This is the best Amtrak tour on youtube, guaranteed. Roomette details, sleeper car, diner, lounge, coach, beautiful views, and tremendous sounds. Note you do not need to convert the roomette on your own; we did that just for fun ;).
My grandmother, my 3 yr old son and I traveled from Union Station, Chicago to Denver CO. on the California Zephyr back in the 80’s. We traveled coach and it was fabulous! The observation car was great. You can see for miles. Would love to do it again sometime. Great video and watching brought back many memories of a fun trip. Thank you!
Made the trip in the Roomette from Needles, CA to Chicago three times and once from LA to Chicago, although I asked the attendant each time to convert the two seats into a lower bed. The designers made efficient use of all available space. Many friendly people of all ages on a long train trip. Your video brought back nice memories. Thanks.
Amtrak deserves higher ridership on these super liner car routes so they can make money. Also, I feel like coach is pointless when you got sleeper cars.
@@MichaelN12 They're not pointless if you are going only a short distance. These trains serve stops every few hours (or less), so there are plenty of short trips possible.
Traveled coast to coast a few times. Roomettes are worth the money.Cost covered 3 meals. Western trains are better from Chicago on out. Highly recommend especially to young people and yes, the showers have hot water, food is decent, people you meet are generally cool. Service all round is good. Ialso was late getting from Denver to SF...Try it its fun!
I can remember Laying in the bed at our house here in southeasttern KY...In the late 1940's hearing ...That lonesome.....Whistle blowing....Comeing out of Harland Kentucky loaded with Coal....Just after my Mom tucked me in the Bed....An turned out the light..Hanging down from the center of my bed room ceiling...Back then our house had just ben wired for electric lights...One for each room...Anyway....Just at 12 O'CLOCK ..Every night a 12 i could here that old steamer Whistle echoing thru the hill back in that place....When I was a child....Sad to say but all of that is gone now.....And almost me to...For I am old now...Thanks very much...!
My Grandfather on my Dad's side worked for the Railroads his whole life, Got to travel pretty much free after he retired. He was a very handsome man. I always wondered what it would be like to ride on a train for a few days with a sleeper car. this was a great video. I'm on the west coast, for now.
GREAT VIDEO!!!!! MY FINE DADDY TOOK ME ON THE RIO GRANDE ZEPHYR (WHEN IT WAS JUST ABOUT TO END SERVICE (1980) I THINK. MY MOTHER HAD PASSED AWAY 3 MONTHS PREVIOUS. IT TOOK US THROUGH THE ROCKIES, HAD THE ORIGINAL STEAM HEATING, ORIGINAL RIO GRANDE WESTERN EQUIPMENT. I THINK THAT THE LOCOMOTIVES WERE F-9S. THERE WERE THREE BEAUTIFUL FULL-LENGTH DOME CARS. LATER DADDY TOOK ME ON THE SAME TRAIN THAT YOU ARE ON" THE AMTRAK ZEPHYR. WE RODE FROM CHICAGO TO CALIFORNIA AND TOOK THE AMTRAK ZEPHYR BACK TO CHICAGO AND THEN TOOK THE SILVER STAR BACK TO OUR HOME IN NORTH CAROLINA. MY DADDY WAS SO LOVING, KIND, AND GENEROUS. HE TOOK MY BROTHER AND I ON MANY SPECIAL TRIPS. i MISS DADDY SO VERY MUCH. HE PASSED AWAY IN MAY OF 1998. HE HAS BEEN GONE FOR 18 YEARS AND MY MOTHER GOT SICK WHEN i WAS A TEENAGER AND SHE HAS BEEN GONE FOR 36 AND ONE-HALF YEARS. I MISS HER SO MUCH. YOU DID SUCH A FANTASTIC JOB OF VIDEOING YOUR TRIP AS WELL AS THE INSIDE OF THE ZEPHYR. I KNOW YOU HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME. I USED TO LOVE TO GO BETWEEN THE PASSENGER CARS AND MAKE MOVIES AS THE TRAIN WENT AROUND A BIG CURVE AND GET PICTURES OF THE FRONT OF THE TRAIN ROUNDING THE CURVE. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR TRIP ON THE ZEPHYR. IT DEFINITELY BRINGS BACK THE LOVING MEMORIES OF OUR DADDY!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR JOURNEY!!!!!!!
In the 80's I went from St Paul, MN to Long Beach, CA. Three days in a couch chair. I was younger than and more flexible. I would spend whatever it costs to get a decent sleep. The adventure is in the trip not the destination. Last check From Maine to California now with sleeper is about 2000 dollars, Food and sleeping berth included. The best part of the 80's trip was the observation car late at night, conversation, chess/checkers or quiet time and reading. The really best thing was I was able to buy breakfast for a young single mother and her very young daughter as she was deciding what she could afford to get while "cutting corners" on her expenses. I told her "to buy whatever you want I've got the bill, don't worry about it".
How nice of you, Charlie! I'm sure that gesture will affect the young child who will remember to be kind to others and help them. You are a wonderful man!
As a hardworking single mother who lives paycheck to paycheck I have to say thank you. I don't like to openly admit my struggles and receiving help is harder for me than asking but I can sometimes manage to swallow my pride lol. Not that it's a regular occurrence. It makes my heart happy to see that there are still good people out there and I think it teaches my son very valuable lessons about life. I always tell him that it doesn't cost anything to be kind. Train travel is so expensive now that we don't ride as much these days but I think it's the most fun way to travel with kids.
