Slightly over a hundred years ago, my great grandfather left New Orleans for New York. Watching this made me realize that he followed the railroads The stories that he didn't own a pair of boots until he got to Memphis and that he had to work in Chicago for six weeks before he left for New York. Your map helped me realize how he walked it.
One thing I enjoy about Amtrak, is it’s low stress. Most fellow travelers are calm, respectful. None of the rush and wait, standing in line like cattle that is the experience at airports. The amount of space you get in coach let alone the lounge car is fantastic.
I love train travel. It is such a unique experience that neither car nor air travel can provide. America is a beautiful country for train travel and I really wish the US would improve its rail system. It's a shame that we do not have a good rail system like in Europe or Asia.
@@T1DWanderer America will never build high speed rail in the same manner as Europe has FAILED to build high speed rail to Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Athens, and Moscow... Yes, America is that large... Canada is even larger... Heck, there isn't even high speed rail from London to Birmingham yet...
@@hungryjack8032 no. The real reason is that the government only does what the corporate lobbyists want them to. The automobile manufacturers and dealers hate public transportation because it would mean less profits for them. So they bribe politicians and tell them not to do it. The cost isn't a real issue. If it was then we wouldn't have such a massive military or massive amount of debt.
@@austinhernandez2716 Its not the publics responsibility to cover the cost of YOUT train ride. You pay for the ticket. If not enough people buy tickets at a price that covers the operational cost then there won't be rail service. And nobody keeps business open if not making a profit. The military is a cost of the people to be protected, it has nothing to do with failed passenger railroad that won't protect the nation. Commercial railroads create a profit for the owners, thats why they are still in business. Even the military uses them to move stuff.
I have completely crossed the USA twice via Amtrak. Waterloo IN to Chicago to LA on the Southwest Chief. Then flew around the world and into NYC and home on the Lake shore Limited. The next year it was home to NYC then around the world and back into the USA in San Francisco and home on the California Zepher. Now planning a trip to Seattle via the Empire Builder with stops along the way out and then home strait thru from Portland. All trips have been memorable. And met awesome fellow travelers.
Those all sound really awesome! If you're stopping along the way on Empire Builder, here's what I found in Glasgow, MT: th-cam.com/video/VSQSByZ-nT0/w-d-xo.html :)
@@T1DWanderer thanks for the tips. I am pondering stops in each state along the way to add to visited state list 42 since it does not look like add to my visited country list of 94
In the late 90's, I travelled across the US & Canada on Amtrak & Greyhound. It was rough but one of the best things I've ever did. After watching this, I'm getting itchy feet.
Thank heavens Nashville. Las Vegas, and Phoenix are on the new train routes announced by Amtrak. The gap between Jacksonville and New Orleans is closing with the newly announced New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama. Plans are to restore the entire Sunset Limited to fill that gap.
Thank you for this video. As an employee on the Amtrak, you left out the auto-train. The only Amtrak train on by where you can take your vehicle goes from Lorton, Virginia to Sanford, Florida, and back.
I’ve only been on one train in my 71 years. In 1984, we loaded our automobile on a flat car and went through the Portage Glacier tunnel to Whittier, Alaska. Hardly a train ride, threw a black hole in the mountain.
Back in about 1973 I hopped a freight train on my way home and it derailed. Fortunately it went to the right side and I was on the left. If I had been on the right I would have been squashed like a bug under the train wheels.. That was a tad scary. Entire train went on it's side.
I traveled by amtrak my first time December 2019 (NY to Miami), and now I'm hooked. If I'm not in a rush I'll def prefer this over a plane with; the train has hardly any restrictions and is super pleasant because of the views. Great video. Can't wait until the pandemic is over so I continue my love of amtrak.
I love the journey just as much of the destination. The Chief from Los Angeles to Kansas City Mo❤️ We had the best time my young daughters and I during spring break. Our destination was St. Louis, MO to take care of my dying mother. I had time to unwind before I undertook this endeavor.🥰
Apara: I also missing traveling by railway in the USA. First time I did it was in 2000 (long long time ago...) traveling with an Amtrak pass in the East. A special thing is remembering traveling from Mobile in Alabama to Jacksonville in Florida with the Sunset Limited (it was more than half a day delayed by the way). After that I always wanted to go the entire way from Orlando to Los Angeles by that train, but then after the devastating hurrican (2005?) this service was suspended. I always hope it will come back one day. Please Amtrak, do it! :-)
Took a train in 2018 from Paris to Nice, France...excellent ride and comfort. Mapping out a trip to the Rock & Roll Hall a Fame from Philly then on to Chicago for a long weekend before returning home. Great video sir.
Unless your a teacher and has the summer off or retired going anywhere outside the NE your spending your vacation getting and coming back. Always fun sitting on a siding waiting for a passing freight train
I've travelling on Amtrak train even before Amtrak merged private Railroad Company for over 52 years. I hopped once or twice a year acrossing in any part of USA as I love it and no matter if the train is delays or on time because trains travel is a blast with a wonderful socially different people from all over the places and a beauty by looking a view passing in different areas too.
Back in the 90s I decided to do something a little different. Instead of my annual drive out to Minnesota where I was born and raised I figured I'd try taking the train. So I took a train out of Connecticut to the South Boston station. Got a sleeper to Chicago and changed again to go to St Paul. It was the most relaxing and fun trip I'd ever made. I got to meet all kinds of people. We talked, we played cards in the club and we had dinner and breakfast together. The attendants were just that. They attended it everything we needed. Really great people. Even though I had a sleeper it cost less than the gas tolls food and motels would have if I'd driven out. After that I was always kind of envious of the rail system in England. Granted it's much smaller then the US but it would be nice if there was more of a rail system here. Of course it would also be nice if this voice recognition software was better but that's life.
@7:06, Amtrak through Arkansas is always late. I have rode Amtrak several times. First time was St. Louis to Independence, MO. I fell in love after that. I finally to Acela last March from Washington, D.C. to New York. That was a great experience.
I took the Empire Builder from LaCrosse WI to Seattle. The scenery was incredible! A long trip but so glad I did it! The stop at Glacier National Park was a highlight but getting through the cascades was amazing!
I’ve been on the Crescent many times going from Houston-> New Orleans-> New York-> Boston to visit my family up there and I always look forward to it since trains are fun
The problem is that since it was created back in 1970, Amtrak is more or less "nickel and dimed" each year. They should just give it around 50 billion for the much needed upgrades and improvements and we'd probably have trains going day and night through 48 states.
I remember when Amtrak ran from Albany NY to Binghamton NY to Scranton PA to Allentown PA And I remember before there was Amtrak there was so much passenger service I really miss the years when you could get anywhere by train
For a month in January 1978 a friend and I travelled all the way around the US from Portland OR south to LA to the East Coast (up and down a few times), an (unplanned overnight) stop in Montreal and back to Spokane WA all on an Amtrak Ameripass for... $100!!! We basically used the train as our hotel... one of the best adventures of our college years!! Love travelling by train!!!
There was once a coast to coast service that went from Los Angeles to Miami. The sunset limited. However due to a train disaster in Alabama which is not Amtrak’s fault it only stops at New Orleans.
Very informative video of Amtrak! I used to ride on Amtrak from NYC to Miami in the mid 1970s and in 1992 and 1993. I miss train travel a lot. Thank you for showing us this video.
my favourite holiday was 2017 when I got a 45 day rail ticket and travelled around the use east and west coast and up to Canadian side of the amazing Niagara Falls, was just magnificent especially the Zepher line from chi town to San Francisco :) Highly recommend
I’m glad I watched this. I didn’t realize apple and google maps had Amtrak routes on it I kinda knew but it didn’t click til you showed it. This helps tremendously!
What I find frustrating about taking the train from New York to Portland, Maine is not only do you have to change trains in Boston, the NY train goes into South Station in Boston, while the Portland train departs from North Station in Boston. Once arriving at South Station, you don't just change trains...you have to somehow make your way to a different station completely!
@@T1DWanderer Unfortunately, it isn't about just making sensible changes to the network. We as Americans don't value train travel, so Amtrak is always underfunded.I'm sure Amtrak does the best with what it has.
