After York, a train trip to Miami?

I think that you may enjoy the scenery more if you embarked upon a journey across the nation to the west coast instead Dave. At this time of year it can be quite breathtaking.

Yes, head West Sir!. (Nicole beat me to the suggestion by seconds)

Take Amtrak north to Albany (N.Y.), then west to Chicago (Lake Shore Limited). That would be a two day trip. While in Chicago: some genuine blues, steak & perhaps some pizza. You are now in America's heartland. All that before you take the Southwest Chief into  the Southwest. Overnight+ in Albuquerque, rent a car, back track using the Railrunner to (the real) Santa Fe. Only a couple hours to Monument Valley. Continue West  & stop off in Flagstaff for a walk down the Canyon. Leave the US via Los Angeles, completing the last part of the journey using again the Amtrak Chief. Perhaps a bit too ambitious this time, but certainly worth a year or 2 planning for your next adventure here.

Routes: http://www.amtrak.com/train-routes

Home: http://www.amtrak.com/home

Railrunner: http://www.nmrailrunner.com/route_map.asp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley

http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

American Southwest: http://www.americansouthwest.net/

Enjoy your trip ... whichever direction you choose!

Dave,

I don't know about club layouts, but Ready to Roll is located in Miami. There is also the Gold Coast Railroad Museum which is located at the Miami Zoo. It also houses train layouts of various scales.

You can always rent a car and drive down to visit historic Pigeon Key.

If you put that in your plans, i think you can arrange for a car rental at 30th street, Amtrak's philadelphia station.

30th street is grand old railroad station well worth some time to walk around for some photos.

Thanks Bill, yes, a train shop, that would be on the visit list, and a Rail Museum and Zoo, nice idea too. I was thinking, could break the trip in Savannah GA, nice place?

I'd head south - its warmer and really nice this time of year, and you may want your Us train ride to be just a day and a half, etc. Rides to the west coast are multi-day affairs and typically involve at least a change of train and often overnight stay somewhere along the route.  On the other hand, the route to NYC is simple - get on in NY, get off in Orlando or Miami or wherever in FL.  Florida is good this time of year.  A downside of course, is that it's still hurricane season, but then you could get to the west coast just in time for an earthquake: so you pays your money and takes your chances.  

We've liked the Amtrak Southern Star -- we've taken it dozens of times (we're about 25% of the way alone its route from NYC to Miami) both up to NYC-Philly-DC, etc., or down to FL).  Its not as fast, smooth, or luxurious as most European and UK trains, but its better than flying or driving.  Warning, the dining car has a limited menu but you won't starve.  In general, the beers are a better selection and quality than the wine, although the red (Hahn, from CA), is not that bad.  

I'm committed to leave the US from New York as I'm going on to Europe and the UK.

Sounds nice, but way too much to do without dropping dead from exhaustion.

Lee, sounds good, I'd prefer a good hurricane anyway. Yes, I like the idea of a single train journey and maybe break it along the way. As I just mentioned, maybe Savannah?

Your thoughts?

Dave,

The Roundhouse Railroad Museum is located in Savannah.

Absolutely!  That is way too ambitious a schedule for the time you have available.  Let me do a bit of checking to scout out a potential site or two along your East Coast and south trip. John Shankland's layout (he's in Florida) would be a good possibility if I can make contact with him.

We venture to Fl. every year.  We  take the Autotrain down from N. VA arrive in the middle of the state just above Orlando.  We drive home slowly stopping at places like Savannah & Charleston.  Depending on what you want to see, I think there a number of places in Florida without getting as far as Miami.  But if Miami is a must, why not do the Keys?  Florida's a long state.

The train ride to Miami is a long ride... if you had a car, the Autotrain could be worth the drive to DC.

Good luck... John

For a westbound trip, my vote goes to Amtrak's CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR between Chicago and San Francisco. The California State Railroad Museum is within walking distance from the station in Sacramento. Here is a photo that my wife, Beverly, took frrom our bedroom window on the eastbound train, No. 6, rolling through Colorado.

Haven't been in many years but I would think the B&O museum in Baltimore would be a nice one day stop. Any way enjoy your stay and we will be looking for a full report.

Inner Harbor is a must. GREAT seafood, and only 9 blocks from the B&O Museum.

And then hop on the Hunt Valley light rail line north to Hunt Valley and south to Glen Burnie. The trip into the Pennsy's (now Amtrak's) Baltimore station resembles a roller coaster. The stop at Camden Yard provides easy access to MARC trains along the B&O Old Main Line to Washington, DC. The Orioles stadium is right there, too.

That would have been my vote for the best route too. 

