Indeed, this train was my "ride home from the Navy" in 2003. The military pays for that final trip whichever way you want to go. If you fly, they will pay for 1st class, if you drive, they will pay your gas, if you take the train, they will pay. So I told the 1st Class Petty Officer (for you non-Navy out there, that's paygrade E-6) that I would ride on Amtrak with a room, and she signed off on it, so down I went. From Seattle (closest city to Bangor Naval Submarine Base where I was stationed on two different submarines in my 4 years) to San Jose, 36 hours. It was a great ride, although, of course, Americans would normally fly that distance as it is 800 miles or 1787 km (I think Europeans would normally also fly a long distance?). But sometimes you just want to take the scenic route. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the note about the lack of WiFi... that's kind of mind blowing in 2023. None of the other videos I have watched mentioned that fact.
you have to remember, that train goes through the middle of nowhere (hence the great scenery). You will find that in many places, you also only have one bar on your cell phone 🙂
@@Neville60001 what part of my comment gives you the impression i need the internet all the time? is it because i called it an inconvenience? inconveniences are small and the internet is used for many things. it’s not a big deal, don’t make it one. i just don’t think it’s “mind blowing” to be in a situation without internet in 2023 because it’s a common experience.
@@Neville60001 Yes, we can live without it for a few hours. One can read, take a nap, or enjoy the wonderful scenery. Another option when you can't get a signal is to view or listen to content that has already been downloaded into your cellphone. I took the Coast Starlight between L.A. and Portland in 2022, and it was a wonderful ride both ways. The round-trip coach ticket cost me only $173 ($192 with trip insurance). The coach seating was roomy and quite comfortable; it was a real bargain.
You were lucky to have had such an attentive attendant. Most sleeping car attendants don't tell passengers about the call button because many are hiding out or sleeping to avoid work.
I rode Amtrak’s Coast Starlight 3 time. I ride Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliners when I’m home in the San Diego area between San Diego, Los Angeles & Oxnard,CA. I alternate my visits between Los Angeles & Oxnard when I travel on the Pacific Surfliners. I rode on Amtrak 68 times and Amtrak is my favorite way to travel. My favorite Amtrak route is the entire West Coast Route from San Diego to Seattle. I rode also on the Sunset Limited 8 time, Texas Eagle 5 times and I enjoy train travel and it’s better than flying domestically.
I have been on the Coast Starlight with the roomette a number of times completing the full length both directions. This train also has another name: “Coast Star-Late because it has never been on time……Thanks for the video as it brings back many memories. The train does have some very nice views throughout the trip either direction.
Often, the blame for late arrivals by the Coast Starlight can be laid on the Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the tracks. In 2022, my train from L.A. to Portland was one hour late. Between Eugene and Portland, we had to wait on sidings for three UP freight trains to pass. One of those delays took nearly half an hour.
@@ronaldvrooman9695 Thanks for your comment. You are correct. Both the US and Canada rail system is owned by freight rail companies rather than by the government of that country. In the US the Interstate road system and air ports / control of air space for passenger travel is owned by the US Government. The rail system is not, with the exception of a couple of lines in the northeast corridor. Freight Rail Companies would like to eliminate passenger trains and even though the US has laws to give passenger trains priority, that law is mostly ignored. The comment “Coast Star-Late” was given to me by an Amtrak employee out of jest. Amtrak does the best they can based on the limitations they are under.
