Which Route has the roughest trackage?

Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
dlagrua

dlagrua

Engineer
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2009
Messages
3,633
Location
Hillsborough, NJ
Like many of you I have ridden on quite a few Amtrak trains but so far my vote for the roughest ride would have to go to the AutoTrain. A combination of constant 70+ MPH speed, poorly maintained CSX track, numerous grade crossing and a heavy long train can make for a very rough ride. We have six trips on the AT and on each one I remember bouncing around in bed all night. In contrast the NEC is usually pretty smooth and the CL and parts of th CST are not bad.

A poll that lists all Amtrak routes would be too large so it would be nice knowing where to expect a smooth trip as opposed to where you can expect the bumps! Wahts the best/roughest ride that you have had?
 
The smoothest I've experienced was on the Acela between BOS and PVD. I'd say that most of that stretch is European quality: straight, well-maintained track, and a smooth ride despite fast speeds. As a runner-up, I ride the stretch between DEN and GSC on CZ a lot, and find it very smooth. Of course, that has a lot to do with the fact that the train hardly ever exceeds 45 mph, so this may be cheating a bit. :)
 
For me, about two years ago, the CONO southbound out of Chicago was almost impossible to walk to and from dinner. By the next morning, from Memphis to NOL, it was better. I have heard that this has been straightend out. Guess I will find out going to the AU gathering in St.Louis this Fall.
 
I believe the Silver Meteor in the Carolinas & the City Of New Orleans. I'm always amazed at the servers in the diners, how they pull it off that well is beyond me!
laugh.gif
 
Capital Limited in my opinion. It felt like a jackhammer allnight long underneath my roomette bed. When I awoke the next day, all I had to do was look at my girlfriend and her two daughters and we all broke out laughing saying, "that was so rough" but we also got a kick out of it too!
 
Bill Haithcoat said:
For me, about two years ago, the CONO southbound out of Chicago was almost impossible to walk to and from dinner. By the next morning, from Memphis to NOL, it was better. I have heard that this has been straightend out. Guess I will find out going to the AU gathering in St.Louis this Fall.
Click to expand...
I rode the City of New Orleans from CHI to NOL (and back) last winter (Dec 09-Jan 10), and I seem to recall that the roughest stretch was between MEM and JAN. I will be taking the same trip again this coming winter, so I'll try to pay more attention this time.
 
for me the roughest was the Lake Shore Limited between Chicago and Buffalo. It was impossible to sleep at night except when it stopped for a station or to wait for another train. Second worst is the Empire Builder across the Dakotas over night.
 
henryj said:
for me the roughest was the Lake Shore Limited between Chicago and Buffalo. It was impossible to sleep at night except when it stopped for a station or to wait for another train. Second worst is the Empire Builder across the Dakotas over night.
Click to expand...
For present-day Amtrak, I vote for the Empire Builder between Fargo and Grand Forks. How track on such flat land can be so rough is beyond me. The worst track all-time for me was St. Paul to Chicago in the early 80s. I swear that the Milwaukee Road hadn't spent a dime on track maintenance for decades on that line.
 
I'd say the Cardinal in parts of VA and WV it's bad but it's awful in Indiana. I was eating breakfast and it was so rough that I almost fell when moving from the Diner-Lite to my Roomette.

Steve
 
Acela150 said:
I'd say the Cardinal in parts of VA and WV it's bad but it's awful in Indiana. I was eating breakfast and it was so rough that I almost fell when moving from the Diner-Lite to my Roomette.

Steve
Click to expand...
I would agree with you on the Cardinal in VA... the section of the Cardinal that runs on the Buckingham Branch Railroad was the roughest section of track I have ever ridden on.
 
Roughest: a toss up between the old SP tracks between HOS and La on the Sunset Ltd. and the tracks in Western Kansas while riding the SWC! Smoothest: Has to be the NEC while riding the Acela but maybe it's just the train set itself?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
dlagrua said:
Like many of you I have ridden on quite a few Amtrak trains but so far my vote for the roughest ride would have to go to the AutoTrain. A combination of constant 70+ MPH speed, poorly maintained CSX track, numerous grade crossing and a heavy long train can make for a very rough ride. We have six trips on the AT and on each one I remember bouncing around in bed all night. In contrast the NEC is usually pretty smooth and the CL and parts of th CST are not bad.

A poll that lists all Amtrak routes would be too large so it would be nice knowing where to expect a smooth trip as opposed to where you can expect the bumps! Wahts the best/roughest ride that you have had?
Click to expand...
I'd echo two previous posters:

the nighttime ride through western Kansas on the SWC and nighttime ride between Fargo and Minneapolis on the EB.

