Favorite Amtrak Route?

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T

Thomas

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What is yours? Don't include things like service, food and on time performance. Those things can change in the future. Mine would be the Sunset. The hell you say. Well it is. Start out speeding through the forests of the panhandle at night. Then when I woke up the train was going on this several mile long bridge over water, felt like I was riding on the ocean. Then over the Huey bridge, see everything around New Orleans. Then through swamps and forests and many more bridges. Then the next day it's desert with a climb into the mountrains near El Paso. It's definitely Amtrak's most underrated train. All people talk about is its on time performance. What gets lost is the route itself. Many big booming cities and probably the most varied scenery on Amtrak's system. If Amtrak can just shorten the schedule 5 hours like it was in 2000 and run it daily and on time, this train would be the 2nd most popular train, only behind the Starlight. The good news is UP is building the track. Hopefully CSX is as well.
 
I am not sure if I can come up with a favorite train--looks like it might almost become a thing about a favorite route. But I have had many pleasant hours(yeah, some through lateness) on the Sunset. I truly do appreciate the desert scenery---it may require a little more cultivation than the Rocky Mountains for example. But laze around that sightseeing lounge, see the time of day change, see what the sun and shadows do to the landscape, plus the scenery as you describe it around New Orleans. Yep, quite a class act.

My thoughts and observations are much like yours, as you can see. I cannot actually put its scenery ahead of the CZ but I am trying to say I really do enjoy it anyway.

Of course you see across the border in El Paso. You see that giant statue of Christ from miles away as you approach El Paso. There is the big city feel of Houston, the quaintness of downtown San Antonio, the palms in California, the Gulf Coast view, etc.

Of course since the train can run at any time, you never know what you will see in the light and what in the dark. The timetable is more or less useless.

That this route is so interesting (and so much part of a national route structure) is one of the reasons why I am so discouraged about its performance.

I have stated on this forum many times, I want the Sunset to 1. run more or less one time, 2 run daily, 3 be re-extended back to Miami. It's business would shoot up wildly if those things could someday be accomplished.

I like the approach to New Orleans on any route. I am most used to the approach taken by my home-town Crescent. I THINK I like that approach best but then my memory might be failing me since I have done that so many more times than the others, I cannot necessarily make a valid comparison.

Then again I have a memory of barreling east on the SL some years ago, standing looking out the rear sleeper(no mail cars, etc) and going through the swamp at dusk. Looking out that door and realizing there were bear, puma, quicksand, rattlesnakes, wild boar, perhaps "swamp monsters"(of the yeti-snowman variety) Who knows? Was so good and comforting to be speeding about 60 mph through it all, safe and snug. A grand feeling, Got to NOL 40 minutes early.

Cool air conditioning inside my almost new sleeper, humid heat outside. A great trip, It was my first ride ever in a superliner. I took a deluxe bedroom, lived it up like a king.

A moment frozen in to time. There was no place on earth I would rather have been. .
 
Thomas, I don't know if I am getting too far afield of your question......maybe the SL is my favorite train....not sure.

But as pointed out in the above post this was my first time to ride (or even to see) Superliners. Imagine how beautiful the gleaming double deck silver was that dark night at LAUPT. What a thrill. Now, I had ridden the hi-level cars of Santa Fe years before but this was still quite new. (and it was daylight when I saw them for the first time, not as contrasting)

I had anxiously packed and re-packed my suitcase in LAUPT waiting for my train and had accidentally left some toiletry item behind, perhaps razor blades, or perhaps a toothbrush. Discovering my lack of same the next morning, found out that attendants try to keep a spare of or two of such items for people just like me. Nice to know. Guess they still do. Seems I have read that.
 
Can't tell which one of routes that I've rode is my best favorite. I've rode on California Zephyr from Salt Lake City to Emeryville. Coast Starlight from LA to Everett and Southwest Chief from Lamy to LA several times on both way.

Each day is different (and season, too), so it is ceaselessly changing such as snow on ground, gentleness of the sea by the beach, greenery, missle on launch pad, clouds, etc.
 
I'm going to be a little biased here, but by far, I'd have to say the Silver Meteor, it was the first Amtrak train I took, and other that the Silver Star, Acela Express, Regional, and Metroliner, the only one. Not only because it was the first I took, but also because of the rich history it has. It was truly one of SCL and SAL's premier routes, and today under Amtrak is still a very important one. It's also had some of the most unique equipment, starting off largely as a streamlined train of coaches and obs cars, letter getting Heavyweight sleepers followed by Streamlined equipment, including the three unique Sun Lounges (part sleeper, part lounge with windows ala Superliner Sightseer lounge)

A close second even though I've never actually ridden it is the Broadway Limited, its cancellation was one of the most devistating losses in Amtrak history, and infinitely more prestigious than the Three Rivers ever was. It's history with the Pennsylvania RR, PC, and Amtrak are what compells me to have an affinity for this route, combined with its running on Horseshoe Curve.
 
