The $1000 Amtrak Auto Train Sleeper Car Experience- Worth It?

[@kenwithmustache]

Always wondered what the inside of those automobile transport cars looked like. Great job!

[@admtim]

@@kenwithmustache it’s pretty amazing!!

[@ParkSloper]

Enjoyed our breakfast with you on the Land Cruise! Fair winds and happy sailing, Admiral.

[@admtim]

@@ParkSloper it was our pleasure! Be safe!

[@cheryltracy4433]

OMG you got to meet him??? I always keep hoping Tim will be on my next cruise ❤

[@admtim]

@@cheryltracy4433 fairytales do come true. Tim in person is highly overrated, he says.

[@philrogers8160]

When my mother was a snowbird we took the Auto train many times going north or south. Travelling from Lakeland Fla to north of Syracuse NY it saved us two nites of motel expenses. We never used a sleeper car on any trips. The lounge car has a movie at 7 & 9pm and I've seen people playing cards. Dinner time choices were 5, 7 or 9pm. The old Sanford Fla station was small and in between multiple tracks. They take video of all cars if there is a claim for damage. I enjoyed the scenery in the daylight hours. On 1 trip from hell the train didn't arrive in Sanford until 4pm. It was very late departing in fact the 1st dinner serving was 7pm. We arrived in Lorton at about 5pm. Auto train has priority at nite, but during the day the freights have priority On that trip we were on sidings waiting for freight trains to pass.

[@admtim]

@@philrogers8160 it’s a great way to travel! we’re going to take it back to Sanford on Saturday on coach this time. We’ll report back here. Thanks!

[@Dingdingding-i3d]

No more movies. Most people BYO

[@Hope-k2u]

🎉🎉🎉🎉Awesome! That's on my bucket list. Thank you for sharing.

[@admtim]

@@Hope-k2u try it for sure. So much fun, and incredibly convenient!

[@daynarez]

This is great! Felt like I was watching a Rick Steves documentary 😂

[@admtim]

@@daynarez thank you! That’s quite an honor! Trying something different.

[@Dingdingding-i3d]

He keeps threatening to parody RS 😂

[@admtim]

@@Dingdingding-i3d your wish is my command

[@admtim]

@@Dingdingding-i3d guess what Tim just did?

[@simonhicks5222]

Can't believe you guys missed the pool car! Got to get up pretty early to beat those Florida retirees to the sun loungers though.

[@admtim]

LMAO! The towels were out at 4AM I hear 🤣

[@Bobrogers99]

It's a better experience than it was many years ago when I used the auto train. Back then, the cabins were coffin-sized with no amenities, the rail bed was bad, and the train constantly lurched from side to side, making sleep impossible. However, the food was good and the staff was pleasant. It shortened the drive time, though I-95 south of DC is much easier to negotiate than driving Boston to DC. I wish they had an auto train out of Boston!

[@johnwalker5159]

Completely agree! DC traffic is terrible!

[@brucebelcher4995]

This is a good video. I've been riding Amtrak since the mid 1980's. The California Zephyr (from Chicago to the San Francisco area) is my favorite. I will check out your other videos. I'm not a cruise person, but I'm considering the Queen Mary 2.

[@admtim]

@@brucebelcher4995 we’re looking at Zephyr next! Looks AMAZING

[@lock.robster]

If you've ever done trains in Europe, you'd realize how amateur Amtrak is. Love the Auto Train concept, but it could be managed a lot better. Great video of the experience.

[@admtim]

@@lock.robster we have. Europe and Asia are light years ahead of us.

[@johnwalker5159]

I see you brought the Admiral jacket at 4:16. Did you wear it on the train?

[@admtim]

NO he forgot it and left it in the car. He tried to get it but he was stopped while crawling on top of the train.

[@johnwalker5159]

I see they allow Teslas on the train. I wonder what would happen if there were a battery fire?

[@admtim]

Interesting - I could see how that might be an issue.

[@mikeklinger1712]

That was my thought too!

[@carloluigid2104]

Your naturally hilarious colour commentary had me chuckling throughout the video. Well done! "Oh God, she's gonna mow these people down...", "I wonder if that's her natural hair?", "Is there a pool?",, etc...

[@admtim]

@@carloluigid2104 FINALLY - someone gets it! You have just earned yourself a coveted spot on the first official Tim cruise cruise lol! Thanks so much for your kind words.

[@tdadp]

I am a fan of ordering Uber eats to the train station they do deliver and when you’re running Virginia, you just walk across the street and you got this supermarket right there Papa John’s delivers

[@admtim]

@@tdadp GREAT idea!!!

[@deesalkelly3069]

why dont they have those scanners that you see at car rental places - drive through and it scans the whole car into a 3D model etc...a joke eh??

