Which train would you like to see? Comment here or take the poll below! Empire Builder (Chicago - Seattle/Portland ~ 47 hours) vs. California Zephyr (Chicago - San Francisco ~ 51 hours) Here's 👇👇my poll th-cam.com/users/postUgkxHIgNyb0ps68nOBxcaDaFx6t5pRyb_-8W?si=rdRs2l6XtNTVPcvA
I ❤ Amtrack! Have gone from Florida to DC several times. Usually coach, but once in sleeper. A fun splurge if you can afford it. I always bring a lightweight blanket for the chill and to cover my eyes. Love a window seat.
As a person of young age, you have the stamina to endure such a long trip in a passenger coach. Personally, I would need some kind a sleeper arrangement.
Nice review. On Nov 26, I left Miami on the Floridian bound for Chicago on coach and it actually arrived at Chicago Union Station 15 minutes ahead of schedule. As my train arrived at its final destination on the morning of Thanksgiving, it was sold out with holiday travelers. Yet, the Amtrak crew rose to the occasion and did a great job keeping things moving. The coach seats were very comfortable even for the 46-hour trip. I understand that because it’s a new route, they been having some equipment glitches which hopefully will be sorted out. Overall, a great trip, especially if you like train travel.
Very Interesting. I live in Tallahassee and there was a huge crash west of here on Amtrak's Sunset Limited and all of a sudden our complete route was just taken. We used to go to N'awlin's up to Chicago all the time and Now we are in a train desert. It makes no sense to have to go to East Florida to go up North. When I was poor I got very used to sleeping in a greyhound seat...so train seats are okay with me. I'm late middle aged now too, so I can do w/o sleep for longer. I want to be awake every daylight minute I can too up in that viewing window car. With a phone to keep me from boredom and better food than busses...I really need my Tally route back again. We are being treated badly for an accident years ago. :(
I’m so old I remember when passenger trains like the Santa Fe Super Chief were the pride of the American rail system. What we have today is more like a Greyhound bus with rest rooms and food service. P.S. when in coach don’t plan to sleep if you’re coach is located near the locomotive. In more suburban area’s that whistle will interrupt your sleep on a regular basis.
"Newest Train" is really their "newest repackaging". Because of the work starting on the East River railroad tunnels in New York, Amtrak needed limit the number of trains using them. Their "solution" was to reroute the Miami-to-New York "Silver Star" to and from Chicago (instead of going to and from NYC) at Washington D.C. It also replaces the Capitol Limited, which ran between Washington D.C. and Chicago. To create excitement (rather than just calling it a "rerouting") the Silver Star and Capitol Limited names were "mothballed" and the now-rerouted train was labeled "The Floridian". As a result, Amtrak now only has one train that runs intact the whole distance between NYC and Miami (the Silver Meteor). The upside: Chicago travelers can take one train all the way to Miami without changing trains in Washington and they now have access to the full traditional dining menu (they didn't on the Capitol Limited). The downside: It's a very long and circuitous trip and there is not as much sleeping car capacity between Chicago and Washington as there was on the Capitol Limited portion of the route (the Silver Star portion remains the same). Also, riders who would have normally taken the now-rebranded Silver Star to NYC have to detrain and catch other trains between Washington and NYC.
That could be my next Amtrak trip, The Floridian... Thanks for sharing your experience, I took a lot of Amtrak long distance destinations, but I haven't seen the experience of no one on the Floridian. Yes at the dinner car food is excellent, but at the cafe it is always not that good. THANKS!
Yes, your trip as I recalled as I've travelling on Amtrak train even before Amtrak became nationwide (formerly individual railroad passengers companies became no longer confused with many transfers). My over 55 years, I hopped once or twice a year acrossing any part of USA as I love it and no matter if the train is delays or on time because train travellings are blasting with wonderful socially different people from all over the places and a beauty by looking views passing different areas too. And I'm using mostly sleeper car that is including no extra cost eating in dining car is the best! And their real foods are great! Able to walk entire each cars or standing out of train car on platform if stop for 10 or more minutes (do not wonder away from platform then the train will leaving by catch up on schedule or minutes before depart on-time). While monitoring the completely refueling in locomotives, done by exchanging suitcases in baggage car, finishing filling up water each car and less passengers hopping in or hopping out will leaving early as a schedule. I used took Southern Pacific (SP) Peninsula Commuter trains for years. SP ran between San Francisco and San Jose, now called Caltrain extended to Gilroy (south of San Jose). For you guys are taking a short trip on any long distance Amtrak to see if you like the train before taking longer trip. Also, check train status (keeping repeating if a train is catch up to your station) for the arrival to save your waiting. Enjoy! !
