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Considering the current dining cars sometimes struggle to get out their often crappy food, and that the largest cost is the labor, I think it's time for Amtrak to do on LD trains exactly what they do on Acela: airline style catering for the meals. I don't want to hijack this thread since I think...

You may meet interesting and festive people. You may possibly see gorillas being transported in the baggage car.

I think that's what drives my thinking: while a single-seat trip north of Richmond is preferable, I think given the choice between one single-seat trip per day, and multiple trips with a connection in Richmond, I'd take the later. This leverages the already existing and slotted traffic from DC...

Having been that "stray," all the TrainJam folks were pretty cool. The organizers put signs on about 1/3 of the tables in the lounge car saying "NO TRAIN JAMMERS." I think the organizers were pretty good at respecting the non-participant travelers, and making sure that the participants did as...

And a few more photos... Breadboarding an LED module for a game Finished LED game - two tracks of LEDs race each other. Tab in the Cafe car that was picked up by sponsors. Past Reno it was pretty slim pickings.

I first found out about TrainJam in 2015 when I was (by pure coincidence) on the California Zephyr that they were on. I remember sitting in my room in Chicago as folks were boarding, and thinking "Man, this is youngest crowd ever on Amtrak. This is gonna be FUN." They had these great "Fun Meter"...

Most likely it's the 2017 Train Jam. http://trainjam.com/

In a perfect world would the VRE extend down to Richmond, and have trains from the Tidewater stop going north and instead continue west & southwest? It seems like the reason for the obscenely early departures from Tidewater is to continue the train on to NYC at a reasonable hour. Shorter, more...

EXACTLY! Plate the frozen Amy's enchiladas and sprinkle some herbs and cheese on top, and I'm happily (at least not-unhappily) eating "Southwest Chief Special Southwest Enchilada" - even though I KNOW it's just a frozen entree. Serve it to me in the same tray it came out of the box in, and I'm...

Is that "pie?" I don't think it is - pie comes in a little round plastic container with a cellophane peel-off top.

I've never been in an Uber that smells of the accumulation of seven years of vomit. I've never had a cab company be able to tell me exactly where my cab is and when it will arrive. This conversation begins will calling dispatch an hour or more ahead of when I need a cab, dispatch says "It's on...

http://www.glacierparkinc.com/lodging/glacier-park-lodge/ "2016 Operating Dates: June 7 - September 21"

I guess the "draining of the swamp" just means being able to bottle the swamp water and call it Gatorade and re-selling it to us at a profit.

I think parking at the station is about $8/day - not exactly sure but I took a three day trip to WV last month, and I fed 3 days worth into the machine. If you park at the station, be aware that it is a PRE-PAY system. There is a kiosk in the middle of the lot - pay for as many days as you need...

Plus the overhead of the graphic designer, marketing associate in charge of the project, marketing manager, director, and VP in charge of all those people., Probably at least 2 meetings to discuss the concept, another 2 to review the artwork and choose the paper. Have to buy the paper from...

Our trip was in early October - in fact they shut down most of Going To The Sun Road for the season the day we were leaving. Pros: School is out - less congestion in the park Fall colors - the Larch trees blazing in yellow against a solid green field of evergreens is stunning. "Low" season...

Unlike an airline (unfortunately) Amtrak has to chooses to follow the local liquor laws of the jurisdiction it is currently passing through. (edited to change 'has to' to 'chooses to' - a strong argument can be made that local liquor laws don't apply to interstate commerce under...

If you haven't been to Portland, that is where I would focus your layover time on. You can take a Cascades train from Seattle, layover a day or two in Portland, and then continue south on the Coast Starlight to Sacramento. It's a very accessible city with lots of things to do that can be reached...

Waiting in Charleston for an eastbound Cardinal. For whatever reason, the train isn't on the correct track so it first blows past the station to the switch and backs into the station on the correct track. https://youtu.be/DgT17a8SKIA

I just returned from a lovely weekend in West Virginia, getting there and back on the Cardinal (trip report coming soon). Did some exploring of the New River Gorge, and picked up this map at the visitor center. I still had it in my pocket on the train ride back home and it was a great resource...