Cincinatti loop to Chi, Emeryville, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinatti

[Jester]

I lost my older brother right before Thanksgiving and he and I did several train trips to visit siblings in recent years and the rides were some of the genuinely enjoyable times when brothers sat quietly, reading or remembering times which made us laugh. Good fun!

I am considering a Summer Amtrak trip from Cincinnati on the Cardinal to get to Chicago where the trip "begins" on the California Zephyr. I like the scenery through Colorado more than that out the windows on the Empire Builder

At Emeryville I want to head South to LA to catch the Coast Starlight to LA. (from memory so I need to verify train southbound)

In LA I’d like to board the Southwest Chief back to Chicago, finishing the railroad portion at Cincinnati.

For those who have travelled any of these routes does anyone have a preference either for the route or the direction of travel, and are there overnight spots between Emeryville and LA that make sense or is the Emeryville to LA stretch a logical way to break up the Zephyr/Emeryville to the Southwest Chief/LA stretch?

Thanks,
Jester

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

At Emeryville I want to head South to LA to catch the Coast Starlight to LA. (from memory so I need to verify train southbound)

Not sure what you mean here as the Starlight stops in Emeryville. Since the CZ gets there at 4:10 PM if on time, and the Starlight doesn't arrive until 8:39 AM the next day (if on time) you would have to overnight in Emeryville. You could also change in Sacramento which might have more to offer for places to stay etc.

 

[tgstubbs1]

If you travel on the Chief westbound you could make a connection to the northbound Coast Starlight. Then you would have a layover somewhere between EMY and SAC. If you travel the other direction you could have a layover in LA as well.

 

[Jester]

Not sure what you mean here as the Starlight stops in Emeryville. Since the CZ gets there at 4:10 PM if on time, and the Starlight doesn't arrive until 8:39 AM the next day (if on time) you would have to overnight in Emeryville. You could also change in Sacramento which might have more to offer for places to stay etc.

You could also change in Sacramento which might have more to offer for places to stay etc.

Thanks for the reminder about Sacramento.

Sacramento has an interesting array of places near the Amtrak station including the train museum, Old Sacramento, and last time through a motel/hotel within walking distance. I am slowly getting my head back into planning.

What did you think of Oban, Scotland? I have a circle tour of Scotland from Glasgow to Skye, then clockwise around the South back to Glasgow. That was a trip that was in the works but my brother's health failed before we could pull it off.

Thanks again for your thoughts.
Jester

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

What did you think of Oban, Scotland? I have a circle tour of Scotland from Glasgow to Skye, then clockwise around the South back to Glasgow. That was a trip that was in the works but my brother's health failed before we could pull it off.

Well that was back in 1971 so my memory is getting a little fuzzy. I did it mostly for the train trip to see the scenery and be able to go out and back in one day. Oban was a pretty little town, my memory is of it being hard to find a place to eat before my return trip. That was 1971, things are probably different today.

Have you considered taking the ferry from Skye over to Kyle of Localsh and taking the train from there to Inverness which I hear is quite spectacular. You would probably have to overnight in Inverness then back to Glasgow via Edinburgh so it might not be practical.

 

[Herb]

I lost my older brother right before Thanksgiving and he and I did several train trips to visit siblings in recent years and the rides were some of the genuinely enjoyable times when brothers sat quietly, reading or remembering times which made us laugh. Good fun!

I am considering a Summer Amtrak trip from Cincinnati on the Cardinal to get to Chicago where the trip "begins" on the California Zephyr. I like the scenery through Colorado more than that out the windows on the Empire Builder

At Emeryville I want to head South to LA to catch the Coast Starlight to LA. (from memory so I need to verify train southbound)

In LA I’d like to board the Southwest Chief back to Chicago, finishing the railroad portion at Cincinnati.

For those who have travelled any of these routes does anyone have a preference either for the route or the direction of travel, and are there overnight spots between Emeryville and LA that make sense or is the Emeryville to LA stretch a logical way to break up the Zephyr/Emeryville to the Southwest Chief/LA stretch?

Thanks,
Jester

Traveling west on the Zephyr, I’ve done that and enjoyed the scenery. If you would like to explore the San Framcisco Bay Area. There are two regional routes of interest. From San Jose to SF and then the route from Santa Rosa to Larkspur.
check the schedules because you will have to overnight between the zephyr and the Coast Starlight, and in LA.

 

[Maglev]

That sounds like a great trip! You'd need overnights in Emeryville and Los Angeles. I'd find it difficult to pass up an opportunity for time in San Francisco, so I would add a couple days there, but am not so fond of Los Angeles. Better book soon for best prices and availability!

My first (late) wife and I took the train to Oban, spent a night, then took a ferry to Mull, where we spent a day or two. We also took a historic diesel-powered train from Inverness, and a steam train from Fort William to Mallaig. This was around 1990. Scotland had a lot of scenic train trips, and we loved all the towns and cities we visited.