If you time it right the Cardinals going from Chicago to New York as it goes along the new river in West Virginia that’s spectacular scenery

My husband and I have ridden both trains. No way are the views on the Lake Shore Limited better. The Cardinal goes thru the New River Gorge, which is w-a-y more gorgeous!

Wonderful video, as usual. I just started riding Amtrak a year ago and already I've traveled so much around the country. I just got back from a 2 week trip to visit family in Los Angeles. Since I took the TE last year, I decided that I wanted to take a different route. So this time I took the Texas Eagle from Fort Worth to St. Louis. Then in St. Louis I took the Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner to Kansas City, and in Kansas City I caught the Southwest Chief to Los Angeles. It was an amazing trip with beautiful views and I met some very interesting people. Then when I had to come home I took the Texas Eagle all the way back. That trip was pretty awful, but that wasn't really Amtrak's fault. I just got back yesterday and I am already looking forward to my next trip!

We are taking the Texas Eagle from CHI to LA and return on Southwest Chief the next day. The reasoning was that it was best to take the longer trip first, and after recovering in a hotel, to take the shorter one back. We are lucky to live in Chicago, the Vatican of the Amtrak, he he.

That Texas Eagle (which has been attached onto the Sunset Limited from New Orleans by the time they arrive together in LA) that you say is the ONLY Amtrak train you as a passenger wish it does come in late to its final destination (because scheduled arrival time is so hellishly early at 5:30 am)???? Guess what, that's the only Amtrak train I've been on that's been consistently EARLY!!! I'm talking not falling asleep until 2am because of a stranger next to me keeping falling asleep ONTO me, and then being woken up by staff at 3:30 A.M an hour ahead of arrival, and arriving over an HOUR early into LA sometime before 4:30am! It came so early that the Metropolitan Lounge wasn't even open yet (which I had a pass for) so nowhere good to relax in the station and no way was I ready to hit the streets of LA in the pitch dark at 4:30 am after an hour of bad sleep. Then the same thing happened again the next time I took that train into LA! Arrived 45 min early. And staff equally eager to wake you up an hour beforehand, WHY?!. It's the end of the line, why not let passengers sleep another hour, esp since the train is coming in early? Ouch! There's something different about that combined Texas Eagle/ Sunset Limited westbound line, why does only that line come in early when nobody wants it to???

Just rode the Southwest Chief last Thursday from LA to Chicago. There was a freight train derailment near Gallup, NM. Our train made it through before it happened, but the Southwest Chief LA-bound didn't. Eventually that train terminated in Albuquerque, NM. Our train stopped for almost 2 hours in a place called Lamy, NM, in order to wait for the westbound one. Passengers were given the choice to change into our train there (or wait in ABQ for at least one whole day/night) , and in the end a handful of passengers chose that option. I talked to some of them in the diner car later. Most of them returned to Chicago and were offered a space on the next available train, which was two days later when the tracks were open again. Always be open for some adventure on the long distance Amtrak trains. (To be clear: none of this was Amtrak's fault).

I know it is early but I enjoy the Cardinal 6:30am train. You spend an entire day and a few hours sightseeing. I only take it going home so there is no hurry. You get breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and maybe breakfast again. I'm referring to roomette and bedroom though. I would not take it in Coach.

I rode the Westbound Texas Eagle from Chicago-L.A. last October. I expected to arrive in L.A. 3-4 or more hours late but arrived approx. 1.5 hours early. I usually wake up at 3:00 AM & didn't see an early arrival to be a problem. I sensed a panic in the air after the conductor announced on the PA system at 3:00 AM of an early arrival. Leaving L.A. on the Eastbound Sunset Ltd./Texas Eagle is a problem for me since I retire early & it leaves at 10:00 PM. It used to leave at 11:00 PM, so I shouldn't complain. I've learned to expect anything when riding Amtrak.

Of course, thee function of these wandering trains (I live in Cincinnati) is to serve additional markets. The need is better connections at more intermediate points.

