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I rode EB earlier this year from Seattle to Chicago. It was very relaxing and the scenery was always interesting. I loved catching the first glimpse of Chicago off in the distance and growing as we got closer. Enjoy your trip!

I completed a series of LD train trips in March as well. I had a roomette for each overnight segment. My memorable things I learned were as follows: I read somewhere on this forum the suggestion to use zip lock bags for each day's clothes. That worked great! No searching through my suitcase...

Well, after a lot of planning, I am finally heading out on my first Amtrak trip tonight out of Houston on the Sunset Limited. I checked status and the train is showing it is running an hour and fifty minutes late. But that does not bother me. I planned for delays by building in an overnight...

For bad noise - Earplugs. For bad smells - some Vicks to rub under the nose. The rest can usually be managed by bringing the right attitude!

I have no clue where growth will happen. I do think as part of infrastructure upgrades, improvements in rail access between cities including overhead electrification makes sense. That new track could be used for either freight or passenger. This would not necessarily be high speed rail. Instead...

For my planned long distance train trip in a few weeks, I actually have family in Portland I am visiting. I am taking Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Portland and staying several days. However, I decided not to take the Empire Builder out of Portland. Instead, I am catching the 8:30 am...

I personally believe outsourcing food service on Amtrak and invest the savings somewhere else might be a good decision depending on where else you might invest the savings. But what do I know? I do not work at Amtrak and see all the numbers and, most importantly, opportunities and trade-offs...

Thank you all for the feedback and all these good suggestions. Much appreciated!

Hi everybody. I am booked in a roomette on the Sunset Limited departing Houston at 9:45 PM. This is my first Amtrak trip and I have a few questions. How large physically are the tickets? I am wondering about the best way to carry them while on board. Looking at the kiosk demo they seem the same...

I wondered when the pool on Supertrain would make an appearance!

For my trip in March, I choose to spend a night in LA and catch Coast Starlight the next day. It will give me time to see some sights of Los Angeles and also avoid stress worrying about a delayed arrival on the Sunset Limited. That may not be an option time wise or dollar wise for others. I do...

The math is brutal when you compare against planes for carrying passengers. Trains are very efficient when carrying weight per mile against planes but very inefficient when carrying people per mile. In the time it takes a single long distance train to go Seattle to Chicago, a single commercial...

I caught a price drop last Friday on roomette pricing on both Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle traveling in March. When I checked Monday, the price was back to previous so it only lasted a short time. I had been tracking the price for about a month and this was the first change I had seen...

Thank you for the correction.I did mean the Cascade Tunnel!!!

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions helping this newbie plan his first Amtrak trip. I am visiting family in Portland over several days and will likely just bring something along with me for lunch at the Seattle station. If there is a Starbucks nearby (hey it's Seattle, right?) I will...

Thank you everyone! All your replies are much appreciated! Regards, Jeff

Hi All, I am planning my 2012 trip in early March. I am looking to take the Amtrak Cascades train leaving Portland, OR at 8:30 to Seattle. It arrives at noon. I then plan to board the Empire builder the same day at 4:40 pm to travel from Seattle to Chicago. I have a few questions. Any concerns...

Merry Christmas everyone. May the joy and peace of this season be yours! Regards, LoneStarJeffe

Hi All, Thank you for the greetings. Right now, it is doubtful I can make the Texas Mini-gathering in Ft. Worth although I would like to meet everyone and see the 40th anniversary train. But I have to see if work commits will allow. I am also already a member of AGR. As part of the planning for...

Hi All, I have been reading for awhile and decided to join. I am strongly considering to visit family in Portland, OR from Houston, TX using Amtrak in 2012. I took a train from Dallas to Chicago back in the 60's when I was a kid and some shorter ones as part of a cruise ship land excursion in...