What is the best part of taking the train

[ScottC4746]

For me it is the clickity clack of the wheels on the track, the sreech of the flanges on the curves, the meals, the being rocked to sleep in your sleeper, the coffee in the morning, the railroad french toast in the diner, the ding-ding-ding of the semifores as you pass the grade crossings.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

For me it is the clickity clack of the wheels on the track

, the sreech of the flanges on the curves

, the meals

, the being rocked to sleep in your sleeper

, the coffee in the morning

, the railroad french toast in the diner

, the ding-ding-ding of the semifores [crossing gates] as you pass the grade crossings

.

Good stuff.

Personally I love the moment when you're safely aboard at your departure point and the train whistles and first begins to move.

I love the feeling at that exact moment.

Doesn't matter where I am or where I'm going.

The only exception to that was leaving Fort Worth when we stopped seconds after first moving for a couple more hours as we waited for UP to get their busted ass freight train out of the way. Ugh!

 

[JayPea]

There are so many things that for me it is hard to single out one best thing! If I had to choose one thing above all else, though, I'd agree with Texas Sunset. It's that feeling when you're aboard, the whistle blows, and the train starts moving. But there are so many others: seeing the scenery go by, even if it's desert or abandonded warehouses and scrap yards, and knowing I can relax and watch it all go by without having to do the driving. I live alone, and I take virtually all my road trips alone. Kinda hard to watch the scenery when I need to be watching the road. Or sitting in the SSL at night, watching the lights of the small towns, big towns, and farmhouses speed by. (OK, I know the train is moving, not the lights, but you know what I mean :lol: ), the dining car experience, and meeting new folks there, even though I'm very introverted, as the folks who attended last year's gathering in Seattle will attest to. Something about travelers in the diner makes me, in that short instance, want to talk to my tablemates. And I could go on and on........

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Eating food served on board in the diner car. Meet new people, and eating dinner while watching the view on a moving train is awesome.

 

[AutoTrDvr]

For me it is the clickity clack of the wheels on the track, the sreech of the flanges on the curves, the meals, the being rocked to sleep in your sleeper, the coffee in the morning, the railroad french toast in the diner, the ding-ding-ding of the semifores as you pass the grade crossings.

1) Not having to fly (not as pleasant as it used to be - but I will if necessary);

2) Increased convenience of a roomette/bedroom;

3) Slightly increased peace & quiet (I say "slightly," as this is not always guaranteed, especially on the AT, (i.e.families with young children). When such a family (with "screamin' meanies") gets assigned next to your room.... hboy: :help: :angry2: );

4) Train whistles (of course);

5) For the Auto Train, the ability to have my car with me and not have to rent one at the destination.

 

[TraneMan]

Too many things to list.. My top one is, the starting to roll down the track, and sound of the whistle blowing... Then hearing the wheels clacking as we speed up.. Car rocking back and forth and making me ready to fall asleep as we rock away into the night.. Waking up the smell of fresh Amtrak coffee...... Meeting new people and having a nice visit in the dinning car.

 

[Ben_G]

I think it's been said before on here....Seeing the backyards of America one mile at a time.

 

[user 1215]

I love to travel. Even something as big as a Suburban can get quite stressful when travelling with the family. When I drive alone, I get bored. I get tired. I get restless. I am ADD, ADHD, hyperactive, curious, and a whole lotta other labels. I can't just drive from SAV to ORL this weekend for a conference. I would never get there. I'd stop in Blues Springs State Park, or stop at every tourist center. The other day it took me almost 10 hours to drive from Kannapolis NC to Savannah because I drove to Amtrak stations along the way - Charlotte, Columbia, Yemassee....

I love the window seat during the day, but don't like to disturb my aisle neighbor, opting rather to spend time in the diner/lounge/cafe. At night, I'm fine with the aisle, except I like to play with my GPS, so I really prefer the window, and yet I still like to get up and walk around - even if it's 1 AM.

I'm just constantly moving. Maybe this weekend I'll be lucky and score a roomette for the return trip. Then I don't have to bother anyone, and I'll be better rested for work on Monday after a 1-freakin' 30 AM arrival.

But I'm taking the train! YAY! I am rather perturbed, though. This trip was supposed to have been paid for with a voucher. My cleaning frenzied DW thought it was a stunt check and tossed it. $100 down the drain. But I did pay for it with a new AGR MC so I get 12,000 points plus the cost of the ticket points plus the AGR rail points. YAY! I'm taking the train!

 

[Railroad Bill]

The convenience of taking long trips out West without driving. We had never been to California before riding Amtrak-- seeing Yosemite, The Redwoods, Oregon and California coasts, San Diego and the Colorado Rockies on our CZ, SWC and CS trips were just a start.

Now we use the LD trains to get us to a destination where we rent a car and see parts of the West that are not covered directly by Amtrak. Next is Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

And it is nice to make a run to DC or Chicago from CLE on short trips for a museum visit or enjoying the big cities. The Downeaster to Maine, the Silvers to Florida and a trip to "way down yonder in New Orleans"

Riding the train is so peaceful sitting in the roomette or bedroom and enjoying the scenery go by.

