Hi Everyone, At 4:15 PM today I arrived at Penn Station, New York after having crossed the Country on Amtrak. I boarded The Empire Builder in Seattle on Saturday evening. We slept through the States of Washington and Idaho and awakened in Montana. We went to bed part way into North Dakota and awakened again in Minnesota near St. Paul. We enjoyed the last bit of Minnesota then Wisconsin and on into Chicago. We arrived at about 4:30 PM and at 7:30 PM we boarded The Lake Shore Limited which took us along the same tracks covered by The Twentieth Century Limited many years ago. We slept through most of Indiana and Ohio and awakened at Buffalo, New York. The trip was ...."good news and bad news".. The bad news......The scenery around the Cascades and Rocky Mountains was really beautiful but for the rest of the day we saw nothing but the Great Plains which is quite impressive but very boring. Montana is truly "Big Sky" country but also endless prairie. The Empire Builder ran smoothly and I slept like a log but on the trip from Chicago to New York we had a terribly bumpy ride. The car would lurch from side to side and bounce up and down and on occasion "hit bottom". Everybody complained about being unable to sleep. One of my companions at breakfast said that the problem was with the ties. They need to be replaced. The good news........The facilities on the train were clean, the meals were excellent, although at dinner the vegetables were always green beans and carrots......as I had been warned. The beds (I had a deluxe bedroom) were very comfortable. I don't think I would have been happy with the less expensive accommodations...........maybe for one night but not for three. I had been on a Tauck Tour of The Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. In the future I plan to take their Rocky Mountain Tour and come home on a more southerly train.......The California Zephyr perhaps..... For us City Slickers the West is simply gorgeous.........No! California in not part of The West! The fate of Amtrak is still a question and I hope that Mr. Gunn can get government more involved, particulary the states. I oppose big government and I'd like to see privately owned railroads again but they need to be run as profitable businesses. [ 11. September 2002, 01:33: Message edited by: Railfan462 ]
462, Sounds like an adventure. So the old New York Central mainline is bumpy, eh? It once was one of the smoothest rides. I can understand smooth rides out here in the west, as most are welded rail and concrete ties. Was the fare comparable to airline fares? You can email me with an answer if you care to. Anything else that comes to mind to report would be welcomed.
Question for Railfan... Can two people comfortably occupy the bed in a deluxe bedroom? My fiancee and I are considering taking the train for our honeymoon, but not if we're stuck in bunk beds.
CTHippo......The lower bunk is about as wide as a 3/4 bed. Two people in love could be comfortable in it. Be aware that these bedrooms do not have room for large suitcases. On the inital part of the trip.... from Seattle to Chicago......we were on a double decker sleeping car. At the entrance there is a luggage area to store baggage. We removed some clean clothing and kept it in the hanging closet in our room. That worked well. From Chicago to New York we had the change of clothing in our carry on bags. The sleeping car was single deck so the luggage had to go in the baggage car where we had no access to it.
Cthippo, Another trip I can recommend, depending when your honeymoon is, is as follows. And you will save money and love where I am recommending. First the bad news, or perhaps a suggestion to save money. I am suggesting the Via train from Vancouver, BC to Jasper Alberta. Here is your budget itinerary: 1) Coach (train) to Jasper - yes coach... it will save you a bag of money, but..... you will be up in the dome car most of the night anyway, so why waste money. The train leaves at 5:30 in the evening and arrives around 10 in morning. 2) Stay at Jasper Park Lodge.... you have to see this place to believe it. It is no ordinary Hotel, it is under the Fairmont chain. If you are out of season, you will get a good rate. My wife, son and I stayed in a room, billed out at $600/ night in summer (I know no one pays the rated posted on door, but it is safe to say they paid $400/night). We paid about $130/ night Canadian (around $100 night American or less). Jasper Park Lodge was originally build by CN. It is very luxerious, and built on a Lake. I have stayed at many fine hotels, but this one out does them all. First, it isn't like a normal hotel. It is more like a university campus, with about 70 buildings. Don't take cheapest room, but second cheapest room. Don't be deceived by the word cheap... you will be staying in a very large cedar sided structure that looks like a house; it is divided into four living areas. One room is really two larger rooms. You will be about 20 yards from a lake, with mountain views all around you. Jasper is in a valley. The hotel has a swimming pool that is both indoor and outdoor. It is kept very warm. We have swum in it while it was snowing out... neat. There is wild life all over... and you will see lots of elk and mountain goat.. Rent a car and drive to Banff. Don't worry that it is out of season... no such thing there. The town is a picturesque tourist town, but you will like it... quieter in off season; and cheaper... great around Xmas time... but no discounts... and high prices at Xmas and new year. There is lots to do and see in and around Jasper. For example, if you go in winter (comes early in Jasper). The lake out your front door will be frozen and snow covered. The Lodge plows a path around the lake so that you can skate the entire distance. They also clear a skating rink. Also lots of skiing in the area. 3) Take train back... now you will be tired... and maybe get bunk birth on way home... you will arrive back in Vancouver around 8:00 in morning. 4) You can take Amtrack up and back. But on way home, you wouldn't leave until 6:00 PM, but give you a chance to do some shopping in down town core. Sky Train (our transit - sort of like L in Chicago) is close by. I willl see if I can post link to Jasper Park Lodge so check back. Here is propaganda from their site: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge has a firmly embedded place in the history of tourism in the Canadian Rockies. Its legacy began in 1915, in association with the Grand Truck Pacific Railway. Originally called 'Tent City', it consisted of a few tents on the shores of beautiful Lac Beauvert. In 1922, eight log bungalows were built for guests. Expansion proceeded through 1923, with the addition of the first unit of the main building and additional guest cabins. Some of these original cabins still stand today and they are magnificent. The 1920s saw the addition of Jasper's world-famous golf course, designed by master architect Stanley Thompson. Tourists continued to flock in and by 1940, enough luxurious cabins had been built to house 650 guests. Bing Crosby often visited as did numerous other celebrities. Disaster struck in July 1952, when the original main building, at that time the largest single-story log structure in the world, was destroyed by fire. By September of the same year, the concrete foundation for a new building was poured. Completed in June of the following year, Jasper Park Lodge's new main building features stunning views of its surroundings and epitomizes the Grand Canadian Lodge Experience. Between the early 1940s and early 1950s, most of the original log cabins were replaced with modern attractive cedar chalets. Today, the Lodge consists of the main building and 56 adjacent chalets for a total room count of 446. The addition of boutiques, a sports lounge, dining facilities, and the refurbishing of guest rooms have ensured that The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge will remain a four-season, four-star destination resort well into the new millennium. http://www.jasperparklodge.com/FA/en/CDA/Home/Hote ls/AboutHotel/CDHotelHomePage/0,2993,property%25255Fseq%253D100104,00.html More propoganda for you: http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search/ca?p=Jasper%2C+Alberta&y=c [ 13. September 2002, 21:18: Message edited by: rsn48 ]
