Sorry for the shaky video. This was filmed on a DSLR with no stabilization. The room with the laptop and camera gear in it was my roomette. This was filmed retuning from Chicago at about 30 minutes outside New Orleans which was the final stop. one thing I will say is. anything over 18 hours I would recommend upgrading to a roomette. They include 3 meals and the sleeper car has free bottled water, juice, coffee, news papers, and private restrooms + showers. The coach cars are nice and roomy but on a 50+ hour trip you may wish you had upgraded. And be prepared for the train to run late. On this trip i took in the video. I was returning from Chicago to New Orleans and we were running 4 hours behind schedule.
You did an awesome job capturing this! I haven't ridden AmTrak since I was 16, and I'll be on this train headed to New Orleans to celebrate my 40th birthday in November! Thanks so much for this!
they are safe. one thing I will say is. anything over 18 hours I would recommend upgrading to a roomette. They include 3 meals and the sleeper car has free bottled water, juice, coffee, news papers, and private restrooms + showers. The coach cars are nice and roomy but on a 50+ hour trip you may wish you had upgraded. And be prepared for the train to run late. On this trip i took in the video. I was returning from chicago to new orleans and we were running 4 hours behind schedule.
Great video, thanks for posting. I've been on the City of New Orleans twice, R/T Memphis to NOLA and then R/T Memphis to Chicago, bedroom both times. Going again this fall, with a bedroom to NOLA and a roomette on the way back to Memphis. Good advice about delays, they should be expected! If you're going for a meeting or a wedding, etc., best to go a day early. This is not an airplane - if there's ice on the tracks, or fallen limbs, or whatever, you will be delayed until they clear it, there's no way around! :-) They also share parts of this route with freight trains, and the freights have priority, so you could be sitting waiting for them as well. Also, since my first trip a few years ago, the food service has gone WAY downhill! When we used to have a full breakfast going to NOLA and a steak dinner (full menu) on the way back, that's no longer the case. The trip to Chicago is overnight, and you get a danish for breakfast. The trip out of Chicago is dinner time, and you get a choice - a dry ham & cheese sandwich (add mayo from a packet) or a salad. Very disappointing. Still a fun way to travel, but AMTAK - BRING BACK THE REAL FOOD!
How is the scenery between New Orleans and Chicago? My girl and I have a train trip in our bucket list and would like something nice to see on the way.
No problem. I figured it may help some people decide to take the train over Greyhound. In some cases Amtrak is cheaper than the bus and the accommodations are WAY better.
+Scott Collins A private bus charter maybe, but never Greyhound please. I will take the train every time as it is a much more enjoyable ride especially in the sleeper.
I hope I'm not too late, but this train is the City of New Orleans, which runs from Chicago to New Orleans. The Crescent runs from New York to New Orleans. I'm sorry to say that since the double-decker Superliner cars that are on this train can't fit in the tight tunnels in and out of New York, the Crescent uses single-level Viewliner cars. The cafe is just a regular Amtrak cafe car, but the dining car has the same great food as the Superliners. Have a great trip! :D
The double level Superliners run on most of the long distance trains of Amtrak except those that serve north of Washington DC. Many of the east coast long distance trains run to New York City which uses the single level Viewliners and Amfleet IIs.
Is this the Crescent? I'm riding it with my mom and grandmother in March to new York from Slidell. I really hope it has 2 levals. The cafe is suppose to be really good.
Very nice. I was surprised to see an empty first class bedroom because in my experience those are always sold out months in advance. Our trip to Baltimore from Emeryville (San Francisco) was on time for the final destinations, we arrived back in EMY 15 minutes earlier than the posted scheduled arrival. The trip would have been better without the terrible corporate owned and poorly maintained track Amtrak has to travel over.
Yes I hope to ride the train next summer. I had better hurry since the new ex-airline executive Richard Anderson who now heads Amtrak put this train on the hit list of LD trains he wants to eliminate by splitting it in two.
