*Correction * at 42:46, This is the Canal Street Bridge, Not the St. Charles Air Line Bridge, The St. Charles Air Line is actually under construction, so an alternative route is being utilized.
Dan, I'm new to your channel, just found it today. I took this same train back in 1983 when heading out west to meet a long time friend. Although this was only part of my journey thanks for the memories. Btw, how come you don't talk, just captions?
Thanks for you comment, and for checking out the channel! To answer you question, I don't talk because it would take away from the sights and sounds of the true experience. I know many others do narrate but I've found the captions to work better for me. I also use limited music with my train travel videos and instead include more of the announcements and the entire ambiance of the trip to provide as close to the actual experience as possible!
I'm old enough to have ridden the City of New Orleans during the last of its glory days, when it was still operated by the Illinois Central back in the late 1950's/early 1960's. (The all first-class, all Pullman-car Panama Limited was IC's premier train, overnight from Chicago to New Orleans.) My mother would take my older brother and me down to the IC station on 13th Street in Chicago by cab to spend our summer vacations in Southern Illinois, where her family was from. She'd give a red cap a whole dollar bill to watch after us, and boy would he. He'd take us to our seats, handle our little suitcases, and get us settled in, telling us to sit tight and he'd be coming back on his rounds if we needed anything. Every time he'd return, he'd ask if we needed anything. If either of us had to use the toilet, he'd take both of us so that neither one of us would be left alone, wait until we were done, and take us back to our seats. After a few hours traveling south, it was lunch time. The red cap would come to pick us up and take us to the dining car, laid out in linen tablecloths and silver flatware. Before dropping us off, my mother would have found out what was on the menu and told the red cap what to order for each of us and he'd then tell the waiter. I was too young to know a good meal from a bad one - preferring a can of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ravioli to beef wellington - but passenger railroads back then were known for the high quality of their food. When we were approaching DuQuoin, some 6 or 7 hours later, the red cap would gather up my brother and me along with our luggage and get us off the train when it stopped. And then he'd wait until someone "claimed" us, usually our grandfather. I remember once nobody was there when we got off. My grandfather was running late. The red cap held up the train until he did, fortunately just a few minutes later. Just reverse this scenario for the return trip. Those were the days. BTW, watch Arlo Guthrie's City of New Orleans on RU-vid.
Thanks so much for your comment! I enjoyed reading your story. Those were the good ole' days and the true golden age of train travel in America! I can't wait to share many more train trips to come! Thanks for watching!
I took the City of New Orleans in August of 1962 with my mother and younger sister from Hammond to Carbondale. I remember the porter coming and getting me out of the observation car because they were going to be changing cars in Memphis.
@@travelingadventureswithdan3181 I remembered something interesting I meant to include about the Illinois Central but forgot. Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer for the IC, his largest client, and signed their incorporation papers.
Dan, you did a fabulous job on this video. I REALLY liked the fact that you used subtitles rather than droning on like so many people do with their videos. Even more than that, your filming itself was of the best quality I have ever seen on YT. Thanks so much and a big thumbs up!!
Before the pandemic, I used to travel frequently via Amtrak for work. I honestly haven't thought about riding the train much since then, but watching this video just made me realize how much I miss it! Particularly just watching the scenery pass by so calmly, and sleeping while the car gently rocks around... I might have to just book a random trip soon!
Thanks for your comment, Larry, Amtrak is a great way to see the country! I too love watching the world go by and the rocking back and forth as the train travels along its route. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
My wife and I are experienced rail travelers and we loved your City of New Orleans video. We watch a lot of Amtrak videos on RU-vid, and this is one of the best we've seen. You obviously are very knowledgeable. We hope you will produce many more in 2022.