Yeah I did an overnight train in coach from Atlanta to Charlotte. Granted it was only about 5 hours but I could not sleep at all. Also that other train to Florida is 5 hours less because it does not deviate to Tampa.
@SoloTravelSolTube yeah I took that train from Kissimmee to Fort Lauderdale. Took 6 or 7 hours because of the deviation. I think it would have taken around 4 or 5 going straight through.
Thanks for the video and showing coach vs. sleeping car service. When I was younger I traveled on several overnight trains in coach. It is nice if you are traveling single and can get a seat by yourself. However if the train is crowed it is not as comfortable. With today’s much higher sleeping car fares trying coach can be ok. I do feel the cost they quoted for dinner was a little high especially if you did not order the steak dinner. In the past they charged different prices depending on what you ordered. I guess they just wanted simpler pricing but I do believe that that was why the dinning car was so empty. The sleeping cars must have been fairly empty since meals are included in your sleeping car fare. I also noticed how you said they were out of so many things in the snack bar lounge car. That is a problem they seem to have on all their trains even in the northeast. They need to find some place to replenish some of their more popular items enroute especially on their long distance trains.
@@johnchambers8528 On the contrary, sleeping car space (even with the ridiculously high prices) is almost always sold out. The trains using Superliner equipment are particularly vulnerable because they don't have much spare equipment (most cars are now well over 40 years old and stuff is wearing out as well as destroyed in train wrecks over the years). The trains using Viewliner sleepers are another matter, as there are sleepers that were "mothballed" during COVID that haven't been renovated and returned to service that could ease the demand. Also, the reason the diner doesn't appear full is that some sleeper passengers eat in their rooms instead.
Awesome video as always. The like quirks you had were all pretty much a part of the possible experience. I’m slightly saddened by the dining car service and I have been through that as well, with the exception of the steak not being cooked correctly. In someone else’s video where they went in coach from Miami to Chicago in coach, they too mentioned a large number of people getting off in Tampa, so it appears to be fairly popular for people to take this service there and sadly this is the only train that serves directly. I have little desire to take coach overnight due to back issues and the little annoyances (some of which you experienced) and for your destination it would have been better to have taken the Silver Meteor and have saved some time.
Great video. It was nice seeing you mention Palatka because that is my home station. I have made the trip between NYC and Florida several times in coach - always enjoyed the trip. I do bring my own snacks instead of the overpriced options on the train. As far as sleeping in coach, I do not have a problem with it, and I am a senior citizen. Yes, since Tampa is a termination point for the tracks, the train must turn around and leave the way it came so it uses the wye and backs into the station.
If I was traveling coach, I would make sure I carried all my own snacks. so much cheaper and less hassle than standing in line at the cafes. Plus I could pack better snacks than what they offer.
Great video ! I feel that traveling by train is less expensive than air. If you get a roomette one can get your meals included. For me that depends on the price comparisons of coach vs. a room with food included. The train wins cost wise if the extra time doesn't matter
I can’t figure out why the Café Car payment system involves the attendant entering each purchased item on an iPad using a selection tree system (look at the item to be purchased, go through a menu until the class of item is found, then tap through that until the correct item is found) instead of just using a scanning wand for each item, like just about every other retail outlet in the country does. I’ve sometimes been behind a party ordering six or seven items, and checkout seems to take forever. Other than that, I’m a huge Amtrak fan for the most part.
The routing of that train is horrible. We usually drive to Florida from Michigan because there's no reasonable amtrak route. Why there isn't a train via Nashville is a mystery to me. I'm sure there's a reason if I was to look into it but thwre should be some effort to solve it no matter what the problem is. Also the sunset limited stopped in Nola instead of finishing its journey to Jax. The train backs into Tampa union station because it's a stubborn end terminal and pulling in nose first would take up 2 car lengths with engines aping with making people walk by them. The move would be the same either way so it's done strictly as a courtesy to passengers. Distant signal has a good video about it if you go look.
