RAILforum: First trip to America & First trip on AMTRAK

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Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :

I've been meaning to post this for nearly six months and after Mr. Toy asked, "where are the travellers?" I thought "Oops! Like me, they haven't posted their travelogues!" Oh well, better late than never.

So, hello from England, and after nearly 20 years of saying "I really must go to America one day" I finally resolved that 2003 would be the year and...hang on, if I wait until 2003 I'll put it off until 2004, then 2005...no! It became a case of if we're going, we go this year and no more excuses.
But where to? America is huge by British standards. (Six hours is regarded as a long journey over here!) I got hold of a guidebook, and whilst I knew that rail services in America had been drastically cut back in the past few decades I wasn't prepared for the AMTRAK route map, particularly west of a line from Chicago to New Orleans. At first I thought that it was the "Inter-City" mainline map, similar to what you find in the back of any UK diary, and the secondary and branch routes were shown separately but er...no, that's it. It came as quite a shock to find that there is no service at all to Phoenix,Las Vegas or Tulsa. No service from Denver to Texas, nothing in Wyoming or South Dakota. Six trains a week to Houston? I live in a city of 400,000 about 130 miles west of London, and we get nearly 200 passenger trains a DAY. From reading your website over the past year or so I realise that there are other issues affecting rail service in the States, not least the density of population (or lack of it) that makes rail service totally uneconomic in many areas even with subsidies.
But never mind,make the best of what we've got. The guidebook made the most salient point anybody visiting the States could take on board: "don't try and see too much". I could have spent two weeks on trains seeing just fleeting glimpses of places but in the end got down to a shortlist for a two-centre holiday. The Pacific Ocean was going to be in no matter what, but anywhere from Washington State to San Diego. The Grand Canyon was under consideration as was Houston, Dallas, Denver, the Rockies and "Route 66". Santa Barbara looked beautiful but expensive, New Orleans beautiful but dangerous (the guidebook actually warns travellers about not straying even a block from the tourist areas and describes the AMTRAK station as being in a particularly seedy part of town!). The South West Chief and the Coast Starlight looked to have won the contest but then AMTRAK warned that it's long-distance trains were under threat and might be axed. If I was only going to get one shot at a long distance train journey across America there was no way I was going to miss going through the Rockies at 9,000 feet above sea level....The California Zephyr won the race, stopping off at Reno before heading for Pismo Beach and the Pacific. So it was that as the sun came up on a bright May morning I set off (very appropriately by train) for Heathrow Airport. I'll spare you the full details why but for schedule reasons I couldn't get to Chicago in time to pick up the train the same day and couldn't o/n in the Windy City, thus I had to overtake the train and catch it further down the line. Omaha,Nebraska was the most practical in terms of location but the idea of waiting for a train at midnight on a Saturday night in a strange city 4,000 miles from home didn't really appeal. Thus it was that I found myself at the Greyhond station in Des Moines, Iowa, waiting for a bus to Osceola (that took some planning from 4,000 miles away, I can tell you!). At this point the wheels nearly came off (a British expression for everything going wrong!). Having been perfectly on time all the way the bus was just pulling out of the station when the driver was called back to take a phonecall. FIFTEEN MINUTES later he came back! We lost nearly 15 more en route (and it's only about 35 miles) and to make matters worse the AMTRAK timetable had been changed the week before, the Zephyr now departing 30 minutes earlier than when I had booked the trip. I arrived in Osceola just as it was getting dark not with nearly 90 minutes to walk the just under two miles from the Greyhound stop to the AMTRAK station but with less than 30. Fortunately, I travel light, and only had a wheely-case and a shoulder bag to lug around, but it took a forced march and a great deal of sweat to get there. The annoying part was that I was dropped off by the tracks and from my map I could see that the station was barely a mile away in a straight line. I wondered if there was any footpath/right of way running alonside the line but as I stood by the crossing pondering my options I had my first close encounter with a US train - an enormous triple-headed Union Pacific Freight came hammering through and rapidly put paid to that idea! I am very fit considering I am the wrong side of 40 and knew that I could get there in time, but I had horrid images flashing through my mind of the train going early. No great problem for me, but I was meeting up with my Travelling Companion ("TC")in Denver the following morning, an old girlfriend that I had not seen for five years....and I had the tickets, hotel bookings, travel documents etc in my pocket.....As it was, eventually the station loomed into sight and I knew that even if the lights started flashing at that moment I could grab my case, sprint, and make it. I got to the station with three minutes to spare, drenched in sweat...and found that the train was running one hour late. Two or three freights came through whilst I was waiting (all heading West, I noticed, - any reason?). Osceola is unmanned, apart from a part-time helper who comes in for 30 minutes or so before the two daily trains arrive. The station building looks like the old British rural stations that were closed in the 1950's and 60's in terms of design and architecture. I couldn't help noticing that most of the timetables were out of date,and I don't mean the ones that had changed the week before - most of them were the previous summers. Finally,sixty-six minutes late, the Zephyr rolled in. Nobody got off and I was the only one to get on. The attendant showed me to my standard sleeper on the upper level,right hand side (effectively facing North for most of the journey) but was confused as to whether there was one or two of me. I explained that TC was joining at Denver but she still looked confused! Somebody came around to collect my ticket but as he checked the manifest he didn't know if there was one or two of me...I thought it would probably be easier to put a note on the compartment door if I was going to have to explain this all the way to Reno! The attendant apologised that the restaurant was closed but the buffet was open until midnight (it was now just after 10.00pm) if I wanted anything. The first thing I needed was a shower, and even though there was no hot water it was a very pleasant tepid after my exertions. I was surprised at how small the sleeper compartment was - I wasn't expecting it to be big but I didn't think it was that small. I used the top bunk for storage, changed and rolled off to the bar for a much needed drink and to explore the train. I appear to have disappointed a couple in the Lounge Car who had been enquiring about an upgrade for the last available sleeper but I overheard them saying that "the people who booked it just got on at the last stop". The train was almost full, all the sleepers were booked and there were no more than a dozen or so empty seats in Coach, after allowing for those watching the movie or drinking at the bar. I then realised that my body clock was telling me that it was 4.00am British time and I had been up for 24 hours and had flown across the Atlantic so my day ended with me propped up on one elbow in my bunk, blinds open, lights out, enjoying a large Gin and Tonic, watching Creston then the rest of Iowa roll past.....

