BS: Across America by train, would you?

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: GUEST,seth in Olympia
Date: 25 Nov 09 - 10:19 AM

I had a great train trip with my godson on Amtrak's "Empire Builder" in the early 1970's when they were still using Great Northern cars and crews. These guys were not happy about Amtrak taking over GN's premier train, and acted as if Amtrak had never happened. Which was a good thing. All Vista-dome cars, broiled trout for dinner as we rode through Glacier National Park (when there were glaciers there) and into King Street station in Seattle right on time. Great way to travel with ten year olds.
seth

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: ranger1
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 11:59 PM

I recently took the train from Boston to DC, and found it very enjoyable, but then again, trains are my favorite way to travel. I would travel across the US by train in a heartbeat, given the chance.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 09:07 AM

mcpiper,
Boston is a short train ride from New Hampshire (The Press Room) and Maine where we have song circles and house concerts. PM me when you exoect to be this way. There is usually a spare bedroom and a meal for visitors. Always a bottle of something worth sipping.
Mary

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: artbrooks
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 08:26 AM

Stephen Rich asks: COULD you cross America by train. Is it actually possible anymore?

Sure. There are both direct routes that begin at one cost and go to the other and other trains that go from someplace to a hub like Chicago or St. Louis where you can change to a different train. Complete route map here...you have to click on "Launch Route Atlas".

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 05:06 AM

We might all end up friends after all! ;0)

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 04:14 AM

"The best part is the camaraderie of the passengers. There's something about train travel that makes people very sociable.

-Joe- "


Right, that's it then, Joe. We need a train big enough to fit all the Mudcatters on board...then take off on a journey across America!
We might all end up friends after all! ;0)

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: mcpiper
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 02:52 AM

Thanks to all who posted, makes it easier to make a descision when you have a variety of info.
The reason we would leave from LA is because thats where the plane lands, the reason for Boston is thats where the relatives are, seems there is a nation in between we have to get across.
Thanks guys.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 02:17 AM

I've taken a few of Amtrak's long-distance trains, and I've really enjoyed them. The ride is comfortable and scenic, and the food isn't bad and not overly expensive.
The best part is the camaraderie of the passengers. There's something about train travel that makes people very sociable.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: GUEST,seth in Olympia
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 01:31 AM

I've been riding trains most of my life when I can. China, Europe and the U.S. I like European trains the best for transportation to and from post places on the continent. In my experience, mostly, smooth, organized, functional in Europe. Never had a bad train experience there, many weren't particularly memorable.
I traveled from Seattle to New York with my two newly adopted pre-teen daughters on Amtrak's Empire Builder. It was great from Seattle to Chicago, as long as I didn't expect anything too grand. My daughters, who had never been out of Tacoma, Washington in their lives were over the moon about the whole thing. Once we left Chicago, headed east, the rail experience got a lot more gnarly, with crowded cars, non-too - helpful staff and a really long wait for a connection on a freezing platform in Albany, New York.
The Chinese have one of the great rail systems in the world in my experience, but that's another story.
My most recent experience was riding the Coast Starlight(Stoplight) from Los Angeles to Seattle. Very nice crew. Very crappy train. But still a cool ride, though about 7 hours late. You can't worry about stuff like that with Amtrak. My late grandfather, a conductor for the old Nickel Plate Road when it was a major midwest passenger hauler, thought that having his train be on time was sort of important, but he left this world before what he spent his life making run beautifully became what we know as Amtrak.
seth

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 24 Nov 09 - 12:52 AM

More to the point, COULD you cross America by train. Is it actually possible anymore?

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 06:23 PM

I'll skip to the bottom and say that I did such a trip a couple of times, using a rail pass on Amtrak. It was back in the late 1970s, though, so I don't know if any of my advice would be still relevant.

Dress comfortably and have sleeping gear if you're sleeping in your seat. A sleeping bag, if you can manage it, would be great.

Carry a bag of durable snacks. There are some long stretches out there with little food service and not always a handy station to step off for a few minutes to get something to eat.

Keep an eye on your stuff, so though I've suggested taking a sleeping bag and food, you may want to keep that down to a nice travel blanket in conjunction with your jacket and a bunch of dried soup, cocoa, etc, so it doesn't take much space or weight. Pack so you can carry it around with you.

Take a couple of good books. I don't know about any Internet service most of the time, or phone service (probably "no" to both, 99% of the time). You could charge a computer, I think, and you could use it to write, though.

