Two weeks until my first long distance trip!

Two weeks from Wednesday, I leave on the Silver Meteor with my son heading to Orlando, FL from NYP. We can't wait! We've never been on long distance trains before, unless you consider NYP to WAS long distance.

We are, however, having trouble finding out what we should pack for our trip. We will be getting a roomette, and I hear there is just enough room in it for your carryons. What are some of the things to pack?

Also are there any aps I can download to listen to the communication between the engineer, amtrak and conducters?

Don't go crazy packing, there is room in a viewliner for a small (carryon size) suitcase in the hight storage hole. There is room to put a backpack or something similar size on the toilet (while not in use), or on the upper bunk.

Stuff I usually bring:

Snacks (it can be a long time between lunch and dinner, and the cafe car is way expensive)

phone, tablet, GPS, and sometimes laptop

Power cord and charging cables for phone, tablet, GPS and laptop

A couple of soda's (ice, coffee, and juice are complimentary and will be available in your car).

Toiletries (I usually don't shower on a 1 day trip, but there is soap and towels available)

Clothes

Earplugs or eyemask if you are a light sleeper.

Duct Tape (to seal up air leaks and curtains.)

That is really about it. I usually have a couple of books loaded up on my Kindle app. Keep in mind there may be parts of the trip you have no cell coverage.

You can use the First Class lounge at NYP, they will have some free snacks and drinks, plu you will pre-board before the masses. There is also luggage storage if you want to explore Penn Station or the immediate area.

That was an awesome response! Thanks!

Have a great trip!

And don't think the duct tape is a crazy idea. I had seen this recommended before and forgotten about it. Our last trip had a (very small) closet door in the roomette that was shut, but not quite and rattled all night long. We finally put our shoes in there , one on top of the other and cracking the door open. It worked but Duct tape would be better,

Will definitely bring the duct tape. I can sleep through anything, but my 9yr old probably couldn't.

Wow have a great time. Please report on the trip when you get back.

I hope you have a wonderful time on the train and in Orlando. BTW, today, the temperature will be in the high 80's. Hopefully, in 2 weeks, it will be more comfortable.

If you are really lucky, Leo will be your sleeping car attendant. He works the 10 car of train 97. However, I think most of the attendants on the Silvers are terrific.

There are many threads about scanners which will enable you to listen to communications. I have a scanner, but I only bring it with me 25% of the time.

As far as packing, less is better, in my opinion. The roomettes on the Silver Meteor do not have a closet, but they do have more storage (above the hallway) than the superliner roomettes. There will be no public storage racks in your sleeper car, so all your carryons will have to fit in your room. The room is fairly small, so I suggest either checking larger pieces of luggage or pack light.

If you check your luggage, you can retrieve it on the north part platform in Orlando. When you de-train, turn left and back towards the back of the train.

If you want to see something interesting, keep an eye out for the big Auto Train yards at Lorton VA just south of WAS and again at Sanford FL just north of Orlando. Ask one of the Conductors and they should be able to tell you when and where to look.

Thanks Global...My son and I are heading to Disney to play in a series of football games at Wide World of Sports. He'll have his football equipment as his carry-on, and I'll pack a small suitcase for both of us to use as carryons. We will probably share a larger suitcase which I'll have to check at NYP.

Intersting, I travel with my 9yo also. Glad I can help.

Only thing I would add is my 9yo has a personal DVD player. He loves riding the train, but does get bored and wants to watch a movie after about 2 hours (he loves riding in the upper bunk and watching movies, especially in the viewliner). Also, snacks are even more important to have with the a 9yo along.

Enjoy your trip, we are thinking of taking the Meteor next summer

You can learn what radio frequencies will be used by the crew on your trip at http://www.on-track-on-line.com/amtrak-freqs.shtml

I am now aware what (if any?) apps for smart phones can receive these frequencies, but many scanners (such as available from Radio Shack) do -- earphones would be essential if you do plan on listening in on these communications, so as not to disturb other passengers.

