Amtrak around the USA?
Discussion
Anyone travel around USA with Amtrak?
Seriously considering taking an Amtrak tour around the USA when I retire in a couple of years. Would like to start on the east coast such as NY/Boston/Washington, work my way down to New Orleans and across the bottom via Texas & Arizona, and maybe continuing up the west coast towards Vancouver. Maybe occasionally branching off the main route to other places, before returning and continuing,
Rather than being committed to a schedule I'd like instead to have some freedom to get off and stay a night or two at different locations, before continuing onwards. Kind of like a roaming holiday, if I like somewhere then I'll stay a couple of nights, if not then move on etc. A mix of sleeper cabins and seat only, depending on needs. I will have time on my hands.
Does Amtraklend self to this kind of travelling?
Seriously considering taking an Amtrak tour around the USA when I retire in a couple of years. Would like to start on the east coast such as NY/Boston/Washington, work my way down to New Orleans and across the bottom via Texas & Arizona, and maybe continuing up the west coast towards Vancouver. Maybe occasionally branching off the main route to other places, before returning and continuing,
Rather than being committed to a schedule I'd like instead to have some freedom to get off and stay a night or two at different locations, before continuing onwards. Kind of like a roaming holiday, if I like somewhere then I'll stay a couple of nights, if not then move on etc. A mix of sleeper cabins and seat only, depending on needs. I will have time on my hands.
Does Amtraklend self to this kind of travelling?
You need to look at a Amtrak USA Rail Pass that will allow you to use 10 segments within a 30 day period for $500.
Failing that you may want to just book individual tickets for each segment of your journey. Probably the easiest way to manage multi-day stops along your route.
I've never used Amtrak, other than Acela for a short hop. Have watched a few youtubers do it!
Sounds fun though
Failing that you may want to just book individual tickets for each segment of your journey. Probably the easiest way to manage multi-day stops along your route.
I've never used Amtrak, other than Acela for a short hop. Have watched a few youtubers do it!
Sounds fun though
Watch some of the DownieLive videos on YouTube, he’s done a lot of US train journeys.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO8kAe8d56DHNEa...
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO8kAe8d56DHNEa...
Thanks, yes I'll look at their rail pass.
Quite like the idea of taking in some of the scenic train routes too, such as the Grand Canyon train from Williams Arizona etc. This could involve a fair but of getting on/off, with each being counted as a segment so I would have to at least do some kind of planning to see if single fares are cheaper etc.
Quite like the idea of taking in some of the scenic train routes too, such as the Grand Canyon train from Williams Arizona etc. This could involve a fair but of getting on/off, with each being counted as a segment so I would have to at least do some kind of planning to see if single fares are cheaper etc.
I've done the train from NYC to DC, which works well as a tourist as you are likely to be staying near the main stations at either end and don't have to faff about going all the way out to the airports.
I fancy doing the trip through the Rockies from Denver to SLC or Reno, which is on one of the trains with a viewing car - the private cabins seems ridiculously expensive so you need to rough it in a regular seat for nearly 24hrs.
I'm not sure I fancy going the whole way across country, doing a Route 66 road trip seems a much better idea if you want to go coast-to-coast stopping off at interesting places.
If you look at the timetable there's only one train a day on the cross country routes, so you can't hop on and off for a quick visit at a stop, you have to hang around for 24hrs - for good or ill.
I fancy doing the trip through the Rockies from Denver to SLC or Reno, which is on one of the trains with a viewing car - the private cabins seems ridiculously expensive so you need to rough it in a regular seat for nearly 24hrs.
I'm not sure I fancy going the whole way across country, doing a Route 66 road trip seems a much better idea if you want to go coast-to-coast stopping off at interesting places.
If you look at the timetable there's only one train a day on the cross country routes, so you can't hop on and off for a quick visit at a stop, you have to hang around for 24hrs - for good or ill.
Truckosaurus said:
I've done the train from NYC to DC, which works well as a tourist as you are likely to be staying near the main stations at either end and don't have to faff about going all the way out to the airports.
I fancy doing the trip through the Rockies from Denver to SLC or Reno, which is on one of the trains with a viewing car - the private cabins seems ridiculously expensive so you need to rough it in a regular seat for nearly 24hrs.
I'm not sure I fancy going the whole way across country, doing a Route 66 road trip seems a much better idea if you want to go coast-to-coast stopping off at interesting places.
If you look at the timetable there's only one train a day on the cross country routes, so you can't hop on and off for a quick visit at a stop, you have to hang around for 24hrs - for good or ill.
I've done the NYC-DC trip. IIRC, it goes through Philadephia. The train itself was pleasant enough.I fancy doing the trip through the Rockies from Denver to SLC or Reno, which is on one of the trains with a viewing car - the private cabins seems ridiculously expensive so you need to rough it in a regular seat for nearly 24hrs.
I'm not sure I fancy going the whole way across country, doing a Route 66 road trip seems a much better idea if you want to go coast-to-coast stopping off at interesting places.
