your first ride on amtrak

[GG-1]

Aloha

Since this thread started I've tried to remember which was my first Amtrak ride. I remember riding trains as early as 6. Chances are the First Amtrak ride was either the Surfliner in Calif. or the Desert Wind Calif-Vegas. The First Long Distance ride was (The_Traveler will be proud/envious) MIA to LAX via Philadelphia & CHI. With stops in Jacksonville & Washington.

 

[Shanghai]

Aloha

Since this thread started I've tried to remember which was my first Amtrak ride. I remember riding trains as early as 6. Chances are the First Amtrak ride was either the Surfliner in Calif. or the Desert Wind Calif-Vegas. The First Long Distance ride was (The_Traveler will be proud/envious) MIA to LAX via Philadelphia & CHI. With stops in Jacksonville & Washington.

Eric, I thought your first Amtrak trip was the Ocean Express. It went from Honolulu to Casper, Wyoming and terminated

in Souix City, South Dakota!!

 

[leemell]

I was on a shipment of troops aboard the Sunset Limited (then an SP train) from LA to San Antonio, Lackland AFB. Just recruited on 19 Sep 1961. We all had roometts and opened them up where they adjoined. About 30 troops. brand new to the AF and on their way to Basic Training. Arrived at SNA about 4:30 AM. Both hot and humid. Quite a shock to LA boys.

 

[jb64]

My first Amtrak trip was in 1974. It was unplanned, to say the least. My family had traveled with my aunt and uncle to Hinton West Virginia for the weekend to visit my uncle's family farm. We were living in Fredericksburg, VA at the time and we had all driven to Hinton in a van. While out walking on a dirt road outside of Hinton, we found a very tiny little snake. We wanted to see if we could figure out what kind it was and my aunt got too close. We soon found out it was a baby copperhead and it bit her on the end of her finger. Her finger immediately swelled and turned black and off to the ER she went. They ended up admitting her to the hospital and didn't know how long she would be there. My father had to get back to work, so alternate transportation was sought and we ended up taking the train from Hinton WV to Richmond, VA then a greyhound bus from Richmond to Fredericksburg and then a taxi from the bus station to our home. I thought it was really cool to travel on three modes of transportation that I had never ridden before. I know Hinton is on the Cardinal route now, but don't know or remember what train this would have been since it went to Richmond.

 

[librarian]

I was a 6th grader when I took my first train trip, it was a 20 car B & O Special from Parkersburg, WV to Washington, D.C. with students from several counties going for 1 day in D.C. My memories are of ancient coach cars with kids packed end-to-end arriving at Union Station where a line of buses met us and we toured D.C. for 12 hours, then back on the train.

In the Amtrak era, I took the Capitol Ltd. from Pittsburgh to D.C. in 1991 for a last minute meeting because flying was some ridiculous price, and the train was $ 73 round trip. I just loved it, and have now been around the nation on trains in the 20 years since.

 

[Ocala Mike]

I was on a shipment of troops aboard the Sunset Limited (then an SP train) from LA to San Antonio, Lackland AFB. Just recruited on 19 Sep 1961. We all had roometts and opened them up where they adjoined. About 30 troops. brand new to the AF and on their way to Basic Training. Arrived at SNA about 4:30 AM. Both hot and humid. Quite a shock to LA boys.

Off-topic, but what a difference 3 years can make. When I joined the AF in April, 1964, about 100 troops from the NYC area were FLOWN from JFK to San Antonio via Branniff charter jet. Second the hot and humid comment, though, and quite a shock for NYC boys also.

Ocala Mike

 

[Don]

First Amtrak ride was appropriately on train #1 the Sunset Limited between Phoenix (it went to Phoenix back then) and LA. Late '70s. Single level equipment. Had a round-end obs at the rear I recall. Pre Amtrak I rode the C&O from Plymouth Michigan to Detroit Fort St. Union Station a couple of times. Also for my 10th birthday in 1965 my mom took me Detroit-Chicago on the NYC.

