How much of the Amtrak map has one covered?

[Fenway]

Congratulations Nat

At 84, he’d traveled the entire Amtrak map — except Boston to Brunswick. It was time to finish (Boston Globe 7/21/23)

Nat Read boarded the Amtrak 681 Downeaster train at North Station Friday morning, a small suitcase in tow. This wasn’t just any trip; it marked the completion of the train enthusiast’s decades-long quest to travel all 21,400 miles of the entire Amtrak railroad.

Read, 84, boarded the 8:50 a.m. train to Brunswick, Maine, arriving at about 12:15 p.m. and completing the final leg of his tour — or, as he put it, “the last thread of passenger rail on Amtrak’s spiderweb map.

 

[TheMalahat]

That is pretty darn cool, and colour me a bit jealous!

 

[aroc34]

Bravo to Nat Read! Imagine if you were lucky enough to be riding next to him.

 

[Steve4031]

I’ve ridden every route.

 

[Fenway]

I’ve ridden every route.

@Steve4031 Well done

I did take the Sunset Limited from Miami to LA in 1994 but the Texas Eagle from Chicago to San Antonio is my big miss.

 

[Asher]

I better get my *** in gear, even though I’d imagine I started before him I’ve got quite a few miles to go to catch up.

 

[caravanman]

This reminds me of an older gent that I met aboard Amtrak in coach, a few years ago. He might even have been Nat Read, above, I can't remember him clearly, but a small sprightly chap. He was a lot older than me, but like me, was enjoying Amtrak in coach, and had many tales to tell of his adventures.
He comes to mind each time I consider doing a long multi night trip in coach, an inspiration not to let "old age" stop the adventures.
I am pleased to have travelled several times over most of the Amtrak lines, often in coach, but I guess my next visit Stateside will be my last, and so far I have the Zephyr in coach as my final fling!

 

[Everydaymatters]

That's terrific! I wonder how many of those trips were in coach.

 

[railiner]

I've ridden every regular, and some detour routes that Amtrak has ever operated in its history, except for that segment from Portland to Brunswick. Oh, and the short-lived 'Lake Country Limited' between Chicago and Janesville, WI, which branches off the Hiawatha route at Rondout, but is still covered as far as Fox Lake by Metra, and may return as far as Walworth, which Metra ended in 1982. I've kicked myself for not riding the Lake Country, when I could....

I will ride to Brunswick, but waiting to see if service might extend further to Rockland...

 

[Bob Dylan]

@Steve4031 Well done

I did take the Sunset Limited from Miami to LA in 1994 but the Texas Eagle from Chicago to San Antonio is my big miss.

Right now you're not missing much on the Orphan Eaglette!

 

[Sidney]

Ridden every long distance route multiple times. Have not ridden the Missouri Runner between St Louis and Kansas City or the Heartland Flyer.I think over the years I’ve done every route from Freeport, Maine to San Diego including the Sunset East to Fort Lauderdale and the Desert Wind. Never made it to the Pioneer.

 

[BlackDiamond]

I have a long way to go yet.

However I have ridden the entire width of continental Canada - Sydney NS to Vancouver BC which unfortunately you can't do anymore.

 

[Steve4031]

I never rode the lake country limited or the Kentucky Cardinal. Forgot about those.

 

[railiner]

I have a long way to go yet.

However I have ridden the entire width of continental Canada - Sydney NS to Vancouver BC which unfortunately you can't do anymore.

Beyond continental Canada, did you ever ride the Malahat on Vancouver Island when it ran? Or, the Caribou when it ran across Newfoundland?

 

[Widfara]

@Steve4031 Well done

I did take the Sunset Limited from Miami to LA in 1994 but the Texas Eagle from Chicago to San Antonio is my big miss.

I was set to do the Sunset/Texas Eagle LA to Chicago last year, but Amtrak was killing sleepers left and right (too big and old to sleep in coach, especially that long), so I modified my trip. I will be trying to do the other way soon, Chicago to LA.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Beyond continental Canada, did you ever ride the Malahat on Vancouver Island when it ran? Or, the Caribou when it ran across Newfoundland?

Nope. I was born too late to ride the "Newfie bullet". I don't recall if the Malahat was still running when we were in Vancouver which was March 1984.

 

[railiner]

Nope. I was born too late to ride the "Newfie bullet". I don't recall if the Malahat was still running when we were in Vancouver which was March 1984.

It was...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria–Courtenay_train

 

[Bob Dylan]

It was...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria–Courtenay_train

I rode this Train several times when living in Vancouver and visiting friends on the Island!

It is greatly missed!

 

[SubwayNut]

I rode this Train several times when living in Vancouver and visiting friends on the Island!

It is greatly missed!

Thanks for sharing the Wikipedia article stating that it was suspended on March 19, 2011.

I spent a lot of time traveling riding trains in British Columbia in September-October 2011, did a full circle North Vancouver-Whistler-Quesnel-Jasper Bus tour down to Banff-Kamloops-Vancouver Rocky Mountaineer tour with my grandmother, before staying in Vancouver and doing the entire SkyTrain system and West Coast Express (except the leg out Mission because I couldn't figure out how to return to Vancouver that same evening).

I for a long time I've had this feeling of regret that the Malahat was still running in Fall 2011 and it was my own lack of adventure that kept me from going over to Vancouver Island to ride it. It makes me feel good to see that it was already suspended by Fall 2011 and I didn't miss it.

 

[railiner]

It makes me feel good to see that it was already suspended by Fall 2011 and I didn't miss it.

I, on the other hand, feel bad about not having ridden lots of pre-Amtrak routes, regardless of whether they were still running prior to Amtrak day, or were even gone before I was born...

 

[BlackDiamond]

I, on the other hand, feel bad about not having ridden lots of pre-Amtrak routes, regardless of whether they were still running prior to Amtrak day, or were even gone before I was born...

There are a couple that really bug me as I could have ridden them - New London CT to Worcester MA and the Reading Crusader Philadelphia to Newark NJ. Admittedly these were both just RDC runs at that point, but still.

 

[jiml]

My key Amtrak "misses" were the eastern portion of the Sunset before its suspension and part of the Pioneer route.

 

[railiner]

There are a couple that really bug me as I could have ridden them - New London CT to Worcester MA and the Reading Crusader Philadelphia to Newark NJ. Admittedly these were both just RDC runs at that point, but still.

I understand. I've ridden those, but I too missed some "close to home" routes, such as the route between Wassaic and Chatham, NY...or the route from Danbury to Pittsfield.

 

[jis]

My key Amtrak "misses" were the eastern portion of the Sunset before its suspension and part of the Pioneer route.

I missed the North Coast Hiawatha, the Southern part beyond San Antonio of the Inter-American, Lone Star between Fort Worth and Houston, Sunset East, the Newport News section of the James Whitcomb Riley/George Washington, the numerous routings used at various times through Indiana by the Cardinal and its predecessors, the JAX - Ocala - Auburndale portion of the Silver Service. The Port Road routing of the Washington DC section of the Broadway Limited, the Gulf Breeze between Birmingham and Mobile.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I missed out on the Amtrak run Broadway Limited, the Lake Cities,the International, theLouisville Cardinal,the Sunset Ltd leg from Orlando to Miami and the Pioneer!