Let's talk about trains
- Thread starter Xtant12
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Did this a lot when I was little my great grandfather was a conductor so he would take us on some cross country trips. It was a blast sometimes but sometimes it was mind numbing boring. Granted this was 34+ years ago so the power of internet was not at everyone's fingertips. Plus as a kid you don't enjoy the scenery like an adult would.
Trans Canadian Railway has always been on my bucket list.
Just haven't found the time yet. I'm a jet jockey. Vancouver is a 4 hour trip, not 4 days.
Canadian Train Vacations - Discover Canada by Train
Just haven't found the time yet. I'm a jet jockey. Vancouver is a 4 hour trip, not 4 days.
Canadian Train Vacations - Discover Canada by Train
I would try it in a heartbeat but the pricing just seems crazy to me. At least the rooms part of the pricing. Looking at one of those packages the tiny roomette is like $1500 more or something and you only sleep on the train two nights, $750 a night for a 3.5' x 6.5' area is stupid expensive.
My son is super in to model trains. Real trains. He loves bnsf stuff and has a pretty nice ho layout in the basement. He knows all the model numbers and what all the engines are rated for. He's got a bnsf winter jacket and windbreaker he wears all the time. Just super into this stuff and I encourage it. Seriously the kid has a passion
not sure how pleased i would be going over a scary death bridge like you can find on youtube, but i enjoy train trips as well if you don't mind the pace.
thailand has 1st to 3rd class, 3rd class you're in for a not fun time if you wanna go potty and man i'd really have to do an overnight, 1st has beds and you can go to another cart to eat or eat in your bed. it's relatively inexpensive. good way to go and wake up somewhere new.
eurail has sleeper cars with 4 beds iirc. like 2 people can't go in at the same time you gotta go in one at a time and throw your stuff somewhere. get in bed, then next person comes in. i don't recall food situations on these i never ate. price not bad at all on these as i recall.
eurail also has assigned sleeper rooms for 2 people and the other side of the room has a bathroom and shower in it. i think these are pricey. my buddy and i paid for regular sleeper room and thought one of these was it when we got on the train. eventually german conductor got to us, checked our tix, didn't speak any english but proceeded to get real annoyed a couple idiots were in the room, which we saw later on a sign on the door was reserved for people's names which were not ours. we didn't use the bathroom (it had a sealed paper thing on it) for which he seemed relieved. he then kicked us off the train in the middle of nowhere at midnight. we ran down to other cars and eventually found one with a couple seats to make it on to.
i've never done amtrak, i have too many freq flyer miles now. i was looking at going to new orleans and back in i think some kind of business fare but never did it and let the amtrak miles i was going to use for it expire. i picked up an amtrak cc for the points at one point. not sure you can do it now but it seemed like you could accrue enough amtrak miles for life at the time.
thailand has 1st to 3rd class, 3rd class you're in for a not fun time if you wanna go potty and man i'd really have to do an overnight, 1st has beds and you can go to another cart to eat or eat in your bed. it's relatively inexpensive. good way to go and wake up somewhere new.
eurail has sleeper cars with 4 beds iirc. like 2 people can't go in at the same time you gotta go in one at a time and throw your stuff somewhere. get in bed, then next person comes in. i don't recall food situations on these i never ate. price not bad at all on these as i recall.
eurail also has assigned sleeper rooms for 2 people and the other side of the room has a bathroom and shower in it. i think these are pricey. my buddy and i paid for regular sleeper room and thought one of these was it when we got on the train. eventually german conductor got to us, checked our tix, didn't speak any english but proceeded to get real annoyed a couple idiots were in the room, which we saw later on a sign on the door was reserved for people's names which were not ours. we didn't use the bathroom (it had a sealed paper thing on it) for which he seemed relieved. he then kicked us off the train in the middle of nowhere at midnight. we ran down to other cars and eventually found one with a couple seats to make it on to.
i've never done amtrak, i have too many freq flyer miles now. i was looking at going to new orleans and back in i think some kind of business fare but never did it and let the amtrak miles i was going to use for it expire. i picked up an amtrak cc for the points at one point. not sure you can do it now but it seemed like you could accrue enough amtrak miles for life at the time.
Just looking at Amtraks site and I don't get the prices, theyre nuts for some of this stuff.
So round trip from Chicago to Denver, you leave at 2pm and get there at 7:15am the next morning. I get wanting to see the sights, but half of that will be pitch black darkness in the middle of nowhere. If you want the little roomette so you can actually sleep, it's $618 round trip.
Or I could fly round trip for $150 and be there in three hours.
I get wanting to see the sights and relaxing while you travel, I just cant justify the expense of it. I know I saw logs like a madman, I wouldn't be an ignorant ass sleeping in an economy seat keeping everyone else awake.
God forbid I'd want a regular room (whopping 5'2" x 9'5" in size) and you're at a grand round trip.
Rather fly out and stay at some 5 star hotel for a week for the same price as sleeping two nights on a train.
So round trip from Chicago to Denver, you leave at 2pm and get there at 7:15am the next morning. I get wanting to see the sights, but half of that will be pitch black darkness in the middle of nowhere. If you want the little roomette so you can actually sleep, it's $618 round trip.
Or I could fly round trip for $150 and be there in three hours.
I get wanting to see the sights and relaxing while you travel, I just cant justify the expense of it. I know I saw logs like a madman, I wouldn't be an ignorant ass sleeping in an economy seat keeping everyone else awake.
God forbid I'd want a regular room (whopping 5'2" x 9'5" in size) and you're at a grand round trip.
Rather fly out and stay at some 5 star hotel for a week for the same price as sleeping two nights on a train.
I know of a few people who specifically are just terrified of Air travel and Opt for trains due to that despite the cost, but that's definitely not enough to keep Amtrak alive. Many of those friends opt for Mega Bus, which is just silly cheap if you just need to get from one place to another on the ground (Granted I can't imagine its enjoyable).
GF's parents take the train everywhere, because they won't fly and don't like to drive. Come into Chicago from Detroit on the train, done the cross country a few times.
The below article is about a guy that took Amtrak across the country for like $213
Across the USA by Train for Just $213
The below article is about a guy that took Amtrak across the country for like $213
Across the USA by Train for Just $213
Another train fan here. My model stuff is HO though, and we usually put it out for the holidays (my son loves them).
When I worked for GE, I got to go out to Erie and tour the plant. And before I worked for GE, I got into the GM EMD plant in LaGrange when they were developing the "H" engine (I think it was H anyway).
When I worked for GE, I got to go out to Erie and tour the plant. And before I worked for GE, I got into the GM EMD plant in LaGrange when they were developing the "H" engine (I think it was H anyway).
Amtrak prices are kind of crazy, and they've been operating at a loss for decades. Its like the USPS, they cant turn a profit.
I wish these trains did 200+ mph, but they don't and air wins all day. Its all about the experience and the view pretty much for rail travel. I get some people are afraid to fly and choose Amtrak, but I wonder if they ever glanced into Amtrak's accident history. It might change their mind.
I wish these trains did 200+ mph, but they don't and air wins all day. Its all about the experience and the view pretty much for rail travel. I get some people are afraid to fly and choose Amtrak, but I wonder if they ever glanced into Amtrak's accident history. It might change their mind.
My company is working on getting onto a high speed rail contract for the NE corridor.
It'll go from DC to Boston... They'll start at I believe 168mph, but once the infrastructure is in place can be turned up to 186mph.
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