Yes I’ve traveled on several long distance trains among them … Southwest Chief (Chicago-Los Angeles); City of New Orleans (Chicago-New Orleans); Capitol Limited (Chicago-Washington D.C.); Broadway Limited (Chicago-New York City); Lakeshore Limited (New York City-Chicago). All were in bedroom compartments as sole occupancy. Happy Holidays Matt 😉👍🏻
"California Here I Come" EL CAPITAN Santa Fe Railway Chicago - LA I was 14 years old in 1959 when I stepped off Santa Fe’s "Hi-Level" EL CAPITAN at the magnificent Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT) to begin my new life in LA. After Dad was laid off from Chrysler's Briggs plant in Detroit in 1958 he moved to Los Angeles to find work and set things up for me and my stepmother to follow. The Motor City was in decline...but who could have foreseen that the once proud "Automobile Capital of the World" would be an abandoned urban ghost town by the beginning of the 21st century? I was greeted by my father as I entered the bustling cathedral of transportation exploding with echoes of muted voices, staccato heels and loud train announcements...then we walked through a quiet beautiful patio - bursting with colorful flowers and tropical plants - to the Fred Harvey coffee shop where my stepmother Chris was having her Sunday morning coffee. I asked Dad to drive straight to Hollywood so I could see all the movie stars. He said, "They don't live there anymore". I was disappointed but eager to start 10th grade at Los Angeles High School, Southern California oldest and finest high school. The culturally rich LA Romans were a delicious mix of white, black, Mexican American, and Japanese American students...but all the teachers and administrators were white. (I was devastated when the Sylmar earthquake destroyed the beautiful original 1917 building in 1971.) LAUPT has always been my favorite building in Los Angeles and I have seen it deteriorate over the years to almost nothing. By the late 60's the classic train station was facing the wrecking ball with few trains or passengers so when I visited LA in 2008 I was thrilled to see the Spanish Mission masterpiece was a restored and resurrected transportation hub...far busier than ever...and I look forward to dramatic improvements in store.
I’ve actually watched this video already in the video you talk in, but pterodactyl neat! The Amtrak long distance routes I’ve been on is on the Texas Eagle and California Zephyr in a sleeping car a long time ago, the Coast Starlight in a sleeping car once and many times in Coach. By the way the business class was discontinued from the Coast Starlight in late 2022, but in March 2023 they allowed coach passengers to use the dining car again for an expensive price
I took the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Denver last year. Loved it! Now I want to take Amtrak from Atlanta to LA on the Crescent via New Orleans to the Sunset Limited. And the steak was definitely as good as you hear in many videos!
I had the misfortune of taking Business Class on this train between San Francisco and Los Angeles in October. For a premium fare, I rode in a dirty old car that was in worse condition and had less comfortable seats than Economy class. Dirty washrooms, no coffee or drinking water, and no service whatsoever. But the scenery was nice. By the way, Business Class passengers did not have access to the Amtrak lounge, and could only buy food in the dining car if there were leftovers from the sleeping car passengers..
I’m taking the train southbound, from Seattle to Oakland. What side of the train would you suggest to have the nicest View (to the ocean)? Sorry, I’m a newbie here 🙈
I see they finally repaired the seriously deteriorated platforms and canopies. This is my favorite building in the whole wide world and I will bitch and moan until they get it right - like construction of the long delayed bypass over the freeway to eliminate back up moves in and out of the station and reduce travel time.
L.A. Union Station is an architectural wonder. It was built in the Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival styles and opened in 1939. They did a nice job with the renovations!
I saw this video last week on Discoverbyrail's Channel, so 10 out of 10. I mean, Who's gonna hate an Amtrak long-distance train trip report on a boring, rainy Tuesday? 9:47 No WiFi, very patchy data signal,... It's not a trip for people with phobia to not staying always tuned with the mobile phone, like me. I confess that 📱🚫😭🤬. I guess this phobia is called "Phomo" in English. In Spanish is "Fomo" *I am from Spain* .
By not going farther north to Seattle, WA, you are missing some of the most spectacular scenery. It's worth the 40-hour trip, trust me, I've done it a few times.
When I first saw Union Station, I thought I was looking at Chicago Union Station - the base for California Zephyr. Haven't seen LA Union Station before, so it's a first! Although there are some scenery shown in this video (supposedly famous for it), somehow there's something missing - can't pinpoint where...
Unfortunately, they removed the pacific parlor car, that car had lights in the ceiling that represented starlight and was a very comfortable way to travel. I think that it is just another train ride ow!
It was interesting to see aboard an Amtrak train. Coast scenery: Nice, but I think the epithet "stunning" is much overused everywhere. I was a little disappointed in the several spelling mistakes in the captions - this is just unnecessary in the profusion of spell checkers available these days.