I totally agree with the routing issue! However, I think their new routes they're planning actually includes a "true" Floridian from Chicago through Tennessee and the southern states to Florida. There are SO many holes in our passenger rail system it's hard to know where to start. The other ridiculously glaring omission is not having a train from New Orleans all the way to Tallahassee or Orlando. Having to go from New Orleans up to DC and then back down to Florida is insane. And as far as the freight railroads always fighting adding trains I would suggest that they be required to go back into the passenger business themselves or cooperate and run trains that pay for their tracks (which never should have been allowed in the first place). But at least we still have the option of rail travel regardless of its shortfalls.
Since it's usually cool at night on Amtrak a knit cap turned down over your eyes will work, or a sleep mask like he mentioned. There may be an annoying bright light if you are near the end of the car.
You can bring food and also buy cheaper (but fairly mediocre) individual food items in the cafe car. Usually the dining car would be full of people who bought a room and get meals included. But $55 is indeed too much.
That was not bad! It was certainly better than taking a bus. I always wanted to rent a little cabin, like the older trains had. I guess that was the glory days of trains. I thought it was a little expensive.
when is amtrak going o require headphones or earbuds for all music or audio? interesting video. your trip was a little different and had way less pasengers than the first few days as well as the inaugaral Floridian journey.
I was surprised too because this was the very first weekend train following the inaugural few days prior to it! As far as headphones go, they are already required, but some people just don't🥲
“Thank you for travelling with Transport for Wales” - except they actually held the 1650 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly for a few minutes, maybe because the 1659 Cardiff Central to Taunton was stated as cancelled (it in fact wasn’t, it left at 1705).
i took the train from la to chicago in coach, but i was in college...i'm not sure i could survive that now 😀 it was quite an adventure though! made a trip friend and we slept on the observation car instead of trying to sleep in our chairs. he had a seat across the aisle. i would be surprised that it's allowed but the conductor walked past in the middle of the night and didn't say anything so maybe we got away with a spacious lie down night. shrug... oh there was a pretty unpleasant night stop in salt lake city. the electricity went out and were all in the dark for a long while with no AC. that was strange... and stuffy i can't remember if it was the same trip but i was on a train that hit a delivery truck and we had to wait until someone from chicago could come down and verify we were ok to continue on so that took most of the time. what's weird is i never noticed we hit anything....just that we were slowing down and then stopped. and the voice told us what happened. i guess trains are that massive that there was no "bump" feeling.
If you went LA to Chicago via Salt Lake City, you were probably on the now-discontinued "Desert Wind". You would have been on one of the "through cars" that were pulled off the Desert Wind in SLC and attached to the "San Francisco Zephyr" (later the "California Zephyr"). The electricity is not available during the splitting/combining of trains. Cars from the now-discontinued "Pioneer" train from Seattle & Portland were also swapped at SLC for a while, but in later years were split/combined in Denver. The same type of move happens three times a week between the Chicago-San Antonio Texas Eagle and New Orleans-LA Sunset Limited during the Sunset's stop in San Antonio.
Unfortunately Amtrak is stuck in a culture of inefficiency and can’t see the Forrest for the trees. How are trains constantly delayed, they are literally on rails!
@ groan, why people come in the comments and asking people to educate them. Go look up literally and it’s informal use and stop showing your lack of education in public.
I did the Meteor from Trenton,NJ to Ft.Lauderdale and the Star, now Floridian, back. IN coach both ways... the smell is the bathrooms, st home, if you have public sewage, you have never smelled this, if you have a septuc tank, you've experienced this. It is what it is on a train or plane. I did the metoer again in 2021, Phila to Ft.Lauderdale, in a roomette. MUCH Better. Private, quiet... You are allowed to ask your car attendant to ask other passengers to turn down thier noise or wear earphones.
It’s not a new train. Due to construction in the tunnel under the river in NYC there needs to be less trains in them so they cancelled the Silver Star from there to Washington. For publicity purposes they are attaching the cars from the Capital Limited to the Silver Star while this construction is ongoing.
They're not even doing that ... the Capitol Limited used Superliner cars. They just created two more Amfleet/Viewliner trainsets (making five altogether) and reassigned the Superliner cars elsewhere.
