Planes, Trains and Automobiles

[fyffer]

Does anybody take the train?
Not the home-to-work train, but cross-country (US). I'm considering an alternative to flying from New England to Florida for the New Year (it's Mom's 60th B'day), and 4 plane tix will run me ~$1400+, while 4 train tix goes for ~$1150. Here's my thoughts so far:

Plane pros:
3 hours worth of flying
No stops.

Train pros:
Novel experience,
a little cheaper,
good experience for the kids

Plane cons:
TSA!
Airport is 2+ hours from Mom's house.
I hate flying - cramped seats (I'm 6ft tall)

Train cons:
2nd leg of the trip (NY to FL) is 24 hours in one direction.
In a *seat*.
The 'upgrade' to a "Roomette" doesn't seem to cut it either: Rooms are 3'6" x 6'8".

Cons for plane and train: We'll have to rent a vehicle in FL, probably for 7 days or so. This looks like it'll run us >$500.

So, anyone ever do the train thing, long distance?

Help me add to my pro/con lists.

Oh yeah, we have thought of driving, but w/the price of gas, my math tells me the following:

Round trip:
- ~3000 miles at ~20mpg (old minivan) and $3/gal: ~$450.
- 4 nights hotel (assuming we take our time, and take 3 days to get there): ~$400
- Meals, while on the road: very rough est: $300 (not including meals while at our destination).
Grand total for driving: $1150

Let's chat.

[djm]

You haven't said who all is going. If you are taking young children, I would caution you to consider 24 hrs on a train really closely. If its just adults, and you want to sit in a chair looking at each other for 24 hrs with not much more to look at than you would see driving then the train might be just the thing for you (remember that trains and train yards are usually in the ugliest, dirtiest part of any town or city you will pass through).

And you didn't mention the bus. It would be cheaper than either train or plane. It would be pretty much the same experience as sitting on the train for 24 hrs, and you would get to meet such an interesting cross-section of the public.

You haven't mentioned what your time is worth. This is usually what makes the plane worthwhile for most of us. Maximum cost and discomfort but it allows you to maximize your vacation time once you arrive.

djm

[emmline]

I share djm's concern about the questionable allure of train travel, at least NY to Florida. I've only routinely done the Baltimore to NY section of that, but the Orient Express it's not.* (Actually, according to Bill Bryson in Neither Here Nor There, the Orient Express is pretty cruddy these days too.)

*But it is a generally restful 3 hours without traffic hassles. Bring your own food.

I would like to give east-west train travel a shot, because I haven't seen as much of that. I'm particularly interested in a trans-Canada route.

[crookedtune]

At the risk of contributing to the (somewhat unfair) America bashing going on today, I'll offer my opinion:

We don't do trains very well around here. When I have tried trips longer than a few hours, I have always wished I'd flown. NY to FL is more Amtrak experience than I'd be interested in subjecting myself to.

[gonzo914]

I have not taken a train ride for 10 years, but it was way better than any plane ride I've ever been on. The worst seat on a train is better than the best seat on an airplane (or a bus, for that matter). And nothing compares with first class on a train.

Some things to consider --

You are probably looking at one of the Silver Service routes to Florida. These are Viewliners, Amtrak's tackiest long distance trains, and coach on them is not as nice as coach on the better double-decker Superliner's trains you find on routes out of Chicago and points west. Coach can get a little steamy. Look into first class accommodations. The roomette you described (3'6" x 6'8") is for two adults. You want one bigger for kids -- a bedroom or a bedroom suite. When comparing prices, keep in mind that a first class room includes meals, and meals on a train are expensive.

Those NY to FL trains have an option with which you can have your own car loaded onto an auto carrier and take it with you. This might compare favorable with car rental.

Plan on being late and be pleasantly surprised if you are not. After all, if you were in a hurry, you should not have taken the train in the first place.

Dining on the train is a hoot. They'll seat you with anybody they can to fill a table, and you meet interesting folks. (Best diner partners -- A couple from Australia who asked "Are these grits?" "No, ma'am, those are hash browns. You don't want grits.") Food on a train is excellent if you have a real dining car. Club care fare is usually frozen sandwiches.

The bar in the club car does close, but they'll sell you enough beer to last through the night.

It is more comfortable to sleep in a booth in a closed club car than in your coach seat.

Very interesting things happen in the smoking lounge. We had quite a party on the Chicago to DC overnight run -- an open bar, thanks to a liquor salesman with samples, and even a dancer.

How old are the kids. Take the Gameboy, the portable DVD player and some books for them. They won't be anywhere as interested in looking out the window as you are. You will enjoy looking out the window.

Check any big or valuable luggage, but have some bags with what you'll need for the day and a half you are on the train. Bring snacks -- as I said, the food is expensive.

I once took the train from Kansas to Florida and back, and I was able to enjoy several different routes -- Southwest Chief from Kansas to Chicago, Capitol Limited from Chicago to DC, Silver Star down to Orlando, then returning on the Sunset Limited from Orlando to New Orleans; City of New Orleans from NO to Chicago, and finally, the Southwest Chief back to Kansas. All in all, an excellent experience, especially when I was able to to get first class. It is very relaxing, and I highly recommend it, although NY to FL is not the best route.