Thanks so much for your comment, Jack, it really made my day! I've loved trains ever since I was a child (particularly Amtrak trains). So, I do have quite a bit of knowledge about how they operate, their rolling stock, routes, and things like that. This was actually my first time traveling on the City of New Orleans and I really enjoyed it! I try to include a little bit of everything in these videos. There's something special about train travel that no other mode of transportation offers. The different sounds, the rocking back and forth, and the beautiful views you can see when you travel by train! I have many more train trips planned for 2022 including several long-distance ones. If you haven't already, I'd highly suggest subscribing to the channel, and click the notification bell to be notified whenever a new video is released! Thanks so much for watching!
Hello from Carbondale! It's nice to have a passenger train service go through your town, you don't know how lucky you are to have one till you don't (and A LOT of Americans do not anymore).
Back in 2005 I rode the Sunset from LA to San José California. I’m a big man and I did not fit in those accommodations in the dining car so I ate in my coach seat. The staff was just awesome. Bringing me my diner and making sure I was comfortable. In fact they kept the seat next to me open so I was more comfortable. That’s my story about the Amtrak staff. So I agree with you they are top notch. I recommend traveling by train if you can it’s great.
Dan, I really enjoyed this video. There was no talking or extremely annoying music like in other videos, just the actual sounds of the train and traveling over the tracks. I too would like to experience some long distance Amtrak journeys, but more like 5+ days. I'm a railfan and a truck driver, and I'd love to sit back and let someone else do the driving and feed me some real good food that hopefully I can brag about! I'll be looking forward to seeing more of these videos. 👍
Thanks Steve! I'm glad you said that! The benefit of having captions is the ability to retain the sounds of the actual train. Without that, it just isn't the same. I have several Long Distance Amtrak trips planned for this year and can't wait share those experiences!
Amtrak offers a special promotion now and then with the 30 day Railpass, usually for less than $450 riding in coach... While most don't have 30 days unless your retired or presently not working, you can take ten different trains in a similar number of days, or less....
I live in Australia but caught this train from Chicago to New Orleans. The staff were brilliant and the trip was excellent. Much better than our long distance trains.
I don't care that the trains may be a little less than perfect, or that you might be delayed a little. Amtrak holds a special place in my heart. Let's hope these routes are not closed. Thanks for the great video. Next time I go long distance I'm going to spring for the roomette.
I normally drive home to NOLA for visits but once I decided to book two roomettes (there were 4 of us) across from each other for the trip. We napped, talked, ate, and the in-room toilets were a huge plus. It was a very nice experience and I'd definitely do it again.
We definitely agree, train travel is wonderful! Now that we sold our motorhome, we travel ONLY by train. The packaged meals are very good, and, of course, the desserts are great. Our last trip gave us a taste of dining during the early 50s. Love train travels!
Strangely surreal. The use of captions instead of voice-over, the inclusion of extraneous sounds and conversations, the photography... all combine to create a dreamlike quality... like a long-forgotten memory.
Thanks! I much prefer doing the captions over a voice over. It also gives the viewer a chance to hear the different sounds of the train. I have another one coming in a few days on the California Zephyr!
35 years ago I was a student at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond Louisiana and used to get just a little bit upset when the Amtrak City of New Orleans would come through town and I'd be late for lectures. Next year we'll be on it, our first time on a train. We'll be in one of the Rooms, but the upper bunk in the Roomette is far and away larger and more comfortable than what's on a US Navy/Coast Guard vessel. We're looking forward to it. A little trivia... back in the mid to late 1980s the TV series "In the Heat of the Night" starring Carol O'Connor was filmed, in part, in Hammond Louisiana, and the lead in shows the Amtrak City of New Orleans going through downtown Hammond (fictional Sparta, Mississippi) at night... the filming & closed streets would often make us late for lectures as well... There's been more than a few TV shows and movies filmed in Chicago Union Station. Many scenes from ALL of "The Untouchables" were filmed in and outside * Enjoyed your video !
Thank you so much, and to all who contribute the time and efforts in making these videos. They are entertaining, informative as well as educational. Train travel will never go out of style!
