OK i have one question.....2 weeks ago i took my first train trip from Tampa to Fayetteville. Now everyone ive talked to have said there train rides were smooth experiences....well mine was not. I felt like i was riding in a car over huge potholes for twelve hours. Never in my life did i think a train ride would be that rough. I was unable to listen to my CD player because it was skipping so much. My question is, is every ride like that or was it the fact the train was old, bad track maintence or what. I really don't see how people can enjoy riding on trains if every experience is like the one i had. Any input would be great because i really don't want to rule out ever traveling on a train again, thanks, becky
Posted by jimmymac (Member # 1182) on :
I haave been on that route from West Palm Beach to Philadelphia. The ride is very bumpy between Orlando and South Carolina. It is the worst track I think in all of Amtrak's routes. Other routes are better.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Ms. Becky--
Would you be willing to share with the Forum which class of service, Coach or Sleeper, you used and approximately what was your seat/room number. The latter point bears greatly on the ride quality you experienced?
Also, how about cutting us a little slack; obviously we are not exactly "Murdoch Mouthpieces" around here (O'Reilley, NYPost), as we overwhelmingly like trains. But be assured we read Amtrak criticism, and attempt to advise (but not directly assist) those with less than favorable experiences.
However, be mindful that this is an unofficial non-commercial site that is not affiliated or connected with Amtrak in any way.
[This message has been edited by Gilbert B Norman (edited 07-14-2002).]
Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
Gilbert,
Care to bet on a silver dollar sized flat wheel???
Once upon a time, during college, I was on the Coast Daylight (when M-W-F-S ran the daylight and T-T-S ran the Starlight).
We had a 1950 SP P-S diner.
Bloody thing had a flat wheel.
Becky describes quite accurately the cars ride and noise.
John
------------------ The City of Saint Louis (UP, 1967) is still my standard for passenger operations
Posted by Mart (Member # 1615) on :
I don't know,the ride seems to be smooth most of the time. I noticed it gets very bumpy/rough is when going over tracks that that cross over/intersect one another,switches and probaly some bridges(conditions of equipment and tracks might effect this as well).
[This message has been edited by Mart (edited 07-15-2002).]
Posted by snozbery (Member # 1722) on :
My reply here is to Gilbert..... i was riding in the the middle of the train in the very back of the car. Not sure of my seat number.....also i was in coach. Oh yes im not trying to give you any slack..excuse me if my curiousity about my experience was offensive to you.
Posted by sideout1961 (Member # 1297) on :
Way to go snozbery! I don't care for his attitude either. He seem to be rude an awfull lot on these forums.
Posted by Silver Star (Member # 1570) on :
The old ACL main line IS horrible. It used to be a great line but has been beaten up by freight trains and is apparently not being kept up. I always find my trips on the Silver Star much smoother through the Carolinas. On one recent trip via the Charleston route on the Silver Meteor, I was tossed all over the place trying to take a shower and I am experienced at that. It IS the fault of the rails on that line.
Posted by Mart (Member # 1615) on :
If your refering to the swaying of the train being rough, that's what trains do while in motion. Sometimes it's gentle and sometimes it's not(depends on the track I guess). As for it being bumpy(refering to the pothole thing)that doesn't occur a lot on trains unless, going over certain parts/types of track or a line that's not in 'smooth condition'.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Silver Star's comments regarding the difference in ride quality experienced over the SAL and ACL are quite interesting.
On a Feb-01 Auto Train trip (via ACL), at times the lateral motion was so severe that I woke up several times, certain we had "spilled'. I simply dismissed it to occupying Standard Room 10 where being over the wheels, one must be prepared to accept "more bounce to the ounce".
A Feb-02 ride on the Star (via SAL), albeit in Std Room 4, was "smooth as silk'.
By the way, Ms. Becky, this is why I was asking where you were located in your car.
[This message has been edited by Gilbert B Norman (edited 07-16-2002).]
Posted by CHATTER (Member # 1185) on :
>>On a Feb-01 Auto Train trip, a times I thought the lateral motion was so severe that I woke up several times, certain we had "spilled'.<<
I myself wake up frequently (in sleeper)during the night, despite having taken a sleeping pill, as I am a light sleeper. Over the years I found out that this is common and, like those who claim that the train speeds excessively during the night, I found that this is largely due to the darkness and the inability of one's equilibrium to get a visual point of reference. The result is that one feels like the speed and/or swaying motion are much worse than they are. With fewer stops at night, the train is more likely to go faster, but nothing that could be called "speeding."
Posted by atsf3751 (Member # 1538) on :
I've also noticed that the tracks are noticeably worse in certain locations. Having ridden the Coast Starlight several times, I've noticed that the track between Salinas and San Jose is horrible - on one trip even one of the crewmembers lost her balance, yet in other places it's quite smooth. I think the area between Salinas and San Jose is mostly jointed rail, which explains a lot.
Riding the Surfliner from L.A. to San Diego is a VERY smooth ride through the whole trip, even at 90mph, so I would say track has a lot to do with it.
I suppose it probably also has a lot to do with how well the railroad maintains their tracks. I once had the privilege of riding a BNSF business train between Barstow and San Bernardino, a line which sees over 100 freights a day, and that track was incredibly smooth, yet UP's (SP) Coast Line has pretty rough track for the few trains it sees.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Pullman asked if it might have been a flat wheel. Question for Becky, did you experience the same ride quality in the diner and lounge, or just your assigned car?
If it was in every car, it was probably bad track. If it it was in one car, it was probably a bad wheel or something.
Of course, trains do rock side to side, especially Superliners. The sway is in each direction is around 1-4 inches, depending on the track. Significant up and down motion is rare in my experience, but the Pacific Parlor car was kinda bouncy on my last trip.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
[This message has been edited by Mr. Toy (edited 07-16-2002).]
Posted by snozbery (Member # 1722) on :
Reply to Mr. Toy... lets just say i never got out of my seat unless the train was stopped so i never got the chance to experience the ride quality in any of the other cars.