Directional preferences?

[DoB]

I've read (in posts here and elsewhere) that the timing works out better, for maximizing scenery by daylight, on the eastbound Cardinal rather than the westbound. But how much better is it, in particular for a trip in late May or early June? In the itinerary I'm building, the eastbound Cardinal probably would force me to cut my trip back by one day (I would ideally arrive back in NYP at the end of my trip on a Thursday evening).

And on the Coast Starlight, it is basically impossible to reach Mount Shasta by daylight southbound, but northbound it might be doable, especially if the train is running a bit late. Unfortunately, everything else about the itinerary points toward a southbound Starlight. Are there any other disadvantages (or advantages) to the southbound? Significant risk of missing the coastal scenery in California?

While I'm asking, any directional preferences (again, for late May/early June) on the Capitol Limited, Empire Builder, or Southwest Chief?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Empire Builder- Definitely Eastbound so you see Glacier Park in Daylight.

You have to decide if you want to ride from Seattle or Portland East bound.

If from Seattle-#8 you'll see Puget Sound and the Cascades as far as the Cascade Tunnel in Daylight, plus you'll have a Diner for Dinner but no Sight Seer Lounge Car.Also you'll be next to the Diner on the front of the train when it joins the Portland Section in Spokane.

If from Portland-#28 you'll have a very good Box Lunch Dinner and a Sight Seer Lounge,plus youll see some of the Columbia River Gorge on the way to Spokane where the two Sections are joined. You will be in the Sleeper on the end of the Train between SPK and CHI and have a Long walk to/from the Diner and Lounge.

The Cap Ltd.- Best scenery is Eastbound #29 between Pittsburgh and Washington.

The Chief#3- West bound you'll see the crossing of the Mississippi,Raton Pass, Albuqurque and get in to LAX in Daylight.

Coast Starlight#14- Definitely Northbound for the Coast around Santa Barbara and the Horseshoe Curve in Daylight, then Sunrise close to Mt. Shasta and thru the Cascades in Daylight to Portland. ( it will be dark or close to it into Seattle)

Cardinal-#50/#51 Since you're going after the time change, it will be Daylight when you go through the New Rover Gorge eithe way. Note that the Cardinal is frequently late into WAS and NYP but the scenery is Virginia is also nice. It will be dark through Ohio and Kentucky along the River, and there's not much to see in Indiana or around the Industrial burbs of Chicago.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

ON my first train trip ever, I was on a late northbound Starlight. I woke up in the morning with that feeling I often get on trains - somewhat disoriented & then trying to figure out where we were. I then saw Mount Shasta out the window, still covered in snow in early June. I think that's when I got hooked on train travel.

I like the southbound CS too. Depending on the time of year & lateness of your train, you often run along the coast at or near sunset, which is a lot prettier than the midday northbound trip.

On the whole, I like the EB westbound a little better. Yes, you run the risk of missing the Glacier scenery, and if you're really looking forward to that then I'd do eastbound. But the westbound EB also has a really nice evening run along the Mississippi.

I've taken the SWC both directions & never noticed a preference. Then again, it's not my favorite train.

 

[railiner]

Scenery considerations aside, If traveling coast to coast by train one way only, I would prefer going West for the simple reason of 25 hour, rather than 23 hour days, due to the time changes.

Same reason westbound transatlantic ocean voyage's are more popular.....

 

[Ryan]

My wife and I took the Cardinal and then the Empire Builder westbound on our honeymoon in late April. We saw the gorge (barely!) running a bit late, and saw all of Glacier NP running on time (I think!).

I should actually go pull the status maps outputs from the trains we were on, that would be cool.

Edit: We were under an hour late on the Card:

* Cardinal
* +---------------- Station code
* | +----------- Schedule Arrival Day
* | | +-------- Schedule Arrival time
* | | | +----- Schedule Departure Day
* | | | | +-- Schedule Departure Time
* | | | | | +------------- Actual Arrival Time
* | | | | | | +------- Actual Departure Time
* | | | | | | | +- Comments
* V V V V V V V V
* NYP * * 1 655A * 655A Departed: on time.
* NWK * * 1 713A * 713A Departed: on time.
* TRE * * 1 750A * 751A Departed: 1 minute late.
* PHL * * 1 825A * 825A Departed: on time.
* WIL * * 1 850A * 850A Departed: on time.
* BAL * * 1 940A * 940A Departed: on time.
* WAS * * 1 1110A * 1110A Departed: on time.
* ALX * * 1 1129A * 1129A Departed: on time.
* MSS * * 1 1202P * 1202P Departed: on time.
* CLP * * 1 1235P * 1236P Departed: 1 minute late.
* CVS * * 1 155P * 159P Departed: 4 minutes late.
* STA * * 1 257P * 309P Departed: 12 minutes late.
* CLF 1 405P 1 408P 432P 437P Departed: 29 minutes late.
* WSS * * 1 500P * 543P Departed: 43 minutes late.
ALD * * 1 531P
* HIN * * 1 601P * 643P Departed: 42 minutes late.
* PRC * * 1 631P * 714P Departed: 43 minutes late.
THN * * 1 647P
* MNG * * 1 738P * 820P Departed: 42 minutes late.
* CHW * * 1 810P * 848P Departed: 38 minutes late.
* HUN * * 1 935P * 945P Departed: 10 minutes late.
* AKY * * 1 958P * 1009P Departed: 11 minutes late.
* SPM * * 1 1041P * 1052P Departed: 11 minutes late.
* MAY * * 1 1136P * 1144P Departed: 8 minutes late.
* CIN 2 103A 2 110A 106A 122A Departed: 12 minutes late.
* COI * * 2 305A * 309A Departed: 4 minutes late.
* IND 2 444A 2 630A 434A 630A Departed: on time.
* CRF * * 2 728A * 735A Departed: 7 minutes late.
* LAF * * 2 802A * 814A Departed: 12 minutes late.
* REN * * 2 807A * 816A Departed: 9 minutes late.
* DYE * * 2 857A * 909A Departed: 12 minutes late.
* CHI 2 1035A * * 1016A * Arrived: 19 minutes early.
And on time through the park:

* Empire Builder
* +---------------- Station code
* |    +----------- Schedule Arrival Day  
* |    |  +-------- Schedule Arrival time
* |    |  |     +----- Schedule Departure Day
* |    |  |     |  +-- Schedule Departure Time 
* |    |  |     |  |     +------------- Actual Arrival Time
* |    |  |     |  |     |     +------- Actual Departure Time
* |    |  |     |  |     |     |     +- Comments
* V    V  V     V  V     V     V     V
* CHI  *  *     1  215P  *     215P  Departed:  on time.
* GLN  *  *     1  239P  *     248P  Departed:  9 minutes late.
* MKE  1  345P  1  355P  346P  355P  Departed:  on time.
* CBS  *  *     1  505P  *     505P  Departed:  on time.
* POG  *  *     1  534P  *     535P  Departed:  1 minute late.
* WDL  *  *     1  552P  *     552P  Departed:  on time.
* TOH  *  *     1  630P  *     630P  Departed:  on time.
* LSE  *  *     1  714P  *     714P  Departed:  on time.
* WIN  1  746P  1  750P  745P  753P  Departed:  3 minutes late.
* RDW  *  *     1  852P  *     859P  Departed:  7 minutes late.
* MSP  1  1031P 1  1115P 1014P 1115P Departed:  on time.
* SCD  2  1234A 2  1240A 1228A 1240A Departed:  on time.
* SPL  *  *     2  142A  *     142A  Departed:  on time.
* DLK  *  *     2  238A  *     238A  Departed:  on time.
* FAR  *  *     2  335A  *     338A  Departed:  3 minutes late.
* GFK  *  *     2  452A  *     457A  Departed:  5 minutes late.
* DVL  *  *     2  613A  *     620A  Departed:  7 minutes late.
* RUG  *  *     2  707A  *     720A  Departed:  13 minutes late.
* MOT  2  834A  2  906A  813A  906A  Departed:  on time.
* STN  *  *     2  957A  *     1000A Departed:  3 minutes late.
* WTN  *  *     2  1107A *     1121A Departed:  14 minutes late.
* WPT  *  *     2  1141A *     1205P Departed:  24 minutes late.
* GGW  *  *     2  1226P *     1255P Departed:  29 minutes late.
* MAL  *  *     2  125P  *     152P  Departed:  27 minutes late.
* HAV  2  239P  2  304P  314P  332P  Departed:  28 minutes late.
* SBY  2  517P  2  522P  506P  522P  Departed:  on time.
* CUT  *  *     2  551P  *     551P  Departed:  on time.
* BRO  *  *     2  623P  *     624P  Departed:  1 minute late.
* ESM  *  *     2  741P  *     741P  Departed:  on time.
* WGL  *  *     2  823P  *     823P  Departed:  on time.
* WFH  2  856P  2  916P  856P  916P  Departed:  on time.
* LIB  *  *     2  1059P *     1102P Departed:  3 minutes late.
  SPT  *  *     2  1149P             PT
* SPK  3  140A  3  215A  1257A 216A  Departed:  1 minute late.
* EPH  *  *     3  422A  *     428A  Departed:  6 minutes late.
* WEN  3  525A  3  535A  533A  541A  Departed:  6 minutes late.
  LWA  *  *     3  608A              PT
* EVR  *  *     3  838A  *     903A  Departed:  25 minutes late.
* EDM  *  *     3  910A  *     928A  Departed:  18 minutes late.
* SEA  3  1025A *  *     955A  *     Arrived:  30 minutes early.

 

[Chey]

I took the Cardinal westbound in mid-August. It was pretty close to its schedule and the New River was visible for its entirety. It didn't get dark until after Montgomery. You should be fine in late May / early June either way. Providing, of course, that it's reasonably on time.

 

[KmH]

. . . But how much better is it . . .

37.647298325 % better

 

[Seaboard92]

I would think the crescent north

 

[DoB]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

To put this in context, I'm planning a trip from NYP to the West Coast and back, using the Coast Starlight to connect between the Empire Builder and Southwest Chief. I'm leaning toward the counterclockwise loop from Chicago simply because the connections on the clockwise loop (at LAX, PDX, and CHI to continue east) have all been risky. Of course, that may change before May, and if I'm breaking my trip at any of the connection points, I don't have to worry about missed connections.

Perhaps I should check what time recent trains actually reached the various scenic points and plan from there (on the assumption that trains next May/June will typically be about as late as they are now). Which stations should I be searching for?

 

[EB_OBS]

You'll still see Glacier Park westbound on the EB during July at the height of summer. As long as the train is on-time that is. It's light 'til well after 9:00pm at this time of year.