I slept well, and woke just as the first light was breaking over Nebraska. I got a coffee from the end of the carriage and got the most wonderful photo of one of those windmill-pump things you see on mid-western farms silhoutted against the sunrise (sorry, don't know what they're called!). I got my road atlas out to try and gauge where exactly we were from road signs, but for over half an hour we didn't even pass a road never mind a sign! Nebraska just went on and on,with mile after featureless mile. But it was time for breakfast! I had been told to try the French Toast, but there was none available, so settled for Bacon & Eggs. My breakfast companions were firstly a gentleman who, although perfectly pleasant and not in any way troublesome, had clearly had a heavy night propping up the bar; the second a gentleman who said very little and the third who knew Reno well and was invaluable in telling me the best way to the hotel and which bits of downtown to avoid. The crew were friendly and efficient and it was amazing seeing about 70 people sitting down to breakfast at just after six in the morning.
Breakfast over, back to the compartment, and I realised that the "cloud" which I could see on the horizon was, in fact, the snow line of the Rockies. We rolled into Denver 20 minutes late, having made up time overnight, and the train just EMPTIED. I would estimate that three-quarters of coach and half the sleeper passengers got off.
We couldn't have done it better had it been a Hollywood movie: as the bustling crowd surged away down the platform there,standing all on her own, was TC.

(sorry folks, this is taking longer than I thought - if it was an e-mail I could "save as draft" and finish it later but I don't think there's any such facility here so I'll post it as far as I've got and will finish it later in week in the next exciting episode of "Mr Williams goes to America!)

Posted by CK (Member # 589) on :

I just wanted to say that I've enjoyed your story so far and am looking forward to part 2! A belated welcome to the United States!

Posted by CG96 (Member # 1408) on :

I've enjoyed the story as well. I'll be looking forward to reading the remainder when I return from my trip aboard the Empire Builder this weekend. I hope the rest of the trip truns out as well as the beginning has been.

Posted by MPALMER (Member # 125) on :

Mr. Williams,
Great story! A few comments:
Freight trains sometimes run in 'fleets' with several traveling in the same direction one after the other. This is likely what you saw in Osceola. Evidently it is more efficient from an operating point of view.
Taking a short cut along the rails to the station: generally not advised if it is not on a parallel public street or right-of-way. The railroad police can and do treat that as trespassing. Also, in some more hidden areas, there could be homeless people or migrant worker encampments. While most of those folks are harmless and keep to themselves, you could run into one or two looking for trouble.
I'm also looking forward to the rest of the story.
MP

Posted by KA6BGJ (Member # 662) on :

Mr. Williams,

I found your travel post to be very interesting and informative. I think that your style of writing makes the reader feel he cam along with you on your vacation. I am looking forward to hear about the rest of your trip

Am very glad that you are having a nice time in the USA and hope that you are able to come back again and pay us another visit.

I am courious but did you hear a lot of people using the phrase CORN FLAKES a lot on your trip? FYI: CORN FLAKES is the American version of the British phrase CHEERIEO.

Posted by dilly (Member # 1427) on :

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your adventure -- or at least the segment you've reported so far!

I'm looking forward to reading the rest. But I have a small suggestion: splitting everything into a dozen or more short paragraphs (rather than two or three huge ones) would make it easier for most of us to read on our screens. Thanks!

Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :

Glad to hear you've enjoyed it so far; I had hoped to do part two by the end of last week but I had to go up to London with my work for a few days. (Although this is an American train website, I thought you might like a brief comparison of train travel in the UK. There are 60 trains a day each way from my home city to London, 32 from the central downtown station and 28 from a station that runs through one of northern suburbs about six miles out on a different line (the lines meet about 50 miles to the east). The journey is about 120-130 miles each way, journey time between 80 and 105 minutes and the cheapest return (round trip)fare is about $29, but that has to be booked seven days in advance and is restricted to certain off-peak trains. On regional and rural trains there are few restrictions on ticket validity but on mainline trains to London peak-time fares are extortionate. (Peak time is classed as before 9.00 am in both directions and between 4.00-7.00pm coming back from London on Mon-Fri; there are virtually no restrictions on weekends and public holidays) Apart from a handful of trains (sleepers, motor-rail {I think you call it the Autotrain} and some connections to the International Ferry Ports or the Chunnel at Waterloo) there is no need to book in advance, you just turn up at the station and buy a ticket, or get on the train if the station is unmanned. After 9.00am most passengers can buy a walk-up discount ticket to London for between $55 and $70 dollars but if you travel earlier a 1st class return is $210, standard class is £125. Breakfast in the restaurant car is $22. By comparison, an unrestricted bus ticket on our equivalent of Greyhound is about $40)

