# Travelogue of Amtrak trip April and May 2005 – Fro



## Shinkansen1966 (May 5, 2005)

We’ve just returned from a two week holiday in the US, using the USA Rail Pass. This pass is available to us, as non-US citizens, allowing 15 days’ unlimited travel on Amtrak for $295.

We flew from London to New York City, and then took a circular rail trip via Washington DC, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Chicago, returning to NYC before flying home to England.

We had a few days in NYC. As this was our first visit there, it was great opportunity to sample the Subway. We found the system pretty confusing: some of the trains appeared to be running on different lines from the one shown on the Subway map; trains stopped at the wrong stops, and station signage was convoluted, lacking the clarity of the London Underground. I put this down to weekend construction work, as during the working week we found the service corresponded to the actual Subway map. After a few days I did get the hang of interpreting the station signage. So in the end, it actually became a lot of fun travelling on the Subway!

After three days in NYC, we took the train to Washington DC along the North East Corridor. The Acela Express had just been suspended. Although our passes were not valid on the Acela, when we lined up for the ‘Regional train 95’ to Washington DC, I overheard the conversations of several disgruntled passengers whose plans had been disrupted, and the Regional train was completely full. I’m guessing this was due to the cancelled Acela trains and the corresponding reduction in the overall numbers trains running on the NEC. The train was inexplicably delayed in NYC Penn Station for 25 minutes. Delays without explanation turned out to be a running theme of the trip. What also surprised us was that generally, none of our fellow passengers seemed that bothered!

There was a nice variety of scenery along the NEC though some of the stations appeared to us to be pretty dilapidated. We were alarmed by the occasional violent sideways jolts of the train as it travelled at speed across switches. None of the other passengers were troubled though!! The platform and track of Washington DC station were run down, but the station interior was fantastic!

We then took the Crescent to New Orleans, travelling in roomettes. These were small but adequate, though having toilets in the rooms rather than at the ends of the cars was odd. The staff were friendly, with the sleeper car attendant giving us an enthusiastic hand shake!! Looking back now, we thought the food on the Crescent was the best. During the night, the train was delayed by 5 hours, without explanation or apology. We didn’t make up the time and arrived into New Orleans at one o’clock in the morning. Still, crossing Lake Pontchrachain by night was an eerie and interesting experience. Overall, the trip was quite scenic with most of the day spent going past rural settlements and endless forests. We were quite surprised by the size of Atlanta station: there are bigger stations here in the UK serving little rural towns!

After two nights in New Orleans, we boarded the Sunset Ltd. for LA. This time we had a full-scale bedroom, which was excellent and great for the two-night trip. The dining staff seemed to run the dining car as their own little empire. There was a nice variety of scenery, and the trip across the New Mexican desert was made particularly memorable by fantastic lightning. We were surprised by the train passing within feet of the Mexican border! Our train rolled into LA 90 minutes late, which I think is pretty punctual by the standards of the Sunset!

After LA, we were off to Chicago on the South West Chief and took roomette accommodation. Again, there was a nice variety of scenery with the trip across the Raton pass being a favourite. We were disappointed with the food on board, though the dining car steward was pretty funny. We spent two hours at Albuquerque station as there was an elaborate effort to shunt the train and remove the transition sleeper and lounge car from the train consist. I couldn’t help noticing some staff were a bit concerned about the sleeping arrangements. We arrived in Chicago just over an hour late.

Finally, we travelled on the Lake Shore Limited back to NYC and decided to sample coach class. I was extremely impressed with overall comfort of these cars: there was plenty of leg room, welcome leg rests and the seats reclined a fair bit. The last few hours travelling down the Hudson Valley were very scenic.

Overall, it’s pretty obvious the Amtrak needs money: some of stations are scruffy and dilapidated and some of the rolling stock could do with being spruced up. That said, overall the staff are friendly and enthusiastic; the food wasn’t too bad at all and train is an excellent and relaxing way for us Europeans to get an idea of the size and variety of the US. There were a few surprises for us: the quality of ride was sometimes alarmingly bad; stations had grade crossings running through the middle of them, and there was a high volume of freight running on the rails.

Great trip and highly recommended.


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## Bill Haithcoat (May 5, 2005)

Glad you had over all a good trip around the U.S. It is particulary good that you were only 90 minutes late on the Sunset, it has huge problems with freight interference.

I wonder, too, about that five hour delay on the Crescent. Kind of unusual, esp. no explanation. Had it been 40 minutes late an hour, etc I would not necessarily have expected an explanation. But 5 hours? Yes! And the Crescent is a train which does a reasonably good job of running on time.

I live in Atlanta and can explain the small station. That is because it was orignally built to be merely a suburban stop. Back when Atlanta had two big downtown stations, the one now used was just a brief stop in the suburbs. And---there were a few others suburban stops scattered around up untitl the late 60's, or maybe even up until the advent of Amtrak in 1971.

As passenger travel got slimmer and slimmer in the states, the two big downtown Atlanta stations (and many stations in many other cities, for that matter) were no longer needed and were torn down.

