AMTRAK "Texas Eagle" & "Sunset Limited" from Chicago to LA

[@outlaw2191]

YouTuba, your videos on Amtrak travel are excellent and informative. The maps, your commentary, scanner, GPS, videos complete with shots of the engine, passengers and train during stops are great. I think I have seen them all and I’m looking forward to your next one.

[@robbiemitchell1601]

Thank you, Utuba, you make me think that I am there. I love seeing the countryside go by.

[@jasonwomack4064]

Love watching these videos while I relax and doze off in the recliner at night. I'm thinking about taking a long trip on Amtrak for no reason other than to ride it and stare out the window. Something peaceful and nostalgic about it.

[@squalli1297]

I've totally enjoyed your video. I've been on the Sunset Ltd. route multiple times and the scenery hasn't changed. It wasn't practical for me to travel by rail from L.A.-Chicago via San Antonio, so I've never entertained the thought of taking the route you took on the Texas Eagle. Amtrak used to provide transcontinental service on the Sunset Ltd. from L.A.-NY ( single level heritage sleeper car service only) then L.A.-Miami, and most recently L.A.-Orlando until after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This route (Sunset Ltd.) is not for those travelers who bore easily. This is the condensed version, so reading material is necessary. It's also a train route with multiple delays-up to 8-10 hours. Before Amtrak's takeover, the only food service provided on this route were vending machines and they sometimes weren't working. Long distance train travel still lives. Thanks for your painstaking effort.

[@alexanderhall2720]

I took the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited route from Chicago to L.A. in January 2011. It is a LONG trip with some good scenery but certainly not as much as other Chicago-West Coast routes (the Southwest Chief, California Zephyr, Empire Builder) but it was okay. If you think an 8-10 hour delay is bad, take the California Zephyr. That train has routinely been late, once up to 22 hours late. The Empire Builder, I heard, at one point was running so late that the train would be met by the train that had left the following day! I do love Amtrak though. I wish Amtrak would get better management though. The current management seems to be hell-bent on ending Amtrak long distance service. They've already taken diner service off of the Silver Star, Capitol Limited, and Lake Shore Limited. Who knows what else they'll do in the near future. I just hope Congress continues to fund its long distance service, even if the management doesn't want to.

[@ronclark9724]

@@alexanderhall2720 The scenery isn't as nice with mountains and fir trees of other transcontinentals. On the Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle route west of San Antonio its Cactus Jack country, or the land of Judge Roy Bean. A few mountains consisting of sage brush and prickly pears, not fir trees. If you got to have fir trees, I suggest you take other routes.

[@AngelSusie57]

All of your train videos are superb and this one is no exception. Thanks for sharing, I love it.

[@divox9pqr]

Checking in Youtuuba....I had a great trip for my birthday on the Cardinal to the Empire Builder to Coast Starlight to the Cal Zephyr and the Cap Ltd back to DC. Your vlogs are the gold standard that have inspired me to ride the rails. Next I'll do the Crescent, connect to the Sunset Ltd, and back east on the SW Chief from LA.

[@Sweetteawillie]

Texas Eagle has a coach and sleeper that are attached to the Sunset Limited at San Antonio. I made the round trip, Little Rock to Phoenix some time ago when the Limited had a daily schedule.

[@BoratWanksta]

When did Sunset Limited last have a daily schedule? I've heard that Southern Pacific ran it 3 times a week, just before Amtrak took over that route.

[@alexanderhall2720]

That was a really long time ago. The Sunset Limited hasn't served Phoenix for at least 2 decades. Amtrak rerouted the train through Maricopa, AZ and you have to drive or get a ride into Phoenix.

[@MikeJones-bl6lu]

@@alexanderhall2720 they stopped doing the route after some numb nuts decided to blow up the tracks causing an Amtrak train to derail.

[@annettejenson2434]

So glad you posted this video. I just rode this train round trip from Chicago to Austin, TX last month. The train goes through the middle of Clifton, TX where many of my Norwegian ancestors are buried and where my dad went to junior college in 1938. The Amtrak conductor announced it so I wouldn’t miss it and I happened to be having lunch in the dining car with a BNSF conductor who described the landmarks as we approached. So fun!

[@cascadianpuget]

I always enjoy your train videos. Thank you for posting them.

[@odiecalodie]

Just a minor correction to what you said about the train running parallel to route 66 North of Bloomington IL. That was not old and new Hwy 66. That used to be a four lane hwy, route 66. When route 66 lost its designation of a US Highway, they decided to turn it into a 2 lane highway.

[@GoldenOldiesMusicCollector]

I have always enjoyed passenger trains ever since I was about 10 years old. Great video. I enjoyed the ride.

[@DOSBoxMom]

Route 66 is still used a lot by locals in Illinois (like me); it also serves as an alternate route when portions of I-55 are undergoing roadwork. Pontiac, IL is the station where I would have to catch the Texas Eagle, since it goes through my hometown (Dwight), but doesn't stop there.

