Early Feb, I'm coming from the UK and doing; Texas Eagle, Coast Starlight, then Empire builder. It's my first Amtrak experience and I've taken a lot of your advice. Thanks for your videos.

I just got back from a long weekend on the Zephyr - Osceola, IA to Grand Junction and back. One way a roomette the other way a bedroom. I have taken the entire route in the summer to Emeryville, but for a long weeked, this was perfect. Loved it! Once in the summer and now in the winter. I think I like the winter because it was less crowded and it was easy to see the animals - elk, deer, turkeys, bunnies.... all great.

I am forced to agree with you on the scenery aspects of the City of New Orleans however some of my fondest memories on Amtrak were on that train. Granted, this was thirty some years ago when everyone didn't have an electronic device that they are glued to so passengers mingled more. One particular trip on the City was on New Year's Eve and I was in the lounge car that evening. Someone came in with a guitar and soon, the whole car was singing various folk songs. Needless to say, we ended up singing Arlo Guthrie's song of the same name. It was a blast!

I have been on most of these, and I agree with your ranking. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For example, the US Midwest has some of the best farmland in the world, and a farmer is entranced by the endless fields of grain in the summer on the route from Denver to Chicago for example.

When you have family in Mississippa south of Jackson, The City of New Orleans is still fun. If they could ever get traditional dining back it would be much better.

ah, only have done the Zephyr and what a great time/great memories with my girls. Of course Chicago to Denver....pretty plain but still great/unique/relaxing...and you sleep through Iowa anyway. lol.

I've heard on the Empire Builder, when they split the train at Spokane, the diner goes to Seattle and the lounge car goes to Portland, which would affect your final meal on this route.

For someone unfamiliar with the routes, a map showing each route would be helpful.

Coming from Boston little hard to go to this places

The Portland leg of the Empire Builder is really cool for views of the Columbia River and Gorge. When we took it going east, after Spokane the train split and the Portland leg kept the observation car where we were able to have our breakfast. Maybe not as nice as a dining car breakfast but the views definitely made up for it.

You nailed the top 4, great video of all the routes! And I agree with the Crescent being at the bottom of the list, but for me personally, the deal breaker is that one has to endure 31-32 hours with microwaved "flex food". 4 meals if you take the train the entire duration. I can do one or maybe two flex meals but that's it! This train deserves better services. I feel the same way about the Cardinal which also dishes out flex meals. But I will say... compared to the Capitol Limited, the Cardinal has much nicer views and it deserves an observation car for the West Virginia portion alone! That along with adding traditional dining and I would rank it the top route of the East. Maybe Amtrak will listen to their customers... we can only hope! Thanks for the new video. :)

Just finished the Sunset Limited, Coast Starlight and small portion of the Empire Builder to get home. Even being bused from Portland to Seattle due to land slides, it was a great trip. You have been our inspiration for train travel. We have also done the entire Empire Builder and California Zepher and got the Amtrak MC with 40,000 points some time ago due to your advice. Thank you for the interesting and informative videos. Great job! Totally agree with your top picks.

I just recently found your channel and am enjoying your videos (and just subscribed). I have ridden the Lakeshore Limited a number of times (from Chicago to NY and back). And I consider train travel to be a much more civilized means of transportation vs air travel. I have ridden the route in coach and found that a very social experience (in a good way). But the real magic for me was riding via a roomette. There was nothing more special than laying in your roomette bed looking out the window as Americana rolls by and you are gently being rocked to sleep. I will be checking out your cruise channel next as my wife and I have started doing some cruising with her sister and the brother-in-law. However most of our travel is with our Airstream travel trailer. Isn't American a very beautiful place to explore? We are so blessed to have been born and raised here.

The Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited join in San Antonio. I took it from Austin to Los Angeles, which was weird. West Texas has another level of desolate, and I've been through Nevada. I liked it. I've taken City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, California Zephyr, Texas Eagle (AUS-LA), Silver Meteor, Capitol Limited, and Empire Builder My ranking is: #7: the City of New Orleans (Illinois sucks. Mississippi is a trees and swamps. Memphis is cool, the bayou ain't bad.) #6: Sunset Limit: (West Texas is interesting. The border is cool. Southern New Mexico sucks, and then it's dark.) #5: Silver Meteor: It's Florida, nighttime, and then Virginia. DC is kind of cool) #4: Cap limited: Harpers Ferry is amazing! You leave DC, and then BAM! You're in the Potomac Valley and it's gorgeous. #3: Empire Builder: It's kind of cool for the first 24 hours, and then amazing (except that you sleep from White Fish to Wenatchee). Wenatchee to Seattle is really good. #2: California Zephyr: Controversial, and ask me in two months. I took the CZ westbound and missed most of the Rockies #1: Coast Starlight: Oxnard to San Luis Obispo is the best scenery I've ever seen from a train. I had to look down to see the waves break. Through the Salinas Valley things aren't great, but then you sleep through the Sac Valley and wake up in Shasta. The rest of the day, it's great. PS- I don't regret taking a single one of them.

The Lake Shore Limited is gorgeous if you go from Chicago to New York. It is daylight from Buffalo all across upstate New York and then down the Hudson from Albany to New York City. But you see very little if you go from New York to Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited. That train leaves New York at 3:30 in the afternoon so most of the trip is in the dark in the winter until you get to Indiana in the winter. It is dark by not much after Albany in the summer.

Thank you! We have only ridden the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville and back; however, I want to do other trips so that is why I’m here.

Thank you.. I've traveled all the Superliner routes end to end multiple times (boarding the CZ in Glenwood Springs east today) have traveled the CONO, Cap Ltd and Silver Meteor several times each. Pretty much agree with your rankings..but even though the CZ is the most amazing of all, my heart is with the Builder. I have gone on more than 15 round trips - some to Seattle, some to stay in Glacier Park The Empire is my favorite overall.

I'm so frustrated tonight after flying halfway across the country to get on the California Zephyr tomorrow (2/29) and then Amtrak cancels the train. Stranded in Denver, and worst, I'll miss the trip I've been waiting for months to take. Amtrak is giving me a refund but I'm taking a bath on new flights, hotels and rental cars because of the cancellation, so it's a pretty big net loss. And I don't even get to take the trip that all of this was for. I will have to decide if I am ever going to try to ride Amtrak again.

My mom and I took the California Zephyr this past weekend and it was beautiful and we loved it besides the problems we encountered we want to take the Empire Builder and the southwest chief next because of the scenery we hear it's beautiful I agree with your number 1 pick

FYI. Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited split or join together in San Antonio not Houston

My mom and I will be taking the Empire Builder, Coast Starlight, Cardinal, Southwest Chief and California Zephyr this year. Looking forward to all of our trips. I will be Rob on our travels. My mom gets motion sickness so I have to sit backwards and sleep in the top bunk. 🤣

The route is probably called "City of New Orleans" because of the 1960's song "City of New Orleans" by Arlo Guthrie. The chorus goes: "Riding on the City of New Orleans..." Arlo Guthrie posted it on youtube.

Texas Eagle: I like the portion between Chicago and San Antonio not for the scenery, but for the history and the way it lets you look at how the railroads shaped that part of the U.S. Keep your eyes open when you pass through the small towns. Coast Starlight: Last year I took it from Los Angeles to Seattle in a "west" side roomette. I guess the long run along the ocean is pretty, but after a while, it's just another beach. In April I'm taking it from Seattle to Los Angeles and I'm hoping to be on the "east" side. [Still seeing a lot of yellowish video -- using a calibrated monitor]

I really like the Cardinal for the views through West Virginia and would be better if they had better dining. I Agree with California Zephyr and am taking the Empire Builder in 2 weeks and am anticipating a good ride….if it does run. It was cancelled for 5 days during the storms.

I did first class from Tucson to Chicago our room was so dirty, stunk like urine, The whistle blows all night long folks! But the staff was awesome!