+Hikki Panda The Sightseeing Lounge upstairs as you saw there were some nice couch type seats for half the car, and dinette type tables for the other half. Below there are the rest rooms, more dinner type tables, and a small shop where you can buy drinks and convenient store snack food. Amtrak has added recently more ac outlets for charging smart phones, tablets, and laptops. We live in a different world concerning such stuff than we did thirty years ago when the first Superliners were built. I recall using a portable CD player and going through batteries. Today kids play computer games on their iPod Touches. The Sightseeing Lounge is open for everyone on the train, but as you notice some seat in the privacy of their sleeper accommodations and others seat in the chairs of the coaches. All of the sleepers and coaches have rest room facilities downstairs, the deluxe bedrooms have their own johns.
YES, very rough. It reels like you are going to fall off the tracks at times. on the return trip, we had a 6 hour delay and sat on the tracks that whole time.
The first time I took the CONO, it was fairly smooth, but the second time bumpy as all get-out. I almost took a spill in the diner car while eating dinner LOL,
A Silver Rose yeah! maybe it depends on the weather conditions. This trip was over thanksgiving and it was really cold. And also, there are two trains that run the City Of New Orleans and maybe this one #59 is the rough riding one. I have another video where we are parked waiting for the sister train #59 to fly by!
Vambo Rool That would be a pretty neat trick, considering I rarely, if ever, drink. Maybe you ought to refrain from making assumptions about people you've never met.
Vambo Rool Good thing for me that I don't really care if you think I'm likeable or not. Now, let's get back on topic and talk about the video that scottcol23 posted.
Yes! That's why I got a sleeper roomette. Its nice to settle in, close the door and watch a movie on my laptop. Then make the voyage to the diner car and eat a wonderful dinner. I had the New York strip steak with potato and veggies, Cheesecake and a coke! The meals are included. If you pay for it, it would have cost $30.
+Scott Collins I prefer the privacy too. Even the small roomette is quiet compared to the lounge car, although people do tend to be somewhat quiet in the coaches when folks are sleeping or napping nearby. Usually one coach is fuller and has more noise whereas another coach is less full and more quiet. But not always. I find the gentle rocking of the train lures you to sleep.
Am I the only person who wonders why not one passenger in this vid raised any objection to having their privacy invaded by being filmed in this enclosed space, obviously without their permission? Don't mean to be a 'downer' - but...!
I mean, it was very obvious I was filming. I was using a huge Nikon DSLR with a 300mm lense and a Rhode mic. Everyone saw it. In fact midway through I met a guy at a connection door who even backed up out of the way to let me through like he didn't want to mess up the shot. Most people don't care. I made sure to not film the sleeping.
Sorry for the shaky video. This was filmed on a DSLR with no stabilization. The room with the laptop and camera gear in it was my roomette. This was filmed retuning from Chicago at about 30 minutes outside New Orleans which was the final stop. one thing I will say is. anything over 18 hours I would recommend upgrading to a roomette. They include 3 meals and the sleeper car has free bottled water, juice, coffee, news papers, and private restrooms + showers. The coach cars are nice and roomy but on a 50+ hour trip you may wish you had upgraded. And be prepared for the train to run late. On this trip i took in the video. I was returning from Chicago to New Orleans and we were running 4 hours behind schedule.
Thank you so much!! I am excited to travel Amtrak for the first time from Chi to New Orleans in two months!!! :) Reserved a Bedroom coach
How was the scenery on the trip ?
You did an awesome job capturing this! I haven't ridden AmTrak since I was 16, and I'll be on this train headed to New Orleans to celebrate my 40th birthday in November! Thanks so much for this!
Thank you Daniele. I really enjoyed this trip. Amtrak is an awesome way to see the country.
Thank you for taking the time to do this video. It was exactly what I was looking for! You did an excellent job :-)
they are safe. one thing I will say is. anything over 18 hours I would recommend upgrading to a roomette. They include 3 meals and the sleeper car has free bottled water, juice, coffee, news papers, and private restrooms + showers. The coach cars are nice and roomy but on a 50+ hour trip you may wish you had upgraded. And be prepared for the train to run late. On this trip i took in the video. I was returning from chicago to new orleans and we were running 4 hours behind schedule.
