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caravanman

Engineer
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
Messages
4,955
Location
Nottingham, England.
Hi Amtrak fans, I hope to be able to visit America in january 2005, and would like your suggestions on cramming in the most travel time on Amtrak. I expect to fly into New York, or I could fly into Chicago. I am looking to arrive Sat 7th Jan, and start travelling on the 8th. I will need to catch my flight home on the Sat. 21st. Any itinery suggestions most welcome, I anticipate using sleeper accomodations. I am aware of the problems of late running, so suggested connections would need to be realistic ! Any thoughts?

Ed B)
 
Lake Shore Limited New York-Chicago

1-2 Night in Chicago

Empire Builder Chicago-Portland

Coast Starlight Portland-Los Angeles

1 Night in LA

Southwest Chief LA-Chicago

4 is very good with OTP so you would be ok

Capital Limtied Chicago-Washington

2 Nights in Washington

Regional Washington-New York

This is just a suggestion

Or another one

Fly to Chicago

Chicago-LA Southwest Chief

1 Night in LA

LA-Seattle Coast Starlight

1 Night in Seattle

Seattle-Chicago Empire Builder

1 Night in Chicago

Chicago-New York Lake Shore

The only reason I have no Southern Routes is I don't anticpate the Sunset to go thru NOL to Flordia by Jan of 2006.
 
AmtrakFan said:
Lake Shore Limited New York-Chicago1-2 Night in Chicago

Empire Builder Chicago-Portland

Coast Starlight Portland-Los Angeles

1 Night in LA

Southwest Chief LA-Chicago

4 is very good with OTP so you would be ok

Capital Limtied Chicago-Washington

2 Nights in Washington

Regional Washington-New York
This is a nice itinerary, however, I'd suggest altering it just a bit.

Reverse the start and ending trains. In other words, leave NY and go to DC first, then take the Capitol Limited to Chicao. After doing the west coast legs, upon return to Chicago, take the Lake Shore Limited back to NY.

The reason I'd recommend doing it this way is that it gives you more cushion time to make the connection in Chicago when returning from the west coast. The Capitol leaves CHI at 5:35 pm, whereas the LSL leaves at7:55 pm.

Even though 4 does have a good OTP, I'd still rather have a 4 - 1/2 hour layover, rather than a 2 hour 10 minute layover. That extra cushion time could come in handy if something does delay you on #4.

If 4 does somehow miss the connection with #30, then you'd end up on the LSL anyhow, unless you are really late. So IMHO, avoid the rush, reverse the ends and give yourself more connection time.

And you'll still get dinner on the LSL, assuming that you want to wait until 7:30 or so to eat.
 
AlanB said:
AmtrakFan said:
Lake Shore Limited New York-Chicago1-2 Night in Chicago

Empire Builder Chicago-Portland

Coast Starlight Portland-Los Angeles

1 Night in LA

Southwest Chief LA-Chicago

4 is very good with OTP so you would be ok

Capital Limtied Chicago-Washington

2 Nights in Washington

Regional Washington-New York
This is a nice itinerary, however, I'd suggest altering it just a bit.

Reverse the start and ending trains. In other words, leave NY and go to DC first, then take the Capitol Limited to Chicao. After doing the west coast legs, upon return to Chicago, take the Lake Shore Limited back to NY.

The reason I'd recommend doing it this way is that it gives you more cushion time to make the connection in Chicago when returning from the west coast. The Capitol leaves CHI at 5:35 pm, whereas the LSL leaves at7:55 pm.

Even though 4 does have a good OTP, I'd still rather have a 4 - 1/2 hour layover, rather than a 2 hour 10 minute layover. That extra cushion time could come in handy if something does delay you on #4.

If 4 does somehow miss the connection with #30, then you'd end up on the LSL anyhow, unless you are really late. So IMHO, avoid the rush, reverse the ends and give yourself more connection time.

And you'll still get dinner on the LSL, assuming that you want to wait until 7:30 or so to eat.
Alan,

I never thought of that Thank You.
 
Hi again, thanks for your ideas. It is a shame the Southern routes look to still be unavailable in January, as it would make for a more "rounded" round trip! I enjoy the planning and pondering about the trip, as well as the journey, so I won't decide my routes quite yet.

On a slightly different question: In the past I booked regular tickets via the Amtrak inernet site, If I buy a "foreign tourist" rail pass here in the UK, how would I book the actual trains and sleepers? It sounds as if I have to phone Amtrak, which might be expensive from here?