If you look at the timetable there's only one train a day on the cross country routes, so you can't hop on and off for a quick visit at a stop, you have to hang around for 24hrs - for good or ill.
Blib said:
I've done the NYC-DC trip. IIRC, it goes through Philadelphia. The train itself was pleasant enough.
Indeed. At least the North East coastal corridor has some semblance of a commuter rail network.The NYC-DC trip is interesting, goes through such scenic delights as Camden NJ, the blighted suburbs of Baltimore as seen on TV's 'The Wire', and for those ticking off States in their Eye-Spy books Wilmington, Delaware.
Truckosaurus said:
Indeed. At least the North East coastal corridor has some semblance of a commuter rail network.
The NYC-DC trip is interesting, goes through such scenic delights as Camden NJ, the blighted suburbs of Baltimore as seen on TV's 'The Wire', and for those ticking off States in their Eye-Spy books Wilmington, Delaware.
If you keep going to Boston you’ll also visit Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Personally, I thought the Boston to NY leg was better than NY to Washington, though it’s not as quick.The NYC-DC trip is interesting, goes through such scenic delights as Camden NJ, the blighted suburbs of Baltimore as seen on TV's 'The Wire', and for those ticking off States in their Eye-Spy books Wilmington, Delaware.
Sounds like a great retirement idea. As others have said, the US rail system may prove to be a step too far. But good luck investigating.
In the 80's I was a waiter on the Cape Cod railroad. It did attract some rail enthusiasts, as well as people who liked a breakfast time Mimosa. It's still going, and it was nice to reminisce.
Again 80\s I remember taking Amtrak from Portland Maine to NYC. Entering NYC was awe-inspiring. I choked back tears. (Always a bit emotional).
Good luck with the investigation. I may have a think myself.
In the 80's I was a waiter on the Cape Cod railroad. It did attract some rail enthusiasts, as well as people who liked a breakfast time Mimosa. It's still going, and it was nice to reminisce.
Again 80\s I remember taking Amtrak from Portland Maine to NYC. Entering NYC was awe-inspiring. I choked back tears. (Always a bit emotional).
Good luck with the investigation. I may have a think myself.
kevinon said:
Sounds like a great retirement idea. As others have said, the US rail system may prove to be a step too far. But good luck investigating.
If it's something I end up doing then it will be without deadlines for getting anywhere and with an open ended return to the UK, I just need to get an appreciation of looking at the distance between two places on a map and having an understanding of how long it takes to get there etc with the county being so vast.Would love to take in places like New Orleans, Texas, Arizona etc and get off at strategic locations to see other destinations such as cowboy country - Tombstone, Dodge City, Grand Canyon etc and then make my way back to the Amtrak line to continue elsewhere. One problem will be deciding whether to do it alone, or find someone to do it with who can also do an open ended trip. Not many can do that.
Two years ago we built in a couple of train journeys as we made our way from Boston to San Francisco.
First train leg was between Chicago and Denver. Think it was 18 hours in coach. The seats are large, comfortable and recline with loads of leg room. The train guard keeps a check on everybody, taking note of their stops and making sure everybody has their correct seat, unlike the reservation "system" we have in the UK.
Second leg was between Denver and San Francisco, through the mountains and across the desert. About 36 hours, so we splurged an a couple of cabins. The cabins are small, cramped, basic and dated, but did afford an element of privacy which I appreciated as I came down with a 24 hour bug that left me really quite poorly. The leg room when shared with another person is laughable compared to the room in the coach seats. Being able to have a bed of sorts is nice for the night, but my feverish state did not allow me to enjoy it to it's fullest.
The draw for me was being able to see the country we were passing through, rather than just get on a plane and find yourself in a new place. We saw some beautiful mountainous scenery, some awe inspiring cowboy wild west vistas with a real sense of the remote desolation in between the settled parts of the country. Memories that will stay with me a long time.
I intend to go back with the multi stop pass mentioned above and have a full 30 days meandering around. From our research into those tickets, you still need to book your itinerary, you can't just hop on and off at a whim.
Also, the train stations are often impressive on their own and worth a visit. I spotted the stairs the pram gets pushed down at the end of The Untouchables at Chicago and was made up.
First train leg was between Chicago and Denver. Think it was 18 hours in coach. The seats are large, comfortable and recline with loads of leg room. The train guard keeps a check on everybody, taking note of their stops and making sure everybody has their correct seat, unlike the reservation "system" we have in the UK.
Second leg was between Denver and San Francisco, through the mountains and across the desert. About 36 hours, so we splurged an a couple of cabins. The cabins are small, cramped, basic and dated, but did afford an element of privacy which I appreciated as I came down with a 24 hour bug that left me really quite poorly. The leg room when shared with another person is laughable compared to the room in the coach seats. Being able to have a bed of sorts is nice for the night, but my feverish state did not allow me to enjoy it to it's fullest.
The draw for me was being able to see the country we were passing through, rather than just get on a plane and find yourself in a new place. We saw some beautiful mountainous scenery, some awe inspiring cowboy wild west vistas with a real sense of the remote desolation in between the settled parts of the country. Memories that will stay with me a long time.
