I'm wondering what it might be like to ride an Amtrak train for 20, 30, 40 + hours. I've never been on a train for much longer than 3 hours. I'm considering taking a long trip in the near future but I wonder what it's like to do so from a comfort perspective: i.e. is it common to feel antsy and ready to jump off after about 10 hours. 20 hours? Or is it so much more comfortable than a bus (I have about a 4 hour limit here) that it's fine?
Thank you for any input.
It's a totally different experience than a bus, somehow more engaging and more relaxing at the same time.
For one, it's a lot more comfortable. Your seat is larger and you've got a lot more legroom, and you're in a much larger space. Moreover, you're not confined to your seat: you have the entire train to explore and enjoy. (Well, except the sleeping cars, if you're not in one.) That means you can wander around not just your car, but walk the length of the train from car to car if you decide you just need a walk... and of course there are a few other destinations you can stop at and enjoy too. Depending on your train, you'll have at least one lounge or cafe or dining car of some sort, and quite probably two. Different routes have different sorts of cars; read up on the train you're considering, and you might find it has a Sightseer Lounge, a cafe car, a dining car, a Cross Country Cafe, a diner-lite, or some combination of these.
You can also enjoy the food, of course. The cafe car will have drinks (soft and alcoholic), snacks, sandwiches, and small microwaved meals--nothing to write home about, but it's a quick meal or a soda if you ever want one. The dining car, should your train have one, is a restaurant on wheels serving three meals a day, and one of the great experiences of traveling long-distance by train. Sit at a table with linens and real silverware, order off the menu, and your food will be prepared in the kitchen and served to your table. Relax and enjoy.
Then, there are your fellow passengers. You'll likely find they're more outgoing and social than fellow bus passengers, very willing to strike up conversations. The lounge and dining cars provide a great opportunity to get to meet people from all walks of life, from all across the country (and beyond), and most have some sort of interesting story to share. (And in the dining car, you'll probably be seated at a table with strangers--that's how seating works on the train, with its limited space--but by the end of the meal you'll probably find you've made a few friends.) The train somehow creates a small community of travelers, for those who wish to join it, which I've never found to be true on a bus or plane.
And, it's a lot more relaxing and fascinating to just look out the window than a bus. Buses travel the highways, which rarely seem to involve much scenery. Wide expanses of concrete, lined with trees or sound barrier walls or strip malls occasionally punctuated by billboards and service plazas are a lot of what you get to see. Not so, the train. Sometimes you're paralleling a road, but often you're seeing parts of the country you can't see by car or bus: vast stretches of natural spendor on some routes, like the New River Gorge on the Cardinal, or remote stretches of the Rocky Mountains on the California Zephyr; or else small towns viewed from "the other side", people's back yards and interesting neighborhoods, sometimes seen from unusual angles. And unlike the bus, every few hours the train in scheduled for a longer station stop where all passengers are freely allowed to get off the train, stretch, and wander about for a few minutes. Don't leave the platform!!! But often you can get a little sense of an odd small town just from stepping off, and sometimes there's even an historical exhibit on display outside the station you'll have a minute to look at.
Unexpected things can happen, of course. Occasionally (but not often), trains break down; but then, so do buses. But another sort of delay is unique to the train: most of the track you'll travel on is privately owned by a freight railroad, and sometimes the freight railroad gives its trains priority over Amtrak. This might mean you spend some time sitting on a side track waiting for other trains to pass you. Over the past few years, this situation has gotten a lot better due to a variety of political, economic, and logistical factors--the delays aren't as bad, and often they're a little bit anticipated and built into the schedule as padding, but they do still happen. You might spend some time sitting on a side track and yet still be on-time to your destination, but there's always a bit of a chance you'll spend a lot of time sitting and get quite delayed. Each train faces different conditions, so check amtrakdelays.com to see what the performance of your train, to your destination, has been like recently. Often, a good book, a good meal, or a good conversation can turn most delays into a comfortable time. And of course, quite often there's no problem at all.
If you're on the train for 20+ hours, you'll almost certainly be sleeping for some of that time. In coach, the seats recline quite a bit and there's ample legroom. You can get a decent sleep there. Bring an extra layer of warmth, or a small travel blanket, or whatever might make you more comfortable. Amtrak will provide a small pillow, but you might want a larger one. If you're in a sleeping car, you'll have a bed made up for you at night by your car attendant. It costs extra--sometimes a lot extra--but note two things: 1, the cost of the roomette or bedroom is for the space, so if you're traveling with someone else, you only pay that cost once; and 2, the cost of the roomette or bedroom includes all meals in the dining car (not the cafe car) for each passenger in the space. But, don't feel you have to go by sleeping car if you're traveling overnight, especially for only one night. Lots of folks sleep in coach well enough.
So, it's a great experience, and better than the bus and plane in most ways in my opinion (and most folks here will agree, but then this is the Amtrak Unlimited forum). Give it a try, and feel free to ask for advice here (you'll get lots).
Enjoy your trip!