Right, back on Denver on a sunny morning in May, and I've just met up with TC, who was not looking at her best, having suffered flight delays and long queues all the way, and she hadn't had a lot of sleep in the previous two days and nights. We pulled out of Denver 35 minutes late, having loaded up with newspapers and having had the windows cleaned. It was TC's first trip to the States as well, but within ten minutes she was starting to doze off and I wondered how much of the Rockies she would see. As it happened the sleeping car attendant appeared at that moment with the newspaper and woke her up. I was wearing an "England" shirt and the attendant clearly liked to do nothing more than discuss the Royal Family and especially the late Princess Diana with TC, completely oblivious to the fact that TC is, in fact, German! After a full ten minutes of this the look on TC's face said "Beam me up, Scotty!" and she was only rescued by the announcement that the buffet car had re-opened after the attendant's break, giving her the excuse to go in search of some much needed refreshment.

As we climbed into the Rockies I was taking photos like they were going out of fashion. We were getting nearer to the snowline and the views were getting more spectacular. At Winter Park we stopped for a 10 minute cigarette break. Neither of us smoke, but it was a chance to stretch the legs and for me a chance to get my first proper look at the outside of the train. It had been dark at Osceola and at Denver we had had to load TC. It is difficult to compare US with UK trains, mainly because all our platforms are raised about 4-5 feet above the tracks (like your subways), so seeing them from "ground level" is a little disconcerting! There were three engines, baggage, crew sleeper, two sleepers, restaurant, lounge, two coach and about eight mail/express. As I said in Part 1, the train was packed as far as Denver, but now whilst nearly all the sleepers were still full coach was no more than 30% occupied. Off we went again,and as it was now nearly six hours since breakfast I was quite hungry.

Our lunch companions were two of the loveliest people you could ever meet. Long retired (both in their 80s), they spent their winters in Florida and were returning to their family home to spend the summer in Oregon. They had been doing this journey every May and October for more than a decade. It took "five or six days, we're not counting"; they could clearly have afforded to fly (they had de-luxe sleepers all the way, so could have afforded business class air travel), and weren't bothered by flying, but they took the view that America was the best country in the world, and they wanted to see every inch of it that they could in whatever time they had left. Despite that, they had a few minor grumbles about Amtrak. The logical way for them to travel was "straight along the bottom" on the Sunset to LAX then up the coast on the Starlight but they tried it some years ago and the SL got in to LAX so late they had to be bussed to Bakersfield, train to Stockton (where there was nobody to help with the luggage) and then another bus to pick up the Starlight (they thought to Sacramento but weren't sure, it was dark and very late by then, and all they wanted to do was get aboard the train). They didn't want that again at their age, so now they went Florida-Washington-Chicago-California-Oregon. Until "three or four years ago" it took a whole day less - they said that the Zephyr used to take a different route from Denver through Wyoming to Salt Lake City and then turned up through Idaho to Oregon, but the service had been axed. In my guidebook there is mention of an Amtrak station in Boise, Idaho but there is nothing on the routemap. I've seen a train called the Pioneer mentioned on your website - is that what they were thinking of?

However, their main grumble was about the food. Not that there was anything wrong with it, just that on this trip the menu was the same on every train. Apparantly, a new national standard menu had been brought in and after three days it was starting to grate (indeed, the elderly lady said that if she had any more green beans and carrots she'd look like them!)

TC was rather more awake by now having had a shower and, not being a meat-eater, went for the vegetable stir-fry. She had three mouthfuls and pronounced it "disgusting". Looking around the diner, the opinion on the stir-fry was unanimous, but she made up for it with cheesecake and ice-cream! I had the chicken salad, our companions both had the steakburger and we seem to have done rather better than TC. Lunch over, our lunchmates showed us the inside of the deluxe sleeper. I had considered it when I booked the trip but I have to say I was glad I hadn't as I didn't think it justified the extra $560 they'd wanted (and I had booked three months in advance).

Glenwood Canyon defies description: how on earth can Amtrak even consider closing that line. We were mooned at by canoeists (apparantly a local custom) and I loaded up my fourth roll of film snapping away merrily at the multi-coloured hills rolling by. By Glenwood Springs we were back on schedule and I was surprised at how packed the station was. I would estimate that 20 got off and 30 got on, not counting about 40 Japanese students who got on, only to get off again in great haste about 30 seconds later. We pulled out leaving at least 60 people on the platform, which was explained about 20 minutes later as we passed the eastbound Zephyr running about four hours late. The restaurant manager came around taking reservations for dinner then I wandered down to the bar to have a beer and a chat with the cafe attendant - what a character - some of his announcements were classics, especially as he took great pleasure in going "on air" immediately after the train or restaurant manager had made an announcement to undermine whatever they had said! But you could see from the amount in his bulging tips jar what the passengers thought of him. My "I'm popping down the bar for twenty minutes" turned into nearly two hours, and it was only when I realised that it was nearly dinner time that I thought
I'd better go and see what TC was up to....she was in the lounge surrounded by TWO female members of staff, the old dear from lunchtime and a man from Texas...all discussing the Royal Family!!

