Coast Starlight in USA Today 8/24

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Thanks for the link. I was just thinking about doing that run next year. I'm just trying to decide if I should go North - South or vice versa.
 
Thanks for the link. I was just thinking about doing that run next year. I'm just trying to decide if I should go North - South or vice versa.
I prefer N/S.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the link. I was just thinking about doing that run next year. I'm just trying to decide if I should go North - South or vice versa.
I am going on it this morning, but only to Santa Barbara. Would like to take the Surfliner or Metrolink/Coaster down to San Diego sometime and see the views on that line.

Dano
 
Thanks for the link. I was just thinking about doing that run next year. I'm just trying to decide if I should go North - South or vice versa.
It's a great train--I've done it roundtrip. It's about the same, but I like South-North more.

Edited: I'm stupid. I like South-North more, not North-South...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
it really doesn't matter whether your going N or S as far as the view is concerned. Grab a seat on the view side in the SSL (or PPC if you are a sleeper pax)).

For me it was more of making the connections at the end.
 
I have taken 11/14 more times than I can count (not counting the Trails & Rails trips) and I honestly can say I prefer the northbound trip too. Especially if the train is more than an hour late... you get to see Mount Shasta during breakfast. Though I do have to say that Southbound the scenery at dinner both nights during summer is spectacular. First night climbing the Cascades & second night cruising along the coast. So, no matter which direction yo choose, I am sure you will have a great trip!
 
Well I choose my vacation for 2013 in Oct. and I guess I'll let the baseball schedule decide. Fly into LA/Seattle and fly home from the other.
 
I like northbound better. I also like the EB just a tab bit more, but the CS is still great. CZ has been disappointing so far, "most scenic train ride" dosen't seem so good to me.

Note that the first picture you see has the CS led by a pair of F40PHs.
 
Note that the first picture you see has the CS led by a pair of F40PHs.
I could only get it to enlarge a bit but it looks like they may be P42s; however I did right away notice no Baggage Car.
Those are F40PHs all right. They have the orginal Phase III with the black roof. P42DCs never had those other than specially painted locomotives.

See these:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=159855&nseq=165

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=149074&nseq=62
 
Been on the CS a few times, mostly between Bay area and Portland, and once from LA to DUN. IMHO, anyone who calls it the most scenic route has not been on the CZ. Just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the CS a lot, even though as I have said before, I think the PPC is way over rated, and frankly, a bit shabby. Anyone who thinks it is a "luxury varnish car" has never been aboard a well maintained wooden yacht.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Been on the CS a few times, mostly between Bay area and Portland, and once from LA to DUN. IMHO, anyone who calls it the most scenic route has not been on the CZ. Just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the CS a lot, even though as I have said before, I think the PPC is way over rated, and frankly, a bit shabby. Anyone who thinks it is a "luxury varnish car" has never been aboard a well maintained wooden yacht.
What do people think is so scenic about the CZ? When you ascend from Denver it's so far away I can't feel anything. The canyons feel like you are put between a rock and a hard place, literally. For me, the best part was going by the cliffs in the desert near HER and GRI. Second best was 79 mph running in eastern Colorado, before DEN. The mountains were hugely disappointing.
 
