Regarding Spain, I will recuse from any judgement; suffice to say, my experiences on the RENFE some 12 years ago were abysmal

Now regarding a comparasion between Amtrak and VIA, there is simply no comparasion.

Considering East-West (transcontinental) services, out of a potential six Mississippi River-West Coast routings, Amtrak offers Daily service over three and Tri-Weekly over a fourth. VIA by comparasion offers Tri-Weekly service over one of a potential two.

Further Amtrak trains have been completely reequipped, VIA still makes do with now fifty year old "hand me downs", the "new" off the shelf European equipment they purchased would not even be accepted by a US carrier if it were to be proffered in interchange.

Regarding any comparasion between their Quebec-Windsor "Corridor" and ours, is less than a comparasion than with the long distance services. Here, Amtrak owns and operates a real railroad, where does VIA do same (I understand a few bits and pieces about)?

While apparently VIA does make a commendable effort to keep their aging equipment clean and in a roadworthy state of repair, as well as provide a "consistent" on-board service product, comparasion is still "apples and oranges". Likely, the most essential thing done by VIA is to provide transportation to locations that simply have NO alternatives whatever. Amtrak of course provides transportation in the Northeast without which, severe economic impact would occur.

So for those of us 'below the 49th", let's stop for a moment and count our blessings that, however imperfect it may be, we got what we got. After all, the US could be Mexice where, for all intent and purpose, the passenger train is extinct.

But I guess it is always be fun to dream what could be if "we the people" were prepared to direct the same portion of our Gross National Product to passenger rail as any of the nations noted by Mr Railbug presently do.

It was an old train, with compartments as well as open coach seating. But the train was packed and it smelled so badly that I initially decide to traverse the entire country between cars. The departure of the train was delayed for three hours because somebody had been murdered right before it was scheduled to leave.

I was beginning to think that perhaps it was a mistake to take the train to Greece when I was approached by a young man who said he would give me a seat in his compartment if I agreed to carry a package into Yugolavia. What was in the package, I asked. Blue jeans for my grandmother, he said. I agreed to his terms.

When the train finally left Triesta and entered Yugolavia, all the passengers were instructed to get off at the border. It was bitterly cold and night was closing in on us when we were approached by border guards wearing long black leather jackets who took all our passports and proceeded to interogate us individually. They asked the usual questions and when they wanted to know what was in the bag that had been entrusted to me I replied, "blue jeans, for my grandmother." That seemed to satisfy their curiosity and they moved on.

The border guards had us wait outside the train for a good half hour before they finally returned with our passports and we were allowed back into the train. I went back into the crowded train and found the fellow who had given me the blue jeans and he welcome me into his compartment. I remember a heavily varnished, wooden panelled room with seats that opened up to lay flat.

No sooner had I removed my backpack and given them their bluejeans then I was made to feel very welcome. A "wodka" bottle was thrust into my hand as well as a huge chunk of bacon. The young man and his comrads entertained me throughout the night and into the next day with their companionship, their food, their songs and their liquor.

As for Via's 50-year-old ageing equipment, most of these Budd-built transcontinental cars are in excellent shape, having been rebuilt in the early 1990s. There are problems with the windows in some of the domes, and some "cosmetic" work needs to be done in some sleeping car interiors, but the cars ride well and the heating and air conditioning generally work well. These sleeping cars offer economical upper and lower berths and reasonably-priced roomettes (with sink and toilet) for single travellers, as well as larger rooms.

As for the Renaissance trains, many US and Canadian railfans will reject them outright because they are "foreign." I have taken four trips in sleepers and three day trips on these trains and I can say there is much to recommend about them. To be sure, there are many things I don't like about them, but I suggest there are many critics who have never even seen one, let alone ridden one, who might have a more balanced opinion if they approached the subject with an open mind.

Aren't you too exagerating a bit? Exactly what planet to do you hail from?

Every time I get on either the Southwest Chief or the Coast Starlight, I have an enormous amount of trouble getting a seat to myself. The coaches are packed to the gills and the dining car is in such demand that I have resigned myself to waiting until the last seating lest they throw me out before I have properly finished my meal.

Thirty people on the Coast Starlight? Where do you dream up these numbers? Did you learn how to count where you learned how to spell? Give me a break!

And Sutton, I like you a lot but where on earth did you come up with that 99 percent figure? When you figure in all the Amish people who take the train for philosophical reasons, when you figure in handicapped people who find the train a more humane means of travel, when you take in people like myself who are 1) terrified of flying and 2) unable to fly because of an ear condition, then I think you will find that percent imaginative, to say the least.

The harsh reality is that sometimes Mr. Taxpayer is going to have to pay for something he doesn't necessarily choose to use. For example, I don't have kids but I still have to pay for the education of your kids. I'm not a senior citizen, but I still have to provide for the elderly. I didn't polute the Hudson River with PCBs, but I still have to contribute to its cleanup.

Why oh why are you gentlemen so determined to deprive me of the one itsy-bitsy thing that I enjoy from the tax dollars that I pay?

Not so simple. And Chucky is quite correct—the LD trains that do run are almost to the point of being SRO. It is quite easy to state that "too few people take trains" in the USA, especially when there are too few trains running for them to take. A real Catch-22, yes…?

The harsh reality is that sometimes Mr. Taxpayer is going to have to pay for something he doesn't necessarily choose to use

Just appending all the highways in this country that I, yourself and others will never drive on to your brief list…not to mention all the airports that we will never fly to/from also…

Like in any fine restaurant, the headwaiter (or whatever he is called on a train) will attempt, hopefully in a tactful manner, to get you to relinquish your seat when it looks like you are done eating. Since reservations are scheduled every half hour and the dining room is very popular, it is imperative that people eat in a timely fashion.

Since I like to eat in a leisurely fashion, I typically schedule my dinner in the last slot. This way they let me stay as long as I want.

As far as food prices are concerned, considering its quality and presentation, I find the prices to be quite fair, particularly for breakfast and lunch. Dinner can be a little pricey but all things considered, it's probably worth the expense.

One lovely alternative to dinner in the diner is a pizza in the cafe car (at least on the Southwest Chief). I was absolutely amazed to discover that the cheese pizza contained absolutely no preservatives, food colorings or other non-essentials. Furthermore, the pizza did not come back "to haunt me" after the fact. I hope they still stock that microwaveable gem.

As far as that figure of 30 people that keep coming up: As you know the cool thing about trains is that people have a way of climbing aboard and then getting off the train at various times. Perhaps at one point in your trip there were 30 people. Perhaps you were travelling on Christmas Day. I don't know what the deal is, but the number you persist in bringing before this forum is unusually low and certainly not within the realm of my experience.

Also, bear in mind that the Coast Starlight "competes" against the Surfliner for passengers, at least from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo. The Surfliner runs 12 times a day (I think) and that train, with its ultra-modern, ergonomic seating, clean bathrooms and stairways that make sense, attracts a lot of passengers.

If memory serves me correctly, your destination was at the end of the line and there may very well have been 30 people on the train at that point. But that is, afterall the magic of train travel, people can get on and off the train, thus skewing any reasonable attempt to make sense of it all.

I am amased about the Dining car, that they kick you out..If you don't have meal vouchers from a sleeper the dining car is more expensive then a NICE restarunt. But, the Cafe/Snack (lounge) car does have good snacks, but I couldnt stand there microwave cheeseburgers, I look forward to trying the pizza though.

Even within a single country, European trains can range from 21st century modern to absolutely abysmal. The worst make the average Amfleet coach seem luxurious.

With that said, I once took an overnight rail trip, south along the Nile Valley, in an Egyptian sleeping car.