dadonatrain
Service Attendant
I love to ride trains. I’d ride Amtrak just for the sake of riding a train and watching the world go by out a train window. I don’t do it anywhere near as much as I’ve always wanted to, and I’m scared I’m running out of time. I’ve told my family if they bury me I want my epitaph to be “All things considered, I’d rather be on a train”.
But from the tone of some messages here, on trainorders.com, and elsewhere, it seems sometimes that riding Amtrak just isn’t much fun anymore. Late trains, dirty windows, mediocre food, yada yada yada.
I’m well aware that most of us railfans who think things are all hunky dory aren’t as likely to post msgs saying that as folks who had an unpleasant experience are. So the messages themselves aren’t a valid indicator of real conditions, I suppose.
So I’ll ask for opinions. I’m not asking you to bash Amtrak! I’m not asking you to bash me for how I feel about riding trains or why. I just wonder: all things considered with what Amtrak is doing these days, is it sensible at all to maybe just buy a USA pass and use it up riding up and down the east coast from SC where I live and back again for as many day train rides as I can squeeze out of it? Or is it just not that much fun any longer to just hop on a train and see where it goes?
But from the tone of some messages here, on trainorders.com, and elsewhere, it seems sometimes that riding Amtrak just isn’t much fun anymore. Late trains, dirty windows, mediocre food, yada yada yada.
I’m well aware that most of us railfans who think things are all hunky dory aren’t as likely to post msgs saying that as folks who had an unpleasant experience are. So the messages themselves aren’t a valid indicator of real conditions, I suppose.
So I’ll ask for opinions. I’m not asking you to bash Amtrak! I’m not asking you to bash me for how I feel about riding trains or why. I just wonder: all things considered with what Amtrak is doing these days, is it sensible at all to maybe just buy a USA pass and use it up riding up and down the east coast from SC where I live and back again for as many day train rides as I can squeeze out of it? Or is it just not that much fun any longer to just hop on a train and see where it goes?