What has been your longest trip on amtrak? With and without Breaks

[Blackshirt Husker]

Since I'm a newbie and I can sense there are seasoned amtrakers on board, tell me what has been the longest train trip for those of you reading this. Including how many nights straight on the amtrak. Would you do it again? I wanna go to Alaska and don't wanna fly. Will have to leave from NOL. Then we wanna sightsee by train when we get there. Is that doable?

Chicago to Los Angeles on the Texas Eagle (65 hours), and then catching the Coast Star Light 4 hours later after arriving in LA and heading to Seattle (~35) hours. For pleasure, not business, and will make that same trip again as soon as the schedule permits.

 

[jamesontheroad]

My longest end to end trip with breaks was thirty days, back when the North America Rail Pass still existed. My travelogue is still available (in annoying reverse order) as a blog here. Aside from a four nights in a section between Winnipeg and Churchill, MB, everything was in coach with one, two or three night stops en route so as stretch out a bit, do some sightseeing and visit friends along the way.

The precise itinerary went as follows:

MAY:

Fri 21 ‘Adirondack’ dep. Montréal 09:50 arr. Schenectady 16:23

Fri 21 ‘Lake Shore Ltd’ dep. Schenectady 19:16

Sat 22 arr. Chicago 09:30

Sun 23 ‘California Zephyr’ dep. Chicago 13:50

Mon 24 arr. Denver 07:15

Tue 25 ‘California Zephyr’ dep. Denver 08:05

Wed 26 arr. Emeryville 16:49

Thu 27 in San Francisco

Fri 28 drive to Santa Barbara

Sat 29 drive north, ‘Coast Starlight’ dep. Emeryville 22:02

Sun 30 arr. Seattle 20:30

APRIL:

Mon 1 in Seattle

Tue 2 ‘Amtrak Cascades’ dep. Seattle 07:45 arr. Vancouver 11:40

Tue 2 ‘Canadian’ dep. Vancouver 17:30

Wed 3 arr. Edmonton 17:30

Thu 4 in Edmonton

Fri 5 in Edmonton

Sat 6 ‘Canadian’ dep. Edmonton 18:20

Sun 7 arr. Winnipeg 11:20 / ‘Hudson Bay’ dep. Winnipeg 20:45

Mon 8 on board the ‘Hudson Bay’

Tue 9 arr. Churchill 08:30 / ‘Hudson Bay’ dep. Churchill 20:30

Wed 10 on board the ‘Hudson Bay’

Thu 11 arr. Winnipeg 08:05 / ‘The Canadian’ dep. Winnipeg 12:25

Fri 12 arr. Toronto 20:00

Sat 13 VIA Corridor dep. Toronto 15:10 arr. Montréal 19:48

Sun 14 ‘Ocean’ dep. Montréal 18:30

Mon 15 arr. Halifax 16:20

Tue 16 in Halifax

Wed 17 in Halifax

Thu 18 in Halifax

Fri 19 ‘Ocean’ dep. Halifax 12:35

Sat 20 arr. Montréal 08:15

 

[Ziv]

I went DC to New Orleans on the Crescent, stayed a night, then went to LA on the Sunset Limited, met a friend for breakfast at a famous cafe just a hundred yards up the street, hopped on the Coast Starlight to Portland where I stayed a night. Then it was off to West Glacier on the Empire Builder where I stayed for several days. Beautiful stop! Glacier is one of America's jewels! Got back on the EB and changed in Chicago to the Capital Limited to DC, all in 15 days so I could use the 15 day pass for $159. If I had it to do over, I would have gotten a roomette on the SSL and the EB.

I have also done the EB and the CL from Seattle to DC non-stop. Not recommended without getting a roomette.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Our longest continuous trip was SAN-LAX Surfliner

LAX-SEA Coast Starlight

SEA-CHI Empire Builder

CHI-CLE Capitol Ltd

Almost four nights on the train-- great food-good car attendants- two hour visit in SEA with my old college roommate from OSU.

Also have done CLE-CHI Capitol Ltd

CHI-LAX via Texas Eagle and Sunset Ltd

Bus to Bakersfield

Bakersfield to Merced-- San Jaoquins

Three nights on the train, an Ambus, and a great stay in Yosemite National Park

 

[p&sr]

Since I'm a newbie and I can sense there are seasoned amtrakers on board, tell me what has been the longest train trip for those of you reading this. Including how many nights straight on the amtrak. Would you do it again?

Longest without breaks:

Irvine to San Diego to Los Angeles to Chicago to Washington DC to Boston to Chicago to Sacramento.

