The one device you can't be without on the train

[Amtrak George]

a roll of duct tape

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I have found a basic pair of electronic headphones like you get on the 'plane works great with my Bearcat Scanner as I can hear clearly without having to turn the thing up Full. If you haven't got a pair or 2 around you swiped from the airlines, you can buy a decent pair for about $10-20.

 

[NETrainfan]

My phone to tell the folks back home about what we're seeing. AND my mini flashlight. (Has come in very handy in a roomette!)

 

[Ryan]

I'm completely split between scanner and iPad. The iPad lets me know where we are and the GPS tracks I record help geotag the pictures I take. But the scanner lets me know what's going on, particularly when weird things happen.

Not sure I can decide between the two.

 

[PRR 60]

I can't exist on a long distance train ride without my laptop, Topo North America mapping program, and USB GPS antenna. Topo North America is the electronic version of the tried and true DeLorme Gazetteers topographic map books. The GPS overlays on the topo maps. The result provides all the location, speed and direction info of a regular GPS, but with much more geographic detail than a street map like Google. It mesmerizes me for hours.

I have since found out that the Amtrak business cars also use a DeLorme map and GPS setup, with the display on a flatscreen. However, Amtrak uses Street Atlas USA instead of Topo North America. Cheapskates.