Someone who can tell me if traveling on the San Bernardino train oh migration in the north traveling to Santa Rosa California if they get on the train stations oh anyone who has already visited who can give information
this price is SO HIGH omg. you pay a few hundred dollars for a 50 km/h ride. the views are nice but trains in america are nowhere near asian or european ones which is sad
Don't mind me, just wanted to see if anything unfortunate happened to you like what happened to Solo. Will watch again after I'm done with class. And given how big the loading gauge is here, it's so sad that our trains are so sad.
For me it's incredible: 1- 2022 engine diesel again; 2- 658 km about 12 hours. For example from Milan to Naples ( 659 km ) not with AV: about 10 hours. For me not a good service
“Very instructive.... I’m concerned about sleeping space... ( Being 6”3) how long and spacious are the arrangements? I don’t want to be cramed in a thimble of a space😉 momentum is very important for my peace of mind👍 also the train food my look appetizing but I require a certain taste ( bring my own snacks or food...sub sandwiches... Oatmeal Cookies... chips...fruits and electrolyte drinks would be my menu... other than that it’s all good👑😙
watched this right after new Iryo Barcelona-Madrid train review. almost the same long route but in 2.5 hours. So this service looks like a bad joke especially considering 2 hours delay 🥲
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Indeed, this train was my "ride home from the Navy" in 2003. The military pays for that final trip whichever way you want to go. If you fly, they will pay for 1st class, if you drive, they will pay your gas, if you take the train, they will pay. So I told the 1st Class Petty Officer (for you non-Navy out there, that's paygrade E-6) that I would ride on Amtrak with a room, and she signed off on it, so down I went. From Seattle (closest city to Bangor Naval Submarine Base where I was stationed on two different submarines in my 4 years) to San Jose, 36 hours. It was a great ride, although, of course, Americans would normally fly that distance as it is 800 miles or 1787 km (I think Europeans would normally also fly a long distance?). But sometimes you just want to take the scenic route. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the note about the lack of WiFi... that's kind of mind blowing in 2023. None of the other videos I have watched mentioned that fact.
is it really that mindblowing? it’s a common inconvenience
you have to remember, that train goes through the middle of nowhere (hence the great scenery). You will find that in many places, you also only have one bar on your cell phone 🙂
@@xrrgr, why do you need to have Internet access when you can look at beautiful scenery? You _don't_ need to have the Internet all of the time.
@@Neville60001 what part of my comment gives you the impression i need the internet all the time? is it because i called it an inconvenience? inconveniences are small and the internet is used for many things. it’s not a big deal, don’t make it one. i just don’t think it’s “mind blowing” to be in a situation without internet in 2023 because it’s a common experience.
@@Neville60001 Yes, we can live without it for a few hours. One can read, take a nap, or enjoy the wonderful scenery. Another option when you can't get a signal is to view or listen to content that has already been downloaded into your cellphone. I took the Coast Starlight between L.A. and Portland in 2022, and it was a wonderful ride both ways. The round-trip coach ticket cost me only $173 ($192 with trip insurance). The coach seating was roomy and quite comfortable; it was a real bargain.
You were lucky to have had such an attentive attendant. Most sleeping car attendants don't tell passengers about the call button because many are hiding out or sleeping to avoid work.
Which routes did you work Sam?
@@NonstopEurotrip Tampa/Miami - New York, WAS-SAV/JAX, WAS- BOS, WAS- CHI, WAS-Montreal, WAS-PHL-NYP-NHV
I rode Amtrak’s Coast Starlight 3 time. I ride Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliners when I’m home in the San Diego area between San Diego, Los Angeles & Oxnard,CA. I alternate my visits between Los Angeles & Oxnard when I travel on the Pacific Surfliners. I rode on Amtrak 68 times and Amtrak is my favorite way to travel. My favorite Amtrak route is the entire West Coast Route from San Diego to Seattle. I rode also on the Sunset Limited 8 time, Texas Eagle 5 times and I enjoy train travel and it’s better than flying domestically.
