My Amtrak trip to Key West. You won't believe.

Eddie,

Jet Blue  5 hours Portland to Fort Lautertail $282. 00 round trip

Gunny

Eddie, glad I was able to read about your trip.  As much as I like the NYC-Washington section of the NE corridor and would like to "consider" using Amtrak on such a trip to FLA, your experience and the fact that Amtrak generally must wait behind class 1 freight on many routes makes it an easier decision to fly or drive.  Stay safe and rest up for York.

Glad to hear you made it there safely. Snow? Yup, I heard about that. Certainly trees across the tracks are outside of Amtrak's control. Running a crossing and getting whacked? Again outside of Amtrak's control.

The food part sounds miserable. Note to self, pack extra food next time "just in case". I could be wrong, but I would assume they load on only the prepared food to be served based upon the people on board. Amtrak likely didn't have extra food to give out.

I like being on the train, watching the scenery and railroad infrastructure, and eating in the cafe car. As long as I'm not on a tight schedule the delays don't bother me, although nine hours is a bit much. In many years of riding trains in the Northeast Corridor, I have rarely encountered significant delays. And, in my opinion, any objections to a typical train trip pale in comparison to driving between Boston, New York City and Washington on I-95.

MELGAR

So 7/9 hours delay were not Amtrak's fault; beats spending a night in the airport.......

mwb posted:

So 7/9 hours delay were not Amtrak's fault; beats spending a night in the airport.......

Except he didn't get food for fifteen hours... Did they at least have drinks or snacks?

Sounds like business as usual with amtrak. If you want to be to your destination at even a remotely reasonable time. Don't take amtrak.

RickO posted:

Sounds like business as usual with amtrak. If you want to be to your destination at even a remotely reasonable time. Don't take amtrak.

That isn't always true, I have ridden the northeast corridor trains and have generally been on time. Flying the same route the flights are often delayed, spent a lot of time on runways and taxiways or at the gate. The long distance trains I won't argue, they are subject to a lot more room for delay, thanks to trains ahead of them, weather, etc. 

Eddie, consider yourself kind of lucky. I'll probably never take Amtrak again after my trip. If for just trading stories,  I'll catch you some time. The worst part was myself and 3 other large men ( I am not) had to pin down and physically restrain an idiot screaming while on some kind of drugs....my little kids saw it all....at 3am+/- !

When Dad and I did the Chicago - Emeryville 20 years ago, we arrived into Emeryville one day and 9 hours late. By bus.

Train made it into the mountains, then we sat for almost a day as a helicopter flew what I think was a bearing set to us after a failure of some sort. 

Got to the valley in California, then some problem reappeared and we waited another half day on a stopped train, until we saw a bunch of Taxis pull up and passengers started disembarking.

We first thought those Taxis were called by impatient passengers, but it turns out Amtrak taxied the whole train the last 60 miles or so to Emeryville.

At least OP got to finish the trip on an actual train.

Enjoy the Keys and the delays will fade into a dim memory! There are multiple tropical fruit drinks laced with various types of rum that when worked well in a blender, soon ithey will render a frozen concoction that will help you hang on.  Paraphrasing Jimmy Buffet here...   :-)

Except for the trees on the track, most of this could have happened to an air flight - delayed by weather and crime, running out of food.  

My problem with most people is they just don't know how to turn the unexpected into part of the adventure.

redjimmy1955 posted:

Eddie, consider yourself kind of lucky. I'll probably never take Amtrak again after my trip. If for just trading stories,  I'll catch you some time. The worst part was myself and 3 other large men ( I am not) had to pin down and physically restrain an idiot screaming while on some kind of drugs....my little kids saw it all....at 3am+/- !

Better that it happened on a train than on an airplane, I'd say.  

eddie g posted:

Also we went from lunch on the train to 3 am in the morning without getting any dinner . . .

Eddie, were you in a chair car or a sleeping car?  I don't completely understand the lack of dinner.  did they not have a "flex-meal" for you, or did the snack car run out of food, or did the Amtrak employee shut down the cafe car and disappear?

Eddie, your experience is exactly why I would never consider Amtrak for any long-distance travel to anywhere. And I like riding trains!

Byrdie posted:

Except for the trees on the track, most of this could have happened to an air flight - delayed by weather and crime, running out of food.  

My problem with most people is they just don't know how to turn the unexpected into part of the adventure.