Ed B)
 
Well with what Matt's saying it could be possible to take the Crescent to NOL, overnight in NOL and then take the Sunset to LA.
 
For the time of year and timeframe you are going expect it to be dark by 5:30pm and sunrise around 7:30am.

I would probably recommend for some of the best mountain and coastal scenery:

A LONG first segment would look like this...

NYC-CHI on the LakeShore Ltd (abt 6 hrs overlay) connect to...

CHI-LAX-SAN on the SW Chief and noon-time Pacific Surfliner

Overnight (or two) in San Diego

Then...

SAN-LAX-EMY-SFO on the Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight

Overnight (or two) in San Francisco

EMY-CHI on the California Zephyr

Overnight in Chicago

CHI-NYC on the Cardinal (really GREAT scenery thru WV and VA)

I felt it important to somehow include the CZ because it has incredible scenery.

I would skip the Sunset Limited (bad on-time record) and, unfortunatley, the Empire Builder (best scenery at Glacier Natl Park is often too close to dark).

The CZ offers not only the vast Rockies (and LOTS of canyons and tunnels) and equally amazing desert scenery between Grand Junction-Utah-Nevada but also the equally beautiful Sierra Nevada mountain range. The climb from EMY-SAC to the Sierra Nevada's is wonderful and the afternoon journey thru the canyons and Rockies is breathtaking!
 
dmwnc1959 said:
For the time of year and timeframe you are going expect it to be dark by 5:30pm and sunrise around 7:30am....
A LONG first segment would look like this...

NYC-CHI on the LakeShore Ltd (abt 6 hrs overlay) connect to...

CHI-LAX-SAN on the SW Chief and noon-time Pacific Surfliner

Overnight (or two) in San Diego

Then...

SAN-LAX-EMY-SFO on the Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight

Overnight (or two) in San Francisco

EMY-CHI on the California Zephyr

Overnight in Chicago

CHI-NYC on the Cardinal (really GREAT scenery thru WV and VA)

P.S. Also for the time of year you are going (Winter) the 'Cardinal's views of the rivers and gorges in WV and VA will not be obsrtucted with all the leaves on the trees. and the 'California Zephyr's vistas of moutain snows through the Rockies of Colorado and the Sierra Nevadas will be stunning.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions, one item that I didn't realise was that the Cardinal passes through major scenic views. I had tended to favour the Lake shore, as it tends to be less expensive, but now will reconsider!

Ed. B)
 
The big pitfall with the Cardinal is the tri-weekly schedule.

You may have to take the Capitol Limited if your scheduling doesn't work out. Of course, you could take the Cardinal one way and the Capitol the other if you have enough time to ride both...

Good luck on your trip planning!
 
Sam Damon said:
The big pitfall with the Cardinal is the tri-weekly schedule.
One other pitfall with the Cardinal, no diner. There is only a cafe car.

Also make sure that you travel east on the Cardinal. Except during the months of June & July, the west bound train get to the New River Gorge after dark, so you'll miss the best part of the trip.

It's also rather sad that there is no sightseer lounge either, as that make enjoying the beautiful New River Gorge even better.
 
It is always a good recommendation to take the California Zephyr, but it is safer to see the scenery running westbound rather than east. East you can get caught in the dark while you are still in beautiful scenery. This especially if the train is running late.
 
Thanks again for the suggestions, I am getting a better feel for the routes now. I have been lucky to take the Zephyr before, in both directions, and another time when it was on a diversion also. The scenery is stunning! I have been on the Lake shore ltd, and the Sunset limited (eastbound only), and the Texas eagle from LA to Chicago.

I want to travel on the Empire Builder, the Starlight, and the SW Chief, but I am not desperate to include them all on this winter's wander!

I enjoy the rythme of train travel, and I am looking on this proposed trip in Jan as my "quick fix", so I guess I am being a bit "nerdy" by wanting to keep aboard the moving trains more than alighting and enjoying the cities along the way...I made one of your immigration guys laugh at the airport once when I described the purpose of my visit as "nerdy activities", and went on to mention Amtrak travel, and a radio ham convention in Dayton!

It is my son's school holidays mid Oct, and I plan to take him to Scotland and back to London by train sleeper, and then across to the Isle of Skye by train too. Might file a mini report on the travel page!

thanks again folks!

Ed.

B)
 
I plan to take him to Scotland and back to London by train sleeper, and then across to the Isle of Skye by train too. Might file a mini report on the travel page!
Please do - I know I would enjoy reading it for the comparison.
 
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