# Celebrities on Amtrak



## reving19 (Aug 13, 2011)

On my last Amtrak trip I was on the Crescent. The SCA had my lower bed turned down when I got on (it was a Viewliner Roomette), but I told him I always preferred the upper bunk and he set me up. During this, he said a lot of actors and actresses like to sleep in the upper bunk so they can study below. When my trip ended I asked him if he could tell which actors and actresses had been on board. He said none on the ride I was on, but Morgan Freeman had my room on the previous trip. (I know, a roomette, but that is what he said).

I was a little surprised that celebrities would ride Amtrak. Not because it is not comfortable or a great ride but because I figured there is a greater chance at being recognized, then harassed and so on. I bet most of them have their food delivered to their room.

So, does anyone have any celebrity/Amtrak stories they are willing to share?


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## Acela150 (Aug 14, 2011)

I can tell you that this past Thursday when I was at PHL I saw the Baltimore Ravens arriving at PHL for their Preseason Game. What a cool thing to see! I didn't realize it was them until I walked into the Faber book store to buy a lotto ticket and an Amtrak employee said to me "You see the Ravens come in on Stairway one"? My reply was "That's who that was"?


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## GG-1 (Aug 14, 2011)

reving19 said:


> So, does anyone have any celebrity/Amtrak stories they are willing to share?


Aloha

I know a number of celebrities that ride Amtrak, Some of them are here also.


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## guest (Aug 14, 2011)

I was in the same sleeping car a few months ago with John Amos (the dad from "Good Times" - looks younger now than he did then!), and have personally seen Kirstie Alley and Karen Black on the train...


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## Dovecote (Aug 14, 2011)

Burl Ives was in my car on a eastbound Empire Builder back in the 80's. We shared a quick hello at the coffee stand a few times on the way to the Chicago. Meryl Streep sat across from me on a southbound FC Acela to WAS. My wife and I had one five minute conservation with her but otherwise we respected her privacy. On another southbound FC Acela to WAS, U.S. congressman Charles Rangel and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn were traveling seperately in our car. Both men were very hospitable and I had lengthy conversations with both of them.


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## AlanB (Aug 14, 2011)

Dovecote said:


> On another southbound FC Acela to WAS, U.S. congressman Charles Rangel and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn were traveling seperately in our car. Both men were very hospitable and I had lengthy conversations with both of them.


Didn't see him actually on the train, but I got to meet and shake Mr. Rangel's hand in the NY Club Acela a few months back. I was headed to Boston while he was going south to DC.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 14, 2011)

Three times I rode on FC Acela with Joe Biden (very nice guy!) when he was a Senator from Delaware! I also saw many media and political types riding between NYP and WAS going back to the Metroliners that preceeded the Acelas!

Havent seen any celebs on LD trains, but have had OBS tell stories about various famous types that rode their trains, mostly in California and the NEC! Did get to see Dan Ackroyds PV on the back of the CS but didnt see him!


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## Shanghai (Aug 14, 2011)

I saw Chris Wallace in the Washington station on NTD this year.

Anyone care to say who paid the Acela First Class fares for Rangel, Nunn & Biden???

Rangel probably has the government pay for his ticket, then deduct the cost from his

rental income on his villa in the Caribbean, then forgets to include the income for

his personal income taxes!!


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## amamba (Aug 14, 2011)

Sadly I haven't seen anyone famous on the train yet, but all this talk of congresspeople reminds me of a cute little story that I saw on the anniversary/exhibit train. It was a news article about a gentleman who used to be the ticket agent for the capitol building. I didn't realize that there was such a position, but apparently he handled all of the amtrak ticketing for congress people. Sounded like an interesting job and an interesting man who sadly passed away at a young age.


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## saxman (Aug 14, 2011)

I was on the Texas Eagle last year and saw Marcia Gay Hardin eating in the dining car with her family. She was in movies like Flubber and Rails and Ties, and quite a few other movies. I figured she was coming from LAX. Not sure where they were going.