Hi Dave,

           I am over in Florida at the moment. Just got here last night. It's about 26 deg C here in Haines City at the moment.

Makes a change from the UK which is about 13 deg C when we left.

If you get near Peterborough when you hit the UK give me a shout.

Regards

Nick 

Take the Silver Meteor and get a viewliner birth it includes meals. great trip. I did it twice a year for almost 20 years.

In Miami FL there is Ready To Roll on NW 143rd St. very close to Opa Locka. Take I-95 exit for NW 135th St. He is a major supplier of MTH products.

The Goldcoast Railroad Museum is on SW 152 st. a few miles west of the turnpike and US 1, right next door to Miami Metro Zoo, they share the same driveway from SW 152nd st.

Saturday is when they have the train trip of about half a mile down a side track that joins up to CSX railway, but they must pay a very hefty price to go onto CSX tracks.

Also has a few differant sizes of model railroads. They have a set of California Zepher passenger cars, and the Ferdinan Magellen presidential car.

For FEC fans there is; in St Augustine FL, a hotel that Henry Morrrison Flagler built, in West Palm Beach there is the Breakers hotel and the Flagler Musuem on the east Palm Beach side.

In the Florida Keys there is the old FEC railroad bridge at Bahia Honda key. Almost nothing for railroad in the FL keys.

Fort Meyers has a murder mystery train with a full coarse dinner for about $55.00 a person, very good food and the mystery is decent even for the children to see, no gory effects.

In northern Florida above Orlando is Mount Dora & Eustis Railway, a short tourist line about five miles in length.

Lee F.

I can recommend the Breakers, stayed there on our last trip. Just don't expect your usual US good value pricing. Think Central London hotel or South of France. 

 Some great train photos around the hotel lounge areas.

Nick

Hi Allan, that sounds great. I just got back to my hotel, spent the evening with Lionel Bill, we went and visited John, Vinnie and the boys at the NJ Hirailers, great night.

Nick, it's all good value with our dollar at the moment. I'll try to see you in the UK, it's already a packed schedule, going up to York there as well.

Lee and Eddie, thanks for the heads up.

Stay at a "art deco" beachfront hotel on Miami Beach. Forget the trains, there are more "interesting" things to look at on the beach.

Joe, I like your thinking.

The art deco part of south Miami Beach is a spectacular, fun area.  The Cuban and other 'exotic'  Carribean food is fantastic at some of these places and there are some really great bars just to hang out in and listen to music (something I do too much of . . . ).

One of my favorite places nearSo. Miami Beach, though, is up the beach a bit from the art deco area - can't' remember what hotel, but next to/built into it is a Shula's steak house.  Menus are written on (American) footballs.  The steaks are nearly as big, too.  Good wine list.  Lots of nifty sports memorabilia on the walls, etc.  I always go there at least once when down there.  There are other Shula's steakhouses but this one is the best I've seen.

I hate to say it, but a train trip through the west misses too much.  Your field of visibility is limited, unless in a dome car, much scenery is passed at night, and the speed is such that you can't take it all in.  You should really plan to make many stops, renting cars frequently, but I don't know what that does to rail fares.  Even though I have several hundred throusand Amtrak points, my wife and I love to drive from VA to the West Coast in a large 4x4 SUV.  But, being retired, I have the time.

dave,  if you have some time after york. make a trip to weaver models in northumberland pa. also check out steamtown in scranton pa. check out the GG1 in the harrisburg pa amtrak station. rockville bridge 15 minutes north of harrisburg. the huge enola railroad yard now run by NS, all former PRR. the reading railroad display in hamburg pa at I78 & rte 61, then calbela's just north of I78, and five minutes north of cabela's on 61 is the reading & northern railroad in port clinton pa.

I could be your tour guide on sunday the 21st or the 28th. 

Pete, I did a lot of that last time, I've seen the GG1 at Harrisburg, caught the train there back to NY. I went to the Weaver factory with the OGR tour, great day out, AND visited Jim Weaver's layout, and stayed in Strasburg and did all the train stuff there too. Miami is a nice long trip, have not been down that way before. But, thank you for the kind offer.

Lee, you've honed in on my tastes pretty well. Art Deco watching gives the intellectual excuse to hang out in bars, listen to music, drink and eat. If I happen to find a train shop, all the better.

If you're headed south you might wish to stop in Baltimore, MD and see the B&O Railroad Museum and Inner Harbor sights.  Also in Aberdeen, MD (before Baltimore) is the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and their military museum with about 60 tanks and a german railgun.   Maybe stop in DC to see the sights there as well.

--Greg