huggles_xo

We are planning a coast to coast trip this summer. The trip will start in Nova Scotia where we will be taking the bus to New York. The rest of the trip will be by Amtrak and thinking of taking this route:

49 Lakeshore New York (3:45pm) to Chicago (9:45am)
27 Empire Chicago (2:25pm) Portland (10:10am)

11 Coast Portland (2:25pm) Sacramento (6:15am)

6 Zephyr Sacramento (11:14am) Chicago (3:05pm)
48 Lakeshore (7:55pm) New York (3:25pm)

Not really interested in any overnight stopovers. Just wanting a relaxing and scenic trip to say we've been coast to coast. Is this itinerary doable or any different suggestions for a continuous flowing trip?

Thanks for any input.

the_traveler

That itin seems doable. I have just 1 question.

Is there a reason that you are taking a bus all the way to NY? Most likely, the bus from NS would require a stop or change in Boston. The bus station in Boston is at South Station. The Amtrak station is at South Station!

You could take #448/449 to/from Boston. It is a guaranteed across-the-platform connection in Albany, NY with the LSL. Or if you wanted to travel to NYC, there are over 10 trains a day from Boston.

Another possibility is Amtrak and VIA Rail offer a combined pass (at least from Amtrak in the US, I'm not sure about if VIA also offers it) for travel in both countries! If this is offered, you could travel by train from NS to Montreal (connecting to the Adirondack and connecting in Schenectady, NY to the LSL) or Toronto (connecting to the Maple Leaf and connecting in Buffalo - Depew, NY [there are 2 stations in Buffalo for the ML] to the LSL).

Or you could take the Canadian on VIA across Canada and one of the Amtrak routes across the US.

It may even be less cost!

AlanB

It's doable, but there are a few connections that I'd be worried about if I were you. This also assumes that Amtrak doesn't change the times on any of its trains when the Spring timetable is released.

Turning to my worries, I'd worry about the connection in Sacramento, as the Coast Starlight has had some real problems being on time this past year. One other note, the CS is currently scheduled to arrive in SAC at 6:35 AM, not 6:15 AM.

I'd also be very worried about the connection between the Zephyr and the eastbound Lake Shore Limited. Again the Zephyr has been notoriously late and on more than one occasion missing the connection with the LSL.

Now both connections are guaranteed connections, so if you fail to connect, Amtrak will at its discretion bus you to catch up with a train or put you up in a hotel for the night and put you on the next day's train. This may not be a big problem for you if you're planning to travel in coach. However, if you're booking sleepers, a missed connection could very well mean no sleeper on the next day's train. You might end up in coach, along with a refund for the fare difference.

Reindeerflame

A trip this long is unlikely to be relaxing unless you add in a stopover or two....the best locations would be where the connections might be iffy. Being on trains this long is not that relaxing, even if in a sleeper.

Otherwise, the itinerary choices are fine, with the comment about Boston made earlier as a starting/ending point. Or, why not consider connecting up with Amtrak in Montreal?

AlanB

Personally if I were the OP I'd be careful about connecting from the Adirondack (Montreal) to the Lake Shore Limited. There is only a 3 hour window in Schenectady and between delays on the freight tracks and the uncertainties at US Customs.

Yes, it is a guaranteed connection, but starting out by missing the first connection is no way to begin things.

huggles_xo

The reason we would be busing all the way to the New York instead of catching the train in Boston is that we would be arriving in Boston by bus at 11.30 pm. There is a greyhound bus leaving Boston at 12:30 am and arriving in New York at 5 am. The first train out of Boston isn't until 6:40 am.

Doing Via rail to Montreal and then doing Amtrak is a great idea but it would mean a stop overnight in New York and I wanted to avoid that.

Does this one look better:
49 Lakeshore New York (3:34pm) Chicago (9:45am)
5 Zephyr Chicago (1:50pm) Sacramento (2:15pm)

14 Coast Sacramento (11:59pm) Portland (3:40pm)

stay overnight in Portland

28 Empire Portland (4:45pm) Chicago (3:55pm)
30 Capital Chicago (7:05pm) Washington (1:30pm)
168 Regional Washington (3:25pm) New York (6:45pm)

the_traveler

I would agree to add a stopover or 2. Unless you REALLY love trains, being on a train for 1-2 weeks straight is not really relaxing. (Even I would not do this without stopping somewhere!)

My recommendation would be to take the California Zyphyr west from Chicago. You said you want "scenic". IMHO, the most scenic part of the trip is the Front Range (just west of Denver). This portion is done in the morning westbound. (The eastbound portion of this trip may be done in the dark! )

I would recommend a stopover in Sacramento (or even Emeryville/San Francisco) AND either Portland or Seattle (if returning on the Empire Builder). If you connect directly from the Coast Starlight to the Empire Builder, you will be forced to take an 11 hour bus connection. (This is due to possible delays that cause the 2 trains not to meet in Portland.)

But if you depart from either Portland or Seattle, you would depart on the train!

Or if you can (and want to) take the option mentioned above (of the 2 country pass), you can take the Coast Starlight to Seattle where it connects to a (dedicated Amtrak Thruway) bus to Vancouver, BC. Or after a stopover, there is a train in the morning to Vancouver.

There you could catch the Canadian to return.

If you take the Adirondack (from Montreal), there would be no need to "stay overnight" in New York City. The Adirondack arrives in Schenectady prior to continuing to New York.

kspeed55

I agree that stopovers are a good idea. In my case, not because the trip is not relaxing (my wife and I take turns taking naps during the day on the couch) but because after a day (and especially two) I am ready to move around a lot more than you can do on a train. We were in Seattle this summer and there are lots of things to do there and I am sure the same can be said for Portland. We stayed at a hotel in Sacramento that is within walking distance of the station, was more than adequate, and was quite inexpensive. We really enjoyed Old Sacramento which is within easy walking distance of the hotel. I have found that usually a multi-city trip, as long as you go to the terminus, is the same cost.