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Travelling with my family, we may fly one way and train the other. Just wondered in late March if there's an advantage (scenery wise or other) to taking it northbound or southbound?
Posts: 72 | From: Illinois | Registered: Apr 2005
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If you're looking to travel between Chicago-land and San Antonio, I'd be inclined to fly to Texas and take the train back.....
Southbound 21 rarely makes it to San Antonio before midnight whereas with an Illinois arrival you could be several hours late and still get to bed at a reasonable hour.
Besides, if the train is the reason for the trip then you have saved the best mode for last.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Late March: pre daylight time. Approximately near the equinox. so daylight 6:00 am to 6:00 pm on the more easterly parts, say Chicago to Little Rock and creeping later maybe 15 to 20 minutes say Dallas to San Antonio. (US Central Time is based on true solar time on the 90 degree line which passes through Memphis.) So, based on the current schedule, effective August 8, which may or may not be about the same as the schedule next March:
Southbound: Daylight: Chicago to about Carlinville IL Texarkana to about Taylor TX Dark the rest of it, so St. Louis, Austin, San Antonio in the dark.
Northbound: Daylight: San Antonio to about Longview TX 1.5 hours before St. Louis to Chicago Dark across Arkansas and part of Missouri.
You get much more daylinght on the train northbound. Just simply the 7:00 am departure northbound and the 1:45 pm departure southbound should tell you that. I would also say you get more interesting territory in daylight northbound, in that you get the hills around Austin and the eastern portions of the Ozarks in the early morning before arriving St. Louis, plus running almost on the banks of the Mississippi in approach to St. L.
Also, northbound if the train is late that gives you more miles in daylight. Southbound if the train is late, that gives you more miles in the dark.
I would go for the train northbound.
George
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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