Harmony On The Rail Part I

Just returned from a trip on Amtrak and it brought back many memories of past trips. I have been on or around passenger trains since childhood. Sometimes on recent trips I have had flashbacks to earlier trips and those things that are different and those things that actually remain the same.

In part one of this post I want to describe my feelings of the train itself. Next I will get more into the view from the train.

The most basic difference in train travel is the sound and feel of the train. For most of the history of train travel the sound of the rail was the same. Because the rail sections were individuals the joints between the rail sections never were quiet. You could use the clickity click of the rails to fall asleep but I never did get a good night’s sleep on those trains. Now with the continuous welded rail you get a different sound that is not just quieter but more conducive to sleep. Theoretically you could travel across the country with one set of rails. It may be less romantic but it is more comfortable.

On an overnight or longer trip the sleeper section on the train is the best way to travel. The service is more like on a cruise then travel on a train or airline. The staffs on the trips that I have taken all seem to really want to make your trip better. They work to provide the comfort that you have paid for. The conversion of your room from day to night means converting the seating to a bed and opening the upper bunk and making both beds. In the old days I seem to remember that the upper bunk had a window that both allowed me to watch the little towns we passed at night and made it harder to sleep as we passed all of the rail crossing that lit up the bunk. Overall I like no window and the dark it provided. If you are more light sensitive to the light coming from the corridor a sleep mask will help. I thought of using ear plugs as I do on airplanes but the sound was soothing enough that I used it to make me sleepy.

Did I mention that with a sleeper meals are included? That means you can eat in the dining room as part of your travel. Meal times are by reservation for most lunches and dinners. Breakfast is open seating. The seating is communal with tables of four. Groups of three or less are put together during meals. This gives you the chance to meet with different people at each meal. You will meet people returning home from visiting family, a retired federal employee who was traveling with a grandson or people from other parts of the world who are eager to learn about our country. Everyone is anxious to talk about their trip and exchange knowledge about the places that they have visited or their home towns.

A new feature, Sleeper Lounges, are showing up at many railway stations and allow for sleeper passengers to check in early and wait for the call to board the train. In Chicago we could leave our luggage and go out for dinner while waiting our next train. At that same time, passengers on a delayed train were invited to have dinner in the lounge while they waited for the train to become available. I have not heard of an airline doing that in recent years.

The photo is of our car in Austin Texas and the two special cars that were attached to the back of ours.