All in coach, seven consecutive overnights on board without leaving Trains or Stations at any time. Yes, I'd do it again.

Longest in North America:

Martinez to San Jose to Oakland to Bakersfield to San Diego to Los Angeles to Chicago to Washington DC to Miami to Washington DC to Boston to Philadelphia to New York to Montreal to Halifax to Montreal to Toronto to Vancouver to Seattle to Martinez. (All in coach; single overnights at Miami, Montreal, Halifax, Toronto, and Seattle). Yes, I'd do it again.

Longest just on Amtrak:

San Jose to Oakland to Bakersfield to San Diego to Los Angeles to New Orleans to Washington DC to Newport News and Virginia Beach then Washington DC to Boston to Portland Maine. Then non-stop return from Portland to Boston to New York to Chicago to Sacramento. (All in coach. Overnights in New Orleans, Virginia Beach, Washington DC, Boston, and Portland Maine.)

Yes, I'd do it again!

 

[boxcar479]

After our first trip from FTW to MIA we were hooked on train travel and wanted more, so I started putting together a trip using a 2 week rail pass. With alot of help from the senior members of this group I finally got a plan together and it went off without a hitch all our trains were on time and no missed connections and we had a great trip.I had to pay seperate for FTW to SAS to make the 14 days work out on the Rail Pass but it went like this FTW to SAS then 8 segments SAS to LAX with almost a direct connx to the Coast Starlight LAX to PDX with almost a direct connx to the Empire Builder PDX to CHI where we had to overnight at the Inn of Chicago(same place Amtrak crews stay) back out on the next days SWC to Flagstaff with a late evening arrival and went straight to Rodeway Inn(not a 4* but very convenient to station) We spent 2 full days in the area with a rent a car visiting Grand Canyon, Sedona, and we even took another half day train excursion on the Valley Verde RR(?)to Jerome Az. a very cool trip suggested by our own Petaluma Then we got back on the late night SWC FLG to LAX with another pretty much direct connx to the CS where we went LAX to EMY we stayed at another hotel I don't remember where. We made the next mornings CZ EMY to CHI where we had to overnight at the Embassy Suites near Navy Pier. We got on the next days TE back home to FTW where we overnighted in our own bed aaaaggghh. What a trip that was. It was just my wife and I,we were able to book roomettes for the entire trip, and we were still speaking to each other at the end :lol: We took the trip around 03/20 so there was alot of snow everywhere especially on the high line, but everything was also starting to green up for spring. It was a great train vacation and there have been many more since then just not as long and the stays are longer when we get to our destinations now But I would love to do this same trip again and again and again and.........

 

[rtabern]

My longest trips were both last year...

In March 2011, my friend (and fellow AU member) did an Amtrak trip from:

MKE-CHI (#334), CHI-PDX (#27), PDX-KEL (#506), KEL-LAX (#11), LAX-SOL-LAX (Pacific Surfliner), LAX-CHI (#4), CHI-GLN-CHI (Hiawatha to meet mom to drop off clothes and wine bought on Coast Starlight), CHI-NOL (#59), NOL-WAS (#20), WAS-BAL-WAS (Acela), WAS-CHI (#29), and CHI-MKE (Hiawatha)

And then in September 2011, we rode VIA from Halifax to Prince Rupert... the Ocean, Regional, Canadian, and Prince Rupert.

If you are interested, I am doing a 90-minute lecture about my VIA trip from Atlantic to Pacific on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012 in Chicago, IL at the meeting of the 20th Century RR Club... Electricians Union Hall at 600 W. Washington Blvd

 

[Eric S]

August 1997

KCY-OMA - Thruway connection (no longer exists)

OMA-MTZ - California Zephyr

MTZ-PDX - Coast Starlight

PDX-CHI - Empire Builder

CHI-NEW - Southwest Chief

About 7 days, all in coach.

 

[user 683]

My longest duration trip:

BWI-WAS - regional

WAS-CHI - Capital Limited

- overnight in CHI

CHI-WMJ - Southwest Chief

- vacation in Grand Canyon and northern Arizona w/excursion train trips

FLG-CHI - Southwest Chief

- overnight in CHI

CHI-WAS - Capital Limited

WAS-BWI - regional

Another interesting trip:

BWI-TRE - regional

- interim stop

TRE-NYP - regional

- overnight in NYC

NYP-CHI - Lake Shore Limited

- overnight in CHI

CHI-CIN - Cardinal

- two days in Ohio

CIN-WAS - Cardinal

WAS-BWI - regional