Wife and I travelled from Greensboro, NC to NYC to see Jersey Boys with original cast. Stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in a 14th floor corner suite on Park Avenue. Are we rich? By no means. It was just an experience we both wanted. Had a full bedroom suite. Train arrived at 4:00 AM in Greensboro and stopped right in front of us. Two guys hopped out and asked our names and said our room was ready, Beds made and coffee on the table. At one point in the trip, I was aware we were really moving. I asked one of the crew and he said, “Oh you noticed. That was our fastest leg on this trip, about 120 MPH.” What a surprised me was how quiet and smooth it was on that train. We will do it all again some day. Met a couple in the dining car at breakfast. They remain friends to this day.’
I had a similar experience on the California Zephyr through Illinois out of Chicago. The landscape is absolutley flat and there are large sections where the rails are welded so the trains can really fly. On this particular occasion I noticed that we were really hauling, certainly 100 mph+, so I asked the conductor how fast we were going. He said that he shouldn't really tell me because they weren't really supposed to be going that fast but he said we were doing 120. The Zephyr is a two level train so when you're on the upper level it's super quiet even at that speed.
In 1978 I took a train with my toddler boy (who was 2) from Livingston Montana to Seattle Washington. We were in a sleeper that was bigger than the room in this video. Now I think I was lucky to have gotten that room! It had a double bed in it. Or at least it was slightly bigger than a twin. Train s are so much fun to ride. I loved it. I rode back on it also. The views between Montana and Washington are fantastic.
I think you were in a family bedroom than- based on the description in your statement and you could go to the Guided Life Travel on youtube and they have the information on lots of Amtrak stuff so that is where I get the information from.
I JUST took that round trip ride on the Zephyr....Chicago to Sacramento. I had a roomette. The shower on the first floor was always clean and full of plush towels, soap and shampoo. The 4 bathrooms in the car...always clean. The views were absolutely spectacular!! I'd do it all again...breathtaking ride.
Yes!!! I've been on this route 4 times in the last 25 years! It is a lovely trip....3 times in coach and the last time in a roomette...was perfert for one person and would have been fine for 2....Im feeling that travel bug!!!!!!
I was debating on booking a trip as a mini vacation for my husband and I but the only drawback is sleeping separate. Neither of us sleep well that way... even after 23 years... but I’m glad I read your comment, it helped tremendously! I did travel coach on Amtrak from Missouri to California once, in coach. Almost 5 days, no shower that I know of, bathrooms were awful, but there was a strike going on. I thought then, and now, that if more people were courteous, respectful, and conscientious about making sure they cleaned up after themselves that wouldn’t have been an issue. I still loved it, even terribly sick (no cooties ;) it was self-inflicted [note: no burritos from street vendors in El Paso when you don’t have immediate access to um, facilities]) anyway that was tmi, unless it saves one person the agony...
Back in the 50's and early 60's took trains all the time in Texas - MKT, Santa Fe, Silver Eagle, and Katy Line. Remembered the Pullman cars (Sleepers) which we rode and slept. Dallas had a fine train station (Union Station) where we had great breakfasts.Riding from Dallas to Houston always required an overnighter which I never forgot. Hearing the clickity clack - the rails - and the signal crossovers - the ding, ding, ding until it faded away were sound effects that would put you into a deep coma in those sleeping births. Very delightful traveling, and would do it again. Thanks for video, brought back many memories.
I was fond of Burlington's Texas Zephyr running from Denver to Houston through Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Fort Worth and Dallas... I still recall Burlington's T-bone steak for dinner...
To go from Austin to Denver we have to go to Chicago which is way out of the way. My son and I have been around the US and Canada twice. We always get the family sleeper with our own bathroom. The meals are incredible. Showering while moving is an art. I love waking up to orange juice and a newspaper under our door from the last stop.
Went on this Amtrak last July all the way from California to Chicago. Best views to me where in the California Sierra Nevada mountains and the Rocky Mountains. 👌🏻 best train ride ever
My family travelled to FL on the auto train. There were 4 of us in 2 roomettes. They had 3 bathrooms and 1 shower at the rear of the car. It's tight but we were fine. We had no issues accessing either. Towels were provided. The food was good with 3 settings for dinner. The train was completely full, but everything was fine. Staff was great. Food was good. there was also continental breakfast. It's more expensive than flying, but I prefer it. No TSA, and you get to relax. I would suggest it for an overnight for sure. I'm not certain about 3 days. I enjoyed the trip and would do it again.
TraveledmSacrament to Cleveland several times: 1986, 1993 (just to Denver) 2000 and 2005 to Little Rock. We were so late getting into Chicago, we missed our connection to Little Rock, and of course Amtrak got us a very nice room in Chicago. Since our train the next day did not leave till the PM, we wandered around Chicago for half a day. It was a plus, at no cost to us. In 86 you could smoke on the train anywhere. 93 there was a smoking car. After 2000 you had to wait for a stop to smoke. Most stops you weren't allowed to get off, but You could sneak a butt in a bathroom. I met some of the most friendly and several fascinating people on the train. One was an 80 year old casino card dealer, and he had some card tricks that amazed me. And he had some stories to tell. I think he knew where some of the bodies were buried in the desert. Most people are on vacation, so most people's spirits were high, even when the train was late. Had some great conversations. Coming back from Denver one time the train was 8 hours late, so if you are in a hurry or pressed for time, the train might not be for you. The Sierras and the Rockies of course are the most exciting and breath taking part of the ride. And "Moon River" is a hoot! Amtrak schedules the trip so you travel through these areas during daylight hours, and travel through the monotonous desert at night. After you leave Denver it mostly corn and flat land. Best time to move to the Observation Car to have a chat with someone. Companion not very talkative? Move to a different seat. The food was very good and reasonable, and refreshments are available till late in the evening. 10 PM? They play movies in the Observation Car(s) in the evenings which are child friendly. If you travel Coach, you should bring a warm blanket, and although they supply a pillow, it's quite small, so bringing a comfy pillow is a plus. The seats are quite comfortable, but you can always wander around if your butt goes numb. They don't assign seats in coach and I recommend travelers try to get a seat in the middle of the cars, because people wander the train at all hours, and the doors at the end of each car make a lot of noise. If you are a light sleeper and need more quiet, you can sit in the lower decks, where there are no automatic doors just toilets, but the scenery will be less impressive. The toilets,offer a place to change clothes, shave and freshen up. Sometimes they have may have a room available, which you can rent for the night and gives you bed and access to the showers. When leaving Sacramento and Salt Lake City, you'll want to head to the observation car(s) early to get a good seat for the best views of the scenery. It may be more expensive then flying and a lot slower, but everyone should try this trip at least once in their life! I always enjoyed myself.
