$30 ticket on the Boston-to-Maine railway 🇺🇸🍂

[@thornton]

Where should my next Amtrak destination be? 🚂🇺🇸

[@Wearespurstv]

New york to miami and then you can hire a car and drive from Miami to key west.

[@BadSloucher]

New York to Toronto!😅

[@thornton]

🇨🇦🇨🇦 it’s overdue

[@blessingsoutlaw]

Come to the flyover states! They say “keep moving, there’s nothing to see here” yet Native America has its own lovely essence. 🌾🌸🌾 And secrets.

[@Zh09SpMAvE]

Montréal! 🇨🇦 It's a lovely ride along the Hudson River and then through the Adirondacks. And Montréal is an interesting city

[@thefareplayer2254]

Since states fund most shorter distance Amtrak routes in the US, and Maine really likes the Downeaster, it’s well-supported.

[@Purrlow]

It’s literally so refreshing for someone to travel America using public transport

[@mahoucore]

and of course it takes a European to do it. lmao

[@EmmaDancesNever]

Amtrak is not public transport lol

[@JumboteGrande]

By this metric, planes are public transport.

[@connecticutmultimodaltrans8226]

​@@EmmaDancesNever how?? 🤨🤔

[@carylibby8282]

As a lifelong Mainer, having the Downeaster as an option to travel into Boston without having to deal with traffic and parking in the city is truly a game changer. So glad you were able to visit our state, and am sure you'll complete your trek to all fifty sooner than later!

[@docvideo93]

There is a movement to make this line move even further northeast to Rockland which is a lovely town in its own right.

[@thornton]

Downeaster Expansion Ultras 👏

[@Valavaern]

There's also been pushes in the past to get it up to Bangor, which would put it in usable distance to the University campus in Orono.

[@BeeYeah87]

I grew up in Maine and I would often take the bus from Maine to Boston with friends when I was in high school. Love your videos!

[@KristenDeSantis92]

The Downeaster goes right thru my hometown Haverhill Ma it nice to see that it goes farther than it was use to when I was in high school. Also find it funny when you talked about crossing the first state border you still showing video of Haverhill great video I love riding the train to Boston growing up

[@stacydelgado3285]

Taking the Acela up to Boston then the Downeaster to Wells is on my bucket list.

[@Minacoleta2]

I've been watching your videos for a while now, and I've always appreciated your love of life, small moments, and the beauty that makes up the world! But as an american, it has been so wild to see you in my neck of the woods and still appreciating all those little things that aren't as exciting to me as, say mountain ranges in Germany or Switzerland. But! It's been a wonderful reminder that there are so many wonderful, beautiful places for me to explore here in my own country, and now I feel like I'm going to make a concerted effort to plan more trips across the US. I just recently took the amtrak from NYC up to Burlington, VT for a gig, and it was a special little trip (and crossed of Vermont on my own map of states I've visited!). Thanks Tom!

[@johnmcnamara1554]

Fantastic opportunity to revisit my favorites places with a friendly host and great visuals. Thanks!

[@thornton]

Thank you John, I appreciate your support ☺️

[@DCockey]

The rail line runs past Brunswick to Bath and Rockland, Maine. Currently there is freight service to Rockland, but the amount of traffic past Bath is small.

[@harrylane4]

My boyfriend’s car broke down a few months ago, and we haven’t had the money to get him a new car. He’s been using the Downeaster to get from his place in Boston to mine in New Hampshire (don’t worry, I drive down more often than he comes up!) Small world, seeing someone else taking the downeaster

[@JDAlves6]

"Considering how expensive it feels just to be alive in the USA" 😭 I loved taking the Downeaster to my brother's vacation home in Portland when I lived in Boston. I could walk to North Station, ride to Portland, catch the bus to the Casco Bay Lines, and then ferry over to the island (a truly multimodal trip!). Unlike the other Amtrak routes I've ridden, the Downeaster cafe also stocks local beers, snacks, and iconic red Maine style hot dogs. So, it always felt like Maine was embracing you from the moment you stepped aboard. A plan has been in the works to extend the train further north to Rockland and a Canadian group is eyeing an overnight train from Montreal to Boston through Maine and these tracks. Hopefully more to come!

