Last trip on a passenger train?

[IRONROOSTER]

Two weeks ago my wife and I took the train from Washington, D.C. to Portland, ME with a stopover is Boston. Delightful trip. Got to visit the Maine Narrow Gauge RR in Portland and ride in the caboose cupola. Train travel is the best way to go. One caution the long term parking is the same price as the daily parking at Union Station in D.C. - $16/day, I learned this the hard way when I paid $80 for 5 days parking.
Enjoy
Paul

[GerFust]

I've taken Amtrak from Toledo to Boston a couple of times in the past two years, most recently last August 2003. I'd love to do more, and may consider taking Amtrak for a vacation this year. The work schedule usually dictates air for business travel, but I do squeeze in Amtrak when east of the Mississippi.

-Jer

[Anonymous]

Hello!

My last trip on a passenger train was about three years ago I took Amtrak from Pittsburgh to Chicago then at union station switched trains and then headed off to La Junta Colorado. It was a really nice ride, left pittsburgh at midnight then arrived at chicago about 9am and then laid over until about 3pm then arrived in la junta at 8am the next morning it was a really nice sceniced ride! I will do it again real soon!!

[Roadtrp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by randybc2003

More thought: Don't Ask her. Sweep her off her feet. Seduce her w/ dreams. Buy her a book or rent a movie of romance (I said ROMANCE - not action) on the train. Leave the car at home. Treat her like a Hollywood star. Take her shoping and buy yourself and her a new suit of traveling cloths. Take a taxi (or even a limo) to the station. Bon Voyage celebration w/ flowers, champain, etc. check over Classic Trains for menus & ideas.

Randy

Well, using your advice I got my train trip!!! It's not to Orlando, but my wife and I will be taking the Empire Builder to Chicago for our 25th Anniversary in May. We will be staying at The Drake hotel, going out for a great dinner and then a musical. Should be fun!! .[:)][:)]

[cbq9911a]

My last trip was the people mover at O'Hare Field last October. Two weeks before it was Amtrak from Chicago to BWI.

[randybc2003]

HOORAY!!!

One Step at a time!

"Oh Honey - you ain't done it untill you've done it ......... rolling over the Santa Fe"
"Lone Star" to (Maggie Smith) in "The Honey Pot"

Randy

[Anonymous]

The last train trip I took was in England. A lot of their equipment is old, but there are so many trains that you can get all over the country with no need for a car. Even to small towns.

I can't remember the last time I rode a train in the US (other than rapid transit). Sad comment.

[Anonymous]

Mine was on the Grand Canyon Railway in June of 2002, & will probably be in for going on it again soon. Just too much fun.

[AggroJones]

I've NEVER been on a real train going anywhere! [:(]

I just never had a place to go that had to be reached by train.

The closest I've got was walking through a Heavyweight coach at a railroad museum. [:)]

[orsonroy]

Commuter trains around Chicago. Every time I have to go downtown (about once a month) I use Metra instead of the Kennedy, to save time and mental stress. I also occasionally take the CTA "L" into town, especially if I'm heading to a Cubs game (gotta love the Skokie Swift!).

I also ride the trains at the Illinois RR Museum several times a year. Being a member means I get to do this for "free".

The last "real" passenger trip I took was way back in 1992, from Harrisburg to Chicago. I got to have breakfast in a Heritage Diner while we rounded Horseshoe curve!

I sum, I ride the train as much as I can, which is something like 20 times a year.

[CG9602]

I just returned from my last train trip. Went from Red Wing, MN to Ft. Lauderdale, and return. It had its share of moments (mainly due to the tardiness of trains, which was the result of going through several areas while amintenance was taking place), but, other than that, It was pretty good. One note: when travelling overnight, you really might want to take the sleeper.

[Anonymous]

Summer of 1997 me and my family took the Empire Builder from Red Wing, MN to Essex, Montana. Quite a trip.
I've also been on a couple Milwaukee Road 261 excursions, and a BNSF Employee Appreciation Train between Wilmar, MN and Minneapolis (I forget the name of the wye where it terminated, where the Wayzata Sub meets the tracks from St. Paul into Northtown). I got to go on this trip because a friend got two tickets from one of his friends.