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## leemell (Aug 14, 2011)

About five years ago we were taking the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville. At the Denver stop we saw that Linda Lavin (Alice on TV) was on the train, later saw her in the sleeper.


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## Bierboy (Aug 14, 2011)

On our SWC trip in 07, we had dinner with a gentleman who told us he worked with George Lucas on his special effects team. He was traveling home to visit family in KC...


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## railiner (Aug 14, 2011)

One of the most prolific celebrities of all time to ride regularly was former CBS commentator and NFL coach John Madden. From the end of the 1970's and the last of the steam heated trains into the early 1980's with Superliners and HEP fleet, he was a regular rider during the NFL season, and was well know to train crews and passengers.

I had the pleasure of riding the CZ three different occasions with him during the years. Unlike other celebs, who might hibernate in their rooms, he was a terrific people person, and enjoyed mixing with fellow passengers. Indeed, he held court until late night in the lounge car, talking football and imbibing in the product of his biggest sponsor--Miller Lite.

On several occasions, he would lead a group of revelers off the train, and into a nearby bar during service stops such as McCook, Ne., to the amazement and delight of the proprietor and patrons, for a quick one. He became an expert on all things Amtrak, and he knew crew and station personnel everywhere.

Sadly this all ended when he was given a luxury tour-bus motorhome to do his travels in, which he found more efficient to get around in then having to deal with the sparse routings and schedules that Amtrak offered.

One tidbit....He was not afraid of flying, but rather suffered from a severe form of claustophobia that manifested itself when the aircraft took off, and he felt trapped on board. He did fly during the years he coached the Oakland Raiders prior to his CBS job.

S


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## A.J. (Aug 14, 2011)

a few years ago I was on the LSL and SWC and there were several handsome, friendly older men traveling as a group in my sleeper on both trains. turns out that one of them was Warren G, a rapper and hip hop producer. he was traveling with his friends and coworkers. they were all super friendly and the SCA later told me that he dislikes flying, so they regularly take the train. she also said that she had had dennis quaid in her car before and that he too was friendly and very easygoing.


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## abcnews (Aug 14, 2011)

It's my understanding that Harper Lee (Pulitzer author of "To Kill a Mockingbird") lives pretty much in seclusion in Alabama - but perhaps her last "public trip," so to speak, was to accept an award out in Los Angeles. However, at first she declined because she did not want to make the trip to California, so after some discussions, and just determination by the granters of the award in LA - they convinced her to travel to Los Angeles on Amtrak, and they provided for her trip. I assume it was in a bedroom on the Sunset Limited - since the trip took place many years ago.

Imagine meeting Harper Lee on a train - in the dining car.

BTW - My aunt and her husband were friends with Lee in the early 1960s in New York City - back when Harper Lee first moved to NYC. My aunt's husband was originally from AL, and he had attended the University of Alabama with Harper Lee - I think that they were the same age, or in the same class.


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## spidersfan351 (Aug 15, 2011)

I am not sure they count as celebrities, but a lot of members of Congress use Union Station due to how convenient it is. I worked for a Virginia member, and he would take the Lynchburg train on occasion, and when discussing this with some colleagues learned that a lot of your eastern seaboard members like the reliability of getting into Union Station, which is just a short walk (if your a staff member) or taxi ride to the Capitol. What some do is leave a car at the Capitol (actually, beneath it in a parking garage) and ride in for the week. It also has the benefit of seeming more "everyman like" as opposed to flying from Pittsburg or Raleigh to DC.


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## Anderson (Aug 15, 2011)

I had breakfast with Joe Haldeman on the Silver Meteor coming up from Richmond to New York (he was on his way from Florida to DC for a sci-fi writers' convention). The nice thing is that it was a friend of mine, myself, Mr. Haldeman, and Mrs. Haldeman...so we all had a nice, private conversation for about an hour. Turns out he's been a regular on the Florida trains since the 70s and actually did a fair bit of writing en route (he taught up at MIT but he lives in Florida for much of the year). Table 4, car 8531.