I met some really fascinating people on the train, had some great conversations, and very little negative to report.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 05:39 PM

Wait a minute, my math was wrong. 4.5 times 6 is only 28.

Somebody help me out here. What two factors of 38 or 39 approximate the length and width of the lower 48 states?

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 05:36 PM

I would never consider it, unless I could break the trip up, as suggested by Mrrzy. This may not apply to you, but sometimes foreign visitors don't realize how big America is.

I have done the math - the area of the lower 48 states is 38.6 times the area of Great Britain. Suppose that the U.S. is 4.5 great-britains wide and 6 great-britains across. Would you be prepared to ride Great Britain north to south 6 times without stopping? That is about what it would take to cross America.

Do you smoke?

"All Amtrak trains, Thruway buses and stations are entirely non-smoking except for the Auto Train."
============
I subcribe to a magazine called Railfan. Here are some excerpts from a report by an Amtrak employee on a recent west-to-east trip. It so happened that the train was delivering a deceased person in a coffin on this trip.

...we had an unusually large number of drunks, nicotine fiends, and potty-mouthed idiots on board, demographics more typical of 'The California Zephyr' than of 'The Empire Builder.' (names of trains)

[after a passenger leaves the train to go to a bar and fails to return in time]...the conductor asked me to find this fool's luggage and put if off at Minot...two black bags with no nametags, which could have been almost any bags on the train which were not navy blue.

[My own suitcase is red with rainbow ribbons on it. Nobody will ever walk off with it by mistake.]

"Is that a COFFIN?" breathed a wide-eyed passenger, to which a conductor replied, "That's what happens when you're caught smoking on the train."

[once the corpse was off] the final day was peaceful, sane and forgettably normal. As I've said, most trips are.
========
So that's an insider's view. Interesting!

By the way, mcpiper, why are you going to Los Angeles? Do you have loved ones there? Because that's the only reason I can think of for going to that tense, smoggy, unhistoric town. It has been called 'forty suburbs in search of a city.'

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: SINSULL
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 12:40 PM

Check with Micca. He has done more US train travel than anyone know.
My AMTARK adventures have all been semi-nightmares including a 14 hour excursion from Buffalo to NYC by way of China due to "problems on the tracks".
Mary

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 10:57 AM

Yeah, I been tryin' for years to get the P-Vine to go to Europe but she's afraid if flyin'... Maybe the train???

Yay, Bobert! That's me and you cheering for the transatlantic tunnel anyway. If you start digging at your end, I'll start here and we can meet in the middle?

:D (eG)

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 10:45 AM

Totally do it, and take more than 72 hours - pick a couple of places to get off the train for a couple of days... there is a LOT of territory to cover.
Or, take very indirect trains, and take more than 72 hours that way... you'll have a great time.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: jacqui.c
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 09:21 AM

Oik is a UK word for an obnoxious or unpleasant person - usually someone who is noisy and intrusive.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: open mike
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 09:11 PM

what's the oik level?
is this a typo, or is it a word?

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 06:56 AM

Ah and we travelled from London to Paris on Eurostar this year, spent the last of our Air Miles on First Class returns - absolutely superb - at almost 200mph. And it was 34C in Paris!

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: CarolC
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 03:17 AM

I love traveling by train. I traveled from Martinsburg, West Virginia, to Toronto and back again by train (Amtrak and Via Rail). I loved the whole trip and I didn't even have a bunk or a private cabin or roomette. I just slept in my seat. I think the trip, one way, was about 36 hours. If I could afford to, I would travel everywhere by train, especially if I could afford a sleeper cabin or even a roomette.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: artbrooks
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 12:15 AM

One advantage of buying into a sleeper is that meals are included.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 22 Nov 09 - 12:07 AM

It may have been the time of year and the route we were travelling, but with really full trains, the shared restrooms (in the non-sleeper cars) were pretty messy. Also, although the seats recline quite a bit, sleeping that way for more than one night in a row gets pretty hard. We brought our own travel blankets and pillows; never saw any offered. And with a crowded train, there are always some "interesting" people or events to deal with...

That said, the dining cars were pleasant and the food there reasonably well prepared. (Again, after a few days the menu may get tiresome, and be sure to consider that expense your calculations. We brought some things of our own and also got some things from the snack bar.) And the view from the observation cars was good, but as Leenia notes, you are seeing the backside of most of the country.

I felt I would have enjoyed it more if I was younger, but then I couldn't have afforded it. I made three coast-to-coast trips on the bus when I was in college... Also would have been a much better trip if we could have taken it in shorter legs with more stops. The Mudcat network would be a good thing to plug into.