And forget about the bus. The only people who take the bus in the U.S. arfe those who are either too poor or too crazy to have a car, and there are way too many of the latter on the bus.

[Congratulations]

What a terrible movie.

My uncle works for Amtrak, so I've been on quite a few trains, but never on an airplane. I rather enjoy trains.

[Will O'B]

The experience of relatives traveling from Kansas City to Chicago has been that LONG stops in the middle of no where is not uncommon (2 - 3 hours) because of something going on farther down the track. Seems like Steve Martin and John Candy had similar train problems in the movie. Of course airplanes and airports are also prone to delays, cancellations and rerouting in the winter because of bad weather. Personally, though, I would rather be stuck in an airport than stranded on a train out in the sticks.

[chrisoff]

At the risk of contributing to the (somewhat unfair) America bashing going on today, I'll offer my opinion:

We don't do trains very well around here.

Don't worry, we don't do them very well over here either.

[MagicSailor]

Hi

Don't worry, we don't do them very well over here either.

I was in the UK (England, not Scotland) last year and travelled a bit by train. Once I'd figured out the intricacies of actually getting from where I was to where I was going, I found the actual time spent sitting on a train between Newcastle and Grantham and Grantham and Wolverhampton was quite pleasant. I even made my connection.

Spending a night at a very expensive B&B in Newcastle where the SOB landlord wouldn't let me accept incoming phonecalls from my family was not a pleasant experience considering I'd just been shipwrecked and lost everything I owned halfway across the Atlantic and my family were worried sick about me. The basmati said he had to keep the line open in case somebody called to make a reservation. And yes, I had told him what had happened when he wanted to know why I was travelling on an emergency passport.

Regards,

Owen Morgan

Yacht Magic
Anchored in the lagoon, St Maarten

My new blog.
Click here for my latest reported position. (Use the satellite view.)

[chrisoff]

Ah yes, B&B's are really hit and miss. I've stayed in some fantastic ones and some truly terrible ones.

My problems with trains stem from visiting a friend in Yorkshire who doesn't live particularly close to the east coast main line. Never seem to have much problems getting down there but every time I try and get home I have problems between Beverley and Hull, Hull and Newcastle or Newcastle and Edinburgh which invariably means adding an extra connection or missing a connection and just generally slowing my journey to an insufferable crawl.

Last time I was there (for his wedding) I had to abandon trains altogether and get a bus to Edinburgh and arrange a lift from there to Aberdeen as there was engineering work going on all over the network. This meant only one train route would have got me home that day and it left at 7 in the morning with 6 connections (3 of which were buses).

[fyffer]

Thanks for your stories and input.

After talking with the Missus last night, we've decided to drive. We'll be travelling with my two children (Jonathan, 7 and Erin, 11), and we'll have the DVD in the car. We're gonna do it in two [very long] legs, the halfway point being about Raleigh, NC.

The more I think about the train, the less intriguing it seems. Perhaps someday, with just my wife and I, but the kids will drive each other, and me, crazy.

And I absolutely *HATE* post 9/11 Airport BS. TSA is the modern equivalent of the Gestapo, but with less training. But that's a story for another forum ...

[mutepointe]

What a terrible movie.

i think that movie is hilarious. i laugh my behind off everytime i see the car scene where john candy gets his sleeves caught. i've always had a soft spot for john candy. i would have liked him to have starred in a movie version of "a confederacy of dunces." now i'm hoping michael moore gets the part. i wish someone would make that movie already.

[CHasR]

Thanks for your stories and input.

After talking with the Missus last night, we've decided to drive.

I think youve made a wise choice: Straight down 95!
Give me a wave as you zip through Philly, and watch out for the speed traps just over Scudder Falls bridge into PA, between Cotmann ave + the Betsy Ross Bridge; the one just over the Delaware border, and the one just past the toll gate into Maryland. O and if you go the NJ Turnpike south, the state troopers have (2004, usually brown) unmarked chryslers, you can tell by looking at the front grille, it has extra lights.

[Flyingcursor]

What a terrible movie.

i think that movie is hilarious. i laugh my behind off everytime i see the car scene where john candy gets his sleeves caught. i've always had a soft spot for john candy. i would have liked him to have starred in a movie version of "a confederacy of dunces." now i'm hoping michael moore gets the part. i wish someone would make that movie already.

I too loved that movie. I agree about C of D. I'm appalled they haven't made a movie of that yet.


I once took a bus from San Francisco to Kalamazoo. What a trip! We had an hour halt in Salt Lake City and a few of us hit the local party store. By the time we left everyone was feeling no pain.

[fyffer]

Thanks for your stories and input.

After talking with the Missus last night, we've decided to drive.

I think youve made a wise choice: Straight down 95!
Give me a wave as you zip through Philly, ...Scudder Falls bridge into PA, ...NJ Turnpike ...

My current planned route is to completely circumvent that stretch. I absolutely hate the NE corridor of 95, so we've decided to go completely around NYC, via 84W thru CT, around NYC, pick up 81S in Scranton, PA, to 15S in Harrisburg, to 270S in Fredricksburg, then pickup the beltway around DC, and ONLY THEN pick up 95 S.

I'll wave anyway, but I don't think you'll see me.