(Yes, I know I've mentioned this before...but the question was asked)


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## trainman74 (Aug 15, 2011)

A number of celebrities (of various levels of fame) take the Surfliner between LAX and SAN for the big San Diego Comic-Con in July.


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## jis (Aug 15, 2011)

Soon after the introduction of Acelas I once sat next to the CNN anchor Bernard Shaw in Acela FC.

I have also had the pleasure of riding and dining with several relatively high level Amtrak Management folks, and have had some really informative and illuminating conversations with them over breakfast or such. The most recent one was on the Capitol Limited coming back from the OTOL Fest.


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## tp49 (Aug 15, 2011)

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays rode Amtrak from NY to Boston last night for their series with the Red Sox this week.


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## trainman74 (Aug 16, 2011)

tp49 said:


> The Tampa Bay Devil Rays rode Amtrak from NY to Boston last night for their series with the Red Sox this week.


Neat trick, since they haven't been the _Devil_ Rays since 2007.


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## JayPea (Aug 16, 2011)

While not perhaps a celebrity amongst the general population, I had the pleasure of meeting someone who is well-known by Amtrak enthusiasts last year while on a CS trip last summer: Mauris Emeka, author of "AMTRAKing" and "Heart and Soul of the Train". He was selling his latter book while on the CS last year and he was kind enough to autograph the copy I got from him.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 16, 2011)

trainman74 said:


> tp49 said:
> 
> 
> > The Tampa Bay Devil Rays rode Amtrak from NY to Boston last night for their series with the Red Sox this week.
> ...


Maybe they had the Devil scared out of them by the Yankees and the Sawx!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## tp49 (Aug 16, 2011)

trainman74 said:


> tp49 said:
> 
> 
> > The Tampa Bay Devil Rays rode Amtrak from NY to Boston last night for their series with the Red Sox this week.
> ...


They'll always be the Devil Rays to me.


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## Ryan (Aug 16, 2011)

jis said:


> OTOL Fest.


Off topic, but what is this OTOL Fest that I see referred to from time to time?


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## zepherdude (Aug 16, 2011)

I had dinner one evening on the Empire Builder with a guy that claimed he was special assistant to President George H.W. Bush and did work at the White House with the President. Do not remember his name but the conversation was quite interesting. It got better as we popped another bottle of Merlot. The gentleman had great stories and enjoyed the fact that I was a fan of Bush 41. That is one of the good things about the Dining Car seating style.


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## jis (Aug 16, 2011)

Ryan said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> > OTOL Fest.
> ...


http://www.on-track-on-line.com/forums/index.php?showforum=89


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## SP&S (Aug 16, 2011)

I was on the Starlight once northbound in SoCal and Dan Akroid's car was the last car in the consist. Of course, PV's are isolated so we never got to see who was riding in it.

Not nationally famous, but going south on the Starlight Mrs SP&S and I dined with a TV news anchor from SLO and his husband. Utterly charming couple. One of the reasons I like the shared seating in the diner is the interesting people you meet.


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## railiner (Aug 16, 2011)

Another celebrity I rode with that was in the twilight of his career was Forrest Tucker. He appeared in many films and television shows mainly in the 1940's and 1950's.

He primarily played in 'westerns', but did others as well.

I rode the Southwest Limited with him once in the mid 1970's. He stayed mainly in his room, but would walk to lounge car a few times for refreshments, and sign autographs as well as chat with fans.

Another celeb was prior to Amtrak. I was on the Penn Central morning Metroliner from New York to Washington in 1969, when the infamous Martha Mitchell and her entourage huffed aboard the Metrclub car. For some reason, the conductor seemed to be nervous about her presence aboard....


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## P.S. (Nov 18, 2011)

I am an Amtrak employee and I've had celebrities with me many times. Max Baer, Richard Dreyfus, and James Earl Jones to name a few. A great way to travel if you have time and patience.


