Amtrak dining and cafe service

[tim49424]

Yes, it went through some very remote areas of the coast around Point Conception and Point Arguello around Vandenberg AFB.

And the wifi had no internet connectivity there because of the lack of cell towers there, and very unlikely there will be any.

It used to be my phone had no signal on much of the Empire Builder, except for a few places, like around Havre. Now I have bars on most (though not all) of the route. This was T Mobile before the Sprint merger, which wasn't known for great coverage outside urban areas and major highways. So the great blank spaces of cell service in the West away from Interstates appear to be being filled in.

My point exactly. Thanks for filling me in as I've never been on the Coast Starlight south of Sacramento.

On the Empire Builder, I can't get cell signal between MSP and Portland/Seattle unless we're approaching, stopped or departing a station stop. The only exception to that rule is there is no cell service in Glacier. I have a 4G iphone 8 powered by Tracfone (Verizon). I even have problems in Wisconsin, between the Dells and LaCrosse. My signal drops off just after crossing the river into Minnesota. That goes to show that Wifi is impossible to maintain in areas like that.

 

[Cal]

Did the PPC go through huge remote areas like North Dakota, Montana and other large barren areas without cell towers?

Yep. I was actually surprised at the lack of cell coverage I had when I was on it during October.

 

[tim49424]

Yep. I was actually surprised at the lack of cell coverage I had when I was on it during October.

It's just common sense. You get in a remote area, you're not going to have cell service. This is why the Western LD trains don't offer Wifi and the Eastern ones are wired for it. Most of the urban sprawl is going on in the east and cell towers and coverage are most everywhere and makes it possible to do Wifi.....yes there are areas where you won't have service, but they are far and few between compared to the west.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

WiFi on on the Western LDN is quite possible via commercial multiplexers with external antennas and signal boosters. The new generation of broadband satellite services would be even better. It would not be cheap or included with your ticket but it's quite solvable from a technical standpoint. Amtrak rolling stock mimics a Faraday cage so don't let mobile phone bars inform you on what is actually possible with a fully researched and properly planned solution.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Did the PPC go through huge remote areas like North Dakota, Montana and other large barren areas without cell towers?

Yes. The WiFi didn’t work there.

My point exactly. Thanks for filling me in as I've never been on the Coast Starlight south of Sacramento.

On the Empire Builder, I can't get cell signal between MSP and Portland/Seattle unless we're approaching, stopped or departing a station stop. The only exception to that rule is there is no cell service in Glacier. I have a 4G iphone 8 powered by Tracfone (Verizon). I even have problems in Wisconsin, between the Dells and LaCrosse. My signal drops off just after crossing the river into Minnesota. That goes to show that Wifi is impossible to maintain in areas like that.

You need to get ATT - I don’t remember having any issues on the Builder and I’ve traveled both the Portland and Seattle sections.

 

[Sidney]

Did the PPC go through huge remote areas like North Dakota, Montana and other large barren areas without cell towers?

The PPC was only on the Coast Starlight. You were thinking of the Empire Builder

 

[jiml]

The railways certainly once had the ability to provide connectivity of some sort via the network of cables running parallel to the tracks. Don't forget Sprint started as part of Southern Pacific and technology has only improved since then.

 

[tim49424]

The PPC was only on the Coast Starlight. You were thinking of the Empire Builder

No. I was asking if the PPC went through remote areas, using examples of Montana and North Dakota. I’ve ridden the Coast Starlight before and am well aware of that fact. I didn’t get the two confused.

 

[railiner]

Much costlier, but available anywhere are satellite links, where cell towers are not reachable. Except for places like tunnels or deep canyons.
Cruise ships employ these, but they have limited bandwidth, and as said, are costly...

 

[tim49424]

Much costlier, but available anywhere are satellite links, where cell towers are not reachable. Except for places like tunnels or deep canyons.
Cruise ships employ these, but they have limited bandwidth, and as said, are costly...

Being that it's costly, it's probably not worth Amtrak's while to explore the possibility.

 

[tim49424]

You need to get ATT - I don’t remember having any issues on the Builder and I’ve traveled both the Portland and Seattle sections.

Are you going to pay the extra costs for me?

But seriously......you can't be telling me you actually had service in Glacier, let alone remote areas to the east and west of the park. I've not known many to have such luck......and yes, I've traveled both sections many times as well.

 

[Cal]

Are you going to pay the extra costs for me?

But seriously......you can't be telling me you actually had service in Glacier, let alone remote areas to the east and west of the park. I've not known many to have such luck......and yes, I've traveled both sections many times as well.

I have ATT and I went on the Portland section in October. Service, IIRC, was spotty throughout Glacier but I did have a little in some parts. I think it was on and off throughout most of the second day.

 

[jis]

In general if you are close to a major highway or in a town even in an otherwise remote area, you are more likely to have reception than elsewhere in the area.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I have ATT and I went on the Portland section in October. Service, IIRC, was spotty throughout Glacier but I did have a little in some parts. I think it was on and off throughout most of the second day.