A slightly less inconvenient transfer would be to get off at Boston’s Back Bay Station so you could take just the Orange Line subway to North Station. South Station is on the Red Line, so you’d need to transfer to the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing - or you could catch the Green Line at Park Street. There’s all sorts of history to a proposed commuter rail and intercity rail connection. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North%E2%80%93South_Rail_Link
My long term goal is to save enough money to take an AMTRAK from NY to LA, spend some time down there (because i have family in California) then rent a car, drive up to Seattle and take the AMTRAK from Seattle to Miami.
Your map triggered me. I cannot take a train from STL to Florida. This has always been a thorn in my side. Anywhere else no problem. But not in that direction...
From 2001 through 2013 I rode all the AMTRAK routes west of St. Louis to see The West. They were 5 weekend to weekend trips with connections at times in Chicago and K.C.. I really recommend this experience to others such as the Zephyr and Coast Starlight routes in particular. I enjoyed this video.
The New York to Montreal route, especially between NYC and Albany then again between Glens Falls and Montreal is very scenic, it goes up a notch in the Adirondacks, north of Glens Falls. Took it a few times back in the early 80s when it stopped in Plattsburgh and I went to the SUNY school that's there.
I love train travel, though Amtrak has a long way to go to equal the European trins. The employees were very hospitable and helpful, so I give them an A there. The shorter trains in the NE are quite good, especially I ally the Acela service linking Boston-NY-DC, but in places like Pontiac (Oakland Co, MI) to Chicago, the tracks are rough, and the train a rather dimpke one, with less comfort & no nice meal service. The breakfasts and dinners were quite good, butvthe pre-wrapped lunches (microwaved) were quite poor. On longer routes, you could disembark at a stopping point, and buy To Go food, if it was a stop for 30+ minutes (which I did in ABQ on the Santa Fe Chief, between Chicago and LA. My favoritexexperience was in 1976, where Amtrak offered an Ameripass ticket ($150) for unlimited travel for 2 weeks (last leg had to leave on the 14th day. I was visiting in Vancouver, BC, so I took a VIA train to Seattle (separate price), purchased the ticket, and continued onto LA, where I visited friends for 1 24-hour period to see them, take a shower and sleep in a real bed. From there I went onto KC, got out and had breakfast, then recorded and went to Chicago. After eating there, I boarded a train for NYC, where I had Long Island friends to stay with for a day or so, and then went onto Miami, FL. I spent 2 nights in a Miami Beach hotel, then boarded a train to Chicago, where I had another friend for a day or two, and onto Mpls, where I was checking out a cutting edge gym (to see if I could replicate it out west), spending 2 nights in a downtown hotel, from where I could walk everywhere. Finally, on the 14th day, I boarded the Empire Builder (coming from Chicago) back to Seattle. Met so many great people on the 2-week sojourn. From Seattle, I rejoined my safely-parked car, and continued on my US travels by car. Simply one of the better travel experiences of my life. I know there are some extended passes now, but cost (even adjusted for I n flatio) do not seem as competitive, andcthere are more restrictions. My first trip to Europe had the Eurail pass, which gave me the same benefits, but for ax2-month period, as opposed to two weeks. Since Europe has much better local transportation than the car-mad US, it was great. Here, once you reach a city, most are not conducive to car-less exploration, so you need to hire one, or have a friend that can take you around. Most of the major train stations (LA, KC, Chicago, DC, NYC, Boston, Mpls) are pretty nice, but smaller cities often have pretty poor ones, and departure and arrival times not c real conducive. Overall, service is pretty good for much of the population centers but certain routes are very convulted, I n clouding the ATL to Chicago one you mentioned. Trains are such a pleasant way to travel and meet people and really see the country - for anyone not on a real time constraint. In 2013, I went to a cousin's wedding in Oxnard, CA by train from Pontiac, MI. Whole trip, including stops and transfers (1 in Chicago, and 1 in LA) was about 48 hours. One night sleeping in the comfortable seats (a sleeper nearly triples tne fare!) was fine, but if I had to do it again, I would have gotten off in KC, MO (10 pm arrival), spent 24 hours there with a hotel or Airbnb accommodation, and recorded the next night at 10 pm, avoiding back to back train seat sleeps. For scenery, the train generally goes thru boring areas at night, so you do not miss the great scenery which is viewed in daylight. The fares are pretty competitively priced, especially with senior discounts. I used to have an Amtrak timetable directory, which I loved to check out potential rotes. The online booking is sometimes not as easy to use in the preliminary stage. Once you go to book, it is easy and tickets are delivered online very fast. Never had a problem. Some stations need upgrading, and for routes like MI to DC, you have to wait for several hours in the crappy Toledo bus/train station to change from bus to train. That is not real pleasant at 11 pm in a ghetto area. I would almost prefer to go to Chicago direct first, and then catch the DC train (Capitol Limited), adding in the extra time and cost to avoid that Toledo dive experience! Especially at connection points, the terminals should be better. No onexwantsxto wait in a stinky place at night! Charleston, SC is one of my favorite cities, but the Amtrak station is poorly located and not very nice, andcthextrain arrivals/departures timed such, that waiting there in North Charleston is unpleasant. I believe in trains, and hope we see increased ridership, and some improvement in some of the stations. Thanks for sharing!
You packed a lot of info into the short video. Congrats! I am from India and love to travel by train. While planning my trip to USA a few years back, I looked up Amtrak services as I wanted to see the country while travelling by train. And thats the best way to travel. But the high fares & bad reviews put me off. In India I can get a first class ticket on a premium train for a 600 miles journey for about $50 & the trains are on time!
This video was in my TH-cam recommended page... Interesting to note some history... Weeks after Amtrak took over for 20 private train service companies in 1971, Amtrak closed 49% of all tracks in the US. Winslow Arizona, a major agriculture hub was permanently closed, as an example. One wonders what might have been...
New / Old route should be coming back soon between New Orleans and Florida. This route was eliminated 15 or so years ago after hurricane Katrina but there's been a lot of talk for years now about bringing it back and it sounds like that's finally going to happen soon. ***Side Note *** Watching the Amtrak trains cross the wide stretches of Lake Pontchartrain on their rail bridge that sits just above the water is a pretty cool sight to see.
I hope to. I just published a Sunset Limited video, and to be honest it would be nice if it were rendered obsolete by them opening up to Florida again...!
Also worth mentioning is the Auto Train from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL. It may well be the only train in the world where you can take your car with you on the train.
I've taken the amtrak twice. I went from Newton to Chicago using the southwest chief in May 2022 and the Missouri River Runner from Kansas city to St Louis this month. I plan to in the future visit the Grand Canyon by taking the southwest chief from Dodge City to Flagstaff and New York City by taking the southwest chief and the Lakeshore limited.
If you're tall, you're mostly screwed. You'll only fit comfortably in at least a first class seat, or in some sort of sleeper car. the buses are awful, too. You may as well ride on the roof, because your knees won't fit if you try to sit in the seats.
There is a very wide gap in service, that’s why people don’t use Amtrak. I wish , America had the vision to develop mass transit instead of car culture and highways, things could have been much different as far as pollution and global warming were concerned.
Amtrak owns only a tiny fraction of the rails on their offered routes, so if you are anywhere but the eastern US where they still own some of their own rail, you'd better get used to being stuck on a siding while a long freight consist rumbles by. DAMHIK. Passenger rail is never going to be a success in the US until it is *passenger* rail, not freight rail that occasionally hauls a couple of passenger cars...
Only reason Amtrak is pushed to the siding is most times the size. Amtrak out runs the freight also by being almost 20mph faster. This also will slow down the Amtrak service. I have recently been educated on this a little most Amtrak has the highest priority. But there are physical limitations. Try getting your sports car through a line of tractor trailers.
When working on their lines thru central Illinois they once rerouted st. louis to chicago right in front of my house in the country! It was going by for weeks.. pretty cool
Cool. When was that? I live near the route from Chicago to St Louis. When I took a trip on Amtrak to LA, I boarded in Springfield, went through St Louis to San Antonio where the car had to transfer to the #1 Sunset Limited.
