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Do any of you baws take Amtrak?
Posted on 7/10/18 at 4:44 pm
Posted on 7/10/18 at 4:44 pm
Considering taking the train from ATL to NOLA
26
Posted on 7/10/18 at 4:46 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Took it from Milwaukee to Chicago after the Wisconsin game, it was a cool experience.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 4:54 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
quote:
Considering taking the train from ATL to NOLA
I've done Bham to NOLA before. It takes longer than driving it, but you don't have to drive. This was about 7 years ago. You'll stop in Bham, Tuscaloosa, and what feels like a dozen little Podunk towns in Mississippi. The food isn't great, but you can bring a cooler on. Think of it like a massive greyhound on rails. Plenty of room to stretch out. When you do stop, there really isn't any time to get off and back on. They let people unload, load up, and they start again. I think one stop we had to wait a few minutes and I got off to use the restroom.
The main reason we took it was because it was cheaper than driving. By the time we bought gas and paid valet at the hotel for 3 nights, we came out about $50 cheaper than driving. The trip down was nice, we got there around dinner time. The trip back is rough. I think it leaves pretty early. We were back in Birmingham by lunch time. So you've got to deal with checking out of a hotel at the crack of dawn and catching a cab or uber to the train station.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 4:57 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
quote:
Considering taking the train from ATL to NOLA
Atlanta to NOLA would probably be low on my list of train journeys in the US I want to take
Posted on 7/10/18 at 4:57 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Took the family with some friends from Marshall, TX up to Chicago. I would suggest springing for the reserved cabs with a bed.
General seats are huge, you can sleep in them, but you will need a blanket, pillow, and incredibly high tolerance for the animals that get on the train in St. Louis.
DO NOT allow them to sit in seats next to your kids, or put their kids next to your kid. It will ruin the otherwise cool experience.
General seats are huge, you can sleep in them, but you will need a blanket, pillow, and incredibly high tolerance for the animals that get on the train in St. Louis.
DO NOT allow them to sit in seats next to your kids, or put their kids next to your kid. It will ruin the otherwise cool experience.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 4:57 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Yeah baw, Business class is way better than driving
Posted on 7/10/18 at 4:59 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I took the Amtrak from NO to ATL in 2012 or 13. We packed two ice chests (one each) and drank beer the whole time. It stopped all the time and took forever but it was fun, cheap, and we got hammered.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:00 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Amtrak is fricking awesome.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:03 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Amtrak up in the Northeast is the bees knees.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:04 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Amtrak from NYC to Boston, NYC to Philly, Chicago to Milwaukee, etc all fantastic. By far best mode of transportation.
South of DC and it’s a different experience.
South of DC and it’s a different experience.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:05 pm to TheGator
quote:
We packed two ice chests (one each) and drank beer the whole time.
Wait this is an option???
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:06 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
took it from ft worth to dallas and back on a day trip. had a picnic lunch and got drunk. not sure if i would recommend it though.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:07 pm to VADawg
Boozing on the train is an insiders trick.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:08 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Unless you don't have a car, why would you take that trip?
Per their posted schedule, you leave Atlanta at 8:38 AM and arrive in New Orleans at 7:32 PM. 11 HOURS. You could almost drive to New Orleans and back in that time (normally, it's a six hour drive for me)... If you throw in the normal expected AMTRAK delays, you could definitely drive to New Orleans and back in the same time it takes for an Amtrak train to go one way.
Unless you have a cabin/sleeper compartment, it's about like riding a bus-- with the same class of people, too. I once rode the City of New Orleans train from New Orleans to Hammond on a work assignment several years ago, and that's who was on that train: bus people. Old retirees, stinky hipster youth, and poors, including some mental case African American woman with plastic grocery bags rubber-banded over her feet, carrying several smelly Styrofoam trays of food.
Oh, and THAT train stopped for a delay of about 45 mins. just west of the Bonnet Carre spillway.
Per their posted schedule, you leave Atlanta at 8:38 AM and arrive in New Orleans at 7:32 PM. 11 HOURS. You could almost drive to New Orleans and back in that time (normally, it's a six hour drive for me)... If you throw in the normal expected AMTRAK delays, you could definitely drive to New Orleans and back in the same time it takes for an Amtrak train to go one way.
Unless you have a cabin/sleeper compartment, it's about like riding a bus-- with the same class of people, too. I once rode the City of New Orleans train from New Orleans to Hammond on a work assignment several years ago, and that's who was on that train: bus people. Old retirees, stinky hipster youth, and poors, including some mental case African American woman with plastic grocery bags rubber-banded over her feet, carrying several smelly Styrofoam trays of food.
Oh, and THAT train stopped for a delay of about 45 mins. just west of the Bonnet Carre spillway.
This post was edited on 7/10/18 at 5:10 pm
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:09 pm to TheChosenOne
the real question is, is it considered classy?
it was at one time, but now? for hipsters or homeless?
it was at one time, but now? for hipsters or homeless?
