Train Travel/Rail Buffs

For travel in many parts of the world, choo-choos rock! Here we talk about train travel trips, great rail routes, antique trains, trainspotting... All aboard!

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The devilish delights of Ecuador´s "Devil´s Nose Train"

efenzi by José Juan Adamuz If there's a single means of transport today that most preserves some of the old-time romance of travel, it surely must be rail travel, thanks to its close-to-the-ground, human scale, and in many countries, rolling stock which is literally vintage. Latin America is a good example - though these days intercity rail travel in the region is limited, the trains still in service run through some lovely landscapes, and many are throwbacks to the past. A prime example is…

Started by Iberia Airlines

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The Great Orme Tramway is a vintage charmer in Wales

At just 206 metres (680 feet) above sea level, the Great Orme (below) might be thought of as rather a slight hill. But it looks as imposing as a far greater eminence, as it overlooks the seaside resort of Llandudno, on the north Welsh coast about a 4½-hour drive or train ride from London and just over an hour's drive and two hours by rail from Liverpool. It’s a limestone headland about two miles long and a mile wide where, back in the Bronze Age, copper was mined (but they only discovered…

Started by Tripatini

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Spectacular train rides without leaving home

You’re enjoying an adventure for the senses as you journey through the soaring Alps Mountains in Switzerland. You immediately understand why the magnificent view that surrounds you in Colorado inspired the words of “America the Beautiful.” You channel Harry Potter during a ride over the towering viaduct that the Hogwarts Express crossed in the popular film series. These and other equally dramatic, experiences can be yours while you travel no farther than the chair in front of your…

Started by Tripatini

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Riding Canada's Rocky Mountaineer Railroad

On the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff; the views out of the huge windows can be enjoyed from the comfortable seat of your carriage. I don't think we’ve ever had such VIP treatment on any form of service anywhere. From the moment the coach came to pick us up at the hotel, the level of care we received from the Rocky Mountaineer people was almost embarrassing. read post

Started by Tripatini

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Comments

Jools Stone August 15, 2010 at 11:51pm

@ Greg it's the same problem in the UK, but western Europe seems much more advanced. With us though taking it private hasn't helped much, if at all. I'm looking forward to going coast to coast with Amtrak next autumn even so. Is the only way to see your great country I think. Jools
Jools Stone August 15, 2010 at 11:45pm

Hi Sarah, I left a comment on your blog a while back and added you to my links. I don't have much in the way of advice I'm afraid but would be keen to make a connection none the less. My blog focuses on the ups and downs of rail travel.
Thanks
Jools
Greg Gross August 15, 2010 at 11:39pm

Those complaining about miserable Amtrak experiences need to remember that 1) Amtrak was designed by Congress from the beginning to fail, and that 2) Amtrak has never been properly funded, supplied or staff. Reason: See 1.
Jools Stone August 15, 2010 at 10:19pm

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie travel blogger in the running to blog for new flight comparison site Flightster. My take on it is quite different, I propose to talk frankly about the manifold miseries of flying and suggest ways of improving the experience. You can read my post at

http://ning.it/8XMrln

Please vote for me if you like it and feel free to spread the word! Thanks, Jools aka He Thought of Trains

ning.it - This website is for sale! - ning Resources and Information.

This website is for sale! ning.it is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what yo…
Sarah Irving June 28, 2010 at 6:49pm

This time next year, my husband and I will be returning from Australia back to the UK, travelling overland - possibly at least partly by train. I've just started blogging the planning and the journey itself here: http://overlanding.wordpress.com/. Any comments, suggestions, advice and other people's experiences on this kind of journey will be gratefully received.
Maureen Blevins March 10, 2010 at 6:40pm

This goes back to Max Peslings comment on the train from hell - how unfortunate! I have made that trip 5 or 6 times now and have never had that bad an experience. It is unfortunate that Amtrak has to struggle as it does, and there is definate room for improvement on this route. But I still love taking the train!
David Paul Appell March 10, 2010 at 4:00am

Really thrilled to hear recently that Amtrak here in the U.S. has done something right by introducing WiFi (free, for the time being) on a number of Acela routes. Hopefully that will help improve rail's competitiveness at least on short- and medium-haul routes. If they keep it free, that would be awesome, but even its existence as an option is a huge plus especially for business travelers.
Sarah Irving February 22, 2010 at 8:34pm

No set of resources for train travel could possibly be complete without the genius of Mark Smith's http://www.seat61.com - the widest-ranging genuine user-driven site for global rail travel I've ever seen.
Max Pesling January 8, 2010 at 8:53pm

Check this out, just in today:

Train from hell’ arrives almost a day late
Passengers complain of 19-hour delay, shortage of food and water
msnbc.com news services

"Pulling into Chicago almost a full day behind schedule, one Amtrak passenger recounted 'the train from hell,' and others are vowing they will never use the rail service again.

Amtrak's California Zephyr arrived 19 hours late full of 'tired, hungry and stinky' passengers, according to a story posted on WMAQ's Web site.

The train was plagued by severe weather and other mishaps, the Chicago NBC affiliate reported."

What I want to know is why in all the many times I've traveled on trains in Europe, this has never, ever happened. Trains are always clean and run on time. I occasionally travel back and forth between New York City and the mid-Hudson Valley, and finally I gave up on Amtrak -- it's usually late, the toilets are routinely awful, and so forth. And the last time I tried it during the Christmas holidays, you don't wanna know...

I realize part of the answer is that passenger rail travel in the U.S. is a half-starved wretch that the auto industry and other interests have spent generations trying to drag into the bathtub so they can strangle it. It really is a shame, because train travel is one of the greenest transportation options going, and if done right can also be convenient, affordable, and even enjoyable (remember enjoyable train travel? Oh, sorry).
David Paul Appell September 15, 2009 at 2:37am

Just enjoyed a lovely ride on the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway in Devon, England last week. Beautiful scenery, and many of the locals seemed just as charmed by the old choo-choo as the tourists -- several of the people we passed along the route took pictures and pointed us out to their kids.