What was the best train ride you ever had?

[tomwed]

The Montrealer was a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Washington, D.C. and Montreal, Canada. Amtrak had a promotion in the fall of 1977 that included accommodations in a beautiful hotel. The name of the hotel escapes me. It was $99 per person for a long weekend and we had a wonderful time.

[tainsley]

That's easy! My dad worked for PRR. Lived in a railroad house as a child. The Media local and the Chester Wilmington local were our mode of travel! Fun!

[memason]

The high speed Shinkansen in Japan...

[tomjbud]

When I was in 6th grade we rode the "City of San Francisco" domeliner round trip from Chicago. I have great memories of the dining car service, sipping cokes in the lounge car, and seeing the beautiful scenery from the dome cars. I have been hooked on trains ever since.

[kellyjam]

I am taking the Auto Train tomorrow from Sanford-Lorton Va for the first time. Hope it will be the best train ride of my life. :crap2:

[Bizdoc]

Tokyo to Sasebo, coming back from Boy Scout summer camp.

[llaran]

Chicago to Elko, NV in Feb. -- had to go for a wedding

[dbussone]

Royal Canadian Pacific Railroad - round trip from Calgary through the Canadian Rockies - for 7 days in late September.

[zcaveman]

This one is easy - October, 1961 - After boot camp at Parris Island (June , 15, 1961) and ITR at Camp Geiger in NC.

Z

[Hancle704]

From Paris to Le Havre France in 1955. Not high speed but still comfortable and scenic. Worst was the Auto train from Lawton VA to Sanford FL. Compartment was too small, sleeping was next to impossible in upper berth (more like a closed MRI) and need to move to another car to use rest room was a challenge. Movie in club car was an old Disney movie that played over and over. They said you close your eyes and wake up in Fl. Did not find that to be the case. Was a long sleepless night with several stops for who knows what reason. It was 17 years ago so, maybe the service has improved, but it sure was not high speed rail service back then.

[Nursebarb1]

1967: Riding an all night train from Kankakee, Ill to Ft. Campbell, KY where my husband had a 24 hr. leave from basic training. Didn't sleep, made some friends, and can still hear the clickety-clack. It was a brave move for a small-town girl who had never been on a train.

[Mikeod]

1997. Rails to the Rim. Steam train from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon and back. Complete with train robbery on the way out.

[tomwed]

Two years ago we took a cruise that landed in Venice. Over 8 days we took 2 faster trains from Venice to Florence and Florence to Rome. Now I wish it was over 32 days.

[Whimsey]

Ok it's a toss up. The night train from Venice, Italy to Nice, France. Left Venice late at night in the dark and woke up and looked out the cabin window at the gorgeous French Riviera coastline. Just Beautiful. OR the Chunnel from London to Paris (my favorite city in the whole world). Having breakfast served to us while 250 ft. under the English Channel for approx. 23.5 miles. Both trips my hubby and I will always remember with smiles on our faces.

[cattywampus]

All time favorite. Simply Breathtaking.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge RR in Colorado

One of the kids made arrangements to allow our ENTIRE family
Reunion group to ride. (Round Trip.) All 44 of us, complete with Guides
and Narrators and luncheon.

Sure glad everyone's kids each paid the for their own kids + the Grandparents.

Even learned how " Red-Light Districts " got their name.

[JMEZARIC3]

1997. Rails to the Rim. Steam train from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon and back. Complete with train robbery on the way out.
A great short train ride.If you ever plan to visit the Grand Canton,go to AAA and book the train.The package includes 2 nights in Williams(Old Rt 66) with meals and the train ride.We did the trip when we went to Las Vegas.The rates for the package did not go up on the weekend.So we checked out of the hotel in Vegas on Friday(rates go up $100 on weekends) and drove to Williams with a stop at Hoover Dam.Spent 2 nights in Williams and returned to Vegas on Monday when the rates go down.

[Ecuadog]

As a kid, it was a treat to ride the open air subway cars (bars across the open windows) on the Myrtle Avenue elevated line through Brooklyn in the summer.

[rhood]

Over nighter from Moscow to St Petersburg, 1992.