I intend to go back with the multi stop pass mentioned above and have a full 30 days meandering around. From our research into those tickets, you still need to book your itinerary, you can't just hop on and off at a whim.
Also, the train stations are often impressive on their own and worth a visit. I spotted the stairs the pram gets pushed down at the end of The Untouchables at Chicago and was made up.
If you are traveling with company you may be tempted by the roomette.
This is a roomette. It is a space for two people to share. I think they have captured how comfortable it would be to travel as neither are sat in their seats.
Also, in many of the roomettes, this is the toilet....
While having some "alone time" you will have to ignore this looking back at you.
I commute to NYC using trains and underground. It seems they have captured the worst of Japan, being crazy busy, and India travel experience.
Oh, and you mention you have time... The trains of America are slow. Painfully slow. I would rather walk, and that might be more practical.
This is a roomette. It is a space for two people to share. I think they have captured how comfortable it would be to travel as neither are sat in their seats.
Also, in many of the roomettes, this is the toilet....
While having some "alone time" you will have to ignore this looking back at you.
I commute to NYC using trains and underground. It seems they have captured the worst of Japan, being crazy busy, and India travel experience.
Oh, and you mention you have time... The trains of America are slow. Painfully slow. I would rather walk, and that might be more practical.
I took the California Zephyr from Chicago to SF a couple of years back. I travelled with my father and we booked a roomette.
It was an experience, but I am not in a hurry to repeat it. Amtrak NEVER run to time and te roomette really isn't big enough for two people to spend time (one ends up in there and the other in the observation car). The dining is however very good for those travelling in the roomettes or luxury compartments, and to be honest, was probably the highlight of the trip.
I've ticked the box now so I don't have to do it again... that does seem to be the view that many of the travel vlogists take too!
It was an experience, but I am not in a hurry to repeat it. Amtrak NEVER run to time and te roomette really isn't big enough for two people to spend time (one ends up in there and the other in the observation car). The dining is however very good for those travelling in the roomettes or luxury compartments, and to be honest, was probably the highlight of the trip.
I've ticked the box now so I don't have to do it again... that does seem to be the view that many of the travel vlogists take too!
Strange how different people view things differently.
Mentioned to Mrs Cjelli what I’d written above, she recoiled and said I was wrong. She said when we do it again, she would insist on a roomette.
Despite the lack of space, she appreciated waking up to her own window and seeing the awesome scenery and sunrise/set in the privacy of our own space with our own window.
I mean, I’ll be happy however we do it, but I guess that’s me told.
Regards the never running to time thing, as long as you’re aware and prepared, it’s not a problem, just a quirk of how US trains work. Our longer journey was quite badly delayed. Knew it was a strong possibility beforehand, got on with it.
Mentioned to Mrs Cjelli what I’d written above, she recoiled and said I was wrong. She said when we do it again, she would insist on a roomette.
Despite the lack of space, she appreciated waking up to her own window and seeing the awesome scenery and sunrise/set in the privacy of our own space with our own window.
I mean, I’ll be happy however we do it, but I guess that’s me told.
Regards the never running to time thing, as long as you’re aware and prepared, it’s not a problem, just a quirk of how US trains work. Our longer journey was quite badly delayed. Knew it was a strong possibility beforehand, got on with it.
I wouldn't. Just say No.
Ex pat living in the US. Several times our kids tried coming back from Uni on the train (Seatle-Portland). Totally unreliable, late, random bus alternatives when trains were cancelled. Once stopped for 6 hours; it's just not worth it - and that's when time is not at a premium. They tried Greyhound and a cheap bus alternative called Bolt which turned out to be quite sketchy.
Fly. Book your flights three months in advance and it's as cheap as trains. Faster, cleaner, less likely to get mugged etc. Use Southwest is a great and cost effective domestic carrier, but if you want to minimise delays etc. get mornign flights as IME delays can stack up so that flights later in the day are more likely to be late. Better still drive, take your time, avoid big cities and enjoy rural America.
On the other hand if you're non-white, female, LGBT or otherwise not readily mistaken for a xenophobic GOP voter, maybe give it a miss for a few years....
Ex pat living in the US. Several times our kids tried coming back from Uni on the train (Seatle-Portland). Totally unreliable, late, random bus alternatives when trains were cancelled. Once stopped for 6 hours; it's just not worth it - and that's when time is not at a premium. They tried Greyhound and a cheap bus alternative called Bolt which turned out to be quite sketchy.
Fly. Book your flights three months in advance and it's as cheap as trains. Faster, cleaner, less likely to get mugged etc. Use Southwest is a great and cost effective domestic carrier, but if you want to minimise delays etc. get mornign flights as IME delays can stack up so that flights later in the day are more likely to be late. Better still drive, take your time, avoid big cities and enjoy rural America.
On the other hand if you're non-white, female, LGBT or otherwise not readily mistaken for a xenophobic GOP voter, maybe give it a miss for a few years....
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