The main reason Amtrak is usually late is because passenger and commuter trains are forced to sit backseat to freight traffic. America's rail is absolutely dominated by freight.
There is a logical reason. Cost. If passenger traffic takes precedence over freight, railway operations will eventually end up making losses. Freight is where real money is. These long distance trips in a developed nation is leisure, not necessity. So they will never have an edge over freight, rightly so. In India, things are different. Freight trains are made to wait, sometimes for irritating duration at length. Happy to see that freight takes driving seat and not passenger. And USA has expertise in hauling tons and tons of weight over huge distances without breaking a sweat. Kudos to them and long lasting diesels they have.
I've never had an Indian train arrive anywhere close to its scheduled time. I've sometimes waited 12 hours for a train that was late. And trains in Japan and Germany--both extremely developed nations--are famous for running on time...down to the minute.
My sisters. My mother and I took Amtrak from Cincinnati to Grand Junction in 1994. It was truly the adventure of our lives. The Rockies were amazing! Only bad thing was my wallet disappeared and I had to use the layover in Chicago to notify my credit card and travelers check people.
They do, and that is a good way to put it. I have done a few long distance trains, and I want to do more. One of the more interesting aspects is the other passengers. I have always found chatting with them to be fascinating. Dining cars and long intervals at station stops are great opportunities.
When passing from car to car it isn't necessary to use your hands to touch the door opener. There is also an opener at floor level which operates by touching it with your foot. My hands stayed cleaner this way on my 2 night trip from Chi to LA. Great video and thanks for posting.
I have traveled from Portland Oregon to Fort Myers Florida several times. It is a 4 day trip. I love this trip the seats are roomy abd lots of leg room. I don' go any other way if I can hep it. That route run pretty much on time.
I've taken every train leaving Chicago to the west coast. My favorite is the northern route, the empire builder. I try to always get a room. The train is my vacation!
We rode this train about 20 years ago from Ottumwa Iowa to Reno. Two nights in coach was not fun, but loved the scenery in the Rockies. I live just a few blocks from the Depot. My grandma used to take it from Ottumwa Iowa, to Grand Junction Colorado every year in the 50's and 60's.
Dan--I agree with several comments--you produced the best Amtrak vid on YT--a record you have held for going on 5 years. I kept waiting for the rest of that Roomette to somehow appear, but it's a compact space. Hey...get exercise on those steps to the top bunk. After all the Amtrak cuts, hours late arrivals and tough reviews, I always like seeing good ol' train travel still happen.
The best way to see America is riding on Amtrak. You don't see America as well when you are flying over it or keeping your eyes on the highway in front of you... While flying is cheaper than Amtrak, factor in every night on the train is one less night at a expensive hotel Amtrak fares offer good value... Amtrak offers similar sales promotions as airlines, so set up Amtrak sales promotions notifications from their website...
Quite good RU-vid Amtrak Special, Benny & Dan. You covered the facts good. I've never taken a trip via Amtrak...but within the past several days, I've been thinking of doing so to add to my "bucket list" of modes of transportations on vacations. Again, this video helped. Thanks.
i just rode the same route and we were on time all the way to Chicago! It was a nice experience. Also, on the lower level of the sleeper cars there is a handicap accessible room that is the entire width of the train. We had one. I had a stroke and get around slow. It was tough walking around the train.
I’ve traveled many many time in these small rooms. I think it’s totally worth it for the privacy alone. I love the all you can drink coffee and juice and the local newspaper under my door in the morning. Also the room service if you don’t feel like going to the dining car. I love the showers. Once on board you can ask if ther is a larger room available and we have done this many times with NO ADDED CHARGE
Back in the 60s when I was a child, we rode from California to Chicago and then to Dayton on a train. We got to see so much beautiful scenes. It was really fun. I love trains.
Dan ... thanks a million for recording and posting this marvelous video for everyone to watch ... I would love to do that trip ... For those who enjoy riding trains ... try The Canadian from Toronto, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia or The Ocean from Montreal, Quebec, to Halifax, Nova Scotia ... both are awesome trains to travel on but you still run into the same problems with freight having priority over passenger trains ... I've ridden both of these passenger trains and I've also taken the City of New Orleans from Chicago south and back which I thoroughly enjoyed. On The Canadian, the bathroom was in a separate room (albeit small) in your bedroom and in the dining car, the cutlery and plates and glasses were a little higher class so to speak along with linen table cloths. Thanks again Dan for a super video ... looking forward to many more!
our rail infrastructure is not 50 years behind. Our rail system handles freight, faster, cheaper and more volume than most nations, especially European nations. You probably mean our PASSENGER service is 50 years old. Yes, what is left of it in the middle of the country. The short NE corridor and Pacific coastline is all Amtrack really modernizes. The rest are buses on rails. Long relaxing cruise trains though. Since the real railroads dropped passenger in the 60s, in a free market economy, passenger rail (long distance) should have been left to die. Amtrack got the nod to keep DC, NYC, Boston rail going (that district is the most like Europe in the US) and vaguely keep the rest going but very sparse.