Because they know that they do not have to operate in the black; the federal government will always make up the difference, to the tune of 1 billion per year, courtesy of taxpayers.
a review of any other trip over any other distance via any other modality through the history of the usa. he disusses as if this is different to some ideal and perfect experience. you have the most uninteresting voice
Also, here is the issue with that. Not everyone is going long distance, or overnight. Some people might only need to be on the train for a few hours. For example, you only take it from Miami to Tampa. They would loose money because those people would drive instead because what is the point of spending hundreds of dollars on that.
In the 1930s the Fascist Dictator Benito Mussolini did ONE positive thing. He got the trains to run on time! Well let's see if The Dictator on Day One can get Amtrak trains running on time.
Which train would you like to see? Comment here or take the poll below!
Empire Builder (Chicago - Seattle/Portland ~ 47 hours) vs. California Zephyr (Chicago - San Francisco ~ 51 hours)
Here's 👇👇my poll
th-cam.com/users/postUgkxHIgNyb0ps68nOBxcaDaFx6t5pRyb_-8W?si=rdRs2l6XtNTVPcvA
California Zephyr
Auto train!
@@SoloTravelSolTube
Empire Builder
I ❤ Amtrack! Have gone from Florida to DC several times. Usually coach, but once in sleeper. A fun splurge if you can afford it. I always bring a lightweight blanket for the chill and to cover my eyes. Love a window seat.
I took the sleeper going from NYC to Florida and coach the way back and the comfort in coach is all about who’s sitting around you.
Probably the most honest Amtrak review I’ve ever seen.
And I’ve seen a lot of
Good job and thank you.
As a person of young age, you have the stamina to endure such a long trip in a passenger coach. Personally, I would need some kind a sleeper arrangement.
Nice review. On Nov 26, I left Miami on the Floridian bound for Chicago on coach and it actually arrived at Chicago Union Station 15 minutes ahead of schedule. As my train arrived at its final destination on the morning of Thanksgiving, it was sold out with holiday travelers. Yet, the Amtrak crew rose to the occasion and did a great job keeping things moving. The coach seats were very comfortable even for the 46-hour trip. I understand that because it’s a new route, they been having some equipment glitches which hopefully will be sorted out. Overall, a great trip, especially if you like train travel.
Very Interesting. I live in Tallahassee and there was a huge crash west of here on Amtrak's Sunset Limited and all of a sudden our complete route was just taken. We used to go to N'awlin's up to Chicago all the time and Now we are in a train desert. It makes no sense to have to go to East Florida to go up North. When I was poor I got very used to sleeping in a greyhound seat...so train seats are okay with me. I'm late middle aged now too, so I can do w/o sleep for longer. I want to be awake every daylight minute I can too up in that viewing window car. With a phone to keep me from boredom and better food than busses...I really need my Tally route back again. We are being treated badly for an accident years ago. :(
I’m so old I remember when passenger trains like the Santa Fe Super Chief were the pride of the American rail system. What we have today is more like a Greyhound bus with rest rooms and food service.
P.S. when in coach don’t plan to sleep if you’re coach is located near the locomotive. In more suburban area’s that whistle will interrupt your sleep on a regular basis.
"Newest Train" is really their "newest repackaging". Because of the work starting on the East River railroad tunnels in New York, Amtrak needed limit the number of trains using them. Their "solution" was to reroute the Miami-to-New York "Silver Star" to and from Chicago (instead of going to and from NYC) at Washington D.C. It also replaces the Capitol Limited, which ran between Washington D.C. and Chicago. To create excitement (rather than just calling it a "rerouting") the Silver Star and Capitol Limited names were "mothballed" and the now-rerouted train was labeled "The Floridian". As a result, Amtrak now only has one train that runs intact the whole distance between NYC and Miami (the Silver Meteor). The upside: Chicago travelers can take one train all the way to Miami without changing trains in Washington and they now have access to the full traditional dining menu (they didn't on the Capitol Limited). The downside: It's a very long and circuitous trip and there is not as much sleeping car capacity between Chicago and Washington as there was on the Capitol Limited portion of the route (the Silver Star portion remains the same). Also, riders who would have normally taken the now-rebranded Silver Star to NYC have to detrain and catch other trains between Washington and NYC.
That could be my next Amtrak trip, The Floridian... Thanks for sharing your experience, I took a lot of Amtrak long distance destinations, but I haven't seen the experience of no one on the Floridian. Yes at the dinner car food is excellent, but at the cafe it is always not that good. THANKS!
