Greetings from Ohio!

[juleni]

Hello, I am new here. Just happened upon the forum accidentally, when I was looking up a question and there was a hit on search with an answer to my question, from this forum! I am a 60 year old female, riding on Amtrak for the first time, from Ohio to Washington State and back on the Cardinal and Empire Builder lines. I am leaving tonight on my journey and am very excited and also a bit nervous as a first timer, but I expect it to be wonderful . Going out west to see family I have never met, but only interacted with online before now. Thanking God for this opportunity! I did grow up in Switzerland, where riding trains was a daily deed, just like taking the bus would be in our American cities. And my father was an avid rail fan, photographing trains on three continents all over, during his lifetime. So I am used to trains and grew up, recording engine numbers for any trains I saw, to bring back to my Dad. Now that he is gone, I still catch myself thinking of him when I hear a train whistle, and thinking about recording engine numbers before I realize I don't have to do so. One of the best sounds in the world, is a train whistle!

 

[pennyk]

Hello, I am new here. Just happened upon the forum accidentally, when I was looking up a question and there was a hit on search with an answer to my question, from this forum! I am a 60 year old female, riding on Amtrak for the first time, from Ohio to Washington State and back on the Cardinal and Empire Builder lines. I am leaving tonight on my journey and am very excited and also a bit nervous as a first timer, but I expect it to be wonderful . Going out west to see family I have never met, but only interacted with online before now. Thanking God for this opportunity! I did grow up in Switzerland, where riding trains was a daily deed, just like taking the bus would be in our American cities. And my father was an avid rail fan, photographing trains on three continents all over, during his lifetime. So I am used to trains and grew up, recording engine numbers for any trains I saw, to bring back to my Dad. Now that he is gone, I still catch myself thinking of him when I hear a train whistle, and thinking about recording engine numbers before I realize I don't have to do so. One of the best sounds in the world, is a train whistle!

Welcome. Have a great trip.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Welcome, looking forward to reading about your trip! Bon Boyage!

 

[juleni]

Welcome. Have a great trip.

Thank you Penny!!

 

[juleni]

Welcome, looking forward to reading about your trip! Bon Boyage!

Thank you so much Bob!! I'll post along the way. By the way, I have one checked bag, but 3 different trains to be on (Cardinal, Empire Builder and then Cascades). Do you know if I will have to get my checked bag and transfer it onto each next train, if all three trains are under one reservation number?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thank you so much Bob!! I'll post along the way. By the way, I have one checked bag, but 3 different trains to be on (Cardinal, Empire Builder and then Cascades). Do you know if I will have to get my checked bag and transfer it onto each next train, if all three trains are under one reservation number?

You can check your Bag all the way IF there is Checked Baggage @ both your Boarding and De- Training Stations, but since you didnt indicate where you are Boarding and changing to your Cascades Train, you might have to carry your bag aboard the Cascades Train.

You will be in Viewliner Sleeper on the Cardinal to Chicago,and a Superliner Sleeper on the Empire Builder.

There is a Luggage Rack downstairs on the Empire Builder Superliner where most people leave their Big Bags and only take what they need to their Room if in a Sleeper, or your Seat if in Coach.

The Viewliner Sleepers don't have much Luggage Storeage Space if you can't fit it into your room, but Amfleet Coaches have overhead Luggage Racks as well as space @ the end of the Car for Luggage.

Superliner Coaches have the same, in fact there is even more space in those Cars.

 

[juleni]

Thank you so much Bob!☺ You are a wealth if information! Very much appreciated, and will let you know what my rooms are like. I am excited to know the Viewliner vs Superliner types I will be in. As far as changing to Cascades, that will happen in Seattle, with my end of line being at Tacoma, so a short ride on Cascades...Also I will be in coach on Cascades after having been in a roomette on Empire Builder. I am in an accessible bedroom on the Cardinal (placed there by automated system when I booked online). I am pretty excited! Only thing I am concerned about is that I see the Cincinnati waiting room for Amtrak closes at midnight, but my train leaves at 1:41 a.m. so although I will be at the station in plenty of time, before midnight, I hope they will still let me wait on my train after midnight in the waiting room!

 

[Railroad Bill]

Welcome to Amtrak Unlimited. Hope you have a great trip!!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thank you so much Bob!☺ You are a wealth if information! Very much appreciated, and will let you know what my rooms are like. I am excited to know the Viewliner vs Superliner types I will be in. As far as changing to Cascades, that will happen in Seattle, with my end of line being at Tacoma, so a short ride on Cascades...Also I will be in coach on Cascades after having been in a roomette on Empire Builder. I am in an accessible bedroom on the Cardinal (placed there by automated system when I booked online). I am pretty excited! Only thing I am concerned about is that I see the Cincinnati waiting room for Amtrak closes at midnight, but my train leaves at 1:41 a.m. so although I will be at the station in plenty of time, before midnight, I hope they will still let me wait on my train after midnight in the waiting room!

You got the best Room in Amtrak with the Accesible Bedroom on the Cardinal.

And I think that's a mistake about Cincinnati closing the waiting Room @ Midnight, when the actual Hours for Business are Midnight to 4AM!. It's been Open every time I've been there, even though it's in the wee hours.

You will want to carry on your Luggage onto the Train from Seattle to Tacoma on the Cascades, it's just a short ride.

Unfortunately you'll have a Flex Breakfast ( Heat and Eat )on the Card, but the Empire Builder has a Real Diner with a Traditional Diner Menu and you'll have 6 Really good Meals on the way to Seattle since the Diner stays with the Seattle Section of the Empire Builder while the Sightseer Lounge goes with the Portland Section when the Train splits on Spokane.

 

[juleni]

Wow, that's exciting news about the room, Bob! I'll have to get a picture of it before I sleep tonight to post here. And yes, it was my mistake on the times the station is open in Cincinnati. The station there OPENS at midnight, rather than closing at midnight. It's open from midnight to 4 am nightly. I am actually at the station now, and it should open in just a few minutes, and the adventure will begin! Thank you so much Bob for helping me to get past my last minute worries pre-trip today. So very helpful!

 

[Barb Stout]

Congratulations on taking Amtrak for the first time! I hope you have a great journey. You mentioned that you live in Central Ohio. My sister and I frequently take Amtrak to visit our other sister who lives in Columbus. Our biggest problem with the trip is getting from an Amtrak station to Columbus as we have had occasional problems with buses. May I ask how you got to Cincinnatti from whatever part of central Ohio you live in and how you will get back to your central Ohio home? This summer we're going to try the Cincinnati route going to Columbus and the Cleveland route coming back from Columbus due to bus schedules.

 

[GoAmtrak]

Hello, I am new here. Just happened upon the forum accidentally, when I was looking up a question and there was a hit on search with an answer to my question, from this forum! I am a 60 year old female, riding on Amtrak for the first time, from Ohio to Washington State and back on the Cardinal and Empire Builder lines. I am leaving tonight on my journey and am very excited and also a bit nervous as a first timer, but I expect it to be wonderful . Going out west to see family I have never met, but only interacted with online before now. Thanking God for this opportunity! I did grow up in Switzerland, where riding trains was a daily deed, just like taking the bus would be in our American cities. And my father was an avid rail fan, photographing trains on three continents all over, during his lifetime. So I am used to trains and grew up, recording engine numbers for any trains I saw, to bring back to my Dad. Now that he is gone, I still catch myself thinking of him when I hear a train whistle, and thinking about recording engine numbers before I realize I don't have to do so. One of the best sounds in the world, is a train whistle!

Hi, welcome here in our forum! What a coincidence, I'm 100% from your country of origin - Switzerland. I'm a person who loves riding trains and I would like to visit the US one day. I'm unhappy the US haven't moved forward to expand passenger railway, compared to most other developed countries in the World.

Passenger railway in your state, Ohio is quite poor in most aspects. Let's hope the Ohio government steps up for the Amtrak expansion - but the Republicans still don't seem to be open, once again. Let's show them some people in Ohio want to ride the train... Personally, I would like to visit Ohio by train one day!

 

[AKA]

Welcome, have a great trip

 

[juleni]

Hi, welcome here in our forum! What a coincidence, I'm 100% from your country of origin - Switzerland. I'm a person who loves riding trains and I would like to visit the US one day. I'm unhappy the US haven't moved forward to expand passenger railway, compared to most other developed countries in the World.

Passenger railway in your state, Ohio is quite poor in most aspects. Let's hope the Ohio government steps up for the Amtrak expansion - but the Republicans still don't seem to be open, once again. Let's show them some people in Ohio want to ride the train... Personally, I would like to visit Ohio by train one day!

Thank you GoAmtrak! Gruetzi wohl! Oh absolutely I hope that Amtrak might expand - to Ohio's Capital city, which is Columbus, where I live! We definitely want to ride America's long distance trains. I do miss Switzerland's amazing transportation. I am having a wonderful ride on this first Amtrak trip I'm taking.