[Avista]

When I was in 6th grade we rode the "City of San Francisco" domeliner round trip from Chicago. I have great memories of the dining car service, sipping cokes in the lounge car, and seeing the beautiful scenery from the dome cars. I have been hooked on trains ever since.

As a child I lived near Chicago, and my grandparents lived in San Francisco. I loved taking the City of San Francisco to visit them. Maybe we were on the same train. it was wonderful

[pleverich]

New Orleans to New Orleans with stops in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago in a compartment with a shower/bathroom. Good old days on Amtrak.

[mgjim]

I prefer train travel to any other, but if I had to choose, I'd say the trip from Vicenza, Italy to Heidelberg, Germany and back. On the way there, went the eastern route through Austria; on the way back, the western route through Switzerland. Beautiful scenery and comfortable seating. I also met some great people on the way.

[DonH57]

I remember back when I was in the service my buddy and I took a train from Misawa to Hachinohe Japan. We bought a bottle of bourbon and shared with ladies at the bar. We had a great return trip. I can still remember how fast you had to board or deboard the train. My buddy had passed out in the back of my mini truck when we got back to the base. I had to explain to the gate guard my friend was still alive and told me to go directly to the barracks. Not a problem since it was 3:00 am. Oh the days of being young and foolish.

[tomjbud]

As a child I lived near Chicago, and my grandparents lived in San Francisco. I loved taking the City of San Francisco to visit them. Maybe we were on the same train. it was wonderful

It was Christmas time in 1964. We crossed the Sierra - Nevada mountains in a snowstorm. The dome car had a guide who would tell us all the sights. I also remember crossing the great salt lake where you couldn't see land in any direction.

[mscanalizo]

Hi, This has nothing to do with a train ride. However, I noticed that you lived in The Bronx as well as Hampton Bays. So did I. Grew up in The Bronx and left in 1964. I lived in Hampton Bays between 1974 and 1998. My children went to school there and I miss it to this day. Have a good day.

[mixsonci]

In 1992 I took the train from Oslo, Norway (east coast) to Bergin, Norway (west coast). The tracks are built into the side of a mountain. Fascinating but a little scary. Then I got to go on a boat ride around the Fjords, wonderful trip.

[tomwed]

I prefer train travel to any other, but if I had to choose, I'd say the trip from Vicenza, Italy to Heidelberg, Germany and back. On the way there, went the eastern route through Austria; on the way back, the western route through Switzerland. Beautiful scenery and comfortable seating. I also met some great people on the way.

How long did that take? Was this recently?

[rubicon]

The best ( was spoiled with wonderful food and service) train ride I ever had was from Syracuse to Great Lakes until I got off the train being met by company commanders from Navy boot camp...we own your a--

[justjim]

Anchorage to Seward on Alaskan Railroad. Beautiful trip!

[shcisamax]

Toss up between high speed train in Japan which was awesome and The Orient Express which was just as awesome but they were polar opposites in experience.

[ditka41]

Most fantastic ride for me was on the Durango-Silverton, Colorado narrow-gage railway. We've done it three times and each time the scenery is even more spectacular than the time before. You need to have tickets in advance and it is a most wonderful day spent in the heart of the mountains.

[jebartle]

We would love to hear from anyone that has made this trip by train...

[Villages PL]

My parents traveled from CT to CA by train in 1969. If I remember correctly, they said there was an upper deck with lots of glass for viewing the countryside.

[John_W]

I've ridden the Autotrain 3 times since 2011, that's from Sanford, Florida to Lorton, Va. That's just south of DC, it's was enjoyable except the last time, our train hit two people on the tracks just an hour from arriving at Sanford. Our train sat for six hours until we could get back underway.

The most memorable train ride was in May 1969, a trip that changed my life. I was studying restaurant management at St. Petersburg Jr. College. An older cousin of mine had opened the first sub shop on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland in the early 60's "Billy's Famous Subs". He said, come on up this summer and get some experience working at my place.

When school let out in May, I took the train from St. Pete to Baltimore. I went to the lounge car a couple of hours into the ride and when I went back to my seat, a young woman and her baby were in my seat. I went back to the lounge car and spent the whole 25 hour trip there, not sleeping. Several GI's were onboard all in uniform and swapping stories and it really seemed like a neat adventure being in the military.

