Recent content by jefffromark

I love the shower in the room. Sure it gets wet but once done you wedge the door open and it drys fast. What's the point of paying for a deluxe room and not using the shower?

Actually they should use the Cafe for all the people with laptops; games and other entertainment - and let the people who enjoy sightseeing stay upstairs - which was always the intended purpose.

I had the pleasure of riding the Silver Meteor between Trenton NJ & West Palm Beach from 1965 through 1975. During private ownership (SAL & SCL) onboard service was A+. The Meteor had a dedicated first class sun-lounge, while coach pax had the tavern-obs lounge. Both cars were staffed and I...

I met Neil Young on the Lakeshore about 15 years ago, he and wife got on in Cleveland traveling in bedroom suite - I was in a roomette in the same heritage sleeper. So there I was standing in the vestibule having a cigarette when he walked by and the way he was dressed I thought he was in the...

My rail experience before Amtrak started in 1966 when my mom took me out of school for an Easter trip to Florida aboard SAL's Silver Meteor. We traveled coach from Trenton to West Palm Beach, I fell in love with the Tavern-Obs lounge, the last car of this magnificent 18 car train. It was a real...

OK I need to add my 2 cents...the double slumbercoach compares itself to the viewliner roomette - as the toilet was exposed. There was certainly no room for a enclosed bathroom....only in a full sized bedroom. I remember that the ex-New York Central slumbercoaches had the biggest double rooms...

Jersey Avenue, on a weekday is patrolled frequently being a park/ride lot. The best time would be on holidays or weekends as its not in use and you will be the only one there.

You never know what could be going on during your trip, maybe the 4th coach was bad-ordered at Sunnyside. I've seen the Meteor of recent usually with 3 sleepers and 4 to 5 coaches - I guess all the crew dorms have been retired. And now of course is the summer season where ridership usually goes...

www.amtrak.com might be faster....

Amtrak gives #98 fifty minutes between Alexandria and Wash DC which is normally a 20 minute trip - and you can always detrain at Alexandria since the Cardinal stops there at 11:29 am

Amtrak should operate a separate train,, connecting to/from the Sunset and operate all the way to Miami. At this time there is very limited ground transportation between these city pairs...Greyhound operates one bus a day and you have to change buses twice just to get to Jax..

It doesnt really matter since you only have a side view. The thing I hated most about the deluxe bedrooms was the air vent above the door. Most times the handle was broken so the cold a/c would blow down on the berth - and if your pillow was on the door end then that cold air would make your...

In a previous thread there was discussion about a route via Charlotte on the NS - maybe something can be worked out for at least 1 train.

Not sure if any of you ever saw this trackage in daylight, but I was in Denmark SC recently and it looks like branch line status - also further east where US 301 crosses, the track has weeds growing through the ballast, etc. In the days of the late 60's/early 70's the Silver Star and Meteor took...

I have always liked the Empire Builder but my traveling companion did not - because he figured nothing compared to the CZ in scenery. I enjoyed the wide plains and miles of nothingness...and after my meal I would return to the bedroom and just veg out - listen to music and fall asleep - waking...