That is soooo sweet. Now I need to go find some kids

That is so cool! Love the story!

​@@ediewall6360they found the right cart attendants I couldn't imagine lying to kids

Great story! Thanks for sharing

That’s great unless there were other kids on the train whose parents didn’t have their gifts on the train.

Im sorry for your loss. 43 years is amazing. These 2 are great. Really cute together.

Sorry for your loss. Very cute profile picture!

Not only is it allowed, it is expected. So good for them for doing their jobs.

@@mikeymutual5489 And not JUST doing their jobs. Doing it with grace.

@@653j521 Be happy that they did their jobs in the first place.

It goes to show a picture doesn't tell the whole story. Something my parents taught me

Disabled with autism here. I love the train, particularly going cross country. (orlando - seattle). The train is a portable, Self contained little world, like the Starship Enterprise. I like having two seats to myself in the very back 'cause it's like having my own little Crew quarters module. But there's no way I'm going to eat with other people. not only don't I like other people Because they're not interesting, but I have a malfunctioning social interaction interface unit, and so they always find me weird, odd, strange, disturbing, and peculiar. Also my uncomfortableness makes them uncomfortable , and I notice it. From my experiences with them, when I'm with other people I am forced to talk to, I just want to escape. So I refuse to eat In that car unless I can be alone. The hell with the normals. I don't like normal people. I would absolutely love to try one of those Roometts, but I'm not paying $500 for $70 trip. Dat's that's boo shee-yit.

Thanks for sharing

Certainly people who take the train in the US are a self selected group. On the Southwest Chief there were a lot of Amish, often in the sightseeing car so I think they were in coach. There were always lots of seats in that car even though the train was sold out, unlike on the California Zephyr.

Yes, very understandable! We've always been glad afterwards too. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

@@GroundedLifeTravel Which is the least favored time amongst passengers for meal reservations - is it towards the end of dining hours? Or the beginning times? Sometimes, I still prefer to eat alone and/or at the least inconvenience to the train crew and fellow passengers. Thanks a bunch!

I thought the same thing the first time i took a long distance train. And had the same experience. Many years and train rides later have come to realize thats part of the joy of ld train travel meeting all kinds of different people who are not going anywhere in a hurry

It’s hit or miss. I got seated with an elderly couple who were fine and next to a woman who said she was South African but was from the Carolinas and was talking about the South Africa of old as a good thing. I tuned her out after dashing her stories as BS. She didn’t anticipate someone who knew that her story was so outdated and racist.

Do insist, though, on traveling again with exuberant sailors. :)

You can also buy most of those things from many Walmarts, and probably at a markedly lower cost than you'd pay on Amtrak... 😇

IME many of Amtraks stations - Especially those on lines owned/operated by freight lines (BNSF, UP et-al) - Are generally nothing more than a paved or packed dirt area, possibly with a bus shelter if you're really lucky. Most of the service Amtrak provides on these routes is statutory (We call it „Parliamentary service“ here in the UK) so there's little or no money for station facilities at all. My tips: Expect nothing at the station, and go prepared. Indeed; If the train might arrive in darkness, take a *white* light to signal the driver as they approach - The more advance notice they get of the need to stop, the easier it is for them. (After all; Do *you* know the stopping distance for a 750 ton train in variable weather conditions? 😇)

@@dieseldragon6756 The City of New Orleans surely stops in some rural places in the dead of night.

Thanks!

I want to do do the Indian Pacific through the Nullabor Plain. I think the plain would be cool for about 30 minutes, and then a good time to take a nap.

True!

But if you don't have an overview of how it all works, it is hard to know what would strike others as courteous.

@@653j521 no

If you ride was then less a year old, you can still try and maybe get a vocher for a future trip. If longer that a year ago, I would just wait untill your next trip, and trip was not great make sure you call the next day after getting of the train.

@@chrisdobrowolski2783 Southwest Chief .. 6 hours late, Empire Builder ... 4 hours late ... Zephyr 3 hours late 😳

@@roberts.1400 Cali Zephyr, 16 hours late. Medical emergency in Salt Lake.