I like to bring my toiletries in a bag which I can hang on a hook. Makes your toothbrush, makeup, etc. really accessible. Crayons for your son, maybe a deck of cards. I don't know about the Viewliner (I'm a West Coast sleeper traveler) but I recommend bringing a small plug-in power strip. There's only one outlet usually. And, stating the obvious here, bring your camera!

Definitely bringing my camera, and will look into a radio shack scanner. I have an older one I bought about 7 or 8 years ago...have to find it though!

The portable power strip is invaluable, especially if you have a lot of electronics - and, most people have more electronics than they think they have! Between the cell phone, the laptop, the portable DVD player, the camera - and whatever else - you may need more power outlets than are available at any given time. I own this, and it was one of the best purchases I ever made. In addition to coming in handy in your roomette, it can be useful in the hotel or in a group setting where there are limited sources of power. I have made my share of friends by offering to share additional power at crowded "power trees" at the airport (yeah...I know, airport is a bad word around here), so perhaps the train equivalent is the lounge car. This was recommended by a travel blogger, due to its compact size - about the size of a dollar bill, so it fits easily in your carry-on bag. They also make a newer product now that has USB, but one fewer AC outlet.

kbmiflyer said:

Don't go crazy packing, there is room in a viewliner for a small (carryon size) suitcase in the hight storage hole. There is room to put a backpack or something similar size on the toilet (while not in use), or on the upper bunk.

Stuff I usually bring:

Snacks (it can be a long time between lunch and dinner, and the cafe car is way expensive)

phone, tablet, GPS, and sometimes laptop

Power cord and charging cables for phone, tablet, GPS and laptop

A couple of soda's (ice, coffee, and juice are complimentary and will be available in your car).

Toiletries (I usually don't shower on a 1 day trip, but there is soap and towels available)

Clothes

Earplugs or eyemask if you are a light sleeper.

Duct Tape (to seal up air leaks and curtains.)

That is really about it. I usually have a couple of books loaded up on my Kindle app. Keep in mind there may be parts of the trip you have no cell coverage.

You can use the First Class lounge at NYP, they will have some free snacks and drinks, plu you will pre-board before the masses. There is also luggage storage if you want to explore Penn Station or the immediate area.

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I have to correct that. We managed to successfully get ourselves and two backpacks with stuff for about two weeks into a roomette without getting an unconfortable feeling. Checking your luggage is nevertheless advised. I never felt like having snacks between meals, and drinking water is also available (otherwise a gallon does the job). What's really missing on the trains is some decent chocolate.

Do shower, it's part of the fun and get timings for sunrise, so you can adjust your sleeping time and get some more views.

Otherwise here's is my list:

Duct tape, (definitely & top of the list).

More duct tape

Gorilla glue (There's a story beind that recommendation )

A GPS-device (i.e. phone, etc.), it's particularly nice if you can record your track with an app like Sports Tracker and see where you're going through,

Earplugs

Sleeping mask

U-shaped inflatable pillow (I need that only for coach travel, but it may come in handy during daytime)

A large pack of small talk (yes, do start conversations in the diner and do chat with Amtrak employees particularly about their )

Safe trip young padawan!

CTSully said:

Two weeks from Wednesday, I leave on the Silver Meteor with my son heading to Orlando, FL from NYP. We can't wait!

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My first LD trip on Amtrak was so long ago and I was so young that I can no longer remember it. I can't remember my first flight for the similar reasons. I kind of envy y'all in that regard.

CTSully said:

We've never been on long distance trains before, unless you consider NYP to WAS long distance.

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Not this crowd. I generally get sick of constant traveling after the second or third day and have to stop somewhere for a while to recharge, but some members stack one route upon another upon another until they've been traveling continuously for up to a week or more.