Another thing to consider with The Cardinal and the Texas-Eagle-Sunset Limited [total consist to LA] IS that they only run 3 times a week. SW Chief and Lake Shore Limited are everyday trains. Back when the Sunset Lmtd started in central Florida to LA [still only a thrice- weekly train] - that was my train of choice. Hurricane Katrina shut the New Orleans to Florida part.

You should also compare the Capitol Limited with the Cardinal between Washington and Chicago.

On most Amtrak routes, it's important to keep in mind that travelers don't always go from one end of the route to the other. So if one wants to go from Phoenix (Maricopa) to Dallas, there's not always a truly good choice.

Agree with you about the Acela versus NE Regional. It is not worth the extra charge because really what you are paying for is an upgraded train car - which some may like - but it rides on the same rails which won’t let them operate at speeds like in Japan, Taiwan, or China.

Another thing to remember about the Texas Eagle is that while it's a daily train between Chicago and San Antonio, it only runs three days a week between San Antonio and Los Angeles. So if you plan to take the Texas Eagle to/from anywhere between Los Angeles and San Antonio, you have to know what day it's scheduled to pass through your stations.

There's a third option between D.C. & Chicago: the Capitol Limited: Washington, DC - Pittsburgh - Cleveland - Chicago. For unknown reasons, Amtrak does not offer timetables, but a third-party site does have timetables at railpassengers. (KZfaq auto-deletes if the full web link is posted in the comments section). The two Amtrak routes that are currently only 3x weekly are supposedly planned to "soon" increase frequency to daily service: Sunset Ltd. & Cardinal.

Very interesting, especially about the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited price differential. ILLOGICAL like so much of Amtrak's pricing!

Hi guys. Currently sitting on the Southwest Chief as im watching this. Talking about early arrival, I get to Newton, KS at 2:15am. I plan to not sleep that evening. Lol. Just wanted to ty for all the tips, having a blast.

On the Texas Eagle vs Sunset Limited: if there is a big difference in the room price and your start or end point is only a little bit east of San Antonio, you might consider booking a coach seat for that first/last segment and the sleeper space of your choice for the rest to take advantage of the cheaper room rate. The downside is that you'll have to move to a different part of the train at that point, but at least you won't have to worry about missing your connection!

"Look on the bright side. We'll probably be hours late!"

when taking the Northeast Regional, the Acela does not run all the way from Boston to Norfolk/Newport News Va. while the slower one does

If I'm trying to get from Chicago to Los Angeles, I'd easily choose the Southwest Chief both ways. The Southwest Chief is my favorite route while the Texas Eagle is my least favorite. The Southwest Chief has better scenery, my favorite sights on the network. With the Texas Eagle, you get that one full day of great scenery, but the rest of the trip, the scenery is just nothing but farmland.

The Acela is nice for the experience... once. Took my grandson on a round trip to experience all the different options. Coach, Acela 1st, roomette and bedroom.

I have taken the silver metor a couples times to and fron Dc also I found out if the sleeper car is an even number you will have a super liner 2

Have you guys considered doing commuter train trips in between the longer Amtrak trips for comparison? I mean, the NEC is a prime example of multiple commuter services in which you can hop and skip all the way from NYC to Washington utilizing NJT, SEPTA, and MARC (Baltimore-Penn).