​@@roberts.1400one of many reasons I don't like train travel.

@@creinicke1000 Late arrivals are now expected and planned for in advance. I don't leave myself at their mercy 👊

When in November?

Thanks! Have a great trip!

@@dhawthorne15 east bound on the 10th, west bound on the 15th.

@@skuhskuh6286 you are a couple of weeks before me, I go westbound on November 28th

I love the comment about luggage. They failed to mention that if you are getting on at a non-manned station and you have a lot of bags, you cannot check them.

So.. would head phones that keep it silent be advised?

In my experiences riding Amtrak!

We have found them to be very good also

Thanks for sharing your insights!

Agree with you on #1, just hope the distinction between WiFi and cell tower coverage is clear. I’m seldom on a train but drive the great open spaces they call “flyover” country. Cell coverage is virtually non existent no matter that Verizon coverage map shows. In cities yes, and as more towers are added along interstate highways the situation is improving. Traveling secondary roads you sometimes see a pulloff area with a phone symbol on a signpost. It took me a while to realize you can stop there and get cell coverage from a nearby tower. Maybe non tech folks with unlimited data plans living in populated areas can rely totally on good cellular coverage for all of their online connectivity, and simply think of that as WiFi? To me, WiFi means a fiber optic cable buried to my house, (or a coffee shop / McDonalds or whatever) then to the router on the shelf. My phone then connects to the wireless router to get internet. I live in a rural area and even with cell towers located a few miles away the coverage is spotty, 1-2 bars only. Most often it will allow a text or phone call to go through, maybe enough internet to look something up, but trying to watch a youtube video is impossible. Only way the internet really works for me is to be on the WiFi in my house. I’ve argued with folks saying they get WiFi on trains assuming they are talking about cell coverage, but I’ve learned some of the trains in the east do indeed have an Amtrak WiFi service like I might get at a McDonalds. Trains are NOT hooked up to fiber optic cables, so apparently Amtrak has a good cell phone receiver with unlimited high speed data, connected to a router, to distribute that signal to passengers. The WiFi on that train would be just as dead as my phone is in the middle of North Dakota. It’s not a WiFi problem, it’s a cell coverage problem. The solution is a Starlink satellite system. I eagerly await headlines from Amtrak stating they have installed Starlink receivers on all the cross country trains and high speed internet is now available, on their WiFi system. The only exception being the few minutes spent in tunnels crossing the divides. “Big Rig Travels” on KZfaq was the first I know of to live stream (via Starlink) the view out the front window of his truck as he travels the country, other youtube travel bloggers are catching on. I believe they spend several thousand dollars for rooftop receivers to connect 1 phone, I don’t know if the technology is good enough for a train where 100+ people might want to use it all at once? It works for a trucker, it should work on a train, but might take money. If Amtrak charged me $5 for unlimited internet on a 3 day trip I would take them up on it. I want the view out the train window too, but my inquiring mind wants Google Earth and Wikipedia to explain the rest of the story about what I’m looking at.

The Pacific Surfliner can get to the point where people are standing in the aisles, so guard your seat between L.A. & San Diego.

Thanks for sharing your story, I'm sure that will help someone that reads it!

That same thing happened to my son and me when we rode the Northeast Corridor between DC and Philly. The lady who took our seats was rather put off because she wanted to sit by herself without a seat mate. She went back to her original seat two rows behind us and spent the next hour talking on her cellphone loudly. We were happy when we got off the train in Philadelphia.

@@georgemcdowell8302 Yep. We had the misfortune of getting on at San Juan Capistrano going south, not realizing there was a Padres game. I ended up standing while all of the people 30 to 40 years younger than I looked at me the whole way. LOL.

Last time we rode in the coach car we brought signs saying “reserved” with us and put them on our seats when we got up. Seemed to work well.

Thanks for sharing your story!