The call to dinner rescued TC this time; our lunchtime companions had booked a later sitting so we had the company of a couple in their mid-20s from New Jersey who were going to visit some of her family in San Francisco. This was their first time I had dined with anybody from coach; it was their first overnight trip by train. From NY to Chicago hadn't been too bad, but they had had little sleep the first night on the Zephyr, not due to anti-social behaviour but coach had been full and it was just people getting on and off at the stations in Nebraska or just going to the restroom etc.
They were hoping for a quieter night as their coach was almost empty but vowed that if ever they did more than one night on a train again, they would at least book the second one in a sleeper even if they could not afford both.

They wondered if we were in Utah yet, and were very impressed when I told them we had left Colorado about ten minutes ago, especially as we were in the middle of nowhere. Even TC looked baffled and asked how I knew or whether I had made it up. Well, as some of you probably know, somebody has painted the state boundary line onto the rocks by the side of the track, and as I was facing backwards I had had a chance to take it in as we flashed past.

We both had salmon...with green beans and carrots....washed down with some very nice Californian White Wine. TC doesn't drink a lot and two glasses of wine was clearly going to be enough to ensure that her day was at an end. The sunsetting over the Utah Desert was not enough of an attraction for her and by 8.00pm she was in the top bunk and her rhythic z-z-z-z-z's could be heard. Bearing in mind that I had only had a total of nine hours sleep in two nights I wasn't far behind, but I realised that we had slowed noticeably. We had been on time at Grand Junction but were 25mins late by Green River, and 50 minutes late at the next station (I think it was Helper) as the last of the daylight faded away.

I woke twice in the night, once to see the flurry of lights that is Salt Lake City, and the second in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere to see the most beautiful night sky full of stars. The moment was made almost perfect as the compartment suddenly filled with the red lights of a crossing and the sound of the bells, complete with doppler effect, clanging away into the distance. I was awake early, showered a first light, and was again armed with road atlas and binoculars to see where we were. We were clearly in Nevada, as we passed about two miles from a town where the casino lights could clearly be seen. We were 45 minutes late at Elko, and TC had awakened and joined me to look through te window. "Is that a Casino?" she asked as we crawled into Elko. Something had obviously attracted my attention, and well, folks, it wasnt a Casino...but let's just say that it is something that is only legal in Nevada and nowhere else in the USA!!

On that point I'll sign off for the moment.
The third and final part - Reno to LAX - will be along soon.

Posted by CG96 (Member # 1408) on :

I have also enjoyed reading of your trip. I have found it to be rather enlightening to see how vacationers percieve the United States, and what their impressions were, and how the impressions were different than what their expectations were before they first arrived. As you mentioned, the discovery that most parts of America see only two trians per day can come as an unpleasant surprise to Europeans who are accustomed to tremendous quantities of public transport. That is something that reflects how our nation was settled. Before there were cars and lots of highways (and of course trains) if one didn't have a horse, one was unable to go anywhere. What I'm trying to say here is taht in the United States, there has always been the desire for one's own personal transport - if only for purposes of personal convienience. Enough pontification, though. I enjoyed reading your travelogue, and I hope that you enjoy reading my short trip report as much as I've enjoyed reading yours.

Posted by trainman1 (Member # 1392) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mr williams:
They didn't want that again at their age, so now they went Florida-Washington-Chicago-California-Oregon. Until "three or four years ago" it took a whole day less - they said that the Zephyr used to take a different route from Denver through Wyoming to Salt Lake City and then turned up through Idaho to Oregon, but the service had been axed. In my guidebook there is mention of an Amtrak station in Boise, Idaho but there is nothing on the routemap. I've seen a train called the Pioneer mentioned on your website - is that what they were thinking of?

Yes, the Pioneer used to split off from the California Zephyr in Denver, and run as described to Portland, Oregon, and then up to Seattle.

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

Mr. Williams, I've finally gotten around to reading your story. Wonderful! The Denver-Reno segment reminded me a lot of my trip on the CZ from Emeryville to Denver a couple years ago. You write well, and I felt like I was right there with you. I especially enjoy your impressions of things that are uniquely American. I look forward to more.

BTW, I have my own travelogue with photos of my CZ trip posted on my website. The link is below. (Links to my travelogues are near the bottom.) You might see some things you recognize.

------------------
Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :

So to Part 3 and we left the tale in Elko with TC now trying to hide the binoculars as I was scanning everything in sight to see how many more "houses of ill-repute" I could see from the train, but the wrestling contest came to an abrupt end with the call to breakfast. TC was a different person after ten hours sleep and was now very hungry. Like myself, she had been told that Americans were very good at French Toast. However, there was none available (again) so it was eggs all round, but the French Toast was going to come back to haunt us, as you will see later on! The
restaurant opened half an hour later than the first day as the train was so much quieter - we seemed to have have lost quite a few passengers overnight, presumably at Salt Lake City - but we were still back in our compartment long before we got to Winnemucca. I cannot tell you anything
about our breakfast companions as apart from a nod of acknowledgement as they sat down they clearly had no wish to make conversation and we respected their wish for privacy.