A few other pointers: There are also two trains between DC and Chicago, the aforementioned Cardinal but also the Capitol Limited, which used Superliners. I’d recommend the Cardinal since the Capitol Limited doesn’t have a proper sightseer lounge or dining car anyways and the views are better on the Cardinal. For sleeping car passengers you also have more room on the top bunk of Viewliners than the Superliner, but I’m a coach traveler and the Superliners have slightly more legroom than long-distance Amfleets. I’d even put the Cardinal over the NY section of the Lake Shore because once you’re out of the Hudson Line, which can be easily day-tripped on the Empire Service/Maple Leaf/Adirondack, there’s nothing to see. The Cardinal passes through more rural areas and the New River Gorge. The LSL/CL also pass through the industrial part of Indiana whereas the Cardinal passes more open fields in Indiana. The Empire Builder and Lake Shore Limited show up as two trains between Chicago and Spokane and Chicago and Albany, respectively, like the Sunset Ltd/Texas Eagle. 27/28 is the same train as 7/8 for that stretch and but goes to Portland instead of Seattle on the last/first day. Similarly 448/449 heads via the Berkshires to Boston whereas 48/49 heads down the Hudson Line to NYC. There are also two trains between NYC/Philly/DC and Greensboro/Charlotte, NC. The Crescent is about two hours faster than the Carolinian but serves Charlotte at 2am southbound and 5:30am northbound. So with Charlotte it’s just a pick your poison situation with a slow train at better hours or a faster train at terrible hours. The Crescent also has long-distance coach seats which are substantially nicer than the intercity coach seats found on the Carolinian, a longer journey in worse seats. Greensboro is served at better hours by the Crescent do definitely go with that one. Between Greensboro and DC the Crescent goes through western VA and Charlottesville whereas the Carolinian takes a detour through Raleigh and Richmond. Similarly, there’s also two trains between Chicago and Kansas City, the Southwest Chief and Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner combined train. The Southwest Chief is 4 hours faster than the LSMRR and as vastly better seats. The Venture coach (and business class seats for that matter) are some of the worst in the industry while the Superliners have some of the best seats. The LSMRR detours through St Louis and Springfield while the SWC takes a straight shot to Chicago. Oh yeah, and don’t take the Acela unless it’s the rare occasion when it’s cheaper than the Regional. It’s almost always just marginally faster but for more than double the price.

We use the Silver Star or Silver Meteor more depending on the departure time or arrival time. We get on, and off southbound, in Winter Park FL, just north Orlando so we're not dealing with that extra Tampa part. But arrival and departure times are what we usually base our decision and mostly it's the same price. A big price difference and we'd choose that one!!!

Very helpful,. I was just looking up booking from NY to Orlando and wasn't sure if one was better. The Star is more expensive so I figured maybe that one was more updated. Now I know I can go ahead and book the Meteor. Thanks!

. Unfortunately I don't have any choice I have to take the Cardinal because Cincinnati is the closest train station for me to get anywhere. If that's not bad enough I always have to go to Chicago to go either West or South. Leaves Cincy at 1:41 am and the return arrives at 3:30 a.m. Runs only 2x/week. ugh! 🙄

Interesting video. I enjoyed your "this or that" theme. Good information. I have ridden both Silvers from Jacksonville to Ney York. Since I am not going to Miami, the jaunt to Tampa does not have a bearing. However, they have different boarding times and one takes 2 hours longer than the other. You did not mention Pittsburgh to Florida, and it also has two options leaving from PGH - the Capitol Limited and the Pennsylvanian. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this route.

You left a pair off, Washington DC to Chicago between the Cardinal and the Capitol Limited. I have taken both trains and much prefer the Cardinal. The food was better, the scenery was much better because we went through the Shenandoah Valley and New River Gorge on the Cardinal and I prefer Viewliners to Superliners especially since I was the one in the top bunk. I liked having a window.

When traveling from New York to Chicago, I find it hard to choose between the Lake Shore Limited or the Cardinal. I think the lake shore limited is the easier way because it's faster and you don't have to get up so early. But I think the Cardinal has better scenery. Doing a round trip, i'd ride westbound on the lake shore limited and eastbound on the cardinal.

One thing that sets Acela apart from NE Regional is the assigned seating…removes the stress of finding seats together, especially as a family of 3.

I’ve taken that Texas eagle sunset limited between az and lax. 9/10 times they pull in a hour early into union station based off the tracking website and me getting on myself. Texas eagle on back sunset limited up front

There was one destination that was missed with the comparisons: Chicago to Washington D.C. ( Capitol Limited vs Cardinal ). Otherwise, this was a very good and informative video.

The Silver Star also travels more westerly thru NC bypassing Fayettevile for Southern Pines/Pinehurst (great tain option for golfers) and then to Columbia SC on to Savannah GA where it joins the route of the Meteor.

