When I was a very young boy, my Dad took me across the United States by Train. We used the Southern Pacific Railway to get us to Ohio, and then we used the Northern Pacific to get back. In doing so we went thru almost 40 States. The trip was one my most favorite adventures of my life. Train Travel is quite a luxury, the food is great, and you cannot beat the entertainment of the observation cars. The only way you can see more of our fabulous country is to travel by automobile. Train travel takes all the headache out of that completely. The sights I saw of Our Great National Parks and our many landscapes and scenery I will never forget!

I did it! Over 3,000 miles from NY to LA and I’m still alive to tell the story. An amazing experience—I feel there couldn’t possibly be a better way to see the country. There were some unpleasant parts of the experience, especially with the Amtrak stations in NY and Chicago being so over-crowded and one of the trains breaking down, but all in all a great experience.

I had a blanket, books, my iPod, camera, cell phone, a sleeping mask and plenty of snacks with me – they all came in handy and I think made my trip a lot more pleasant. Also, ask for a window seat, it’s worth it because you can lean your head against the wall when sleeping and are closer to the views. The people were all very friendly and I had some interesting chats with people from all walks of life.

I stayed in Chicago for a few days between the NY-Chi and Chi-LA legs of my trip. I recommend doing this if going from/to the East Coast to/from LA to get a few nights of real rest and see a fabulous city.

I’m moving from NYC to LA for school and since I’m in no hurry to get there I’m going to take the train (Amtrak). I love riding the train and I’m very excited. I’m going to go from NYC to Chicago (24 hrs.) and then stay over in Chi-town for a few days (get some sleep!). Then go from Chi-Town to LA (3 days!). Since I’m young and broke, I won’t be able to afford a sleeper car, but I’ve been told it’s manageable if you bring a blanket and pillow and reserve a seat not by the car doors. I’ll let you know how it goes! Any tips would be appreciated!

Twice on ViaRail (from Toronto to Vancouver), Eight times on Amtrak. Seattle to the East Coast. Once in Europe. Once in Japan. I love traveling by train! I’d love to ride the Trans-Siberian Railway!

Last week I had my first Amtrak experience—rode the Crescent from Atlanta to New Orleans and back. I half-expected it to put me off long distance train travel for good, but it was a surprisingly fun experience. I did learn some important lessons, such as:

• Bring a pillow and blanket, because you will want to nap.
• Bring plenty of your own food and bottled water, because the on-board food service is grim,

That being said, I am now seriously considering an eventual transcontinental trip not with Amtrak, but with VIA Rail Canada. They’ve got service from Toronto to Vancouver and the prices for sleeper car service are reasonable. Really wish I had the money to book a trip for next spring…

A few months ago I plotted out a trip from Chicago to Seattle to San Francisco to Chicago, along some of Amtrak’s most scenic routes. Not exactly a transcontinental trip, I know, but it would be close enough to satisfy me.

Rail travel is horrifically expensive these days. And I don’t think there’s any way I could survive a trip of that length without a private sleeping car. I have enough trouble sleeping without trying to do it sitting up in the company of strangers.

Actually it was a lot of fun- looking back on it.
But at the time….
(I rode Amtrak from West Virginia to Los Angeles)

Ottawa to Prince Rupert(northern BC) via VIA Rail across Canada!

ALSO

all over Western Europe (Rome to Amsterdam) /(Budapest to Barcelona)/(Southern Spain to Northern Norway) and pretty much everywhere in between…... I had a Rail pass : )

Loved every minute of it…..........

Can U tell…. I love train travel!

Next stop>Trans-Siberian Railway

Seeing the USA from the train was great. Amtrak’s food and service – not that wonderful. Trains are always late.

Whether it’s Amtrak, VIArail, or the American Orient Express, I want to travel across North America by train. This should ideally happen coast to coast, in a sleeping car. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at travel on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, either!