Yes, that's a good tip, thanks.

Thank you for that idea

If the STD from Baltimore Penn is 9:29 a.m. were you still able to get breakfast on the train? The dining car apparently closes for breakfast at 10am and you only get served if boarding before 9:30am I'd like to know your experience as I'm considering taking the Cardinal.

@@andrewschwartz22 I got my breakfast at 9:30am just fine. The sleeping car attendant encouraged me to go get breakfast as soon as I boarded in Baltimore. The only issue I had was that there was no butter for the Flexible Dining pancakes because they ran out (I traveled on a Sunday morning train). The cafe car was restocked in Washington DC. At least on the Cardinal, I was told that I had to get my breakfast order submitted so that it could be heated before the train arrived in DC. The headend power is changed from electric to diesel in DC, and the train is without power during the changeover. The Cardinal will be VERY MUCH improved if and when Amtrak is ever able to restore an actual diner with "Traditional Dining" and ditch the infamous "Flexible Dining". That has been promised ever since the infrastructure bill was passed -- the current promise is "before the end of the year". I'm pretty sure Amtrak was saying the same thing in 2023. I still enjoyed the ride. We were on-time for the entire trip (perhaps because it was a Sunday) and the weather and scenery was beautiful. I highly recommend the bedroom over the roomette if you can afford it, especially if you (like me) are of an age where you need at least one night-time trip to the toilet each night. The new Viewliner II roomettes have no in-room toilet. The bedroom is much more spacious. Also, bring a power strip or extension cord if you bring any gear.

Good to know, thank you.

Probably the best feature of the Viewliner 2s! 😊

You'll still want a power strip or extension cord if you want anything near the window.

Thank you, welcome to the channel!

It is a good idea to take the trip at a time of year when there's more daylight. I missed a lot of the mountain scenery in the darkness, one of the downsides of doing it in winter.

I took it Chi-NYC beginning of October some years ago. Trouble as ever is that much of the time you’re looking at the trees twenty feet from the train and not the river beyond.

Thanks for the comments. Yes, the older Viewliner 1 cars have toilets in the roomettes, while the Viewliner 2 cars have public restrooms and the roomettes just have sinks. I prefer the Viewliner 2 approach as well. As for dining cars on the eastern trains, only the Florida routes (Silver Star and Silver Meteor) have full dining cars and offer "traditional dining" now. I thought the New York branch of the Lake Shore Limited had a dining car, but I'm not sure about that. Every other eastern train has a cafe car and offers "flexible dining". But you can ask to have your meals in the cafe car, as another commenter mentioned. Amtrak long distance trains do frequently run hours late, unfortunately. The biggest factor is that they're beholden to the freight railroads whose tracks they use outside of the Northeast Corridor.

@@SightlinesTravel : While the combined Lakeshore Limited (between Albany and Chicago each direction) has a dining car (it stays on the New York section), it still offers only "Flexible Dining". My understanding from the crew is that Amtrak has still not hired and trained crew who can use the kitchen in the dining car. I don't know whether the kitchen equipment in that car actually works -- the inability to keep the kitchens in good repair was cited by Amtrak as one of the reasons they terminated traditional dining before the pandemic.

Thank you, and agreed.

Yep but wish prices were more reasonable

Thanks for commenting, the Cardinal is a favorite.

Hinton is the closest station to me. 40 miles, but an hour's drive on twisty mountain roads. I'v taken the Cardinal several times (and the George Washington before that) to or from Washington DC.

Thank you!

You're welcome!@@SightlinesTravel

Thanks. The Zephyr is a beautiful trip.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

@@SightlinesTravel 👍😉

That New River Gorge area is so beautiful and historic.

We arrived at Thurmond after 7pm and it was already dark then unfortunately.

It is a beautiful area from what I could see in the diminishing light.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed!

It is the longer route from New York to Chicago for sure, but serves West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis for people who live around there. I'm planning to take the LSL route sometime soon and check it out.

@@SightlinesTravel Exactly, it is a train that is best used for individual segments. I would not use it to get to Chicago from any point north of Washington, DC.

The Lakeshore is indeed a very pleasant ride. I ride for pleasure, and the Cardinal offers gorgeous views through Virginia and West Virginia. I prefer to take it during daylight time so that more of West Virginia goes by in daylight. The New River Gorge is truly spectacular.

@@thomasstambaugh5181 Taking the Cardinal from Chicago going east is the way to go, then.

I think the Cardinal ran from DC (instead of New York) to Chicago for a while, and used Superliner cars on at least some of those trips.

Yes, that's true, the yard at 30th Street Station, just before you arrive at the platforms.

Sounds like a fun trip!

Good advice!

My favorite was the beef burgundy. Each meal was good, I'd say, not great. I got about 5-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, which is good for me on a train.

Thank you and glad you enjoyed the video!

@@SightlinesTravel You're welcome! I def will take the Cardinal to Chi Town. Thx!

Thank you. I think I was in roomette #3 on that one.

Yes, that's true, the VL2 rooms are a little smaller, and there are a few design flaws, like having no place to store the ladder to the upper bunk in the deluxe bedrooms (you can see it wedged behind the extra seat at 4:41). But the VL2s do have a number of nice features, like more outlets, nicer lights, and no toilet in the roomettes. :)

@@SightlinesTravel u right

​@@SightlinesTravelI'm the weird bird who looooves having a commode in the room. I travel solo l, so it's wonderful. That said, I do prefer the design, colors of the VL2's. I also prefer the VL2 dining lounges, with their etched-glass partitions.

That app is just called "Speedometer". There are a bunch of speedometer apps on both the Apple and Google app stores. They just need a GPS signal to work. Have a fun trip on the Empire Builder! I'd like to take that one someday.

That's true, there is a cafe car ahead of the sleepers. The SCA didn't ask if we wanted to eat there, but I'm sure you could ask for it. It wasn't very busy the couple of times I wandered up there.

Thanks, unfortunately I didn't get a good shot of the diesel at DC or Chicago.

For what it's worth, Amtrak also runs the Lakeshore Limited. That route connects NYC and Chicago 7 days a week, and is faster than the Cardinal. However, as someone who lives in Indianapolis with family in Chicago, I'm pretty miffed about the Cardinal only running 3x weekly. Fortunately, it sounds like they'll be upping that to 7 days a week in the near future. Hopefully that helps many other people along the route as well. You're right though, if for no reason other than the speed and reliability of our passenger rail due to Amtrak using freight right-of-way, the US is definitely bottom-tier for rail transit.

I'm spoiled because I travel the Starlight with daily service and both a cafe car and a full service dining car.