Did you ever ride a train?

5I am starting this thread because I love trains. I love riding trains. Well actual passenger trains. I especially love riding passenger trains on wet and rainy cold days. The longest Train ride I was on was in Canada. The train left Vancouver and about 4 days later, arrived in Toronto. I also rode many Amtrak Trains Except the High speed Acela. I never left North America, so I never did ride those fancy high speed bullet train overseas.

Now this is great and all, but I meet alot of people who never rode a train in there life. I find it to be a great tragity that because of our dominat Car culture, we as a society don't see riding a train at all as a means to get somewhere else.

I'm trying to Encourage my friends to take the Train From San Antonio, TX to Dallas to a Anime Convention. Aparently alot of anime shows have the characters ride trains. So since Amtrak has a lousy schedule, what am I to do?

Also what makes you not ride a train? I'm curious from many ATS member who never rode a train, why won't you ride one?
To those members who did ride a train before, what was the ride like and would you do it again?

I myself have rode the train before, Amtrak's Cardinal to be exact. I loved every single minute riding that train. The ride was as smooth as a baby's bottom, none of that ka-thump ka-thump of the highway. It did sadden me when researching into how many U.S. and Canadian railroads had one or more world-class passenger trains and how many people would ride the train before the Interstate Highway System came along.

I think that the reason as to why most people do not ride the train is because they think it is a rough ride. Let me tell you from experience, it's not a rough ride. Besides, people that do not ride the train do not know what they are missing. Plus, I think people do not want to take the time to check their own baggage before getting on the train. Yet, people will stand in a security line at their local airport for three hours while someone else checks their baggage.

However, there is one major problem that Amtrak has when it comes to running on time. Almost all of Amtrak's passenger trains run on freight railroads. Due to prioritization of freight and other goods on the freight lines, Amtrak service suffers due to it. I'm not saying don't ride the train, just have fun riding Amtrak. It can be fun, so go ahead and ride it!!

My first train ride was an overnight trip from South Carolina to Washington, DC, with my family when I was a kid. Great experience. Interestingly, riding on the train never gave me motion sickness, although air travel and car travel did/still do.

In the U.S., recent increases in the amount of daily hours that truckers have to drive make me uneasy about highway travel in a car. It would be worth it to me to take the train to go from Santa Barbara to the San Francisco Bar area when I want to visit family up there.

In the November election, Californians approved Propositon 1, which will fund the development of projects related to high-speed rail travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco. That's years away, of course, but way cool. Not a good idea in earthquake country, you say? They made it work in Japan, after all, which gets many more earthquakes than here. So there must be a way for high-speed trains and earthquakes to co-exist.

I took one from Princeton, NJ to Pittsburgh, PA in the early 80's and it was great. I had a little sleeper room where you flipped the bed out of the walls and then could lay there and look out the window. Met some cool people and was able to take a bike aboard for I think an extra $10 for a box to put it in.

Thanks for bringing it up, I just might do something very much like it again. -Take the train somewhere and do a little credit card bike touring on the other end or, maybe just peddle back

As a former Union Pacific shareholder I was often invited to purchase advance tickets to ride on some of the railroads 'Shareholder Specials'. One of the best was a trip from Denver, Union Station, to Cheyenne for Frontier Days where they had a tent and barbeque set up for those that took the trip.

It was a very good time as it was pulled by the world largest operating steam locomotive pulling a good portion of the Union Pacific's historic car fleet. The views coming down from the Rockies was great.

Edit to add: I take the train fairly frequently to NYC (including yesterday to do some shopping) as the station is a couple miles from my house and the travel time and price beat driving and parking in Manhattan by quite a bit.








[edit on 30-11-2008 by AugustusMasonicus]

reply to post by sirbikesalot06


I used to ride a commuter from zion to chicago, illinois. I loved it.
I could just sit back and do some work or just look out side. I never tired of it.

I've ridden the Tube in London and enjoyed every minute of it. When I was younger, I would buy a rover pass and get off at every station and other times ride end to end on the different lines.

