Least scenic Amtrak route/section of route?

[GlobalistPotato]

Well, some might say the desolateness of Nevada and Utah is an epic sight.

It's a view most Americans never see.

Like this:

 

[jis]

A few what appears to me to be depressing stretches on the NEC except for Railfans perhaps are:

o CP Elmora just west of Elizabeth to just short of Rahway CP Union.

o Holmesburg PA (CP Holmes) to CP Mantua just before the Schuylkill River Bridge coming from NY.

o CP Arsenal just west of Philly 30th St. to CP Hook (Marcus Hook).

o CP Bayview east end of Bayview Yard in MD to the entrance of Union Tunnel in the Baltimore area.

 

[Anderson]

When you factor in timing and duration, I'd put the Capitol Limited near the bottom. Much of the run is at night, so (depending on the season) you only get a few hours of scenery.

I have to disagree firmly here, based on experience (at least, EB). In winter, the segments you run into during breakfast (think 6-8 AM) can be quite magnificent (steep valleys with ice coating the walls all throughout), and I've enjoyed the scenery on the segments in Western MD/WV when the sun's been up for me to see. But I also know that it's not the Rockies by any stretch.

I think that we're really in agreement - I agree that the scenery that you do get is pretty good, but my primary complaint is the quantity, not the quality of the scenery. Upon further reflection, the Auto Train has the same quantity issue, and additional quality issues - flat land and endless pine trees aren't that exciting, so I'd put that below the Cap.

That's fair. I also largely judge the Cap as a "business" train in a sense (that is to say, I get on in the evening in DC and I wake up outside of Chicago) more than any other train, but I've also been on it more than any other train perhaps save the NE Regional (and even there, it's a close contest over the last few years, though if I keep up my DC runs, the Regional will definitely pass it someday soon).

I would actually concur on the ACL trains: While the coastal marshes in Georgia are nice once, they're a short segment of the trip, and most of the run is either trees or the NEC.

 

[the_traveler]

I find the least scenic portion of a train trip is when it's dark, you are not going thru towns, there is not a house in sight and it's a cloudy night!

 

[nightrider]

I find the least scenic portion of a train trip is when it's dark, you are not going thru towns, there is not a house in sight and it's a cloudy night!

That's about the time you should direct your attention to the scenery on the inside of the train....like pretty coeds going back to college on Boston bound trains....

 

[Bob Dylan]

I find the least scenic portion of a train trip is when it's dark, you are not going thru towns, there is not a house in sight and it's a cloudy night!

In other words passing through Rhode Island! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[the_traveler]

Hey, don't knock Rhode Island! We have more than 1 train a day - unlike (say) Austin! (It's more like 1 train per hour!)

 

[rtabern]

Hmmmm... Most boring stretches...

I would say one of the most boring strectches for me has to be through Iowa and Illinois on #6. For me atleast, it doesn't seem as bad going west on #5 because you know the mountains and the canyons are coming... but that last day on #6 through Iowa and Illinois seems to drag... esp when I know my vacation is coming to an end.

#58/59 through Mississippi is pretty dull...

I could see how some would think #421/#422 through west Texas could be boring... but I like the scenery of the desert because you dont see a lot of that through the Midwest.

 

[dan72]

I for one enjoy awakening on the westbound Southwest Chief early in the morning in western Kansas as the sun starts to illuminate the prairie. Personally, I get a charge out of that, as well as the Nevada desert on the CZ, which others consider boring.

My family was on the Southwest Chief a couple of years ago. When we woke up my 8 year old son looks out the window, and ask's "Dad where are we"? I said In western Kansas, maybe east Colorado. He looks back and me, and says. "Looks like we're in the middle of no where to me"! I still chuckle everytime I think about that.

My then 6-year-old had a similar reaction last year in the dining car on the Chief. He looks out the window watching western Kansas pass by and loudly asks my wife 'Wow, do they even speak English here?' My wife and I about fell out of our booths we were laughing so hard and a few folks around us chuckled as well. We quickly filled him in that 1) yes this is still part of the United States and 2) English is spoken here as well.

And I agree with those of you who say scenery is subjective. Even in what is considered a boring area, there are always interesting things going on whether it be other rail traffic, a passing town, etc. It's what makes train travel so much fun for me.

Dan