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The March issue of Conde Nast Traveler includes an article on transcontinental rail travel.It is under the "At Large" section on pg.104 and is titled "Westward bound a tale of the rail". It features a very interesting read on the first transcontinental rail journey in 1869. Meanwhile the author,Tony Perrottet,tells a tale of his retracing this first trip using a Union Pacific private/business train which was deadheading to Sacramento for a company function,but alas the company function was cancelled and the train was put into the rail yards of North Platte. Amtrak was used for parts of the journey on the Lake Shore Limited and the California Zephyr. Did anyone else read this article? What was your reaction to his description of Amtrak?
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Could you give those of us who haven't read the Conde Nast Traveler article a quick rundown on what Perrottet said about Amtrak?
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Of course, Mr. Kisor. Sorry about that. With being dropped off in North Platte he opted for "plan B" and stated "thank God for Amtrak". I wish he would write that to our Congress and administration. With a rented car he drove to catch the Zephyr in Denver describing the train as not exactly "Gilded Age luxury - nor.....the panache of European Railways." He described it as a western train which has more generous lines and more comfortable carriages than trains back East. He described the excitement passengers (who are as striking as the landscape)experience as the train climbs the Rockies. The author makes a point of describing in detail the passengers as a fair cross section of America. After a stay in Salt Lake City with a visit to Promontory he continued the Zephyr journey describing the impressionable ride through the Sierra Nevada. Throughout the article he parallels the story of Mr. Humason who took the first Transcontinental rail journey in 1869. Several last paragraphs continue with "the whole trip from New York had been haunted by the federal government's on going threats to scrap Amtrak in effect ending passenger railway service in the United States.....rubbed shoulders with people who found this anti-American, even sacrilegious.....despite rapid decline of U.S.rail travel over the last 50 years,the country's deep-rooted romance with the rails refuses to die - especially in the West." The last sentence reads "If sentiment were currency in America,the trains would never stop rolling." It was a wonderful read for me. Don't think there was any comments about the dining service. Also I was glad that he pointed out that the train is not a luxury ride, but a comfortable down home American one. Which is fine with me, but might not be to some subscribers who are used to Grand Luxe,etc. I hope this was informative. I apologize for not originally giving more info. Having been a teacher for so many years it's hard to get out of the "read it and report to me" mode.
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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p.s.... keep in mind that when Mr.Perrotet embarked on the western portion of the journey he never intended to use Amtrak. I also found interesting his lack of description of the Lake Shore Ltd. ride from New York to Chicago.
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Thank you, Mr. Century. (Or should I call you "20th" for short?)
Perrottet's experience mirrors mine. Wonder why he didn't mention the Lake Shore Ltd. I had a good ride on it a few weeks ago, though my opinion about the dining car has been posted elsewhere on this forum.
He's so right about the characters one meets on the train. One of the most memorable I can recall is the Dutchman from Amsterdam who got all excited when the Zephyr lounge car went past that cat house in Nevada. For miles and miles thereafter, like a little boy describing a baseball game, he outlined his adventures in the brothels of Amsterdam. I often wondered what other people in the lounge car thought. Their eyebrows certainly were elevated.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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LOL!that was funny. Europeans (especially from Amsterdam) seem to have a different take on things. You can call me Mr.Century, or 20th, I really should introduce my real name......Fred.
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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I love Amtrak's old Zephyr route guide that refers to the "world famous" Mustang Ranch without ever saying quite what it was famous for.
Posts: 58 | From: Owensboro, KY USA | Registered: Apr 2002
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Mr. Hall - I think you will have to use your wildest imagination to figure this one out!!! What would YOU think a place in Nevada(?) called "Mustang Ranch" would be famous for??? (Hint -- think of the movie "The Best Little **********house in Texas") (I put in the ******* here!!_
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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