OK … So Which is Better: the California Zephyr or the Coast Starlight?
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OK … So Which is Better: the California Zephyr or the Coast Starlight?

ByJim Loomis

That’s a tough one, all right. I had the chance to experience both trains a few days ago, one after the other, coming home from my recent trip to the National Association of Railroad Passengers board meeting in Buffalo, NewYork. For scenery, I guess I’d give the nod to the California Zephyr (runs daily between…

Nothing Could Be Finer Than Dinner in the Diner
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Nothing Could Be Finer Than Dinner in the Diner

ByJim Loomis

Eating in a rolling restaurant is what passengers remember most about their long-distance train trips. During the Golden Age of train travel from the mid-1930s to mid-1950s, competing railroads would vigorously promote the quality of the food served on board. Today, Amtrak’s dining experience is less than gourmet, but still quite good. Amtrak passengers enjoying…

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Strangers – and New Friends – on a Train

ByJim Loomis

One of the reasons I enjoy traveling on Amtrak is the opportunity to meet and briefly get to know some very interesting and entertaining people. You have time for that on the train. I boarded the Coast Starlight Wednesday morning in Davis, California, and spent quite a few of the next 14 hours relaxing in…

Amtrak’s Most Scenic Train: The Coast Starlight
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Amtrak’s Most Scenic Train: The Coast Starlight

ByJim Loomis

I’ve just arrived back in Los Angeles after making a round trip on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight … LA to Portland to Seattle and back to LA. I’ve ridden this train probably six or eight times and it never gets old. The train departs daily from Los Angeles at 10:15 in the morning and gets to…