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Of all the questionable Amtrak decisions, in the past, I think that the most idiotic one has been Amtrak's inability to understand the value of timetables. I still have a 2015 hard copy of national Amtrak timetables and it has sort of become a bible. Of course, not up to date, but it still...

Here is an interesting account of a passenger who rode the Russian Trans-Siberian Railway, from Moscow to the Russian east coast, a 2 thousand mile trip. https://www.businessinsider.com/trans-siberian-railway-russia-what-its-like-photos-2019-7 The train went through 4 time zones. Russian no...

I was thinking about one big advantage of Amtrak or the passenger train, over commercial airline flights, is that you can board and detrain in small or rural cities and towns. With all the hassle and inconvenience of big city airports, the TSA quagmire, parking, and growing safety concerns...

A couple of interesting maps and discussion: https://is.gd/iRAwUk Although just a pipe dream, it seems, I found the 2nd map ("geographic coverage") intriguing.

How long can a freight train (or any train) block a road? It depends upon which state you're in: https://is.gd/6Hm2sG

This presentation is 6 years old, and I'm sure the subjects discussed are well known to forum members. However, I think, the video is interesting and does cover a lot of the problems with Amtrak. I wished they also discussed issues with the onboard Amtrak experience. https://is.gd/FeiNjS A...

As of this morning, I should have been in Whitefish, Montana, coming in on the Empire Builder from Portland. However, I'm at my home here in Santa Rosa. I started out in Martinez, Calif. on the Coast Starlight on Sunday evening. The train was 2 hours late into Martinez. I had a bedroom...

Things seem to be progressing regarding the "Northern Lights Express" passenger train, Duluth to the Twin Cities. https://is.gd/gnB1Ej Minnesota would pay 20% of the cost. The train would run 4 times a day, round trip. Amtrak says it would be interested in taking on the route. I believe...

Can anyone tell me how to find VIA train schedules, after going to the VIA website? I can't believe it's so difficult. I am trying to get a schedule for the Canadian, Toronto to Vancouver. Also I would like to know if the Canadian runs twice a week or three times a week. Thanks.

I hope the possibility of a Banff to Calgary passenger train will eventually become a reality: https://is.gd/TYno1l Any chance the VIA Canadian could split at Kamloops....one leg to Edmonton and the other to Calgary?

Stories like this tends to make me very reluctant to recommend Amtrak to anyone. https://is.gd/zE0JkA I agree they wern't entitled to a refund. However, I think Amtrak management should have given them a partial refund if they had any concern about customer relations and customer...

There are a lot of offbeat or unconventional festivals, around the country, that I would like to attend. Some are near Amtrak stations or depots while others would require a rental car and possibly 2-4 hours of driving. Duct Tape Festival, Avon Ohio. Not far from Cleveland...

My sister has an old LGB guage train set, which she hauls out, every Christmas, to place around the Christmas tree. Her train is in need of repair and she has had trouble locating a model train shop that repairs LGB's. Her train still doesn't run. I've also been thinking about an LGB train...

https://is.gd/pyJybH I wonder if we will keep hearing that long distance Amtrak trains are a big money loser. From the article: "revenue on the long-distance network in 2022 was up by $113 million, or 23%, over 2019, the last “normal,” or pre-pandemic year. In contrast, both Northeast...

Here is a link to some of the interesting and historic small towns in Oregon: https://is.gd/RekIUJ I've been to Sisters (back in July) and Cottage Grove. I've never been to Brownsville, Jacksonville, or Shaniko. Has anyone? I have always wanted to see Jacksonville. One of these days, I...

I'm glad to hear more talk of an west to east expansion of the Amtrak Cascades in Washington. https://is.gd/qMdSvi "Expansion of Amtrak type service from Seattle to Spokane via Yakima and the Tri-Cities is projected to perform competitively with other intercity passenger rail corridors even...

I wonder what suggestions you could give for dinner train excursions trains around the country. As part of the PBS "Trains Around North America" they showed a number of what appeared to be excellent dinner trains. I remember the "Conway Scenic Railroad" which showed a really nice dining car...

https://is.gd/ChmfwL I'm not really optimistic, but it would be nice. Caldwell Idaho is 30 min west of Boise. If they could only go to Ogden, there is a FrontRunner commuter train from SLC up to Ogden. UP passenger station in Boise

An interesting article on the differences between business class on a VIA train and on an Amtrak train: https://is.gd/z03PPR

https://is.gd/vQuUxT I like the new roomette seats. The old seats caused a lot of back discomfort, for me. The new ones look a lot more comfortable. I still would like to see toilets in Superliner roomettes. At one time, didn't Amtrak offer a morning newspaper for roomette and bedroom travelers?