I'm by no means a techie, but lots of people that know about such things have told me that
Over all, Verizon has the best coverage out in the Big Nowheres of the West.

I've had Sprint for about 15 years( now part of T-Mobile, and I can switch over by getting a free SIM for my phone) and I agree that their coverage out in the sticks is poor to non-existant!( just took a Trip on the Eagle/Sunset to Alpine).

Based on my expierience with AT&T when I had a Land-Line and their Cable and Internet, Never again! YMMV

 

[tim49424]

Coverage isn't a major issue to me, I don't really care if I have it or not, to be honest. I'm just sharing my experiences with it, regarding wifi and why it's not provided on LD routes out west. I usually download a bunch of videos to my ipad and watch them in the areas I don't have coverage on my cell phone and I'm bored with the scenery in those remote areas. In Glacier, I put everything away and enjoy watching everything outside my window. Same is true on any other route.

 

[jis]

When traveling by train I usually don't need to continue feeding my electronic device addictions. The sounds and views are adequate entertainment for me. The only use of cell phone is to text message to organize dinner get together and such ( a slight tip of the hat to the original subject of this thread ), and access amtrak,com for train status info. Occasionally I even look at GPS maps, which does not require wireless access. I use GPS Apps that allow you to cache maps.

 

[tim49424]

When traveling by train I usually don;t need to continue feeding my electronic device addictions. The sounds and views are adequate entertainment for me. The only use of cell phone is to text message to organize dinner get together and such ( a slight tip of the hat to the original subject of this thread ), and access amtrak,com for train status info. Occasionally I even look at GPS maps, which does not require wireless access. I use GPS Apps that allow you to cache maps.

This is ultimately what I'd like to work back towards. The only time I really achieve this goal is when I'm in a particularly scenic part of the route I'm traveling or when I'm at a meal. I usually shut off my electronic devices to enjoy the company of my table mates. The only exception to that rule is the rare times I snap a photo of my meal.

 

[Cal]

I've had Sprint for about 15 years( now part of T-Mobile, and I can switch over by getting a free SIM for my phone) and I agree that their coverage out in the sticks is poor to non-existant!( just took a Trip on the Eagle/Sunset to Alpine).

When I was on the Sunset about a month ago I did not have a lot of cell service on the final day! It finally began to become more steady after El Paso. However I believe that's because by then we paralleled the 10

 

[jis]

This is ultimately what I'd like to work back towards. The only time I really achieve this goal is when I'm in a particularly scenic part of the route I'm traveling or when I'm at a meal. I usually shut off my electronic devices to enjoy the company of my table mates. The only exception to that rule is the rare times I snap a photo of my meal.

I also tend to do a lot of reading when nothing else is visible e.g. at night. But that too does not require any network access since I have the material already at hand.

 

[Dakota 400]

Does anyone remember the baked half-chicken?

That is the chicken that I mentioned on a previous post that the Chef on the SWC over-cooked.

 

[joelkfla]

You need to get ATT - I don’t remember having any issues on the Builder and I’ve traveled both the Portland and Seattle sections.

I believe a lot of variation comes with the individual phone, not just the carrier. Over the years, as I've upgraded my phone, sometimes reception improves, and sometimes it worsens, from one phone to the next. And it's not just the model & price; IMHO any phone can have poor assembly or marginal chip issues.

 

[fdaley]

That is the chicken that I mentioned on a previous post that the Chef on the SWC over-cooked.

Oh, too bad. I suppose more food preparation on board means more opportunity for a lousy chef to mess things up. But it often was very good -- much better than the reheat-and-plate stuff -- in the right hands.

 

[bms]

I travel alone as well and meals with others is one of the highlights of the trip, for sure. I’ve met so many interesting people. On my last trip in February 2020, the lunch menu had “pork wings“. That quickly became one of my favorites. Before that addition, I was an angus burger guy too. I get the cheese omelette for breakfast with croissant and potatoes. All really good stuff!

By the way, here’s a picture of the old land and sea w/ shrimp. I’d already eaten 4 of them (I couldn’t resist!) when I snapped the photo.

View attachment 21954

That's the smallest Amtrak Steak I've ever seen, but the picture still looks delicious!

 

[bms]

I would HAPPILY trade all those free meals for Internet WiFi on the long distance trains.

You need to get a Hotspot plan with your phone provider - then you'll have internet everywhere your phone has it! Only cost me $10 a month

 

[bms]

It's just common sense. You get in a remote area, you're not going to have cell service. This is why the Western LD trains don't offer Wifi and the Eastern ones are wired for it. Most of the urban sprawl is going on in the east and cell towers and coverage are most everywhere and makes it possible to do Wifi.....yes there are areas where you won't have service, but they are far and few between compared to the west.

My favorite part of any Western trip is the parts without cell service - a few hour window where no one could rely on me to solve their problems