Hi! Great video! My husband, 5 year old daughter and I took the Zephyr from Sacramento to Chicago in 1978! We were moving to England, via the military, and wanted our daughter to "see America" before we left. The train ride was quite an experience! We had coach seats, but asked the conductor if we could buy a small room to sleep in for the first night. It was very cramped but had its own bathroom facilities. I loved our coach seats though! They were big and roomy and you had a spectacular view from both sides of the train. The rocking motion made me fall asleep all times of the day! Most memorable was when we were going through "the plains". Saw buffalo grazing and off in the distance there was a very active lighting storm. Absolutely beautiful. They didn't have showers back then, only a large ladies lounge with half a dozen sinks you could wash in. Be careful not to fill those sinks too full, the train movement sloshed the water all around! Yes, our train was three hours late. Didn't mind though. Here I am going on about our trip. I wanted to ask you if I could use your video on my blog. Your video is quite informative for travelers both here and abroad and I feel it would help them out. Until I hear from you... Thanks Ellyn
I have converted my own roomette so many times I should be a porter for them. If you want a better / bigger shower sneak into transition sleeper. On some routes they sell space in these cars. Of all the AMTRAK routes this is the best for scenery due to its scheduling. As for being a train nut I have stayed in the Twin Finns hotel in the camera view across from the Emeryville station. All rooms have kitchenettes.
LindaLuxable it’s the car where the crew sleep since they don’t take up a whole car, Amtrak uses the rest for roomettes when the rest of the roomettes sell out.
Amtrak doesn't own the tracks, they are owned by the rail companies so Amtrak doesn't have priority. They get put on sidings to let priority freight pass. So it's almost impossible for Amtrak to be on time. Nice video.
+helmitpeak That applies to the most part of Amtrak's runs but not all. CSX has a pretty good record on the AutoTrain runs. And most times the Silver Meteor is on time or within a half hour of on time. And at times, even early like the AT is. Run on UP and time after time you will be late. You can see all the records at www.amtrak.com/historical-on-time-performance but the ones I normally am on are: AT 67.7% for August and 67.5% in the past year. We get in early many trips but that isn't recorded. SS/Palmetto 52.2% August & 52.2% past year but most of that is caused on the Star and not the Meteor. Been in to DC up to 1/2 hour early on a NB run while just on time into Miami on occasion. But again, we beat the Star in that left Richmond VA ahead of us by 4 hours only to end up running on its markers from Jax to Auburndale Thursday. Then in to Miami hours ahead of it. Star SB has a 35% on time for the past 12 months and only a 46% NB. I will say that over the past 12 months, weather problems have taken their toll on CSX in the Southeast. Cardinal isn't showing but the delays on it are between Chicago and Cincinnati most of the time. Might be on CSX but the other railroads control the crossings too. The derailment near Charleston WV earlier this year took it off for days. CZ is 48.4% and 48.1% Sunset Limited is a hoax report as they still have not returned service from NOLA to Orlando since 2005 or Miami before that.
+helmitpeak It's the NE corridor ;-) but yes, that is why. Amtrak owns the line in most of it. CSX does try to do right with the AT and it is possible for it to get in so early that it has to wait in the station for the crews that unload the autos to get in. If things go right for 98 tonight, it will be in DC 40 minutes early and 52 will be in Lorton an hour early. Even the Silver Star 92 is doing good tonight with it getting to JAX 6 minutes early. Far better than last Thursday when 97 met 92 at S. Jesup GA in the daylight. And it is about to get busy in Florence SC as 53 and 98 are both about to get there.
+gravelydon Sorry, I meant the NE corridor, a typo as the w & e are next to each other. Boy. you keep up on this. Do you work for AT or in the rail business?
Not an employee but was qualified as crew on the local SBD branch at one time. Took the book of rules test with the red and yellow SS grey covered rule book. Been a private car crew member also. Travel AT on a regular basis and Amtrak's regular trains even more so. Some of the staff know me on sight. Been to about the two most distant points in the US on rails including some that do not see regular passenger service. It is fun to listen to a crew when the dispatcher tells a BNSF crew to hold for Amtrak XX when Amtrak doesn't service that area. I've been on the last car on the steps at the southern most current rail location as an example. Have served as a consultant on one NPS rail project ( three cars ). But that was 15 years ago. Life member of the Army's Transportation Corp Museum. Have prepared for moves rail equipment from various gov't locations. Most on friction bearings. At one time, SCL ran behind our house and PRR/PC ran thru our farm. The SCL branch is still in but rarely used under CSX and the PC track was pulled in 1976. The court battle over it finally ended in April of this year after 16 years in the courts. The lawyers were the losers in this case as the total they got for those 16 years came out to about $10k a year.
Thank yu for sharing. I road Amtrak to N Cali. But not across country. Awesome. I work union station n now you've given me a better understanding of my own job, customer service n compassion
This was a pretty well made video. If you do another, I would mention that the bedrooms on the lower level of the Sleeper are: The Family bedroom at one end and the opposite end is the Handicapped Accessible Bedroom. On your video here, I could see that the Family Bedroom was UNoccupied and you should have taken the opportunity to film it. The upper level big bedrooms are called Deluxe Bedrooms and worth filming. There's almost always one vacant. To me, a major part of any train trip is the 1st Class waiting room at the station for people with bedrooms and roomettes. Any time I'm in Chicago, i get to Union Station WAY early just to hang out in the Station---the Metropolitan Lounge, the food court where they have live music. You guys do such good videos that i think you could handle this part of an overall train experience.