I vaguely remember taking the train from Seattle to San Antonio in the mid 50s on a train with those glass greenhouse top seating area. The Rockies were truly spectacular, but evidently never to be seen again from that vantage point.
On thanksgiving I praised Amtrak for their service because without them there would be no other way for me to travel. Yet sometimes the irony is that expressing gratitude makes people think they've been too compassionate or along those lines. It's been harsh attitudes on these trains as of late which is hard to understand
In 1913, John D. Rockefeller extended his train service from Jacksonville Florida to Key West. It was called the Orange Blossom Express. The bridge foundations he made are still being used.
In the early 1980s I took a train from Phoenix to Tucson Az. On the ride down there was a murder in the train car. A detective stepped up to start to solve who was the killer. They involved all of the passengers to figure it out. Before arriving in Tucson we all voiced who we thought the killer was and the murder was solved. It was so much fun, having actors on the train to entertain the passengers.
In the 1950's, my parents and I frequently traveled by train. My father worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad, which meant we could travel for free. I had an Uncle whose job frequently transferred him around the country and the world. Whenever my relatives where located in the states, we would visit by train. The trips I recall the most from our home in Delaware, were to Davenport / Clinton, Iowa. The first leg of the trip started from the Wilmington, De. station to Philadelphia's 30th Street station. We then boarded a train from Philadelphia to Chicago's Union Station. As a child this was my favorite part of the trip, going around the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, Pa., today this still remains a favorite destination for railroad enthusiast. After arriving in Chicago, we had to take a taxi from the Union station to the NorthWestern Railroad station for our final leg to Iowa. I don't remember how long the trip was but I do remember us once doing it over Thanksgiving weekend just for a family dinner. This is just one of my many memories as a youth traveling by train. I'm currently 76.
Those are great memories. I haven't been to the horseshoe bend near Altoona (yet). Your stories really evoke the golden age of rail travel! Thanks for watching.
I remember back in the day my wife and I wanted to travel from Philadelphia to Indianapolis and we were told that Amtrak would take 2 days because they had to go south and then back north and the cost was way too high! We ended up taking Greyhound and it was one of the worst experiences we ever had!
My father put me on a Greyhound when I was not quite 17, to go from Hopkinsville, KY, to Panama City, FL. I was terrified the whole trip, never having been out of my tiny town alone.
@@lisalu910 You're better off standing in the middle of the road, getting run over by a semi truck then taking the ambulance to your destination, assuming your destination is the hospital.. 😉
I hear you! In 1986, my wife and I took the Greyhound bus from Milwaukee, WI to Roswell, NM, and back again 2 weeks later, because our car was not capable of making that trip. It was a once in a lifetime experience, one that we never want to repeat! There were high points and low points, with smoking being allowed on the bus as one of the low points. Some of the scenery was simply amazing, but stopping in multiple small towns and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, to take on or let off passengers, was disruptive to the enjoyment of restful sleep.
One dream I have is for Amtrak to reinstate the Southern Railway's Nancy Hanks train, since it connected Atlanta and Savannah. Right now you have to make a two-train connection in DC or Virginia, or a three-train connection in NC via Charlotte and Raleigh to go between the the two cities, which sucks because they're in the same state. Plus it went through Macon, which I'd like to be able to reach by rail. Also, here's to hoping the Sunset Limited finally gets re-extended to Orlando, like it used to be before Katrina had hit :(
Now that Amtrak is going to three days a week service In each direction with their long distance overnight sleeper trains, I highly recommend planning to arrive at your destination 2 days early. I used to say 1 day early, but that was when their was a daily service in each direction. You can easily miss a connection as the long distance overnight sleeper trains don't necessarily arrive on time.
Sometimes I create my own Amtrak lines that fill the gaps they’re missing, such as Chicago to Miami with notable stops in Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Atlanta and Jacksonville
I am with you I really think that is the only major missing link in the system as you can see a big gap around Kentucky and Tennessee. There was one until the late 70's. The only other line I would add is a day train from LA to Vegas. But other than that I think the system is fine as is.
They've been talking about Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta again here in Nashville recently. (Well it was Pre-COVID) I do think Chicago-Atlanta (or Jacksonville) would be a better sell. All I know for sure is that Nashville needs Amtrak!
There definitely needs to be a better North South train to connect all of the midwestern cities. With exception of the coast, most of the population of the US is near the I65/I75 automotive vein corridor. Just think about all of the cargo airports in KY, TN and Indy. All of the major Midwest cities are kind of interlocking wagon wheels with each other. Imagine what a high sped rail would do to link all of these together.
What happened to Sanford, FL to Lorton, VA, (the AutoTrain), which you failed to mention. It happens to be the longest passenger train that brings your car with you.
Great video. I'm a Type 1 diabetic railfan from London, England ! I have done the AMTRAK Maple Leaf from Toronto to New York, the AMTRAK Vermonter between New York and St Albans, the entire Alaska Railroad (Fairbanks to Seward and Whittier) and the entire remaining White Pass & Yukon Route (Skagway to Carcross). Plus most of Canada (Vancouver to Calgary, Prince Rupert to Jasper, Vancouver to Jasper via Quesnel and via Kamloops, Jasper to Toronto, Toronto to London via Kitchener and via Aldershot, Toronto to Sarnia and Windsor, Toronto to Montreal via Ottawa and via the direct line, Montreal to Halifax and Quebec City, Toronto to Moosonee (when it was rail to Cochrane), Sept Iles to Schefferville. Plus a few short lines. Done every line in Britain, nearly all in Ireland, Northern Ireland, all but one in Norway, all but one in Portugal, most of France, Denmark, Hungary and Finland. Large parts of Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Bits of Germany, Poland, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and the Ukraine. Nice to see an American use the US Railroads. Railways are a great way to see the country and meet the people.
USA should reactivate old routes and connections, for example Atlanta must have a connection to Miami more direct is a neighbor state of Florida is absurd make a trip until DC to go down after...!
Took the Pennsylvanian from NYC to Pittsburgh in 2019. For a family of four it was only $300. The trip was 8 hours, which is what it takes me by car from CT to Pittsburgh so a car is only marginally faster. That is because the route is US "high speed" which means speeds of 90 to 125 mph from NY to Harrisburg, PA which was upgraded to this just a few years ago. Actually getting to Harrisburg from NYC is faster by Amtrak than by car since it averages about 90 mph the whole way including stops. The trip was fine, as it was early in both directions by about 10 minutes. So a little faster than 8 hours.
I have the actual railroad subdivision maps from the FRA and OpenRailwaymap.org Both are very useful resources to find what subdivision, mile post, FRA crossing numbers, and track ownership and trackage rights.
That's cool. Ride the trains and know exactly where you are. I know that hikers, say on the Appalachian Trail, have similar books. Mile-by-mile guides. Nice idea for trains too.
In October 2011, I bought a 30-day Amtrak pass with 12 boardings. From Portland Oregon, my second boarding was in Sacramento California to travel east. On the route to Chicago, I visited a day and reboarded in Reno, Salt Lake City and Denver. From Chicago, I stopped/reboarded in Pittsburg and Philadelphia. Travelling north I stopped/reboarded in NYC and Boston. From there to Portland Maine and a day later back to Boston. From Boston west through Albany to Chicago. The weather had turned rainy so I continued west through Minneapolis, Spokane and Seattle. Then on the Cascades Talgo to Portland. The entire trip was fantastic, but 30-days was maybe a week too much. Coincidentally, this preplanned trip coincided with Occupy in its last days. From the train stations, I unfolded my bagged folding bike and pedaled to the grubby encampments of Pittsburg, Philadelphia, NYC, Boston and Portland Maine. Nobody I spoke to at these protest sites had a clue how train travel could change things. Go figure.
@@T1DWanderer TeaWonDee, Two Week Amtrak passes are as good. Amtrak overnighter routes - just a suggestion - run 2-trains each direction daily, doubling current overnight service. Sleeping accommodations at stations offer 12-hour later reboarding. Overnight coach seats sold at half price to those who do not snore.