Hey man, nice video! We were actually on the same train!!!
Oh, the exact same train! That's so cool! I see your steak was cooked very good haha 😂
Good review. Thanks for the info.
Yes, your trip as I recalled as I've travelling on Amtrak train even before Amtrak became nationwide (formerly individual railroad passengers companies became no longer confused with many transfers). My over 55 years, I hopped once or twice a year acrossing any part of USA as I love it and no matter if the train is delays or on time because train travellings are blasting with wonderful socially different people from all over the places and a beauty by looking views passing different areas too. And I'm using mostly sleeper car that is including no extra cost eating in dining car is the best! And their real foods are great! Able to walk entire each cars or standing out of train car on platform if stop for 10 or more minutes (do not wonder away from platform then the train will leaving by catch up on schedule or minutes before depart on-time). While monitoring the completely refueling in locomotives, done by exchanging suitcases in baggage car, finishing filling up water each car and less passengers hopping in or hopping out will leaving early as a schedule.
I used took Southern Pacific (SP) Peninsula Commuter trains for years. SP ran between San Francisco and San Jose, now called Caltrain extended to Gilroy (south of San Jose).
For you guys are taking a short trip on any long distance Amtrak to see if you like the train before taking longer trip. Also, check train status (keeping repeating if a train is catch up to your station) for the arrival to save your waiting. Enjoy! !
Great video. Thank you.
Liked how clean it all was.
Yeah I did an overnight train in coach from Atlanta to Charlotte. Granted it was only about 5 hours but I could not sleep at all. Also that other train to Florida is 5 hours less because it does not deviate to Tampa.
Yea, I could see myself taking this train again to Orlando or Tampa, but I don't think to Miami because of that in-and-out deviation to Tampa.
@SoloTravelSolTube yeah I took that train from Kissimmee to Fort Lauderdale. Took 6 or 7 hours because of the deviation. I think it would have taken around 4 or 5 going straight through.
Thanks for the video and showing coach vs. sleeping car service. When I was younger I traveled on several overnight trains in coach. It is nice if you are traveling single and can get a seat by yourself. However if the train is crowed it is not as comfortable. With today’s much higher sleeping car fares trying coach can be ok. I do feel the cost they quoted for dinner was a little high especially if you did not order the steak dinner. In the past they charged different prices depending on what you ordered. I guess they just wanted simpler pricing but I do believe that that was why the dinning car was so empty. The sleeping cars must have been fairly empty since meals are included in your sleeping car fare.
I also noticed how you said they were out of so many things in the snack bar lounge car. That is a problem they seem to have on all their trains even in the northeast. They need to find some place to replenish some of their more popular items enroute especially on their long distance trains.
5 hours i could do coach
@@johnchambers8528 On the contrary, sleeping car space (even with the ridiculously high prices) is almost always sold out. The trains using Superliner equipment are particularly vulnerable because they don't have much spare equipment (most cars are now well over 40 years old and stuff is wearing out as well as destroyed in train wrecks over the years). The trains using Viewliner sleepers are another matter, as there are sleepers that were "mothballed" during COVID that haven't been renovated and returned to service that could ease the demand. Also, the reason the diner doesn't appear full is that some sleeper passengers eat in their rooms instead.
Awesome video as always. The like quirks you had were all pretty much a part of the possible experience. I’m slightly saddened by the dining car service and I have been through that as well, with the exception of the steak not being cooked correctly. In someone else’s video where they went in coach from Miami to Chicago in coach, they too mentioned a large number of people getting off in Tampa, so it appears to be fairly popular for people to take this service there and sadly this is the only train that serves directly. I have little desire to take coach overnight due to back issues and the little annoyances (some of which you experienced) and for your destination it would have been better to have taken the Silver Meteor and have saved some time.
Great video. It was nice seeing you mention Palatka because that is my home station. I have made the trip between NYC and Florida several times in coach - always enjoyed the trip. I do bring my own snacks instead of the overpriced options on the train. As far as sleeping in coach, I do not have a problem with it, and I am a senior citizen.
Yes, since Tampa is a termination point for the tracks, the train must turn around and leave the way it came so it uses the wye and backs into the station.
Great video! The Floridian is the best train! I want to take a ride on it sometime! It’s the blast
If I was traveling coach, I would make sure I carried all my own snacks. so much cheaper and less hassle than standing in line at the cafes. Plus I could pack better snacks than what they offer.