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## Cascadia (Nov 18, 2011)

amamba said:


> Sadly I haven't seen anyone famous on the train yet, but all this talk of congresspeople reminds me of a cute little story that I saw on the anniversary/exhibit train. It was a news article about a gentleman who used to be the ticket agent for the capitol building. I didn't realize that there was such a position, but apparently he handled all of the amtrak ticketing for congress people. Sounded like an interesting job and an interesting man who sadly passed away at a young age.


A ticket agent in the Capitol building? That is interesting, is that still a position?


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## tp49 (Nov 19, 2011)

Cascadia said:


> amamba said:
> 
> 
> > Sadly I haven't seen anyone famous on the train yet, but all this talk of congresspeople reminds me of a cute little story that I saw on the anniversary/exhibit train. It was a news article about a gentleman who used to be the ticket agent for the capitol building. I didn't realize that there was such a position, but apparently he handled all of the amtrak ticketing for congress people. Sounded like an interesting job and an interesting man who sadly passed away at a young age.
> ...


Yep, he was in the basement of the Capitol when I used to walk those hallways years ago. Don't know if it's still there or not but I would suspect it still is.


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## Anderson (Nov 19, 2011)

tp49 said:


> Cascadia said:
> 
> 
> > amamba said:
> ...


I'm inclined to agree. You've got enough House seats on the Acela's route that there's probably a decent amount of Congressional commuting along the Corridor (if they're not driving) when those members go back to their districts for events. Heck, the travel can probably be expensed somehow.


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## Everydaymatters (Nov 19, 2011)

Did he handle _only_ Amtrack tickets?

When I was going to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., there was a travel office wherein all of my travel to and from was ticketed. I always traveled via Amtrak, but they also arranged for flights which were paid by the government.


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## Shanghai (Nov 19, 2011)

I saw *Bill Cosby *in the NYP Acela Lounge a few months ago.

He was sitting near the door looking a the people come and go.


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## Shanghai (Nov 19, 2011)

I just remembered that I saw a famous tax attorney from Orlando, Florida on the Lake Shore Limited,

on the Southwest Chief and on the Coast Starlight. She was always sitting with some men, I think

they were her body guards.


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 19, 2011)

Shanghai said:


> I just remembered that I saw a famous tax attorney from Orlando, Florida on the Lake Shore Limited,
> 
> on the Southwest Chief and on the Coast Starlight. She was always sitting with some men, I think
> 
> they were her body guards.


Think that actually was Meryl Streep practicing for her next role as a Famous Florida Tax Attorney! Did you get her autograph and take a picture?? :lol:


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## tp49 (Nov 19, 2011)

Anderson said:


> tp49 said:
> 
> 
> > Cascadia said:
> ...


The travel is expensed. Travel back to their district generally comes from their office budget.


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## lthanlon (Nov 19, 2011)

I've never seen any celebrities on Amtrak, but several Southwest Chief personnel have told me that they've seen Gene Hackman on the train several times, and that the late Patrick Swayze rode the Chief to Las Vegas, New Mexico on occasion.


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## stntylr (Nov 19, 2011)

Cascadia said:


> amamba said:
> 
> 
> > Sadly I haven't seen anyone famous on the train yet, but all this talk of congresspeople reminds me of a cute little story that I saw on the anniversary/exhibit train. It was a news article about a gentleman who used to be the ticket agent for the capitol building. I didn't realize that there was such a position, but apparently he handled all of the amtrak ticketing for congress people. Sounded like an interesting job and an interesting man who sadly passed away at a young age.
> ...


I read there is a Quik Trak machine in the Congressional Office Building now.


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## Ryan (Nov 19, 2011)

Which one?


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## stntylr (Nov 19, 2011)

Ryan said:


> Which one?


Here's a link to a story I found.


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## Ryan (Nov 19, 2011)

That's over by the White House, not Congress. Still cool, though.


