Auto Train discussion

[UserNameRequired]

...

He then said you have a very cool car, I have always wanted to drive one of these V10s and that was that, we got out, took our overnight bags and went inside to check-in.
...

On the return the car check-in was no problem, the guy could drive a manual and that was that.

It was a great vacation and being able to drive my car on the Skyline Drive was awesome.

Good to hear they could handle the manual transmission!
So, the V10 is a Dodge Viper?

 

[PVD]

I had a 95 SHO at one time, no problem

 

[BLNT]

I thought that I would update you all with my experience on the Auto Train and manual transmission car.

After having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in Sanford, we drove over to the Auto Train station.

After waiting to reach the car check-in area, the first Amtrak car employee said, let me get another guy because I am not the best with manuals.

He called another guy over who said don't worry I have been driving manuals my entire life and I currently drive a Honda Civic SI with a manual.

He then said you have a very cool car, I have always wanted to drive one of these V10s and that was that, we got out, took our overnight bags and went inside to check-in.

The train ride itself was fine, the HVAC could have been a little cooler but other than that, it was perfectly fine.

On the return the car check-in was no problem, the guy could drive a manual and that was that.

It was a great vacation and being able to drive my car on the Skyline Drive was awesome.

Yep - I wouldn't imagine that they'd have any issues with a standard.

BTW, my wife talked me into taking the Skyline Drive route back a couple of years ago - man, I thought that would never end (didn't enjoy it, and never again)!

 

[eackly]

Good to hear they could handle the manual transmission!
So, the V10 is a Dodge Viper?

No, a 2010 BMW E60 M5 with the S85 V10 engine.

Though having a Dodge Viper would have been nice.

 

[eackly]

Yep - I wouldn't imagine that they'd have any issues with a standard.

BTW, my wife talked me into taking the Skyline Drive route back a couple of years ago - man, I thought that would never end (didn't enjoy it, and never again)!

Then you really would not enjoy The Tail of the Dragon 318 curves over iirc 11 miles.

 

[Exvalley]

I rode the Auto Train round trip this past week. Overall, I found the experience to be well worth it. When deciding on taking the Auto Train, I focused on the cost analysis. But there is definitely value in not having to drive that distance.

I live too far away from the Lorton station to take the Auto Train often, but in this case I was dropping off a son at college with a loaded car - so it made sense. If I lived close to Lorton, I would absolutely consider it over flying.

 

[UserNameRequired]

...
I live too far away from the Lorton station to take the Auto Train often, but in this case I was dropping off a son at college with a loaded car - so it made sense. ...

I had never considered that one can do that, use the car/truck on an Auto Train simply as a means to pack it totally full of the stuff you are trying to get from point a to point b and not just be trying to get the auto only and yourself from a to b.! Thanks!

 

[erinch13]

I rode the Auto Train round trip this past week. Overall, I found the experience to be well worth it. When deciding on taking the Auto Train, I focused on the cost analysis. But there is definitely value in not having to drive that distance.

I live too far away from the Lorton station to take the Auto Train often, but in this case I was dropping off a son at college with a loaded car - so it made sense. If I lived close to Lorton, I would absolutely consider it over flying.

How is breakfast handled currently?

 

[b243923]

How is breakfast handled currently?

It is currently grab and go breakfast

 

[MARC Rider]

It is currently grab and go breakfast

They'll also serve it to you in the dining car, but it's the same stuff as the grab and go.

 

[b243923]

They'll also serve it to you in the dining car, but it's the same stuff as the grab and go.

I was referring to Coach Passengers, not sure about sleeping car passengers, I believe it is grab and go also, from the annoucements I heard.

 

[MARC Rider]

I was referring to Coach Passengers, not sure about sleeping car passengers, I believe it is grab and go also, from the annoucements I heard.

OK, yeah, I don't know about coach passengers, but in the sleepers we had the choice of either getting served in the diner or taking the grab and go back to our rooms.

 

[PrduPete]

I was referring to Coach Passengers, not sure about sleeping car passengers, I believe it is grab and go also, from the annoucements I heard.

I rode coach in June, and yes, we also had grab-and-go from the lounge car. Granola, muffins, OJ...that was our first time on the AT and did not expect that. We had gotten bagels from the Panera across the street before we left and had them in our cooler.

 

[daves12555]

So taken auto train a bunch of times and had my dakota truck and a santa fe and such and now have a full size truck...I seen someone on another board say they seen refusal...not sure if they tried the car price and not extended vehicle price or so but it said they had rulers out and measuring and it was a no go...so has anyone taken a Chevy 1500 on and what did you pick? extended for the price of the vehicle?

 

[Palmland]

You may be out of luck, especially with a crew cab. Just do a search for dimensions on your vehicle.

Amtrak’s Requirements-

 

[daves12555]

yes that was what I seen..was hoping someone on here would have had one on or told no to know

 

[user 14106]

I have taken my full size F-150 Super Cab (half door in the back - 6.5 foot truck bed) on the auto train multiple times - I did the extended vehicle fare once they started doing that. The length of a standard full size crew cab with the shorter bed should be the same length. They always have to fold the mirrors in but other than that I’ve never had an issue. Lately I’ve been taking the silver service when I go to Florida just to avoid the drive to DC both ways which can be stressful. I think mine is technically a bit longer than it’s supposed to be for the extended fare but they’ve never questioned it. If you’re really concerned you can purchase two standard spaces to fit an extra long vehicle.

 

[Billvasili]

I have a 2023 Tahoe and hsd to take off the right mirror. Has this happened to anyone else???

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Congratulations your driving a tank.

My full size pickup they had to fold the mirrors on so the employees could walk past it when it was in the car carriers.

So did they just fold the mirrors back or physically remove the mirrors?

There is a size limit for automobiles, I would think for the simple logistics of transporting the auto from the factory, that it could fit in a train’s car carrier. The Amtrak ones are a bit specialized but width is the same.

 

[pennyk]

To continue the discussion of the Auto Train, please post your comments in the "current" thread on that topic:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/auto-train-discussion-2023-q4.86128/
Thank you for your cooperation and participation.