Been on the CS a few times, mostly between Bay area and Portland, and once from LA to DUN. IMHO, anyone who calls it the most scenic route has not been on the CZ. Just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the CS a lot, even though as I have said before, I think the PPC is way over rated, and frankly, a bit shabby. Anyone who thinks it is a "luxury varnish car" has never been aboard a well maintained wooden yacht.
What do people think is so scenic about the CZ? When you ascend from Denver it's so far away I can't feel anything. The canyons feel like you are put between a rock and a hard place, literally. For me, the best part was going by the cliffs in the desert near HER and GRI. Second best was 79 mph running in eastern Colorado, before DEN. The mountains were hugely disappointing.
Huge, yes. Disappointing, NO. Heheh. What kind of mountains would it take to impress you, if the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada don't do it? Were you raised in Tibet or something?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Been on the CS a few times, mostly between Bay area and Portland, and once from LA to DUN. IMHO, anyone who calls it the most scenic route has not been on the CZ. Just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the CS a lot, even though as I have said before, I think the PPC is way over rated, and frankly, a bit shabby. Anyone who thinks it is a "luxury varnish car" has never been aboard a well maintained wooden yacht.
What do people think is so scenic about the CZ? When you ascend from Denver it's so far away I can't feel anything. The canyons feel like you are put between a rock and a hard place, literally. For me, the best part was going by the cliffs in the desert near HER and GRI. Second best was 79 mph running in eastern Colorado, before DEN. The mountains were hugely disappointing.
Huge, yes. Disappointing, NO. Heheh. What kind of mountains would it take to impress you, if the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada don't do it? Were you raised in Tibet or something?
All natural geography impresses me equally, not just mountains. Mountains are just one of them. What I mean is that just becuase the CZ passes through lots of mountains dosen't mean it's the best train in Ameirca. It's good, just not better than any other train just for mountains. You would need more than that to impress me, things about the train and it's personnel instead of just nature.
 
Been on the CS a few times, mostly between Bay area and Portland, and once from LA to DUN. IMHO, anyone who calls it the most scenic route has not been on the CZ. Just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the CS a lot, even though as I have said before, I think the PPC is way over rated, and frankly, a bit shabby. Anyone who thinks it is a "luxury varnish car" has never been aboard a well maintained wooden yacht.
What do people think is so scenic about the CZ? When you ascend from Denver it's so far away I can't feel anything. The canyons feel like you are put between a rock and a hard place, literally. For me, the best part was going by the cliffs in the desert near HER and GRI. Second best was 79 mph running in eastern Colorado, before DEN. The mountains were hugely disappointing.
Huge, yes. Disappointing, NO. Heheh. What kind of mountains would it take to impress you, if the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada don't do it? Were you raised in Tibet or something?
All natural geography impresses me equally, not just mountains. Mountains are just one of them. What I mean is that just becuase the CZ passes through lots of mountains dosen't mean it's the best train in Ameirca. It's good, just not better than any other train just for mountains. You would need more than that to impress me, things about the train and it's personnel instead of just nature.
I don't think that most of us would agree that all natural geography (is there any other kind?) is equal, otherwise we'd all be raving about our trips across Iowa and Nebraska and Texas. True, those places are beautiful but several hours of flatness and farms is not nearly as impressive to most people as the dramatic changing views in the Rockies.
 
Been on the CS a few times, mostly between Bay area and Portland, and once from LA to DUN. IMHO, anyone who calls it the most scenic route has not been on the CZ. Just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the CS a lot, even though as I have said before, I think the PPC is way over rated, and frankly, a bit shabby. Anyone who thinks it is a "luxury varnish car" has never been aboard a well maintained wooden yacht.
What do people think is so scenic about the CZ? When you ascend from Denver it's so far away I can't feel anything. The canyons feel like you are put between a rock and a hard place, literally. For me, the best part was going by the cliffs in the desert near HER and GRI. Second best was 79 mph running in eastern Colorado, before DEN. The mountains were hugely disappointing.
Huge, yes. Disappointing, NO. Heheh. What kind of mountains would it take to impress you, if the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada don't do it? Were you raised in Tibet or something?
All natural geography impresses me equally, not just mountains. Mountains are just one of them. What I mean is that just becuase the CZ passes through lots of mountains dosen't mean it's the best train in Ameirca. It's good, just not better than any other train just for mountains. You would need more than that to impress me, things about the train and it's personnel instead of just nature.
I don't think that most of us would agree that all natural geography (is there any other kind?) is equal, otherwise we'd all be raving about our trips across Iowa and Nebraska and Texas. True, those places are beautiful but several hours of flatness and farms is not nearly as impressive to most people as the dramatic changing views in the Rockies.
Well, everybody's entitled to their own opinion. Personally I like the middle-of-nowhere feeling for miles that you get on the EB.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top