The last few hours on the Zephyr saw us packing up the odds and ends and making sure nothing was left behind (if anybody picked up the large yellow bar of soap and TC's toothbrush which she left in the shower please send them on c/o Stuttgart, Germany). We were within a few miles of Sparks when TC shouted "look at that!". Outside the window, hovering on an
updraft was one of the biggest birds of prey I have ever seen in my life.
I don't know if it was an eagle or a condor or whatever but it was massive.
I used to live in a rural area of Britain where we had big buzzards, kites,
falcons and hawks so I am well used to seeing hunting birds, but this was something special. I had been surprised at the lack of wildlife seen from the train - a few falcons in the Rockies, some small deer-like creatures in Utah, some snowy egrets and
herons, a couple of coyotes - but that was it although later on there was far more to come.

As we pulled into Sparks we had a very long announcement about not going into the Union Pacific buildings on the platforms "you can be prosecuted for trespass" and from the number of warning signs up they obviously meant it. OK, I understand what they were saying and why, as it is after all a
working area, but it came across as trite and rather unfriendly From the
entries on your website, though, it seems that UP don't have the highest regard for Amtrak at the best of times. The nicotine brigade satisfied their craving whilst we were treated to the comical sight of the restaurant manager having a fight with the water hose as he tried to fill the
storage tanks. The result was hose 1, manager 0 and it was all we could do not to laugh out loud as the poor man went to find some dry clothes. We got back on board, wandered along to the corridor to say
goodbye to the elderly couple from the previous day, listened to the last
announcement from the buffet car attendant "this sure is one hot train....I
know that because we've just left Sparks!". I swear you could hear the groan for miles, but we were now pulling into Reno, about 20 minutes late, and it was time to leave the Zephyr.

The sleeping-car attendant had taken a real liking to my England shirt, and wanted to give me some money and her address so I could mail one out to her when I got back home. As it was brand new and I had only worn it once (and it only cost $15) we presented it to her as we got off the train. I have to say that all the staff on the train had been thoroughly
professional, efficient and courteous. Not all of them had had permanent big smiles on their faces but I had not detected the slightest hint of rudeness from any of them. We stood by the crossing and watched the train pull out heading towards the Sierra Nevada, and we were both quite sorry to see it go. When I had told people back home that I was going to be on a train for 39 hours they had been aghast but it had been a pleasure as well as an adventure.

But anyway, we were in Reno. The Amtrak station is right in the middle of downtown and very convenient. The electronic display on one of the casino hotels told us it was already 76 degrees at 11.30 in the morning as we strolled the couple of blocks to the
hotel. Although check-in wasn't officially until 3pm our room was ready and we were able to go straight up. We had a wonderful view of downtown Reno and the railroad tracks from the 14th floor, and had our first experience of American TV as you see it. In case you're wondering "why Reno" - I know it wouldn't be everybody's first choice - as I said in part 1 of the
story I didn't want to see America from 35,000 feet, didn't fancy driving and was surprised to find that there were no trains to Phoenix or Las Vegas, so had to look for an alternative base. Reno was described in the guide book as a "mini-Las Vegas" (yes, I know, don't laugh) but more importantly it is a good base for Lake Tahoe and the old "wild west" of Virginia City and Carson City (have you noticed that in nearly every old black and white western somebody bursts into the saloon and shouts "he's arriving on
the noon stage from Carson City!").

For those of you who don't know downtown Reno, the main "strip" runs for about half a mile north-south and is bisected by the rail line which runs east-west. There are probably about two dozen main casino hotels and a large and a rather motley collection of down-market motels in the surrounding
blocks. To the south of the casino area is the much more upmarket business district with banks, offices and the very pretty Truckee river. To the north and west of the casinos are several blocks that the man on the train had cautioned about - I had a stroll up there and I could see what he
meant. There were quite a few winos and vagrants hanging about, a number of derelict buildings and I could understand why some people would get nervous walking around there, especially at night. As for shopping, pawn shops seemed to outnumber
everything else, followed by tourist/souvenir shops and fast food outlets,
not forgetting the drive-in instant wedding chapels (sorry TC, you had your chance in 1995 but that's definitely another story!!!)

There's a local bus tour company in Reno that runs full day and half day trips around the local sights, they collect and drop you at your hotel and I can strongly recommend trying them if you're in the area (I can't
remember their name but all the hotels have their details). Lake Tahoe is absolutely stunning, and we even saw a bear in the Sierra Nevada. All the people sitting on the left of the bus let out a collective "ooh, look over there" as it ambled out of a clearing not 50 yards away. I grabbed the binoculars, not realising that TC had them around her neck and nearly hanged her in the process. Virginia City was like stepping into an episode of Bonanza, but we couldn't help feeling that it would be rather bleak and lonely in the middle of winter when the tourists aren't around (but I suppose that's true of anywhere that depends on tourists - some of our seaside holiday resorts are as miserable as anything in January). Unfortunately, we only had time for the briefest look at the Railroad Museum in Carson City and the remains of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad but you still expected Casey Jones to come tooting around the corner at any moment.