As others have said. Eating in the diner is a great experience meeting people from all over the country and the world (For us, it has been Australians, Brits, Germans, New Zealanders, Spanish and French and a nice Japanese student and a Russian scientist) all without leaving the US

We have been lucky to never have been bustituted and have only had a handful of bad experiences with Amtrak personnel.

Riding the train is the retirement experience we dreamed of during those long days in the classroom and even longer days delivering the mail.

Long Live Amtrak

 

[NETrainfan]

Love to travel by train. The best part for us is when we have settled in and begin to enjoy the panorama. It is the scenery and getting to know this country better which make us

dedicated Amtrak fans. The best photographic memories for us are from train and ship travel- not from other modes of travel.

 

[reefgeek]

I love settling into my room or roomette and getting underway. I just sit back and relax, don't have to worry about other drivers, the weather, breakdowns, it's all out of my hands. I think almost anything is interesting seen from a train.

 

[me_little_me]

Almost everything. There are a lot fewer dislikes so I will list mine in order of worst first instead (as I agree with all the previous posters)

Onboard service consistency. There are wonderful people serving on Amtrak but there is no excuse for the poor ones.

On-time performance. Yes, I know what the problems are but it is still a downside to Amtrak.

Maintenance. Yes, I know all the reasons ($$$) but it is still something I dislike.

Everything else is wonderful.

 

[the_traveler]

For me, the best part is boarding the train, as I know the adventure is about to begin!

 

[SarahZ]

I love settling into my room or roomette and getting underway. I just sit back and relax, don't have to worry about other drivers, the weather, breakdowns, it's all out of my hands. I think almost anything is interesting seen from a train.

Ditto all of this.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Here's my secret.....can you find it?"What is the best part of taking the train?"



The best part of taking the train is....well. taking the train

 

[sunchaser]

There are so many 'best parts' it's hard to narrow it down to one. Many of my 'best parts' have already been mentioned.

I would say the low stress to actually board the train is high on the list.

My hubby always says 'your vacation begins when you board, not when you arrive'!

I love having a bedroom (or roomette) all to ourselves and settling in.

I love when the train first starts up and we leave the station.

It's fun making new friends! :hi:

I love seeing the country go by outside our window, and not having to drive.

I'm sad when we disembark, leaving new friends behind.

Then it's time to start planning the next trip!!! :giggle:

 

[gatelouse]

Comprehensive list above, but let me add the novelty of taking a hot shower while rolling along at 70+ mph. That's neat.

 

[Donctor]

Comprehensive list above, but let me add the novelty of taking a hot shower while rolling along at 70+ mph. That's neat.

Yeah, I'm right there with you. Being able to shower while traveling is one of the best parts of taking the train.

 

[pebbleworm]

Bypassing the TSA and looking forward to some relaxation while I'm travelling.

 

[SP&S]

While I agree with just about everything that's been posted there's something nice about looking out the window and seeing how so many folks wave. I don't know why, but I also enjoy seeing the cars stopped at the crossings (please stop) for us.

 

[sunchaser]

Comprehensive list above, but let me add the novelty of taking a hot shower while rolling along at 70+ mph. That's neat.

Yeah, I'm right there with you. Being able to shower while traveling is one of the best parts of taking the train.

Yes that is on the list too, but I haven't done it 70mph yet. It was probably close to 10 or 20! (trackwork)

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Comprehensive list above, but let me add the novelty of taking a hot shower while rolling along at 70+ mph. That's neat.

Yeah, I'm right there with you. Being able to shower while traveling is one of the best parts of taking the train.

Yes that is on the list too, but I haven't done it 70mph yet. It was probably close to 10 or 20! (trackwork)

Being able to take a shower and arriving at your final destination clean and crisp is great. However, I'd probably be almost as happy taking a shower in a station as I am taking one on board. Unfortunately stations no longer have showers. Which is odd considering that I don't know anyone who likes to go days without a shower, or even just being around such a person. The other thing I find odd is the attraction to showering while the train is moving. Personally I'd rather the train be stopped so I don't have to spend as much effort avoiding being tossed around while crossing a switch or something. Or am I missing something?

Incidentally, if you really love taking showers while in motion you probably can't beat doing 500MPH or more on an Airbus A380...

 

[Acela150]

I'll shut my self off from the world. My cell phone is off unless it's needed or a short hop to PAO. I call the train my personal get away. If something happens that I need to be reached ASAP, they can send me an email. I'll normally have some type of wifi device with me on long haul trips. Or on AE there's wifi and now on NER's.

So that's my way. Just shutting the phone off. No one texting me, no spam, nothing I want to deal with while I'm trying to enjoy myself.

 

[amtkstn]

Meeting people on the trains and sharing the experiance of riding Amtrak.

 

[Dan O]

Meeting people on the trains and sharing the experiance of riding Amtrak.

Ditto. I am not big on socializing (well initiating it) but on the train we did meet a fair number of folks. There were all types which is good in that it gives one some choices.

Also like the first part of the trip, rolling away for the station.

Dan