When summer ended and my 4 months of making subs were over, I found I really didn't like the restaurant business. I was happy a couple of years earlier when my draft lottery number of 265 was announced, meaning I wouldn't be drafted. When I got home, I quit college and enlisted in the Army.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

The best one for us was from Fairbanks AK to Anchorage. It was three days and two nights stopping at Denali National Park and MT McKinley. The seating was up high with glass all around and below was the dining car. Nights were spent at loge type hotels. After that we cruised the inside passage down to Vancouver.

[marianne237]

Chicago to Colorado to go on a ski trip with my ski club...1965. Rode the upper lounge cars most of the way in order to see the scenery.

[Edjkoz]

Union Pacific 1963 Philadelphia to Los Angeles via Chicago, amazing

[JerryP]

As a kid, it was a treat to ride the open air subway cars (bars across the open windows) on the Myrtle Avenue elevated line through Brooklyn in the summer.


Wow, would have loved riding that train, my daily high school ride was from Crescent Street to 168 Street.

[railroadman]

Blue Ridge Mountains - Asheville, NC - Pulling a freight train, when the leaves change in October.

[Bayougal]

Amtrak Cascades from Seattle to Vancouver ......beautiful ride with snow lightly falling provided wonderful scenery.

[The20Percent]

My favorite was the glass dome train from Lucerne Switzerland to Grindelwald, switching trains and traveling again by train up the side of a mountain for an extremely scenic stay in the car-less village of Wengen in the swiss alps (Jungfrau region). After a few days in Wengen and Murren we continued by train to Montreux on Lake Geneva and then on to Paris from there.

A close second is the glass dome train from Anchorage Alaska to Denali and on to Fairbanks.

A close third is the narrow gauge railroad in Skagway Alaska that goes up into the mountains of the famous gold rush and all the way into the Yukon Territory of Canada.

I also enjoyed the Eurostar from London to Paris via the chunnel and actually the Reno to Chicago route of the Amtrak was scenic, with the colorado journey being the most scenic.

[mgjim]

How long did that take? Was this recently?

It was less than a day each way...maybe 18 hours or so. It was in the late '80's.

[keithgerri]

My two best trips were riding the Amtrak Empire Builder from Shelby ,Mt to Spokane with our son who is a conductor for Amtrak. Beautiful ride through Glacier. Second was the train from Seoul , Korea to Teagu while I was stationed in Korea to pick up the family.

[patfla06]

The train ride from Florence to Venice in Sept. 2011.
Seeing Venice for the first time was amazing.
Rome to Florence was a great trip too.

[kellyjam]

[QUOTE=mscanalizo;928304]Hi, This has nothing to do with a train ride. However, I noticed that you lived in The Bronx as well as Hampton Bays. So did I. Grew up in The Bronx and left in 1964. I lived in Hampton Bays between 1974 and 1998. My children went to school there and I miss it to this day. Have a good day.

I was born in The Bronx and lived on Castle Hill Ave and then later in Throggs Neck untill 1975. Whenever anyone asked where I lived I would say "I live in ''''''''''' but I come from The Bronx". We still live half the year in Hampton Bays where we have been since 1997 and it is currently 79 and sunny. I have all the windows open. :cold: We have both a Bronx Club and a Long Island Club in TV. The Bronx club meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Canal St Rec Center at 6:30 and the Long Island Club, which has over 400 members, meets at The Eisenhower Center on the first Tuesday of the month. Why don't you come by, we would love to have you.

[mtdjed]

We have taken the Autotrain many times and I would not classify it as enjoyable. My term of endearment would be tolerable. Our latest trip was June of this year from Sanford Florida to Lorton Virginia. We take it as a convenience on our way to Boston MA. The drive to Sanford is just over an hour. You have to be at the station not much later than 2PM. The train leaves at 4PM and arrives at Lorton around 9AM the next day. You then have to wait an hour or so to get your car and then brave the traffic of DC.

We normally reserve Lower Level Coach. There is less sway and no walkby passengers and only about 12 seats. We tried mini roomettes and found them more expensive by around $200. For coach, price can vary significantly. Going north in late june 2014 , price was less than $400 for 2 plus car. Coming back in early Aug was about $800. We chose to drive. Plan far ahead for best price and check alternate dates.