I've been to Inverness (Loch Ness) several times and took the sleeper train every time. It always reminds me of the classy trains in the old movies. Sleeper, dining car, and even a porter to shine your shoes.

I was going to take a train to Florida to watch a shuttle launch but it cost more than flying and took three days!

In the last few years I've only taken the steamer from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon, great fun with roving singing cowboys and the usual train robbery.

[edit on 11/30/08 by wookiee]

so how do you get to ride Shareholder Special for Union Pacific. i want to know.

Back in 1990, I rode the Transsiberian railway in the USSR. Moscow-Siberia. 3½ days one way and then 4½ days on the way back (= 8 days). I'll never forget it. On one station I had to jump onto the speeding train, after it unexpectedly left before I was finnished with some shopping. The woman I bought some apples from started shouting in Russian and pointed in the direction of the train which started moving. The train personnel had given me wrong info about how long the train was expected to stay there. I ran as fast as I could. Some people on the train helped me get on the train. They were like "Run! Run! Run!!" while reaching out their hands for me to grab, and then they dragged me onto the train in the last second before it would've been too late. If I had failed to make it, I would've been in big trouble, as my passport, visa, and everything else was on the train. And the next train would be leaving many days later.




edit: some minor spelling errors...

[edit on 2008/12/8 by Hellmutt]

reply to post by sirbikesalot06


Oh I love trains! I road the Tarantula once and have seen the Challenger a couple of times. (I'm hoppint that DART and DCTA get their hinies together to build a passenger train from Denton County to Dallas, too. ) I can remember many fine days as a kid playing with train tables or sitting around the tracks watching them go by.

reply to post by sirbikesalot06


Without sounding like a smartguy, you have to be a shareholder. The more the better......

Originally posted by asmeone2
reply to post by sirbikesalot06

 

Oh I love trains! I road the Tarantula once and have seen the Challenger a couple of times. (I'm hoppint that DART and DCTA get their hinies together to build a passenger train from Denton County to Dallas, too. ) I can remember many fine days as a kid playing with train tables or sitting around the tracks watching them go by.

Well the big problem you have is simply that Public Transit in TX is funded by a Sales Tax. All communities have the right to put up to 1 cent sales tax to fund Public Transit. But not all communities are open to raising Sales tax to pay for it. A good example is Dallas DART compared to The T in Forth Worth. I believe Fort Worth only allow 1/4 cent sales tax while Dallas has A whole 1 cent to play with. One System has tons of bus Service even on Christmas, while Fort Worth doesn't have any public Transit service espeically on Sunday.
Also if a Community refuses to have bus service, and is right inside or next to a big citys Like Haltom City can simply refuse to pay the sales tax and deny The T from Operating in there City Limits.
I don't know If this is good news to you but they're extending the TRE, the commuter Train that Connects Fort Worth to Dallas up to Grapvine by 2012. I hope that is close enough for you. I don't know exact details, but just look up for more info. I don't know if that will give you the info you are looking for but be patient.

Now I would like to thank the BTS Mix Crew for mentioning this thread on there podcast. As for one of the host of having a bad train ride and not being able to sleep. Well there a thing that happens in Coach class of an amtrak train especially during high travel times. I call it the "Corus of Snors." On any coach train, It is lucky to be in one that doesn't have at least some bad snoring on board and your same car. I smile because when My family went to Seattle by Amtrak, I discovered that both parents snore. My Brother doesn't snore and so far no body has told me that I snore. But the leg room beats the snoring hands down. I just love the leg room on all of there superliners and most of there Budd cars. Also having two seats by your self is also a great thing after all, with all of that leg room and things to reast your legs on, its vurtually turns into a bed. too bad if somebody is sitting next to you.

Any way my last train ride was from Oklahoma City to San Antonio, TX. I didn't really enjoy the Heartland Flyer due to its limited space, but the people on board and the volunteers who run the Oklahoma City Station are invaluable and are the people who make a great trip behind the scenses. Also the Snack Car Lady was a trip if your ever in Fort Worth and have a map from the station to the nearest Subways, man that beats high price Train food anyday.