Taking my first train trip next week to Chicago. Thanks for the informative view!
No problem. Are you going the whole route. From New Orleans?>
@@scottcol23, yes, all the way to Chicago from New Orleans. It was a very nice ride!
@@nataliejane9241 I used to make the trip a couple of times a year to visit my father who lived in Naperville.
Great video, thanks for posting. I've been on the City of New Orleans twice, R/T Memphis to NOLA and then R/T Memphis to Chicago, bedroom both times. Going again this fall, with a bedroom to NOLA and a roomette on the way back to Memphis. Good advice about delays, they should be expected! If you're going for a meeting or a wedding, etc., best to go a day early. This is not an airplane - if there's ice on the tracks, or fallen limbs, or whatever, you will be delayed until they clear it, there's no way around! :-) They also share parts of this route with freight trains, and the freights have priority, so you could be sitting waiting for them as well. Also, since my first trip a few years ago, the food service has gone WAY downhill! When we used to have a full breakfast going to NOLA and a steak dinner (full menu) on the way back, that's no longer the case. The trip to Chicago is overnight, and you get a danish for breakfast. The trip out of Chicago is dinner time, and you get a choice - a dry ham & cheese sandwich (add mayo from a packet) or a salad. Very disappointing. Still a fun way to travel, but AMTAK - BRING BACK THE REAL FOOD!
Good advise go early if you can .Delays happen just like air travel.
How is the scenery between New Orleans and Chicago? My girl and I have a train trip in our bucket list and would like something nice to see on the way.
nicely done all the way to the back, which I've rarely seen.
I really miss this train! I need to take it to New Orleans this year!
Awesome...thank you for showing inside the train....
No problem. I figured it may help some people decide to take the train over Greyhound. In some cases Amtrak is cheaper than the bus and the accommodations are WAY better.
+Scott Collins A private bus charter maybe, but never Greyhound please. I will take the train every time as it is a much more enjoyable ride especially in the sleeper.
very nice, sure beats air port terminals and lines on the freeway.
Ray Unseitig yes it is a nice way to travel. We did run into a problem where we were stuck on the tracks for 6 hours.
Thanks, Kevin
I hope I'm not too late, but this train is the City of New Orleans, which runs from Chicago to New Orleans. The Crescent runs from New York to New Orleans.
I'm sorry to say that since the double-decker Superliner cars that are on this train can't fit in the tight tunnels in and out of New York, the Crescent uses single-level Viewliner cars.
The cafe is just a regular Amtrak cafe car, but the dining car has the same great food as the Superliners.
Have a great trip! :D
I've taken Amtrak city of New Orleans once, but only to Hsmmond.
The double level Superliners run on most of the long distance trains of Amtrak except those that serve north of Washington DC. Many of the east coast long distance trains run to New York City which uses the single level Viewliners and Amfleet IIs.
At least I know what to expect I be traveling to Memphis in 6 more hrs from Illinois.
Oh, sounds fun!
Is this the Crescent? I'm riding it with my mom and grandmother in March to new York from Slidell. I really hope it has 2 levals. The cafe is suppose to be really good.
Very nice. I was surprised to see an empty first class bedroom because in my experience those are always sold out months in advance. Our trip to Baltimore from Emeryville (San Francisco) was on time for the final destinations, we arrived back in EMY 15 minutes earlier than the posted scheduled arrival. The trip would have been better without the terrible corporate owned and poorly maintained track Amtrak has to travel over.
looks as thou you were crossing lake maurepas in Louisiana...
@QSmaniac We travelled 10,000 miles with Amtrak in 3 weeks through 32 States...
Yes I hope to ride the train next summer. I had better hurry since the new ex-airline executive Richard Anderson who now heads Amtrak put this train on the hit list of LD trains he wants to eliminate by splitting it in two.
Nostalgia
Is seating in the sightseer first come, first serve, or do you have to reserve a seat?