Last summer my wife and I were booked to fly Dallas to Chicago for a wedding. Very long story short, there was bad weather in Chicago, nothing was getting through, and picking options and on advice of a ticket agent we decided to go through Rapid City, South Dakota, and then on to Chicago that evening. Got to Rapid City, but then had to wait several hours for the plane to arrive. When it finally did, about 7:30 pm, the pilot announced they were at the end of their crew day, and wouldn't be able to leave for Chicago until the next morning. (By the way, while we were waiting, I was talking to a gentleman who was trying to get to somewhere in South Carolina - his flight had been messed up, and he'd sitting at the airport since 7 am that morning!)  So we had to get an Uber and go into town, find a hotel and a place to eat, etc etc., then back to the airport early the next morning, and finally arrived in Chicago the next day, about 18 hours late. It was indeed an adventure.

We had 2 roomettes.

Eddie, I'm glad you arrived at the Keys safely!  Enjoy your time there and bring some warm weather back north with you!

The great sci-fi writer, Isaac Asimov would never fly - he only did long distances by train. He once observed “if you are going to travel by train, the first thing you must do is disabuse yourself of the notion of time”   

Apples55 posted:

The great sci-fi writer, Isaac Asimov would never fly - he only did long distances by train. He once observed “if you are going to travel by train, the first thing you must do is disabuse yourself of the notion of time”   

That was obviously prior to Amtrak!

I'm leaving on the Silver Star one week from today. Last year on the Meteor, a guy had to be taken off near Sebring and was wisked off to a hospital., That stopped us for a half-hour. We still got to Ft.Lauderdale on time. The year before that, someone had committed suicide by train in Delray Beach, which stopped all trains in West Palm Beach. We took Uber the half-hour into Ft. Lauderdale from there. Last Spring, the Crescent got us into New Orleans 2 hours late, and then the Sunset Limited got us to Phoenix 4 hours late. I love train travel! What's the rush? Of course we fly home.

Eddie, what about the new "prepared meals". Do they do this in the old dining car?

In 1989 we took the kids to Disneyworld.  We went via Amtrak, round trip.  The Silver Star.  Fortunately, we were on time going and not much more than an hour or two returning.  

We boarded at 30th Street.  I believe a GE60 was at the head end.  We opted for slumber coach seats, money always ruled.  They were fairly comfortable then.  I don't know if I could manage one now at 72.  There was a diner where we had breakfast the next morning.  You can't screw up breakfast too much.  The crew was friendly and attentive.  

I would like to take a train to the west coast, but hearing some of the stories here and elsewhere about long distance train travel, in our country, I'm not so sure I can convince SWMBO to get on board.  

In 2011 we were traveling in Europe.  We took an overnight train from Paris to Padova, Italy.  We shared a room with a couple about our age.  They spoke not a word of English.  In fact, I don't know what language they were speaking.  It wasn't French or Italian.  They were very pleasant however.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get the heating system to work properly, so we were covered in heavy blankets through the night.  The next morning we fully expected to have breakfast in the nonexistent diner.  Instead, a wise a** porter came by with a cart selling coffee and some pastries.  The junk cakes we find in Wawa are better than what they served off that cart.  The couple with us wanted a sandwich.  The porter tried to get him to pay 20 Euros for the food.  I intervened with the little French and Italian I knew and stopped that robbery.  

So while we do not have a state of the art railway system, problems occur even in those countries that have good systems.  I can say, however, that of all the trains we took over there, every one was on time.  

For many years, I frequently took the Acela from Stamford, CT on roundtrips to both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. While there were occasional delays, the trains were generally very reliable and I never had a trip that would fall into the category of a "disaster." Sounds like Eddie drew the short straw and had a disaster. Sorry to hear that.

Pat

irish rifle posted:

For many years, I frequently took the Acela from Stamford, CT on roundtrips to both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. While there were occasional delays, the trains were generally very reliable and I never had a trip that would fall into the category of a "disaster." Sounds like Eddie drew the short straw and had a disaster. Sorry to hear that.

Pat

Please note that he continued south of Washington D.C., i.e. well after the Northeast Corridor.

Air travel can be a bit of a pain in the you know what too.   Flying Delta from Palm Springs CA to Minneapolis to connect  to home.  Flight was 18 minutes late and they left without us and another passenger, scheduled 40 minutes apart.  Spent the night in Minneapolis at our expense and got home about 14 hours later than expected. Upon to complaint to Delta they said it was "weather related."  Total rubbish of course. The weather was fine everywhere.  No doubt the decision was due to corporate policy to maintain on time arrival statistics. The final destination was a city where the plane was going nowhere until the next day.  Thanks Delta . 

