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UKPhil

Train Attendant
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Jan 31, 2008
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Fellow travellers

This summer my family arereturning to the US for a vacation and plan to arrive in Boston (Wellesley to be precise) to stay with friends for a few day and then make our way to Los Angeles (Laguna Beach) to then stay with friends. The family insists that any overnight legs are done in the sleeping cars but I am lucky in that they all quite like long distance train travel having done a couple of trips before (albeit about ten years ago when we lived in the US) but they don't want to spend foreever on a train (especially by 15 year old daughter).

My question to you - is what would be most enjoyable route, taking into account cost, on board food options, break the journey, frustations from delays, scenery and duration.

Your opinions and advice would be appreciated

best regards

PHIL
 
My personal preference, if you want to "just get there" without too much extra time, but still enjoying the best scenery possible, would be the Lake Shore Ltd from Boston to Chicago, perhaps break te journey in CHI for a day or two of sightseeing, then the Southwest Chief from CHI to Los Angeles. A good variety of great scenery, with the minimum 3 days and nights on the train. Decent service and food.

If you want the BEST experience, and willing to spend one more day and night on the train, I would switch westbound to the Empire Builder (to either Seattle or Portland), and the Coast Starlight down the west coast to LAX. Can't beat the scenery and service on those two trains, and either Seattle or Portland would also be an excellent place to stop for a day and be a tourist. Both very civilized cities with good public transit and plenty to do (slight edge to Seattle for the Pike Place public market, waterfront, and ferries).
 
If you plan to use the Lake Shore Limited, Boston to Chicago, get your reservations as soon as possible. Use Amsnag to find the best deal on the roomette(s) you want, they can be pricey.

Oregon Pioneer's advice is good. SWC is a good 2 night trip from Chicago, but taking the Empire Builder to Portland, then the Coast Starlight to L.A. is a wonderfully scenic trip adding an extra night.

Enjoy!
 
I agree with the previous recommendations but would add another option.

The California Zepyhr from Chicago to San Francisco (Emeryville) is a very

scenic route through the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains

as well as the great plains. You can connect with the Coast Starlight from

Emeryville to Los Angeles and enjoy the Pacific Parlor Car.

With any of the routes, it will be a spectacular trip.
 
How many children? The Family bedroom on the SW Chief will add $1236 to the $218 coach fare for each of the adults ($109 for children 15 and under).

I would plan on riding in coach from Boston to Chicago on the LSL. Rest for a day or two in Chicago and then decide if you really need the sleeper from Chicago to Los Angeles.

For some strange reason, the fare from Chicago to Albuquerque is the same as the fare from CHI to LAX. The family bedroom sleeps 2 adults and two children. It is a rather cramped space for 4 people and 4 bags. The advantages over coach are a shower and your meals are paid for in advance.

On long distance trips in coach I plan to eat breakfast in the dining car and eating food that I brought with me or food purchased in the lounge car for my other meals.
 
tomfuller said:
How many children? The Family bedroom on the SW Chief will add $1236 to the $218 coach fare for each of the adults ($109 for children 15 and under).

I would plan on riding in coach from Boston to Chicago on the LSL. Rest for a day or two in Chicago and then decide if you really need the sleeper from Chicago to Los Angeles.

For some strange reason, the fare from Chicago to Albuquerque is the same as the fare from CHI to LAX. The family bedroom sleeps 2 adults and two children. It is a rather cramped space for 4 people and 4 bags. The advantages over coach are a shower and your meals are paid for in advance.

On long distance trips in coach I plan to eat breakfast in the dining car and eating food that I brought with me or food purchased in the lounge car for my other meals.
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Since one their children is a 15 year old daughter I doubt the family bedroom would provide enough room for all to sleep. But I would never suggest they all ride coach across the country. All depends on spendable income and preference, but depending on the age and sex of the other children, two roomettes or bedrooms may work and provide a more restful trip and the meals that go with the rooms. All of the Amtrak trains mentioned (SWC, CZ and EB/CStarlight) are great and scenic rides.
 