Chicago station is great. Not on long enough to make a room worth it to NOLA for me so no metro lounge. They closed the Legacy Lounge since my last trip so i guess the Metro is open now if you pay $25. Coming from Michigan i must wait in Chicago hrs. so worth it to me. Plus the early boarding is priceless to me😎
Excellent. Now I can make a better decision about which kind of ticket to get - thanks! My favorite part is the slideshow at the end with ambient station sounds. Beautiful still shots.
I road with my family from Calif. to Chicago in the 1960s as a kid. We just road in the seats. We slept in our seats. It was a blast. Oh I forgot, we got on another train in Chicago to Dayton, Ohio. Thats where we were moving back to after my dad was stationed in the Philippines for 9 mo. We got to see so much beautiful country. We could have went by plane, but my parents wanted to see the sights. It was great. But that was 55 yrs ago.
This is an excellent video. I've gone coach 6 times 3 round trips, from San Francisco to Fort Morgan CO (one stop past Denver). I never did the roomette because it was an extra $400 each way! which only seems reasonable if you are 2 people (but that would include 5 meals also so it isn't that insane). I'm going to have to try the Roomette (I know if I do, I'll never be satisfied with coach again). Daytime in coach is nice. Sleeping in coach is miserable. At least I had 2 seats overnight every time but that is not guaranteed. I'm 6'2" 215# So airline seats are horribly cramped for me. I've paid an extra $100 just for 5 more inches of knee space and it was worth it. I love the really wide, almost recliner sized seats on Amtrak (larger that airline 1st class). I also love being able to get up and walk around anytime. I really don't like the TSA security theater on airlines either. Thanks for the roomette overview.
Kyle Sfhandyman Eh the rommette didnt ruin coach for me just because coach on Amtrak is so massive. It’s definitely nice having your own little spot and obviously being able to lay down and sleep etc. But coach is great honestly.
MY 1st train ride with Daniel and his friends! Thanks for taking me with you...an unanticipated distraction.....during a headcold...cruising RU-vid and found YOU of all things! My LAST train ride took my Mom and me from WPG. to BC......we had to share a TOP berth.....not much fun in the dark, jostling back to back and belly to belly with your moM!! But..beautifully amniotic....I would give ANYTHING to do it again, in far better conditions than anything the very antiquated CNR provided in 1969. And next to someone I absolutely adored....total darkness encapsulated enveloped in rail circles and screeches ...train travel SHOULD be fashionably distinctive, the way it used to be! It could be so romantic. Hypnotized Happy Carefree and unfettered by LIFE. You have a pleasant voice and manner........it was a PLEASURE being in your company. Thank you!
What a fun comment, thank you! It puts a smile on the end of a hard day I've had. I can't help but laugh at the idea of me and anyone sharing the top bunk. Physically impossible! I hope you feel better soon, cheers ~~~
Great Video! I just did my first Amtrak today. 4 hour day trip from San Jose to San Luis Obispo then back. Just wanted a taste before I go for the long haul. Just booked Chicago to San Jose. It'll be quite the adventure.
Nice video, captures the train very well. My wife and I just completed a round trip California Zephyr from Denver Colorado to Roseville Ca and back again. We traveled with our son, his wife and our granddaughter. We had the same room you did and our son had the Superliner Bedroom for his little family. We felt the food was really good and was almost too much to eat. It was all included in the cost of our rooms. I have to admit that my wife and I are very tiny people, 5'5 and 5'2 and we definitely felt confined in those tiny bunks at night. I am very impressed that you and your friend were able to use them. It was not bad, just very confining. All in all, we really had a great time. The train overall was very clean and the attendants were great as well. Thanks for sharing this video.
If Amtrak owned more of the tracks it was on, it would be on-time more. Freight companies own those tracks, so they typically get priority over passenger service.
Yeah, my wife and my mother and I took a RT to San Jose, CA from Albany, Or. We left at 5:30 (an hour late) and were supposed to be in San Jose around 9:00 the next morning. When I woke up, we hadn't left Oregon yet. Turned out we were stopped behind a broken down freight train for hours. Then they had to truck a relief crew over from Klamath Falls, Oregon. We didn't get to San Jose until around 4:30 in the afternoon. We were in coach going down. I put my wife and my mother in a sleeper coming back. I really like trains, but that was brutal.
The first priority on the freight lines is Amtrak, followed by an intermodal that is carrying perishables. There are heavy financial penalties for delaying an Amtrak train.
It seems in the Boston, MA area than there must be a lot of intermodal trains carrying perishables as conductors on the downeaster have said sadly they have to yield to freight trains. Normally it is not an issue as they time the route to avoid each other but if one situation puts the Amtrak off delays happen due to having to yield.
I work in the railroad business. I contract work for all of the class 1s plus Amtrak and the Metro North. One the routes that Amtrak runs they take first priority. It doesn't matter who owns the track. The tracks along all Amtrak routes were the first to be upgraded and are the first priority to be maintained. There is still quite a bit of jointed track or track that is limited to twenty-five mph. Amtrak trains are not on these tracks unless they were diverted due to an unforeseen problem. The freight lines are not interested in passenger service because it doesn't make money in most situations. Maybe if the cost of oil sky rockets and never comes back down there might be renewed interest. But people are in too much of a hurry to take a train instead of a plane or car.