I still hold out hope that they one day reinstate the missing link and bring back the full Sunset Limited route. It currently takes a minimum of 3 trains and four days to get from LA to Orlando. :(
I think the state of Alabama held that up. In Spring 2020, all other involved entities were on board for funding/allocation. Alabama didn't. I can't remember why though.
@@roadtoad7704 New Orleans to Mobile will still eventually have a new regional Amtrak train, called(I think once it's reinstated, correct me if I'm wrong on the name of this new train) the Gulf Coast Limited. While the state of Alabama did reject funding this train sadly, the city of Mobile decided to help fund this train, so it will still go east to Mobile once this new train begins sometime in the next few years. There still is the missing gap of no Amtrak service between Mobile-Jacksonville, where sadly yes you'd have to either travel between those 2 cities on a bus, or go between those somehow on your own. Ditto with going east from Mobile to Orlando, sadly.
I like Amtrak, but my last trip, from Chicago to St Louis, was miserable. The train was fine, the staff was nice, the food was good, but the seat seemed to be trying to buck me out. It was the most uncomfortable seating I have ever used. I suggest that anybody contemplating a long trip take a short trip first to see if they will be comfortable.
Its pretty but the prettiest part is covered at night. Overnight between Spokane and central Montana passing by Glacier National Park in the middle of the night.
I retired from Chicago and moved Carbondale and now I take the train back and forth to visit family. It's a breeze. I just buy my ticket online and then get on the train
I was in the USA once. Went to take a look at Denver station. It was midday. Nobody was there (in 2009). Amazing. In my country such a city would certainly have tens of thousands of travellers by train each day. I think flying is too cheap.
Look up the old rail maps on Google-Pennsylvania RR, New York Central RR, Santa Fe RR, etc. Train service went absolutely everywhere in the past. But from the 1920s, passenger numbers began to fall and after WWII it went steadily down until Northeast service in particular, almost completely collapsed by the late 60s/early 70s. The building of the US highways and post ww2 air travel, plus some really bad ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) regulations which prevented the rail companies from making timely business adjustments ultimately wiped out real passenger rail service in the US.
Hi! Denver resident here. With Amtrak’s California Zephyr having only one westbound trip in the morning and only one eastbound trip in the evening, I don’t think it accounts for that many passengers. 2009 was during the Great Recession, when passenger levels would have been lower overall. March 2009 was when the weekend Ski Train stopped operating. This was the service using the historic, single-level (streamline?) cars. In 2009, only RTD’s C and E light rail lines would have been serving the station. Union Station underwent renovations, so during 2012-2014 Amtrak passengers had to use a temporary terminal northeast (“downtown north”) of the closed historic building. The W Line light rail opened in 2013. The bus concourse and later the historic terminal (now hosting the Crawford Hotel) opened in 2014. The A and B Line commuter rail services opened in 2016, and the long-awaited G Line in 2019 (it was originally scheduled to open in fall 2016, but delayed because of issues with the new, cellular-based positive train control). A fourth commuter rail line, the N Line, is scheduled to open in September of this year (2020). RTD’s budget, like those of many other transit operators, has been hit hard by the pandemic, so it’s hard to know what future service levels and ridership might be. Colorado DOT is doing a study of Front Range Passenger Rail between Pueblo and Fort Collins. It might serve Union Station, but Denver Airport and property CDOT purchased from the railroads at Burnham Yard (near RTD’s 10th & Osage Station) are also options.
*Thanks for hopping on the train with me!*
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Surely
Hello! Do you happen to have a video about how to use Amtrak points?
My trip goal is to do this route every year unit is complete 🌸
I thought crescent was going till Chicago
The sunset is my first ❤️ last year Amtrak cancel my trip 💔
Slightly over a hundred years ago, my great grandfather left New Orleans for New York. Watching this made me realize that he followed the railroads The stories that he didn't own a pair of boots until he got to Memphis and that he had to work in Chicago for six weeks before he left for New York. Your map helped me realize how he walked it.
Wow great story. That should be a TH-cam series!
One thing I enjoy about Amtrak, is it’s low stress. Most fellow travelers are calm, respectful. None of the rush and wait, standing in line like cattle that is the experience at airports. The amount of space you get in coach let alone the lounge car is fantastic.
I love train travel. It is such a unique experience that neither car nor air travel can provide. America is a beautiful country for train travel and I really wish the US would improve its rail system. It's a shame that we do not have a good rail system like in Europe or Asia.
Agreed. America is missing out.
@@T1DWanderer America will never build high speed rail in the same manner as Europe has FAILED to build high speed rail to Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Athens, and Moscow... Yes, America is that large... Canada is even larger... Heck, there isn't even high speed rail from London to Birmingham yet...
America doesn't have it because the tickets would be too expensive to cover the cost.
@@hungryjack8032 no. The real reason is that the government only does what the corporate lobbyists want them to. The automobile manufacturers and dealers hate public transportation because it would mean less profits for them. So they bribe politicians and tell them not to do it. The cost isn't a real issue. If it was then we wouldn't have such a massive military or massive amount of debt.
@@austinhernandez2716 Its not the publics responsibility to cover the cost of YOUT train ride. You pay for the ticket. If not enough people buy tickets at a price that covers the operational cost then there won't be rail service. And nobody keeps business open if not making a profit. The military is a cost of the people to be protected, it has nothing to do with failed passenger railroad that won't protect the nation. Commercial railroads create a profit for the owners, thats why they are still in business. Even the military uses them to move stuff.
I had absolutely no idea my city Chicago is so important in Amtrak network. It’s almost like the heart of the whole thing!
yup, Chicago has historically been a major transportation hub for the nation.
i mean... it IS the middle of the country.
Its the Railway Capitol of the USA
Yes. ! Chicago rocks !!
@UnderBridge Rock Shut up gay boy.
I have completely crossed the USA twice via Amtrak. Waterloo IN to Chicago to LA on the Southwest Chief. Then flew around the world and into NYC and home on the Lake shore Limited. The next year it was home to NYC then around the world and back into the USA in San Francisco and home on the California Zepher. Now planning a trip to Seattle via the Empire Builder with stops along the way out and then home strait thru from Portland. All trips have been memorable. And met awesome fellow travelers.
Those all sound really awesome! If you're stopping along the way on Empire Builder, here's what I found in Glasgow, MT: th-cam.com/video/VSQSByZ-nT0/w-d-xo.html :)
@@T1DWanderer thanks for the tips. I am pondering stops in each state along the way to add to visited state list 42 since it does not look like add to my visited country list of 94
In the late 90's, I travelled across the US & Canada on Amtrak & Greyhound. It was rough but one of the best things I've ever did. After watching this, I'm getting itchy feet.
C'est mon rêve de découvrir l'Amérique du Nord de cette manière ❤❤
As the son of a Southern Pacific employee, we traveled every summer from Yuma, AZ to Ohio. I loved it!
Thank heavens Nashville. Las Vegas, and Phoenix are on the new train routes announced by Amtrak. The gap between Jacksonville and New Orleans is closing with the newly announced New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama. Plans are to restore the entire Sunset Limited to fill that gap.
I Love Amtrak Trains, I Caught Trains From Michigan Bus To Washington To Florida
Thank you for this video. As an employee on the Amtrak, you left out the auto-train. The only Amtrak train on by where you can take your vehicle goes from Lorton, Virginia to Sanford, Florida, and back.
Can't beat the scenery from the train!
It's true! Nothing like it :)
I’ve only been on one train in my 71 years. In 1984, we loaded our automobile on a flat car and went through the Portage Glacier tunnel to Whittier, Alaska. Hardly a train ride, threw a black hole in the mountain.
Back in about 1973 I hopped a freight train on my way home and it derailed. Fortunately it went to the right side and I was on the left. If I had been on the right I would have been squashed like a bug under the train wheels.. That was a tad scary. Entire train went on it's side.
I traveled by amtrak my first time December 2019 (NY to Miami), and now I'm hooked. If I'm not in a rush I'll def prefer this over a plane with; the train has hardly any restrictions and is super pleasant because of the views.
Great video. Can't wait until the pandemic is over so I continue my love of amtrak.
Me too, I'm longing for some great scenery and easy pace on some Amtrak trains. Thanks for watching!