I have more miles in the air than on trains. I have done very little train travel since Amtrak took over.  I have had lots of air travel adventures.  I recall a trip from SF to Chicago. We were flying along and the pilot came on the PA system and said we were low on fuel and would have to stop in Iowa to refuel. That did not sound too bad, but I had missed the significance of the problem. Once we landed in Iowa we lost our landing slot in Chicago. Six hours later we took off heading on to Chicago. 

While on a train trip in Mexico, must have been in late 1960s, the train I was on had several of the head end cars derail. We sat there for eight hours while the Mexicans lies to us about why we were delayed. Finally about 3:30 am I decided to walk forwarded and see if I could ascertain what was causing the delay. I did not get to far before I ran into the army troops that heed dispatched to guard the mail cars, which were detailed. I did run into a very nice track crew trying to regauge rails under the train. They were working using kerosine lamps that looked like tea pots with a wick hanging out the spout. They were about as effective as a candle.  I went back to my car and went to sleep. The next morning we were again rolling along, many hours late. 

Best train trip I recall was either a non stop Metroliner, Washington to NYC or an express from Philadelphia to somewhere in norther New Jersey on a long train of MP-54 which still had wooden sash. 

Dan Padova posted:

... I would like to take a train to the west coast, but hearing some of the stories here and elsewhere about long distance train travel, in our country, I'm not so sure I can convince SWMBO to get on board. ...

Did the Santa Fe Grand Canyon run with the family a few years ago and, in addition to saying it was totally worth it, would give 3 recommendations: set realistic expectations w/SWMBO for how long it'll take; get a roomette with a shower; and leave out of Chicago rather than points further east. Best decision on that trip was flying NYC-->CHI first.

- The Other Guy

Hot Water posted:

irish rifle posted:

For many years, I frequently took the Acela from Stamford, CT on roundtrips to both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. While there were occasional delays, the trains were generally very reliable and I never had a trip that would fall into the category of a "disaster." Sounds like Eddie drew the short straw and had a disaster. Sorry to hear that.

Pat

Please note that he continued south of Washington D.C., i.e. well after the Northeast Corridor.

The Northeast Corridor has much fewer problems. North of NYC in Winter can have delays due to frozen track. In Rhode Island one time, we slowed to a crawl for miles , which delayed us about an hour, but not bad overall.

George

On the subject of air travel...on Dec. 19, we were on our way to Brazil. Plane backed out of the gate in Philadelphia on time, then sat for 20 minutes. Then the announcement of "red light in cockpit, all passengers and luggage will be transferred to another plane". 3 hours later, we leave on a new plane. Big worry is that our connecting flight is scheduled to leave in 2 1/2 hours from Miami. Get to Miami in 2 hours (maybe we can make it?). Door to plane cannot open due to gate malfunction. We stand there for 40 minutes. Connecting plane is at the far end of a quarter mile corridor. Day saved by our flight departure to Brazil delayed 3 hours (reason unknown).

As far as the NE corridor goes...those are about the only tracks Amtrak does not have to share with freight trains. We take that route to Boston 2 or 3 times a year. Over the past 5 years, we've had 2 engine breakdowns...one in NYC, the other in New Haven. 2 and 3-hour delays on those.

Amtrak's northeast corridor is generally reliable because Amtrak owns the track.  When you pay additional for the Acela, you are really paying for track priority in the event of any issues and a lower chance of significant delays.  That is why people pony up for the Acela when they need to be in, for example NY, Washington, of Philly by a specific time for work.  It's not to save the 15 minutes or so over the regular NE corridor train.  It's also a nicer clientele.  Up to you whether those things are worth the price increment.  

Outside of the northeast corridor, based on the railroad's actual on time statistics and my anecdotal experience, you should ask yourself if you are feeling lucky.  And if you get a sleeper so you can travel like a human being, you will generally pay more, a lot more, than any reasonable airline fare.

As far as the airplane horror stories that a lot of the folks here trot out every time someone complains about Amtrak, there are a couple of simple ways to avoid major delays on any airline:  Always fly direct if at all possible.  If you are near a smaller airport, and the distance on the plane is of any significance, drive to larger airport to avoid connections  (e.g., if you are in central PA, drive to Dulles or BWI.  I would say Philly, but in my experience Philly is a **** hole that I avoid.)  Connections are stressful and it is where the average traveler gets screwed.  Find the airline at that airport that has a major presence and use that airline.  If you fly regularly, get the airline's branded credit card and use it to rack up points.  Finally, in terms of weather related delays at the destination and departure point - have the airline's phone app because they will send you updates immediately if there are any issues.  Do those things when you fly and your chances of having a major issue decline significantly to a level much lower than the risk of major delays associated with traveling Amtrak outside of the NE corridor.  

