If you can't ride a train the next best thing is to read about it so I did some surfing about the California Zephyr. There are more than 10 pages of hits, far to many to include all of them. However, here is a list of 243 reviews from Travel Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28926-d519653-Reviews-California_Zephyr-California.html
There are 187 positive reviews to only 26 negative ones which seems to me to be a good score. The rest are "average."
The Zephyr (if you don't already know) is Amtrak's longest route, about 2,000 miles between Chicago and Emeryville, Ca which is the nearest to San Francisco you can get. It goes through Omaha but it is not the original Union Pacific and Central Pacific route. It also stops in Salt Lake City and Denver which the original route did not do.
If you don't like Amtrak long distance trains you probably will not like the Zephyr. But there seem to be plenty of people who do like it.
I have ridden the Zephyr three times, i.e. twice from Denver to Emeryville and once from Emeryville to Denver. Two of the trips were made during the winter. The winter scenery is spectacular. The scenary, especially through Glenwood Canyon and over Donner Pass, is as good as or better than the scenery on the Durango and Silverton.
The original California Zephyr began operations on March 19, 1949. It was operated by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, the Denver Rio Grande and Western, and the Western Pacific. It did not, as noted, follow the original UP/CP transcontinental route. Its competitor, the City of San Francisco, pretty much followed the original transcontinental route. I was able to ride it whilst in the service during the late 50s and early 60s.
Taking the train in the winter proved to be the best option. Not only was the snow covered landscape spectacular, the train is not as busy during the off season, with the exception of the skiing crowd headed to Winter Park, and the service, at least in my case, was much better than when I took it in the summer.
I was fortunate to ride the real CZ with my parents in 1962, from Chicago to SF (WP bus from Oakland) when it was hosted (not hoisted, BTW) by the Burlington, Rio Grande and WP. Five dome cars!!
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
schlimm I was fortunate to ride the real CZ with my parents in 1962, from Chicago to SF (WP bus from Oakland) when it was hosted (not hoisted, BTW) by the Burlington, Rio Grande and WP. Five dome cars!!
I changed it to operated.
Sam1 schlimm I was fortunate to ride the real CZ with my parents in 1962, from Chicago to SF (WP bus from Oakland) when it was hosted (not hoisted, BTW) by the Burlington, Rio Grande and WP. Five dome cars!! I changed it to operated.
John WR The Zephyr (if you don't already know) is Amtrak's longest route, about 2,000 miles between Chicago and Emeryville, Ca which is the nearest to San Francisco you can get. It goes through Omaha but it is not the original Union Pacific and Central Pacific route. It also stops in Salt Lake City and Denver which the original route did not do.
Johnny
Like many overnight trains, the CZ travels overnight across the Plains states (and much of the Nevada desert) and maximizes the daylight ours in the mountains. I have taken it (Chicago-Emeryville) at least half a dozen times. The off season usually allows coach travelers to have a pair of seats for more comfortable sleeping. The mountains are beautiful, even after the winter months. The 187 positive reviews don't surprise me.What does surprise me every time (and accounts for the 26 bad reviews?) are the people that have no idea of what they are doing on a train. Last time, I had two people across the aisle that didn't know their trip was going to take place over two days (really-they are on their phones telling people "We won't be in today. I don't know what day we'll arrive."). I have also heard people that assume every stop is long enough for a smoke break ("Just wait a few minutes while I finish this.") or that complain about the cost of food on board even though they are on a one or more day journey (like you get free 3 square meals on Greyhound or United Airlines?), or that the Amtrak stop in Fumbuck, USA, does not have the restaurant, lounges, waiting rooms and 24 hour amenities of-for example-Hartsfield International Airport. Of course, their ignorance is Amtrak's fault, not their own.
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