[@nicolemeerwarth3574]

Always so interesting to me as a NJ to NYC daily commuter that people from other areas of the US aren't accustomed to train travel. Growing up in the NYC area, everyone takes the train into the city! It makes me sad that the public transport in most of the country is so lacking.

[@snowyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

unfortunately it is faster to drive the downeaster’s route than it is to take the train

[@doitwthflair]

Its amazing seeing your admiration for the places I see everyday in the Northeast. I took the Amtrak for the first time last week and it was pretty nice. Glad you enjoy it here!

[@maryvogt]

48/49 states without flying... definitely looking forward to your Alaska State Ferry video! Also great to see you in my part of the world, New England.

[@thornton]

Alaska ferry is one of my bucket list videos 😭

[@ronclark9724]

There are cruise ships that service Hawaii... Why not aim for all fifty states?

[@isaacj.elliott2137]

I'm an American who has done music tours across the map. But watching you do you're tour has really inspired me to do a passenger train tour. I am in the early stages of planning it but if you'll be here a while and you're ever doing a long trip through the middle of the states. Let me know I would love to join

[@danmur15]

you really cant beat New England Fall foliage 😉 Also, I'm curious what you thought of Boston's public transit as someone from Europe. We're still quite a ways behind the curve compared to a lot of places around the world, but our regional rail service (The Commuter Rail) is amazing to ride and despite the delays I still love using the T anytime I'm in the city

[@thomashendricks9774]

We travel up to Acadia National Park every few years for vacation, we just had our trip two weeks ago. We stopped in Brunswick ME for the night before heading the rest of the way up. We stayed in the same motel, the Travelers Inn. We stopped at the Hannaford supermarket and saw the Downeaster on the tracks right next door. We discussed taking the train up sometime. It's still 3 hours to Acadia from there so we would have to rent a car, maybe its something we'll do when the kids are all in college.

[@STNW1956]

A very enjoyable and informative video. Love how the colour of your clothes coordinated with the sunset and trees.

[@erik_griswold]

The Brunswick Hotel is a two minute walk from the Downeaster Station there. Google maps is your friend.

[@henrysenese7683]

pretty cool to see you pass through Haverhill and see restaurants I've been to

[@Ivehadenuff]

Hi neighbor!

[@alexchomp]

I see the Downeaster sitting at north station all the time, this summer might be the one to try it

[@mulchzom]

Came from your nightjet video and literally gasped at this- I go to uni in Brunswick!!! Glad you enjoyed 🥹 the Downeaster is a fav of mine❤

[@TelevisedEntropy]

Seems very similar to the (far more popular) Northeast Corridor trains that go southwest out of Boston. From the seats, to the cars, to the cafe car. It's funny to see things that seem so mundane to me treated as such a novelty. Not to mention the comedy of the idea that North Station on the T has the 'smell of adventure'! I should take a vacation up to somewhere up the Downeaster sometime!

[@jarabaa]

Please do not think of how many states you can visit before you die. What a thought! Anyhow, you don't really highlight that you were travelling to Maine in the "FALL", when all of New England is an explosion of divine colour. But you do mention the role of citizen activism in restoring or opening passenger rail lines in the US. Long, long after leaving the US in the 1970s, I discovered that my trainless hometown of Austin TX had been reconnected to an Amtrak line. Thanks for another first-class, interesting, witty little video.

[@thornton]

Thanks!

[@audioupgrades]

Ah, the Smell of Adventure, there's nothing like it.

[@greble11]

You’re going to hit 48 states. We believe in you.

[@Ivehadenuff]

OMG, I live in Haverhill and now I’m going to have to take the train to Maine for a day trip. Thanks for posting. Good luck on your quest. I think you can do it because during your retirement years, you have nothing else to do. I know from experience.

[@kevinmilner2072]

3:21 - Haverhill MA. 60% of this train ride was my daily commute before the pandemic. I always wished I could afford the amtrack ride instead of the commuter rail.

[@JoeHarkinsHimself]

Please post a link to that 30=hour train across Turkey. I'm interested in that trip.

[@waffle911]

Downeaster has Bissell Brothers Brewing cans on board in the concessions car. It's a very sought after microbrewery in Southern Maine, can be hard to get even if you're from there.