Thanks so much! Glad you really enjoyed your trip! The Empire Builder is one of our favorites! It is such a beautiful route, you should have a great time!

How was your Empire Builder? I need to go from Olympic Peninsula to Spokane. So will be taking it ( only b/c I do not want to drive over Cascades in the winter) before spring.

I second that! We are going on our first auto train ride soon. I’m so thankful to have found this channel.

And on planes too. So many times I've seen the occupancy light be green and open the door and there was someone in the restroom.

Awesome, have a great trip!

How was it??

True

Federal law says that passenger trains have preference over freight, this is often ignored by the freight railroads.

True in Canada as well. VIA is often forced to wait for freight as CN owns the track.

The same thing is true in Canada!

@@strqrt70 it's always freight first anymore. In the northeast corridor, we own the rails. Freight is making money hand over fist and they could care less about Amtrak's on time performance. We've adjusted our schedule to help us with delays because of freight.

Glad you had a great trip!

I've taken that train several times to visit my son at Ft Carson. I loved it both ways.

Glad you had a great trip!

Thanks so much!

Most people have no idea how Amtrak works at all. One of the most confusing things is the fact that the Texas Eagle and the Sunset Limited are the same train from LA to San Antonio, but have different train numbers. Say what? There are two trains? (NOT.)

@@shanson786 Sure, they're "virtual machines" sharing hardware. I understand the confusion, though, as I'm from the era where "one train, one number" was the norm. It's probably less confusing than issuing a segmented ticket where it would appear that the rider would have to de-train and re-board even though though the consist changed only with the addition of cars.

Hi There! How was your trip on the Zephyr? I'm thinking about taking this very train..very excited, but nervous.

Hi ​@@clairewyndham1971 it was great. I did this as a solo trip and it was wonderful meeting new ppl and seeing all the views. I downloaded movies and brought books to read, I didn’t use any of it cause I just stared out the window. I did get a sleeper cart, which included breakfast, lunch and dinner but they do have a “market” where you can purchase food drinks and snacks. All the workers were so nice. The conductor would tell us fun facts about certain locations. Just note that these trains are very old and it shows in the aesthetic. America needs to put more money in the infrastructure of Amtrak. But I tell everyone to do this. A great way to see the country. I now want to do more long distance train travel.

Thanks, and yes!

Great thoughts!

Have fun! Sounds like a great trip!

How was the trip?

Have a great trip!

Hope they enjoy the move! I live in a nearby town. I will be taking the train specifically to avoid driving over the Cascades in the winter.

So sorry for your loss. We would leave our cats for two weeks at a time. We would put out a dry cat food feeder and fill it, leave a water faucet on a slow trickle, and have someone stop by once a week to check on the house and the cats, and change their litter. You could advertise for a cat/house sitter if you have no friends or relatives that can do that.

I have a similar problem--but there are some places that board pets (including cats) for what I think is a surprisingly low cost. Perhaps you could look up "pet boarding" or "cat boarding near me" on the internet--there may be one in your area! Where I boarded my cat, he had plenty of space to play and climb and look out the window at birds. I just sent a supply of his food along with him and they even tried to feed him and play with him on his usual daily schedule. (He probably got as much attention there as he does from me, since I work so much!) Hope you are able to get away for a while sometime, even for just a weekend. Everyone needs a break at times, especially after the stress of such a terrible loss.

Thanks

Those open windows, even open just a crack, would be a lot less desirable at 80 miles an hour. One of those undesirable things is the pulsing effect created as air pressure inside the vehicle changes and then airflow at the window repeatedly breaks and gets reestablished. Plus, in the days right up to Amtrak, when there were still daily-use railroad coaches, especially on some commuter lines, which had opening windows, the influx of dust raised by the train was an issue.

@@alonespirit9923 In Belgium until around 1980 all coaches had opening windows, and trains were riding close to 90 miles per hour (in Belgium this is called 140 km/h).

@@thierrypauwels Hmm, interesting.

Always travel with a fan

I hope we are not riding same train b/c I am the opposite on tempreatures.cold = pain for me,

Thanks!

