# Advice on traveling long distance by Amtrak **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 19, 2021, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896 "2021-09-19T00:42:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/61 "2021-09-29T04:40:27Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > Personally, I don’t sleep well enough on a moving train to pay the premium for a room; I just make myself comfortable in coach at a fraction of the price, with a down blanket, my own pillow, noise-canceling earbuds. I don’t sleep super-well on a train either but a sleeper at least allows me to get my feet up. In coach, there’s one part of the footrest that is a platform that extends from the front of the seat - which supports my legs to about mid-calf - or the bar-like one from the bottom of the seat in front, which forces my legs to be bent at the knees. A child might do a lot better. Despite that, of course, it’s still better than an airplane because your knees aren’t jammed into the kidneys of the person 2 rows in front of you. On my Florida overnight, I got stuck in an aisle seat southbound so I couldn’t really even lean up against the window. Northbound I got a window seat. For some reason I always do better on the return leg of a round-trip jaunt. No clue why. The first time I noticed this, we were in a much more comfortable room (bedroom, vs roomette outbound) but even in a roomette it’s better. I guess I’m tired from travelling or something. Regardless, I definitely agree on using some sort of earplugs or noise cancelling headphones, especially for travelling in coach. I did not own my Bose phones yet on that coach trip. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/62 "2021-09-30T19:12:21Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > As you say, the trend towards airplane meals has been stemmed, but for how long, is anybody’s guess. Meals freshly-prepared to order in the kitchen of the the dining car was always a big attraction for me on long-distance train trips, but I doubt that they will last forever The latest I’ve heard is that pretty much all East Coast overnight trains are serving the boxed meals, though supposedly they’ve improved a little. West of the Mississippi, they seem to have gone back to table service (if desired) with better choices of food. I sure hope so! I’ve been looking into on-time performance and am a bit concerned, if we travel back. Coming from LA or SF, either train seems to put us into Chicago about 4 hours before our eastbound train leaves, but there’ve been a few trains recently that are 3+ hours late. Dunno what Amtrak does in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/63 "2021-09-30T22:23:08Z")
I can’t say what Amtrak’s policy is, but I do have a personal anecdote: Several years ago I was booked on the Empire Builder out of Portland (for some reason it was over a hundred dollars less than Seattle). When I got to the station I was told that a car had hit the westbound train\* in North Dakota and it wasn’t expected to arrive until several hours after the schedule called for it to depart. The crew busted their butts getting it cleaned and turned around, but it was still almost five hours late leaving. Two days later, somewhere in Wisconsin (I forget exactly where), there was an announcement that Amtrak customer service reps would board the train at the next station and would be available in the dining car to help people with rebooking and/or accomodations if necessary. It didn’t affect me — I’d already made arrangements for my late arrival — so I have no idea how helpful they actually were, but it did suggest a desire on their part to assist passengers who’d been affected. At least in this case. \* Yes, subject and object are correct. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/64 "2021-09-30T23:55:59Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > And speaking of that, I just thought of something. How common are delays due to snow that time of year, particularly in the Sierras if I do the California Zephyr? It’s certainly possible…while this is in Oregon on the Coast Starlight route, if the Sierra are hit with a major snowstorm they would probably hold the train in Roseville or Auburn until the tracks are cleared… > **[Passengers band together on train stuck in Oregon mountains](https://apnews.com/article/61a38cbfcd504bed8e2d159f4999d360)** > > SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Amtrak train with almost 200 people aboard hit downed trees during a blizzard and got stranded in the Oregon mountains for a day and a half, but passengers and crew banded together during the ordeal that ended Tuesday. However, how often are major storms hitting the Sierra in December these days? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/65 "2021-10-01T15:56:29Z")
Not as often as they did…adding to the water woes. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/66 "2021-10-06T15:26:19Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > the Empire Builder out of Portland (for some reason it was over a hundred dollars less than Seattle). It may be because there is no formal dining service out of Portland, as the dining car goes to Seattle when the train splits off. My latest hare-brained ideas for OUR trip (because it’s all about ME, dontcha know, not the OP): - Ship our large suitcase to the hotel we’re visiting in OR - as the train from here into Chicago doesn’t have much space in the car (Viewliner; Superliner has a rack on the car) and I worry about lateness and needing to check bags and not getting them in time for the outbound train - Ship our large suitcase back from the west coast, for the same reason - As we’re visiting family in LA, but the more scenic California route back is out of SF (Emeryville), taking the Coast Starlight from LA, taking a hotel in Emeryville, then taking the California Zephyr from there. Adds a day to the trip but hey, it’s a bucket list thing. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/67 "2021-10-06T16:19:01Z")