My o my what a Gorgeous lady, and a gorgeous accent. By the way, this Brit is going to send your husband a Red Sox shirt 😄👍 Have a great weekend guys 👍

the differences on the 2 north-south NY-FL trains routes are the the route paths themselves, by design one route has fewer number of stops AND many locations are different within a state for from state to state- wider coverage area. For example, one train dedicated stops at Quantico, Fredericksburg, & some others where the other south bound train does not, though in the case of Quantico there may be a special pickup/drop-off. the route path itself is different so its station stops,, especially for overnite trips are not the same. When i go to Ft Gordon GA, ATL and Columbia SC are not the two closest but are the same train route.

Named my car the Silver Meteor. Wishful thinking, because my family live in areas that don't have good train service.

Thanks for the great tip about the Lake Shore Limited and the Cardinal. We are looking at the Eastern routes, as we covered the West of Chicago routes.

Good comparisons guys, additionally when you look at the Cardinal, it only runs 3 days a week, where as the Lake Shore runs daily.

You guys definitely need to take the Cardinal at least once before you judge it I’ve taken it both directions and I absolutely love the scenery to the new River Gorge in West Virginia The Lakeshore Limited is pretty as well, but the Cardinal is at least worth one trip on it!

North of New Haven, the Acela has a genuine speed value. And, for trips *through* NYC, the Acela is a great value. It’s about an hour shorter Boston to Philly, and 1.5 hours shorter Boston to DC. Thinking the Acela “isn’t that much faster at all” is a very “I don’t go north of NYC very often on the NEC” opinion.

The LSL will also have different prices from Albany to Chicago. Many times the Boston side of the train will be cheaper than the NY one. Its the same train from Albany but different prices. Also you can save money by only getting the room from Albany to Chicago and coach to there.

It's funny when you were showing the Amtrak departure schedule for the south west Chief and Texas Eagle. That's the same day that me and my wife are going on the California Zephyr. October 18th

I think my son 34 years and autistic are one of the worst route( round trip) from Ann Arbor Michigan to New York Bus/Amtrak as it was cheaper ! Lay over in Ohio (4: plus hrs 10:30 pm to 3:15 am ) climbing on Amtrak 3:15 am but just want to get to New York fasted way! I did put in a low bid for a roomette, hoping we would get it as we are coming on so late and for the free meals! Didn’t think of it when I bought the tickets ( our second time on Amtrak) leaving a lot after the fact watching your video’s we did get get good prices booking early though! Thanks!

The Southwest Chief has better views than the Texas Eagle anyway. I totally agree with you on the Lakeshore Limited. I rode the other train once thinking I would get Mountain View’s in West Virginia, but they weren’t that special. I did ride north from Miami once, but I had a stop in Orlando, so I took the longer train. I was surprised in Tampa when it ran for a long ways back on the same track it had been on going to get to Tampa.

It makes me oddly quite happy to hear that you like to take the Lakeshore Limited, because I often unwind for bed watching the live railcam from Elkhart, Indiana (it's the eastbound, the 48, that goes through Elkhart at night), and I have probably seen you go by many times without knowing it. For all I know, you may always be asleep as you roll by Elkhart, but maybe someday you'll decide to make a stop here. If you do, I suggest you contact the Virtual Railfan channel owners and arrange to wave at the camera! (It's just a quick stop, so I doubt that the conductor would want you to get out, wave, and get back on again.) Could be a way to do at least a perfunctory "collab," and who knows? Someone from their channel might be able to be a guest interviewee on yours.

One thing to factor in on the NE Regional vs Acela vs NE Regional Business class - Reserved seating. The Acela and Business class have assigned seats - you can guarantee you get to sit with your travel companions in business class and Acela. If your getting on at an originating station it's not too big a deal but getting on in cities between DC and NYC as an example, you may not get to sit together.

Thank you! I love the additional information I learn from your videos.

Originally from WV and the views on Appalachia are pretty decent

Speaking of the same train. The Lakeshore Limited is also two trains in one, but in this case, they have the same name (you covered this before but it bears repeating). If you are riding from Chicago, you should know the train splits at Albany NY into two sections, one that goes to New York City and one to Boston. In either direction, there is a long delay at Albany to separate or join the trains.