I see you guys are foodies. Always enjoying a meal. Enjoy the videos keep it up. See you on the rails

Your top 4 are the only routes I haven’t done. They’re now on my lists Much thanks!

I'd love to hear how you go about trip planning and any organizational tips you have for planning trips. The logistics seem overwhelming. Thank you!

You definitely gave me more things to think about! I recently did Sunset limited to Southwest chief to CONO and back to Sunset limited to home. I enjoyed the Southwest chief and Sunset limited. Thanks for all of your information!

in your videos where you talk about train routes it would be a _big_ help if you would show maps of the routes as they are being discussed.

Rode the Coast Starlight LA to Seattle in Dec. of '22 and am taking the California Zephyr, Chicago to SF, in a roomette, in 5 weeks. Super excited. I do have a question that I haven't seen answered yet. Can you plug a travel hairdryer into a communal bathroom shower outlet? Thanks! Fun side story...my roomette mate across the hall on the Coast Starlight is from the UK and we became fast friends on the train ride. He is coming over again and we are both doing the Zephyr ride together (separate roomettes).

Thank You from Boston

Thank you for this video. I'm thinking of taking a train trip one day, so I purchased the credit card that started out with 30, 000 points. I have about 39,000 right now. I'm hoping to have around 50,000 by the time I go, so I hope it helps pay for some things.

I frequently ride the Crescent between Atlanta and Philadelphia and generally agree with you, though it is a Viewliner route. When they bring back Traditional Dining it will be better. There is some nice scenery going through central Virginia, and I think it is more scenic than the Silver Service trains, which have almost no worthwhile scenery. And although I haven't taken it yet, from what I've seen from the scenery, the Cardinal should place well ahead of the Capitol Limited.

Loved the video. Very informative. The only thing that could have made it better is if you’d have inserted a small map of the route as you began talking about each route.

We just completed our Coast Starlight trip but unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the train in our roomette. We did get to see the ocean from the observation car though.

I think the Traditional Dining is the only thing that pushed the Silvers as far up the list as they are. Without that, they might be the bottom two. Not much in the way of scenery. But I'm only served by the Star at my home station, so it's the best train I can ride.

Love me my empire builder!!!!

Low the blush; I have 3 of them. I also like their skinny mascara . It doesn’t irritate my eyes.

Thanks for the info. Happy Travels.

Great content, will be taking the silver star with the family soon. Your video(s) on Amtrak will definitely help us have the best time we can! Keep up the great videos, safe travels!

Great information. Thank you for your tips.

Does Amtrak still have the “Twilight Shoreliner” from Boston DC? I had a few sleeper car trips on that, last time was probably circa 2003.

Great video! Enjoyed seeing these rankings as how you felt. We have some train trips planned for '24 and '25. Good to know which ones to expect better options, etc. Safe travels you two!

Nice segment, as always.

I have taken the Silver Meteor once and Silver Star twice. The most recent was the Silver Star 2 weeks ago and I was in a bedroom in one of the older viewliner cars. It was TERRIBLE. The infrastructure was so old and bad and the whole room clanked at high decibel levels all day and all night. I would now be distrustful of riding that route because if I am in an older car it is a hot mess.

You guys and a guy named Jeb , have made me want and will do some train riding. By the way have you guys ever run into him. Thanks for the great videos!

I've been on the Crescent, Charlotte to NYC back when it still had full service dining. I enjoyed the Virginia countryside and the cities and river crossings of the Northeast Corridor. Between the Cardinal and Capital Limited, which scenery is best? I want to do DC to Chicago. Either the New River Gorge of the Cardinal or Harpers Ferry to Pittsburgh of the Capital Limited should be nice. I visit WV a lot and have seen the Cardinal go through the gorge. Once in Chicago I haven't decided between the California Zephyr and Empire Builder. I'll just have to do both to hit some states I haven't been through yet. Thanks for the info.

We are taking the Coast Starlight this coming weekend and we're really excited. The weather maybe isn't looking so great but we're looking forward to the trip none the less. Hopefully we'll get a west side roomette. Quick question about the Empire Builder. Do you recommend taking the train from East to West or West to East or does it matter. Looking at the schedule it seems to me that the westbound ride you are going through some of the best scenery in the dark. Am I mistaken in that?

