Big Blue Huddle

I have gotten the point, due to a combination of mobility and discomfort, that I seriously doubt that I will ever get on an airplane again.

But a chance conversation got me thinking about traveling a longish distance on a train.  As is my wont, these days, I went off to YouTube to research the ins and out of riding the rails on Amtrak.  My sister lives in St. Louis and had dispaired of me ever visiting because of my no-fly stance.

But after doing my research I just booked round trip tickets from Flagstaff AZ (like most big cities Phoenix has a Union station but ours is no longer used for trains) to St. Louis.  It a 2-segment trip.  The long segment is Flagstaff to Kansas City, about 26-1/2 hours, and for this segment I will be in a sleeper car in a Roomette.  After a 9 hour layover in KC, the second segment will be Kansas City to St. Louis, about 5-1/2 hours, and will be in a coach seat.

The return trip takes a different route, going through Chicago.  The short leg of STL to CHI is about 5 hours, and I will be in a business class seat.  After a 3 hour layover in CHI there is the long leg back to Flagstaff, which is almost 30 hours.  On this leg I will be in a coach seat, as sleepers had been sold out. 

So I'll find out if I can sleep on a train in a reclining coach seat.  This is not as daunting as it might seem for a couple of reasons.  First, the seats are huge compared to airline seats and reclining them (which I never do on an airplane - even in first class) is fine with no issue.  Second, several years back, after some health issues and a surgery, I spent over a year sleeping in my recliner at night rather than a bed, with no problems.  And if it works out it will open up traveling to me again.

I'm guessing that on this board some of you have done some long range train travel, so if you have any advice, tips, tricks, don't do this or that thoughts, they would be most welcome.

I have always been a train lover. A few years ago my family took a train from Boston to Orlando. About a 24 hr trip. It was a nightmare. Very noisy. Lots of kids running through the train. Seats for 2 of us were broken and would not recline. If you ask my wife and daughter they will tell you that they will never travel by train again. But I think it would be better if you have a roomette. That would keep you out of the chaos. I would still love to take a long trip if the conditions were right. Good luck.

Bill

I really enjoy travel by train.  It's a great way to get from point A to B

My daughter does not like to fly at all. So by living in Texas but attending college in Rhode Island she discovered Amtrak and train travel. She made the multi - legged trip many times and overall it was a good experience. Getting a sleeper or roomette is optimal for overnight trips, but as you said, the seats in coach are much larger and more comfortable than your average airplane seat. You even have a footrest. We did the overnight thing in coach once and sleeping wasn't really too bad.
 Most trains have a Dining car, but it's not like the ones you see in a movie from the 1940's, it's more like a snack bar, but at least there is food available.
 The biggest problems she ran into is no Wi-Fi on most trains and being able to make your connecting train.
These aren't Bullet trains Amtrak is running and in certain spots they slow way down due to State and Local laws. They make stops to pick up and drop off passengers and occasionally there are going to be mechanical problems. So the long layovers are actually a good thing as it gives you a larger window to make your next train.
  The scenery all depends on where you're traveling, sometimes nice, sometimes boring, but like I said, it was a good option for her and overall she enjoyed it.

Quote from: Bill Brown on July 31, 2023, 06:17:17 AMI have always been a train lover. A few years ago my family took a train from Boston to Orlando. About a 24 hr trip. It was a nightmare. Very noisy. Lots of kids running through the train. Seats for 2 of us were broken and would not recline. If you ask my wife and daughter they will tell you that they will never travel by train again. But I think it would be better if you have a roomette. That would keep you out of the chaos. I would still love to take a long trip if the conditions were right. Good luck.

Bill

Thanks for the response.  Hopefully the fact that I will be traveling midweek, in early October, will mean the kids are in school, not on my train.

Quote from: ozzie on July 31, 2023, 01:47:45 PMMy daughter does not like to fly at all. So by living in Texas but attending college in Rhode Island she discovered Amtrak and train travel. She made the multi - legged trip many times and overall it was a good experience. Getting a sleeper or roomette is optimal for overnight trips, but as you said, the seats in coach are much larger and more comfortable than your average airplane seat. You even have a footrest. We did the overnight thing in coach once and sleeping wasn't really too bad.
 Most trains have a Dining car, but it's not like the ones you see in a movie from the 1940's, it's more like a snack bar, but at least there is food available.
 The biggest problems she ran into is no Wi-Fi on most trains and being able to make your connecting train.
These aren't Bullet trains Amtrak is running and in certain spots they slow way down due to State and Local laws. They make stops to pick up and drop off passengers and occasionally there are going to be mechanical problems. So the long layovers are actually a good thing as it gives you a larger window to make your next train.
  The scenery all depends on where you're traveling, sometimes nice, sometimes boring, but like I said, it was a good option for her and overall she enjoyed it.

Thanks, you make some good points. 

As I understand it most trains have a Dining car for sleeper passengers and the meals (which looked pretty good on a video I watched) are included.  And there's a Cafe car where coach passengers can buy food.  I'll get to try the dining car on 1 of my 4 legs.  And if I have enough time on my Chicago layover I may try to buy something in the station to bring on board for the long leg, as bringing on your own food is allowed.

I have heard about the delays and late arrivals.  On my outbound trip I had a choice between an hour and a half layover and a 9 hour layover in KC.  I took the latter for that very reason.  I had no choice on the Chicago layover on the return trip, but hopefully the 3 hours will be sufficient.  If not, I'm retired, so a delay is not a big deal.

How was cell service?  If it's decent I could always use my cellphone as a hotspot to get wifi.  Or I could just watch the scenery, read, or chat with people I meet.

Thanks for the response.

Quote from: MightyGiants on July 31, 2023, 09:21:37 AMI really enjoy travel by train.  It's a great way to get from point A to B

If you don't mind my asking, what routes have you traveled and in which accomodations?

Quote from: AZGiantFan on July 31, 2023, 07:53:51 PMIf you don't mind my asking, what routes have you traveled and in which accomodations?

Most of my trips by train involved trains commuting to NYC.  I have taken the train from Newark NJ to Philly as well.   Beyond that, I haven't been on many long train runs, but I would like to.   There is just something about traveling by train that is so comfortable.

Quote from: AZGiantFan on July 31, 2023, 07:52:49 PMThanks, you make some good points. 

As I understand it most trains have a Dining car for sleeper passengers and the meals (which looked pretty good on a video I watched) are included.  And there's a Cafe car where coach passengers can buy food.  I'll get to try the dining car on 1 of my 4 legs.  And if I have enough time on my Chicago layover I may try to buy something in the station to bring on board for the long leg, as bringing on your own food is allowed.

I have heard about the delays and late arrivals.  On my outbound trip I had a choice between an hour and a half layover and a 9 hour layover in KC.  I took the latter for that very reason.  I had no choice on the Chicago layover on the return trip, but hopefully the 3 hours will be sufficient.  If not, I'm retired, so a delay is not a big deal.

How was cell service?  If it's decent I could always use my cellphone as a hotspot to get wifi.  Or I could just watch the scenery, read, or chat with people I meet.

Thanks for the response.

If my memory is correct I think the cell service was spotty, at best. I guess it depends on where you are...
Yes, the sleeper passengers do get meals delivered to their rooms and we were always satisfied with what we received. We chose from a small menu of about two or three choices and everything was tasty.
Bringing you own food on board is another option and we always had some snacks with us.
If you have any more questions please let me know and I will answer the best I can.

Quote from: AZGiantFan on July 30, 2023, 09:29:50 PMI have gotten the point, due to a combination of mobility and discomfort, that I seriously doubt that I will ever get on an airplane again.

But a chance conversation got me thinking about traveling a longish distance on a train.  As is my wont, these days, I went off to YouTube to research the ins and out of riding the rails on Amtrak.  My sister lives in St. Louis and had dispaired of me ever visiting because of my no-fly stance.

But after doing my research I just booked round trip tickets from Flagstaff AZ (like most big cities Phoenix has a Union station but ours is no longer used for trains) to St. Louis.  It a 2-segment trip.  The long segment is Flagstaff to Kansas City, about 26-1/2 hours, and for this segment I will be in a sleeper car in a Roomette.  After a 9 hour layover in KC, the second segment will be Kansas City to St. Louis, about 5-1/2 hours, and will be in a coach seat.

The return trip takes a different route, going through Chicago.  The short leg of STL to CHI is about 5 hours, and I will be in a business class seat.  After a 3 hour layover in CHI there is the long leg back to Flagstaff, which is almost 30 hours.  On this leg I will be in a coach seat, as sleepers had been sold out. 

So I'll find out if I can sleep on a train in a reclining coach seat.  This is not as daunting as it might seem for a couple of reasons.  First, the seats are huge compared to airline seats and reclining them (which I never do on an airplane - even in first class) is fine with no issue.  Second, several years back, after some health issues and a surgery, I spent over a year sleeping in my recliner at night rather than a bed, with no problems.  And if it works out it will open up traveling to me again.

I'm guessing that on this board some of you have done some long range train travel, so if you have any advice, tips, tricks, don't do this or that thoughts, they would be most welcome.

Rich: I have experience.  I have gone from Harrisburg, PA, to El Paso, TX, on Amtrak.  PM me if you want to hear more, but coming from AZ to St. Louis you will take the same train I took. My train continued on from El Paso through your area and on to California (the terminus was probably San Diego but I can't recall since it didn't concern me at the time).  Drawbacks: in states other than Pennsylvania where the one-time Pennsylvania Railroad Company rule the political roost for countless decades, Amtrak (and all other passenger trains) are second-class citizens versus commercial lines. Also, in many states there is only ONE track across long stretches, and that definitely includes Texas. Your train will be delayed by having to "give way" to commercial lines, and if there's an accident (as there was in Indiana on my long trip) you will be GREATLY delayed. And that's not counting normal maintenance events and equipment failure.  I LOVE riding the train, but it's only for retired or unemployed people with spare time. Don't count on being anywhere near "on time." However, I HIGHLY recommend at least one long train ride for every person and the cost is reasonable if not cheap, IMO.  If you want to consider a berth because your trip is likely to include an overnight, it's inordinately expensive but age considerations, etc., may demand it. Regardless, it's nice if you can afford it to have a "private" location which allows you to play cards, experience the maximum "quietness" possible on a train, and etc.  Bob

https://youtu.be/nJI115Y1Wrc

This showed up on my IG feed.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuXPaOtANrF/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==