 

[Anderson]

My first Amtrak trip was in 1974. It was unplanned, to say the least. My family had traveled with my aunt and uncle to Hinton West Virginia for the weekend to visit my uncle's family farm. We were living in Fredericksburg, VA at the time and we had all driven to Hinton in a van. While out walking on a dirt road outside of Hinton, we found a very tiny little snake. We wanted to see if we could figure out what kind it was and my aunt got too close. We soon found out it was a baby copperhead and it bit her on the end of her finger. Her finger immediately swelled and turned black and off to the ER she went. They ended up admitting her to the hospital and didn't know how long she would be there. My father had to get back to work, so alternate transportation was sought and we ended up taking the train from Hinton WV to Richmond, VA then a greyhound bus from Richmond to Fredericksburg and then a taxi from the bus station to our home. I thought it was really cool to travel on three modes of transportation that I had never ridden before. I know Hinton is on the Cardinal route now, but don't know or remember what train this would have been since it went to Richmond.

That would have been the James Whitcomb Riley/George Washington, which is still the Cardinal. Long story short, the train split at Charlottesville for a while (one section CVS-RVM/RVR-NPN and one section CVS-WAS-NYP). Eventually, the Newport News section was dropped and some trains were extended from Richmond to NPN so as to keep service (I believe that the JWR had allowed some sort of connection to trains in both directions at Richmond).

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

My first Amtrak run was in 1973 when I talked Mom into taking the Turboliner when we returned to Chicago from a family reunion in STL; Dad had to fly out from there to a convention. The train was packed to standing room only and we had to ride sitting backwards which didn't bother me but had Mom bitching incessantly the entire run. I still remember the giant windows and bright Mod Squad interior color scheme as well as the nuclear hamburgers, hot dogs and other treats served on various Styrofoam products. Mom had more than enough train after that run but I was hooked from the moment we climbed on board. I miss those old Turboliners.

 

[jb64]

My first Amtrak trip was in 1974. It was unplanned, to say the least. My family had traveled with my aunt and uncle to Hinton West Virginia for the weekend to visit my uncle's family farm. We were living in Fredericksburg, VA at the time and we had all driven to Hinton in a van. While out walking on a dirt road outside of Hinton, we found a very tiny little snake. We wanted to see if we could figure out what kind it was and my aunt got too close. We soon found out it was a baby copperhead and it bit her on the end of her finger. Her finger immediately swelled and turned black and off to the ER she went. They ended up admitting her to the hospital and didn't know how long she would be there. My father had to get back to work, so alternate transportation was sought and we ended up taking the train from Hinton WV to Richmond, VA then a greyhound bus from Richmond to Fredericksburg and then a taxi from the bus station to our home. I thought it was really cool to travel on three modes of transportation that I had never ridden before. I know Hinton is on the Cardinal route now, but don't know or remember what train this would have been since it went to Richmond.

That would have been the James Whitcomb Riley/George Washington, which is still the Cardinal. Long story short, the train split at Charlottesville for a while (one section CVS-RVM/RVR-NPN and one section CVS-WAS-NYP). Eventually, the Newport News section was dropped and some trains were extended from Richmond to NPN so as to keep service (I believe that the JWR had allowed some sort of connection to trains in both directions at Richmond).

Thanks Anderson. I remember enjoying the mountains and the tunnels on this trip, otherwise I don't remember much except that I enjoyed it.

 

[Blackshirt Husker]

it was a snowy night last night so i decided to add up my amtrak miles. got me thinking about my first trip. spk-phl rt in february of 1982. after chicago we had all heritage cars. i still remember feeling like i was in a museum. 30th street station in philly was the first classic station i was able to explore. what a place. on our way east it was 30 below in havre,mt. on our way back, 10 days later, it was still 30 below. what was your first amtrak journey like?

I took Amtrak quite a bit as a kid. My first experience was as a nine-year-old, traveling cross country in a bedroom with my mother and little brother. My brother and I always got along well and loved being on the train overnight, but the SCA was not good at all and pretty much turned my mother off to Amtrak travel permanently.

The first leg of the trip began at Michigan Central Station (hard to believe that the state of Michigan could allow it to fall into ruin the way it has), and even as a kid, I was in awe of the place. I've been a huge rail fan ever since.

