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I had a lovely time in New Orleans. Sadly I am back home now. I think next time I venture over, I will try the Empire Builder.

So I took my first Amtrak trip for 8 years. It was all a bit of a disaster. I booked a Roomette on the Crescent from New York to New Orleans. The old Viewliner equipment is looking very old and shabby. If you don’t want to use the toilet in your room, you have to walk down to coach, which was...

Out of about 8 meals this year on trains (CZ, Cardinal), the French Toast was the only thing that tasted fresh and that I really enjoyed. I remember (in the UK), a full English breakfast cooked to order - now that is long gone. If the food on the trains becomes total pre-packaged, then I will...

Just out of interest, does anyone tip a steward(less) on an airline and if not why not? When I travelled across the USA earlier this year I did tip the attendants and the dining staff but then I wondered if they were not paid a decent wage by Amtrak. If you go into a bar/restaurant in New...

In March, I flew United International Business from London to Washington and then took the Cardinal to Chicago and the CZ to San Francisco. The best food by far was on United, in terms of quality, quantity and service. It was also better than BA business on the way back to London. The food on...

If there is a second sleeper, the Cardinal needs a proper diner too.

The views from the Cardinal going west were pretty unspectacular, and it is slow. The LSL has better views and probably better food. (The Cardinal food was pretty dire). Probably a sleeper will be cheaper on the LSL too.

I echo the idea of going to the food mall in Grand Central. Some good places there and reasonably cheap. Or the GC Oyster Bar. Not cheap but always busy and the food is excellent (if you like fish). Oh and the best Lobster roll I have ever had.

McDonalds? Seriously, there are so many places to eat in New York that you will find somewhere, even if it is fast food. Just go for a wander on one of the cross streets going West from Penn Station and you will find loads of relatively cheap restaurants. Regarding JFK. It depends which...

Orangesaint hit the nail on the head when he talked about a happy crew. If you enjoy your job and look happy, that will make the passengers happy. If you look miserable and just go through the motions, everyone will think the worse of you. Also be proactive. Introduce yourself, tell people...

"How much can they lose at these prices?" On the Cardinal the other day at dinner, there were less than 10 people eating. Most were sleeper passengers. To support these passengers, there were, I think 2 staff. Even though the prices are high for what is delivered, it is the staff cost that...

Interesting to read your comments about the seat pitch on UK trains compared to Amtrak LD. I was amazed to see how much space there is in the US but the big difference is that in the US, people sleep in coach. In the UK, there are few, if any, overnight trains (except sleepers). So there is...

Of course, yes hood is the convertible top. In English we have a bonnet and a boot, you have a hood and a trunk. We have a saloon, you have a sedan. And most confusingly, our petrol pumps are green and our diesel black. You have these the other way round. All bloody stupid really. One day we...

Jim, Sounds good. I like the West coast. Not sure I want to go back to LA again though. Maybe up the coast from LA to Seattle and then on the Empire Builder. Or even try one of the Southern routes. I've never been to New Orleans and would like to

Thanks Ed, I actually booked a Mustang but they gave me a Camaro V8 instead. Very nice until trying to get the hood back up again and the locking mechanism broke. Had to drive the 80 miles back down the freeway with the wind in my hair. Lovely wine from Lodi as well

So after a nice restful night in Chicago, it was time to go off on the train again. But before I ventured off to the station, I decided to go to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry to see the original Burlington Zephyr. Getting down to the museum was easy as the bus stopped just outside...

Quite possibly, but then the Capitol Limited also starts at Washington.

Well hopefully, this will be the first part of a two page trip report (the other the CZ). I have always wanted to travel across the USA by train. This desire was brought on my a) flying over from Boston to LA and seeing the country and wanting to see more, b) love of trains since boyhood and...

I've just filled in a satisfaction survey on my last trip. There were several questions about whether the printed timetable was useful. I answered in the affirmative!!!!

I was on 51(4). Got into Chicago about 2 1/2 hours late due to slow running because of flood warning and then freight congestion.