I love the journey just as much of the destination. The Chief from Los Angeles to Kansas City Mo❤️ We had the best time my young daughters and I during spring break. Our destination was St. Louis, MO to take care of my dying mother. I had time to unwind before I undertook this endeavor.🥰
Apara: I also missing traveling by railway in the USA. First time I did it was in 2000 (long long time ago...) traveling with an Amtrak pass in the East.
A special thing is remembering traveling from Mobile in Alabama to Jacksonville in Florida with the Sunset Limited (it was more than half a day delayed by the way). After that I always wanted to go the entire way from Orlando to Los Angeles by that train, but then after the devastating hurrican (2005?) this service was suspended.
I always hope it will come back one day. Please Amtrak, do it! :-)
I refuse to ride slow trains
Life is a journey and it’s best made riding a train.
Traveling to a far-flung location by train is one of the few items on my bucket list.
Train travel is not for everyone. Much more about the journey than the destination. Interesting people. Great scenery.
Exactly. I enjoy Amtrak and don't really care what the actual destination is.
Took a train in 2018 from Paris to Nice, France...excellent ride and comfort. Mapping out a trip to the Rock & Roll Hall a Fame from Philly then on to Chicago for a long weekend before returning home. Great video sir.
This is what a video should be like. For that matter, any presentation.
Why thank you
Unless your a teacher and has the summer off or retired going anywhere outside the NE your spending your vacation getting and coming back. Always fun sitting on a siding waiting for a passing freight train
Yep freight trains will always have ROW considering they own the tracks and Amtrak just rents the lines.
in 1958 I took the train from Nashville to San Diego. No train service in Nashville for years. Closest AmTrak is 200 miles away. Bummer.
I've travelling on Amtrak train even before Amtrak merged private Railroad Company for over 52 years. I hopped once or twice a year acrossing in any part of USA as I love it and no matter if the train is delays or on time because trains travel is a blast with a wonderful socially different people from all over the places and a beauty by looking a view passing in different areas too.
You're right, it's a blast! Sounds like you've had some great experiences on the trains in the US :)
You sound like the kind of person I’d be glad to sit next to.
Back in the 90s I decided to do something a little different. Instead of my annual drive out to Minnesota where I was born and raised I figured I'd try taking the train. So I took a train out of Connecticut to the South Boston station. Got a sleeper to Chicago and changed again to go to St Paul. It was the most relaxing and fun trip I'd ever made. I got to meet all kinds of people. We talked, we played cards in the club and we had dinner and breakfast together. The attendants were just that. They attended it everything we needed. Really great people. Even though I had a sleeper it cost less than the gas tolls food and motels would have if I'd driven out. After that I was always kind of envious of the rail system in England. Granted it's much smaller then the US but it would be nice if there was more of a rail system here. Of course it would also be nice if this voice recognition software was better but that's life.
not to mention our some of our trains collapsed (ohio) due to horrible management.
Love the scenery of the Capitol Corridor Route.
I remember when they did a direct route between Atlanta and Orlando
Boston is two (or three depending on how you count) separate stations, and you have to fend for yourself to get between the stations.
Co
@7:06, Amtrak through Arkansas is always late.
I have rode Amtrak several times. First time was St. Louis to Independence, MO. I fell in love after that. I finally to Acela last March from Washington, D.C. to New York. That was a great experience.
I hope you get to do it again soon!
I took the Empire Builder from LaCrosse WI to Seattle. The scenery was incredible! A long trip but so glad I did it! The stop at Glacier National Park was a highlight but getting through the cascades was amazing!
It's a great trip isn't it!
I’ve been on the Crescent many times going from Houston-> New Orleans-> New York-> Boston to visit my family up there and I always look forward to it since trains are fun
Sad that Amtrak doesn't run Wyoming anymore. In 1981, I rode the train from Cheyenne to DC. That is a fabulous memory of mine.
I believe they plan to expand to there
The problem is that since it was created back in 1970, Amtrak is more or less "nickel and dimed" each year. They should just give it around 50 billion for the much needed upgrades and improvements and we'd probably have trains going day and night through 48 states.
Thank you for the information on Amtrak and its services and routes.
I remember when Amtrak ran from Albany NY to Binghamton NY to Scranton PA to Allentown PA
And I remember before there was Amtrak there was so much passenger service
I really miss the years when you could get anywhere by train
The golden days of trains in the USA!
There was no Amtrak in Scranton. Not any stop anyways.
For a month in January 1978 a friend and I travelled all the way around the US from Portland OR south to LA to the East Coast (up and down a few times), an (unplanned overnight) stop in Montreal and back to Spokane WA all on an Amtrak Ameripass for... $100!!! We basically used the train as our hotel... one of the best adventures of our college years!!
Love travelling by train!!!
There was once a coast to coast service that went from Los Angeles to Miami. The sunset limited. However due to a train disaster in Alabama which is not Amtrak’s fault it only stops at New Orleans.
amen, and still a blank spot on the map, c mon amtrak, 2020. really,
was that the barge that hit the bridge? incident, when r they gonna fix the problem???
@@vicsaul5459
the tracks have be repaired a long time ago but amtrak hasnt gotten promission yet
Train ride from Miami to Louisville Kentucky with your automobile was the bomb in the 70's!
Very informative video of Amtrak! I used to ride on Amtrak from NYC to Miami in the mid 1970s and in 1992 and 1993. I miss train travel a lot. Thank you for showing us this video.
Thanks Roberto!
Next month we're taking the sanford to lorton autotrain. Should be fun...
my favourite holiday was 2017 when I got a 45 day rail ticket and travelled around the use east and west coast and up to Canadian side of the amazing Niagara Falls, was just magnificent especially the Zepher line from chi town to San Francisco :) Highly recommend
That sounds like a great time! Everyone should do that once. Thanks for watching!
T1D Wanderer it was !! I think from memory $909 and with overnight journeys I probably save around $500 on hotels 👍
I’m glad I watched this. I didn’t realize apple and google maps had Amtrak routes on it I kinda knew but it didn’t click til you showed it. This helps tremendously!
Glad it helped, thanks for watching!
What I find frustrating about taking the train from New York to Portland, Maine is not only do you have to change trains in Boston, the NY train goes into South Station in Boston, while the Portland train departs from North Station in Boston. Once arriving at South Station, you don't just change trains...you have to somehow make your way to a different station completely!
Wouldn't it be great to be in charge of Amtrak for a day and make a bunch of sensible changes to the network :D
@@T1DWanderer Unfortunately, it isn't about just making sensible changes to the network. We as Americans don't value train travel, so Amtrak is always underfunded.I'm sure Amtrak does the best with what it has.
A slightly less inconvenient transfer would be to get off at Boston’s Back Bay Station so you could take just the Orange Line subway to North Station. South Station is on the Red Line, so you’d need to transfer to the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing - or you could catch the Green Line at Park Street. There’s all sorts of history to a proposed commuter rail and intercity rail connection. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North%E2%80%93South_Rail_Link
@@T1DWanderer yes it would, please apply
convenience. what a novel idea
My long term goal is to save enough money to take an AMTRAK from NY to LA, spend some time down there (because i have family in California) then rent a car, drive up to Seattle and take the AMTRAK from Seattle to Miami.
Yep, the "criss cross" the USA routes.
Your map triggered me. I cannot take a train from STL to Florida. This has always been a thorn in my side. Anywhere else no problem. But not in that direction...
Lol 5:03 that the Amtrak Thruway station in my hometown of Bakersfield, ca and that building in the background is the Beale Memorial Library 🤗🤗
From 2001 through 2013 I rode all the AMTRAK routes west of St. Louis to see The West. They were 5 weekend to weekend trips with connections at times in Chicago and K.C.. I really recommend this experience to others such as the Zephyr and Coast Starlight routes in particular. I enjoyed this video.
Thanks for watching, Larry!
The New York to Montreal route, especially between NYC and Albany then again between Glens Falls and Montreal is very scenic, it goes up a notch in the Adirondacks, north of Glens Falls. Took it a few times back in the early 80s when it stopped in Plattsburgh and I went to the SUNY school that's there.