[@kathibaker1574]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the trip or scenery that much. We live in Texas and Fort Worth to LA to Chicago and back home was our 1st and 2nd trip. We love Western scenery but didn't take video. Took tons of still photos. There's beauty in the desert too. Thank you for posting these.

[@youtuuba]

Kathi Baker, I like desert scenery as well, but I find that of southern Arizona more charming than that which I am familiar with in Texas.

[@gregsells8549]

That building with both "Santa Fe" and "University of Texas Arlington" is a former Santa Fe freight depot that's now a branch of UTA. The Texas Eagle no longer backs up at Tower 55 but now uses the TRE commuter line between Dallas and Fort Worth, making for a straight shot into Fort Worth station.

[@vincentdublino7136]

Amtrak is an American treasure that too few Americans are aware of, other than recognizing the brand name. Other countries might have faster or more reliable long-distance trains, but Amtrak has a charm of its own, if you can put up with the occasional delay. I live in VA but my relatives are in CA or FL. Plus I'm retired military, so I have friends living all over this great country who I visit sometimes, and when I do, why what I fly and miss out on all this wonderful scenery, or drive and endure the boredom of 12 hours or more behind the wheel, when I have Amtrak. Until I met you, I was the most well-traveled Amtrak passenger I knew :-) Thanks for the videos, they're awesome. Texas Eagle is one of the last long roots in the country I have not taken, so it was nice you posted this video.

[@robbiemitchell1601]

I love trains and particularly, the view of the countryside going by. As a school kid I used to travel to boarding school by train. I vividly remember the steam engines which were mostly in use then. I'm South African. I still rush at an opportunity to travel by train. I think my last train trip was London to Edinburgh and back, years ago. My son now lives in Colorado, and I am very tempted to take the train for one of the connections, when visiting him. I love this Utube because he shows so much of the countryside. Much of the Western part of Texas looks very much like South Africa's Karoo.

[@IamValentina66]

I agree with your assessment. Out of all the west trains, the Texas Eagle is the last I would repeat. Zephyr and empire builder are my favorites. Many many trips.

[@divox9pqr]

Next yr. I hope to do the Cardinal, the Empire Bldr, the Coast Starlight, the Sunset Ltd, ending with the Crescent back home. I see Amtrak has 25 new sleepers....Hope to get one on my trip.

[@ronclark9724]

Maybe likely on the Cardinal and Crescent you'll see in a new Viewliner sleeper... They are more or less the same as the older Viewliners, minus the toilet in the roomette...

[@Mike-hf8kq]

I did that circle 3 years ago, except late for sure limited instead of cardinal.

[@micmac99]

Thanks a lot for this! As I write this I am in Houston, having taken the Sunset Limited from Tucson, and this is a round trip. I downloaded PDF travel maps from the state highway (or tourism) websites of New Mexico and Texas and had them displayed on my laptop, so I could follow along as the train proceeded eastward. I was able to see many of the freeway signs along I-10 from the window.

[@williamhatton3055]

Michael Sheldon Reed :-):-):-)

[@jake2063]

Great idea, can't you get google map on your laptop while riding and follow your journey in real time? Just curious.

[@micmac99]

The Sunset Limited does not have wi-fi on board. However, my cell phone (I have AT&T) was able to connect in many areas to the 4G network and my BlackBerry phone has its own "maps" app, and in many (but not all) areas I was certainly able to track the train's location and movement in real time. It was just as easy to follow the maps as much of this route in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas parallels major highways, and you can tell when you pas through a town by simply looking at buildings, signage and landmarks.

[@delstanley1349]

I've followed general places in real time using my outboard car GPS unit. It is satellite based and requires no internet connection while on the move. I wouldn't buy one just for this purpose, but if you already have one here is another use.

[@GLICKMIRE]

Glad you did a video from the platform at Longview. Have spent many hours there, both with the wife when train watching, and on the job when I was working at that railroad yard.

[@robertmcglinchey3347]

I started my first trip on an Amtrak long haul in Tucson in November 2017. The French bakery which dubs as a station is excellent and turns into a fine French restaurant at night. There’s layover in Tucson. The scenery is hilly desert all the way to San Antonio. There were dogs, tons of agents to bust a guy with two bags of white powder. He was traveling in my car and the bust happened outside my window. In San Antonio I was looking forward to walking around but the place was dead as was a guy who was also in my car. Heart attack. It was 2AM IN THE MID 80s and humid. No working vending machines or water fountains. I walked downtown and nearly had a heart attack myself - no water. When I got back the ENTIRE TRAIN emptied in the platform. No outside or inside seating. So after 4 hours and minutes to spare the coroner drove his station wagon slowly away. Somber. And yeah it’s kinda boring San Antonio to Chicago but I appreciated the humanity that lived in such small houses on square miles of land, The slow speed of the train didn’t bother me but I guessed it faster. Over an hour at 20MPH?? But the Lakeshore Ltd. to NYC moved along sometimes 80+MPH. When the Century Ltd inaugural run in 1902 did Chicago to NYC in 20 hours, people were awed by such a locomotive. Well, 115 years later Amtrak killed that record on the Lakeshore. Not exactly. 115 years later it took 22 hours!!!. A minus two hours! Hey, that’s okay it’s a nice run. BUT the window was filthy and the sunset on the Hudson River was spoiled.