Somehow it seems the ride is always rougher while flat on your back in a sleeper than sitting up in a coach? Or is that just an individual perception?

the ride through Camp Pendleton on the Pacific Surliner used to be pretty bouncy at 90 mph but most of that has now been double-tracked and brought up to speed (so to speak)
 
Usually when a train is approaching a station you'll hear an announcement advising passengers to gather their belongings and head for the exits in preparation for leaving the train.

Only on Coast Starlight train 11s trying to make up time into Santa Barbara have I heard the opposite: "Please remain in your seats until the train comes to a complete stop."

The latter advice is disregarded at one's peril, because the southbound run into SBA at speed is like riding in a cement mixer. First time I heard the warning I thought I knew better and could hack it, then spent about 15 minutes bouncing off the walls while trying to get from my sleeper to the Pacific Parlour Car. Nasty roadbed.
 
chuljin said:
LA Resident said:
the ride through Camp Pendleton on the Pacific Surliner used to be pretty bouncy at 90 mph but most of that has now been double-tracked and brought up to speed (so to speak)
Click to expand...
I find a lot of the trackage between LAX and FUL rather rough, both with sudden track changes and inexplicable vertical jolts.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I agree with you especially on the sudden track changes. A conductor told me that the route has a so-called (?) "universal third track" in essence a passing track around the many freight trains that clog this section of the line. The track allows Amtrak to keep moving and not get side-tracked, but the switching back-and-forth at 65 mph certainly gets your attention.

I guess it's better than having 10 minutes added to the schedule but if you're carrying three or four drinks back from the cafe car, you need Houdini-like qualities.

Not sure about the vertical up-and-down. Maybe someone here can explain that.
 
the_traveler said:
jimhudson said:
Smoothest: Has to be the NEC while riding the Acela but maybe it's just the train set itself?
Click to expand...
FINALLY you got one answer right!
laugh.gif
Especially between RTE and KIN!
tongue.gif
Click to expand...
As far as track quality goes, I'd say Edison NJ (Edison HBD) to Trenton NJ (CP Ham) is probably almost as good. And also CP Ragan to CP Prince between Wilmington DE and Baltimore MD, in DE/MD.
 
RailFanLNK said:
Capital Limited in my opinion. It felt like a jackhammer allnight long underneath my roomette bed. When I awoke the next day, all I had to do was look at my girlfriend and her two daughters and we all broke out laughing saying, "that was so rough" but we also got a kick out of it too!
Click to expand...
We rode the Capitol Limited from PGH to CHI last month and outside of the stretch when you first get into Ohio the ride was acceptable. Our trip was only on a portion of the CL run but we have certainly expereinced worse.

Ride quality may be also be somewhat dependent on how well the wheels and the suspension on the cars are maintained but if the trackage is well maintained that should make for a comfortable trip. It should also be remembered that Amtrak is trying to run higher speed passenger trains on Union Pacific, CSX and Norfolk Southern freight tracks. The runs that accomodate heavy coal trains are particularly subject to higher wear & tear and with the heavy freight usage, maintenance or lack of it will have a bearing.
 
As of my last trip about a year ago, the connecting track used by the Maple Leaf between Niagara Falls, Canada and the CSX main in NF, NY.

Even at 10mph, battered and low joints, poor ties, horrible cross level; the swaying of cars is beyond belief.

Worst track I've seen in service (excluding the very worst industrial sidings / spurs) in use by a major carrier, passenger or freight since Penn Central. The problem is the track is only used by the Maple Leaf so there's minimal money being spent on maintenance. There is also a major bridge over the Niagara River at this point.

I'd be amazed if there were a worse stretch of track in use by Amtrak that is used by Amtrak trains on a regular route carrying revenue passengers. Yards maybe, temporary diversions, perhaps.

Gord
 
Gord said:
I'd be amazed if there were a worse stretch of track in use by Amtrak that is used by Amtrak trains on a regular route carrying revenue passengers. Yards maybe, temporary diversions, perhaps.
Click to expand...
Rouse's Point NY to St. Lambert PQ via Cantic PQ (at least parts near the border) on the Adirondack route is probably a close second. :)
 
Longest most memorable awful track for me has been those stretches as mentioned on the Empire Builder. The second were those scary "lurches" the CZ makes. I have not a clue as to what causes them, but as someone mentioned it was surprising to me that with that forceful jolting sideways the cars didn't derail. I hear the Cardinal is bad in places but haven't ridden that. I take the City frequently and yes there are some crossings that raise and fall rather abruptly, but I never really found the ride to be anything way out of the ordinary.. The Lakeshore may have been really rough but the bedroom was banging around so noisily I really didn't pay much attention to the track.. Smoothness would seem to be rare, but the CZ going towards denver the night before used to be like gliding on a lake. Don't know about the past year or so.

Larry
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top