I love train travel, though Amtrak has a long way to go to equal the European trins. The employees were very hospitable and helpful, so I give them an A there. The shorter trains in the NE are quite good, especially I ally the Acela service linking Boston-NY-DC, but in places like Pontiac (Oakland Co, MI) to Chicago, the tracks are rough, and the train a rather dimpke one, with less comfort & no nice meal service. The breakfasts and dinners were quite good, butvthe pre-wrapped lunches (microwaved) were quite poor. On longer routes, you could disembark at a stopping point, and buy To Go food, if it was a stop for 30+ minutes (which I did in ABQ on the Santa Fe Chief, between Chicago and LA.
My favoritexexperience was in 1976, where Amtrak offered an Ameripass ticket ($150) for unlimited travel for 2 weeks (last leg had to leave on the 14th day. I was visiting in Vancouver, BC, so I took a VIA train to Seattle (separate price), purchased the ticket, and continued onto LA, where I visited friends for 1 24-hour period to see them, take a shower and sleep in a real bed. From there I went onto KC, got out and had breakfast, then recorded and went to Chicago. After eating there, I boarded a train for NYC, where I had Long Island friends to stay with for a day or so, and then went onto Miami, FL. I spent 2 nights in a Miami Beach hotel, then boarded a train to Chicago, where I had another friend for a day or two, and onto Mpls, where I was checking out a cutting edge gym (to see if I could replicate it out west), spending 2 nights in a downtown hotel, from where I could walk everywhere. Finally, on the 14th day, I boarded the Empire Builder (coming from Chicago) back to Seattle. Met so many great people on the 2-week sojourn. From Seattle, I rejoined my safely-parked car, and continued on my US travels by car. Simply one of the better travel experiences of my life. I know there are some extended passes now, but cost (even adjusted for I n flatio) do not seem as competitive, andcthere are more restrictions. My first trip to Europe had the Eurail pass, which gave me the same benefits, but for ax2-month period, as opposed to two weeks. Since Europe has much better local transportation than the car-mad US, it was great. Here, once you reach a city, most are not conducive to car-less exploration, so you need to hire one, or have a friend that can take you around. Most of the major train stations (LA, KC, Chicago, DC, NYC, Boston, Mpls) are pretty nice, but smaller cities often have pretty poor ones, and departure and arrival times not c real conducive. Overall, service is pretty good for much of the population centers but certain routes are very convulted, I n clouding the ATL to Chicago one you mentioned. Trains are such a pleasant way to travel and meet people and really see the country - for anyone not on a real time constraint. In 2013, I went to a cousin's wedding in Oxnard, CA by train from Pontiac, MI. Whole trip, including stops and transfers (1 in Chicago, and 1 in LA) was about 48 hours. One night sleeping in the comfortable seats (a sleeper nearly triples tne fare!) was fine, but if I had to do it again, I would have gotten off in KC, MO (10 pm arrival), spent 24 hours there with a hotel or Airbnb accommodation, and recorded the next night at 10 pm, avoiding back to back train seat sleeps. For scenery, the train generally goes thru boring areas at night, so you do not miss the great scenery which is viewed in daylight. The fares are pretty competitively priced, especially with senior discounts. I used to have an Amtrak timetable directory, which I loved to check out potential rotes. The online booking is sometimes not as easy to use in the preliminary stage. Once you go to book, it is easy and tickets are delivered online very fast. Never had a problem. Some stations need upgrading, and for routes like MI to DC, you have to wait for several hours in the crappy Toledo bus/train station to change from bus to train. That is not real pleasant at 11 pm in a ghetto area. I would almost prefer to go to Chicago direct first, and then catch the DC train (Capitol Limited), adding in the extra time and cost to avoid that Toledo dive experience! Especially at connection points, the terminals should be better. No onexwantsxto wait in a stinky place at night! Charleston, SC is one of my favorite cities, but the Amtrak station is poorly located and not very nice, andcthextrain arrivals/departures timed such, that waiting there in North Charleston is unpleasant. I believe in trains, and hope we see increased ridership, and some improvement in some of the stations. Thanks for sharing!
My Great grandfather was the super in tented of the B&O railroad from Pittsburgh to Buffalo. We traveled from Punxsutawney to Buffalo back in the 50's
You packed a lot of info into the short video. Congrats! I am from India and love to travel by train. While planning my trip to USA a few years back, I looked up Amtrak services as I wanted to see the country while travelling by train. And thats the best way to travel. But the high fares & bad reviews put me off. In India I can get a first class ticket on a premium train for a 600 miles journey for about $50 & the trains are on time!
I've always wanted to travel around India on trains but I haven't yet. Thanks for watching!
Very seldom are Amtrak’s on time. Always got a obstruction. Are they have to stop for a freight train sharing the same line🤔etc...
The USA has the worst trains on earth well American countries to be more exact
If your going from Florida to anywhere west coast go have to go from Florida all the way up to Washington DC then come back SW,
This video was in my TH-cam recommended page...
Interesting to note some history...
Weeks after Amtrak took over for 20 private train service companies in 1971, Amtrak closed 49% of all tracks in the US.
Winslow Arizona, a major agriculture hub was permanently closed, as an example.
One wonders what might have been...
2:26 sounds exactly like a raspier 74 gear. Down to the "and I think that sounds like fun" coment.
New / Old route should be coming back soon between New Orleans and Florida. This route was eliminated 15 or so years ago after hurricane Katrina but there's been a lot of talk for years now about bringing it back and it sounds like that's finally going to happen soon. ***Side Note *** Watching the Amtrak trains cross the wide stretches of Lake Pontchartrain on their rail bridge that sits just above the water is a pretty cool sight to see.
I hope to. I just published a Sunset Limited video, and to be honest it would be nice if it were rendered obsolete by them opening up to Florida again...!
I still remember looking out the window and only seeing water. Amazing view yet it was also a little unsettling.
Great way to travel. Hotel on wheels.
Also worth mentioning is the Auto Train from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL. It may well be the only train in the world where you can take your car with you on the train.
The train going underneath the English channel from London to France also carries cars.
Such nice and informative video, I just came to USA less than a month and will use this for my travelling all over this beautiful country
Great info!! Better than trying to navigate the Amtrak website.
Thanks, glad to hear it
I've taken the amtrak twice. I went from Newton to Chicago using the southwest chief in May 2022 and the Missouri River Runner from Kansas city to St Louis this month.
I plan to in the future visit the Grand Canyon by taking the southwest chief from Dodge City to Flagstaff and New York City by taking the southwest chief and the Lakeshore limited.
Amtrak does go to Las Vegas......New Mexico
Haha
If you're tall, you're mostly screwed. You'll only fit comfortably in at least a first class seat, or in some sort of sleeper car. the buses are awful, too. You may as well ride on the roof, because your knees won't fit if you try to sit in the seats.
There is a very wide gap in service, that’s why people don’t use Amtrak. I wish , America had the vision to develop mass transit instead of car culture and highways, things could have been much different as far as pollution and global warming were concerned.
The population density is low which makes trains not profitable.
@@jinhuichen8964 I have few routes suggestions. Dallas Houston Austin, Atlanta New York, California Nevada Arizona, Florida MI.
In the high population density areas. Look at the carbon footprint cost too. Pollution cause lung cancer, heart diseases too.
Detroit Chicago Indiana corridor too . lot of population density
America is a car country. That will never change. Too large a country and simply no set up as train efficient country
Great map and great music.
Thanks!
Amtrak owns only a tiny fraction of the rails on their offered routes, so if you are anywhere but the eastern US where they still own some of their own rail, you'd better get used to being stuck on a siding while a long freight consist rumbles by. DAMHIK. Passenger rail is never going to be a success in the US until it is *passenger* rail, not freight rail that occasionally hauls a couple of passenger cars...
Only reason Amtrak is pushed to the siding is most times the size. Amtrak out runs the freight also by being almost 20mph faster. This also will slow down the Amtrak service. I have recently been educated on this a little most Amtrak has the highest priority. But there are physical limitations. Try getting your sports car through a line of tractor trailers.
