CHI -all other East?

[mkeroad]

I have just finished my first LD ride out west and after driving 2 lifetimes of miles I know I will travel rail again.

I have friends and relatives on most every route from Chi East

I have to hear about the cardinal and the silver routes South and all other suggestions east. Ideas of viewing cars and consist

Thanks

 

[railfanlnk]

I have taken the Cardinal, Lakeshore Limited and the Capital Limited eastward from Chicago and my favorite has been The Cap, followed by the Lakeshore and lastly the Cardinal. We had a great SCA on the Cardinal but the train was short, the dining car was too small for the amount of passengers, the food was only ok and most of the other help on the Cardinal was barely average other than the SCA.

 

[Eyegor]

I'll 2nd the LSL. The times are not the most convenient but I love the old water level route. Like all east coast runs, the Silvers run through a lot of urban landscape. I find it interesting, but many won't. The farther south you go, the better it gets. Lots to see immediately south of WAS station too.

 

[Acela150]

I've done the LSL, CL, Cardinal, and the Three Rivers when it was running. Right now non of the 3 are an ideal choice. But that's my opinion. The one thing I did enjoy about the Three Rivers was Sleeper passengers received their meals in the Cafe, when ever they wanted and their was never a charge for a meal or soda. Take the Cardinal, LSL, or CL you have to pay for snacks in the cafe. That's why I did like the TR. Plus it went around Horseshoe Curve. Although it was dark going west it was still cool. That's one train I wish wouldn't have been cut. It left Philly around 3pm, got to Harrisburg around 10pm, and arrived in Chicago around 9am. I never was able to ride it Eastbound though.

Instead of taking Silvers why not take the Auto Train? It only stops once and it's often early.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Scenery on the Capitol Ltd south of Pittsburgh is great. Follow rivers, through mountain tunnels, down the Potomac at Harpers Ferry. A nice ride, good breakfast/brunch served in the morning and you arrive in Washington a little after noon.

 

[manchacrr]

In my opinion, the most scenic route in the east is the Cardinal, especially eastbound with the daylight journey through the New River Gorge in West Virginia and the journey over Blue Ridge Summit on the old C&O route from White Sulphur Springs, WV, to Charlottesville, VA. The Cardinal does take quite a bit longer to reach Washington and New York than the CL and LSL though.

I agree with the above post as well in that the Capitol Ltd, especially south of Pittsburgh over the Sand Patch Grade is also very scenic.

 

[neroden]

You can't go wrong with any of the routes east of the Mississippi, in my biased opinion.

I have just finished my first LD ride out west and after driving 2 lifetimes of miles I know I will travel rail again.

I have friends and relatives on most every route from Chi East

I have to hear about the cardinal and the silver routes South and all other suggestions east. Ideas of viewing cars and consist

Consist listings: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/32610-line-numbersconsist-listings/

Amtrak has "virtual tours" of the sleeping cars. Photos of the other types can usually be found online.

Take whichever route reaches the friend or relative you want to visit. They're all about equally on-time east of the Mississippi.