On my first experience on the "new" Coast Starlight (in 1998):

1) the door to my room would not close;
2) the Parlour car was about 120 degrees F, and no one could stand to sit in it;
3) because the Parlour car was so hot, I went to the Sightseer Lounge, and no one told me about the wine party (which was held in the diner)

See my 1998 travelogue at another location on Train Web!

I will be riding the Starlight from LAX to SEA next month on my vacation trip.

Before Amtrak, there was no single train between LA and Seattle. One had to ride three different trains, the Coast Daylight from LA to SF, the Shasta Daylight from SF to Portland, and a third (I don't recall the name) from Portland to Seattle.

In the 1960s, Southern Pacific was doing everything it could to drive passengers away. Dining cars were eliminated, and overall service was sloppy.

When Amtrak took over it combined the three routes into one, and Amtrak's service, while far from perfect, was vastly better than what SP offered. As a result, ridership soared after Amtrak took over, and in the 1970s it was the most heavily traveled train in Amtrak's system. Those were the years when I was a regular, and it was a happenin' train! It was also very cheap compared to airfares of the day, which helped it attract business.

In later years, however, cheap airfares took hold on the west coast, and ridership on the Starlight declined significantly. The luxurious amenities, including the parlor car, were added to lure passengers back. It was a business decision. Evidently it worked, for it is still one of Amtrak's most popular trains.

I seem to recall hearing that the Empire Builder also had a Parlor Car for awhile, or was I misinformed? I think the goal was to get something like that on every train eventually, but money problems prohibited it.

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

I should add to my previous post that in the 1970s, the Starlight tended to be a little late all of the time, but never was its timekeeping anywhere near as bad as it is these days.

BTW, does anoyone know where I might find timetables from the '70s Starlight? I'd like to compare schedules then and now. I remember #14 arrived in Oakland and Salem a couple hours earlier than it does now.

In the '70s it also traveled a different route through the Sacramento Valley. Sacramento was not on the route, only Davis. It also stopped in Orland, along the Interstate 5 corridor instead of Chico.

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

The irony is though, that if it is late, you go through the Mt Shasta area in daytime, which is breath taking.

quote:

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Originally posted by RRRICH:
I probably have some old 70's Coast Starlight timetables, since I have been collecting them for years -- I'll have to hunt through my junk boxes, but I'll let you know.

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That would be great if you can find them. If you find them would you be able to scan one and e-mail it to me?

I do recall that #14 almost never hit Klamath Falls before sunrise. Usually it was just starting to get light. Then we's see the first morning sunbeams lighting up the peaks on the far side of Klamath Lake. In the winter was especially beautiful.

When I took the Starlight last year for the first time since 1984, I was stunned to see Lake Shasta out my window at sunrise. But it was fantastic to finally see the upper Sacramento River in daylight. I soaked up every inch of that scene. I'd always seen it from the freeway before, and it doesn't compare.

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

BTW, you can also get an address by clicking on the e-mail icon above a person's post.

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