😂it's because Freight was around first and owns most
Very true, factual..but, i love traveling by train its very comfortable. Low stress! Wifi, phone, computer, movies, food, drinks, views. Its the best
When working on their lines thru central Illinois they once rerouted st. louis to chicago right in front of my house in the country! It was going by for weeks.. pretty cool
Cool. When was that? I live near the route from Chicago to St Louis. When I took a trip on Amtrak to LA, I boarded in Springfield, went through St Louis to San Antonio where the car had to transfer to the #1 Sunset Limited.
I vaguely remember taking the train from Seattle to San Antonio in the mid 50s on a train with those glass greenhouse top seating area. The Rockies were truly spectacular, but evidently never to be seen again from that vantage point.
Now viewliner full of foreigners who don't bathe,I had to leave!..
Amtrak originally had a route that went from New Orleans to Florida, but it was discontinued years after a fatal accident involving that route.
More to the point, it was discontinued after a hurricane destroyed numerous pieces of the route.
@@rwrynerson Yes, it was Hurricane Katrina.
P.S. I volunteer at an Amtrak station along the Missouri River Runner Route.
1971-74, While in the Navy I took Amtrak from Newport News to Cincinnati. I was stationed in Norfolk at the time.
Hope to do 15 day pass circumnavigating the U.S.A. I guess Brunswick is northmost Downeaster. In the 1900s trains fanned all over rural Maine.
Hey Robert. Didn't know that about Maine. Would be a great way to get around!
best of luck gettin from new orleans east to florida, c; progress!#?&!?
On thanksgiving I praised Amtrak for their service because without them there would be no other way for me to travel. Yet sometimes the irony is that expressing gratitude makes people think they've been too compassionate or along those lines. It's been harsh attitudes on these trains as of late which is hard to understand
In 1913, John D. Rockefeller extended his train service from Jacksonville Florida to Key West. It was called the Orange Blossom Express.
The bridge foundations he made are still being used.
Flagler is the one who extended the rail line to Key West not John D Rockefeller
@@mattfoster5934 thanks,
Took the train under the hudson river from jersey city to nyc...... the train is the way to travel! The walls of the tunnel are beautiful in april!
In the early 1980s I took a train from Phoenix to Tucson Az. On the ride down there was a murder in the train car. A detective stepped up to start to solve who was the killer. They involved all of the passengers to figure it out. Before arriving in Tucson we all voiced who we thought the killer was and the murder was solved. It was so much fun, having actors on the train to entertain the passengers.
Ooooh, that is fun!
Pennsylvania had a large rail network but still got screwed out of any passenger rail service after the 1950s in the northern part of the state.
Did You forget Erie, PA?
In the 1950's, my parents and I frequently traveled by train. My father worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad, which meant we
could travel for free. I had an Uncle whose job frequently transferred him around the country and the world. Whenever my relatives where
located in the states, we would visit by train. The trips I recall the most from our home in Delaware, were to Davenport / Clinton, Iowa. The
first leg of the trip started from the Wilmington, De. station to Philadelphia's 30th Street station. We then boarded a train from
Philadelphia to Chicago's Union Station. As a child this was my favorite part of the trip, going around the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, Pa.,
today this still remains a favorite destination for railroad enthusiast. After arriving in Chicago, we had to take a taxi from the Union station to the NorthWestern Railroad station for our final leg to Iowa. I don't remember how long the trip was but I do remember us once doing it over Thanksgiving weekend just for a family dinner. This is just one of my many memories as a youth traveling by train. I'm currently 76.
Those are great memories. I haven't been to the horseshoe bend near Altoona (yet). Your stories really evoke the golden age of rail travel! Thanks for watching.
We have I-10 or the Airport.....much faster than Amtrak which abandoned most of the Gulf Coast long ago. No loss!
I'm going on Amtrak train tonight from Denver to Southern pines, NC ..😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁Sooooo excited..
Have a great trip!
How did your trip go?
Lucky you...Enjoy!
I remember back in the day my wife and I wanted to travel from Philadelphia to Indianapolis and we were told that Amtrak would take 2 days because they had to go south and then back north and the cost was way too high! We ended up taking Greyhound and it was one of the worst experiences we ever had!
My father put me on a Greyhound when I was not quite 17, to go from Hopkinsville, KY, to Panama City, FL. I was terrified the whole trip, never having been out of my tiny town alone.
I'd rather spend two days on Amtrak than ten minutes on a Greyhound bus.
@@lisalu910 There was also price to consider. We had short notice and wouldn't have been able to afford Amtrak.
@@lisalu910 You're better off standing in the middle of the road, getting run over by a semi truck then taking the ambulance to your destination, assuming your destination is the hospital.. 😉
I hear you! In 1986, my wife and I took the Greyhound bus from Milwaukee, WI to Roswell, NM, and back again 2 weeks later, because our car was not capable of making that trip. It was a once in a lifetime experience, one that we never want to repeat! There were high points and low points, with smoking being allowed on the bus as one of the low points. Some of the scenery was simply amazing, but stopping in multiple small towns and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, to take on or let off passengers, was disruptive to the enjoyment of restful sleep.
When I was in the Air Force stationed in South Dakota, I looked up Amtrack as a means to travel back home on leave only to find no route exists lol
Stockton, CA to Nashville, TN looks like a bummer. That dead end at Bakersfield is a nice touch.
One dream I have is for Amtrak to reinstate the Southern Railway's Nancy Hanks train, since it connected Atlanta and Savannah. Right now you have to make a two-train connection in DC or Virginia, or a three-train connection in NC via Charlotte and Raleigh to go between the the two cities, which sucks because they're in the same state.
Plus it went through Macon, which I'd like to be able to reach by rail.
Also, here's to hoping the Sunset Limited finally gets re-extended to Orlando, like it used to be before Katrina had hit :(
As a guy from Georgia, I totally agree. There is a lot of sensible stuff that could be done in the area. Atlanta to Savannah, Atlanta to Tampa, etc.
@@T1DWanderer especially as atlanta. gets its name from being the hub of atlantic and pacific railroads, think there were better links in 1920
They don't stop in Indianapolis!
I need to get a train from Denver to NYC. It is difficult!
Great map description 👍🏼
Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching!
Wait. I just found this video now and you’re here? That’s great.
@@T1DWanderer hi watching n Ireland well done
@@T1DWanderer 11
Excellent video. When I 6 years old. Me and my Family took Amtrak from Chicago to Calgary back in 1971. Great Trip!!!!
Now that Amtrak is going to three days a week service In each direction with their long distance overnight sleeper trains, I highly recommend planning to arrive at your destination 2 days early. I used to say 1 day early, but that was when their was a daily service in each direction. You can easily miss a connection as the long distance overnight sleeper trains don't necessarily arrive on time.
Good tips. Thanks a lot!
Sometimes I create my own Amtrak lines that fill the gaps they’re missing, such as Chicago to Miami with notable stops in Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Atlanta and Jacksonville
Sounds good to me. I wish you were in charge of Amtrak!
I am with you I really think that is the only major missing link in the system as you can see a big gap around Kentucky and Tennessee. There was one until the late 70's. The only other line I would add is a day train from LA to Vegas. But other than that I think the system is fine as is.
They've been talking about Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta again here in Nashville recently. (Well it was Pre-COVID)
I do think Chicago-Atlanta (or Jacksonville) would be a better sell.
All I know for sure is that Nashville needs Amtrak!
There definitely needs to be a better North South train to connect all of the midwestern cities. With exception of the coast, most of the population of the US is near the I65/I75 automotive vein corridor. Just think about all of the cargo airports in KY, TN and Indy. All of the major Midwest cities are kind of interlocking wagon wheels with each other. Imagine what a high sped rail would do to link all of these together.
Mark Walter High speed rail in the corridor you mentioned would totally change this part of the country.
What happened to Sanford, FL to Lorton, VA, (the AutoTrain), which you failed to mention. It happens to be the longest passenger train that brings your car with you.