I love Amtrak awesome people.. Amtrak is awesome
Great video ! I feel that traveling by train is less expensive than air. If you get a roomette one can get your meals included. For me that depends on the price comparisons of coach vs. a room with food included. The train wins cost wise if the extra time doesn't matter
My back ( and my butt! ) would never endure sitting 🪑 that long. I definitely would need a sleeper!
Those seats are extremely comfortable.
I can’t figure out why the Café Car payment system involves the attendant entering each purchased item on an iPad using a selection tree system (look at the item to be purchased, go through a menu until the class of item is found, then tap through that until the correct item is found) instead of just using a scanning wand for each item, like just about every other retail outlet in the country does. I’ve sometimes been behind a party ordering six or seven items, and checkout seems to take forever. Other than that, I’m a huge Amtrak fan for the most part.
I took my first trip on an airplane this year. We took off from Detroit and landed in Orlando about an hour later.
The routing of that train is horrible. We usually drive to Florida from Michigan because there's no reasonable amtrak route. Why there isn't a train via Nashville is a mystery to me. I'm sure there's a reason if I was to look into it but thwre should be some effort to solve it no matter what the problem is. Also the sunset limited stopped in Nola instead of finishing its journey to Jax. The train backs into Tampa union station because it's a stubborn end terminal and pulling in nose first would take up 2 car lengths with engines aping with making people walk by them. The move would be the same either way so it's done strictly as a courtesy to passengers. Distant signal has a good video about it if you go look.
I totally agree with the routing issue! However, I think their new routes they're planning actually includes a "true" Floridian from Chicago through Tennessee and the southern states to Florida. There are SO many holes in our passenger rail system it's hard to know where to start. The other ridiculously glaring omission is not having a train from New Orleans all the way to Tallahassee or Orlando. Having to go from New Orleans up to DC and then back down to Florida is insane.
And as far as the freight railroads always fighting adding trains I would suggest that they be required to go back into the passenger business themselves or cooperate and run trains that pay for their tracks (which never should have been allowed in the first place). But at least we still have the option of rail travel regardless of its shortfalls.
Since it's usually cool at night on Amtrak a knit cap turned down over your eyes will work, or a sleep mask like he mentioned. There may be an annoying bright light if you are near the end of the car.
Good job, nice work.
I would definitely need a roomette. 55 dollars for dinner is quite costly.
You can bring food and also buy cheaper (but fairly mediocre) individual food items in the cafe car. Usually the dining car would be full of people who bought a room and get meals included. But $55 is indeed too much.
The food price is included in sleeper prices. That's why sleeper room prices seem so outrageous
That was not bad! It was certainly better than taking a bus. I always wanted to rent a little cabin, like the older trains had. I guess that was the glory days of trains. I thought it was a little expensive.
My family of 3 will be taking this in Spring of 2025 to Florida. Glad to know that seats are somewhat assigned.
when is amtrak going o require headphones or earbuds for all music or audio? interesting video. your trip was a little different and had way less pasengers than the first few days as well as the inaugaral Floridian journey.
I was surprised too because this was the very first weekend train following the inaugural few days prior to it!
As far as headphones go, they are already required, but some people just don't🥲
They have to switch engines in DC if I'm not mistaken
Good review. I'll be riding the Floridian in March 2025.
Muy buen video Excelente estimado amigo 😊
the old Floridian went straight from Chicago to Florida, not via the East Coast.
“Thank you for travelling with Transport for Wales” - except they actually held the 1650 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly for a few minutes, maybe because the 1659 Cardiff Central to Taunton was stated as cancelled (it in fact wasn’t, it left at 1705).
I would love an semi empty train for coach but i always do rooms when long distance
Strange that there were so few passengers. Good to know.
wow I'm happy to see you grow
We got this 👍👍
i took the train from la to chicago in coach, but i was in college...i'm not sure i could survive that now 😀
it was quite an adventure though! made a trip friend and we slept on the observation car instead of trying to sleep in our chairs. he had a seat across the aisle. i would be surprised that it's allowed but the conductor walked past in the middle of the night and didn't say anything so maybe we got away with a spacious lie down night. shrug...
oh there was a pretty unpleasant night stop in salt lake city. the electricity went out and were all in the dark for a long while with no AC. that was strange... and stuffy
i can't remember if it was the same trip but i was on a train that hit a delivery truck and we had to wait until someone from chicago could come down and verify we were ok to continue on so that took most of the time. what's weird is i never noticed we hit anything....just that we were slowing down and then stopped. and the voice told us what happened. i guess trains are that massive that there was no "bump" feeling.