Hi All

thanks for your comments and advice so far. I have been asked by all of the family members that beds will be required for all overnight train travel - we once tried a family room and found it terrible - tiny windows. For very little more we can get two roomettes so that is what we will do this time - for us we are treatingthe train journey as a major part of the vacation.

By way of comparison the total train price is $2260 with the roomettes and food leaving on the tuesday and arriving on the saturday morning (with a night in Chicago - not included in the cost) - this compares with a direct flight of 7 hours at a total cost of $880 for the our of us. I guess the $1380 is worth it for the experience - thoughts?

PHIL

If we wanted cheap then we would get a flight at $178 per person from Boston to Los
 
Hi,

You can sometimes achieve a better fare by altering your travel date by as little as one day, worth trying?

The train is fun, my favourite is the California Zephyr, I would say stunning scenery between Denver and Sacramento.

If you need to economise, but would still like to include a long distance train ride, maybe you could look into costs of an early morning flight from Boston to Chicago, saving a hotel night in Chicago,then catch the Zephyr or the Chief train west the same day... sometimes the short Boston to Chicago leg might cost almost as much in roomettes as the longer two night ride from chicago?

You are on a railfans site, so not many folk will try to persuade you to fly all the way!

Ed :cool:
 
A very good idea in my opinion.

BTW - Our family really enjoys rail travel, and we try to pull off a trip about every year. This spring we are splurging a bit, and we are planning a rail journey to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Two nights on the train, two nights in Santa Fe and two nights returning home by rail to Virginia.

All agree - it's by far the time on the train that we enjoy the most. We all will join each other in the Sightseer Lounge and watch the scenery fly by. Last year we travelled to New Orleans and we saw alligators from the vacant Sightseer Lounge car. We were about the only ones in the car as we departed New Orleans.

The girls in our family enjoy board games and card games like Hearts and Spades. So bring along some board games and a deck of cards for the 15 year old girl - and try to get everyone involved too...

We have 8 in our group, so it will be 4 Roomettes each way. But well worth it for the experience and the memories...

Next year (2014) - maybe we will go coach from Virginia to New England to cut back on costs. Look into points on Amtrak Guest Rewards - it is a big help too....
 
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I think you can find some cheaper Roomette fares if you book in advance. Use Amsnag to find cheaper fares. For this trip you should probably take the LSL then the SWC, as the latter is the classic route to Los Angeles, even though the SWC just got fare increases.

I suggest that you use Roomettes instead of the Family Bedroom because I just read numerous complaints about them. I've personally never used it.
 
I really enjoyed the SWC! The scenery is great and its definitely the fastest way to get to LA from CHI. Enjoy the trip!
 
amamba said:
I really enjoyed the SWC! The scenery is great and its definitely the fastest way to get to LA from CHI. Enjoy the trip!
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Too bad its tracks got downgraded. It used to be even faster and was it a great speedy ride through the night! Not so good now but at least it's still the same scenery.
 
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Hi- We have traveled by Amtrak from Boston to LA many times and prefer the Lake Shore Limited and Southwest Chief for time and desert scenery. We have stopped off in Santa Fe for

a few nights and enjoyed that experience.

Enjoy planning your trip- the train is the way to see the U.S.
 
Are you planning for your return to be by rail or by air? If by rail, you can certainly take advantage of ALL the above advise. The SWC going WEST is a great plan. Maybe from Los Angeles you could return by the Coast Starlight and then transfer to the California Zephyr in Emeryville or to the Empire Builder in Portland or Seattle. But, the 15 year old doesn't want to be forever on the train...

An additional reason to consider the Southwest Chief... This is a route that is targeted to be rerouted to a faster, yet less scenic track in the not-so-far-away future. Take advantage of the current routing when you can!
 
