# what is the ride like??



## Guest_joe (Feb 22, 2006)

i am taking my first trim from florida to dc and wanted to know what the ride was like..i am really freaked out about flying and am a little nervous about the train ride..i have ridden the metro around dc many times but just want to get a idea of what i am in store for..

thanks for any info

joe


----------



## Guest_Gingee (Feb 22, 2006)

We took our first long distance train ride last summer from Indy to NYC. We had a good time. I hate flying also.


----------



## RailFanNebraska (Feb 22, 2006)

if you are in the back of the train, the ride will be alot smoother, if you up near the engine, you could be alittle rough, depends on the track, crosswinds, and how fast you are going. it can get pretty bumpy though, if it does, you get use to it. there is no better way to travel than Amtrak in my opinion ... even if the trains are 20 years old lol


----------



## GG-1 (Feb 23, 2006)

Guest_Gingee said:


> We took our first long distance train ride last summer from Indy to NYC. We had a good time. I hate flying also.


Aloha

While I dont hate flying I much prefer the train! My first LD train and sleeper was from Miamt to Washington DC. now I am over 12,576 miles.

Enjoy


----------



## Sam Damon (Feb 23, 2006)

Guest_joe said:


> i am taking my first trim from florida to dc and wanted to know what the ride was like..i am really freaked out about flying and am a little nervous about the train ride..i have ridden the metro around dc many times but just want to get a idea of what i am in store for..thanks for any info
> 
> joe


Much depends upon whose tracks you're riding upon. Even so, I think you'll find riding Amtrak smoother than the Washington DC Metro.

Can't speak to the CSX tracks south of WAS, mind you. Amtrak passenger cars these days, are for the most part smooth riding indeed. I would have to classify the Superliner cars as the best-riding railroad passenger cars I've ever ridden, and that includes time spent in the 1980's riding DB.

Amfleet cars, especially on the welded rail so prevalent today, ride very smooth also well. Not quite as smooth as the Superliners IMO, but they're pretty good indeed. I've never had the scratch to ride a Viewliner sleeper, so I can't speak to them.

One last thing: do not worry about the timekeeping. Odds are quite good you will experience some delay. Enjoy the ride on the train. Drop back in here when you're done with your trip and post a trip report in the "Trip Reports" forum so we can learn what's going on with Amtrak in that neck of the woods.


----------



## Bill Haithcoat (Feb 23, 2006)

Your specific question is about ride quality.I have nothing new to add to that.

Just want to say that the train can be a very enjoyable experience, you can sort of tune the world off, let the scenery go by.

Go to the diner, often seated with strangers and sometimes have good conversations. Go to the lounge car.

You can hear what is going on on the train.

You will probably find a certain ambience, just relax and enjoy. You will be seeing what is on the ground, what really exists BETWEEN "here" and "there". Something that gets forgotten in this jet age.


----------



## jamesontheroad (Feb 23, 2006)

Bill has it spot on... you might detect a few bumps, but you probably won't notice because you'll be too busy looking out of the window and meeting new people in the lounge or diner. I've had far worse turbulence on planes than on N. American trains and I think I know which one gives me the heebies more.

As for the Washington DC Metro - that's way off my patch. I'm stuck with Montréal's rubber tyred métro every day (tyres for smooth ride? tyres for a bouncy ride more like...)

*j* :blink:


----------



## Guest_joe (Feb 23, 2006)

great..thanks for the info guys!!! will my bag be safe if i go exploring the train?

i have a marlboro duffel bag that is bright red...or should i not go far from it?

thakns again

joe


----------



## AmtrakWPK (Feb 23, 2006)

You will have areas of very smooth track and you will have areas of very rough track where you get yanked around some from side to side. The suspension of the car you end up on will have something to do with that too, possibly - we've been on some with quite harsh rides, but only very infrequently. Amtrak doesn't own the tracks, and is at the mercy of the freight railroads in that respect. But I don't think I've ever felt that we were in any danger of being derailed. More of a "MAN, that was some pothole we just drove over!!" kind of feeling that you might have while driving in your car. Kind of like the up-and-downdrafts you sometimes feel while flying. It's never been rough enough to do more than maybe slosh a little coffee out of my cup in the diner.

Bottom line - basically a more comfortable ride than when driving down a rough road, and a heck of a lot more fun than flying OR driving. You are usually travelling faster than you think you are, because of the size of the "vehicle" you're in, and if you consider that you are frequently running down the rails at nearly 80 mph, the ride is really pretty decent.


----------



## Guest_Gingee (Feb 23, 2006)

I think your bag is safe. I wouldn't leave anything expensive in it though. I think after you have been on the train for a while, people know who is sitting in what seat.


----------