At one time there was an agreement to allow British Railways passengers reduced rate travel, so we took this line with Illinous Central - my wife stretched out and less than an hour after our grub she was fast asleep. Being used to working our sleeper trains and the Night Mails I had a whale of a time being able to just watch the night world go by! Super travel then and it looks rather good now, altho all the visible signs of dead lengths of railway are sad. Thanks for a good video.
I’ve taken the Crescent, the City of New Orleans, and the Sunset Ltd. I like the City of New Orleans with it’s day view of Lake Pontchartrain the most. Even though it is the shortest in terms of distance, the view of the lake during the day going north is so beautiful.
Thanks for your comment, Rodney, The City of New Orleans is one of the shorter long-distance trains, but those views of Lake Pontchartrain are spectacular. I haven't taken the Crescent or the Sunset Limited yet, but they are definitely on my list! Thanks for watching!
I've ridden the Crescent (many times), the California Zephyr, and a couple of trains from DC to Chicago, both the Cardinal and the Capitol Limited, iirc. The Crescent also crosses Lake Pontchartrain just outside of N.O. The Crescent crews have been the best; the CZ's out of Denver going west the worst. I've never ridden City of N.O. but would like to. I hope they bring the full dining car service back; it's an integral part of the experience. (Amtrak bought expensive new dining/kitchen cars and then didn't use them in favor of prepackaged "meals," and those not even available for coach riders. Such a waste!). I hope the long distance trains survive as management seemed set on killing them with a thousand small cuts for awhile.
Interesting. Back in the 80s, Amtrak REFUSED to use St. Louis' Union Station for its terminal because they DIDN'T WANT TO BACK INTO THE STATION -- yet here they are BACKING IN at New Orleans.
In 1983 I took The City of New Orleans from Chicago to McComb, MS. Wonderful trip. In recent years I've taken Amtrak from Lamy, NM to Los Angeles and then Portland OR to visit my son who was living there; and several trips on the Southwest Chief from NM to Kansas City. I am hoping to take what I'm thinking of as a land cruise (based somewhat on ocean cruises I have taken). I'll go from Lamy, NM to Chicago on the Southwest Chief. Two nights in Chicago. Then the Empire Builder to Seattle. Another two nights there. The Coast Starlight to Los Angeles, one overnight, then the Southwest Chief back home. It's a ten day trip at minimum, and since I just love sitting on the train, talking to people, looking at the scenery, it will be wonderful. I've taken a couple of ocean cruises, and really loved the meeting new people and looking out at the scenery part. Your video was wonderful and informative, and thank you for what you did to make it so good.
What a wonderful video! I love the low key style without the narration that can be annoying in other travel videos. And yet your enthusiasm comes through loud and clear. Thanks for sharing your trip. I look forward to more long distance train journeys. You’ve inspired me to start thinking about taking a similar trip.
I have taken 2 longer distance trips on Amtrak and enjoyed them immensely. Greensburg Pa to New York and also just to Altoona Pa and then from Connellsville Pa. to D.C. The scenery was good and the D,C trip along the Youghiogheny and Potomac rivers was very beautiful. Highly recommend a Rail trip, if you want to get there, with out the fuss and actually fully enjoy the ride and scenery.
Having recently took the Southwest Chief, to "see the USA", I feel so much "of the seeing" is missed in the night. As the train is so much slower already than flying at 35,000 ft up, I propose Amtrak try a promotional "see America" train, and stop the train at 10 pm and restart going at 5 am, so passengers get to see what they paid for. Also, blow the whistle a lot more, we want to hear that too.
We took the City of New Orleans several times from Carbondale to Chicago to get on western trains -- the zephyr twice and Empire Builder three times. It's a great way to travel.
Thank you for the ride. Been riding Amtrak since I was 2 years old on the City of New Orleans. My favorite way of travel. Looking forward to more adventures on the City of New Orleans very soon.
My all time favorite is the AMTRAK Vacation package to Yosemite National Park. It is all inclusive except meals. A combination bus and rail trek into the park. The buses will drop you off directly at the hotel. And there are free park buses to take you throughout the park. And excursions you can purchase for day trips in the area. I recommend at least w days. Preferably a week if you can afford it. There is no better place on earth to relax in the grandeur of this planet. The advantages of the AMTRAK package is that they have room blocks in the Chalet condominium units across from Yosemite Lodge which are not available for general public booking. Much quieter there.