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## Durham57 (Nov 19, 2011)

Shirley Jones and husband, Marty Engels on SWC from Chicago to Los Angeles several years ago. They were seated with us in the dining car. Mr. Engels does not fly and Ms. Jones occasionally accompanies him on the train.


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## diesteldorf (Nov 19, 2011)

When my parents rode to Miami, Fl on the Silver Meteor,, they had the fortune of having an attendant that was a 30+ year veteran of Amtrak. One of the people my parents were traveling with was visiting in their room and asked the attendant if he ever met any famous people.

He told them about taking care of John Madden when he used to travel Amtrak, as was previously mentioned.

He also said that John Gotti would occasionally take Amtrak to Miami, with his girlfriend. He was always courteous and would tip him $200.


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## Ziv (Nov 20, 2011)

Railiner, John Madden hit my home town sometime in the early 70's when the Empire Builder stopped there due to flooding. They had a couple hour delay for the water to recede and John Madden led a crowd from the EB to the Mint Bar in Glasgow Montana where he proceeded to buy every Miller Lite in the bar for his Amtrak friends and the small but happy crowd of Mint regulars, this being around noon, if memory serves. The Mint ended up having to buy all the Stockman Bar's Lite beer to keep the party going. After a couple hours a very jolly Amtrak crowd re-boarded the EB and off they went...



railiner said:


> One of the most prolific celebrities of all time to ride regularly was former CBS commentator and NFL coach John Madden. From the end of the 1970's and the last of the steam heated trains into the early 1980's with Superliners and HEP fleet, he was a regular rider during the NFL season, and was well know to train crews and passengers.
> 
> I had the pleasure of riding the CZ three different occasions with him during the years. Unlike other celebs, who might hibernate in their rooms, he was a terrific people person, and enjoyed mixing with fellow passengers. Indeed, he held court until late night in the lounge car, talking football and imbibing in the product of his biggest sponsor--Miller Lite.
> 
> ...


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## leemell (Nov 20, 2011)

Durham57 said:


> Shirley Jones and husband, Marty Engels on SWC from Chicago to Los Angeles several years ago. They were seated with us in the dining car. Mr. Engels does not fly and Ms. Jones occasionally accompanies him on the train.


Just last week, Shirley Jones boarded the Coast Starlight at Van Nuys going north.


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## reppin_the_847 (Nov 20, 2011)

I was once on an Amtrak Wolverine train headed westbound from Metro Detroit (Pontiac - Chicago route) to Chicago that had none other than the mayor of Dearborn, MI onboard. His name is John B. (Jack) O'Reilly, Jr. and he was headed into Chicago along with his wife. They were of course riding Business Class, and I recall him saying that he had some kind of meeting to attend during the week in Chicago. It seemed like they were definitely enjoying the ride. I believe this trip took place on a Sunday. This trip was probably about 2-3 years ago.


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## BigRedEO (Nov 21, 2011)

Although I've not seen her, Aretha Franklin is terrified of flying and loves to take the train. She most recently took the train to Cleveland to a special concert honoring her at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

And this may not be a celebrity sighting, but "Big Bang Theory" did a very funny episode when they all took the train (at Sheldon's insistence, because the character is a HUGE railfan) from L.A. to San Francisco and they spotted actress Summer Glau ("Firefly", "Serenity") in their car. The episode mostly revolved around seeing whether any of them would be able to get her phone number while on the trip.


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## ScottC4746 (Nov 21, 2011)

An actor friend of mine, not big star celebrity, but his face gets around, was in Titanic, Law and Order, and others. He took the train at my recomendation last year from LAX-WAS and was his first time on a train since privitized passanger railroads (before 1971 ladies and gentlemen) and really did not like it. He said, "all you do is sit around and wait for them to feed you again." He also commented on how he got recognized by another passanger who leached on to him trying to get into the acting business. Fortunately my friend was in a sleeper and the other passanger was in coach but this passanger wanted to have every meal with him.