Also On the Texas Eagle I met a Librarian from the Valley, (Rio Grand Valley) riding the train. It really nice to meet and have long conversations of the intelligent kind to your destination. Last i check he moved back to Chicago.
I'm hoping to ride the new Commuter Train In Austin in April so I can take my best friend on his first train ride. No Thomas ride for him.

I guess the best think about taking the train in the North East or on the West Coast is Taking your bicycle with you. I just wish all there trains were bicycle friendly.

Well keep sending me your stories and also tell me why you never ever wanna ride a train if that is your thought?

Here are some links on the U.S.-based C-SPAN website for an interview and a panel discussion with Joseph Boardman, current CEO of AMTRAK, the public/private U.S. rail system:


www.c-span.org...


In a video interview, Boardman explains the funding opportunities, problems, and future of the U.S. rail system. Very informative.

And from the AMTRAK website, there are a few more videos, including a sleeping car tour:


www.amtrak.com.../HomePage

I don't remember which train it was but I recall taking a night train in Italy. It was like something out of an old movie, elaborate old compartments with 6 seats and wood trim. Took day trains too, the old fashion ones were always the most fun. Dining cars with white linen table cloths and such. Unfortuntely sometimes they sold tickets without thought to if there were actually any SEATS. When the trains aren't full you can grab a 6 person compartment for yourself and use it like a sleeper car.

Here in Atlanta I sometimes see night trains that are mostly freight but with what look like a few passenger compartments. I always imagine where it is going and think "one day" it would be cool to take it somewhere.

Here's the Lates reply to this Thread. President Elect Obama is suspose to take the train from Springfield, IL to DC. I was wondering if anybody could catch a glimse and post videos of the train as it passes by.

thankyou and please ride a train if not for you do it for your kids.

The current issue of OnEarth magazine, published by the U.S. Natural Resources Defense Council, has a 5-page article in the Spring 2009 issue on why the rest of the world has high-speed rail travel and yet the U.S. does not. Here is the link to the online version (full text, plus all the key graphics) of that free article:

www.ask.com...

(The article explains why and how the U.S. is finally getting started on high-speed train travel.)

And here is a related smaller article from the same issue of that magazine on the topic of currently existing high-speed rail corridors in various U.S. regions:

www.ask.com...

If any ATS/BTS members have ridden on one of these existing high-speed rail corridors, I'd like to hear what you liked and disliked about those train rides.

I looked at the prices, and even though I want to do something down the road with a train, currently, all my plans are either by car or plane, do to the cheapness of them.

[edit on 3-3-2009 by FritosBBQTwist]

reply to post by Uphill


I never did ride on the ACELA, but I did ride on the same tracks. Very Smooth. No clickety Clack at all

Originally posted by FritosBBQTwist
I looked at the prices, and even though I want to do something down the road with a train, currently, all my plans are either by car or plane, do to the cheapness of them.

[edit on 3-3-2009 by FritosBBQTwist]

Also its where you live. If you happen to live in like Tennesse or South Dakota, then your up a creek. But please don't choose bus. It just ain't worth it dude.

hmm..Ive never rode a train for a trip or anything for long periods of time, but last year i rode trains at least twice a day
It was mine, my bro's, and sis's way to school and home every day. At first it was I was actually a little nervous about it! but then i grew to love it..now i miss it we dont have pasneger trains where i live now.
It was such a big help there cause i didnt have to rely on my parents or anyone else to take me places.

Every school morning we'd get on the mini metro (it was like a tram thing, a suway but instead of underground, its like all on a bridge lol.) and take it to the metro station. (we call the train there the metro), we'd then walk about ten minutes and we'd be at school lol. then we'd do that going home. It'd take about 45 minutes usually. but going home about an hour cause id stop and eat lol.

I'd take the metro everywhere, malls, theatres, school, park, I miss it!! lol