Thanks for your comment, Gary, that sounds like a lot of fun! Very interesting info regarding the room blocks, I've yet to visit Yosemite but it's definitely on my bucket list. I'll have to take a closer look into those Amtrak Vacation packages. Thanks for that information!
Great video! I love the way you put this video together. Included a lot of good information and no incessant talking like most videos. Very relaxing to watch and listen to the sounds of the train and watch the scenery out the window! Thanks for a great experience!
Thanks for your comment and feedback! One of the reasons I choose not to talk in the videos is so the viewer can get as close of an experience to actually being on board the train as possible. It allows me to include the actual sounds from the train, hear the whistle, and include some of the announcements. I understand it isn't always possible for many people to take a trip like this. My goal is to show how much fun it can be to ride these long-distance trains, and train travel in general. I have many more trips like this to come! Thanks for watching!
Dan, another great video. Relaxing and informative at the same time. Please don't be like other you tubers and go all in with music, glitz, and special effects. This format is perfect! I just subscribed!
You covered everything. Good balance of views and lots of train interiors. I would watch any of your long distance trips. I want to take the coastal starlight in the near future. Thanks
Thanks so much for your comment, Ana! I really appreciate your feedback. I try to include a little bit of everything when making these videos. I have several train trips planned in 2022 and can't wait to share them! The Coast Starlight is definitely on my bucket list too, I took it from Seattle to Emeryville about 7 years ago and it was a beautiful ride! I'd highly suggest subscribing to the channel if you haven't already. If you click the notification bell, you'll get notified when I upload future videos. Thanks so much for watching, I'm very glad you enjoyed the video!
My condolences on the food... On Amtrak's western routes, including the Coast Starlight, California Zephyr, Empire Builder, Southwest Chief and Sunset Limited, they have reinstated the full Traditional Dining menu, which is nearly identical to the pre-pandemic menu and is a massive improvement over the paltry selection of microwaved bowl meals that are on the Flexible Dining menu. I had the steak on the Coast Starlight earlier this month, and it was as good as it's ever been. Also, due to the pandemic, room service is a standard option now. (It was always technically an option, but before I found it to be really hit-or-miss whether the sleeper attendants really wanted to do it...)
Thanks Dan! It was nice traveling with you! Lots of great tips. I will be taking the same train in March. I’m doing a train trip, Boston to NYC on the NE Regional, NYC to New Orleans on the crescent, New Orleans to Chicago on the City of New Orleans, and Chicago to NYC on the Cardinal. For the Crescent, City of New Orleans and The Cardinal, I booked a Roomette. I’m looking forward to it. My first time in a Roomette was last year on board the Lake Shore Limited. Awesome experience, I definitely recommend taking that train end to end! Thank you for sharing your experience, makes me even more excited for my first Superliner Roomette experience. And my first time on the City of New Orleans!
That sounds like an amazing trip, Brandon! I've taken the Lake Shore Limited twice between Chicago and Boston. I'm planning to take it between New York and Chicago hopefully later this year. I've only traveled in a Viewliner Roomette once on the NE Regional (Night Owl) from Boston to New York. But I've traveled in the Superliner Roomettes a few times. The Viewliners have a bit more storage space and the benefit of the windows on the upper bunk. The Superliner roomettes are still quite comfortable and luckily don't have the in room toilets like on the Viewliner I's. I'm glad you found the tips helpful and am very glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching! Let me know if you have any questions!
Liked the Video - but maybe a little more of Cafe Dining Info - Menu, Ordering, self help? Also would have liked a peak at the Carbondale Stop. All in All Good Job 👍🏻
Thanks for your comment, Ed, I appreciate your feedback and will be sure to include more footage of the Cafe on future Amtrak trips. Basically though, you order, and the cafe attendant takes care of making the order for you. The reason I didn't include the footage at Carbondale was because there was another Superliner consist of the opposite track and that was that could be seen. Thanks for watching!
