I was a regular rider.
Train Jam 2019: CZ (5) March 14-16, 2019
- Thread starter Thirdrail7
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I think in 2016 they worked with Amtrak to add a dedicated Sightseer Lounge for their group, but the train was still a mix of Tain Jam and regular riders. 2017 and 2018 they booked out the whole train.
Son, I say two words: “Foghorn Leghorn.”
cpotisch
Engineer
What does that mean, dad? (I know the character, but don’t get the reference)
ehbowen
Engineer
Maybe he's saying, I"'m just a loudmouthed schnook!"
https://player.vimeo.com/video/34397126?app_id=122963
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Hey everyone - I'm Adriel, the founder and organizer of Train Jam. I've seen these threads pop up over the last few years, and I just wanted to finally say hi and see if you all had any questions for me about Train Jam! Train Jam has gotten so much larger over the last few years than I ever really expected it to, and it's been super fascinating to learn about Amtrak (and trains, in general, honestly) as I've been able to work more closely with them.
Organizing Train Jam is one of the highlights of my whole year, and something that I hold very close to my heart - the California Zephyr route is so incredibly beautiful, and I love that Train Jam has allowed me to share it with so many new people every year.
Organizing Train Jam is one of the highlights of my whole year, and something that I hold very close to my heart - the California Zephyr route is so incredibly beautiful, and I love that Train Jam has allowed me to share it with so many new people every year.
cpotisch
Engineer
Welcome! Might I ask how far out Amtrak requires you to book for an entire-train event like this?
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I start talking to them almost immediately after Train Jam is over, and lock in my group reservation's dates dates right away...so, that all gets finalized (with a deposit paid and everything) about a year in advance of the next year's Train Jam.
For those readers not familiar with previous threads at this time of year, here’s a reminder that the westbound California Zephyr departing Chicago on 14 March is completely sold out for its entire journey to Emeryville.
All tickets were purchased via TrainJam several months ago, within 24 hours of going on sale.
All tickets were purchased via TrainJam several months ago, within 24 hours of going on sale.
tim49424
Engineer
I am so glad I’m on #5 the previous day from Chicago to Sacramento!
I checked out the prices on the TrainJam journey and they look pretty decent. If true its surprising that Amtrak would permit one organization to buy out the entire train and not leave anything for other travelers. There are periodic travel groups on the Western trains but we have never encountered a situation like this.
cpotisch
Engineer
How'd you figure that? Fares for TrainJam are well above anything Amtrak charges. $490 for ONE BED in a Roomette? Those prices are just absurd for anyone who doesn't plan to actually take part in the event, so I don't see why Amtrak would have much of an issue.
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Redacted, with apologies - see below.
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The Journalist
Lead Service Attendant
I think he's right, actually; Train Jams' tickets are for one bed in the sleeper rooms, not the entire thing.
In any case, it sounds like the organization just bought out the whole train; having it be sold out could be an annoyance to others but LD trains sometimes sell out organically anyway. It's not like they're booting anyone off to accommodate this travel group.
Are you saying Train Jam can sell the other bed to somebody else? Anybody else? Wait! Yes they can!!
My apologies - didn't read past the fares the first time and failed to notice this:
<tucks tail between legs and slowly exits the discussion>
cpotisch
Engineer
It’s all good
, though I do have a bit of advice for you in the future:
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Cho Cho Charlie
Engineer
Some comments...
It could be worse. Sharing a roomette on a Viewliner with a stranger could be challenging at times (like at 2am for me )..
It might be good that Train Jam has the entire train. I would not like being the only passenger on the train, not associated with the event.
Isn't there also an east coast train ( a Silver? ) that is entirely used to host a single event?
It could be worse. Sharing a roomette on a Viewliner with a stranger could be challenging at times (like at 2am for me
)..It might be good that Train Jam has the entire train. I would not like being the only passenger on the train, not associated with the event.
Isn't there also an east coast train ( a Silver? ) that is entirely used to host a single event?
cubeguide
Train Attendant
Yeah, The Silver Meteor hosts an event as the Safety Patrol Special.
cpotisch
Engineer
bmjhagen9426
OBS Chief
The videogame nerd/geek crowd might not ride their train to GDC 2019 which is to be held in San Francisco, if the Donner Pass/Sierra tracks are not cleared before the 14th, or another avalanche/white out/wash out/tree/snowbound conditions occur in a way that will prevent 5 (14) from running (i.e. the tracks must be passable to traffic by/before then, and the CA Zephyr running), which has been a recent issue.
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Last year it was the first train across that route after a major snow event. At some point a set of snow plows were leading the train. Also the organizer leave a extra day scheduled in case of delays or reroute.
cpotisch
Engineer
They're software developers, not just random gamers.
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Hi, Train Jam organizer here!
We do a lot of things just to keep the organization simple since a lot of the folks who come onto the train have never ridden a train before (let-alone a long distance Amtrak train, specifically), and many are traveling from abroad (so they aren't familiar with American trains at all). One of the major things I do is to just cap each room at 2 people. Doing this stops a lot of confusion for people in terms of pricing, space, ticket type, etc (both for the folks coming on the train AND for me keeping track of 342 people). We also use a combination of the tickets and sponsor money to cover all snacks in both (yep, two!) lounge cars, so pricing might look a bit strange to those of you who are used to Amtrak's regular pricing.
I know it's a little strange to have us take over an entire train once a year, but so many people who attend Train Jam get such a joy out of being able to travel across the country, see the amazing sights, and work with a diverse set of people from all over the world....all while doing the thing they love - creating games. We have people from almost every continent of the world who have never been to the US before, who get to immediately experience some of the absolute best scenery the US has to offer, and I really appreciate how much Amtrak has embraced us over the years to do such a weird thing in such an amazing place.
If you want a little taste of what Train Jam is like, here's an article that was written about us a few years ago (before we were big enough to take over the whole train), which I think really captures the spirit of why we do this every year: https://www.polygon.com/features/2016/4/8/11376970/train-jam-2016
I'd love to answer any questions y'all might have about us!
We do a lot of things just to keep the organization simple since a lot of the folks who come onto the train have never ridden a train before (let-alone a long distance Amtrak train, specifically), and many are traveling from abroad (so they aren't familiar with American trains at all). One of the major things I do is to just cap each room at 2 people. Doing this stops a lot of confusion for people in terms of pricing, space, ticket type, etc (both for the folks coming on the train AND for me keeping track of 342 people). We also use a combination of the tickets and sponsor money to cover all snacks in both (yep, two!) lounge cars, so pricing might look a bit strange to those of you who are used to Amtrak's regular pricing.
I know it's a little strange to have us take over an entire train once a year, but so many people who attend Train Jam get such a joy out of being able to travel across the country, see the amazing sights, and work with a diverse set of people from all over the world....all while doing the thing they love - creating games. We have people from almost every continent of the world who have never been to the US before, who get to immediately experience some of the absolute best scenery the US has to offer, and I really appreciate how much Amtrak has embraced us over the years to do such a weird thing in such an amazing place.
If you want a little taste of what Train Jam is like, here's an article that was written about us a few years ago (before we were big enough to take over the whole train), which I think really captures the spirit of why we do this every year: https://www.polygon.com/features/2016/4/8/11376970/train-jam-2016
I'd love to answer any questions y'all might have about us!
