Hi everyone,
new here: my first post in this forum (yet I've been reading for a couple of weeks).
We live near Basel, where three European countries meet: Switzerland, France and Germany. (We can see the hills in all three from our kitchen window.)
Geographically and otherwise, everything here seems very tiny compared to the U.S.. That also includes the railways. The sheer size of Amtrak Superliner cars and various double-stack freight trains, let alone their length, is something very unusual and impressive for European eyes and minds.
I am roughly 3 weeks away from a trip to, and through, the U.S. (and Canada). The whole trip should last 14 days, will involve trips on the Cardinal, the LSL (short stretches only) as well as SWC and CZ (over night) plus more "tourist-oriented" short trips on the Royal Gorge Route, Pikes Peak cog railway and the Grand Canyon Railway. In Canada I will do the western bit of the "Canadian" from Vancouver to Edmonton and the "Ocean" from Montreal to Halifax.
A main aim of the trip is ... train travel. You might have guessed it. My wife who quite likes travelling said "well, you go" after I presented her the itinerary.
One of the highlights of a train trip for me is a visit to the train's dining car in case there is one. There is a dining car thread currently active on the "passenger" forum and I will post a number of questions there regarding what to expect on the Cardinal (where I travel in coach), the LSL where I travel in a roomette but only for a short stretch from NYP to Albany and the question is whether I will get my micro-waved or steamed "flex dining" dinner in the Viewliner dining car before I get off again at Albany. Trips on the SWC (Flagstaff to LAX) and the CZ (Denver to Emeryville) will involve more opportunities for visits to the respective dining car.
Many thanks and best regards from Europe.
Andreas
new here: my first post in this forum (yet I've been reading for a couple of weeks).
We live near Basel, where three European countries meet: Switzerland, France and Germany. (We can see the hills in all three from our kitchen window.)
Geographically and otherwise, everything here seems very tiny compared to the U.S.. That also includes the railways. The sheer size of Amtrak Superliner cars and various double-stack freight trains, let alone their length, is something very unusual and impressive for European eyes and minds.
I am roughly 3 weeks away from a trip to, and through, the U.S. (and Canada). The whole trip should last 14 days, will involve trips on the Cardinal, the LSL (short stretches only) as well as SWC and CZ (over night) plus more "tourist-oriented" short trips on the Royal Gorge Route, Pikes Peak cog railway and the Grand Canyon Railway. In Canada I will do the western bit of the "Canadian" from Vancouver to Edmonton and the "Ocean" from Montreal to Halifax.
A main aim of the trip is ... train travel. You might have guessed it. My wife who quite likes travelling said "well, you go" after I presented her the itinerary.
One of the highlights of a train trip for me is a visit to the train's dining car in case there is one. There is a dining car thread currently active on the "passenger" forum and I will post a number of questions there regarding what to expect on the Cardinal (where I travel in coach), the LSL where I travel in a roomette but only for a short stretch from NYP to Albany and the question is whether I will get my micro-waved or steamed "flex dining" dinner in the Viewliner dining car before I get off again at Albany. Trips on the SWC (Flagstaff to LAX) and the CZ (Denver to Emeryville) will involve more opportunities for visits to the respective dining car.
Many thanks and best regards from Europe.
Andreas