May I use this video as an example in a homework assignment? I will be giving you all due credit :)
I was on this Train.Thats me sleeping at 1:42
Is the Sightseer Lounge something you can just hangout in, or is it actually seats you buy a ticket for?
+Hikki Panda I think it's just something to hang out in.
+Hikki Panda The Sightseeing Lounge upstairs as you saw there were some nice couch type seats for half the car, and dinette type tables for the other half. Below there are the rest rooms, more dinner type tables, and a small shop where you can buy drinks and convenient store snack food. Amtrak has added recently more ac outlets for charging smart phones, tablets, and laptops. We live in a different world concerning such stuff than we did thirty years ago when the first Superliners were built. I recall using a portable CD player and going through batteries. Today kids play computer games on their iPod Touches. The Sightseeing Lounge is open for everyone on the train, but as you notice some seat in the privacy of their sleeper accommodations and others seat in the chairs of the coaches. All of the sleepers and coaches have rest room facilities downstairs, the deluxe bedrooms have their own johns.
How much the money a ticket?
I liked all lot when I had to go to all stars they would polish your shoes and I basketball but my sleeper was diffrent
People say this train rides a bit rough on this route does it?
YES, very rough. It reels like you are going to fall off the tracks at times. on the return trip, we had a 6 hour delay and sat on the tracks that whole time.
The first time I took the CONO, it was fairly smooth, but the second time bumpy as all get-out. I almost took a spill in the diner car while eating dinner LOL,
A Silver Rose yeah! maybe it depends on the weather conditions. This trip was over thanksgiving and it was really cold. And also, there are two trains that run the City Of New Orleans and maybe this one #59 is the rough riding one. I have another video where we are parked waiting for the sister train #59 to fly by!
Vambo Rool That would be a pretty neat trick, considering I rarely, if ever, drink. Maybe you ought to refrain from making assumptions about people you've never met.
Vambo Rool Good thing for me that I don't really care if you think I'm likeable or not. Now, let's get back on topic and talk about the video that scottcol23 posted.
Are you a sleeping car passenger in that trip?
John Gabriel Ibay yeah he was
Far cry from the days when the IC was running the train - pretty sad to see what it's been reduced to.
how'd you like that lady at 1:58 who has to say, "does anyone have trash, I'm picking up trash..." all day. Probably best not think about it.
they only do that when you are 20 or so min from the end of the line. And maybe at the mid point of the trip. but not all the time will that happen!
25 sacks of mail?
Loudmouth passengers and noisy train. Interesting.
Yes! That's why I got a sleeper roomette. Its nice to settle in, close the door and watch a movie on my laptop. Then make the voyage to the diner car and eat a wonderful dinner. I had the New York strip steak with potato and veggies, Cheesecake and a coke! The meals are included. If you pay for it, it would have cost $30.
+Scott Collins I prefer the privacy too. Even the small roomette is quiet compared to the lounge car, although people do tend to be somewhat quiet in the coaches when folks are sleeping or napping nearby. Usually one coach is fuller and has more noise whereas another coach is less full and more quiet. But not always. I find the gentle rocking of the train lures you to sleep.
Am I the only person who wonders why not one passenger in this vid raised any objection to having their privacy invaded by being filmed in this enclosed space, obviously without their permission?
Don't mean to be a 'downer' - but...!
+hyters im sure if someone had a problem with it they would have said something to him about it
+hyters I found that most ppl just really don't care. lol.
I mean, it was very obvious I was filming. I was using a huge Nikon DSLR with a 300mm lense and a Rhode mic. Everyone saw it. In fact midway through I met a guy at a connection door who even backed up out of the way to let me through like he didn't want to mess up the shot. Most people don't care. I made sure to not film the sleeping.
no good, train sounds horn every 30 seconds, day and night...much noise from rails, not comforteble at all-from somewone from Europe : avoid Amtrak
Compared to Greyhound; Amtrak is way superior. I would not compare it to air travel. But I would always take Amtrak over greyhound.
@@scottcol23The horn sounds are my favorite part of train travel in America