[@osurpless]

Nice, I had the Portland Pale Ale this yearly trip on the Downeaster, but I’ll saw a fellow passenger describe it as hoppy but not too harsh. So definitely going to try it next year.

[@rodney6610]

What! You didn't make a pilgrimage to L.L. Bean's HQ in Freeport, Maine?

[@dulljumbo4321]

following amateur youtubers makes me upset that they probably have a job and therefore I won't be seeing another video in a while

[@ellbcee]

as someone who went to college in Maine back in the 90s, this route would have been great for helping have more options to get home!

[@savannah115]

Okay, so you need to get to Alaska by taking the Alaska Marine Highway from Bellingham, Washington. 3 days on a boat, no plane necessary!

[@tedg4171]

Nice video once again. You asked about future trips so my vote is either for the Amtrak Empire or Amtrak Maple Leaf to Niagara Falls or the Amtrak Adirondack line to Montreal. Both are long trips like 9 hrs to Niagara Falls and 11 hrs to Montreal from NYC. Maybe you can break up the trip and stop in the middle of NY state which is so much different from NYC. I think you would need separate tickets though like when you stopped in Salt Lake City on the Zephyr. Just a suggestion.

[@thornton]

I need to do these!

[@snowyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

the adirondack to montreal is closed until september this year, but the sunset is absolutely gorgeous

[@louispaine5307]

Good video Tom!!

[@PrimeTimeTravelers]

Amtrak needs to do more regional routes like the Downeaster. We have been visiting and vlogging all of the stations in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware with many more to come. Love the train travel! Keep up the awesome content! Come see our train travel sometime too!

[@cannyp3]

(Writing this from Wells) The Downeaster is a godsend. Thanks for this.

[@thornton]

@@cannyp3 very jealous you get to go on it so often!

[@caret_shell]

Amtrak is a great way to visit NYC from Boston. It's a lovely ride through seaside Connecticut, and first class is actually very affordable. It's a fantastic way to get there and back.

[@rogercvc6768]

You should have checked out accommodations in downtown Brunswick. I see that there are a few well regarded hotels and inns that are very walkable from the Amtrak terminal.

[@SeanColbath]

L.L. Bean is not only a local brand - their headquarters was one stop before you got off - in Freeport!

[@thornton]

Oh that's really cool, I didn't know that! I love that coat haha, also got a raincoat of the same brand because I liked it so much :)

[@graceonline320]

I thought that this Amtrak route terminated in Portland. When did they extend it?

[@dualsportdadz]

Yes, our public transit sucks here in the states but micro mobility makes it much more palatable. My man needs a folding bike or a scooter.

[@snowyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

woah! so cool seeing a tourist from overseas visiting somewhere local to me

[@thornton]

you're so lucky that this is your local area! :) I'd love to go back.

[@GaigeGrosskreutzGunClub]

The point about being on your own after you disembark the train is what's making me a little hesitant to jump on the service to Portland because its a ways from the station to downtown.

[@gordon1545]

"Third boxcar, midnight train, destination Bangor, Maine." If the freight trains don't go there any more, presumably they used to. kzbin.info/www/bejne/apSadWOPqMyhqKcsi=yH4CA9IqcjSSnazR

[@TheNails3]

Your New England videos have been great

[@mel__senpai]

Someone give this guy a sponsorship… 🚂

[@thornton]

👀

[@williamleslie4939]

Great video! Cheers!

[@cak813]

I didn’t realize there was a train from Boston to Maine. Good to know.

[@currycarr6495]

Love the Downeaster

[@janetlynn3397]

Charleston, S.C. You'll love it

[@thornton]

Oh it’s on the list for sure 🏃🏻

[@bonitoclub]

​@@thornton I'll second Charleston SC

[@BirbarianHomeGuard]

Amtrak California is a totally different vibe

[@thornton]

I'm glad someone agreed, they basically treat you like a naughty kid for no reason. Like ok, chill please

[@jg-7780]

During your video, you refer to the Downeaster as the only train in Maine that still exists, which is technically true, but the service was actually started in 2001 after a large effort by the state of Maine to reintroduce passenger rail between Maine and Boston. Edit: If I had watched the video for literally another 30 seconds you actually address this, lol

[@lillifuchs]

i always love your smile :)

[@SilverNightKyle]

Another glorious trek… 🚂

[@connorrichardbailey6937]

Hope you visit Portsmouth NH. I think you’d really enjoy it!