TERRIFIC representation of a long distance First Class Sleeper Roomette AMTRAK train 🚂adventure. THANKS 🙏 GUYS!!! The Zephyr is a great cross country lateral trip travels the center of the USA, similarly towards the north there is the Empire Builder and south Sunset Limited. FYI (we take the Coast Starlight each year along the Pacific Coast) more enjoyable with a solo traveler per roomette. Dinning car offers great 3/course meals and companionship.
I should also mention that on the top half of the superliner car as the ones that are not roomette's, terms of a sleeping areas, they are regular bedrooms. Family room span the with of the entire car on the lower level.
I took this train around 10 years ago out of Denver to SF. It's slow moving through the Rockies but the observation cars make that a pretty fun experience. We're even taught a few things. They told us when we passed the location of the Donner Party tragedy. They also pointed out a location where President Roosevelt was known to visit
In my opinion it's the experience getting to your destination and not the speed of getting there. If I went on a vacation I would use Amtrak so I can relax and enjoy the scenery go by and my vacation because relaxing is the whole point of having a vacation. In my opinion so what Amtrak is late it's really relaxing to just sit back and enjoy the scenery go by and without worrying about the security checks at airports and highway traffic between Downtown and the airport. Sure I can see the benefits of planes like if you have kids and one of them have cancer and you needed to get to St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis Tennessee even I would use a plane to get there as soon as possible. But if it's just for a vacation I would use Amtrak over a airline anyday.
True, I thought about taking Amtrak to get rid of all of the worry about breaking down somewhere and not having to pay attention to directions and the road. That is the way to go. You can even sleep without stopping.
I used to travel often between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. As a child my siblings and I would ride without our parents and play card games and I rode often with my son when he was younger and we played card games too. It's so relaxing and fun. Especially when they have tour guides in the observation car
This is a clear and well example of where the government can when the market cannot. Without the government, the market never would've been able to come up with an alternative to Amtrak.
Thank you for actually giving me a good idea of what I'm signing up for this summer! I feel much more prepared to take my two kids on the train with me now. I'm actually going to be on the same train and stopping in Chicago as well. =)
I did three Cross country train trips in the 1960s. The cars were very similar in confirmation too the ones you rode. My brother and I were in a sleeper car with my mother. It was also called a roomette. We had a sink and toilet in the room, if you can believe it!They all originated in Seattle, destinations were WA DC, South Bend, IN, and Cincinnati OH, one way. Back in the day passenger rail ran on the same trains as the freights. That eliminated the priority issues, and made on time service the rule rather than the exception. It also kept the freight operators honest on speed and recklessness.
I took the Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville and it was a great experience. I had a roomette to myself, all meals included, a great attendant, good food, great views, and I arrived at my destination just 10 minutes behind schedule. I will try the Coast Starlight or the Empire Builder next.
I’ve been on this train!!! I enjoyed it, I do remember that someone said that Amtrak does not have right of way on the tracks!!! I enjoyed my time on the California Zephyr!!
I have taken several different Amtrak routes including the California Zephyr. Always coach. Your video is excellent. What you didn't show here is the lower level of the coach cars where there are restrooms and a separate room with 2 sinks to clean up on one half and the other half is lower level coach seating. There is plenty of room to clean up and change clothes in there so those that get "ripe" during the trip are possibly just too lazy to defunk themselves on the longer trips. Coach riders can eat in the dining car, rather expensive to do so tho. I spend most of my time in the lounge car talking with others till the early hours and had you gone down the stairs you passed in the lounge car you would have found a snack bar where they sell drinks, pizza, chips and so on. Again, expensive. Coach riders can bring a cooler on board, and there are water spigots in the cars to refill your water bottles. I love riding the train. Note, Amtrak trains are notoriously late, mainly due to the fact that other than the East Coast they are running on Freight Company owned tracks so they get stopped a lot as the freight trains take priority. I was on a train once from the West Coast to Chicago with a vintage car hooked up on the rear, Executives from Burlington Northern I believe. We had NO delays on that trip! Arrived a bit ahead of schedule......
This was nice. When I was a kid in the 50's and 60's I rode the Zephyr several times mostly between IL and Denver. Once to California. I remember the smell of cigarettes and the fabulous French Toast in the dining car. Benny seems like a great guy.
Thank you for sharing. Its intresting to see how trains have changed since the 1950s , loved the vintage car of the 40s .It's too bad that Union Pacific doesn't have passenger trains anymore, at least in my state they don't, wish UP would start passenger trains here again. Alot of people, wish they would. We use to have a lovely old depot here, but they tore it down ,for a parking lot , now all we get through our city are freight trains. I enjoy trains, it takes longer, but the views are so beautiful. Enjoyed your photos at the end .
Great video Dan Thanks for showing inside the train, it was good because never seen inside the American train as I ive in Australia Hoping to come to America for vacation and ooking into doing train journey!
If you have the time, it's great to go across-country by train. You don't see the landscape when you fly over. The scenery along some of the routes is spectacular. This route, the California Zephyr, is beautiful through the mountains.
I did this trip the 3rd week of Feb,2019 for my birthday. It was spectacular...thriling and so much fun. Stefan, the dining car Maitre D was great, and Tony our sleeping car Attendant was wonderful. I tell everyone to support these long distance lines while we have them because nothing is promised for their future.
I've watched a few of these videos in preparation for a trip in 2015 from MEM to NOL to LAX to CHI & back to MEM. This video is the best I have seen, and it answered a multitude of questions. Also, the video had a professional look to it. Thank you Mr. Quinlivan.