Thanks for sharing ☺️
I have t taken that same train ride when I lived in LA, Brings back a lot of good times, Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have been on the Coast Starlight with the roomette a number of times completing the full length both directions. This train also has another name: “Coast Star-Late because it has never been on time……Thanks for the video as it brings back many memories. The train does have some very nice views throughout the trip either direction.
Late Shore Limited
Basically all Amtrak services are 'on time' if they arrive within 3-4 hours of the timetable?
I do truly sympathize but in fairness the last time I took the Starlight it arrived 45 minutes early :)
Often, the blame for late arrivals by the Coast Starlight can be laid on the Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the tracks. In 2022, my train from L.A. to Portland was one hour late. Between Eugene and Portland, we had to wait on sidings for three UP freight trains to pass. One of those delays took nearly half an hour.
@@ronaldvrooman9695 Thanks for your comment. You are correct. Both the US and Canada rail system is owned by freight rail companies rather than by the government of that country. In the US the Interstate road system and air ports / control of air space for passenger travel is owned by the US Government. The rail system is not, with the exception of a couple of lines in the northeast corridor. Freight Rail Companies would like to eliminate passenger trains and even though the US has laws to give passenger trains priority, that law is mostly ignored. The comment “Coast Star-Late” was given to me by an Amtrak employee out of jest. Amtrak does the best they can based on the limitations they are under.
Thanks for sharing mate, love when the train route by the beach. 💕
Glad you enjoyed😊
Yes I’ve traveled on several long distance trains among them … Southwest Chief (Chicago-Los Angeles); City of New Orleans (Chicago-New Orleans); Capitol Limited (Chicago-Washington D.C.); Broadway Limited (Chicago-New York City); Lakeshore Limited (New York City-Chicago). All were in bedroom compartments as sole occupancy. Happy Holidays Matt 😉👍🏻
Same to you Rob 🎄🎅
"This is a non-smoking train, which means there's no smoking..." it's painful sometimes the lengths to which we have to explain things here
🙃🙃🙃
"California Here I Come"
EL CAPITAN
Santa Fe Railway
Chicago - LA
I was 14 years old in 1959 when I stepped off Santa Fe’s "Hi-Level" EL CAPITAN at the magnificent Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT) to begin my new life in LA.
After Dad was laid off from Chrysler's Briggs plant in Detroit in 1958 he moved to Los Angeles to find work and set things up for me and my stepmother to follow.
The Motor City was in decline...but who could have foreseen that the once proud "Automobile Capital of the World" would be an abandoned urban ghost town by the beginning of the 21st century?
I was greeted by my father as I entered the bustling cathedral of transportation exploding with echoes of muted voices, staccato heels and loud train announcements...then we walked through a quiet beautiful patio - bursting with colorful flowers and tropical plants - to the Fred Harvey coffee shop where my stepmother Chris was having her Sunday morning coffee.
I asked Dad to drive straight to Hollywood so I could see all the movie stars. He said, "They don't live there anymore".
I was disappointed but eager to start 10th grade at Los Angeles High School, Southern California oldest and finest high school.
The culturally rich LA Romans were a delicious mix of white, black, Mexican American, and Japanese American students...but all the teachers and administrators were white.
(I was devastated when the Sylmar earthquake destroyed the beautiful original 1917 building in 1971.)
LAUPT has always been my favorite building in Los Angeles and I have seen it deteriorate over the years to almost nothing.
By the late 60's the classic train station was facing the wrecking ball with few trains or passengers so when I visited LA in 2008 I was thrilled to see the Spanish Mission masterpiece was a restored and resurrected transportation hub...far busier than ever...and I look forward to dramatic improvements in store.