[@samtrak1204]

Did the cafe car serve homegrown home-based clam chowder soup?

[@LayaWhite]

Visiting all 50 states is on my bucket list so maybe I’ll do Maine this way. There’s a luxury bus between NY and Maine, so maybe this is my way back down.

[@methos1999]

Had no idea how new this route is😮

[@jeff7597]

Never say never I suppose, but fortunately the Downeaster seems to have enough support and (by US standards) ridership, I don't see it going away... The one * is that if Boston ever builds the rail tunnel connecting North and South station, I could see the Downeaster becoming an extension of the Northeast Regional to NY/DC/etc. The tracks do indeed extend past Brunswick - for a time there was even a tourist railroad that started in Brunswick after the Downeaster arrived, and continued up to Rockland. There have been talks of extending some Downeaster runs since that railroad ceased operations.

[@kempicus123]

I love the downeaster

[@firecracker3911]

Nice! I am going to take that train!

[@TheNails3]

Haha thumbs up for the Laugenstange comment at 3:57! ;)

[@anneliesececi418]

Stephen King really did capture the vibe of New England

[@samtrak1204]

Lookw ik3 fall colors. What month did you travel?

[@walterfillingham]

Colorado :)

[@merulast]

It somehow makes me giggle to hear you saying "I need to walk soo far to my Overnight Place. This is the US" on the one Hand. And then see all this far Distance Shots that you clearly did by walking 10 or more extra Minutes up and forth to get them xD

[@blueeyedsoulman]

Still happy with the Canon? (Is that the Canon?)

[@thornton]

Yep, it’s a workhorse

[@blueeyedsoulman]

@@thornton Thanks mate. Great video.

[@MA-Route28]

2:25 that’s my city!

[@rob5894]

Next trip Empire Bilder for sure.

[@terencewinters2154]

Underutilized beautiful trip. Never been .

[@osurpless]

Going by Old Orchard Beach north on Thursday and south on Sunday was a great bit of sightseeing as usual!

[@rob5894]

Well of course there are quite a few states no one has any need to visit. So you are not too bad off.

[@katebowers8107]

Small fact about all those unoriginal town names: The puritans who governed New England were adamant about literally creating a *New* England. All towns, by law, had to take the name of an English town.

[@stevenhopkins9845]

If you need any help in the northwestern US, say hi!

[@Nangleator22]

We in New England would like to apologize for the town names thing. It must have been mentally exhausting to found a new town, and so when it came time, we fell back on familiar-sounding town names. Sorry.

[@kevinviel6177]

Corridor of UNORIGINAL NAMES?? I mean, you are in New *HAMPSHIRE*, a US state in New *ENGLAND*. Next stop: Paris, Texas...or Atlanta, Tx, or New York, Texas. :) I have gone from Dover to Boston with the kids to the Museum of Science. Brunswick has the Bowdoin International Music Festival. I feel we should revisit (paraphrase) John Cleese: the difference between the US and Britain is that when Britain has a World Championship we invite other nations... :)

[@BaileyChap]

ok but wth is "Diet Pepsi" I've never heard of it. It's always "Regular Pepsi" or, much more popularly, "Pepsi Max".

[@Cartbs229]

Hey look, it’s my local train

[@brianog5267]

Bizarre choices…. Portland and Portsmouth are awesome small cities with hotels downtown….there’s a reason why the train is empty getting to Brunswick…. Nobody in their right mind would walk 49 mins in the dark to stay at a roadside motel…. Dude met me know if you’re coming back to the northeast I’ll give you the proper itinerary….

[@braxton5417]

💞 Promo SM

[@David-The-YorkshireMan]

#TeamPepsi FTW

[@Tewhill357]

Man from England finds place names in New England unoriginal. I wonder why? Must be a story behind that.

[@methos1999]

😂😂

[@methos1999]

😂 corridor of unoriginal names.