What are your impressions of the lake shore limited ride FROM Chicago to NY?

Thanks!

Assuming on time performance how would you rank these according to whether the trip is better west to east or east west on the Empire Builder and the California Zephyr? Or is it really necessary to do both directions to really get all the thrills? I don't want to sleep thru the Cascades!

The two most problematic sleeper car routes I have experienced… The Lake Shore going east leaves CHI very late at 10pm and arrives in NYC at almost 7pm… due to freight traffic schedules… making it difficult to make connections in the east. Plus you'll pay a very premium sleeper fare and will just get the 7 oz flex meal breakfast and Lunch. No dinner. The other problem sleeper is the Texas Eagle which is being starved for funding… minimal flex meals service and often running late with staffing issues. Observation car taken off long ago and passengers must eat in their rooms due to lack of diner. Supposed to connect with the Sunset Limited in San Antonio but have heard that a mis connect can leave passengers stranded. I make every attempt to avoid these trains.

How does one ensure a room or seat on the ocean or good side of the train? For example the Coast Starlight...

Spot on!!

If a train has no observation car - can we go the cafe car instead of only being in our sleeping room? Or does staff not allow us to sit in there? I have found staff varies so much in their customer service.

Do you have to have the best marriage you never interrupt each other when talking and you guys are always together in such tight quarters a lot I commend you guys

Which is the best way to ride the Empire Builder? I really like the Viewliners. I liked Capital Limited around Harper's Ferry. It was stunning with Christmas lights, but the staff didn't seem as service oriented as Crescent or Southwest Chief.

Interesting video, as usual. I have been on maybe half of the routes on your list and I pretty much agree with your rankings, except that I would put Coast Starlight as #1. I've heard you a couple times now describe this train as going from LA to Emeryville, which is probably how you usually ride it. But of course it goes all the way to Seattle. I've taken it only once but was completely taken with the views. From LA, first the portion right next to the coastline, and on the other side of the train the most beautiful rolling green hills. Farther along, in southern Oregon, I passed through a very long stretch of evergreen forests the morning after a heavy snowfall and found it one of the most magical experiences of my life.

You call Raton and Glorieta passes, apache canyon, petrified forest national park and cajon pass not the best scenery. This is my favorite scenery on the network. Granted, I haven't seen it from the train, but I've driven through those areas frequently as I drive to Taos every summer and those area are just beautiful. Plus, I've seen plenty of shots of the scenery on youtube and i don't expect it to be much different in real life, only better. I know you like the zephyr, the builder and the starlight more, the coast, the Hokies, glacier national park, but I think I prefer the chief, but that maybe down to some bias that I've developed going to Taos.

The City of New Orleans train no longer has a diner car and no plans to bring it back. There is a crew member whose job is to take your order in the sleepers and bring your food to you. Barely a step up from the food ing the cafe car.

I was going to ask about the Auto train. Since you're transporting a car, I guess the rain ticket is included. Is it expensive to do, and how long is the ride once they take off? Can you get a sleeper car with that?

Recently took Amtrak sleeper from Seattle to Chicago. Can't recommend it. There is an unfortunate connection between the sewage system and the ventilation system. The cars stink! Also the food is crappy, The upper bunk was very hard.

I've forgotten how useless the Amtrak web site has become. People refer to named routes, but the web site does not let you view routes by name anymore. [Before Trump's Amtrak appointee(s) did things like downgrade the food, you could actually view schedules on-line; schedules that looked like the paper ones, showing the stations along the route.] Even if you view the map that shows the routes, none of the routes is labeled. -Only the cities. It's as if everything was rewritten by somebody with Asperger's Syndrome.

Guys, why don't you show all the trash in many parts of the trip? When i went to Orlando Fl from New York, I saw a lot of garbage on the road during the trip. Once you get out of the big cities, you see how dirty America is.

Boring