I’ve actually watched this video already in the video you talk in, but pterodactyl neat! The Amtrak long distance routes I’ve been on is on the Texas Eagle and California Zephyr in a sleeping car a long time ago, the Coast Starlight in a sleeping car once and many times in Coach. By the way the business class was discontinued from the Coast Starlight in late 2022, but in March 2023 they allowed coach passengers to use the dining car again for an expensive price
Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻🙏🏻
I took the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Denver last year. Loved it! Now I want to take Amtrak from Atlanta to LA on the Crescent via New Orleans to the Sunset Limited. And the steak was definitely as good as you hear in many videos!
Thanks for sharing 😊
Great content. Loved watching it as always too. 👍👍👍🥰🥰🥰
Thank you so much 🤗
omg i was JUST planning to go on this trip! tysm for the trip report, congrats on the first american video!
Hope you enjoy it!
beautiful video of california
2:01 I don't think it's an alarm -- I think it's dialtone. Like someone accidentally conferenced a phone line to the public address system.
Amtrak’s trains are massive. Very big trains in the USA.
They sure are Andrew!
hi took this train san jose to la a few times and traveled in coach ty for this
Very cool!
Fantastic video!
Thank you very much!
I had the misfortune of taking Business Class on this train between San Francisco and Los Angeles in October. For a premium fare, I rode in a dirty old car that was in worse condition and had less comfortable seats than Economy class. Dirty washrooms, no coffee or drinking water, and no service whatsoever. But the scenery was nice. By the way, Business Class passengers did not have access to the Amtrak lounge, and could only buy food in the dining car if there were leftovers from the sleeping car passengers..
Not a good experience then!!
An inspiration for my videos..❤
Thank you 🙏🏻
Great trip report
Thanks 👍🏻
The station looks a lot like a cathedral inside and out. I wish the Americans had kept their awe of railways!
Muito lindo trem amtrak gostei bom dia de Los Angeles
Olá obrigado
I’m taking the train southbound, from Seattle to Oakland.
What side of the train would you suggest to have the nicest View (to the ocean)?
Sorry, I’m a newbie here 🙈
Right side for south bound!
I see they finally repaired the seriously deteriorated platforms and canopies. This is my favorite building in the whole wide world and I will bitch and moan until they get it right - like construction of the long delayed bypass over the freeway to eliminate back up moves in and out of the station and reduce travel time.
Nice station isn't it 🙂
L.A. Union Station is an architectural wonder. It was built in the Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival styles and opened in 1939. They did a nice job with the renovations!
3:15 you also caught a rare metrolink train race
Was good wasn't it!
Have you ridden on California Zephyr or Empire Builder before?
I haven't.
Do people book 2 way trips? How does that work? You arrive in Seattle and hop back on for the return home? Do you stay at a hotel and fly back?
You can if you want 🤷🏻♂️
I saw this video last week on Discoverbyrail's Channel, so 10 out of 10.
I mean, Who's gonna hate an Amtrak long-distance train trip report on a boring, rainy Tuesday?
9:47 No WiFi, very patchy data signal,... It's not a trip for people with phobia to not staying always tuned with the mobile phone, like me. I confess that 📱🚫😭🤬.
I guess this phobia is called "Phomo" in English.
In Spanish is "Fomo" *I am from Spain* .
It's a (slightly) different and longer edit. But yeah best download some netflix 🤣
Is ‘sleeper car’ British English or also American English? Thanks
I think we would call it sleeping car.
In UK English, Sleeper Coach
By not going farther north to Seattle, WA, you are missing some of the most spectacular scenery. It's worth the 40-hour trip, trust me, I've done it a few times.
Doesn't help if your connecting to the CZ
When I first saw Union Station, I thought I was looking at Chicago Union Station - the base for California Zephyr. Haven't seen LA Union Station before, so it's a first!
Although there are some scenery shown in this video (supposedly famous for it), somehow there's something missing - can't pinpoint where...
Let me know when you work it out 😜
What's the reason behind such a radical exclusion of some passengers from the dining car? OK, there must be a priority of course, but not that crazy.
Coach passengers can use the shop, but not the dining car, there just isn't capacity
I want you to take Acela service which is the fastest train in the US
No thanks 👍🏻
Te recomiendo uno en el Chepe (México)
Great trip, that's unbelievable, Amtrak going late cause of their employees, not freight train, seems unusual.