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## Hamhock (Nov 21, 2011)

When John Madden hosted Saturday Night Live in 1982, they filmed him traveling on Amtrak to get to New York to host the show.

It's on Hulu here: (train footage starts around 1:30 in)


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## stntylr (Nov 21, 2011)

BigRedEO said:


> Although I've not seen her, Aretha Franklin is terrified of flying and loves to take the train. She most recently took the train to Cleveland to a special concert honoring her at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
> 
> And this may not be a celebrity sighting, but "Big Bang Theory" did a very funny episode when they all took the train (at Sheldon's insistence, because the character is a HUGE railfan) from L.A. to San Francisco and they spotted actress Summer Glau ("Firefly", "Serenity") in their car. The episode mostly revolved around seeing whether any of them would be able to get her phone number while on the trip.


Last summer the producer and the cast of the Big Bang Theory all rode the train from LA to San Diego for Comic-Con.


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## EMDF9A (Nov 22, 2011)

I had breakfast with Brian Rosenwald on teh Starlight several years ago. Does that count? LOL!


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## oldtimer (Nov 23, 2011)

I have met many celebrities in my career and may travels on Amtrak, some of them have been Gladys Knight, (pipless on a train that got to Detroit at midnight), Carrol O'Connor with his wife and son (it was not too hard for him to be Archie, especially the way he acted on the National Limited.) Also Sherwood Rowland a *Nobel Laureate* and probably the most powerful man in the world at my time of meeting him was Bill Clinton!


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## gswager (Nov 23, 2011)

oldtimer said:


> I have met many celebrities in my career and may travels on Amtrak, some of them have been Gladys Knight, (pipless on a train that got to Detroit at midnight), Carrol O'Connor with his wife and son (it was not too hard for him to be Archie, especially the way he acted on the National Limited.) Also Sherwood Rowland a *Nobel Laureate* and probably the most powerful man in the world at my time of meeting him was Bill Clinton!


What was your career?


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## rtabern (Nov 23, 2011)

The only celebrity I have actually met on Amtrak is the actor from Coach who played Dauber... Bill Fagerbakke. He and his sister were going somewhere on the Surfliner a couple of years ago.

BUT, the cool thing regarding celebrities that I saw came from a First Class attendant on Acela. He had a scrapbook of "celebrity" ticket stubs. When a celebrity comes aboard, he asks them to sign their ticket stub (autograph) and puts them in his scrapbook.

He actually let me photograph all of the stubs, but later ask that I don't post them on-line. So, if you ever see me in person -- I can show you my photos of them -- but he asked they not be posted.

Some of the celebrities included world leaders (some Queen from Africa actually has AGR), Chelsea Clinton, a lot of sports stars from the northeast, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden and his wife (who use fake names when traveling)... very interesting collection he has!


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## GG-1 (Nov 23, 2011)

I think the Member's of AU qualify as Celebrities!  :giggle: :help: :lol: :hi:


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## ColdRain&Snow (Feb 23, 2012)

Seated across from Bill Bennett today from WAS to NYP. About midway through the trip, former National Security Advisor to Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, stopped by to talk shop with Mr. Bennett. It was fascinating to hear them talk about Iran, the GOP race, and Obama. Toward the end of their chat, both praised Amtrak and agreed that Acela was the way to go. Quite a braintrust between these two gentlemen. Both will be returning on the 4P back to WAS.


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## Shanghai (Feb 23, 2012)

GG-1 said:


> I think the Member's of AU qualify as *Celebrities*!  :giggle: :help: :lol: :hi:



*I agree, especially Eric, Penny & Jim Hudson!!*


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## Traingeek (Feb 23, 2012)

I saw Scott Pelley in Penn Station Baltimore a few months back right before he took over the CBS evening news. I've also seen Richard Belzer once in that station also. I frequently go through Union Station, but I've strangely enough never seen any famous there. I guess it is because I'm always there on the weekends.