CTSully said:

We are, however, having trouble finding out what we should pack for our trip. We will be getting a roomette, and I hear there is just enough room in it for your carryons. What are some of the things to pack?

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There are long threads elsewhere on the forum that discuss in minute detail what you should and should not pack. I'd do some searching if you want in-depth advice. Or you can just pack the obvious stuff and see how it goes.

I rarely travel with the oddball suggestions that you sometimes read about here on the forum. In my experience the sort of things that may break on Amtrak aren't likely to be fixable with a bag full of kludges and jerry rigs made out of odds and ends. If folks want to play MacGyver on rails then more power to them, but that's not how I do it.

CTSully said:

Also are there any aps I can download to listen to the communication between the engineer, amtrak and conducters?

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Yes and no. There's no application that can turn a smart phone into the type of receiver which can directly pickup railroad communications. Mainly because it's missing the antenna and the analog stage which cannot be emulated through digital processing alone. However, if you really wanted to you could presumably use a smart phone to access stationary signal streams that are picked up by hardware other people maintain and then sent over digital communication channels accessible by web browsers and the like. Logistically this could be a bit of a problem since you'd have to keep changing sources in order to "keep up" with your train's movement and the chance than an active relay would be located where you just happen to be passing through seems slim in all but the most heavily populated areas.

CTSully said:

Definitely bringing my camera, and will look into a radio shack scanner. I have an older one I bought about 7 or 8 years ago...have to find it though!

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With the changeover to narrowband the accuracy and signal strength may be less than you remember, but probably good enough. Just keep in mind that most of what you hear will be an endless stream of defect detectors reporting no anomalies. In my experience there's little reason to bring a scanner unless you're expecting some sort of problem, because unless there's a problem you're unlikely to hear much of interest over the scanner. If you want to teach your child the properties and purposes of a scanner that's fine, but if you're hoping to learn much about railroading itself simply by bringing a scanner along you might be disappointed.

YourFoodSherpa said:

I own this, and it was one of the best purchases I ever made.

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I own and can recommend the same power adapter. It's small enough to be easily portable and works well in most situations.

The best thing I have ever had on a LD trip is my scanner. With the scanner I've been able to hear chatter about what is causing delays, etc.

Leaving on the silver meteor tomorrow from NYP(!) and getting a little anxious. I know the derailment occurred on the MNR line, separate from the line we'll be on (I'm first traveling from Bridgeport, CT on the NEC line to NYP). The reason for my anxiety is that the local news in CT is reporting that riders on the new haven MNR line can expect delays because of extra riders affected by the train derailment. I'm wondering if this has been affecting southbound NEC amtrak trains.

Thanks for all your advice to this point! We have a wheel-on suitcase we'll use for our carry-on, and we'll share a larger suitcase for our checked baggage. I did get the duct tape (what spots should I look to tape up?), a power strip. Looking forward to my first long distance trip with my son who by the way happens to be nervous about the trip...not so much because of the derailment (atleast he hasn't admitted to it), but because he gets motion sickness so we've picked up extra dramamine.

Have a great trip. I get motion sickness on boats, but never have been sick on a train.... but everyone is different. The Silver Meteor that left NYP yesterday appears to be running on time, for what that is worth.

I hope you have a nice time in Orlando. Be prepared for warm weather. It is expected to be in the 80's this weekend.

CTSully said:

I did get the duct tape (what spots should I look to tape up?), a power strip.

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Don't worry about where to use it - you'll know once the rattle begins.

I've used it to stop a closet door from shaking, to block the vent from blowing on me [i take a small piece of cardboard cut from a cereal box and tape that to the vent] in an overly heated or overly cooled roomette, and to support a plug in an electrical outlet with loose contacts. I just wrap a length of tape around a pill bottle, and don't take the full roll of duct tape. The pill bottle has small safety pins and bulldog clips to hold curtains or anything else in place. And I put a bandaid or two in the pill bottle too. Compact way to store it all for my daypack.