party of four, you will be sharing with others). I don't need to always be doing. I am content to simply be.

I always brought a bag of books, cards, puzzles and other time-wasters. Today I'd bring a laptop or netbook or e-book reader.

[elleng]

7. Took Amtrak w family Chicago>Glacier>Missoula (I think) in '97-98?

4 of us, 1 or 2 sleepers. Enjoyable, except Amtrak lost our luggage somehow between Chicago and Glacier! Home Sweet Home, like airlines; in 2000, Lufthansa lost some of our luggage between DC and Frankfurt!

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Not recently, but while checking out a ride to Montreal I noticed...

that none of the long-haul trains have Wi-Fi.

I can live without it on the 11 hour trip to Montreal, but three days to LA? Yeah, I could live without it then too, and maybe be better off, but why should I?

BTW, the $62 fare from NYC to Montreal is less than the cost of gas and tolls, and there are deals and discounts. (the Thruway burgers and Cinnabons don't count because train food ain't cheap)

[Shagbark Hickory]

13. Virgin Mobile has these prepaid mobile broadband plans.

It uses the sprint 3/4g network. If the train doesn't have wifi, you might look into getting one of the mobile broadband doohickeys because I've found that they work really well and the plans are reasonably priced.

[TreasonousBastard]

14. Good idea, but two small problems...

Cell service in general is often lousy inside of big steel boxes, and sometimes I have problems with calls on the Long Island Railroad, so I imagine it's no different on Amtrak.

Unless things have changed, there's this huge area somewhere between Albany and the border with no cell service at all. I would guess there isn't much service in large parts of Arizona or North Dakota, either.

So, yeah, that would help, but with just a phone at times and no laptop, Nook, or tablet access just reading and card games with fellow travelers seem to be the main activities.

(Not that that's a bad thing...)

[Shagbark Hickory]

15. The sprint website has a really good coverage map where you can zoom in to street level

To help improve your reception with the mobile broadband device (which plugs into a usb port), what some people have done is get a usb cable with a female connector on one side, then plug the device into that so it acts as a remote antenna that you could perhaps move closer to a window or higher up. Assuming you had your own compartment or was seated somewhere it wouldn't disturb anyone.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

9. In 2008 I did it with my husband

We flew out of RDU to Los Angeles, spent a few days there with my sister, then took the train from LA to Chicago on the Southwest Chief. Then toured a bit of Chicago (my husband had never been there), then we boarded the Lakeshore Limited from Chicago to New York - Penn Station. We spent got a hotel in Jersey City and spent 2 days in my former place of residence (NYC), then we got on the train at Penn Station to Raleigh, where we took a cab back to our car at the RDU parking lot and drove 3 hours home to Wilmington.

We had a roomette for all trip segments. It was great because all meals are included with the roomette. We met some awesome folks and saw some beautiful (and not so beautiful) sights. I was a member of AAA and there is a discount, but even then it was a bit steep. I love traveling by train - I'm used to European trains which are obviously better kept and modern. But Amtrak surprised me and was better than expected.

No art thieves on the train that I saw and no Gene Wilder lookalike was thrown off the train, but it was awesome. We are planning to take the northern route into Seattle and then take the Coast Starlight down to LA.

[raccoon]

10. A few years ago, I took Canada's Amtrak from Regina, MB to Churchill,

and back.

Two nights and one day.

I loved it! I got to see so much.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. Took the train (Empire Builder) from Minneapolis to Seattle this past spring

My only complaint was that the bathrooms were small and cramped. Otherwise, it's a wonderfully relaxing way to travel, especially if you rent a roomette.

All the tables in the dining car are for four, so if you are traveling in a group of fewer than four, you sit with strangers. But that's fine. It's interesting. The food is included if you get a roomette, and it's OK. Nothing spectacular, but not bad, either.

Still, it is a shame that what is supposedly the richest country in the world can't run more than one train in each direction per day. (And the Empire Builder often sells out in the summer.)

[RebelOne]

12. A long time ago, I took Amtrak from Miami to New Jersey.

I love traveling by train. Since it was going to be an overnight trip, I got a compartment. I had my own toilet, sink and fold-down bed. I could have flown because the price was the same. But I wanted to experience the train ride. When I was a kid I would take the train from Miami to Philadelphia each summer to see my grandmother.

[Mutley]

16. I have shorter term experience with trains.

Mostly shorter commuter trains like the Marc train from Baltimore to DC, or the Metro North from NYC to New Haven. I did ride the train between Baltimore and Norfolk, VA a lot when I was a kid. Even those 6ish hour trips had a food car with a snack bar type deal and some benches. It's not bad. You get to walk around a bit, and it's nice to stretch your legs. One thing I hate about driving and taking the bus is being stiff when you get up after sitting for hours.

[whistler162]

17. Enjoyable.... I would do it again in a second, if I can...

I have been cross country by Amtrak twice in the last 10 years. Once from Syracuse to San Francisco to Portland to Syracuse and the second time Syracuse to LA to Seattle to Vancopuver to Toronto to Syracuse. Both times mostly in a sleeper. I enjoyed it alot. To me it is relaxing I can look out hte windows at the country or nap or just relax and maybe visit with people from other parts of the country. If you have time take it slow, stopping between major stops. The way I did the second trip required me to go from Chicago to Seattle via LA just about non-stop, free two zone ticket, and I only spent one or two days in Seattle, Vancouver, and Toronto so as to complete the trip in two weeks..

[UTUSN]

19. Is this where the "engineer"/driver was on pot/ cell-phone & 200 people died?!1 OR

was it when it took 18 hours from one place with stops ... never mind.

[Bennyboy]

20. I've done it a few times in the past couple

And it beats the shit outta flying. In fact is it so nice, I cannot wait to go again.

nobody searches nothing. you can take booze or whatever with you (the guidelines on luggage size and number are never observed).

The seats you get are nice, and the legs lift up and the back reclines quite a ways. BUT it is hard to sleep there, so bring a tall ice chest (full of beer of course) to prop up the legs part and keep them from falling. Remember to have them sit you, if a couple, across from each other not next so you have a spot that is two seats wide. I have never had a seatmate except from Chicago to Memphis and I never went to my seat.

I spent all my time in the viewing car. Nice place, good meeting people. Great for taking photos too. BUT, the glare is harsh so take a dark blanket and some tape to make a curtain. There is beer and wine etc on the train for sale. Be sure to have an Ipod (or MP3 player) and some videos recorded cuz the internet is tough sometimes and so is phoning. A laptop is a must though so you can watch movies, play games and sometimes surf the net.

Another sleeping thing is take that thick blanket and put it in the corner of the couch thing in the viewing car. it is a nice place if you fill that space in. Be sure to tell the conductor that you are going farther so they don't wake you up at every stop.

Of course, if you have the money, nothing like the sleeping car. Two people make it reasonable. 3 meals are included and they are great. in fact the food is pretty good, jut not a lot of it. The steaks are delicious and breakfast pretty good. Very social the way the seating is.

The stops are short so don't think you are gonna get out much. Denver is a long stop and so is Chicago. Both stations are downtown (there is a MMJ club right by the Denver station). You literally drive through Americas backyards.

If you are a smoker they let you off a few stations but never for long. If you are a POT Smoker, get some edibles, you do not want to get caught puffing on the train or in the station.....

If you play an instrument be sure to bring that along, lots of good jams all the time on the trains even some commuter routes.

taking the train from California to New Orleans and back via the southern route: https://picasaweb.google.com/105301374972571710276/TRAINPICTURESTONEWORLEANS?authkey=Gv1sRgCMKh6P2kqpy_bg