I spent the summer of 1954 in Germany on an American Field Service program, living with the Handschuh family in Schweinfurt. Every couple of days after breakfast, Frau Handschuh would...

I got an email the other day from someone—a woman— who was aware that Amtrak management has been giving their conductors a hard time. Of course it was a woman...

On the off chance this damn caronavirus won’t last forever, I’ve started thinking about where I would go and what I would do the next time I travel. I’m thinking...

Once an Amtrak train starts to move, the conductors are in charge. Through the entire schedule, from departure to arrival at final destination, when “situations” with passengers arise, most conductors...

Q: When I reserved my roomette on the Southwest Chief, they told me I would have to leave my suitcase on a luggage rack on the lower level, where all...

That is the question. And it’s the question I’ve gotten here more than any other over the years. Should you tip the attendants in the sleeping cars? And, of  course,...

Before Hurricane Katrina wrecked much of the railroad infrastructure east of New Orleans in 2005, Amtrak’s Sunset Limited was a three night, trans-continental train from Los Angeles, California, to Orlando,...

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received several emails from people planning family vacations that will include long-distance train rides. Invariably, they have questions about the on board accommodations. In...

Let’s start with a simple, indisputable truth: all public transportation is subsidized. That’s true from airlines to bikeways, and everything in between.  Amtrak’s troubles began at the time of its...

Q: We live close to Sacramnto and I’ve promised to take my family on a cross country train ride. Which ones do you recommend? And would it b a good...