I wasn't sure if you were planning on round-trip travel, so my recommendation is as follows:

LakeShore Limited to Chicago and then either the California Zephyr or Empire Builder to the Coast Starlight. Whichever train you don't ride, ride that one on the way back.

The SWC is more direct, but I think the CZ and EB are more scenic. I suppose it depends on just how much patience the teenager has. I am incredibly impatient, but there's something about train travel that makes me chill. Seeing all of the new/gorgeous scenery is like watching a really awesome movie.
 
Sorcha said:
I am incredibly impatient, but there's something about train travel that makes me chill. Seeing all of the new/gorgeous scenery is like watching a really awesome movie.
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Yeah me too. It really is the mindset difference between A.) getting there; or B.) being there. Gimme plan A every time.
 
caravanman said:
Santa Fe sounds interesting, and somewhere I have not been.. which is the best stop to alight, or is it just a bus connection?

Ed :cool:
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Santa Fe has a bus van connection from Lamy, NM. If you're coming from the west, you can either wait and get off at Lamy or get off at Albuquerque and take the Rail Runner. :) That would allow you to see a bit of downtown ABQ if you've never been there. The Rail Runner and SWC share a station.
 
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Hi Ed- We get off at the Lamy, NM station where there is a van (Lamy Shuttle Service) waiting for the train. The driver takes people to their hotels and will make

plans for a return trip to the station.

Santa Fe is fairly small -with a walkable center.
 
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VentureForth said:
Are you planning for your return to be by rail or by air? If by rail, you can certainly take advantage of ALL the above advise. The SWC going WEST is a great plan. Maybe from Los Angeles you could return by the Coast Starlight and then transfer to the California Zephyr in Emeryville or to the Empire Builder in Portland or Seattle. But, the 15 year old doesn't want to be forever on the train...

An additional reason to consider the Southwest Chief... This is a route that is targeted to be rerouted to a faster, yet less scenic track in the not-so-far-away future. Take advantage of the current routing when you can!
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Why does the 15 year old hate trains?

I don't see this big patience problem since I would rather ride a bus across the country then fly on a plane. But I prefer the train for such long trips because it is more comfortable.
 
Whether you get off at Lamy or not, if you are passing by, there are a couple of interesting things to note: There are some private cars parked on stub tracks beside the rail line that are old and interesting. Also, just east of Lamy on the north side of the tracks, you might note an off-grid community that has been there quite a while. You'll see solar electric, solar hot water, and wind electric systems, as well as small homestead gardens. Quite a slice of the self-reliant life! I love passing through there. It's always in the daylight, too.

Forty-plus years ago, I was a ski bum (resort worker) at Taos Ski Valley. If you get the chance to go up to Taos from Santa Fe, do it, and see the Native American pueblo. But even if you don't leave Santa Fe, you will get the flavor of Spanish history in the American southwest.
 
I've done the direct route (Lake Shore Limited, Southwest Chief). You do not need a hotel in Chicago unless you want to spend more time in Chicago -- you get quite a bit of time in Chicago during the day.

The rooms on the Lake Shore Limited sell out VERY fast. If you want to do this, you have to reserve them quickly. They're also expensive -- it routinely costs the same amount to go from Boston to Chicago as it does to go from Chicago to LA. (This is because there is a shortage of Viewliner sleeping cars, which are used on the LSL; there are more Superliners, which are used on the Southwest Chief.)

If you're price-conscious and willing to fly, it may make sense to fly to Chicago and get the Southwest Chief there.

Personally I quite like the LSL to Chicago. Best way to see the Rust Belt. :) Keep your eye out for the abandoned industrial glory of Gary, Indiana.

The Southwest Chief has quite spectacular scenery IMO, and is going to be rerouted away from some of that scenery soon, so I'd recommend it. You'll have a chance to get off and stretch your legs and buy from the local Native American sellers in Albuquerque. It also is the fastest way from Chicago to LA by train.
 
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