(The following works for an on time train) Before sundown The Eagle parallels the Balcones Escarpment at the eastern edge of Texas Hill Country. The next morning you will be able to take in quite a bit of West Texas, including the Chihuahuan Desert, multiple mountain ranges and the Rio Grande...
I will second the former 'S' Line routing of trains from Petersburg to Raleigh. In grade school I commuted on US1 south of Henderson, and we would occasionally meet the northbound Auto Train as it crossed the Tar River Trestle. Also, I would have loved to have ridden the 'S' Line via Ocala...
Northbound Coast Starlight was late enough for sunrise to occur just before Dunsmuir, so we got to see Mt. Lassen in full sunlight. Impressive
Another time Eastbound Empire Builder was held in Havre a little over 4 hours so the host railroad could clean up a derailment. As a result, we got to...
If you are planning to overnight in San Francisco and are travelling heavy, Amtrak's Thruway buses are a great way to get you and your gear around. If you are travelling light, there is an opportunity to take in quite a bit of addition rail travel. The CZ stops in Richmond, CA at an intermodal...
You may get half your wish on this one. Many years ago, North Carolina's DOT built stations along the line to Asheville. Expansion was put on hold at the host railroad's request due to capacity constraints of the Old Fort Loops (the grade up the Blue Ridge). In the meanwhile, the state is...
Seems to me City to Everywhere would be the one time the host railroad would see to it the train didn't get stabbed. "Gentlemen, we'd love to run a combined train, but if we can't make it work we'll just have to take more slots on your railroad...."
Given a near average delay of an hour and half to the LSL's arrival, you will have about 8 hours to wander and still be back without cutting it close. My favorite first thing to do on a Chicago layover is get a Chicago Dog at a cart on the Loop, but there may not be any on a day as...