If you went LA to Chicago via Salt Lake City, you were probably on the now-discontinued "Desert Wind". You would have been on one of the "through cars" that were pulled off the Desert Wind in SLC and attached to the "San Francisco Zephyr" (later the "California Zephyr"). The electricity is not available during the splitting/combining of trains. Cars from the now-discontinued "Pioneer" train from Seattle & Portland were also swapped at SLC for a while, but in later years were split/combined in Denver. The same type of move happens three times a week between the Chicago-San Antonio Texas Eagle and New Orleans-LA Sunset Limited during the Sunset's stop in San Antonio.
The floor is dirtiest part of a room. Putting one's feet on the surroundings is not confident; it's ignorant.
Get some rest? What exactly were you doing on the train for 26 hours?
The train moves regardless of what you do, so it's entirely up to you how you use the time!
Don’t know how you can coach my body can’t handle that. Give me a sleeper bed yet put me on a plane.
I could not do that long in coach would just play with dates for cheap rooms but for time being they alot because route is new and also holiday time
Unfortunately Amtrak is stuck in a culture of inefficiency and can’t see the Forrest for the trees. How are trains constantly delayed, they are literally on rails!
What do you mean by “literally” ? Is that proper English ?
@ groan, why people come in the comments and asking people to educate them. Go look up literally and it’s informal use and stop showing your lack of education in public.
@@supadupa2614 I was being sarcastic because of the flagrant misuse of that word. It is a favorite word of the illiterate. 🤒
I did the Meteor from Trenton,NJ to Ft.Lauderdale and the Star, now Floridian, back. IN coach both ways... the smell is the bathrooms, st home, if you have public sewage, you have never smelled this, if you have a septuc tank, you've experienced this. It is what it is on a train or plane.
I did the metoer again in 2021, Phila to Ft.Lauderdale, in a roomette. MUCH Better. Private, quiet...
You are allowed to ask your car attendant to ask other passengers to turn down thier noise or wear earphones.
You are very generous with tips lol...
All of my previous sleeper trains had dinners included so I kind of developed the habit of tipping a little extra from there haha
It’s not a new train. Due to construction in the tunnel under the river in NYC there needs to be less trains in them so they cancelled the Silver Star from there to Washington. For publicity purposes they are attaching the cars from the Capital Limited to the Silver Star while this construction is ongoing.
They're not even doing that ... the Capitol Limited used Superliner cars. They just created two more Amfleet/Viewliner trainsets (making five altogether) and reassigned the Superliner cars elsewhere.
How can Amtrak be losing money year after year, at the prices they charge for "food"?!?
Because they know that they do not have to operate in the black; the federal government will always make up the difference, to the tune of 1 billion per year, courtesy of taxpayers.
It's a trIn trip get used to it
Asian guy picks up salad bowl an eats Asian style 8:55. I'm not Asian, but sometimes on a plane or train that's the safest move.
Love to see that people still tip well.
5:35 WTF LOL
What was it supposed to be?
He was afraid to go to Miami 🤡🤡🤡
a review of any other trip over any other distance via any other modality through the history of the usa. he disusses as if this is different to some ideal and perfect experience. you have the most uninteresting voice
I have tried Amtrak several times ALWAYS a disappointing experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amtrak doesn’t care if you have a good trip worst employees the ride to Georgia sucked I’ll drive next time 😡
You're hilarious
Excellent 💯
amtrak needs more FUNDING...no more coach, instead all private sleeper cars
Why?
Also, here is the issue with that. Not everyone is going long distance, or overnight. Some people might only need to be on the train for a few hours. For example, you only take it from Miami to Tampa. They would loose money because those people would drive instead because what is the point of spending hundreds of dollars on that.
They need more funding but less subsidy.
In the 1930s the Fascist Dictator Benito Mussolini did ONE positive thing. He got the trains to run on time!
Well let's see if The Dictator on Day One can get Amtrak trains running on time.
Unnecessary crude comment. Be polite
For 86 bucks You whine to much!!!!