Everyone should take the train at least once in their life time. Its so relaxing. I took one from New Orleans to Chicago to Portland Oregon. Then Portland, Oregon to La and back to New orleans. Sure wish i had a roomette. If i ever do a longer than day run id get a roomette.
get a 15 day railpass and travel coach. you can see the whole country for 1500 bucks including rental cars and gas. i did cle to chi to glacier and grand tetons to sea to sf/sequoia and back home in 2012. it was great. slept in the car and showered in the parks. bring a blanket, pillow and get food at grocery stores! :).
or you could just join a russian tourist group for less than $1500 and see the whole country with a bunch of young energetic excited russian visa student workers
VERY GOOD VIDEO==LOVE TRAINS==I DID NOT KNOW THAT WE CAN STILL TRAVEL BY TRAIN..==WHAT A BEAUTIFUL VACCATION FOR CHILDREN TOO==ALL FAMILY WITH GRAND PARENTS TOO..
One thing I quickly learned on the Zephyr is if you need a bit more space, at least for a shower as to use the handicapped shower. Both my daughter and I are handicapped and the amount of room space we get as is nice. It is on the lower-level that provides ample space for a wheelchair. The room spans the entire width of the train and is designed for use by two adults: a passenger with a mobility impairment and a companion You also have a very large shower and bath in the room too which means you don't have to go to the public rooms. Most times we have traveled we have noticed one handicapped designated bath with a whole located on the lower level and the attendant told us that that is available for any to use, although they have to schedule times with him but that they do not question people asking to use it. The shower in the room was actually large enough that I could push (adult) daughter into it by her wheelchair and then transfer her to the shower bench. You might consider asking about a public handicapped whoer if you travel that way again. Up to 14 days before you travel and want the handicapped accomodations you do have to meet eligibility HOWEVER within 14 days prior to a train departure from its origin city, and if all other Bedroom and Family bedrooms have been reserved, accessible bedroom are made available to all passengers on a first-come, first-served basis. Actually I have heard of many cases where the other bedrooms were not sold out and they still were allowed the handicapped room. They really do not get overused. Of course you do have to certify and have some evidence (such as transit card that shows you are disabled to get the rstr reduction for you and your companion. The first time we traveled this way my daughter was not using a wheelchair and I thing the attendant was a bit suspicious even with the service animal and all his ID. He did quickly get over that that that evening when he came in to help with the beds and she was plugged into 3 IV bags and had several pumps running along with a pretty noisy monitor. He did admity near the end of the tripp that after 10 years with handicapped sleeper car facilities under his charge he never had a rider that had not arrived with a wheelchair and he did wonder but he now totally understood why they keep reminding them in refresher classes that you can not always look at a person and identify a disability. I was very glad to hear that Amtrac sunk that message home so that we were not made uncomfortable because he doubted the need.
Many people in the comments have asked about handicap accommodations and I couldn't answer because I did not know. Thank you! I hope you and your daughter enjoy your trips.
@@darknrgy The one thing I really have always felt when it came to the services and provisions for those with disabilities is that, whoever was responsible for setting it up for Amtrak got it really right. We do not fly anymore even if its quicker as anyone with a disability can tell you flying with one can be nothing short of uncomfortable and exposing. Amtrak did not try to squeeze handicapped facilities into regular ones but actually set aside space and designed what what is needed. It may tak 2 days instead of 3 hours to get where we are going but we are comfortable, we are taken care of, and we are not public entertainment. Its sad that it's obviously under used as so many of the facilities are vacant and just a place for junk to collect as I think of all the people who could have had a comfortable trip, a good sleep, excellent restaurant quality food (not microwaved airline food), personal attention, proper hygiene facilities and arrive where they were going feeling as good or better as when they started a trip and its just fun. There have to be many people out there that just don't know that they even have these facilities (and not only do they have them you get a reduced rate) and sop never avail themselves of what would be a much more comfortable method of travel if you have a disability. When we would fly I would had a extra day in after arrival and after we can home to make up for the exhaustion of just trying to fly with a medical issue. With the train its not needed. If my daughter gets tired she is not trying to nap sitting up straight cause some guy behinds her kicks the seat if she tries to recline back. On the train she can curl up in bed and just take a name and we both arrive pretty resetted. EVen the dog is much happier than spending three hours curled into a donut under our seats he actually naps much of the way on the extra bed. The reason that the have public handicapped bathroom/shower facilities is that obviously someone though ahead enough that if, for convenience you were putting baths in the rooms for the disabled, what about those riders on shorter trips using coach or for those that may not have issues to the point where they need all the facilities but the bathroom would be need something like this. I am not sure why Amtrak just doesn't make a lot more noise about their facilities and people only ever find out in situations like this when someone starts talking about them. Given the care and attention they put into the design and how the manage it I wonder if they were afraid that they would offend possible customers by talking about disabilities (may a hanging over from bygone eras?) But now I think its a disservice to both those with disabilities and Amtrak itself that not more is said about it and people now more. Trip later this summer I will take the GoPro along and take some video of our room and let people see what is available, just never thought of doing that before.
The bottom bunk is much more comfortable than the upper bunk because the bed is made up on the chair cushions where the top bunk is a thin mattress on a hard support. One thing I'm not sure you mentioned is that if you book a Roomette or any other sleeper accommodation, your meals are included in the fare, where is you travel in coach you have to pay for meals out of pocket.
Those other rooms on the top level are for two people. However, they have more leg room and have a sink, toilet, and shower. And it is a neat thing that Amtrak will tow people's private railcars for them (at a cost of course).
Those rooms on the top are very pricy. Like 2000$ compared to his room around 600$. That's one way, $600! The price or more of a plane ticket, round trip. Roomette trip comes with meals. I think of it as paying for the experience. Kind of a poor man's cruise.