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## railiner (Feb 23, 2012)

Ziv said:


> Railiner, John Madden hit my home town sometime in the early 70's when the Empire Builder stopped there due to flooding. They had a couple hour delay for the water to recede and John Madden led a crowd from the EB to the Mint Bar in Glasgow Montana where he proceeded to buy every Miller Lite in the bar for his Amtrak friends and the small but happy crowd of Mint regulars, this being around noon, if memory serves. The Mint ended up having to buy all the Stockman Bar's Lite beer to keep the party going. After a couple hours a very jolly Amtrak crowd re-boarded the EB and off they went...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is a good example of what I said....


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## railiner (Feb 23, 2012)

Hamhock said:


> When John Madden hosted Saturday Night Live in 1982, they filmed him traveling on Amtrak to get to New York to host the show.
> 
> It's on Hulu here: (train footage starts around 1:30 in)


Thanks for that link! It really captured the man's personnae. As well as a winter trip into NYG on No. 48........


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## Donctor (Feb 23, 2012)

Traingeek said:


> I've also seen Richard Belzer once in that station also.


So have I. On _Homicide_.


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## railiner (Feb 24, 2012)

Donctor said:


> Traingeek said:
> 
> 
> > I've also seen Richard Belzer once in that station also.
> ...


"Detective Munch" must have set a record for the longest lasting character portrayed by one actor in television history, still going on, on Law and Order - Special Victims Unit........


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## jb64 (Sep 24, 2012)

Traveled Acela FC yesterday from Boston to WAS. In New York, Tom Clancy and his family boarded after a weekend in the city and his daughter-in-law and granddaughter shared a four-topper with us (train was sold out). Very nice family, Mr. Clancy read almost the entire time. They got off in Baltimore.


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## ne52 (Dec 13, 2012)

Saw Ray LaHood on the #158 NE Regional last week going to NYP. Only noticed him after I realized I was standing behind a secret service agent while we were pulling through the tunnels. He was riding with his wife to NY and at least 2 agents in regular coach class. They were greeted by half the amtrak police dept it seems when we arrived at NYP.

There aren't any acelas that late on a saturday but kind of surprised nobody from amtrak bumped him to business class.


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## AlanB (Dec 14, 2012)

ne52 said:


> There aren't any acelas that late on a saturday but kind of surprised nobody from amtrak bumped him to business class.


It could have been a last minute trip and no seats were left. Can't really bump paying customers in that case.

Or perhaps he simply told Amtrak not to do that.


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## RRrich (Dec 14, 2012)

Wow, I would love to run into Detective Munch : :


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## SarahZ (Mar 19, 2014)

I just read this on Amtrak's blog:

http://blog.amtrak.com/2014/03/wes-anderson-rides-amtrak/


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## amamba (Mar 19, 2014)

I love Wes Anderson. They filmed part of moonrise kingdom in Rhode Island! I can't wait to see the grand Budapest hotel.


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## SarahZ (Mar 19, 2014)

amamba said:


> I love Wes Anderson. They filmed part of moonrise kingdom in Rhode Island! I can't wait to see the grand Budapest hotel.


Ditto. I saw the trailer before another movie, and it looks stunning. The visuals... cinematography... whatever you call it. I can't put my finger on why, but it captivated me.


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## amamba (Mar 20, 2014)

SarahZ said:


> amamba said:
> 
> 
> > I love Wes Anderson. They filmed part of moonrise kingdom in Rhode Island! I can't wait to see the grand Budapest hotel.
> ...


Yes his films have a look to them that are just breathtaking. 
Keep your eyes on the listings the movie is just in major cities so it hasn't made it to PVD yet but I'm certain it will come to our local "artsy" theater.


