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RKA

Train Attendant
Joined
Aug 26, 2002
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I take vacations on long distance trains. There is nothing that I would rather do or that relaxes me more. I judge a train trip by how I am treated by the crew and how good the food was, mainly. (I don't go unless I can go in a deluxe bedroom so my perspective may not be real good) I like all passenger trains but I believe my favorite is The Empire Builder. Not one negitive crew member, ever. Least favorite is probably The Coast Starlight. The attendents get confused about service.

What are some of your favorites and least favorites?

RKA

I Never met a passenger train I didn't like
 
I Like the Silver Meteor and Silver Star. Other than those I haven't ridden any Long Distance Trains. That won't be the case eventually. The one exception to the Silver Meteor, which was the Thursday(NYP)-Friday(MIA) Dining Car Crew this year in February and April, the sleeper attendants were very friendly, which is the most Important. The Silver Star had an outstanding crew throughout the train. The experience is even more enjoyable now that I have my radio scanner.

On another note, any idea when the soonest we could get the Silver Palm back?
 
Auto Train - It is an amazing operation and takes good well trained staff to run the train for Lorton to Sanford. I have never run into a single bad crew, I like the specialty built Lounges, and your running non-stop for 900 miles (except for crew change and refueling in Florance, SC). Now, you can't do that on any other Amtrak train. Now, the Auto Train may not run many daylight hours but to me it's a very exciting train to be on. The 10 hour drive from Massachusetts is worth it. It's the Coast Starlight of the East.

Other Trains I Have Rode:

Silver Meteor

Capitol Limited

Northeast Corridor

Trains I Would Like To Ride:

Every route operated by Amtrak :D
 
Amfleet said:
Trains I Would Like To Ride:Every route operated by Amtrak :D
Ditto, I forgot to mention the Metroliner Newark-Washington D.C. in June 1999, I didn't realize it at the time, but I saw and got a picture of the company car 10001 "Beech Grove" when I arrived in D.C.
 
The Capitol Limited had a great crew, but the Auto Train does win hands down. The Silver Meteor was OK. The lounge attendent was a hardened New Yorker, the Dining Car crew just didn't give a damn, and I don't know what my car attendent was on. Make humor out of it. :lol:
 
I find such things as courtesy, equipment maintenance,good food,dining car crews, etc to be very changeable. It is hard to say which one train I enjoy the most. I have ridden probably all of the major long haul routes. I have many memories of all kinds but they are conflicting. FOr equipment I say there is nothing better than a deluxe bedroom , preferably on a superliner, just for the view--but, yes, I like viewliners, too. For scenery, it is hard to beat the California Zephyr., But one can learn to appreciate almost any scenery...there is a lot to learn from the desert, for example, if you really study it.Generally, the scenery different from where you live is especially attractive (i.e. "the grass is greener on the other side....")
 
I've ridden the EB, SW CHIEF, SF ZEPHYR, and COAST STARLIGHT, and more trains than I can count in Europe, although gotta admit the trains in Europe are quite different and you generally don't go long distances. Here, the EB was great this summer. No complaints. On the CS, great lounge car attendant (the PP car was out of service :( but I found the worst service on all three segments of the SF Zephyr. Three different trains and on all of them there was at least one, usually more, worker with a poor attitude. Passengers even discussed it. If Amtrak wants to prosper, they are going to have to lose some workers.
 
On the trip I just took, with the Crescent, City of N.O.,Capitol Ltd and Crescent almost everybody was attentive, etc. BUt two years ago I took a much longer trip, Crescent, Sunset,Coast Starlight, CZ, Lake Shore, Crescent. A lot of bad employees on that trip, esp. sleeping car attendants, who are usually the best employees. The attendant on the CZ did not even meet us at the door...he was sleeping off a late arrival westbound the night before. He was not personally rude to our faces, but he certainly was neglectful. I have this observation and this thought-----through the years I think on the whole my best experiences have been with the long haul trips(that two week vacation referred to above an exception). I also have a suggested explanatin: it could be because we are with each other long enough to build up a rapport. BY contrast, when I merely ride the Crescent overnight from ATL to DC,there is often not enough opportunity to build a rapport, so for that reason they seem "less friendly"...long distance you kind of get to know some of them. The original question was ,"What is your favorite train"---but the equipment is so similar from one superliner to another superliner, etc, it is hard to really answer --so much depends on the routes and the employees(which, as I am trying to say, can be so very variable.)
 
Welll since I have only been on one - the Sunset Ltd - I can only comment upon it so far. We were on it for the long haul, coast to coast round-trip. Our crew on the first leg was much better than the return trip's crew. It was a good trip and I would recommend it if you are not tied to any sort of schedule since you will probably be way late! LOL!

Next on my list are the Coast Starlight, the Empire Builder, and the CA Zephyr. I will take a trip on them all in the next few years if my luck and budget hold out!
 
I will be on all of them in about 5 weeks plus 3 or 4 more. I'm like a 10 year old waiting on Christmas.

RKA
 
So far, I've rode CA Zephyr, SW Chief and Coast Starlight.

Rode coach class in Zephyr & SW Chief.

Standard bedroom on CS.

Despite being late, CS is an excellent ride due to several reasons. First which it is very important, I had an excellent sleeper attendant of all time! She's very friendly and laughable. One time, on of my friend was taking a picture of her and my other friend but in "water gun" camera. She had a blast! Second, view are fascinating, esp. with the ocean view. Finally, Pacific Paulour for the sleeper class is very comfortable and the bartender is available.

Next year, if the $1.2b is received, I will try to ride on SW Chief in sleeper class and see the difference between that and CS. Only difference is Pacific Paulour.
 
RKA said:
I take vacations on long distance trains. There is nothing that I would rather do or that relaxes me more. I judge a train trip by how I am treated by the crew and how good the food was, mainly. (I don't go unless I can go in a deluxe bedroom so my perspective may not be real good) I like all passenger trains but I believe my favorite is The Empire Builder. Not one negitive crew member, ever. Least favorite is probably The Coast Starlight. The attendents get confused about service.What are some of your favorites and least favorites?

RKA

I Never met a passenger train I didn't like
I've only ridden the Sunset Limited and the Surfliner but that's a regional.

I don't know if I'll ever get to ride the others because the SL is the only one that goes where I need to! Usually when I go visit mom in Georgia, I got into Tallahassee and we drive up. It's great!
 
Guest said:
RKA said:
I take vacations on long distance trains.  There is nothing that I would rather do or that relaxes me more.  I judge a train trip by how I am treated by the crew and how good the food was, mainly.  (I don't go unless I can go in a deluxe bedroom so my perspective may not be real good)  I like all passenger trains but I believe my favorite is The Empire Builder.  Not one negitive crew member, ever.  Least favorite is probably The Coast Starlight.  The attendents get confused about service.What are some of your favorites and least favorites?

RKA

I Never met a passenger train I didn't like
I've only ridden the Sunset Limited and the Surfliner but that's a regional.

I don't know if I'll ever get to ride the others because the SL is the only one that goes where I need to! Usually when I go visit mom in Georgia, I got into Tallahassee and we drive up. It's great!
Im a dork, I didnt sign in and posted that about Sunset Limited! that that's my post!

Coach34135
 
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