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: kendall
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 11:00 PM

My first train trip was an adventure, 400 miles for under $10.00.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: mcpiper
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 10:13 PM

Thanks guys, just proves yet again the only place to ask is Mudcat. I still havn't made up my mind, one of the reasons is that this is the first part of a two month trip, taking in Boston, Germany, the UK, and as long as posible in Ireland, and it would be a pity if our first step was a let down.
agai thanks for your help.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Tootler
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 07:36 PM

In spite of negative posts earlier, trains in the UK are quite good on the whole. I have travelled between Darlington and London Kings Cross regularly over a number of years and have rarely had major problems. The trains are generally clean and run to time. The downsides are that they are expensive, unless you get an advance ticket also the trains tend to be crowded these days - in spite of the high fares, rail travel is on the up.

Earlier this year we went on a rail based holiday to Austria travelling mostly on the European High speed trains and they were excellent. Eurostar to Brussels, Thalys to Cologne, German ICE to Munich then Eurocity (regular international train) to Jenbach in the Tyrol where we stayed for a week. Coming home Eurocity to Zurich over the Arlberg pass - fabulous scenery - a regular Swiss intercity to Basle then TGV back to Paris and Eurostar to London. The trains were all comfortable, smooth riding and ran to time.

We are off to Switzerland by in January to go by Train across the Alps on the Bernina and Glacier expresses.

I would love to go across America by train, but unfortunately it is somewhat beyond our Budget just now. I would also like to go on the Trans Siberian railway - Dream on. Perhaps I better start doing the lottery!

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Bill H //\\
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 06:50 PM

I did it in the 1950s and it was just wonderful---had a ticket that allowed you to get off and on all across the country and my friend and I spent 2 months this way.

The best part were ---now these are old trains from the 1950s and those routes (some of them long gone)

The Pacemaker from NY to Chicago
The DRGW (Denver Rio Grande--called may many Dangerous and Rapidly Growing Worse)---but---BIG BUT--they ran the Zephyrs and went throught the most beautiful views of this nation.
The Starlight----The West Coast never looked better than through its windows.
The Southern Crescent---Right through to New Orleans

Great service from staff all along the way.

Thanks for letting me re-live some very fond memories.

TOday---which is what was asked about----I doubt it. Truly unreliable service and don't forget Amtrack runs on trackage owned by the freight carriers---they have priority.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 06:44 PM

The first train trip I ever took was when I was 13 and my family travelled from Oregon to Virginia. This was when the train system was just switching over to diesels, although we never boarded one of those. In North Dakota, we travelled to our aunt's farm on the 'Galloping Goose', a coal-burning noisy little thing.

Part of our course was through Canada- we came down to the US at North Dakota. Until then we kids were charmed by all the exotic names we encountered: Yoho Valley. Kicking Horse Canyon. Moosejaw. Medicine Hat. Nothing like the prosaic names we were used to.

I also remember that a kind gentleman gave us kids the Sunday funnies after he was through with his paper. The first colored funnies I ever saw. An exciting day.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: ClaireBear
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 06:37 PM

Ihaven't been on trains much since nationalization, so I can't comment on Amtrak, but when I was young I believe I traveled every major passenger route across the country (with my mother, who wouldn't fly).

The only one I wouldn't recommend, scenery-wise, is the old Union Pacific route across the northern plains. But the old Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Northern Pacific routes all have much to recommend them. It is a great way to see a lot of country.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: GUEST,eric the viking
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 06:25 PM

I would love to do it. I'd go anywhere by train, just for the ride. Going North from Inverness to Thurso is just fantastic. Trains clean and almost empty.

I once organised a trip all by rail when I lived in York. 11 of us left York at Night by train to London Kings X, then travelled on the tube to Charing X. Then train to Dover. Boat to Calias. Calais to Paris Nord by train, then metro to Paris austerlitz (?...it was 1979) Then train to Bassle then Lucrene. (Switzerland)Steamer across Lake Lucerne, up the Arth Riggibahn, down the other side by the Arth Goldau, then main line back for Lucerne, then Bassle to Mulhouse (French railway museum) Mulhouse to Paris, metro across Paris to Nord, then train to Dieppe,boat to Folkstone, Folkstone to Waterloo, tube to Kings X, up to York. Great fun.