MELGAR posted:

I like being on the train, watching the scenery and railroad infrastructure, and eating in the cafe car. As long as I'm not on a tight schedule the delays don't bother me, although nine hours is a bit much. In many years of riding trains in the Northeast Corridor, I have rarely encountered significant delays. And, in my opinion, any objections to a typical train trip pale in comparison to driving between Boston, New York City and Washington on I-95.

MELGAR

Melgar is spot on. Travelling from RI (or Boston) to anywhere in between there and Wash DC  - the train wins hands down. I95 through CT and NY and further south is a horror show. I stopped driving down to NJ to see my 98 year old Dad 5 years ago. I now get get on the train 15 minutes from my home in RI and get off in Metropark NJ and have a car service take me the last 20 miles.

No more bare knuckle driving fighting trucks,  eating exhaust fumes while stuck in traffic, and mayhem on the highway. Long distance trains are a different animal. But Amtrak wins for the route from Boston to DC.

Paul

I live minutes outside of D.C. For NEC travel, Amtrak is fine.

Long distance on a train? Not a chance. Ever.

Three major airports are ~ hour away and I fly frequently and know the drill. And part of that is planning well and anticipating issues. Works for me. 

Well, if Rich Melvin won't long distance Amtrak, it looks like my non-tourist rail travel will remain confined to Alaska and assorted Brit and European rail systems.

Amtrak long distance trains are joke, been a joke for a long time.  The service sucks,  food sucks, the equipment is old, etc, etc

Part of the enjoyment of my taking the train from Philadelphia to Florida is being able to walk 8 minutes from my house to our local train station, 30 minutes later, change over to the Florida train and enter my roomette. Friend picks me up at Ft.Lauderdale station. No security search, no checking and retrieving bags. I'm a reader, so the time goes quickly. The only part of the day that is a bit irksome is dropping my wife and her sister off at the airport that morning.

European on-train catering is usually over-priced and of a dubious standard - Bill Bryson describes this in one of his books. British rail catering was once a national stock joke, but these days it CAN be quite good and its usually of a reasonable standard, but not cheap; but people rarely eat meals on British trains as the journeys just aren’t long enough. 

For quality train food, try Japan. I was there in October and discovered that Japanese travellers buy packaged meals (called Ekiban) from shops on the concourse; they are pretty good, if your taste runs that way

superwarp1 posted:

Amtrak long distance trains are joke, been a joke for a long time.  The service sucks,  food sucks, the equipment is old, etc, etc

You forgot one : the support from Washington sucks.

They put Amtrak on a starvation diet, and then require it to keep trying to run on the treadmill.

In all my roughly 45 years of riding Amtrak I have had long distance trains arrive a little early, on-time, or late.  Depends on many factors like weather, host railroads, and the equipment. 

I ride for the pure enjoyment of riding.  Schedule usually isn't a factor when I do ride Amtrak.  However I've had many hour delays on the airlines as well over weather, double booking gates, equipment failures, and optimistic scheduling.

The delays may usually be less than that on a train, however the comfort level of a train over a plane is worth at least 6 hours of delay in my mind.

I've ridden the NE Corridor many times from NY Penn to Boston and down to DC. Acela is nicer, but the NE Regional service isn't bad either.

We are 6 time veterans of the Auto-train. Don't love it but it beats driving all the way from NY to Fla. The trains we've been on have been on-time or close each trip. Now waiting for the car to get unloaded is a different story. One trip we were one of the last of almost 200 cars to get off-loaded.....ughh.

Amtrak has to rely on, and work around CSX, so as long as a freight doesn't break down in 1 track territory they usually do OK.  Last trip a few years ago we arrived at Lorton VA and there was no train in sight. They were 3-4 hours behind schedule after a grade-crossing fatality on the previous southbound trip. The train pulled in around 4:30 PM (4 PM scheduled depart), and they cleaned and turned the train around in about 2 hours. 
The quality of the food has gone down since our first trip about 18 years ago, and the free carafe of wine at dinner is long gone but I like the train and watching the scenery is enjoyable. Always love riding through Quantico and the freight yards along the way are cool. The crews have always been friendly. The lounge car is open late and the beer is always cold
Being able to get up and walk around is a big plus too. We ride coach, not worth the extra cost for one night.
Having our car on the other end is a nice convenience too. I'm not sure if we'd do a long range trip anywhere else.

Bob