Next Train Trip

[johnnie]

I am an avid train traveler and I try to take a different route every year when I have the time. My next trip is as follows:

Leaving Pittsburgh, PA - Capitol Limited

Arriving Washington, D.C.

Leaving D.C. - Silver Meteor

Arriving Jaxsonville, FL

Leaving Jaxsonville, FL - Sunset Limited

Arriving Los Angeles, CA

Leaving LA - Southwest Chief

Arriving Chicago

Leaving Chi - Capitol Limited

Arriving PGH

I have never rode the Sunset Limited before and wanted to get some feedback on the train itself. I have also purchased a standard bedroom on both the Sunset Limited and the Southwest Chief. I have been reading about how late the SL is and since my trip is a continuous one with no overnight stays, this will mess up my whole trip. If there is any chance that the SL is going to be later than my layover in LA, I may have to think about another route.

I have never been on the Coast Starlight and was also thinking of incorporating that train on my trip.

Any information and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[caravanman]

Hi,

I have taken the Sunset Limited in the opposite direction, within the last year, and we were over 12 hours late into Orlando..in fact they terminated the train at some place just short of Orlando and put us on a bus for the last few miles..kind of added insult to injury!

There seems to be a good chance of delays, rather than a good chance of being on time, but I guess it depends what time of year you are travelling, and how long your gap between train times is?

I tend to play safe and take a night off the train in a hotel when it looks too close..trouble is, the timekeeping seems so hit and miss the poor passenger has little chance of making an informed choice.

I have had to postpone my own trip to America to ride Amtrak that I was planning for earlier this year, I now hope to "play trains" either in October or November 2005.

Good luck with your trip, I believe you can cancel sleepers if you need to, providing you give a few weeks notice.

It might be better to put back the Southwestern Chief journey 24 hours?

Ed.

B)

 

[AlanB]

Good luck with your trip, I believe you can cancel sleepers if you need to, providing you give a few weeks notice.

Cancelling a sleeper requires 7 days notice prior to departure in order to get a refund. After 7 days you can only get a future credit. If you are a no-show, then there is no refund of any kind at all.

 

[johnnie]

Thanks for the information and it looks like I need to add a hotel stay for one night just to be safe. I hope that is even enough from what I have been reading about the Sunset Limited.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

I Rode the Sunset Limited from Orlando to LA in October of 1999. It was a FANTASTIC trip. It was the most ontime trip I have ever had, only 2 hours late to LA. To bad it has such a poor record now days.

The Coast Starlight is my favorite train with the Empire Builder and California Zepher in a tie. (Both trains eastbound)

If you go to my Picture Gallery you can see some shots of these trains.

 

[jccollins]

A same day Sunset Limited to Southwest Chief connection at Los Angeles should be a safe one. I have extensive experience with this train and would be willing to say that you have about a 90% probability of making that connection.

If it is missed, it will be at Amtrak's expense. Amtrak guarantees all long haul train to long haul train connections over 90 minutes long (and yours, at nearly 9 HOURS, is much longer than that). If it IS missed, they will probably put you up in a hotel for the night at Los Angeles and reaccommodate you on the next day's train #4 and will adjust your future train segments at that time.

If you would still like to make your connection to the correct train 4, you could always ask Amtrak to let you detrain from the Sunset Limited at Maricopa, Arizona and take a cab to Phoenix (30 miles) and then their thruway service from Phoenix to Flagstaff to catch the Southwest Chief there. I seriously would not worry about a same day connection at LA though. It should work out just fine. Enjoy your trip.