DAVIS, CALIFORNIA–This was an interesting trip in several different ways.   First, both the Southwest Chief taking me to Chicago and the California Zephyr that brought me here to Davis,...

The third rail leg of this journey has brought me here from Chicago aboard the California Zephyr, Amtrak’s train #5. It’s probably Amtrak’s most popular long-distance train and it’s certainly...

Good Luck with This. One of the transportation goals being advocated by the National Association of Railroad Passengers NARP) is “connectivity”, meaning that we should be able to transfer smoothly...

When it comes to Business Class on Amtrak, what you get varies from train to train. Sometimes you’ll have a 2-and-1 seating configuration and leather seats; on another train it’s...

Riding from Minneapolis to Chicago on the Empire Builder recently, Fritz Plous, a former reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times who specializes in railroad issues, had what we can only hope...

The two-day meeting of the NARP Board of Directors is over and I’ll be leaving the hotel here in Evanston, Illinois, in about an hour to start my journey back...

OK, I’ll admit it: while it may be in second place on this list, the Coast Starlight is my personal favorite of all Amtrak long-distance trains. But, since the criteria...

Today I thought I would dig out and post a few photos I’ve taken on some past trips. Truthfully, I’m usually dissatisfied with the photos I bring back. I don’t...

Back some 20 years ago, I was traveling with my wife and daughter from Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area on the California Zephyr. About 15 minutes out of...

On Wednesday, 147 members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to kill Amtrak. Fortunately, 272 other members voted the other way, but if you want an good indication of...