Last winter I took the train from Salem, Oregon to Charlotte, North Carolina, and back again by a different route, traveling most of the time in a sleeper. (There were a couple of stretches where a sleeper wasn't available.) I much prefer the stateroom; however the day coach isn't bad. You still have access to the showers and to the dining car or the snack car. But do remember to pack a small blanket, if you're traveling by coach. It gets chlly at night.


This winter I'm planning a different kind of run. I'm buying a 30-day ViaRAIL pass, a combination Canada/USA package. If one is over 65 years old- as I am - it's CHEAP. $499 per person for a month, off season. That is only for day coach, however. If you want a sleeper, on top of that $499 you pay by each leg of the trip. (For instance, one section is $234) Other legs vary in price. On the other hand, your food - and it is very good - is included in that price.

One expense one has in sleepers is that you will want to tip your steward and waiters; day coach doesn't call for that much. As a general thing, it is excellent service.

Last winter's train travel was quite an experience, on a multitude of levels. I got a number of black and blue bruises, and once our plates in the dining car went flying. As someone said above, most of the tracks are not well maintained and they frequently travel too fast for the conditions. The northern route is much rougher than the southern route, in my experience.

And as someone else said, they are routinely late. On the northern route going through Montana and North Dakota on the Empire Builder we missed connections at Chicago for going to Washington, so they put a number of us up in a hotel, complete with vouchers for taxis and food. Coming back on the Sunset from New Orleans through Teas and west, we were 8 hours late by the time we hit Palm Springs, California, and of course missed our connections on the Coast Starlight at Los Angeles. They gave us a WILD bus ride (the only part of the trip I did not enjoy) to Bakersfield where they put us on the San Joaquin which caught up with the Starlight at Martinez.

I love traveling by train. It takes you into the back country into places you don't see from the highways. I've driven across the country various times and going by train is completely different.

I had a wonderful time.