Once went to Spain and back by train, also South of France.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: GUEST,mariner
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 05:25 PM

Go for it mcpiper. As a foreign tourist you can buy a monthly "pass" that entitles you to go anywhere that Amtrak does. I did it in '02 and it was great. The trains I travelled on were all clean and comfortable, facilities ,service, food etc ,were great. You really don't need a "cabin",every night one of the many attendants came round with a pillow and a blanket.All the seats were recliners so comfort was no problem. During the day you could go up to the observation deck for a panoramic view of the country side.At the time the monthly pass cost $385, the best money I ever spent on holiday.I've been to the States three or four times since and always travel Amtrak. It astonishes me that so few Americans have ever set foot on train. They don't know what they are missing. One tip though, in the States if you are travelling on a long trip keep well away from the Greyhound Bus service A few years before i tried the trains I tried a similar trip by bus. They were, if you excuse the expression, shiteholes.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 03:33 PM

Well, mcpiper, I have been giving your question some thought.

I'm American. I have taken Amtrak about 500 miles to Chicago. I have taken in from Grand Forks, N Dakota to Glacier National Park. That's a long trip.

I've enjoyed my trips. However, on a recent Chicago trip, I was convinced that the seat was trying to eject me. There was something about it that kept pushing me forward, and I grew very tired. Imagine fighting that for three days.

I believe that you will find a trip completely across country to be too long. You will see the countryside, but remember that you will miss scenery whenever it's dark. You will also see the ugly backside of every city you pass through.

If you really must go from Boston to LA on one trip, I suggest you fly, then tour locally to see beauty and the best parts of the cities.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 03:09 PM

Whee. That's s tough day, Wesley.

By the way I'm very glad that I got to see New Orleans before the storma.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Wesley S
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 03:03 PM

I'd love to take a trip like you're talking about. I just spent last Sunday driving a U-haul truck full of "stuff" from our old house near Ft Worth Texas to our rented storage unit north of Atlanta. So I can say for sure that the South is a beautiful part of the country. I just wish I'd been able to stop and linger in a few places. But I had "many miles to go before I sleep". Somewhere around 900 miles in 12 hours and 15 minutes.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 12:54 PM

I travelled by train two different years- 2004 and 2005, I think, and it is something I would do again.

On the first trip I went from Salem, Oregon to Portland taking the northern route - through North Dakota- to Washington DC and down to Charlotte, North Carolina. A month later from Charlotte on the southern route- through New Orleans, Texas and back to Salem.


The next year I took the Alaska state ferry to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, then travelled through Jasper, Alberta, to Vancouver and down to San Diego, California. Ten days later from San Diego to Los Angeles on the middle route through Chicago, Detroit, crossing to Windsor, to Toronto and across Canada to Jasper and back to Prince Rupert.

I had a stateroom wherever I could- there were a few stretches where one was not available - and wouldn't want to travel any other way. When one considers that the food is included in the price and you use the hospitality rooms at the stops, and have room service if you wish it, a good case could be made for its coming out on top, pricewise. And definitely for the comfort and the service.

The trip from Oregon to North Carolina was made with my sister. We shared the "closet" which was fine by day - and we had fun playing games and admiring the view -but night on those tracks was bad. I had the upper berth and the ride was so rough that, even though I was harnessed in, I couldn't sleep. One night I actually gave up and sat in an empty stateroom next door where I dozed in a chair.

Some of the tracks were TERRIBLE and the freight train- waits were lengthy and frequent. The tracks from LA to Chicago were the best.

I've taken short trips on a day train too, from Salem, Oregon to Seattle or vice versa. For a senior it is 23 dollars and it's a fast scenic ride. After I left Oregon one time, my sisters and some friends were inspired by my report and they took the trip just for the fun of it. I understand they had a great time.

Suffice it to say that I'll take the train whenever it's available (we don't have any in Juneau, Alaska) and I have the time.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 11:54 AM

Yes, I would in a heartbeat, but only if I had a private room with bathroom. My girls and I took Amtrak out in the early 90s from Springfield, MA to Glenwood Springs, CO and back. We loved it. It is such a fun way to see the country and meet people from all over. If you don't want to spend entire nights sleeping through hundreds and hundreds of flat, open plains ala Nebraska, Kansas, etc. you might consider flying into Denver and taking the Zephyr west from there. If you'd like to see the mighty Mississippi River and points west from Chicago, then go from there. The trains from New England to Chicago were terrible, at the time; grimey, worn-out, crowded and uncomfortable. They may have changed since then, though.