[@admtim]

@@deesalkelly3069 they should definitely have something!

[@pj7342]

Are you spending time in the DC area?

[@admtim]

@@pj7342 probably not on this trip. We’re about an hour south in Richmond.

[@pj7342]

Perfect weather

[@admtim]

@@pj7342 it’s ccccccold up here!

[@halleradam]

Much security is invisible. Its less risk than imagined. In any case, nice recap. The model seems quite time inefficient compared to competing modes. We’d be better served investing in true high speed passenger rail.

[@admtim]

@@halleradam 18 hours plus another three hours waiting for your car is completely inefficient. Works out to about two days

[@kenwithmustache]

I do worry about the lack of security.

[@admtim]

@@kenwithmustache it is a little concerning. I can only imagine what a bad person might bring with no security checks.

[@BoratWanksta]

Whenever I've ridden Amtrak, I have never been afraid about them not doing TSA style security checks. The TSA style security checks at airports are one of the most annoying aspects about flying, in my opinion. Don't forget if someone were to break any rules for riding while on the train, the train crew WILL KICK YOU OFF the train immediately. Sometimes they have kicked people off(with the local cops/county sheriff waiting), in a town where an Amtrak long distance train doesn't normally stop in, instead of at the next scheduled station stop. The types of people one will normally seeing riding Amtrak are nicer, vs. say the types of people one might see on a Greyhound bus.

[@admtim]

@@BoratWanksta it’s all good until the first time rival drug smugglers have a shootout on the train. With zero security and zero identity verification, right now, anyone can bring ANYTHING on that train.

[@grayrabbit2211]

There's more than enough security on there. If you think the TSA does anything to actually make air travel safe, you're not very familiar with real security. The real security feature is the train itself and their staff. While they may seem laid-back, they're always watching. If something were to happen, everyone's stuck on the train. You're not jumping from a train moving 70-80 mph without sustaining some pretty bad injuries. If something were to happen, the conductor notifies police, who will meet the train, in force, at the next stop. There are a few videos on KZbin of this happening. As far as everything being paper, there's a reason - - it works, even without electronics and cell service. Many areas Amtrak goes lack cell service. If you think digital is better, ask Delta how that worked out for them earlier this year with the Crowdstrike crash.

[@TheUNDERPRESENCE]

@@grayrabbit2211 Ten bucks says you're single, play with model trains, and own cats. Like nuclear proliferation, TSA is a very effective deterrent. Auto Train has ZERO deterrents. It's all about psychology. If something were to happen, it's already too late. We try to PREVENT things from happening. You can live in your happy little rabbit world with daisies and unicorns until the avoidable inevitable happens, but I'm protecting my flock however I can.

[@terrytc1]

OMG. It's transportation .... like a bus... Not a cruise or a luxury trip of any kind. If people think that then they will be disappointed.

[@admtim]

Mmm it’s kinda like a low end Carnival Cruise with no pool

[@mikeklinger1712]

You'd be amazed! I know a car wash owner and the characters with the older wrecks will try to blame alot on your business so the camera guys roaming is a damn smart idea!

[@admtim]

People can definitely be nasty, but this procedure seems like more of a deterrent. Would love to see how this would play out in court.

[@dianerivera3222]

We've done over a dozen round trips on the AT. They videotape every, single, car. It's to prevent people claiming damage that wasn't done by them. Also, any claim for damage has to be done BEFORE you leave Amtrak property.

[@admtim]

@@dianerivera3222 Tim has an IT background and says the logistics of categorizing 660 randomly shot videos using a consumer level handicam daily isn’t viable. He suspects it’s a fake yet effective deterrent, or they shelve the videos for a certain amount of time and sort only when required. Amtrak’s 1970s era pencil and clipboard situation at these stations is a little troubling considering today’s threats.

[@dianerivera3222]

@@admtim Who said they categorize them? They only need them for a short time. As I said, once you leave Amtrak property, liability is on you, not them. Easy enough to review when needed, which is not on every trip. But, thinking they only record "expensive" cars is strange. We've been taking the AT since 2005 and claims are very rare.

[@lock.robster]

@@dianerivera3222 Diana you bes be careful before Tim lays you out... waiting for it...

[@chrisdobrowolski2783]

The music control is for the PA system in your room.

[@admtim]

@@chrisdobrowolski2783 oh I see. We had it turned all the way up and we still didn’t hear any announcements in our room!

[@stanstanton6154]

You should be free to travel from a to b

[@admtim]

@@stanstanton6154 in a perfect world yes.

[@Ancientwarlock1692]

Guess you never travelled first class

[@admtim]

@@Ancientwarlock1692 bruh - Admiral Tim is an A Lister!