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I know those on this forum won't think I'm crazy when I relate that next month I'm going on an "Amtrak vacation" - LA to Chicago on the SW Chief, overnight in Chicago, the Zephyr to Emeryville/Oakland, overight there, then the San Joaquin to Bakersfield. (I'm in the sleepers on the Chief and the Zephyr.) This will truly be a public transit trip, because I will take the Metrolink to Los Angeles Union Station and a Thruway bus from Bakersfield back to my home near LA. Everyone I know and those I work with think I'm nuts - "Why would you want to take a week off just to ride trains?" "You mean you are taking a train to Chicago and then another the next day back to the West Coast, and that's all?" "What's the point of that?" Sigh - they just don't understand. As another person on this forum once posted - The Train Ride IS the Vacation!
Posts: 7 | Registered: Feb 2001
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Go for it! Sounds like a great idea for a vacation, at least for a railfan. Years ago I used to ride the (RTD or Torrance Transit) bus to LA Union Station to get to the train. The bus travel on the Harbor Freeway is relatively fast, but of course does not compare to a Metrolink journey.
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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While in Chicago, why not "ride" one other train - the ORIGINAL Pioneer Zephyr! Get to the Museum of Science and Industry when it first opens, otherwise you'll wait forever in line to take the tour - they only allow small groups through at a time. They simulate the record-setting ride between Chicago and Denver, with motion and video projected on some of the windows. From the outside of the train, you can hardly tell anything unusual is going on inside. The rest of the museum is outstanding as well, and well worth the admission. When we were there last year, it was only $7.00 per person, and on Thursdays it was free. (They made their money on parking, which cost a fortune, but we took a bus that drops you off right at the entrance and took the commuter train back, which is only a couple of blocks away, so we didn't have to pay to park.)
Posts: 72 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Sounds like alot of fun. The CZ trip is Great ! You might want to consider the Coast Starlight from EMY/OKJ to LA. It's also a nice trip ! Have a Great time !
Posts: 218 | Registered: Mar 2001
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Sounds like a great trip. When you stop in Albuquerque make sure & check out the natives selling all sorts of things right on the platform. They've been doing it for at least 30 or 40 years. There's also a bus that has a lot of souvenirs & sundry items. On the run up the front range after leaving Denver, look for the hopper cars filled with boulders on the right side of the train. They're there as a windbreak to prevent the tipping over of the tall freight & possibly passenger cars too. The wind really howls through that stretch. Have a great trip & be sure to give us all that can't be with you a trip report. Yours Reggie ( from Bakersfield)
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[This message has been edited by reggierail (edited 06-30-2001).]
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If people think you are crazy for taking a rail travel vacation you might quote the vacation that I have just enjoyed and my trip began in England.
Flew to Seattle, next day flew to Oakland, next day on the Zephyr to Chicago where I connected (with 90 mins to spare) to the Capitol Ltd to Washington. Overnight in Washington, next day Metroliner to NY connected into the Lake Shore Ltd to Chicago to connect to the S.W. Chief (75 minutes to spare). Overnight in LA, next morning on to the Coast Starlight up to Portland Oregon (only 45 minutes late !!!). Hired a car for 3 days then took the Cascade from Portland to Seattle.
Next day flew back to England involving a circle round Mt Rainier and back to Seattle because of a fault on the aircraft, a lost connection at Houston resulting in being re-routed via Newark and arrival in London Gatwick 15 hours later than scheduled. 8 hours of jet lag but still in work at 6:30 the next morning having arrived at my home at 1:30 am.
Some 7500 miles by rail, 11000 miles by air 1000 miles by road, and I'd do it again tomorrow (No I'm not a young adventurer, I'm rapidly approaching the age of retirement).
Hope you have a great vacation.
My thanks to trainweb forum contributers; I picked up a good deal of useful information. Indeed I seemed to know more about the services/timetables/operating practices than most of the "local" travellers (how can people not know that they are stopped at their station or not remenber if their bags are in their room or were checked !!!!).
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I can certainly relate to your trip. Ive posted earlier this year that I have a big two and a half week train vacation beginning late next month...DC to Chicago, Chicago to LA on the Texas Eagle..Its an extra day on the train and the sleeper is half the price of the SW Chief...LA to Portland, overnight there,Portland to Bellingham,Wa,another overnight...The Empire Builder to Whitefish,two nights, back on the builder to Chicago,then on to New Orleans, overnight..the Sunset Limited to Jacksonville,the Silver Palm to Ft Lauderdale,overnight and back up to DC.
I made these reservations last December,and it s the higlight of my year. Great deal on the City of New Orleans sleeper.$96.
I enjoy taping radio stations and recording train announcements on m travels. I numbermy cassettes..record what is on the radio and listen back in order. Kind of a neat audio diary of my trip..and I remember where I was when I recorded the stations. I ll dub the music I enjoy onto another cassette to keep. I ve been doing this for several years and it s a great way of rememberng.Working in radio, its an extension of my work.
Glad to hear there are many other posters who do indeed take the train as the vacation. Nothing is finer than having a sleeper on a cross country train trip..now thats a vacation!
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My marathon rail trip took place 9 years ago & covered 23,000 miles in 30 days. I believe I spent 5 nights off of the train. I wish I had the time to do that again, but, it will have to wait a few years till I retire. Reggie
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This Christmas season, as I have for the past three years, I will buy a North American Railpass for a visiting friends and relatives tour of Canada (where I live) and the U.S.(where my relatives live). It will take three weeks and about 8000 miles to complete. I will start out in Toronto on the General Brock to Niagara Falls Ont. I will then connect in Buffalo with the w/b Lakeshore Ltd. for Chicago. Given that it almost always arrives quite late, I will stay overnight and connect the next day with the California Zephyr to Denver. Three days later I will continue on to Emeryville, overnight again and connect with the s/b Starlight to Los Angeles. I will then spend some days in Southern California before continuing back on the Starlight to Seattle. Overnight yet again and connect with the next day's Talgo train to Vancouver BC. There I board my final train, The Canadian, back to Toronto. The N.A. Railpass is quite good value at only $471 US or $702 Canadian and gives you almost unlimited travel on Via and Amtrak for up to 30 days. The down side being the quite expensive sleeping car surcharges. Except for very short trips, I always book deluxe bedrooms which run in my case from $515 to $763 (US dollars).Standard bedrooms on the Lakeshore are U$193 Buffalo Chicago, and U$147 Emeryville to L.A. What is particularly annoying is that Amtrak will not give you a stopover rate in sleepers, so I will have to pay U$1046 for Chicago to Emeryville as I am breaking my trip in Denver (that's $515 Chicago Denver and $531 Denver Emeryville). It is interesting to note that my double bedroom on The Canadian is only C$945 or about $625 U.S. So I get 72 hours on the Canadian for $625 U.S. whereas Amtrak charges $763 U.S. for 35 hours on the Coast Starlight. Both fares include meals with comparably sized bedrooms. Notwithstanding the high prices, I almost always enjoy my train trips, and I am looking forward with eager anticipation to Christmas.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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