We've always wanted to do the Canada one...maybe some time we will. Have fun and if you do come through Colorado, give me a holler.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 11:51 AM

I think train travel has improved in the US, but as others have mentioned Amtrack shares the tracks with the freight trains, and they get priority, so there can be significant delays. Also,while you would see scenery out the windows of the trains, you wouldn't get a chance to stop anywhere and explore. I think the best way to see the United States would be by car, giving yourself some time to pause along the way. It should be not too expensive if you stick to cheap hotels and eateries.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 11:50 AM

Yes. Especially if I could afford a "cabinette."

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 11:49 AM

A couple of years ago we took Amtrak from Tucson to New York just after Christmas. We would never do it again without a sleeper (astro sez, "and drugs").

A more northern route might be more scenic, too. We went Tucson-New Orleans-NY eastbound, NY-Chicago-Tucson westbound, and there's way too much Texas involved either way. If you can take breaks, that would be a big help (we only had a 19-hour enforced layover in New Orleans, and about 4 hours in Chicago; our main point was to get to my folks' in New Jersey).

But, decidedly, if you care at all for sleep and hygiene, get a sleeper. And it's not cheap.

~ Becky in Long Beach (& Tucson)

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 11:14 AM

I have always wanted to AmTrak across the US. But is was so expensive and looked very limiting regards getting on and off along the way.

My brother and his wife, decided it was better to get a small motor home to travel across at their leisure.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 10:58 AM

I would...almost anywhere. Alas, Mrs. Sunset Coast won't.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 10:40 AM

At least for a UK train journey you don't have to grapple with US immigration!!! I have not commuted into London for several years, since which all the trains on Southern have been replaced with quiet and smooth running rolling stock. The oik level however has risen considerably, and for a long journey I would always travel 1st Class.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: artbrooks
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 10:23 AM

Yeah - the cost for a roomette is just about the same as the cost for a full-fare coast-to-coast airplane ride.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: kendall
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 10:00 AM

I checked AMTRAK a while back to see what it would cost to ride from here to California, and I guess the clerk misunderstood me and thought I wanted to buy the train.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Amos
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 09:40 AM

I'd do it in a minute, but I don't know how good the service is. I just love traveling by train.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: kendall
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 09:17 AM

Nuff said.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: jacqui.c
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 09:15 AM

I've been put off train travel by a number of years travelling on the commuter into London - cold in winter, hot in summer, no toilets for a 50 minute journey and stuffed to the gills with people, so much so that, after the first couple of stops, you could stand for the whole journey.

The trip to Glasgow just finished the process - the train was half hour late, with no explanation, and we had to stand out on a cold platform as the waiting room was full. The train was crowded and so there was no chance to change seats and getting to the toilet was actually quite difficult as the train was rocking a bit, making walking around a little bit of a problem. It was only when you got INTO the cubicle that you found that the door didn't lock and by then it was too late to go anywhere else. The cost of the return journey, for two, cost in the region of 160pounds and, if I was doing the journey again, I would take the car rather than ride the train.

Now, the experience in the USA may be different on the cross country trains as they are probably catering more for the tourist and need to get good press from their travellers and therefore would likely make more of an effort to make life comfortable. I must admit that it is one of the things that I have thought about doing, but previous experience with trains and the high cost of travel have put me off. I'll be interested to read what other people may add to this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Bobert
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 08:54 AM

Yeah, I been tryin' for years to get the P-Vine to go to Europe but she's afraid if flyin'... Maybe the train???

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 08:47 AM

We have 'explored' Yosemite, The Grand Canyon, Bryce, Yellowstone, Tetons, Jackson Hole, Moab, Canyonlands, Arches and so on and would advise anyone to spend time in the deserts and mountains and avoid the big prairie spaces.

The deserts and canyons are ............. leaving me speechless

L in C

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 08:42 AM

And yours is too sweeping Kendall. For a start, there is more than one toilet on those trains, and I daresay there were more than two seats as well.
Just feel that you were condemning all UK train services out of hand.
Thereby giving others a bad inmpression.
Yes some are grubby, and no, we cannot choose whom we sit beside sometimes, but they're not all bad.

Subject: RE: BS: Across America by train, would you?
From: kendall
Date: 21 Nov 09 - 08:35 AM

John, your post doesn't compute. I'm simply saying why I wouldn't take a train anywhere again. I've ridden the train from Hampshire to London many times and I was not impressed. Seems like they are all dirty, noisy and very expensive. I haven't ridden our AMTrak from Portland to Boston but I hear it is nothing to brag about. So, why would I want to spend money to find out for myself?