[@andrewarmstrong7310]

Here is a tidbit, the female voice actor used for all of Union Pacific's trackside equipment detectors is none other than the late Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. West of San Antonio there is not much to see, a whole lot of nothing was how my grandfather described it when he rode the troop train out west to depart for the Pacific in WW2 from Los Angles. Longview, TX was my second home from 1985 to 1992. Had a lot of fun there back when. Enjoyed the video thanks for posting it.

[@rickboivin7732]

If that was her at 47:45, I'd have never guessed.

[@andrewarmstrong7310]

Yep, here is a better audio recording kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2q0iXtmeJKImdU

[@danmathers141]

I am enjoying all of these.I don't think I've finished them yet, I'm wondering if there are significant changes you might repeat some of these.

[@DOSBoxMom]

The weed-covered sections of Route 66 are sometimes renovated as bike/walking trails by local communities. Odell and Chenoa in IL are 2 such communities. Pontiac, on the other hand, still uses Route 66 as a 4-lane road (within city limits). Since the time you were on the Texas Eagle in 2013, a new train station was constructed in Pontiac (a few blocks SW of the old one), as part of the "Illinois High-Speed Rail Project." (My hometown of Dwight, IL also got a new Amtrak station out of it -- not that we really needed a new station.) I haven't been in either the old or new Pontiac Amtrak stations yet, but I've driven past them, and the old one has been converted into a nice restaurant.

[@chrisdobrowolski2783]

Thats cool a nice restuarnt for the old train station.

[@MCtvch60]

good video. I took the 98 and the 97 to orlando to nyc. The trip was quite bumpy but everything elkse was perfect. I ran my laptop off my phone hotspot and it was slow still.

[@Greybone62]

Particularly thru Georgia, as far as I can remember..

[@grebnellok]

I took this trip in 2017 from Chicago on Sept 19 -22 and thoroughly enjoyed it except for arriving in LA at 4:20am. I coincidentally am doing the reverse tip from LA to Chi on Sept 23-26, 2018. Although it's not the most scenic route I enjoy all the small and large towns the route goes through.

[@ericbedenbaugh7085]

I took it in August 2017 from LA to Dallas. I really enjoyed the trip. I thought the scenery was quite unique, very different from what I'm used to here in Miami.

[@ChasOnErie]

You did a great job , thanks .?we did that trip about 5 years ago ... did not take a lot of pics ... this will fill in!!!

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

Thanks! Loved the focus on Tucson. Yeah, Texas is somewhat lacking for beautiful landscape, it's just kinda stark no matter where you are. It's stark brown, or stark green, but stark and BIG. And New Mexico really does not enchant until you hit I25, and then I40. Was hoping you'd go get some ice cream in Bensen. I cross that station almost weekly when I visit my folks there. Nice view of the Pima Air and Space Museum. I never noticed those old satellite/airplane tracking domes in the back of the retrofit yard. I'll have to ask if they give a tour of that area. It's such a great museum.

[@kdabaviation5032]

Cool video! I can't wait until I ride Amtrak again. I'm riding next month just a small trip from DeLand to Orlando.

[@Beargizmo3]

Thanks for another great video. I really enjoy every minute of them. I took the Texas Eagle many years ago when there was a section going to Houston. I think I've watched all of your videos, except for the westbound Empire Builder, which is currently paused entering Milwaukee. Thanks so much

[@rockiecmfan9662]

Like everyone that has commented on your videos, I too am a great fan. Because of your vids, CZ is a priority on my bucket list when I retire. And I know this one is not your fav. But I have to join the chorus and say meal pics please!

[@AmtrakEnthusiast]

I took Amtrak from New York City to Saint Louis and rode this train from Chicago to Saint Louis. The train was nice, but I will admit, the scenery isn't anything to write home about. It was nice however to have the dinning car because I am used to riding the Lake Shore Limited and Capital Limited, on which they have discontinued the diner.