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## andersone (Mar 20, 2014)

I rode the CZ with Madden twice in the 80's. The first time we met in the lounge car outside Sacremento, had dinner and lunch two of the next days. The second time I met him he remembered me as the crazy librarian who hated flying as much as he did. We had lunch and dinner the next two days as well and he was in the roomette next to me. A very engaging and entertaining man, I would travel cross country with him anytime,,,,,,,


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## Dovecote (Mar 28, 2017)

Dovecote said:


> Burl Ives was in my car on a eastbound Empire Builder back in the 80's. We shared a quick hello at the coffee stand a few times on the way to the Chicago. Meryl Streep sat across from me on a southbound FC Acela to WAS. My wife and I had one five minute conservation with her but otherwise we respected her privacy. On another southbound FC Acela to WAS, U.S. congressman Charles Rangel and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn were traveling separately in our car. Both men were very hospitable and I had lengthy conversations with both of them.


I will now add Matthew Modine to my list! He was on the northbound Crescent yesterday. What a truly nice down to earth gentleman. My wife and I were fortunate to have him seated with us for both breakfast and supper. We had nice general conversations with him. He was very friendly to all of the patrons in the dining car. He even gave us a free acting lesson!


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## Seaboard92 (Mar 29, 2017)

I've been on the Silver Star back several years ago (2009 maybe) with Clay Aiken. He was in the room next to me in the sleeper. He kept to himself and I left him alone.


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## Deni (Mar 30, 2017)

The English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg and American singer-songwriter/producer Joe Henry (Allen Toussaint, Ani DiFranco, Hugh Laurie, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Bonnie Raitt, among others) rode the Texas Eagle last March from Chicago to L.A. over the course of four days and recorded a whole album of classic American songbook songs with train themes at stations and platforms along the way. The result was an album called "Shine A Light."

I wish I had run across them on a trip, that would have been cool.

http://shinealight-joehenry.billybragg.co.uk/


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## pennyk (Mar 30, 2017)

Last July, while waiting in the WAS Club Acela, we had the pleasure of sitting not too far away from General Colin Powell and his wife, who were waiting for the Acela. I was with a group waiting for the Cardinal and Capitol Limited.

Last October, I saw Hoda Kotb and her mother in the NYP Acela lounge.


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## AmtrakBlue (Mar 30, 2017)

I've ridden with a FL princess and a yoga guru....


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## FormerOBS (Mar 30, 2017)

Long before Amtrak, I rode the Erie into Chicago and discovered upon detraining that Agnes Moorehead was a passenger.

Many years ago, I saw Pearl Bailey detraining from Amtrak's Capitol Limited in Washinton, DC. She was riding on a baggage cart and waving to one and all.

Some time in the late 1980's, Larry Haines was a passenger in my sleeper on the Auto Train. Most people won't remember him, but he played a long-running character named Stu Bergman on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow.

I have had W. Graham Claytor and his wife in my sleeper on the Auto Train, but that shouldn't be much of a surprise.

Some time in the early 1990's, Russell Baker (successor to Alistair Cooke on Masterpiece Theater) and his wife rode my Auto Train sleeper.

Brit Hume of Fox News rode with us on the Auto Train several years ago.

Tom


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## Chatter163 (Mar 31, 2017)

Several years ago I saw Ted Turner on the Crescent.


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## dcoy (Mar 31, 2017)

My father in law took a picture of Carol Barnett and Garry Moore getting of a train in Chicago back in the late 50's or early 60's. They posed for the photo standing on the steps. He was a photographer for the Burlington at the time. My wife still has the photo.


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## FormerOBS (Apr 1, 2017)

Some friends told me Tina Fey recently rode the Auto Train.

Tom


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## ParanoidAndroid (Apr 1, 2017)

Saw Chris Guenzler (does train travel reports on trainweb.com) on a Metrolink train on a weekend. Not exactly a celebrity, but it was exciting to meet a somewhat famous train buff.


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## Bob Dylan (Apr 2, 2017)

FormerOBS said:


> Some friends told me Tina Fey recently rode the Auto Train.
> 
> Tom


Are you sure that wasn't Sarah Palin Tom?


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## FormerOBS (Apr 2, 2017)

Jimbob: :giggle:

Tom


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