Terrible Idea or bad idea that's just crazy enough to be good?

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
02/03/2020 at 09:00 • Filed to: None

Im heading out to Chicago again at the end of march for week for work and I was shopping for flights and while I was doing that a video popped up in my feed about trains. So here’s the thing - for the same price as flying I could get a roomette on the amtrak that leaves from SLC and drops me off pretty much at my hotel. The upside is 7 meals, fun views, a new experience and no real loss of work time since I can take it all with me and work as the world passes by.

The downside is that it would be ~35 hours on an Amtrak. They are old trains and not in tip top shape.

To help you into my mind - I’m not particular or persnickety - So long as it’s clean [enough] and I can sleep I couldn’t really care less about the details. Im also the type that wouldn’t get bored with this type of thing: The solitude, frankly, sounds super appealing. To be clear there is no way in hell I’m doing this in coach, but in a roomette, which is a room with a bed in the very loosest sense, but it would be private.

I would fly home. I would board at 330 AM, sleep until green river and take the pretty part of the trip through the mountains in the morning, then sleep again through most of the dull bits on the center of the country.

Anyone done the cross country Amtrak? Thoughts?

DISCUSSION (42)

punkgoose17 > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 09:08

Based off of my Amtrack experience it will be 40+ hours. They always run late and get stuck behind freight. The roomette is the right choice if you do it. There should be lots of pretty views.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 09:12

That does sound appealing. I’m surprised that it’s not cheaper. I wish Amtrak was cheap enough to make it cost competitive with flight. Trains are cool. I’ve though about taking a train cross-country, buying a car (you can probably guess what kind of car) in the Southwest or PNW, and driving back to Ohio, but flight is cheaper.

dumpsterfire! > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 09:32

T ried to do Amtrak last year from Glenwood Springs to Denver for a weekend getaway. T rain was delayed, delayed again, and delayed again for good measure. E nded up leaving my local station 8 hours after scheduled, and we were already in a Denver bar by that point after bailing out to drive down.

Thomas Donohue > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 09:53

Other than the DC-NYC-Boston routes, I’ve only done the AutoTrain (always delayed), and never in a sleeper.

My goal is to someday do the Chicago-Seattle Empire Builder. In a sleeper.

I would caution that if you planned on working online, the WiFi is awful/unreliable. And I’ll guess that cell/wireless coverage gets spotty in parts of Nebraska and Iowa.

Edit: I mean to add: Do it!!!!

Ash78, voting early and often > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:00

for the same price as flying

I say do it. Every train trip I price out is 5x the price AND time of flying . If you can eliminate either of those two variables (usually the price...slow speeds will always be an issue) , it’s a win.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:06

That sounds like the great kind of crazy idea. I’ve played with doing something like this myself (and one day I will), but I just haven’t had something come up where the details would work out.

For Sweden > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:09

If you have a sleeper with shower access don’t mind working on the train, do it.

If you are planning on using the internet to work, bring a cellular data backup for when the Amtrak WiFi fails.

Chariotoflove > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:26

I’ve always wanted to take an adventure like this, but the drawbacks were prohibitive for my schedule. Since you have the time and the right mindset, I say do it.

Dakotahound > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:26

Riding Amtrak can be a great experience. The meals are surprisingly good and the service is usually more than satisfactory. As you state d, the cars are old, but they are generally in good condition. Trains often take routes where there are no highways, so the views can be excellent. Make sure to spend some time in the observation car, if possible. You are correct, a sleeper is the best option.

I have ridden the California Zephyr, Southwest Chief (multiple times), Lake Shore Limited, Crescent, and Silver Service. Probably half of the trips were late, so expect that. As someone mentioned, the passenger trains often get stuck behind slow freight trains (Amtrak does not own the right-of-way in the West). Just sit back and relax, the trains are rarely more than a few hours late and, you never know, it may be on time.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:27

I say do it, I’ve always wanted to do an overnight train trip. I normally just do stints between NY and Boston which isn’t terrible but it’s only 4 hours.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:28

Do it for Oppo.

smobgirl > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:28

I’d love to try it. I had a work trip a few years ago that involved a project in SLC back to back with one in Truckee, which is a convenient overnight on the Zephyr. I decided against it just because my schedule wasn’t flexible enough for Amtrak time . I watched the train roll in from the site, just 1.5 hours late so it would’ve been ok.

We did the full trip you’re proposing once when I was a kid and it was awesome at that age.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:35

My wife had a roomette from Chicago to Pittsburgh recently and really liked it for the reasons you cited.

HammerheadFistpunch > punkgoose17
02/03/2020 at 10:49

Im okay with time,

HammerheadFistpunch > Thomas Donohue
02/03/2020 at 10:49

i don’t need internet, but i should have some service and i have an unlimited plan

HammerheadFistpunch > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
02/03/2020 at 10:50

its actually a little more, but with baggage fees its pretty close. Then again, 7 meals. if I was just in coach it would be 4 x less money.

HammerheadFistpunch > Dakotahound
02/03/2020 at 10:51

I watched several videos last night now sleeping and it seems like they were all about an hour late. I can handle an hour or so.

HammerheadFistpunch > dumpsterfire!
02/03/2020 at 10:51

yeah 8 hours would be a hard pill to swallow.