The Sunset was the party train in the 70s& 80s. That ride from NOLA to LA. was lots of fun. I've traveled the major routes on Amtrak its was a very enjoyable experience.
Riding on the City of New Orleans, Illinios Central Monday morning rail.....🎶🎶🎶 Thanks for sharing, so I had a view of the train I´m singing about sometimes. 😉
Thanks, Nina! I appreciate that! There's many more to come! I'll be taking another Long-distance train in a few weeks and can't wait to share even more adventures to come!
I always provide the sleeping car attendants with a generous tip at the START of the trip. They appreciate it and also helps ensure that you'll have a pleasant trip.
Thank you so much for this video. This will be my family first train trip from New Orleans, and you made it look fun and exciting. Can’t wait till the spring/summer comes along..
Thanks so much for your comment, Chanel, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Traveling by train is a lot of fun and I do my best to show that in these videos! The City of New Orleans is a very enjoyable ride and I hope you have a great trip! Thanks for watching!
Great video. Looks like you covered it all. My family and I will be taking the train from Chicago to New Orleans this summer and we really appreciate your video. After seeing (more than once!) we are all very excited.
Enjoying your video. I'm about halfway through now. In all the videos I have watched of Amtrak trains -- and even the three times I rode in a Superliner sleeper -- I have never seen the lower level of a Superliner coach, so thank you for that.
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I too haven't seen too many videos that show the lower level of the Superliner coaches either, which is partly why I decided to include it in this one. I'm glad you found it informative!
Enjoy your video. I did sleeping cars when I travel with my grandma as a child. In 2021, I did 2 Amtrak trips no more than 6 hours, so I rode coach. I enjoyed it very much. Much more relaxing than trying to go by air.
Thanks for your comment, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I've ridden in Coach on Amtrak many times (even on trips around 24hrs!) it's very comfortable and is much more economical than a sleeper.
I rode a number of Amtrak trains in September 2022, and I can tell you that masks are no longer required, and most western trains (probably including the City of N.O.) have traditional dining back. (The flatiron steak is the choice at dinner; I liked the loaded baked potato for lunch!) I only had "flexible" dining on the Crescent, and while they'll deliver to a sleeper room, I had mine in the lounge car and also enjoyed the short ribs of beef. My choice for lunch in the cafe is easily the turkey & cheese sandwich on oat bread; the cheese could be cheddar, swiss or havarti but it was always good. I found the Magnolia Room at New Orleans UPT to be just fine, though there were more dining choices than you seemed to have. Thanks for the video.
I enjoyed seeing this ride. Very nicely done. I like the way you use subtitles instead of talking. Very soothing. Yes, please do more. I only rode Amtrak once in my life, from Orlando Florida to Birmingham Alabama. It was in the 1970s, and I was only 14 years old, and was traveling coach, so I don't remember a lot. My dream is to ride one of these long distance trains in a sleeper. That's why I love watching videos like this.
This is the best Amtrak video I've seen. You did a great job!! I've been on that route back and forth , Milwaukee Hiawatha to Chicago, then off to Nola. Like the saying goes, something about a train....love it!!
I love trains! Always have, but I ' never been on a long distance train. I'd love to go. However my wife won't do it. After her one experience on the Acela between Washington and Philadelphia she found it to be dirty,slow, and inconvenient.That's a shame because I can't get her to go back.Thanks to these videos I can at least expeience the trips vicariously. I'd still love to take a trip myself if I could ever convince her to go,before I die! I'm 77. Oh well, at least I have these videos.
Thanks for traveling with Amtrak as we are Americans Railroad. We as a tax payers fund these railroad. So thanks for traveling Amtrak and with your video. We hope peep do travel more by rails. I work on these cars days in and days out and I still enjoy watching your videos and all the contents and info you give on each cars. Thanks.