G'Day from "Down Under"

[Diecastaussie]

Hello from Australia; just wanted to introduce myself to other members of this forum.

 

This forum was recommended to me by Henry Kisor the author of "Zephyr" which is a great introduction to travel on the Californian Zephyr.

 

My name is Garry; I'm not a "Rail Fan" but I do enjoy traveling by train and my interest in AMTRAK comes about because my wife and I have booked a train journey across America from Los Angeles to New York next March to connect up with a cruise that will bring us back to Los Angeles (Long Beach actually)

 

We have booked the #711 San Joaquin from Bakersfield to Emmeryville with Thruway bus connections at both ends allowing us a few days in San Francisco. Then we take the #6 Californian Zephyr from Emmeryville to Chicago with a day in Chicago and then board the #30 Capitol Limited to Washington, spend a few days in Washington and finally the #186 Northeast Regional from Washington to New York.

 

We have booked bedrooms on the California Zephyr and the Capitol Limited so hopefully we should have a pretty comfortable journey.

 

I can already see that there are many experienced and knowledgeable contributors to this forum and I am looking forward to gaining a considerable amount of information hints and tips before we embark on our first AMTRAK journey.

 

As I have no experience with AMTRAK; I'll apologize in advance if some of the many questions that I may subsequently ask seem naive or ignorant, but as we say in Australia - "If you don't ask, you don't get"

 

Garry :lol:

 

 

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

Garry,

Welcome to AU. you are now part of an awesome family.

Being that you have bedrooms on the long distance trains, your trip will definitely be more comfortable. Also, being that you have bedrooms, you are entitled to free meals in the diner, *technically included in the price of the ticket*. You also have access to the First Class Lounges in Chicago, and Washington DC.

One thing to keep in mind is that no matter what happens, Amtrak will get you to your destination. Im glad that you are giving yourself a bit of time in the major stopover points to rest.

Once again, welcome to the forum. I hope you have a pleasant journey on Amtrak. We are here to help you in any way we can, so no matter how many questions you have, ask away, thats what we are here for.

Anthony

 

[Shanghai]

Welcome to Amtrak Unlimited!!

 

I hope you enjoy your Amtrak Train trip across America.

We live in New Jersey and have a daughter in California,

so we have made a few cross country trips.

 

The California Zephyr is a very scenic trip through the

mountains and plains and across major rivers of America.

 

It is good to have you as a member. I hope you will

contribute posts and a trip report on your travels.

 

[the_traveler]

G'day Garry! Welcome to AU (Amtrak Unliited) and an early welcome to the US!

As stated, the California Zephyr (CZ) is considered by many as the most scenic rail journey in the US, and the Capitol Limited (CL) is very scenic also the next morning. As both these trains use Superliner equipment, be sure to spend some time in the SightSeer Lounge (SSL), especially during the crossing of the mountains between California and Nevada and again through the mountains in Colorado!

Also note that the trains between Washington and New York City do not offer checked baggage service. However, there is plenty of space in the luggage rack above your seat (MUCH more than on a plane) and also at the end of the car.

I hope you enjoy your holiday to the US!

As we say in the US, "The only dumb question asked is the one you do not know the answer to, and you did not ask the question because you thought it was too dumb!" We here at AU are here to answer any questions (dumb or otherwise) that you may have!

 

[SarahZ]

Welcome! I hope you enjoy your trip. It sounds like a lot of fun.