As it worked out, the only passenger trains still operating through Atlanta happend to use that particular suburban stop anyway, so it was a simple matter to close the big stations and re-work the small station as the major one.

Since Atlanta only has two long distance trains a day, i.e. the Crescent in each direction, it is adequate. If you want to see something large in Atlanta, you might check out the airport some day. Nothing too small about that !


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## Shinkansen1966 (May 5, 2005)

The Crescent ground to a half about 2 hrs out of Washington DC. I went to bed about 11:30pm and it still hadn't moved. I was too tired to ask why but recall a couple of Amtrak staff with furrowed eyebrows and walkie-talkies! Still it was a great experience crossing Lake Pontchachrain under a full moon.

Thanks for the info about Atlanta and the airport! I once had to change planes at Hartfield airport when flying from Chicago back to London. It was only AFTER I ran as fast as I could from one terminal to the other via the shuttle train, did I appreciate just how big that airport is.


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## AlanB (May 5, 2005)

Thanks for a nice report and I'm glad you had a good time!


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## Bill Haithcoat (May 5, 2005)

You mention the interior of Washngton Union Station being fantastic. You can say that again!

It is of the one of the joys of U.S. railroading. The station itself, with its food court, restaurants of all kinds, shopping, movie theatre,all kinds of trains, commuter, subway and long distance, is a destination within itself.

There are guided tours of Washington which include the station as a tourist stop within itself, aside from the station as being a place to board. Not sure if you were aware of the Acela lounge, they have such at several stations in this country. A neat place with snacks, beverages, comfy chairs, clean restrooms, phones, etc for first class passngers to wait for their trains.

And while some of the interior is new, all of the exterior is the same gleaming white as the Capitol , the Supreme Court and various government buildings which are all around that area.

Too bad if you passed through Washington in the dark, because just south of the station you see most of the major U.S. monuments and landmarks one associates with DC.(or maybe your delay happened just after that passing?).

In any case from the relative comfort of a train window is an excellent opportunity to get a view of the U.S. and its size. My sister was in England last year and she said that was the best vacation of her life, and she's 69, so I guess that is saying something as well!


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## Shinkansen1966 (May 5, 2005)

Oh don't worry: as sleeping car passengers, we took a full advantage of the Washington DC Acela lounge, if only to catch up on our emails. We left Union Station at about 7:30pm, and so we could see the various monuments in all their glory. Crossing the Patomac was enjoyable, especially since there was a subway train crossing a parallel bridge at the same time!

The 'Crescent' delays occured about an hour or so into the journey. We shall never know why...

Glad you your sister enjoyed England. Where did she go?


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## Bill Haithcoat (May 5, 2005)

Good, good, good. Glad you got to experience DC as completely as you did.

A lot of people who live in this country have never seen as much as you have, either of DC or some other things as well, esp. traveling out west.

My sister's visit was a two week of tour of England, Scotland and Wales, she saw lots and lots of things.


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## Steve4031 (May 6, 2005)

Im glad you had a enjoyable trip. My first time I went to England in 1988, I went to Victoria station to get a timetable of the British rail system. I expected a complimentary booklet like Amtrak's national timetable. The agent said "3 pounds 50". I did the math and realized he was asking for about 7 dollars us. I was a little put off until he gave me a paper back book about the size of an encyclopedia. My mouth dropped open. Then he hand me about 4 smaller booklets which were supplements exlpaining schedule changes. As I walked away I thought, "Now this is a train schedule!!!!!"

I can understand your surprise with Atlanta. I was equally surprised with places like Salisbury, Cambridge, Crewe, etc. which were decent size town with almost constant passenger train action in their station. I enjoyed waiting for trains immensely in Britian.

I enjoyed an English breakfast in the diner from betweeng Glasgow and Crewe, as well as a fantastic dinner between Plymouth and London on an Intercity 125.

Overall, England was a great place to visit.


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## Shinkansen1966 (May 9, 2005)

Glad you like a travelling around Britain by train.

When you compare the UK and the US rail systems, it really is a numbers game. Here, on average each person takes the train about 20 time a year. In the US, I think about one person in ten takes the train each year. There are now 22,000 train run each day on our UK railway tracks carrying one billion passengers annually. That's why smaller town Cambridge and Salisbury do have a near constant train action!

I can imagine your reaction to the huge British railway timetable. It's a huge publication isn't it? And you see the German national railway timetable that's even bigger!

Sadly, I don't think catering on trains is quite is a good as it use to be. The best place now for anything approaching the kind of dining car catering we experienced on Amtrak is on routes from London to West and to the North East. A lot of food now is that modular airline style shrink wrapped stuff.


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## caravanman (May 28, 2005)

Hi, thanks for an interesting report. I am resident in the UK too, and enjoy Amtrak travel a lot. With your railpass, how did you book your sleeping accomodation? Did you just upgrade on each train, or how do you book in advance with a pass?

I have always booked a regular ticket with sleeper, but would welcome the opportunity to save cash!

Ed. B)


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