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:09 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I took a round trip from ATL to NOLA in 2011, and a round trip from Jackson, MS, to Chicago in 2016.
Better than flying, but by the time I got to the other end of the line I was reallllllly ready to get off the train.
I'm taking the round trip to L.A. from NOLA when LSU plays in the Rose Bowl in a couple years.
Also have taken the Acela Express train from New London, CT to NY Penn Station and that was a good trip.
Better than flying, but by the time I got to the other end of the line I was reallllllly ready to get off the train.
I'm taking the round trip to L.A. from NOLA when LSU plays in the Rose Bowl in a couple years.
Also have taken the Acela Express train from New London, CT to NY Penn Station and that was a good trip.
This post was edited on 7/10/18 at 5:15 pm
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:12 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I have done it a number of times, including Chicago to New Orleans and Phoenix to Houston. And plenty in the northeast too.
I like it. Legroom is awesome. You can get some sleep too, especially if no one has the seat next to you.
I like it. Legroom is awesome. You can get some sleep too, especially if no one has the seat next to you.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:13 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I’ve taken it from STL to Chicago and back a few times. When it’s not delayed, it’s my preferred way to get to Chi-town.
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:13 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Only from Harrisburg to Penn station in NYC.
The section between Harrisburg and Philly is the fastest diesel passenger train in the US [on the Pennsylvanian]. My first impression was how smooth and comfortable the ride was. The seats were massive and the train accelerated smoothly. It slowly speeds up t about 110 mph in some flatter sections in Lancaster County before slowing down to accommodate stops in the suburbs west of Philadelphia. Amtrak owns those tracks. It’s a pleasant and mostly fast ride.
In Philly, the engines were changed out a Siemens electric. It takes about 15 minutes. This train stopped only a few times between Philly and Newark, and it cruises at around 125mph. It has the same older cars that you see on the slow diesel trains, which are a lot less smooth at 125 mph than at 100 mph. At one point the car shook and rattled so much that I was convinced we were going to decouple or derail. Amtrak owns the tracks, and this route has 3-6 lanes of rails the whole way - at least half of which are electrified.
The Acela’s are even faster and have unique high speed rated cars and a more powerful engine. They are much, much smoother and are a very pleasant ride than the Pennsylvanian’s old train sets. I think they can do 135 on that section in New Jersey, and closer to 150 east of NYC towards New England.
I wouldn’t use Amtrak in any area where they don’t own the track. So nothing outside the Northeastern US. They are just too damn slow and have to yield to freight traffic.
I wish we had some of high speed routes in other parts of the country. Even just 110-120 mph and smoother cars would make a massive difference. Miami to Tampa, Chicago to Minneapolis, Houston to Dallas, Los Angeles to San Francisco, Chicago to Detroit, Cleveland to Cincy, etc.
The section between Harrisburg and Philly is the fastest diesel passenger train in the US [on the Pennsylvanian]. My first impression was how smooth and comfortable the ride was. The seats were massive and the train accelerated smoothly. It slowly speeds up t about 110 mph in some flatter sections in Lancaster County before slowing down to accommodate stops in the suburbs west of Philadelphia. Amtrak owns those tracks. It’s a pleasant and mostly fast ride.
In Philly, the engines were changed out a Siemens electric. It takes about 15 minutes. This train stopped only a few times between Philly and Newark, and it cruises at around 125mph. It has the same older cars that you see on the slow diesel trains, which are a lot less smooth at 125 mph than at 100 mph. At one point the car shook and rattled so much that I was convinced we were going to decouple or derail. Amtrak owns the tracks, and this route has 3-6 lanes of rails the whole way - at least half of which are electrified.
The Acela’s are even faster and have unique high speed rated cars and a more powerful engine. They are much, much smoother and are a very pleasant ride than the Pennsylvanian’s old train sets. I think they can do 135 on that section in New Jersey, and closer to 150 east of NYC towards New England.
I wouldn’t use Amtrak in any area where they don’t own the track. So nothing outside the Northeastern US. They are just too damn slow and have to yield to freight traffic.
I wish we had some of high speed routes in other parts of the country. Even just 110-120 mph and smoother cars would make a massive difference. Miami to Tampa, Chicago to Minneapolis, Houston to Dallas, Los Angeles to San Francisco, Chicago to Detroit, Cleveland to Cincy, etc.
This post was edited on 7/10/18 at 5:32 pm
Posted on 7/10/18 at 5:14 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
The Amtrak from Boston to New York is honestly easier than flying.
Also, the Amtrak to Portland is really cheap, quick, and easy. Makes it easy to do a day trip.
Also, the Amtrak to Portland is really cheap, quick, and easy. Makes it easy to do a day trip.
This post was edited on 7/10/18 at 5:16 pm
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