 

[boxcar479]

I guess I've got alot of catching up to do! My first trip was December 2009 FTW-Miami via TE, CL, and SM in a roomette with my wife. I had done alot of study on this site, and Amtrak.com. I remember on first entering the rmmt. and thinking, wow, it sure looked bigger on the website :lol: But you guys had prepared me on what to bring/and leave. I really loved all the snow on and beautiful scenery on the CL, and river running there too. There is just no better way to see and appreciatte the history of this great country than out the window of a train. Since that first trip We have logged close to 40,000 Amtrak miles and we have ridden most all of Amtrak's LD routes at least once, some twice except alot of the NEC routes. Even though we just started riding, from that first trip, you might say we were hooked and hooked deep. Now most of our trips involve a bedroom, since we have to take our 4 yr. old granddaughter with us, who loves to ride trains too. I just hope She can pass it on to her kids when the time comes.

 

[savoirfaire]

My first Amtrak trip was in the late fall of 1984 from Ann Arbor. MI to Springfield, IL via Chicago with my family. I remember going through the train, walking back to the snack car, passing old Comiskey Park, and listening to all the stop announcements by the conductors(first time I had ever heard of Joliet, for instance). I remember Chicago Union Station as very cramped and dirty and my parents insisting that we stay extremely close to them and don't touch anything! I also remember distinctly that my teacher at the time had predicted that it would be the first weekend of snow that fall in the Detroit area (it was only later that I learned that you can get the weather off TV & radio broadcasts) and I found it so cool that a) he was right, and b) that you could really see the snow falling as we entered Michigan on the return trip.

 

[PacificStarlight]

I had ridin tourist railroads and sounder commuter rail, but my first amtrak ride was when i was 12, in February of 2011. it was fun, even though the trip was only like 30 miles. between everett and seattle ,wa. Except on the way back the train was 2 hours late due to mechanical issues. over all it was fun.

 

[jis]

My first ride on Amtrak was from New York to Philadelphia on a Clocker in 1978.

My first LD ride on Amtrak was on the Broadway Limited from New York to Chicago by Slumbercoach in 1979.

My first train ride in the US was on the Senator from Boston to New York in 1966. As I recall it was a pair of FL-9s into New York Penn. I don't recall whether they were put on at New Haven or the strain started with them in Boston. The second ride a few days later was from New York to Washington on the Senator again. This time hauled by a GG-1.

My first train ride and also first ride on an LD train in First Class, was on the Bombay Mail via Nagpur in 1955 when we traveled from Calcutta to Bombay to meet my Dad who was arriving back from England by a P&O Liner into Ballard Pier in Bombay. And of course we then traveled back by the same route. It was hauled by a brand spanking new so called "Canadian Engine" - an MLW built WP Class Steam.

All of those of course were many 10s of thousands of miles of rail riding back.

 

[NJCoastExp]

My first Amtrak?

1996 Trenton to Newark on Carolinian with on board ticket purchase (thankfully they took credit cards, I had about $3 in cash). I just missed NJT train to Linden and had to get home ASAP so I got on board. Made to NWK on time and caught NJT back to Linden with about 1 minute to spare (good old times when sprinting thru station was not a big deal).

 

[reefgeek]

I went to college at U Miami from '77 to '82 and a took the train home to NJ a couple of times. The first time was in coach. I had a pretty good time but couldn't sleep. I remember trying to hang out in the lounge car, which was freezing cold as we got farther north, and full of cigarette smoke. I remember I had short ribs in the diner, and they were good but the waitstaff was surly.

The next time I took it I actually went in a slumbercoach, and that was way better.

I used to hitchhike home to save money when I could. One time it was so cold I couldn't stand it anymore and turned back. I got on at the Waldo station and rode back to Miami. I think the fare was $32.

One thing to note was in those days, Miami's only mass transit was a pathetic bus service, and getting to the station in Hialeah from Coral Gables was a challenge for a poor college student.