[@alexanderhall2720]

Yeah. They also took the diner off of the New York-Miami Silver Star. Between New York/Washington and Chicago is mostly farmland and factories, except on the New York-Chicago Cardinal, where you'll see some great scenery while it's traveling through West Virginia and the bluegrass region of Kentucky, though you'll have to be on the eastbound train#50 since the westbound train #51 goes through these regions as it's getting dark (spring/summer) or after it has already gotten dark (fall/winter). Between Chicago and Los Angeles on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited mostly what you'll see are oil fields (Texas), farmland (Texas) and desert (western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California). The best scenery is on the California Zephyr (west of Denver), the Empire Builder (Montana-Seattle/Portland) and the Southwest Chief (west of Albuquerque).

[@alexanderhall2720]

Also I heard that the scenery on the Los Angeles-Seattle Coast Starlight is great, though they took off the Pacific Parlor Car last year.

[@ronclark9724]

Amtrak also shunts sleepers at Spokane and Albany as well as at San Antonio. Both the Empire Builder and Lake Shore Limited splits into two trains, whereas one sleeper and one coach joins the Sunset Limited going west from San Antonio or joins the Texas Eagle going north from San Antonio on the 4 days a week the Sunset Limited runs. On the other 3 days the Texas Eagle runs with one sleeper and one coach less between Chicago and San Antonio... The Eagle southbound into San Antonio runs a circle around and enters the station northbound, while the Sunset Limited enters the station southbound. Therefore what was once starboard is now port, and vice a versa heading west... This threw me for a loop too on my first shunt in San Antonio, the second time I stayed up and watched what happened... You would think the Eagle would enter the station going southbound from the north, but that is not the case... Going eastbound the Sunset Limited enters the station going northbound, and with the Eagle sitting ready to go north, you don't get the port and starboard switch, but the two cars are shunted onto the rear of the Eagle... Ditto with the two cars being shunted onto the rear of the Sunset Limited. It works well except there can be a few hours waiting for trains running late... You never know which train is running late at San Antonio...

[@sammy7068]

hi took t his train when it went to orlando but they cut the service now was in 2002 ty for bringing back memories

[@ronclark9724]

When the hurricane hit the Gulf coast at that time damaging a bridge as I recall, Amtrak ended the train at New Orleans. Doing so saved three train sets out of six train sets which were used to replace a lot of cars on other trains that had derailed, one being the Auto Train, Amtrak's east coast gold mine. Amtrak has a lot of rolling stock, but they are just barely enough to meet its fleet needs. Notice after the Cascades derailment that train set has not been put back into service. They are operating one train set short presently...

[@jynxjynx3068]

I'm sorry you didn't care for the journey. I've used the Sunset Limited when I was younger for travel between Lafayette, Louisiana and San Antonio, Texas. Now that I am older, I ride Amtrak purely for the joy of traveling on the train. I didn't know that Amtrak provided a set out car in San Antonio to be coupled onto the Sunset Limited. I will simply have to make that trip!

[@deandevirgilio3068]

The Amtrak station in Tucson is on Toole Ave near Downtown

[@jf0817bl]

I thought the quality of this video was just fine. I really like your videos, because I also like the maps and garmin to keep me oriented. And, your videos really keep pace with the slow feel of riding the train. Thank you!

[@benbeck1]

Was hoping you'd do this monster trip, good to know you've actually done it.

[@Bogieking78]

Just wanted to say for as old as it was the video wasn't that bad-thanks for sharing!

[@alphonsozorro7952]

It's might not be so much the "age" of the video as the way it was converted from dvd to KZbin format that makes it rather fuzzy. More recent videos on KZbin could be worse though.

[@Mike-hf8kq]

I am doing this trip lax to chicago in 3 weeks, in coach! Love your vids

[@allenspencer6434]

Thanks fore what You do.Backward train ride...Amazing

[@lindsaymoore7232]

I love all your train videos!! They are wonderful travel logs, this one is no exception. I was wondering if you are going to do one on the City Of New Orleans? From Chicago to New Orleans. I'd like to know what railroad scanner you use on your videos and where can I find one. I've never been on the Texas Eagle or Sunset Limited, but will one in the near future.

[@youtuuba]

Lindsay Moore, I have looked into taking the City of New Orleans, but decided against it.....last I checked, most of it would be at night, so I would be paying for a sleeper but not getting much scenic time in the bargain. Plus, I have visited New Orleans more than I care to, so don't see a benefit in taking a train trip there. It might still happen, especially if I can combine it with more subsequent rail travel on a vacation. Perhaps another Train Odyssey.....

[@Greybone62]

@@youtuuba Have You considered taking The CoNO North-bound? Depending on the time of Year, You will get Day-light well into Tennessee..

[@Petern-e6f]

"You know you haven't found a shanty until they've got the bucket seats from their van lined up on their porch as easy chairs." - famous last words from the station in Alpine, Texas. And but one of the reasons Youtuuba may be the best train travel channel out there.

[@DOSBoxMom]

I hadn't really paid attention to the dining car menu prices on other train videos, but the attendant's announcement of those prices for coach passengers startled me. I almost never spend that much for a meal in a sit-down restaurant! It would seem that the difference between coach and sleeping car fares could often be less than the costs of meals coach passengers might buy, but which are included in the price of a sleeping car ticket.