You couldn't visit a casino town (and stay in a casino hotel) without having some sort of a flutter, and even TC, who is not a gambler of any description, decided that she wanted to try out the video poker. I explained the idea behind it, she inserted
her quarter...and drew a full house, first play. You couldn't invent something like that. It was only $15, but she proudly picked up her $14.75 profit as if it was a jackpot, changed it up for notes and announced that she was giving up gambling with immediate effect.

Before leaving Reno, there was the slight matter of the French Toast. It was on the menu in the breakfast bar so we both thought, let's give it a try. We were not expecting the waitress to appear with two enormous dinner plates covered in what must have been half a pint of whipped cream on
each!!! Somewhere under the cream and a mound of strawberries was the egg-bread, but the looks on our fellow diners faces at 7.30am was a picture. TC muttered something in German but I was laughing too much to
notice what she was saying. American readers may think "so what?" but from a British standpoint something covered in whipped cream for breakfast would
be regarded as utterly revolting.

Five days passed in a flash, and it was time to leave Reno on an Amtrak bus to Sacramento. I don't care what anybody else says, we LOVED Reno and I vowed that I would definitely go back there again. I must mention the two Amtrak staff at the station in Reno - another pair of characters - who
were brilliant when we booked our tickets. There isn't much you can say about an Amtrak bus ride, other than to note that four had boarded at Sparks, seven got on at Reno, two at Truckee, three at Colfax, two at
Roseville and that was all. At Sacramento we took the train to San Jose which left on time but arrived over on hour late, having ground to a halt for more than half an hour just outside Sacramento due to problems with a swing-bridge, and then getting stuck behind a freight train. At several
stops the conductor announced to passengers getting on that "this is not the Coast Starlight" which, bearing in mind that it was now lunchtime, suggests that the Starlight was running very, very late that day (indeed, we even toyed with the idea of jumping off and getting the Starlight to SLO if it was still behind us, and as we had rail-passes it wouldn't have cost us any
extra, but being aware that we didn't have reservations it was always possible that the train was already full and if so, we would have been stuck). Our train was about 70% full and continued to lose time. Somebody posted a reply on this page about vagrants living by the side of the tracks - we saw that at first hand outside Sacramento,
and as we approached the Bay area we slowly passed through a run down neighbourhood of ramshackle homes, graffitti, burnt out cars and large numbers of ethnic youths hanging around doing nothing. I make no comment
or criticism by saying this, we have urban areas in our country that we have nothing to be proud of, but this was such a stereotype of what we see portrayed on American TV that however rare it might be in reality, to see itjust twenty yards away was at the very least thought-provoking, and something in the faces of a number of passengers seemed to say "I hope the train doesn't stop here".

We arrived in San Jose just over an hour late. Unfortunately neither Burt Bacharach nor Dionne Warwick were around or we could have gone up to them and said "yes, we do, and we're here to prove it!" but the Amtrak bus onwards was a guaranteed connection and 24 of us trooped aboard for all points south to Santa Barbara. We lost more time in rush hour traffic outside San Jose and it was very frustrating seeing the rail line so close for much of the journey. I can't help thinking that if the political will is there then these new DMUs that have just been produced in the States could lead to the renaissance of secondary train routes in America just as DMUs did in Britain 40
years ago. They could replace most of the Amtrak buses and as they have been cleared to run on freight tracks restore rail connections to many places which lost their service.

The Starlight had overtaken us somewhere along the line as we picked up passengers for the intermediate stations to Santa Barbara at SLO. We eventually got to Grover Beach 75 minutes late and by now it was already dark so our first view of the Pacific (not counting the bits in the distance we saw from the Bay) would have to wait for the morning.

Grover Beach is a super little town of about 12,000 people, about 13 miles and one stop down the line from San Luis Obispo as you head towards Santa Barbara and LAX. The Coast Starlight doesn't stop here, but there is one daily return trip by Pacific Surfliner which seems very popular for a small town (I counted 38 and 34 getting on at Grover on the two trips down that I took and 33 getting off on my one northbound leg), as well as several Amtrak buses to connect with both the Surfliners at Santa Barbara and the Stockton-Bakersfield line at Hanford. Talking to a couple of local volunteers at the station, they were excited that there may be a second train coming in the next couple of years (presumably the "Coast Daylight" that I've seen mentioned on this site). As for the town itself, it is an easy going, laid back friendly little place with a good selection of shops and restauants. It lives in the shadow of it's smaller but more famous neighbour, Pismo Beach, which is only just over a mile away (they even voted to change the name from Grover City to Grover Beach back in the 80's to try and attract more tourists). If you are heading this way, bear in mind that the hotels and motels in Grover are much cheaper than Pismo, and you are far more convenient for Amtrak (Greyhound comes into neither, stopping about two miles away near the Interstate in Arroyo Grande four times each way per day).

Again, five days passed in a flash. Pismo Beach, superb sunsets, Clam Chowder in the Splash Cafe, Harry's Bar (amazing - a bar full of people and smoking not allowed!!) and Fin's Restaurant were soon confined to memory. We went to Santa Barbara for the day on the Surfliner, perfectly on time both ways, although we were now acclimatised to Pacific Time and getting up at 6.00am for the only train of the day was a bit of a shock to the system.

