Might have to be soon, they are planning to cancel all long distance Amtrak routes:(.

I haven't heard this. Although I'm not their demographic, it would be sad to see it go away.

Awesome TR. Thank you for taking the time to eloquently put this together. I'm now inspired to do some US long distance train travel before it's no longer an option.

Originally Posted by Gatwick Alan
I've been playing with the Amtrak website recently, trying to decide which journey to take this year. You have helped me decide. Thanks for a great report as usual.

Good to hear it, GA! Where are you going? To the West Coast? Maybe a Florida Run? Wherever it be, have a great ride!


Since you ask, I have decided on the Texas Eagle LAX to Chicago, then the Empire Builder to Portland followed by Amtrak Cascades to Seattle.

I have yet to visit the Pacific northwest so cant wait for October to come around

Nice report Seat 2A. This trip seemed a little tame by your standards though. ;)

I think it would be great to do some train travel in the US.
One of these days...

Thank you for another of your wonderful reports.

^^

Thanks Seat 2A, a great and very interesting trip report. I retired about 4 years ago and my wife and I have done a lot of international premium travel. However, I love trains and this trip is one I have wanted to do for a long time. Your tr has inspired me to get off my duff and do it.

Thanks again. Keep up the good work!

US Rep. John Mica lost his bid for re-election to his Florida congressional seat in 2016. In his capacity as chairman and later senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he was a major thorn in Amtrak's side. He was a leading proponent of privatizing Amtrak, and was also constantly calling for Amtrak to operate its dining and cafe cars profitably, which is a virtual impossibility.

Now that Mr. Mica is no longer in the picture, some of the congressional pressure may be taken off of Amtrak management, particularly in regard to further reducing the quality of the on board experience.

OMG! It's been about a month since I've checked in here at the Trip Reports forum and I figured this report had long since been relegated to archive status. Imagine then my surprise to see that it had taken on a second life with an additional few comments.

Again, I am so thankful and privileged to have an audience here at FlyerTalk because I assure you, amongst friends and family - not to mention the greater public as a whole - my style of trip reporting, being a written rather than photo report with the focus on getting there rather than being there, is an acquired taste that many don't particularly care for.

To each their own. Those who dismiss the thrill of getting there in style, be it on a train, a plane, a ship or even a luxurious Argentinean bus, are missing a thoroughly enjoyable aspect of traveling as a whole. Their loss. So thank you all for your readership. It is so very much appreciated. ^

I might add that while it's hard to argue against cutting Amtrak routes that for the most part have not been profitably operated in over 40 years, one could also argue that it's part of the cost of doing business in providing affordable transport to rural communities that have no other means. Then again, it's 2017, not 1938. Given the breadth and affordability of other transport options here in America, it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out. If Amtrak no longer serves Rugby, North Dakota but the demand is there, the odds are good that some other transport option will step in to fill the void - if only to the closest large population center with an airport. Then again, who knows? Trump and Co. may end up being so distracted putting out these various fires that keep springing up that they won't ever get around to addressing the rail transport issue. Regardless, I hope we keep our anachronistic long distance rail transport network.

And on that note, I'd recommend that all of you saying you're now thinking about taking a long distance train ride here in the U.S. not sit too long on that idea. When it comes to long distance First Class rail travel, Amtrak remains one of the best travel bargains out there.

BTW, I am hard at work on a new trip report involving trains, planes and automobiles. 50000+ miles around the world. As a teaser, I recently flew in the forward cabin aboard an airline that offered a choice of four main courses on a flight that was just an hour and 45 minutes long. This trip involves 18 airlines, 12 of which I've not flown before. So far, so good! I've got about 30000 words written so far. It's gonna be a long one...

Seat 2A the longer the better! While I enjoy pictures, your writing style is so fantastic. Like many books I read, if it doesn't grab me relatively quickly I lose interest. Never had that happen with your trip reports. Keep up the good work.

JMJ9905

Oh, goody! So looking forward to this, can't wait...

Music to my ears, jmj9905! Thank you and all my fellow readers so much for your support. Hopefully by the time I get this next report published (I'm thinking mid-May) you'll all have found it worthy of the wait. At present, we're at 45,000+ words and 180+ photos and growing... Now I'd better say no more lest I be guilty of putting out a pre-trip report.

Thank you for sharing your adventures! Your trip reports inspire me to travel and to write (even though very few people read my trip reports that I post). Am anxiously looking forward to your next opus!

Seat 2A still eagerly awaiting the promised TR.