[@youtuuba]

DOSBoxMom, that is one reason why getting 1st class reservations on the AMTRAK long distance trains is actually a good value, when compared to travelling coach on the same train. As for comparison with "sit-down restaurants", it is no doubt much more expensive to provide hot meals on the train, for relatively small numbers of people, than it is in a typical sit-down restaurant elsewhere. It is like a convenience store, where you are paying more in order to enjoy the convenience. For my part, I don't really care whether trains (or for that matter, commercial aircraft) have HOT meals, or "chef prepared" meals, or whatever, as long as there is reasonable food available and I can continue to enjoy the conversations with diverse other travellers during the 'communal' meals in the dining cars. In other words, I would miss the dining car experience more than I would miss the meals themselves.

[@LTHanlon]

You mean you didn't sing "Benson, Arizona" from "Dark Star"?

[@JL-lg8tk]

Going back to 2013, that building in Ft. Worth with the UT@Arlington sign on trackside and Santa Fe on street side is the old Santa Fe RR freight warehouse. The university bought that building and re-purposed it into a satellite campus for Ft. Worth students. You passed the old Santa Fe depot which today is an event center. As many as 9 railroads served Ft. Worth with passenger and freight prior to all the mergers and discontinuing passenger service. The Santa Fe depot and the Texas & Pacific depot, both still standing, served the passenger traffic. The Texas & Pacific depot is now the Texas & Pacific Lofts and Condos.

[@davethornton2930]

Enjoy the trip very much appreciate your working very hard trying to explain where are you where we were in the time etc. it was an angel

[@LTHanlon]

Graboids?! You betcha. And if you've got graboids, you've got ass blasters!

[@gacj2010]

This was a great trip ...felt I was there and loved the rear window shots too. Great map and gps point-outs to let viewer know where and what the terrain was like.

[@harryborsalino1276]

Youtuuba, your train odyssey videos were by far the best preparation I had for my first train trip a couple of years ago...part of which, ironically, was the Texas Eagle from Chicago to San Antonio. I didn't go all the way to the West Coast so I can't speak to the quality of scenery on that stretch, though everything I hear is that it does NOT compare to other westbound cross-country routes. But the part inside Texas appealed to me because it passed through parts of the state in which I had lived or through which I had frequently travelled, so it was fun to see it from a different perspective. Beyond that, I'm with you...no interest in a repeat performance. Thanks for all the info and insight in your videos, Sir!

[@zeppelinfreakhayes5780]

You should ride the Captiol Limited And Pennsylvanian

[@TheSjuris]

He has a video on the Capitol Limited. I took the Broadway Limited in the 80’s when Amtrak still ran it. Loved going over the curve. Didn’t like waiting for every single freight engine to zoom past the train.

[@philmoore5579]

Good job on the video, and tolerating that flat wheel on your car the whole trip

[@EmmettHoops]

Thank you so much for posting this. Your explanation up front is quite understandable....not much scenery in the states this train passes through, although the Sunset Limited has some nice views. Empire Builder, however, it is not.

[@alexanderhall2720]

...nor the California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, or Coast Starlight.

[@ronclark9724]

@@alexanderhall2720 Frankly the Southwest Chief isn't much better than the Sunset Limited route...

[@darlenehorner9064]

We did this trip in 2012 springfield ill to LA temple had a little oold lady sold tamales there at the stop they were great dome time in the night they switches trains on us

[@adrestianyx7441]

i really enjoy your adventures and coming along, thank you for al of these

[@thomasthompson1444]

THAT CAR YOU ARE IN HAS A FLAT SPOT ON A WHEEL. BACK WHEN THESE TRAINS WERE VERY SPECIAL RUNNING THAT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED BUT PRIDE HAS BEEN REPLACED BY BOTTOM LINE AND THE PASSENGER DOES NOT COUNT ALL THAT MUCH ANYMORE.

[@ronclark9724]

There once was a time when the freight got out of the way for passenger trains when they carried the bulk of the US Mail in their multiple mail cars. When was the last time you saw Amtrak having a mail car on the consist? The very same day the private railroad companies lost their mail contracts was the day they killed their passenger trains. Even back during the 1960s, the trains could not and did not win the war with air mail. This video describes the demise of North Texas passenger trains during that era, but it applies just as well nationwide... It isn't a pretty story... kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZuXnGuneaZ1bqs

[@Mike-hf8kq]

Actually doing cardinal to chicago, chief to lax, eagle to chicago, cardinal back to NY. All coach and straight through...longest layover of 14 hours in lax.

[@666elrey666]

oh an also those places and "towns" like Rosenfeld and Lennox and some of those others are the names of the train sidings.. waaaaay back in the day there were small "towns" where trains stopped for things maybe way back when for cattle etc

[@666elrey666]

now mist are just huge ranches and they named the sidings after them etc

[@GLICKMIRE]

It's a shame you had to put up with that flat-spotted wheel for several days straight.

[@tommartin1496]

NOTE: Texas Eagle now serves only Airline-style meals in the dining car. Also, Texas Eagle no longer has the observation car as of 10/1/20

[@23draft7]

Things are cheap, except the price to travel.

[@mareerogers1114]

The Sunset Limited from New Orleans to L.A. is favorite route. I prefer the scenery than out of Chicago to L.A. accept it does go through Raton,CO where female Buffalo Soldier once lived.🤗 I did see some amazing wildlife on the way back from L.A. to Chicago. The California Zephyr into Colorado is nice. Sunset Limited is my favorite route to ride.

[@JessicaTG2008]

Great videos, I really enjoy these, they are relaxing. On another note, am I the only one who thinks those dinner prices are WAY ridiculous for an Amtrak meal? $25 for a train steak, I don't think so.

[@ronclark9724]

Well Amtrak pays their diner staff much more than other restaurants, a railroad union wage probably twice what Dennys pays their staff... As it is Amtrak loses its most money serving food. With a former airline CEO now Amtrak's CEO, no wonder Amtrak is switching to airline style box meals... Doing so allows Amtrak to cut another union employee off every sleeper train. When they started using paper plates they cut the dishwasher several years ago... The more the staff is paid, the higher the price of the goods and services sold...

[@TheSjuris]

Has anybody had a roomette on the bottom level of a super liner?

[@youtuuba]

To answer the question according to how it is worded, yes, roughly 1/3 of sleeper car passengers (in Superliner sleeper cars) have had lower level Roomettes. But my guess is you meant something else. Did you intend to ask about specifics of lower level Roomettes? I am going to assume that this was your intention, and answer accordingly (although from observation only, not from personal experience). The lower level Roomettes are identical to those on the upper level. But the passenger experience might differ for the following reasons: - Lower level Roomettes might be preferred by passengers with mobility problems, those who have trouble climbing stairs, those who wish to be closer to more restrooms, those who might be accompanying a passenger in the 'Accessible' (handicapped) bedroom, or who have a need to regularly access, or supervise, items in the lower level baggage storage area, etc. - Passengers in any lower level rooms will still have to climb stairs in order to get to the upper level, and this will need to be done in order to get to other cars, such as the Dining car, Lounge/Observation car, or to access the Cafe. However, mobility limited passengers in lower level rooms can arrange for their sleeper car attendants to get meals and bring them to their rooms. - On stretches of rough track, the lower level rooms will seem to move & sway less than the upper level rooms, and passengers how might have stability issues when standing or walking might prefer the lower level for that reason. - Lower level rooms will be noisier. - Lower level rooms might seem more peaceful, in the sense that their hallways/aisles are NOT on the upper level; upper level aisles have more foot traffic since any passenger or crew moving around on the train MUST use the upper level aisles. The short aisles on the lower levels are not on the way to any other place.

[@wendygough316]

I have and it was just fine. Loved it. Slept like a baby and not crowded.

[@ronclark9724]

@@wendygough316 While the coffee and drinks are upstairs your extra luggage and the shower is downstairs... The roomettes are the same whether upstairs or downstairs, but I believe the view is slightly better upstairs...

[@parkerjon29]

Yep! I used to dislike it...but the last time I rode it was pretty nice actually. It's quieter except at stations when people are boarding. I think its a little more bumpy than an upper level room but it's not bad! I found it to be quieter than the upper level rooms in general except at stations, particularly "smoke stops"...its also nice to be closer to the luggage rack if you put your bags on it

[@Howoldareweanywayyipes]

i especially like your room evaluation quips. lol and a look at your food... the pulled pork looked really good. made me instantly hungry.

[@johnhaynes2302]

I.m a big fan of your stuff Paul but please always provide the voiceover as us blindness hate txt only. Thanks

[@micmac99]

2:05:54 The famous "Prada Marfa"! This is basically an art installation supposedly representing the high-end Prada fashion stores and intended as a commentary on our consumer-oriented culture. People literally come from all over the world to see this thing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prada_Marfa

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

Thanks for pointing that out. I had this on while I was writing some computer code and missed it.

[@vincentcalvelli6452]

Thanks Paul

[@thelowmein9143]

What’s it like to sleep on the train with the motion, is it difficult to relax?

[@Howoldareweanywayyipes]

I lost you there for awhile... finally got you back. youtube would not let me find youtuuba... lol

[@davidkuebler4302]

Youtuba your videos are great to watch first time viewer of your KZbin channel and I think you should do a video of the keystone from new York where it starts and it ends in Pittsburgh PA with just a 10 lay over in Harrisburg PA before going on to Pittsburgh PA but that train is mostly a coach car no sleeper car on that train however there is a food and beverage car on that train love the video by the way

[@RailroadFanatic-hr6pf]

The Texas Eagle was the first Amtrak train I rode! My dad and I went from Dallas to Austin in 2005.

[@daveat55degreesnorth33]

Thanks for posting this trip, I see what you mean re the scenery, here in the UK we have some very pretty countryside but nothing on quite as grand a scale as you do in the US, so still interesting to watch it roll by, just out of curiosity which brand is the road atlas you use on your travels ? Thanks again.

[@youtuuba]

I always use the Rand McNally "Road Atlas" of North America. It has good coverage of all the states, and detail is a good compromise between showing not enough and showing too much. As a regular traveler in the UK and continental Europe, I am also used to the Ordnance Survey maps (excellent detail, but can be hard to deal with since each page shows only a small area of the countryside) and the Michelin guides. I think for train travel in North America, the RM "Road Atlas" is about perfect. And it is readily available.

[@rrhone]

Keeping that GPS in your roomette is a darn good idea. ty

[@macdunlap6257]

trying to schedule that one for next november

[@LelandRogers]

I agree with you on the scenery.

[@ronclark9724]

Must not like the view of prickly pears...

[@karlpiepenburg127]

Loved the video. You sounded a little downcast on this video (compared with your others) and that would be easy to understand, considering the length of the trip. Since I live along the route (Springfield), I’ve been tempted to try this but it’s hard to justify when the Southwest Chief is not as long of a trip. The scenery also isn’t great but i may just try it anyway

[@youtuuba]

@@karlpiepenburg127 , I was not in a great mood during the trip, not because of the length, but because of the boring, bland landscape.

[@deecee7157]

Hello, great video. It was very informational. How were you able to hear the train crew talking while they were stopped at each of the stations.

[@LTHanlon]

Thanks for this video!

[@lcar4000]

Were you able to sleep during the long San Antonio layover?

[@youtuuba]

Well, it happened in the middle of the night, and I was already asleep before we got there. In fact, I slept right through it and did not realize that it had happened until I woke up in the morning and found that my car was now in a different part of the train.

[@ronclark9724]

@@youtuuba Ditto with my first shunt in the middle of the night in San Antonio as well. Truth be told the Missouri Pacific Eagle of long ago was geared to serve San Antonio and into Mexico, not to shunt cars onto the Southern Pacific Sunset Limited. Other railroads besides the Missouri Pacific served the DFW area better. Burlington, Katy, Santa Fe, Rock Island, Texas & Pacific...

[@larryloveless2967]

I ran this route just to complete my riding of all AMTRAK routes west of St. Louis inclung The Canadian. They were 5 weekend to weekend trips between 2001 and 2013. I agree these were my least favories routes. I took the Southwest Chief to L.A., then rode the Sunset Limited to San Antonio and then the Texas Eagle back home to St. Louis. The purpose was to ride the only two western routes I had not yet ridden, which were the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle. I did enjoy one day stays in Anaheim to see an Angels game and San Antonio to see the Riverwalk and Alamo so those were my highlights of the trip. From St. Louis

[@larryloveless2967]

By the way, I still liked the video to re-live a train trip from my past.

[@hongs8867]

Any trips in 2022or 2023 coming up? Trips seem pricey this year

[@jimbob7613]

At 2:32:26 there were some odd looking railcars. Do you know what they were used for????

[@coolbreezeonline]

What is the brand name and model of the scanner/radio you are using in this video? Thanks!

[@youtuuba]

My scanner is an old model, so its model number is meaningless now. It is made by Uniden (Uniden Bearcat) and I think it is comparable to something like their current model BC75XLT. I like this supplier: www.scannermaster.com which is where I bought mine. They list the BC75XLT as a "police scanner" but I think is would be fine for train frequencies......you might contact them and confirm. Also make sure you buy an AC power adapter and the interface cable/software so you can program the scanner and manage your frequencies more easily. For trains, I would say that a good scanner should have a large memory, divided into banks of at least 20 frequencies per bank...that way, you can program each train route's set of frequencies into each of the banks, and select one bank at a time depending on which train you are on. I am considering buying one of these, not because the old one has any issues (it it working fine) but because the newer ones have much better displays and keypads.

[@joeysheremeta4771]

Sir, excellent work. I love the commentary, the gps, the scanner, everything. May I ask what kind of camera was being used for this film?

[@youtuuba]

Joey Sheremata, I used a Canon "PowerShot" series point-and-shoot camera in its video mode. I don't recall which model, and I don't have it anymore.

[@user-bw3fl7fj9w]

I was fine with everything, except for the scanner too noisy for me. I do like he tells us where they are located.

[@outlaw2191]

Are you a model railroader? If yes, what scale?