This is one for my archives! Great info!

Great video. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! We love your channel!

Good information. I learned to pick between the Silver Star and the meteor for the time I want to arrive in Philadelphia. I do take one up and the other back sometimes.

Good morning. My usual Amtrak journeys are from Philadelphia to San Antonio. At one time I had 3 options. Broadway Limited then Texas Eagle, Cardinal then Texas Eagle, & Silver Meteor then Sunset Limited. My problem with Sunset Limited is it arrives in San Antonio around 4 a.m. and only runs 3 days a week. My problems with the Cardinal is it only runs 3 days a week, no real dining car (even before the pandemic) and it leaves 4 hours earlier from Philadelphia as oppose to when the Broadway Limited was running. Both arrived in Chicago around the same time. Have a great day.

Thank you. As usual, very helpful.

I just returned from my trip to San Francisco aboard the California Zephyr and onward to LA on the Coast Star Light. I was supposed to return to Chicago via the Southwest Chief but due to a derailed freight train was returned to Emeryville by the bus from Hell! Eight hours of misery! This was my first long distance train trip in twenty nine years and it was very disappointing! Filthy sleeping cars,bathrooms,faint odor of raw sewage in each sleeping car and invisible car attendants! If I were a health inspector,I would NOT have allowed these cars to be occupied! You guys must be riding on different trains than I was. This was not the type of experience I was expecting. Sign me very disappointed.

If you are going to Tampa, one takes the Silver Star NOT the Meteor!😐

I truly appreciate your videos.

The Texas Eagle is the oldest cars and the worst. Our air conditioning was out in our roomette and we felt like we had to sleep in a little oven. Was awful and everything was old and run down.

LOL! Going on my ten city rail pass journey next week. Thank god I am staying overnight in really nice places instead of the sleeper cars. Those sleepers should be better, but they are not. I am bailing from the Sunset Limited in El Paso, flying to Denver and taking the Zephyr. I used to live in Texas and will not be stuck there for days waiting for the next train

You must like looking at the Hudson River for 2.5 hours from NY to Albany. I have ridden on both and the Cardinal definitely had the better scenery through the hills of Virginia on up to Chicago. The Lake Shore has nice scenery riding from Albany to Buffalo but once you hit Erie and Cleveland…. It is all bland. Stick with the Cardinal. Too bad they took off the business car from NY to Chi.

Hey there, I really appreciate your videos I have just one question for you Traveling sleepers are we required to tip the porters? If so how much? Thanks

How are the trains from Washington DC to Chicago?

Taking the Missouri River Runner from Union Station (Kansas City) to St. Louis for a five hour layover until a 27 hour train ride from Gateway Station to San Antonio on the Texas Eagle (Chicago to San Antonio). It’s a roomette. I also have a power strip for my devices, and enough snacks for 36 hours of train traveling.

I rode on both the Acela and Northeast Regional -- not the full route, but from one place they went to another. The only real difference is if you book I think it's First Class on Acela, there's a food service, while with Coach or Business on the NER there is not? (I don't remember if there's a NER Cafe Car; I never checked either, since I only went for a few stops. Someone let me know in the comments). For the short route I took, I was only on for an hour or two, out of Boston, and it was fine. For LSL vs. Cardinal, havent taken either one of those yet but I think if I was getting a sleeper car, didn't car about breakfast or lunch, and didn't sleep the night before, I would just set up the room to sleep in and then wake up whenever during the ride lol. Assuming that's okay to do of course lol. Not much to say on the other train choices here, thank you for a great informative video!

I plan to travel from my home to Seattle this fall. I live in Granger, Indiana and have 4 Amtrak stations within a half hour from my home - Elkhart, South Bend, Niles and Dowagiac. All would require a change in Chicago to the Empire Builder. It looks like if I leave from Niles, on the Bluewater, my trip could be $200 cheaper but there is a projected layover in Chicago of about 3 1/2 hrs. Is this enough? Do you have a video about choosing a station or particular train to get to a connection with one of the main long routes? Thanks.

I live near Washington, DC, so my choices to Chicago are between the Cardinal and the Capitol Limited. Cardinal doesn't leave Washington quite so early as it does from New York. Do you have a preference?

Disagree about NE Regional vs ACELA. If the price difference is massive then I agree, take NE Regional but if the Acela fare is manageable it's a MUCH nicer experience. Less crowded; crews are more respectful and AC can be controlled by the crew which is not the case own NE Regional so if it's too warm on Acela something can be done about it.

Question: what would you (or others) recommend for dealing with the horn blaring all night? I got a roomette for a trip in the autumn. I remember last time I didn’t sleep well because of the sound. I can’t sleep with anything in my ears so I’m looking at other options. One thing I have thought of trying is to listen to the sound of a train with horn as I fall asleep at night in the months before the trip. I also plan on taking something to knock me out but I want to have a backup plan.

Will there be a review of the new Amtrak Borealis route?

When I took the Sunset Limited (a.k.a. the Texas Eagle), I got into L.A. almost an hour early (well before 5am). They let us stay in our sleepers until 6:30, though. After that I went to the Metropolitan Lounge until about 8am, when it was a much more reasonable time to go out and explore the city. Rather than the Lake Shore Limited, I see the Cardinal as an alternative to the Capitol Limited. Both go to D.C. The Cardinal takes longer, but it covers the "pretty" part by day, while the Capitol Limited goes through most of Appalachia overnight. I also like the Viewliner on the Cardinal better than the Superliner on the Capitol Limited, and neither has a lounge car.

I live near La Crosse, WI. I’m looking forward to the new Borealis train as an alternative to the Empire Builder!

Going St. Louis to Chicago on the Illinois Lincoln Service Business Class 6/22. Anything to know about this service?

What is the name of your other channel? I thought I was subscribed to it,but I can't find it.

I need some advise on routes, I will be travelling from Vancouver, BC Canada to Dallas Texas. I know that I will need to take the Amtrak Cascades to Seattle, but wasn't sure what makes the most sense from there. Do I take the Coast Starlight to LA and then go across on the Texas Eagle or something.

Hi, thanks for the comparisons! I’m going to retire in a couple of years and am thinking about what travel I want to do. This, of course, leading to another this or that question😊. What train would you recommend to go across North America: the Via Rail across Canada, or Amtrak (either the northern route across, or the California Zephyr), assuming you can only pick one? I know it’s not apples to apples, but I’d be interested in your comparison with the +’s and -‘s of each. I’ll be a solo traveler who wants a sleeper (though I wouldn’t expect that granular a response, because you’ve already done some great videos on the different accommodations (I would get a roomette on Amtrak) and the routes themselves. I’m just interested if you could only pick one, for sightseeing, which would it be and why? Thanks for your great videos!

Curious how you plan your travel....on the fly or way in advance? Or both?

how do you coordinate use of the train car shower room with the other passengers? Is it just a first-come, first-serve thing like an aircraft lavatory?

It would help to add an apostrophe. Ride this, not that, avoiding the.....

The Texas Eagle isn't worth operating since Amtrak doesn't want to spend any money on the route Chicago to San Antonio. Use the SW Chief for equipment, meals, time, and scenery. Again, don't book the four car Texas Eagle with no Lounge, no real cafe, no real Dining Car, and a shared with Crew Sleeping Car.

I can not find the prices on line for a track rates

Live tacoma,washington what train

I disagree with your assessment of what is a "bad" route. These "bad" routes bring additional cities into the Amtrak system which makes it a "good" route depending on your destination. Some routes are better choices than others, depending on your destination. A bad choice doesn't make it a bad route.

This really highlights the third world status of the USA in general these days. Book a sleeper at 4 times the cost of coach and get stale chips and a burger in the dining car.

Worst train is the crescent

A toilet in your cabin??? Good grief. One of the worst ideas imported from Canadian long distance trains. This is a bloody horrible idea! For the life of me who would want to pay for an overpriced cabin and be subjected to toilet stink, lack of cleanliness and loss of privacy. With such cabins in their fleet, no wonder that Amtrak has a problem with ridership.