 

[National Limited]

I vividly remember my first ride on Amtrak which was also my first experience of travel by common carrier. I had been bugging my parents for as long as I could remember to take a train trip. They finally relented and allowed both my grandmothers to take me on the National Limited from Union Station in Kansas City to a week in Washington D.C. We departed on either the 3rd or 5th of August 1973 (two different dates listed in two places) and were placed in the last coach of the train (since only one coach would travel from Harrisburg to Washington D.C. while the rest of the train went on to New York). The experiences were thrilling to me, including:

1. Watching repairmen come on the train at one stop and get off at the next trying to work on the air conditioning in our coach almost the entire length of the trip

2. Walking between the cars looking at all the mechanical equipment connecting each car

3. Sitting in the club car with the huge reclining seats, (why can the Amfleet cafe cars be this cool?)

4. Collecting all the clear plastic beverage glasses with the Amtrak logo I could get my hands on (including rummaging through the trash in all the coaches to add to my collection)

5. Buying a pack of Amtrak playing cards (for $.50, which I still have and still use) from a very kind uniformed conductor in the club car

6. Asking for and receiving a blue plastic swizzle stick from the club car attendant

7. Remembering how cool it was as the train backed into St. Louis Union Station

8. Watching the huge headlight on a GG-1 bob back and forth as it pulled our coach from Harrisburg to D.C. (with me standing looking through the window of the door in the coach)

9. Seeing an older conductor walking through the train collecting tickets and noticing that the buttons on his uniform were, I believe, Penn Central

10. Watching the dining car steward walking through the train announcing each meal "x" cars ahead (I sat in the club car right before lunch so I could follow him all the way to our coach and hear him announce to each car how many cars ahead the dining car would be found). My grandfather's name was Stewart and I had difficulty understanding the difference between Steward and Stewart.

11. Having one special meal in the dining car (too expensive to eat all of our meals in the Dining Car) and standing in the hallway waiting for a table. I remember vividly our waiter taking our order and dripping with perspiration. There was one drop hanging on the bottom of his nose and as the train would rock back and forth the ball of sweat would roll from side to side but never dripped off

12. The conductor coming through our coach, opening a small closet at the head end, and pulling out pillows to distribute to the passengers, placing each pillow in a pillowcase, then walking down the aisle asking if we wanted a pillow.

13. Turning on the blue night lights in our car--I wanted to find where that switch was but never located it although I tried desperately.

So many good memories. The next trip I had was again on the National Limited with my father. He made a deal with me that he would take me on a train trip if I completed my Eagle Scout. I did and he did. Good times!

 

[Ozark Southern]

My first train ride of any kind was the Washington, D.C. Metro when I was 13. This trip was also my first plane ride, a TWA flight SGF-STL-DCA. My dad had rented a car, but after we were rear-ended by a local, we found out our hotel was very near the Blue Line and ended up turning the rental in early and using the metro the rest of the trip.

My first real train trip was on Deutsche Bahn in 2006, between Berlin Zoo Station and Warsaw. We were booked by the travel agency in first class, so I got access to the first-class diner. They had surf and turf if I wanted! However, meals were not included in my ticket, so I went with an awesome balsamic chicken. My Amtrak experiences have never come close to this level of service!

Finally I took an Amtrak trip in 2009 SED-CHI. My wife was pregnant with our second child and we didn't relish the idea of driving 8 hours. A teacher friend had recently taken her eighth grade class to Washington D.C. on Amtrak, so she told us about how to get to Chicago from where we live. It was no Deutsche Bahn, but it was so much better than flying or driving, and even at 79MPH, the whole trip was done, including driving to Sedalia, in about 10 hours. We were hooked. We've taken 5 more Amtrak trips in the last 2 1/2 years ad would have done more if finances allowed (recession's been rough on the already-poor Ozarks). I have become an Amtrak apologist, and I let MoDOT know how much I want Amtrak to connect to SGF!

 

[Donctor]

My first real train trip was on Deutsche Bahn in 2006, between Berlin Zoo Station and Warsaw. We were booked by the travel agency in first class, so I got access to the first-class diner. They had surf and turf if I wanted! However, meals were not included in my ticket, so I went with an awesome balsamic chicken. My Amtrak experiences have never come close to this level of service!

I dig the express.