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Howard

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Hi, first time poster. In two weeks I'm planning to take my first long distance train trip in quite a while.

I'm currently booked from Palm Springs to Chicago on the Texas Eagle, transferring to the Lake Shore Limited to New York, roomette for both. Alternatively, I can fly to San Francisco, and get the California Zephyr to Chicago.

I'd love to hear from those of you that are familiar with both routes, and can guide me if one is substantially better than the other.

Thanks in advance.
 
The Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle (they operate as 1 train to San Antonio) is almost all desert scenery from Palm Springs to central Texas. Also, if you're booked on train #422 (remember they operate as 1), you'll have to walk thru 3-5 cars to get to the diner.
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The California Zephyr is rated by many (including me) as the most scenic trip in Amtrak! Included is the crossing of Donner Pass and going thru the Colorado Rockies!
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Also if you are not yet a member of Amtrak Guest Rewards (AGR), I urge you to join!
 
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the_traveler said:
The California Zephyr is rated by many (including me) as the most scenic trip in Amtrak! Included is the crossing of Donner Pass and going thru the Colorado Rockies!
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What The_Traveler said, also keep your eye on your departure date, I'd hate for you to expect to see the gorgeous Colorado River on the CZ and have it re-routed. Hopefully you'll not plan to travel between these dates http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Alert_C&pagename=am/AM_Alert_C/Alerts_Popup&p=1237608345018&cid=1251621577201 the Zephyr will be re-routed due to track work and will NOT go through the Rockies. Just a heads up. :eek:
 
the zephyr is, of course, amazing. I actually found the scenery on the eagle, from LA to central texas, to be very attractive. as someone who comes from a very different part of the us, i found it to be quite pretty. between dallas and chicago, not so much, although seeing st louis and the arch is darn cool. either way, you'll have a great time. :)
 
A.J. said:
the zephyr is, of course, amazing. I actually found the scenery on the eagle, from LA to central texas, to be very attractive. as someone who comes from a very different part of the us, i found it to be quite pretty. between dallas and chicago, not so much, although seeing st louis and the arch is darn cool. either way, you'll have a great time. :)
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I agree with A.J.. Since you live closer to the T, I would suggest that you take that train. Also, it is a longer ride, so more fun IMO. Flying to SFO then transferring ti EMY for the CZ is a nightmare. Not worth it.

Just take the TE!
 
Hi,

I have taken both trains, and find the Zephyr much more scenic. In fact I have just posted some pics from my last trip on 25 March on the zephyr... Zephyr pics here

I honestly find the Zephyr scenery quite stunning even after half a dozen trips!

Ed :cool:
 
caravanman said:
Hi,

I have taken both trains, and find the Zephyr much more scenic. In fact I have just posted some pics from my last trip on 25 March on the zephyr... Zephyr pics here

I honestly find the Zephyr scenery quite stunning even after half a dozen trips!

Ed :cool:
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Great pictures Ed. How did you get those shots from the side of the train?
 
If one is takuing a train just for fun, I would say that both the TE/SL and CZ are very fun. But I prefer the TE/SL for it being the last three-night expierience on Amtrak, and that makes it special.
 
Hi,

I would agree that the T.E. is interesting from the point of 3 nights aboard. I think that the departure times may be different nowadays, but on my first Amtrak round trip the Sunset Limited was late, and we ended up on a bus from San Antonio to Dallas.

As to the train pics, that must remain a grey area... :blush:

Ed :cool:
 
Hi all... Thank you for the very helpful comments. I decided to do the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago, connecting to the Lake Shore Limited to NY Penn Station. I depart on April 22. A few reasons:

 

- The many comments, here and in Trip Advisor, about the views going through the Sierras and Rockies.

- The overnight on the TE in San Antonio, with power shutoffs and noises, didn't sound like fun.



Getting from Palm Springs to SF isn't an issue for me. I have lots of friends and family in the Bay Area and will spend two days there before boarding in Emeryville. I'm an experienced BART traveler.

One more question: On the CZ, I was assigned Superliner Roomette 11 In Car 0632. This is a lower room. Should I call Amtrak and ask to be switched to an upper?

Thanks in advance,

Howard
 
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I traveled from LAX to CHI on the TE/SL then from CHI to NYP on the LSL last October.

It was a long but enjoyable trip. On the 422, you are on the last car on the train

and walk through the coach cars to reach the diner, but that was no big deal.

I hope you have a good trip.
 
howard-nysf said:
Hi all... Thank you for the very helpful comments. I decided to do the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago, connecting to the Lake Shore Limited to NY Penn Station. I depart on April 22. A few reasons:

 

- The many comments, here and in Trip Advisor, about the views going through the Sierras and Rockies.

- The overnight on the TE in San Antonio, with power shutoffs and noises, didn't sound like fun.



Getting from Palm Springs to SF isn't an issue for me. I have lots of friends and family in the Bay Area and will spend two days there before boarding in Emeryville. I'm an experienced BART traveler.

One more question: On the CZ, I was assigned Superliner Roomette 11 In Car 0632. This is a lower room. Should I call Amtrak and ask to be switched to an upper?

Thanks in advance,

Howard
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If you do a search on here, upper vs lower has been discussed with a mix of opinions. i personally like the lower because, other than loading/unloading at stations, the lower level is quieter( ie a lot less foot traffic).

Edited to add: You are correct, the CZ scenery can not be beat.
 
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I actually would have preferred the Sunset Limited through New Orleans, changing to Crescent to NY, but sleepers were sold out on the second leg for the dates I needed. The idea of an overnight in NOL was quite inviting.
 
I have taken the zephyr more times than any other long-distance route, BUT i really, really try to advocate taking other routes at least once. they are all beautiful and wonderful in their own way. unless you have some sort of unforeseen disaster, you will never regret taking the SL/TE, SWC, EB, etc. it's a great way to see this extraordinary nation of ours. you will see things on each route that you won't on any other. it's part of the awesomeness of the amtrak system.
 
howard-nysf said:
I actually would have preferred the Sunset Limited through New Orleans, changing to Crescent to NY, but sleepers were sold out on the second leg for the dates I needed. The idea of an overnight in NOL was quite inviting.
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Well, that I can understand. I always book sleepers mounths in advance. I see that you did it only 6 days before your trip. For my next trip, I booked seven mounths in advance! It was quite cheap and I got a nice position in the Sleeper.

About your trip, I like upper deck rooms much better, but they are probably sold out by now. It's worth a try at least. Also, in my opinion the EB has the best scenery, just because I love Big Sky Country, hence my signature. I know that most others would disagree.
 
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