On the way down we saw the sneakiest, hungriest, most sly looking coyote you've ever seen in your life glaring at the train.
All he needed was a box with "Acme Roadrunner Trap" written on the side and
he would have been Wile E.'s double. We half expected to see him shoot past the train on rocket-powered roller skates and slam into the rocks or fling himself from a giant catapult straight over the edge of the cliff.....

I got the impression that you need some serious money to be able to live in Santa Barbara, if only from the number of yachts in the crystal clear harbour, complete with rays and even an octopus. We had lunch on Stern's Wharf, took the Trolley Bus tour around the town, looked around the mission and it was all too soon that we had to get the evening train back. I would have to rate Santa Barbara as one of the most beautiful places in the world. We could have stayed there for ever, but the adventure was coming to an end. For TC it was her last sunset over the Pacific as the following morning I took her to the airport at SLO for her flight to SFO and the long journey home to Europe, leaving me to reflect on two of the best weeks of my life. I spent one more full day in Grover Beach, before taking the early morning Surfliner to LAX and the flight home, complete with over 200 photos and memories of a wonderful country that will last a lifetime.

So that was my first trip to the States and my first trip on Amtrak and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I actually went back to America in September - completely out of the blue I had to go to Los Angeles with my work at just four days notice, so I tagged on a few days vacation, but it wasn't long enough to take on a long distance rail trip (and not withstanding what the first holiday had cost - a second major trip in the same year would have done the bank balance no good whatsoever!).

I will definitely do another long distance rail trip (assuming that Senator McCain doesn't shut them down now he's taking over the transportation committee! Is he against passenger rail "period" or is he just anti-Amtrak?)

I have two routes in mind - the SouthWest Chief from Chicago to the appropriately named "Williams Junction" for the Grand Canyon, or the Texas Eagle/Sunset from Dallas or Houston to LAX, either in early May or, more likely, next September.

I cannot finish without thanking all the contributors to this website as I gleaned so much info about Amtrak and train travel from you folks that I could never have got from a guidebook.

Again, thanks for everything, and Goodbye.

Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :

It's interesting reading a fellow Brit's viewpoint on Amtrak. Yes, most people were slightly agog at me spending days on one train, but I've already convinced one friend to try them - the Cardinal last year - and he enjoyed it, so it can't be that bad! (Although he was a railfan).

Geoff M.

Posted by MPALMER (Member # 125) on :

Mr. Williams,

Thanks for posting the rest of the story. You sure have the right "go with the flow" approach to travel...

As for your question about Sen. McCain, I think he is opposed to the Amtrak structure and not rail travel itself.

M Palmer

Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :

Mr. Williams:
I highly recommend the Williams Junction trip, instead of the Houston to LA trip.
(Done both, and I'm a native Houstonian)

Everyone needs to see the Grand Canyon at least once in their lifetime. Truly an awesome experience.

Houston to LA is mostly high desert west of San Antonio, which has its own beauty, but it is no comparison to that "really big ditch" in Arizona.

Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :

Thanks everybody - Grand Canyon it is, then! Is there any great advantage/disadvantage with staying in Williams as compared to Flagstaff?

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

Mr. W, thanks again for the final chapter of your story. And while I don't want to discourage you from visiting the Grand Canyon, do consider a visit to the Monterey Peninsula. I'm biased, of course, but I think our little corner of the world is the most beautiful spot in America. (see http://hometown.aol.com/toylandmry/index.htm )I should add that a number of your countrymen have settled here. It's THAT good.

The Coast Starlight stops in Salinas (John Steinbeck country) just 20 miles away.

------------------
Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :

I won't rule it out, Mr Toy. If I do get there I'd probably be coming north from LAX. Is there a connecting bus or an Amtrak throughway from Salinas? It'll have to be good to beat Santa Barbara, though!

Posted by Cthetrains (Member # 2148) on :

In reguards to the mention of a station in Boise, Idaho...Yes, it does exist, or did, I mean.. Amtrak had a regular stop there at one time, I believe

Posted by Ken V (Member # 1466) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Cthetrains:
In reguards to the mention of a station in Boise, Idaho...Yes, it does exist, or did, I mean.. Amtrak had a regular stop there at one time, I believe

Yes, Boise was on the route of the Pioneer. I once boarded a bus there (Jun '85) to reach that train when UP was rebuilding the bridge immediately west of the Boise Amtrak station.

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mr williams:
I won't rule it out, Mr Toy. If I do get there I'd probably be coming north from LAX. Is there a connecting bus or an Amtrak throughway from Salinas? It'll have to be good to beat Santa Barbara, though!

Yes, there is an Amtrak Throughway bus from Salinas. It's about a 30 to 60 minute ride depending on where you get off. There are four stops in Monterey and one in Carmel. The little bus is kinda bouncy, though.

And Yes, the Monterey Peninsula beats Santa Barbara. No doubt about it. Our area has a more diverse culture and we are blessed with spectacular natural beauty.

But if there was no Monterey, I'd probably live in Santa Barbara.

Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mr williams:
Thanks everybody - Grand Canyon it is, then! Is there any great advantage/disadvantage with staying in Williams as compared to Flagstaff?

