Recent content by caravanman

I seem to drink more water than most folk, so I usually bring one of the large 1 gallon water bottles onto Amtrak for an overnight trip in coach. Bit heavy to carry, but so much better value than the smaller "sports" size bottles.

The UK has so much to thank Brexit for. :( There is a Eurostar "flash sale" on today, so I have bought my tickets for a jaunt to Paris next month. Happily, it's before the extra checks, which I can avoid anyway, by dint of my Irish passport. :cool:

Hot meals? Lie flat seats? What are these wonders that folk speak of? Us folk in steerage are quite safe, as we are so firmly wedged into our tiny seats, even without seatbelts! ;) :cool:

This video may be quite old, but if anyone needs a "fix" of diesel exhaust fumes, try this:

Plenty of Diesel Electric Alco derivatives working in India! :cool:

Is that popular American beer that we in the UK hear so much about available? Duff is the brand... ;) :cool:

Somehow I always think of Brie as being rather "mature", I can't quite cope with the thoughts of a young baby one... ;) :cool:

I think the engine is entirely separate and not accessible from the coaches on these type of trains? With reference to fumes, when travelling in India, a lot of trains have a diesel generator car even behind an electric loco, to power the A/C or heating. Fumes are nasty if you are in the next...

I have changed from one class of fare to another on the same train, it is not a problem. Please feel free to book a roomette for whichever part of the route you want to, you are the customer, go ahead! Do be aware that roomettes do sell out frequently, so I would not delay in booking that item...

Welcome to the group! Asking your questions is the way to get specific queries answered. I used the rail pass myself several times and found it good value. One thing to be aware of is the "segments" rule. A segment is used when you get on one train or thruway bus, and then alight. So for...

This is an unusual video, in that it shows a Jeb Brooks trip on the California Zephyr end to end, but using all 3 different options. Coach, roomette and sleeper are all reviewed in turn. It might be a good introduction to the whole Amtrak experience and options, for folk who want to know what to...

It is a few years since I was there, but I never felt there were safety issues in Emeryville? Certainly it is not much of an interesting destination. I love San Francisco, and as mentioned above, there is a lot to see, with bus, metro, tram and cable cars to get around. I can't offer any...

Once you are aboard your train in coach, you can simply ask the Amtrak train Conductor if any sleeper rooms are available, and take it from there. At one time, unsold sleeper rooms could be bought aboard the train from your Conductor at a reduced price, but as mentioned above, they are now sold...

It could be a "glitch" in the computer, or maybe only one coach seat on one of the trains was still available in the "lower bucket". Maybe run the booking test again on a slightly different day to see what that throws up?

I have done this type of thing in the past. More to save $ than because of non availability. I book a coach seat for the first part, then book a roomette and move to the roomette at the appropriate station. No need to contact customer services. The attendant let me move early each time, but of...