The question I’m most often asked is which of the long-distance trains is the most scenic. I really like the Empire Builder and I think I’ve probably ridden the Coast Starlight more than any other train . . . of course, that was before that cretin removed those wonderful parlor cars from the train. But…
Most people don’t realize that Amtrak trains run on track owned by the freight railroads everywhere in the country outside of the Northeast Corridor (Washington-New York-Boston). Amtrak pays a fee to those railroads for handling their trains, plus a little something extra for running the Amtrak trains on time. The on-time part of that…
If we’re talking scenery, the California Zephyr has to be Number One. It runs daily in both directions between Chicago and Emeryville, right across the bay from San Francisco. I’ve taken this train in both directions several times and do think the westbound train is the better choice. If the eastbound train runs late, you…
An hour out of Denver and heading west, the Zephyr climbs up through the Flatirons and skirts a broad expanse notorious for very high winds … winds so strong at times that heavy rail cars have been toppled. At the worst spot is a row of a dozen or so hopper cars filled with gravel…