There is a baggage car where they can place your suitcase to be picked up at your destination. We did a Boy Scout trip to Philmont; that’s where they had the scouts put their (large) backpacks. We caught the train at Ft. Madison Iowa and got off in Raton NM. On the way out, we just slept in the coach seats, which to me was miserable. For the return trip we had sleeper compartments, partly to have a good meal after ten days of backpacking. The waiter, seeing us in our scouting uniforms, walked up to us and said “Steaks all around?” He obviously had served other scouts doing the same thing. On another trip from Minnesota to Seattle, we were able to obtain the family bedroom, which is on the lower level at the end of the car, so we had windows on both sides. Two of the pull-down beds are really suitable only for smaller children (like ours were). My biggest complaint was the room attendant thought that we should be up at 6:00 AM so he could make up the room; we chased him away - how rude! we were on vacation! ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/68 "2021-10-06T16:34:52Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > It may be because there is no formal dining service out of Portland, as the dining car goes to Seattle when the train splits off. That could be, though I have a feeling relative passenger load was also a factor: the Portland sleeper is at the tail end behind the two Portland coaches, and walking through them to the lounge I didn’t see too many occupied seats until we left Spokane. (See [here](https://americabyamtrak.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/empire-builder-consist/) for a description of how the EB splits/combines in Spokane, with information on food service at the end. Since the train was late, we got our cold meals in the station lounge. And looking back I should probably thank Og I chose to board in Portland: Seattle doesn’t have a first-class lounge, and being able to plug in and use my laptop made the wait merely tedious rather than borderline unbearable.) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/69 "2021-10-06T17:07:23Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > There is a baggage car where they can place your suitcase to be picked up at your destination. We did a Boy Scout trip to Philmont; that’s where they had the scouts put their (large) backpacks. > … > On another trip from Minnesota to Seattle, we were able to obtain the family bedroom, which is on the lower level at the end of the car, so we had windows on both sides. Yeah - the main concern I have with using the baggage car is that checking the bags adds extra time at each end - and I don’t know if they can check the bag all the way through or if we would need to pick it up in Chicago and recheck it for the other leg. We’ve booked the family bedroom for the western leg, partly for that very reason! No in-room bathroom though. I might look into the accessible bedroom, as I truly do need bathroom access, sometimes on very short notice. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/70 "2021-10-06T17:52:59Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Yeah - the main concern I have with using the baggage car is that checking the bags adds extra time at each end - and I don’t know if they can check the bag all the way through or if we would need to pick it up in Chicago and recheck it for the other leg. Here is another oddity with the Amtrak baggage car (first-hand experience here) - they do not serve all stops - meaning, if you are exiting the train at one of the smaller stops along the route, they will not offload your baggage (they do not open the baggage car door). I guess this is to save time when stopping at smaller stations. We had packed-up a couple of bicycles in boxes for a trip starting in Truckee, CA, where Amtrak has a stop. In Sacramento, where we were boarding, we were informed that the bikes would not be unloaded until Reno, as there is “no baggage service in Truckee”. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/71 "2021-10-06T18:19:33Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I guess this is to save time when stopping at smaller stations. My understanding is that those smaller stations are completely unstaffed, so there’s no one there to unload baggage. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/72 "2021-10-06T18:30:46Z")
Perhaps. However, there are people on the train, in the baggage car, that can do that, no? I am not sure as I have not taken the long-distance trains in a while. At any rate, it is a big consideration for anyone who has to check luggage - you may be able to get off the train anywhere it stops, but you bags may not. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/73 "2021-10-07T00:03:11Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > At any rate, it is a big consideration for anyone who has to check luggage - you may be able to get off the train anywhere it stops, but you bags may not. Very, very true!! The time I took the train to Florida, I was travelling light and checked bags were not an issue - but the stop I got off at would not have had checked bags - had I needed to check something, I’d have needed to get off one or two stops earlier or later. For where we were, it wouldn’t have been a huge deal - the stops are pretty close there, and family could have gone to the further stop if needed. But places where it’s an hour or more between stops, it’s a much bigger deal. @snowthx, what did you wind up doing? I don’t know what the logic is for some of the routes. My daughter lives at the last stop on one train route, and while the station is not staffed fulltime, I know there must be maintenance staff etc. for the train, since it turns around and goes back the other direction in the morning. No baggage check though. I know our local station offers checked bags - or at least they did, as we once took advantage of it. I guess there are enough trains going through (all the trains going south from DC go through it) that they keep staff on hand. I also know Chicago does (we’ve used it) and Portland does as well per the web page. For @Wildabeast, it looks like LaCrosse, WI also has this. And it looks like they MAY be able to transfer our luggage: " If you will be transferring between stations en-route, plan for at least two hours of scheduled layover time to ensure your luggage is transferred to your new train.". I still think we might ship our big suitcase back for the return trip, just to avoid the worry. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/74 "2021-10-07T03:56:40Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > @snowthx, what did you wind up doing? We ended up having my friend’s wife drive us the 90 minutes up I-80 to Truckee and bought her lunch. The point is that you cannot rely on the Amtrak long-haul routes for transportation to secondary stations if you have checked luggage, even if you are just going a few stops away. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/75 "2021-10-29T22:40:50Z")
@WildaBeast, any final decision on your plans? I just booked most of our return trip: San Francisco to DC. I really wanted to take the California Zephyr (the one that goes through the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains). So - even though we really need to visit the LA area (aging relatives), we’re gonna drive down the coast to LA, then backtrack! I had gotten an Amtrak-linked credit card, a year ago. With the purchase of the outbound trip last month, we had enough points to pay for the SF-to-home leg, including family bedrooms on both legs. I’m a bit worried about the CZ being late enough into Chicago that we’d miss our train home from there but there are options, and I sprung a few bucks for trip insurance in case of delays etc. Somewhere closer to the trip, I’ll try for seats on the Coast Starlight to get from LA to SF; I’m hoping that by then I’ll have enough points from the credit card to cover that, or perhaps upgraded sleeping accommodations on one of the other legs. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/76 "2021-10-29T23:28:53Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Somewhere closer to the trip, I’ll try for seats on the Coast Starlight to get from LA to SF Neither train actually goes to SF, although that is being slightly pedantic. They parallel between Emeryville (Oakland) and Sacramento. From the old schedules I have, it looks like the NB Coast Starlight arrives in Emeryville around 10pm, Sacramento around midnight, while the Zephyr leaves Emeryville around 9am, Sacramento around 11am. I would suggest that you do a little research to determine which town you want to be in overnight (Davis is another stop in common). ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/77 "2021-10-29T23:53:29Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > @WildaBeast, any final decision on your plans? Not yet. If I do this for Christmas it all revolves when my sister is able to take time off of her job. And there’s a possibility she won’t be able to take time off this year, in which case we’ll get together for New Years instead. > [@eschereal](#): > > Neither train actually goes to SF, although that is being slightly pedantic. Amtrak does have a bus service between the Emeryville station and San Francisco, so they can technically claim to serve San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/78 "2021-11-02T22:58:44Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > From the old schedules I have, it looks like the NB Coast Starlight arrives in Emeryville around 10pm, Sacramento around midnight, while the Zephyr leaves Emeryville around 9am, Sacramento around 11am. We’ll probably stay the night in Emeryville - there seems to be at least one hotel within a couple of blocks of the station. Pity we can’t get on the train right away 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/79 "2021-11-03T02:25:49Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Yeah - the main concern I have with using the baggage car is that checking the bags adds extra time at each end Anecdote: A fellow passenger asked me for something that I had plenty of in my suitcase, so I just walked back a couple of cars, and… walked into the baggage car. It was a full-size car, empty except for a dozen suitcases lined up against one wall. I opened mine up, got my stuff and walked back to my seat. I certainly could’ve just taken my bag. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896/80 "2021-11-03T03:12:10Z")
Was that on an eastern train, which are mostly single level, or western, which are mostly bi-level? If the latter there are two different ways the checked baggage is handled, in a (single-level) baggage car or a bi-level coach/baggage. In the latter, instead of seating about a dozen people downstairs, that end is given over to a baggage room. The other is the usual bathrooms and dressing rooms as on a coach. The both the Sunset Limited and Southwest Chief had that when I rode them in late-July but I never tried to open the windowed door to the compartment, figuring it was locked. Lately the SWC has been using a separate baggage car. In that case, there is no access when underway as the door in the people-area is up high and the door in the baggage car is down low. If you ask politely at the longer stops you can probably get something out of your checked bags. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-traveling-long-distance-by-amtrak/950896.md?page=5)