Question about the Coast Starlight

[CTBob]

We're looking at possibly taking the Coast Starlight one-way between Seattle and LAX at the end of January. It doesn't matter which way, so what direction will have the better scenery during the short winter daylight hours? I wish I could take all my trips in late June when the days are longest but sadly that's not possible. Also, which side of the train is better, the windows facing the east or the west? Thanks!

 

[Cal H]

I’v only rode the LAX to Oakland. I would want to ride this section northbound and sitting on the west side for the views.
Headed northbound you would definitely get the best ocean view during daylight hours, headed south you might miss out on a lot of it.
The CS has an observation car so if you plan to stay in there for a lot of the trip I wouldn’t worry too much about an assigned seat on either side.
Enjoy the trip, it’s beautiful!

 

[CTBob]

We're looking at a sleeper, so it's good to plan which side of the train would be best for scenery. I will definitely spend time in the observation car, but having a roomette is good for relaxing too. So when I call to make the reservation, I'll ask for the preferred side.

 

[TinCan782]

For the southern portion of the route, especially SLO to OXN, I would recommend the west facing windows. For the northern portion through the Cascades I would recommend the east facing windows. Depending on the timing of the train, it is likely you would be able to see Mt. Shasta on the east about sunrise. BTW, I once was able to see Mt Shasta in the light of a full moon while heading south.
Check the timetable to see scheduled times and compare to sunrise and sunset times for those areas.
Overall, northbound would probably be better in terms of daylight.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I recommend taking the NB Starlight from LAX since you'll have the Coast around Santa Barbara, and the Horseshoe Curve as you go into the Mountains in daylight.

Also from Mt Shasta in N California to Portland will be in Daylight if the Train is running close to on time!

 

[TinCan782]

We're looking at a sleeper, so it's good to plan which side of the train would be best for scenery. I will definitely spend time in the observation car, but having a roomette is good for relaxing too. So when I call to make the reservation, I'll ask for the preferred side.

There is no (reliable) way to predict which side of the train a room/roomette will be on. The cars (except for the transistion sleeper beind the baggage car) may be oriented in either direction at the will of the yard crews when the train is made ready for departure. An Amtrak agent will not know this and will not be able to accomodate such a request.