Dinner and breakfast are provided but the quality is getting worse. I ordered fish and it was like cardboard and my wife had pasta which looked and tasted like a frozen meal. Wine used to be provided at dinner gratis but now is at a price.

Also the train has a lot of slow time when it must wait for track access which I think is CSX. In my opinion, a convenience at $400 and above that I prefer to drive.

[KeepingItReal]

Best, ferry across Lake Lucerne then the Incline Railway to the top of Mount Rigi in Lucerne Switzerland....

Second, Rome to Florence, then Venice on to Basel Switzerland and Paris through Milan and the Swiss Alps

[KayakerNC]

While in the USAF in Germany, traveled to Paris France. This was in the early 60's, trains were a great way to travel on a limited budget.

[KeepingItReal]

While in the USAF in Germany, traveled to Paris France. This was in the early 60's, trains were a great way to travel on a limited budget.

Most of Europe has great passenger rail service. Residents can purchase a yearly card and travel at half fare on the passenger rail. Wish we had the same here...This is a photo inside the train near Milan Italy. Our daughter recently lived in Basel Switzerland for a year for her work which gave us a good chance to see a lot of Europe.

Click on photo for a better view....

[jblum315]

When I was a little girl if you were traveling a long distance you went by train. My best memory is traveling from Richmond, Va. to Shreveport La. by train with an aunt and uncle. We must have changed trains a few times - I don't remember. I loved the dining car and the lounge car, and being lulled to sleep in my berth by the train's motion. I was even enchanted by the toilets (do not flush while the train is in the station) The porters were so kind and dignified. I found out that they made $200 a month!! and decided I wanted to be a porter when I grew up!










1

[Philip Winkler]

I have rode on the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka, Amtrak from Philadelphia to DC too many times to count. However my best train ride was in March 2010 on Amtrak's auto train when we moved to The Villages. We had both cars loaded up!

[gamby]

When I was 15 yrs. old I ran away from home and went to Ft. Lauderdale FLA. ; I stayed there for 2 years working on construction crews as a helper.
At some point I wanted to go home back to Connecticut. A friend from Boston who was here also decided to go back to Boston so we hopped fright trains all the way to PA. and hitched the rest of the way. We parted in Ct
It was a ride of life !
I almost got killed in Georgia, I went to hop into a box car and hit some brush which dragged me almost under the wheel's, My friend grabbed my hand and pulled me up; (Close call).

[John_W]

When I was 15 yrs. old I ran away from home and went to Ft. Lauderdale FLA. ; I stayed there for 2 years working on construction crews as a helper.
At some point I wanted to go home back to Connecticut. A friend from Boston who was here also decided to go back to Boston so we hopped fright trains all the way to PA. and hitched the rest of the way. We parted in Ct
It was a ride of life !
I almost got killed in Georgia, I went to hop into a box car and hit some brush which dragged me almost under the wheel's, My friend grabbed my hand and pulled me up; (Close call).

I think that's the first story for being a non-paying customer. My first job when I got out of the Army in 1973 in Savannah, Georgia was a switchman for Southern Railroad. I worked at a train yard just outside Savannah and made $43 a day, which I thought was great. However, not to stereotype, everyone seemed to be right out of 'Deliverance'. I had lived in Savannah for two years and yet I couldn't understand almost anyone on the crew. Which is important when you're hopping on and off a train all day. I ended quitting after four weeks.

[Gulfhills]

In 1985 we took the ferry through the inside passage of Alaska to Skagway. From Skagway took the train the Whitehorse in the Yukon. OMG it was beautiful. Stopped somewhere along the way for lunch. I stood outside the whole time, just taking in the scenery.

[KayakerNC]

An Alaskan Cruise Ship Vacation with the Denali Train Tour is super high on our Bucket List.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-tNP19gUdwk/SkHy9AdfOXI/AAAAAAAAB40/7PLkuPHXtF0/s400/IMG_2258+72dpi.jpg

[travelguy]

had a US Railpass in 1978 and spent a month going cross country from PA to Washington to California and home again. just had a backpack and a bunch of names and addresses where I could crash for the night. skiing in Montana, hiking in the Cascades in the rain, San Francisco (a party town) and Los Angeles (sunny California in January). and then I had to go home to reality.