You can go to Amtrak.Com and plug in a trip to see some prices. Chicago to L.A. roomette is about $600 for one person, $850 for 2. You might want to ask Amtrak if they would add another solo traveler to your roomette before you decide to do this
Different times of year, different prices. That room is really small. You put two people in there you can't even put a small suitcase in there with them. I wouldn't want some stranger snoring and farting in the bunk above or below me. If you had the roomette solo you could put your gear on the top bunk at night, in the other seat in the day. There is a shower for the people in the roomettes, another perk.
I love Amtrak. I hope passenger trains will have Renaissance in USA. Here in Europe passenger trains dominate. Well, they are mostly 200 miles per hour high speed trains or some nice night trains too. But this huge car long distance trains are awesome. Almost fait price still too much for roumlette I think. Family coupes are by far overpriced like 1000$ from Seattle to Los Angeles. Well, we think subsidizing trains is fine so trains tend to be cheaper than flights in EU (thanks subsidies).
Thanks for sharing, very informative video ,now I know what to expect on my journey, yet I am sure everyone has their version of what to call it: The Peace, Love , Midnight, Soul , Night, or Crazy Train, lol
Not hard to convert at all these guys are just bad lol I always convert my own bed just because one it’s easy but also it’s one less thing they attendant needs to do because they already do a million and one things for low pay.
Thanks to your great video...I recently took this trip (Sept. 11) and had my own roomette. I was traveling alone so my cabin was cozy. I was on the bottom floor...twenty feet away from three bathrooms and one shower. My large luggage bag was 10 feet away on the "luggage storage racks" available to all the passengers on this particular car. I can "no way...share that small compartment with another human being...male or female." I had a fun time...having my own room!
Awesome video, American trains are amazing. Nothing like that here in the UK... not that we would need a sleeper train given it only takes about 12 hours to get the full length of the country on a train :)
If you're in Switzerland, you should try their trains once. They don't mess around. My dad rode their trains several times and they were almost never late, not even by 10 minutes! We were departing Zurich to Milano, Italy and couldn't find the right car and the tickets said 10:00 departure. They were EXACTLY on the money. Once my watch said 10:00, the train started moving. Once they were out of the city limits, the drivers floored it. I was thinking: who the heck is driving, Nigel Mansell?! My dad had been on trains in Japan, the UK, France and Switzerland in the past and said of the non-bullet trains, he didn't know Swiss trains could be this fast. The drivers were struggling to get the train to Verona on time. When they heard that nobody was getting off, they didn't even stop. In fact, they went a bit faster all the way into Milano. I don't know if this was a fluke but the Swiss trains seem to be FAR ahead of the American ones. I still wonder (after seeing several videos by Canadians) if Canada's trains are better because Amtrak is notorious for its horrible arrival times. They seem to be on average, 1-2 hours late no matter where you travel.
largol33t1 The train system in Europe is world famous, I'd love to try it some day. People in Europe use trains for one thing: to get somewhere. Amtrak, on the other hand, is for entertainment and people who are too weird to be let on an airplane. I met some characters. Still cool as hell though!
Dan Quinlivan The problem actually lies with how Amtrak is funded. A lot of the money used to maintain and operate the company is government money so they don't care one bit if they're late. A writer wrote a scathing book about how Amtrak works and compared them with trains in some third world countries. Amtrak's performance is hardly worth mentioning compared to some of those places. I forgot which countries he was referring to.
largol33t1 I've heard others attempt to simplify Amtrak's problems into a single political point about "government money" and I think it's bull. There are fundamental differences in rail travel between the US or the US and Japan, for example. Population densities are much lower. The distances are further. Demand is much lower because the US pioneered air travel and that's how Americans prefer to travel. Also, cargo is prioritized over passenger. Ask anyone who works in rail in the US and they will consistently tell you that Amtrak is late because the rails are owned and manged by BNSF and UP. It's all related to the demand profile for rail travel in the US. If our businessmen rode trains, the trains would be on time and companies would compete for the demand. As for anecdotal evidence, the major sources of delay on THIS ride were 1) a UP loco failed and we had to backtrack for hours to get to a switch to get around, 2) a UP loco had to take priority so we had to stop for a length of time, and 3) someone drove a truck up on the tracks and abandoned it (we had to e-stop, I mention it in the video). I'm not surprised that there are third world countries that have rail systems that outperform Amtrak; that's going to be a primary source of transportation in a country where no one can afford to ride the nice big airplanes we also have. While I won't defend Amtrak -- even had some employees go on little rants to my amusement -- the reasons for delay and other failings is a bit more nuanced than a single ideological point about the structure of Amtrak's economics. Cheers.
Thanks. I miss the Old School trains. I guess I better take another overnighter before they disappear. The last train I took to Manhattan was pulling a fully outfitted private car. The attendant told me the owner was near her end and she wanted to take one more trip while she was still able.
The one thing that keeps me from taking an Amtrak is I can't smoke a cigar... Back in the day, they had a Lounge Car...loads of fun...they were well-ventilated... Of course that's when people got dressed up to travel... Now it's hoodies and baggy shorts...slouching around like medieval peasants...
Yes I remember the lounge cars. Some were even called smoking cars. Agree the ventilation was fantastic. Even as a small boy I was fascinated by the fact that all those people were smoking, yet the air smelled clean.
I took the CZ from Chicago to Oakland and then bus to SF. It was a hell of a trip....no sleeper though.....Just uncomfortable seats.....met a lot of cool people though and the scenery was out of this world. Thanks for posting....great memories.