[Anonymous]

I've never ridden on a train before but Big_Boy_4005 has got tickets for the July 2nd "261" trip from St. Paul, MN to LaCrosse, WI and back to St. Paul. I am so excited --better than X-mas[swg] .

The next day we are going to chase the train by car. Hopefully my shoes will survive this railfanning trip better than the last one[:p][:p].

[johncolley]

Last August I helped a friend team drive his household goods from Port Townsend, Wa to Altoona, PA. His gift to me was the return trip on Amtrack. After seeing the Altoona PRR museum, horseshoe Curve and a ride on the East Broad Top, I caught the evening train and next day had a train change at Chicago and had enough layover to bus down to the Museum of Science and Industry where I saw the new HO layout AND the Burlington Zephyr! Rush bus back to Union Station to catch the Empire Builder back to Seattle. A great trip! Loved seeing all the Great Northern route that I model in HO! John Colley, Port Townsend, WA

[Anonymous]

...long time ago.

Must have been a good 8 or 9 years ago when the Royal Hudson was still running on the BCRail line from North Vancouver to Squamish.....

Hell, BC Rail won't even be around much longer, get the pictures while you can.

[Anonymous]

In February 2002, my wife and I lived in Whitefish, MT, and wanted to go to the twin cities to see a show. We took the Empire Builder overnight to St Paul, napped in a hotel, went to the show, and had a cab take us right back to the station, where we caught the Empire Builder back to Whitefish. Had a roomette both ways, great scenery, nice people, sleeping was easy if you are on the lower level. On the upper it's a little like being on the top deck of a medium size cruise ship.

[Anonymous]

Well, if your talking about Amtrak, my last time was the summer of '96 on the Ann Rutledge from St louis Mo to KC MO. If your talking about when operated by the railroads, It was from Topeka, KS, my home town to Los Angeles,CA on SF train 23.
Ch

[on30francisco]

My last trip on a paasener train was Sept. 16, 2004 on CalTrain. I went from San Francisco to Mountainview.

[Kimble]

I love the Downeaster. It goes into North Station at the Fleet Center. I've taken it to see the Bruins, the Celtics and to have dinner in Boston's (Italian) North End.

My best friend and I rode it this summer to the Macworld Computer Expo in Boston.

We missed the returning 6:15 train by THREE minutes. We had to wait around for the 10:20 train, but at 10:00 Amtrak announced there would be a delay. At 11pm, they announced there was engine trouble and they would bus us back to Portland.

I *hate* the bus! I'm 6'4" and a bus is worse than riding in a Yugo or some other sub compact. Well, we didn't get into Portland until 2am. Was my wife miffed...

Rob C
Portland, Maine

[rayhippard]

Hi everyone !
I have quite a strory and many great memories of train trip my mother ( God Bless Her ) took me on in 1954 when I was 13 years old. We started in Elmhurst, IL on CNW commuter train to Chicago where we got on The City of Los Angeles UP steamliner to go visit my much older sister in San Diego, CA. I made friends right away and had a great time palling around for 3 days and nights with them in the lounge car and the dome car drinking virgin tom colins. Mom and I spent 14 great days in CA and she even took me to Mexico to see the Jahi-Li games. This is a super fast game played in a large racket ball type court with bananna style baskets and a racket ball. Then she surprised me even more by switching our return trip to The Santa Fe El Capitan so we could experience a different ride back to Chicago through the southern part of th U.S..
Remember, this was 17 years b/4 Amtrack and the service and food was terrific ! My dad had told me wisely b/4 we left home ( he couldn't go with cause he'd used up his vacation time taking us to FL earlier that year ) that my mom would do nice things for me if I was good and didn't whine about doing stuff. Boy, was he right ! Even though my parents are no longer alive, they gave me many great memories to remember them.
Anyway that was certainly a great train trip.
Thanks for listening.
Ray

[Tom Eisentrager]

Seems a bit out of place but my last train trip waslast month on the "Sunlander" from Rockhampton to Townsville {Queensland Australia]. Self and wife in a twinette [sleeper] . Overnight trip Takes 12 hours [bit over 400 miles} Next month down to Brisbane {400 miles} on the Day Tilt Train {takes 7 hours}.

