Epic Train Trip - 6500 miles - 7 days - Fall 2016

[KmH]

Sometime next October, probably in the first half of the month.
I haven't decided what dates yet, but the earlier I make my reservations the less the trip will cost.

Tuesday:
Depart - Galesburg, IL (GBB) @ 7:38 am • train # 380 Illinois Zephyr – Business Class
Arrive - Chicago Union Station (CHI) @ 10:35 am
Layover – get lunch, sightsee a bit & change trains
Depart – CHI @1:45 • train #421 Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited – Coach (Amtrak’s longest train route)

Wednesday: - Texas Eagle
Marshall, TX (MHL) @ 7:50 am - move to Roomette

Thursday: - Texas Eagle
Alpine, TX (ALP) @ 10:38 am – move back to Coach

Friday: - Texas Eagle, Pacific Surfliner, Coast Starlight
Arrive – Los Angeles Union Station, CA (LAX) @ 5:35 am
Layover – if there’s time, breakfast at Philippes - change trains
Depart – LAX @7:35 am • train #761 Pacific Surfliner – Business Class
Arrive – San Luis Obispo (SLO) @ 1:00 pm.
Layover – Change trains
Depart – SLO @ 3:35 • train #14 Coast Starlight – Roomette & Pacific Parlour Car

Saturday: - Coast Starlight, Empire Builder
Arrive – Portland Union Station, OR (PDX) @ 3:32 pm
Layover – Change Trains (maybe). Short layover - 1 hr 13 minutes, but a ‘guaranteed’ connection for the next train if we're running later than 60 minutes.
In the case of a missed guaranteed connection, Amtrak will provide alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's discretion, and no extra charge.
Depart – PDX @4:45 pm • train # 28 Empire Builder - Coach

Sunday: - Empire Builder
West Glacier, MT (WGL) @ 8:16 am - move to Roomette

Monday: - Empire Builder, Illinois Zephyr
Red Wing, MN (RDW) @ 8:54 am - move to Coach
Arrive – CHI @ 3:55 pm
Layover – Change Trains
Depart – CHI @ 5:55 pm • train #383 Illinois Zephyr
Arrive – GBB @ 8:38 pm.

List of trains and distance traveled on:
#380 - Illinois Zephyr - 162 miles
#421 - Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited - 2728 miles
#761 - Pacific Surfliner - 222 miles
#14 - Coast Starlight - 970 miles
# 28 - Empire Builder - 2255 miles
#383 - Illinois Zephyr - 162 miles

 

[480sparky]

Knowing Amtrak, it will turn into an 11-day nightmare.

 

[jaomul]

Enjoy your trip. It's amazing the difference in what people will enjoy, I'd find that trip harder than work, but your doing it for pleasure

 

[Designer]

Have fun! Keep us posted!

 

[KmH]

Enjoy your trip. It's amazing the difference in what people will enjoy, I'd find that trip harder than work, but your doing it for pleasure

Why would you find it harder than work?

 

[FITBMX]

Sounds fun!

 

[jaomul]

Enjoy your trip. It's amazing the difference in what people will enjoy, I'd find that trip harder than work, but your doing it for pleasure

Why would you find it harder than work?

I love traveling, but I like to travel for a few hours and settle then. After a little while to much traveling and jumping from one train to another wouldn't allow me relax.

I do have friends that love that type of thing just like yourself but for me a good week would involve maybe 6 hrs on a train and little excursions in between. Different strokes for different folks I guess

 

[gsgary]

I did that distance on my motorbike in 21 days with lots of stopovers but I went somewhere nice, Norway, Sweden, Finland Norway, Russia, Norway and home

 

[gsgary]

Enjoy your trip. It's amazing the difference in what people will enjoy, I'd find that trip harder than work, but your doing it for pleasure

All he has to do is sit on his arse everyone else is doing the work

 

[vintagesnaps]

Sounds pretty cool.

Before you go watch some of those movies filmed entirely (or mostly) on a train. Or then again, maybe not if it involves Hitchcock or gangsters.

 

[gsgary]

Sounds pretty cool.

Before you go watch some of those movies filmed entirely (or mostly) on a train. Or then again, maybe not if it involves Hitchcock or gangsters.

Von Ryans Express ? [emoji3]

 

[KmH]

All he has to do is sit on his arse everyone else is doing the work

lol.
I stay pretty busy when I'm on a long distance train.
I don't just sit and vegetate.

I can't get them to feed me, take me to the bathroom, or clean me up.
I have to brush my own teeth, comb my hair, and dress myself too.
I have to take photos, read my book, set up my laptop computer/GPS antenna so I can watch where the train is and it's speed.
I have to keep track of the radio frequencies so I'm sure my scanner is on the right frequency so I can listen to the radio communications between the Dispatcher and Engineer.

I'll walk to and sit in the Sightseer Lounge car for while, walk to the back end of the train to look out the back window for a while, go downstairs and look out the windows in the boarding vestibule doors, go to the dining car 2 or 3 times a day for my meals. Sometimes I just walk the train for the exercise.

Train movies:
Unstoppable (2010), Emperor of the North (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974, 2001), Runaway Train (1985), The Cassandra Crossing (1976), The Lady Vanishes (1938, 1979), The Narrow Margin (1952), The Train (1964) ......

I'll go through 14 states, in this order - IL, MO, AR, TX, NM, AZ, CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, ND, MN, and WI. Then back into IL.

 

[gsgary]

All he has to do is sit on his arse everyone else is doing the work

lol.
I stay pretty busy when I'm on a long distance train.
I don't just sit and vegetate.

I can't get them to feed me, take me to the bathroom, or clean me up.
I have to brush my own teeth, comb my hair, and dress myself too.
I have to take photos, read my book, set up my laptop computer/GPS antenna so I can watch where the train is and it's speed.
I have to keep track of the radio frequencies so I'm sure my scanner is on the right frquency so I can listen to the radio communications between the Dispatcher and Engineer.

I'll walk to and sit in the Sightseer Lounge car for while, walk to the back end of the train to look out the back window for a while, go downstairs and look out the windows in the boarding vestibule doors, go to the dining car 2 or 3 times a day for my meals. Sometimes I just walk the train for the exercise.

Train movies:
Unstoppable (2010), Emperor of the North (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974, 2001), Runaway Train (1985), The Cassandra Crossing (1976), The Lady Vanishes (1938, 1979), The Narrow Margin (1952), The Train (1964) ......

I'll go through 14 states, in this order - IL, MO, AR, TX, NM, AZ, CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, ND, MN, and WI. Then back into IL.

We don't have trains like that

 

[vintagesnaps]

Reno, Chicago, Fargo... I've been everywhere, man. (Road music, no, train music?)

The Narrow Margin, that's the one I was trying to think of that's good. Or La Bete Humaine, early noir, was watching that on a nice evening w/the windows open hearing trains go by and throughout the film. Love the trains in old movies.

Sounds like you'll have a fun trip.

 

[KmH]

We don't have trains like that

Yep. The USA is enormous compared to England.
Small countries don't need trains like Amtrak's LD (Long Distance) trains.
Not including Ireland, The UK proper is an island something like 560 miles long and at it's widest only 365 miles wide.

You'd have to retrace many train routes to ride for 6500 miles.