I do agree with Adam that, if you know the history of the Silver Meteor, and certain things to look for as you travel the route it is a really cool route, but the ordinary person it's kind of bland. I enjoyed the Sunset a lot as we traveled through the Bayou's to New Orleans. I do think the best is yet to come for me though if I do indeed take this trip from PHX-LAX-MTZ-CHI-SPG-SAB-BRA-WPK. Three awesome routes on that trip, so we'll see how I feel in August. :lol:
 
Viewliner said:
I'm going to be a little biased here, but by far, I'd have to say the Silver Meteor, it was the first Amtrak train I took, and other that the Silver Star, Acela Express, Regional, and Metroliner, the only one. Not only because it was the first I took, but also because of the rich history it has. It was truly one of SCL and SAL's premier routes, and today under Amtrak is still a very important one. It's also had some of the most unique equipment, starting off largely as a streamlined train of coaches and obs cars, letter getting Heavyweight sleepers followed by Streamlined equipment, including the three unique Sun Lounges (part sleeper, part lounge with windows ala Superliner Sightseer lounge)
A close second even though I've never actually ridden it is the Broadway Limited, its cancellation was one of the most devistating losses in Amtrak history, and infinitely more prestigious than the Three Rivers ever was. It's history with the Pennsylvania RR, PC, and Amtrak are what compells me to have an affinity for this route, combined with its running on Horseshoe Curve.
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I liked the Broadway Limited too. That was the first train I rode overnight alone on when I was in the 5th grade. I like that ride around horseshoe curve, and overall enjoy riding through Pennsylvania. Plus it had a full service diner when I rode it.

I also like the California Zephyr and the Coast Starlight.

I need to revisit the Sunset between New Orleans and San Antonio. I have not ridden that since 1985. But it would be fun to do again.
 
Favorite Train Trip

Mine was last winter, the CZ over Donner.

The train, crawling at 30 MPH over the snow-covered right-of-way. No track noise, due to the snow pack covering all but the top of the rails. The only sound was the occasional hoot of the air horn from the engineer to scare away the errant mule deer, which we could see scampering away in the distance.

All of the tunnels and the snow sheds were awesome to travel through.

I wish I could take such a trip today, but I can't. Who knows how long it will take for passenger rail service to be restored to Santa Barbara?
 
Aloha

I have a question Why not include the service received. The crew is as important to enjoying the trip.
 
GG-1 said:
Aloha
I have a question Why not include the service received. The crew is as important to enjoying the trip.
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I think the idea is to decide which *route* you like best (i.e. scenery). Service is variable, and can change from day to day, crew to crew. Scenery, however, is consistent throughout (for the most part).
 
Aloha

Well there are the beaches, mountains, trees, mountains on the Coast Starlight, Empire builder, Southwest Chief, Desert Wind, California Zephyr, Sunset Limited, Northbound Silver something out of Miami, Broadway Limited.

Guess that means the route, where I can see "OUR" country instead of clouds is my favorite. :D :rolleyes: :p :lol: :)
 
I have to go with the Starlight. Mt. Ranier, Puget Sound, WA cascades, cross the Columbia, zip through the green Willamette Valley, cross the OR cascades, Mt. Shasta, bay area, valley, hills, over to the ocean, by Vandenberg, and into the city. Alot for the eyes to behold.
 
In terms of scenery, I guess it would have to be the San Francisco Zephyr I took with my parents when I was 9 years old.

But, I do have a soft spot for the International. No great scenery, but my wife and I had a really nice trip from Chicago to Toronto last year, just a couple months before they scrapped the route. Now, it's kind of a pain to go back to Canada, but we'll figure something out.
 
For sure the Empire Builder. Oh, the scenery is better on the Zephyr but as for as the entire experience it has to be the Builder.
 
What does "entire experience" mean such that it is better on the Empire Builder?
 
Re Empire Builder. I found the crews nicer on the EB. I liked the departure location in downtown Seattle. Don't get me wrong - I like the CZ and have ridden it the most. But the EB just felt more homey and cordial. The mix of passengers was more interesting, too. The stops I made along the way also felt more important - as if the train really mattered to the people in the towns. If tomorrow I had a choice of a free ticket on the CZ or EB I'd pick the EB.
 
If the key to a successful restaurant is location, location, location, then the Sunset Limited's dining car is the best in the country. All day Saturday you'll tour our beautiful American desert. You'll breakfast among the towering saguaro catus in Arizona, lunch in Southern New Mexico's Rio Grande country, and then dine in historic Big Bend Country. The trip thorugh the plains of West Texas is (thankfully) at night, but the following morning you can step off the train in Houston to pick up the Sunday Chronicle for your cruise through the Cajun bayous. Sunday, at sunset, or at about the same time Pete Fountain's alarm clock rings, the train slowly crosses the towering Huey Long bridge over the Mississippi River and into the Crescent City.
 
I'll throw my vote to the Empire Corridor in autumn. There is NOTHING that beats the Hudson River Valley with the bright colors! Cheers!

John
 
MiniMax,

I've traveled the entire route of the Builder and Zephyr and really liked your description of the SSL. I assume you were talking about it eastward journey? It's one of the few long distance routes I haven't used yet and look forward to it maybe this spring.
 

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