[@rayunseitig6367]

When I made the Chicago to LA trip, It was called El Capitan, You slept in your seats on that one. 1961

[@cynthiafeagin5185]

My hometown is Longview tx the track was block over from the downtown area I recognized that

[@renardfranse]

ok here's one for ya. do you remember the names Todd Styles and Buz Murdock? Now name the series.......here is a hint, they were in a corvette........

[@samnorcal6294]

Route 66

[@oldhead58gamer14]

Route 66

[@marcsheinberg6487]

Another fine video. Many thanks. Can you change the Garmin icon from a car to a train?

[@youtuuba]

No, the Garmin GPS units don't have an icon shaped like a train. And only my newest one seems to be aware of train tracks at all, and assumes that the train must be on an adjacent road. Probably all current models are 'train aware', but I can't guess if they have train icons.....what would that look like anyway?

[@Howoldareweanywayyipes]

wow, that rearend shot shows you moving very fast.

[@rpoli100]

I found the run through the Rio Grande region to be spectacular.

[@bobbellairs6035]

It appears that you started out from Chicago in roomette #7, but ended up in roomette #10. Am I missing something? 😊

[@arkyump]

Did they turn your car around when the consist changed or did you change rooms?

[@youtuuba]

Hoser Man, I thought that I covered this in the video, both as narration and as text overlay.....In San Antonio, the Texas Eagle train route technically ends, and its 'consist' is merged with the Sunset Limited train's consist, and in the process my sleeper car ended up as the last car in the new consist, and facing in the opposite direction. This all happened in the middle of the night while I was sleeping, so I was disoriented upon awakening.

[@arkyump]

You may have covered it, but in a 3+ hour video, much of it plays in the background while I do other things on the computer. Not your fault, It was a fun video and I appreciate all that you do for rail travel. My Gramps was an engineer and he taught me to love trains.

[@grebnellok]

When I took the train from Chi to LA last September we were in the front of the train to San Antonio, were then turned around and were the last car to LA. Loved every mile of it.

[@ronclark9724]

@@youtuuba You were flip flopped in San Antonio in the sleeper, those in the coach were sliced and diced. They woke up in their coach sitting backwards as the train traveled forward. After everyone in that coach wakes up and have breakfast. Jack knife city, slice and dice... You have to understand San Antonio has two stations, one for Missouri Pacific and one for Southern Pacific. The Sunset Limited cannot access the Missouri Pacific station on the west side of downtown San Antonio, whereas the Texas Eagle can access the Southern Pacific station on the east side of downtown San Antonio. Therefore Amtrak uses the east side station. The Texas Eagle southbound heads for the west side station and then circles around anti clockwise to the east side station facing northbound. The Sunset Limited westbound enters has a service stop entering San Antonio and then heads into their station facing southbound. The shunting is done and the cars heading westbound are flip flopped, sliced and diced... The Texas Eagle then gets serviced as it heads northbound, as well as the Sunset Limited eastbound at the same service facility of the westbound Sunset Limited. Those advocating a commuter rail service between San Antonio and Austin prefer to use the west side station as its bigger and better although the east side station is very nice with only two tracks. Shame on you, you slept through a lot of railroad shunting action... Simply put the Sunset Limited was geared for east west traffic, the Missouri Pacific and Katy were geared for north south traffic...

[@youtuuba]

@@ronclark9724 , thanks for the detailed explanation. I understood that some slice&dice was done, but I did not know the logistics. I am glad that I slept through it! It was disconcerting to begin the trip nearer the front of the train, only to wake up and find my car at the tail and and the dining car in the opposite direction.

[@midon007]

You had a steady hand

[@bruce92106]

Re "what's Crawford TX known for?" President Bush has a family ranch there. Re the Branch Davidians? They were outside of Waco TX nextdoor.

[@robertjones4709]

You are right. Bad trip except that being on a train is great in itself. West Texas is worse than I imagined..Appalachia without scenery. New Mexico saves us

[@JessicaTG2008]

That was risky. I guess you can only get cancer from a windmill if its up on top of a pole and not in pieces while being transported on a train.

[@MikeJones-bl6lu]

If you get cancer from air alone then you might want to stop smoking.

[@lindajohnson4204]

Torn-NEE-o "ll" in Spanish is pronounced like "y".

[@lelandrogers1078]

Those flatbead cars with the rails are used to transport railway maintenance machines. The machines can propel themselves, but not for long distances so they load them on these flatbed cars. I have driven this route by car twice and I didn't see anything that made me want to stop and see more in Texas and not much in Nevada or Arizona.

[@cynthiafeagin5185]

Big bend natl park is a hundred miles south of Alpine tx

[@cynthiafeagin5185]

The movie giant was filmed at Marfa texas

[@mohamadfaiz6935]

In June 2023 Amtrak Crescent is proposing a Fort Worth Section.