HammerheadFistpunch > Ash78, voting early and often
02/03/2020 at 10:52

yeah its still spendy, but its not my money and its about sixes. flying with baggage fees will be about $515, the train is $575

HammerheadFistpunch > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/03/2020 at 10:53

me too.

HammerheadFistpunch > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
02/03/2020 at 10:53

If I did I would have a timelapse running the whole time and would be posting where I could.

Just Jeepin' > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 10:56

DO IT. I’ve done Amtrak, but never my own room.

I’d be prepared for the possibility that the train’s WiFi won’t be working, however. Unlikely but that’d be a long trip if you can’t actually get the work done that you need to.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 11:04

Keep in mind that the “35 hours” is an estimate. Those trains get super delayed all the time because they dont have priority on the tracks. Some of those long freight trains can lead to hours of delay. Also, how in the hell is it the same cost as a flight?? Usually its multiple orders of magnitude more expensive for the train, and thats in the cheapest possible seat. Having a place to actually sleep is generally more expensive than flying first class.

66P1800inpieces > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 11:04

Nah, sounds cool for hours 1-6, then I think about the remaining 28 hours.

shop-teacher > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 11:05

My one Amtrak experience was from North Carolina to Washington DC. It was supposed to be a 6 hour trip, and ended up taking 11-1/2 hours. I’ll never do it again.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 11:05

haha what on earth are you flying, a piano? flights to chicago should be like 1-200 max!

HammerheadFistpunch > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/03/2020 at 11:06

I dunno. its 575 for a roomette and 515 for a flight and bags.

HammerheadFistpunch > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/03/2020 at 11:07

thems the prices as of last night for march...

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 11:14

Meals included in the ticket makes it pretty appealing...

atrombs > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 11:20

I did the Roomette from Chicago to Washington DC once. 19 hours and it was great. Awesome food, great service and nice to just hang out and watch the countryside go by. 10 out of 10, will do it again some time.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 11:39

There’s something non-Oppo I want to ask you about. Do you have time to share an email offline?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 11:43

Sounds like FUN, but here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

First, there’s no guarantee that it’ll take you only 35 hours, as Amtrak is low priority and trains are frequently delayed by freight.

Second, if the roomette has a toidy , it might be right under your pillow.

Third, and because of First, there’s not much certainty that you’ll pass through the pretty parts while the sun is up.

Fourth: they have WiFi, right? (Hadn’t been invented yet when I had my big Amtrak experience with Missus.)

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 12:01

Ahh you must not be flying economy, lucky you!

HammerheadFistpunch > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/03/2020 at 12:23

sure. I think you still have my email

HammerheadFistpunch > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/03/2020 at 12:25

The delay thing is my only real concern. the roometts don’t have toilets anymore I guess. The pretty parts aer first thing in the morning so it would only be later in the day when I passed. I hear the wifi sucks. No biggie.

HammerheadFistpunch > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/03/2020 at 12:26

thats the cheapest flight. Not sure why its so pricey.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch
02/03/2020 at 13:20

I love traveling by train and would try it for your route , but Amtrak isn’t what it once was and you might find some serious disappointments . The main benefit is that you can walk around and it’s not cramped like a plane, which itself is probably worth the time penalty . If our train service was better and comparable in price to airline travel, I’d take a train every time since I can generally do 90% of my work remotely. Passenger service is lowest priority in the US. I t is also horribly slow, operating like it’s the 1800s in that every stop is an event, taking tickets is a weird process, and so-forth. It’s nothing like most of the world where a train trip is routine and your tickets are only checked/punched/stamped/whatever irregularly or on long trips.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Ash78, voting early and often
02/03/2020 at 13:34

You can cross off both on certain routes. Like I used to do the Pacific Surfliner between San Diego and Los Angeles very frequently (like 1-4 times a month) and it was only like $25-30 for a round trip. It was also faster than air travel over the same distance when you add in security on both sides. It was a little bit slower than driving (unless there was heavy traffic, then it was faster), but it also freed you to do something other than drive. If it went to LAX, it would have made short hop flights there completely pointless (they only made sense for transfers, but they added a lot to the price which generally made a drive in to park at LAX or LGB much cheaper ) and as it stood it made short hops to SNA, LGB, and BUR pointless.

IMHO, the only better way to travel than train is zeppelin, but that’s no longer available in the US.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
02/03/2020 at 13:44

COTD

Ash78, voting early and often > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/03/2020 at 13:50

I normally have to spend $600-$700 for a 55-minute flight to Charlotte from Birmingham if I book less than 2-3 months out and fly on a weekday. Business routes get hit very hard. Hotels are the same — $300 during the week, $120 on weekends (give or take).

It’s a poorly guarded secret that airlines make all their money on business fees. Ultimately that’s passed along, so consumers are subsidizing the airlines. We just skip that pesky middleman called “government regulation”

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Thomas Donohue
02/03/2020 at 13:52

Nebraska sucks hard because it’s the only place in the US where I roam into non-unlimited territory on my unlimited plan. Apparently some local carrier owns a huge portion of the state and charges crazy rates to national carriers for data.

pip bip - choose Corrour > HammerheadFistpunch
02/04/2020 at 03:31

go with the train one way and fly home