Most scenic route from east to west

I mentioned it a few posts up but I was thinking - anyone who hasn't ridden the Sunset Limited should really consider it. While "spectacular" scenery certainly goes to the Zephyr, the Sunset Limited has some truly unique scenery that I haven't seen on any other rail journeys. The swamps of Louisiana, looking right over the border into Mexico, the open space of Texas, the Cactus in Arizona - there is a lot of variety on that route.

The towns it travels through are also the definition of "Americana" - probably more so than any other East to West Route.

Thank you for this. I am in the early stages of taking this train from somewhere in Texas to Los Angeles next summer.
I’ll be travelling from the UK so need to plan it right.

jojotravels said:

I am in the early stages of taking this train from somewhere in Texas to Los Angeles next summer.

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I'm doing exactly this in around 3 weeks time, Austin to LA. I don't write trip reports but if you want to ask specific questions here or via the pm message system I'd be happy to help.

Thank you, I’ll do that.

crescent-zephyr said:

I mentioned it a few posts up but I was thinking - anyone who hasn't ridden the Sunset Limited should really consider it. While "spectacular" scenery certainly goes to the Zephyr, the Sunset Limited has some truly unique scenery that I haven't seen on any other rail journeys. The swamps of Louisiana, looking right over the border into Mexico, the open space of Texas, the Cactus in Arizona - there is a lot of variety on that route.

The towns it travels through are also the definition of "Americana" - probably more so than any other East to West Route.

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Totally agree about the Sunset. The desert is spectacular. The small towns are very unique and representative of the Southwest.

Totally agree. I'm in Sanderson, TX right across the street from the "quick stop" Amtrak Station. I'm restoring the historic Sanderson Bank building. I usually wave at the west bound morning train.

Greenline said:

Totally agree. I'm in Sanderson, TX right across the street from the "quick stop" Amtrak Station. I'm restoring the historic Sanderson Bank building. I usually wave at the west bound morning train.

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Hopefully Sanderson will grow like other West Texas Towns in the area, and not become a Ghost Town!

When my Grandfather was Stationed there with SP, Sanderson was a fair sized City ( as large as Alpine or Marga)that even had Car dealerships and many businesses!

The decline began when SP cut back on the number of staff there, and was accelerated when a Huge Flood in 1965 almost washed the town away.

On top of that in June we had a tornado pass through. Missed my building thankfully. In spite of all this Sanderson is showing some signs of life and attracting big city folks who are buying and fixing up properties. Also Sanderson is near the north entry to Big Bend National Park. Stop by sometime and I'll show you around.

crescent-zephyr said:

I mentioned it a few posts up but I was thinking - anyone who hasn't ridden the Sunset Limited should really consider it. While "spectacular" scenery certainly goes to the Zephyr, the Sunset Limited has some truly unique scenery that I haven't seen on any other rail journeys. The swamps of Louisiana, looking right over the border into Mexico, the open space of Texas, the Cactus in Arizona - there is a lot of variety on that route.

The towns it travels through are also the definition of "Americana" - probably more so than any other East to West Route.

Click to expand...

While I've ridden all East-West routes since 2009, I admit that until I rode the S-L in May 2010, I had never seen some many prickly-pear cacti in full bloom at one time, nor had I ever seen apricot groves and shrimp farms. Combined with a stop-over Westbound in Tucson to visit family friends of 50+ years, I got to experience the Seguaro National Park. The entire trip included the CS to Oakland to visit family and ended with the CZ to Chicago. I also was impressed with crossing a number of vertical-lift bridges in Southern LA and Eastern TX, in addition to the widening of the Huey P. Long bridge at that time (Hywy US-90).

Definitely one of the more educationally rewarding rides for me and my mom.

Greenline said:

Totally agree. I'm in Sanderson, TX right across the street from the "quick stop" Amtrak Station. I'm restoring the historic Sanderson Bank building. I usually wave at the west bound morning train.

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We're on the 9am 4/21/25 out of NOLO so we'll definitely wave back at you.
Restoring old buildings was our great hobby too - the last one was a bit tricky as it was 300 years old .