Williams is where you catch the train to the Grand Canyon(www.grandcanyonrailway.com)-great website!. Flagstaff has bus service to the Grand Canyon and Williams. If you have an Amtrak National Timetable all these connections are detailed. Times are convenient.
Flagstaff has a very nice full service station: checked baggage, shuttles to motels, and Hertz will be at the depot for you if you rent a car from them, no matter how late the train is. The depot is right downtown on the old route 66. Both locations are in scenic tall pine country.
Williams has a short shuttle from the Amtrak stop, Williams Jct, into Williams.
You will find a large number of inexpensive motels in Flagstaff, the downtown area has a lively nightlife, and can be toured on foot from the depot. I can't tell you much about Williams as I have never been there. As many have said, the Grand Canyon is awesome.

Posted by pool (Member # 2165) on :

Mr williams i very much enjoyed your story. You could be a writer. I have one recomendation about the Grand Canyon and that is to allow yourself enough time to hike to the bottom. You need two days for the roundtrip unless you want to run. I think there are cabins on the bottom where you can sleep. It's one of the best things I've ever done.

Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :

Thanks for all your suggestions - I don't know about hiking my 230 pounds to the bottom of the Canyon, though, it seems like a long way down...and even further back up!
The main bug bear is still that Phoenix is the nearest international airport but there's no Amtrak link (although probably a bus?), and if I come via LAX the South-West chief arrives/departs at Flagstaff either very early or very late, but we'll sort something out.

Posted by CG96 (Member # 1408) on :

I enjoyed reading your story about riding in the U.S. I think that sometimes it's god to learn about how others percieve our country. Someday, I'll have the opportunity to travel to Europe, which will give me the chance to find out for myself what rail travel is like on that side of the pond. I just returned from Thailand, however, I didn't really have the opportunity to ride the rails there. Anyways, I enjoyed reading about your rail trip. Please continue to post, when you have the chance.

Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :

CG96, don't believe all the stories the media might have you believe about the quality of the European rail network! Having been on two trips (from the UK) in the last 8 months, I've noticed these things:

- The TGV lines in France are very smooth and, well, high speed
- The lesser main lines in France are in a fat worse state, certainly no better than the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, DC.
- TGVs tend to be nearly on time
- But they are given generous station dwell times, ie lots of recovery time
- TGVs are far more expensive. I took a TGV to Le Mans and back from Paris, which cost 60 Euros. By taking the local train it would've cost 43 Euros.
- Looking at the advertised statistics in Paris, the local trains only achieved on-time punctiality of 89% in the last 12 months. The British average, while not good, is something like 87% overall - and the media slates UK travel while exhalting the French!

The 3rd worst delay I have ever experienced was on Eurostar - 3.5 hours spent sitting under Shakespear Cliff (Dover, UK) in the Channel Tunnel. Not even a grade crossing fataility while on the California Zephyr last year delayed us by that much!

Ah, the realities of life without newspapers!

Geoff M.

Posted by kenchappell (Member # 2245) on :

Just read the account of your journey on the Zephyr. It looks like the bug has bitten you the same way as it has me. Travelling by rail in the USA still seems to have that element of adventure (albeit in relative comfort).

2 years ago I travelled coast to coast and back again - eastbound Zephyr and Capitol Ltd, westbound LakeShore Ltd and Southwest Chief and finally northbound Coast Starlight.

Later this year I'm back again - eastbound Cardinal, westbound Three Rivers and Zephyr then finally the eastbound Empire Builder.

I don't have the ability to write a travelogue such as yours but will look forward to reading about your trip to the Grand Canyon should you get there (it is awesome).

From your description of your location in the UK I believe you and I must live fairly close to each other - GB has plenty to offer but its the scale and diversity of the USA that makes it so different.

Posted by CG96 (Member # 1408) on :

Looks like we have some real enthusiasts here. When you finally decide to come over to this side of the big pond, be sure to post your trips. I will make every effort to get over to the UK in the future, and post my trips as well - keeping in mind the caveat from geoffm (Thank you, Geoff).

Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :

I'll probably be back over towards the end of the summer, and there's a surprise winner in the "which route will I take" contest. It looks as if it's going to be St Louis - LAX via San Antonio on the Texas Eagle and Sunset Ltd...assuming they're still running, of course. The Grand Canyon is very much in my sights, but not this year. It's just not practical to combine it with a train journey as there's no link from Phoenix (yes, I know I could go Maricopa - LAX - Flagstaff but that's a non-starter!!).

Posted by Cthetrains (Member # 2148) on :

CG96, I don't know about enthusiasm, but if we published this thing, we'd make a fortune...and it's great reading..

------------------
Cory (o:}=

Posted by SteveD (Member # 43) on :

quote:
Originally posted by trainman1:
Yes, the Pioneer used to split off from the California Zephyr in Denver, and run as described to Portland, Oregon, and then up to Seattle.

Actually, the Pioneer split off at Salt Lake City, where the Desert Wind also split off for Southern California.
I'm definitely enjoying Wms' view of USA and Amtrak travel accross it!

Posted by ChrisJ (Member # 320) on :

Actually, both are correct. In the timeframe of 1991 (I have an old Amtrak Travel Planner from 1991), the Pioneer split off at Salt Lake City, but in later years the split ocurred at Denver. In Henry Kisor's book "Zephyr" (published 1994) he describes it, and it was Denver.