Great video. I'm a Type 1 diabetic railfan from London, England ! I have done the AMTRAK Maple Leaf from Toronto to New York, the AMTRAK Vermonter between New York and St Albans, the entire Alaska Railroad (Fairbanks to Seward and Whittier) and the entire remaining White Pass & Yukon Route (Skagway to Carcross). Plus most of Canada (Vancouver to Calgary, Prince Rupert to Jasper, Vancouver to Jasper via Quesnel and via Kamloops, Jasper to Toronto, Toronto to London via Kitchener and via Aldershot, Toronto to Sarnia and Windsor, Toronto to Montreal via Ottawa and via the direct line, Montreal to Halifax and Quebec City, Toronto to Moosonee (when it was rail to Cochrane), Sept Iles to Schefferville. Plus a few short lines.
Done every line in Britain, nearly all in Ireland, Northern Ireland, all but one in Norway, all but one in Portugal, most of France, Denmark, Hungary and Finland. Large parts of Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Bits of Germany, Poland, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and the Ukraine.
Nice to see an American use the US Railroads. Railways are a great way to see the country and meet the people.
Wow you've travelled a lot, nice!
@@prudencel1652 Thanks. If you need any recommendations from the places I have listed, just ask. Happy to help.
Thanks for the tour. I love trains. We went from Denver to Chicago . We were late But we had fun meeting people. See you on the rails.
Thanks Patty. See you out there!
Really good explanation of Amtrak routes.
Late 80s, I travelled with Amtrak all the way from Spokane to Chicago. It was fun, seeing the massive state of Montana etc.
This is the video I've been search for. Lots of great info. I'm looking to try some train travel and doing my research. I'm glad I found your channel.
Thank you for this usefull video!
Greetings from Breda in the Netherlands!
Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it :)
Amtrak was great between San Jose CA and Seattle WA when we took the overnight 2 yrs ago to explore the downtown market and do a restaurant hop.
USA should reactivate old routes and connections, for example Atlanta must have a connection to Miami more direct is a neighbor state of Florida is absurd make a trip until DC to go down after...!
Took the Pennsylvanian from NYC to Pittsburgh in 2019. For a family of four it was only $300. The trip was 8 hours, which is what it takes me by car from CT to Pittsburgh so a car is only marginally faster. That is because the route is US "high speed" which means speeds of 90 to 125 mph from NY to Harrisburg, PA which was upgraded to this just a few years ago. Actually getting to Harrisburg from NYC is faster by Amtrak than by car since it averages about 90 mph the whole way including stops. The trip was fine, as it was early in both directions by about 10 minutes. So a little faster than 8 hours.
I have the actual railroad subdivision maps from the FRA and OpenRailwaymap.org Both are very useful resources to find what subdivision, mile post, FRA crossing numbers, and track ownership and trackage rights.
That's cool. Ride the trains and know exactly where you are. I know that hikers, say on the Appalachian Trail, have similar books. Mile-by-mile guides. Nice idea for trains too.
@@T1DWanderer Yes it is a good resource for avid railroaders. I think you will enjoy them.
In October 2011, I bought a 30-day Amtrak pass with 12 boardings. From Portland Oregon, my second boarding was in Sacramento California to travel east. On the route to Chicago, I visited a day and reboarded in Reno, Salt Lake City and Denver. From Chicago, I stopped/reboarded in Pittsburg and Philadelphia. Travelling north I stopped/reboarded in NYC and Boston. From there to Portland Maine and a day later back to Boston. From Boston west through Albany to Chicago. The weather had turned rainy so I continued west through Minneapolis, Spokane and Seattle. Then on the Cascades Talgo to Portland. The entire trip was fantastic, but 30-days was maybe a week too much. Coincidentally, this preplanned trip coincided with Occupy in its last days. From the train stations, I unfolded my bagged folding bike and pedaled to the grubby encampments of Pittsburg, Philadelphia, NYC, Boston and Portland Maine. Nobody I spoke to at these protest sites had a clue how train travel could change things. Go figure.
Wow what a trip. Everyone should take a 30-day train trip ;)
@@T1DWanderer TeaWonDee, Two Week Amtrak passes are as good. Amtrak overnighter routes - just a suggestion - run 2-trains each direction daily, doubling current overnight service. Sleeping accommodations at stations offer 12-hour later reboarding. Overnight coach seats sold at half price to those who do not snore.
I still hold out hope that they one day reinstate the missing link and bring back the full Sunset Limited route. It currently takes a minimum of 3 trains and four days to get from LA to Orlando. :(
True. I hope so too.
Me too
I think the state of Alabama held that up. In Spring 2020, all other involved entities were on board for funding/allocation. Alabama didn't. I can't remember why though.
@@roadtoad7704 New Orleans to Mobile will still eventually have a new regional Amtrak train, called(I think once it's reinstated, correct me if I'm wrong on the name of this new train) the Gulf Coast Limited. While the state of Alabama did reject funding this train sadly, the city of Mobile decided to help fund this train, so it will still go east to Mobile once this new train begins sometime in the next few years.
There still is the missing gap of no Amtrak service between Mobile-Jacksonville, where sadly yes you'd have to either travel between those 2 cities on a bus, or go between those somehow on your own. Ditto with going east from Mobile to Orlando, sadly.
@@BoratWanksta Good post 👏👌
I like Amtrak, but my last trip, from Chicago to St Louis, was miserable. The train was fine, the staff was nice, the food was good, but the seat seemed to be trying to buck me out. It was the most uncomfortable seating I have ever used. I suggest that anybody contemplating a long trip take a short trip first to see if they will be comfortable.
Portland to minnesota is a beautiful ride
Its pretty but the prettiest part is covered at night. Overnight between Spokane and central Montana passing by Glacier National Park in the middle of the night.
@@donaldstone540 I went through glacier in the daytime
@@bruceschorr4631 I traveled both ways and both were at night
@@donaldstone540 well, I went through in the daytime,it was beautiful but if you want to argue get a wife
A lot of students that lived in chicago and went to SIUC used it. Super convenient for holiday travel if you didn't want to drive home or couldn't.
I retired from Chicago and moved Carbondale and now I take the train back and forth to visit family.
It's a breeze. I just buy my ticket online and then get on the train
I was in the USA once. Went to take a look at Denver station. It was midday. Nobody was there (in 2009). Amazing. In my country such a city would certainly have tens of thousands of travellers by train each day. I think flying is too cheap.
It's weird isn't it? It's just not a train culture. We're lucky there's Amtrak at all!
Look up the old rail maps on Google-Pennsylvania RR, New York Central RR, Santa Fe RR, etc. Train service went absolutely everywhere in the past. But from the 1920s, passenger numbers began to fall and after WWII it went steadily down until Northeast service in particular, almost completely collapsed by the late 60s/early 70s. The building of the US highways and post ww2 air travel, plus some really bad ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) regulations which prevented the rail companies from making timely business adjustments ultimately wiped out real passenger rail service in the US.
Hi! Denver resident here. With Amtrak’s California Zephyr having only one westbound trip in the morning and only one eastbound trip in the evening, I don’t think it accounts for that many passengers. 2009 was during the Great Recession, when passenger levels would have been lower overall. March 2009 was when the weekend Ski Train stopped operating. This was the service using the historic, single-level (streamline?) cars. In 2009, only RTD’s C and E light rail lines would have been serving the station. Union Station underwent renovations, so during 2012-2014 Amtrak passengers had to use a temporary terminal northeast (“downtown north”) of the closed historic building. The W Line light rail opened in 2013. The bus concourse and later the historic terminal (now hosting the Crawford Hotel) opened in 2014. The A and B Line commuter rail services opened in 2016, and the long-awaited G Line in 2019 (it was originally scheduled to open in fall 2016, but delayed because of issues with the new, cellular-based positive train control). A fourth commuter rail line, the N Line, is scheduled to open in September of this year (2020). RTD’s budget, like those of many other transit operators, has been hit hard by the pandemic, so it’s hard to know what future service levels and ridership might be. Colorado DOT is doing a study of Front Range Passenger Rail between Pueblo and Fort Collins. It might serve Union Station, but Denver Airport and property CDOT purchased from the railroads at Burnham Yard (near RTD’s 10th & Osage Station) are also options.
its now automobile culture, probably since henry ford, theres money in them there gas stations
they built the interstate network, end of era