I know right 😆
Union Pacific Railroad owns the tracks used by the Coast Starlight, and UP freight trains cause at least some of the delays.
Welcome to the USA 🇺🇸.
😀😀😀
Hi I was wondering how to buy these exact seats. They are not too informative on their websites
You can't choose unfortunately
Unfortunately, they removed the pacific parlor car, that car had lights in the ceiling that represented starlight and was a very comfortable way to travel. I think that it is just another train ride ow!
Sad 😢
Nice video
Thanks John 🙏🏻
Coach passengers are not allowed in the dining car.
Two hours ?
?
56km/h. Slightly better than Vietnamese railway in terms of speed
Only just 🤣
Cool video. What they need is a decent train service from the east coast to LA!
you can transfer in chicago, the total time is about 5 days
Eeeek 🙃
@@lamegaming9835Thanks. I know that but none of it is joined up and 5 days is too long 😜
@@NonstopEurotrip, that's how it has been and will probably continue to be; not everything can be upgraded.
How much is it?
All the information is in the video
It was interesting to see aboard an Amtrak train. Coast scenery: Nice, but I think the epithet "stunning" is much overused everywhere. I was a little disappointed in the several spelling mistakes in the captions - this is just unnecessary in the profusion of spell checkers available these days.
Thanks for the info!
Someone who can tell me if traveling on the San Bernardino train oh migration in the north traveling to Santa Rosa California if they get on the train stations oh anyone who has already visited who can give information
Your comment makes no sense
@@NonstopEurotrip i ask because o imigrant no paper but i got alot time here i never travel in train for that way
Think ill pass on doing it seated all the way to Seattle
Take a taxi or bus instead...
@@NonstopEurotrip NEVER
I have never travelled by train in the USA...Only subways within the city...
California looks pretty much like Spain....
Spain is nicer and way cheaper 😆
Amtrack does it's best but in comparison to Europ's and Asian trains, they are still at least 20 years behind sadly....
I'd go for 50 years 😆
big
this price is SO HIGH omg. you pay a few hundred dollars for a 50 km/h ride. the views are nice but trains in america are nowhere near asian or european ones which is sad
Ikr!!
Don't mind me, just wanted to see if anything unfortunate happened to you like what happened to Solo. Will watch again after I'm done with class.
And given how big the loading gauge is here, it's so sad that our trains are so sad.
Big improvements needed 😆
For me it's incredible:
1- 2022 engine diesel again;
2- 658 km about 12 hours.
For example from Milan to Naples ( 659 km ) not with AV: about 10 hours.
For me not a good service
Indeed 🙃🙃🙃
“Very instructive.... I’m concerned about sleeping space... ( Being 6”3) how long and spacious are the arrangements? I don’t want to be cramed in a thimble of a space😉 momentum is very important for my peace of mind👍 also the train food my look appetizing but I require a certain taste ( bring my own snacks or food...sub sandwiches... Oatmeal Cookies... chips...fruits and electrolyte drinks would be my menu... other than that it’s all good👑😙
Tight but you should be ok!
বাংলা দেশের কারখানা গুলিতে এই ধরনের পযোকতি সংগহ করে বাংলা দেশের কারখানায় তৈরি করা একান্ত দরকার জরুরি ভিতিতে পয়োজন সব ওয়াকসবে মধ্যে তৈরি করা।
Why there are no trains in The United States like in Japan?
I mean speed and things like that
Too much reliance on planes and cars
@@NonstopEurotrip Thanks for shitting on the US before you consider logistics.
That's a long and sad story involving politics, psychology, and finance...
Las Vegas high speed coming 2028 baby.
The green barriers and ropes surrounding the leather seats are so UGLY!
watched this right after new Iryo Barcelona-Madrid train review. almost the same long route but in 2.5 hours. So this service looks like a bad joke especially considering 2 hours delay 🥲
Terrible isn't it 😂
Great video!
Thanks mate x