Barb Hawkins please list at least 10. I’ll be going in a few weeks lol!

@@ladygoodday Ok..listen close 😊 1- Don't put kids on shoulders blocking people behind you during fireworks and parades, 2- Don't try to squeeze in at last minute to watch a parade. Get your spot early. 3- Don't stop in the middle of walkway to look at your phone, step aside. 4- Don't recite words of script on rides.. even if you know them by heart. 4- Hang back at least 20 minutes after the fireworks if leaving the parks. You will thank me later. The crowds disappear quickly so let everyone go first. 5- Don't eat at noon and 6 to avoid the longest lines. 6- Don't let your little one blow bubbles all over everyone when waiting for parade and fireworks if you buy them a bubble wand. 7- Don't wait to buy souvenirs at closing. It's a madhouse in the shops. 8- Don't let your kids chase the Disney ducks. It's their home 💗 9- Be kind to the castmembers. They are overworked and underpaid. 10- Hold balloons down low during parades, shows and fireworks, - Be patient, be kind, rest when you get too o overwhelmed, drink plenty of water, bring a poncho, Don't wear brand new shoes and don't over plan and drive yourself nuts trying to do everything..... I could go on and on 😆 But most important..have the time of your life and let the Disney winds direct you 💞

🎉😂

Thank you!

Thanks!

A friend with a service dog suggested that we inquire if a dog is "working", and if not, what interactions are appropriate.

We thought we would make it in on time on the City of New Orleans too, but it didn't happen for us either!

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for sharing your good advice and insights!

How was the temp? What about exhaust fan for bathroom in room?

I didn’t have the bedroom, just the roomette. So I don’t know about the exhaust fan for the bathroom in the bedroom. In the roomette, the temperature was actually pretty good. I still used the fan for a little bit of extra cooling and for white noise.

Good point about the vouchers - if you don't use them, they are actually no compensation at all. And I bet a lot of people don't bother. Here in the UK, we get proper refunds (actual money) if trains are late or cancelled. We don't get the sort of delays you get in the US, as our system prioritises passenger trains over freight, and journeys are usually much shorter, but there are still plenty of delays and cancelations that meet the rules for claiming. We took a trip from our home in SE England to York last year (about a 3-4 hour journey overall), and our train to London was cancelled, which meant that we mised our connection. Then our train from London to York was delayed, but it got there literally 55 minutes late (it has to be over an hour to claim!), so we assumed we wouldn't be able to get refund. But it turned out that it's the whole journey that counts, not just the actual train that was delayed, so we were well over an hour late and got a full refund. Being late wasn't actually much of a problem for us, so we effectively travelled to York for free, for no real inconvenience! It's not always like that, though - a journey home from Scotland a few months later was hell (broken down train, long diversion, home 5 hours late - all with an ill child) and no amount of compensation would have made up for that.

Thanks for watching!

Very welcome! Thanks for watching!

Have fun!

Thanks for sharing!! Great tip, yes feet by the ladder or you'll have to go head first back down!

Glad you enjoyed it

Thank you

Thank you kindly!

I was told that Amtrak does not own the tracks or keep them up. that is why Freight has priority.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

On Amtrak, roomettes on the Superliner (two level) train cars don't have private bathrooms either. They use public bathrooms at the ends of the cars or downstairs...you have to leave your roomette to use them. You would have to get a bedroom on a Superliner train in order to have a private bathroom. On Amtrak trains with Viewliner and Viewliner II cars (used mainly on Eastern US trains), the roomettes DO have a private, enclosed bathroom within the roomette. On Amtrak, it's best to check first to make sure the particular train you are booking has a private bathroom in sleeping accommodations if that's what you are interested in. I don't know anything about the Rocky Mountaineer sleeping accommodation bathrooms. It would be best to make sure about those beforehand as well.

@ C T - You are most candid and informative, but I gave up on Amtrak, years ago, as I just do not understand how they could be so POORLY run. Best Wishes.

Awesome!