The Texas Eagle - Los Angeles to Chicago, May 2015

About six months ago I posted a documentary about a trip my buddy and I took across country on the Capitol Limited and the Southwest Chief. This time around, here is a 30-minute documentary, with a touch of humor, about our trip on Amtrak's Texas Eagle from Los Angeles to Chicago in May of 2015. Part two of "Riding the Rails with Ray and Bill". I hope you will enjoy it and comments, complements and constructive criticism is always welcome, either here or on the Vimeo site where this video is posted. It was hard to compress four days and three nights into a 30-minute production that captures the essence of the trip, but I tried. As an aside, the adventure was trouble-free and we did arrive into Chicago early and had plenty of time to catch our connection to Washington DC and points south! Video was made using only an iPhone 6 Plus video camera and was edited on Apple's iMovie software.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/144108065?app_id=122963

Thanks for sharing! Great video and trip!

Gotta set aside the time and sit down with a beer and watch this this evening!

My wife and I traveled LA to Washington DC on the TE and CL (29 Jul - 2 Aug) and had a really good experience. After a week in DC we returned to LA via the CL and SWC. This trip was an AGR redemption with bedroom accommodations. Our previous trips on the TE were only LA to Temple, TX.

Exactly what " Bob Dylan " said !!!

FrensicPic said:

Gotta set aside the time and sit down with a beer and watch this this evening!

My wife and I traveled LA to Washington DC on the TE and CL (29 Jul - 2 Aug) and had a really good experience. After a week in DC we returned to LA via the CL and SWC. This trip was an AGR redemption with bedroom accommodations. Our previous trips on the TE were only LA to Temple, TX.

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Very Nice! Liked the music selections as you traveled. I enjoy the trip through the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve...the #1 Main passes over the #2 Main at the Cienega Creek Trestle. At Temple Station, Amtrak Station Agent "Charity" is one of the nicest, most helpful persons you could run into. Texarkana definitely a spooky, mysterious place to stop. Your view in the video is like mine when I stepped off the train and I had the same feeling. I'll be sharing your link. Thanks!

Thanks to all of you for the kind words on my video! Please feel free to share the link!

Enjoyed it too and it made me smile, thank you.

Was it the editing or do Amtrak personnel not like to be filmed?

The Amtrak personnel - except for Chicago for some reason - have always been willing to let me interview and film them. My first documentary, which is longer and featured the Capitol Limited and the Southwest Chief, had several interviews. It's just that on the Texas Eagle trip I was concentrating more on the scenery.

An enjoyable video to watch. Thanks.

Thanks for your kind comments!

Excellent quality video: no camera shake, very clear despite much having been shot through a car(riage) window (well done also to the cleaners!); atmospheric music even if not quite to my 1960s and 1970s pop taste and good, at times humorous narration. Good on you both.

Just caught up with this - loved the video! The southern transcontinental route is so different from the northern route that I took.

Great