[markpierce]

Seattle WA to Martinez CA. Over the Cascades. What a wonderful view of steel trestles and tunnels. The free meal (steak dinner) was great (went first class.) Had wine and cheese earlier in the day in the parlor car. Met a lady in the dining car who makes frequent trips to visit her daughter in San Luis Abispo (my spelling is screwed up.) The movie later that night was so bad we went back to the compartment. The cheapest first class (sleeper) bunks are too narrow to make love. (Do you have some advice?) In the middle of the night, woke up in Dunsmuir right beside the turntable. Looked just like the photos. Overall, A GREAT TRIP!

[Anonymous]

Last week - Southwest Chief - Chicago to LA and then down the coast to San Diego, round trip. Train crews were real proud of their on time preformance. 1 hr. early into LA - 20 min. early into Chicago. This was a Santa Fe (not BNSF) operation according to the lounge car attendant who had some unkind remarks about the ability of CSX and Union Pacific to run trains. Spectacular scenery. Well worth $151.60 (senior discount)

[tutaenui]

I commute by train daily Simla Crescent to Wellington (NZ) Does that count, Otherwise Hamburg to London via Brussels 1997.

[jacon12]

This train..

That runs from Skagway, Alaska to a turn around point back up in the mountains..

mostly following the path of gold rush back in the 1800s. Besides like the train and the scenery, I was in constant awe that men could have traversed the area with heavy packs on their back, several times in order to get their supplies to the top that was required by the Canadian government.
Jarrell

[willy6]

New Brunswick,NJ. to Washington DC in 1968 on the PRR powered by a GG-1.

[Anonymous]

The last time I rode a passenger train was September 1996, on an Amtrak from Renssalaer NY to Savannah GA. Allow me to give you the highlights:

1. Leave Renss. station around 3 p.m. Twenty minutes out something goes wrong with the engine and they have to back it up verrrry slowly to the station and move us all onto another train.

2. Arrive in NYC, but due to the delay in Rens. I missed my connecting train, so I'm put on another headed for Wash. D.C., where I'll meet up with the train I was originally supposed to catch in NYC.

3. Arrive in D.C. 5 minutes before my connecting train to Savannah departs. 5 minutes out of the station a signal goes down somewhere on the main line and we end up sitting on a siding for 2 hours.

4. Finally, we're given the go ahead, but the signal is still down so we can only go 20 mph until we clear it. This lasts about an hour and a half.

5. About 3 a.m., no idea where, THE ENGINE RUNS OUT OF FUEL!! Seems with all the idling we did outside of D.C. someone forgot to factor in the extra fuel used. We wait for about an hour while they truck some out to us.

6. Finally, at 8 a.m, I arrive in Savannah, 6 hours late.

Oh, one other thing: the whole trip was coach, no meal, no peanuts, no "sorry for all the hassle, here's a burger or soft drink or first class seat to compensate you for your trouble". The employees themselves were nice enough, but needless to say, I have not rode on Amtrak since, and though I may be wrong for saying it, I have little interest in ever doing so again.

Sorry this is so negative, but I guess it's a symptom of what happens when you hand the government the keys to a railroad.

[nslakediv]

this weekend, Tiffin Ohio to Woodville Ohio and back. Amtrak in August, Sandusky Ohio to Chicago and back, it was 2 hours late picking us up and 3 hours late getting to Chicago then 3 hours late leaving chicago which made us 3 1/2 hours late arriving in Sandusky. it was fun though. took same train in november of 2003 with zero delays though.

[jwmurrayjr]

We just got back from Scotland. We flew to London and took the GNER from Kingscross to Inverness first class (8 hours). We "hired" a car and drove about 1200 miles around the highlands (I don't recommend it for the faint of heart.)

Then we returned remains of the car to Inverness and took Scot-rail back to Edinburgh (4 hours).

The 1st class service on the GNER was very nice. It even had a dinning car. 1st class on Scot-rail was not nearly as good. In fact it was not quite as good as 2nd class on the same train because the service was identical and the 2nd class coaches were newer. [:)]

I suppose that British rail service is going the way of Amtrak.

But it was a train.

Mind the gap!

[cnw4001]

Several years ago from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport.