As a Amtrak employee. Thanks for taking everybody along for a ride through your lens. Its one of the safest way to see America. Is by rails and I’m bless and grateful to be employed by one. Once again thanks
currently trying had an interview last yr for a CT at rensselear NY hiring event (Conductor trainee) applied in boston , albany and DC, from NYs capital region but wouldnt mind heading a lil south , enjoyed NS but didnt feel comfortable marking up after their shotty training and OJT period , for right now i just watch from the lumber yard til i get the email of doom or move to the next step in hiring
I have taken this train! Roomette like yours. Love this trip. Denver used to be a through station for north/south trains. Cheyenne, WY to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. But when the Rock Island passenger service died in the early '60s, that stopped. Now only freight/coal trains do the run from WY south to NM and TX. Although, since Union Pacific refurbished its steam engines, the 844 and the Big Boy 4014, they will run an occasional special excursion train down through Colorado Springs to Pueblo. Quite a sight to see those engines working! Thanks for this video. ❤🎉
No sleeping through Nebraska, it's one of the most exciting parts of the trip. >>>. 10 :45 .... here comes Tiny !! >>>. 20:35 : Con trails. Great video.
Don’t know how I missed your video. I’ve been watching as many videos on the Zephyr as possible to get ready for a Yellowstone trip next year. Have ridden Empire to Glacier and loved it! Safe travels and thanks for taking us along.
You just took me on the ride of a lifetime, right from home. I love the way you blend the scenery, human interaction, information, and food/beverages in a natural way. And thanks for the reminder to tip the car attendant - we Japanese are not used to tipping!
I've watched several UA-cam videos documenting a Zephyr journey, and yours is among the best -- excellent photography! I grew up in Grand Junction and still go up to Winter Park every summer for a week, so the scenery is familiar, but still spectacular. I even rode the Zephyr back in '56 when I was a kid and the train was run by the D&RGW. Thanks for posting.
I grew up in Chicago and for three years lived in salida Colorado, a town built and operated by the Denver and rio Grande for decades before becoming a normal incorporated town. Small world after all.
I know the excitement @2:30 when you get down to the train and heard the engine idling. I made the trip in 1960, Pullman car with Vistadome observation cars. So long ago.
Train travel isn't tiring. You're just a passenger on a smooth moving carpet. I often see people nap intermittently from lack of activity, not exhaustion.
I rode the train across the country when I was 27. I thought it was exhausting. It’s not a smooth ride: the train rocks up and back. We had scrambled eggs for breakfast and steak for dinner.
No. You wouldn't. Nothing to do but eat, sleep, and look out of the window. Do. Not. Ride. Coach. You must get a roomette. You'll be well rested and happy to have experienced it. Nothing tiring involved. Just. Do. It. 😊
My wife and I took the Zephyr from Omaha to Chicago and back. Was my first time on a train, I’ll never forget it! Was the most enjoyable trip of my life!
I'm westbound on the CA Zephyr next month, and this video made me even more excited. Thank you for filming this. I especially appreciate your lack of voice over narration so that I could absorb the ambient noises of the train.
Taking the Zephyr when I was just out of college to go to California for the first time will forever be one of my favorite memories. I did coach the whole way, and it was still awesome. A random guy went through my stuff in Chicago because he thought I was sketchy, then he wound up my seat mate! Pulled out of Chicago in one of its worst blizzards to date and our pilot got bent so bad they had to weld part of it off in the middle of nowhere! Magic experience on the whole and got me addicted to the long haul ride...roomettes still preferred when I can afford it.
I have watched hundreds of American train journeys, especially the South West Chief and Zephyr routes and your videos are definitely the BEST!! I could never decide between the SWC and the Z but now after watching this, it is definitely the Zephyr. Thank you so much for the fabulous info and now to save for this journey! Also I love that you keep your script onscreen long enough to read!👍
I'm glad to see so many young people taking the train. It's a great way to see our beautiful country. I traveled by train with my grand ma and we both loved the trips. That was back in the early '60's. Sweet memories. Thanks grand ma, you were a kick!
My late partner and i did this in sept 2013 eastbound unfortunately due to the storms &flooding our party had to alight at grand junction and take a road coach to denver! so me being a railfan missed the best part!... i absolutely adored your video which showed me what we missed having said that denver to Chicago was great having rejoined the zephyr which because of the track damage was running between denver&Chicago your video i might add was a pleasure to watch thank you for posting regards from England
Thank you for that. You were smart to do this in June, when the long daylight makes the most of the great scenery. (The trip would be less impressive in, say, September.) We'll all be glad once real dining-car service has returned. If you go back to Sacramento, the California Railway Museum is adjacent to the station and is fabulous.
I planned a circle trip (Empire Bldr to Portland, Starlight to Sacramento and the Zephyr back to Chicago) for last year in June specifically for the extra daylight. Reserved before Covid and debated whether to go or not...Sure glad I did, roomette makes for great isolation. Third time on the Zephyr thru the Rockies but first time over Donner. Clearly the best of Amtrak if not in all of North America.
Back in the day (1960’s:70’s) passengers were able to retire to their compartment, turn on the exhaust fan, and some weed! My three favorite trips were on the Super Chief, from Chicago to LA, the California Zephyr, and the Hiawatha between Chicago and Seattle. The Montrealer between DC and Montreal via New Haven and Burlington was pretty special too.
My wife and I will making this trip in November for our anniversary. This will be our first time on Amtrak. I hoped to get a lot of tips. I’m so happy and relieved that I found this video. Thank you for making it!
It’s safe to say that this is your best video yet…which is really saying something, considering how addicted to watching these videos I’ve become. Well done! Magnifique!
I last travelled on the CZ in 1999, it’s 50th Anniversary. The dining service was great, linen table cloths and silverware, and meals cooked on board. The scenery, well what can you say, stunning. This coming Spring we will ride the Empire Builder to Glacier Park, then on to Seattle. Thanks for your videos.
I'm looking at your logo and I love it. I love how you incorporate colors of the different flags of the countries around the world. Railway travel really is universal on this planet.
I think this was the best because other you tubers would just ramble on about random facts about trains buts this video straight to the point and it is not that long so I am focused on the video. Not only that this was really interesting traveling across the world. I am planning on doing this from new haven to Chicago and Washington
I did the westbound Zephyr 6 days before you did! I was also on the same train since I had P42DC #7 and #19. I also had the same sleeper as you and I was in room 4. My friend and I booked the trip 9 months in advance and it was just as exiting as we thought. Getting to Chicago, we took the Capitol Limited from Washington DC.
28:47 as a fun fact, the oldest rock found on Earth was found in Canada, aged at around 3.8 billion years old. The oldest rock from Earth was found.... on the Moon! Apollo 14 found a sample inside a meteorite that was 4 billion years old. The oldest mountain range on Earth is in South Africa, the Barberton Greenstone Belt, at 3.8 billion years old.
And Barberton is a lovely area to visit. It is near the Kruger National Park. And with the excellent exchange rate folks from Europe and North America can get fantastic holidays in South Africa cheaply.
Thanks for posting such a great video - tons of detail, and up to date for COVID conditions. The diagram of the train's consist showing what car you were in was extra cool!
Rode the Zephyr to Chicago from Sacramento in 1953, had a stateroom, $250.00. Changed to NYC, Twentieth Century Limited for New York City, all in same fair. Family member who had traveling experience says “Tip the porter $20.00 when you get on you won’t regret it.” How true, how true. One Of life’s fondest memories.
@@monkeybusinessasusuall5467 A number of perks, shoes were shined and waiting every morning, never had to wait to be seated for dinner might have been my imagination but it looked like my steak was thicker and had more sides than others, going thru dry state the bar was closed but a porter let me in, that’s where I met a very nice school teacher from Connecticut. Breakfast was always special, scenery was enjoyable. Last night out I put another twenty in my shoe, there was a note of thanks singed by the crew.
This my first time watching the video. It was truly amazing and beautiful. I especially enjoyed having the closed caption . You are definitely the best !! We took the California Zepher from Sacramento to Provo Utah , then another train a couple of days later to Flagstall Arizona . From there we took a bus trip to the Grand Canyon. Coming from a small town in Illinois , it was hard to believe what I was actually seeing in person . Thank you so much for this wonderful video of your journey on The California Zephyr.
Great video. Brings back a lot of good memories from the ride I made with my father in 1997 (totally we traveled 11500 Km in 1 month by train through the USA : from NewYork to San Fransisco to LA to Texas back to New York with various stops in between)
Hello from Zephyr Cove, Nevada on Lake Tahoe. Yes the old tunnels on Donner Pass are interesting to hike through. If you're really old like me then you remember going over the top in the snow and sometimes waiting for the plows to clear the tracks. Enjoyed your comments on Amtrak service, as it seems the people in Washington want to kill off rail service in the West.
The California Zephyr used to leave Chicago with the Pioneer and Desert Wind Trains attached to them. The Pioneer would separate from the Zephyr in Denver and the Desert Wind would separate from the Zephyr in Salt Lake City. The Pioneer went to Portland, Oregon, via Ogden, Utah, and the Desert Wind went to Los Angeles via Las Vegas. Also, the Texas Eagle used to have a Houston section that separated from the Eagle in Dallas.
The train I missed the most if the former Burlington Texas Zephyr that ran from Denver to Houston through Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Raton, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Fort Worth, Dallas, to Houston... I recall the days when Burlington ran a SKI TRAIN from Houston and Dallas to Denver during for the Christmas/New Year's holiday... I also recall the Burlington T-bone steak with a loaded baked potato for dinner...
6:00 Pro tip: bring a power strip. Life safer 16:05 according to the RPA and many reports from OBS traditional dining is coming back within a year to all trains. What’s delaying them is the rehiring and training off staff. The menu is expected to be smaller than the current western one 36:39 As per usual, Amtrak staff wanting to set their own rules Great video
Starting again at my favorite Amtrak station (so far), Union Station in Chicago! I always look to see what's on the snack buffet; my first ever train trip, I sat at the table right by the entrance to the main lounge area, looking at the TV and the buffet, and I got to watch the changes in selection, from small pastries to fresh fruit and yogurt to cheese and veggies. I hope they still do that and don't offer only packaged snacks...although they certainly would be handy to take along! Also happy to hear that old-school dining is back on these westbound routes. The Zephyr is also one of my bucket list trips; I had it scheduled a couple of years ago but had to cancel for a combination of reasons, and then, of course, last year was the pandemic. Interesting to see places I've visited (Omaha, Denver, Fraser/Winter Park, etc.) from a different perspective, and NOT in the middle of winter! Thanks fir another great video!
Amazing video, man! My whole life i was in love with train trips and this is just what i needed to watch on a chilly February Saturday night. It's so relaxing and i feel like i was there😁. 👏👏👏👏👏
This was the perfect breakfest video for this morning. And even it is ther longest video on your channel, in my opinion, it is the most relaxing video that you guys ever made :). Such a stunning and beautiful route on the roots on the transcontinental Railway-Connection of the US. Greetings from Germany and keep it up ;)
So many things... first of all THANK YOU for your "travelogue" of the CZ, it is an amazing route! This is the closest Amtrak route to where I live, and it has always been on my "bucket list" too! The D&RGW portion is some of the most amazing scenery you will see anywhere. I have been to so many of those places in CO over the years, still have several relatives there...
Between 2001 and 2013 I rode all the AMTRAK routes west of St. louis to see the West. It was done in 5 weekend to weekend trips. Your video is excellent. The Zephyr and Coast Starlight between L.A. and Seattle were my AMTRAK favorites. This route through Colorado and the Sierras in California are great to experience by rail. Thanks for placing on UA-cam. i also recommend The Canadian between Vancouver and Jasper back and forth as part of an AMTRAK trip that was great. Very informative desriptions. Well done! I felt I was with you on the trip.
You did miss great food in the dining room that I had on my trips. All but one of my trips were in Coach class to save money. I had roomettes just like you for one of the trips.
I. Love ridding on a train but I miss it so much when I was at Terre Haute Indiana in 1982-89 during my 5 yrs studying at Indiana St. University... I used to go shopping at Chicago then.. N I have been to many cities such as San Francisco, LA, Cincinati, Dallas, St. Louis, Hawaii, Kentucky n others smaller cities... I M NOW BACK TO MALAYSIA.... N MISS THE BEAUTIFUL US..
i was in winter park a few weeks ago. its an amazing experience, especially the biking tournament and the gondola, which I got a perfect view of the California zephyr going towards Chicago!
Only been on a Amtrak train twice . Once a short ride on the Zephyr from Truckee to Martinez, but then on the same ride here but the opposite way....Love the experience if your not in a hurry...Its still faster than driving the same from Emeryville to Chicago....I drive back to Indiana in our motorhome, takes me approx 5-7 days depending on how i feel and weather...Train takes 2 1/2 days...
I've never done this trip myself but it looks great, maybe next time. I always fly from Amsterdam to New York and after a short stay with friends there I take the train to Miami. Did that six times now and I love it. Amtrak is great, I book a ticket here in the Netherlands by phone and when I arrive in the beautiful Central station in NY my adventure starts again. Can't wait to get back into America, that stupid covid19 virus, miss my friends in NY and Miami. Thanks for your video.
Thanks to you and Jed Brooks for doing a video about this train and through my state of Colorado. Thanks for showing our Union Station. In Glenwood, you might have mentioned the world’s largest hot springs. Junction is more than just a pass through, though. Very cool. I also took part of this trip from Denver to Junction in early June. My train was packed and they enforced a limit in the viewing car. That crew also didn’t give out near as much information. That’s how I know it wasn’t the same day. I wonder how much we missed each other by.
I agree, your video is the best of this cross-continent trip!! My wife and I are travelling on the Canadian next month travelling First Class (Prestige) from Toronto to Vancouver. (we live just outside Vancouver) As it has been 50 years since I did that journey I know I will want to hit the rails again. With the April trip draining 95% of our travel budget I wanted to find what would get me the most for the least amount of money on Amtrak. After much searching, I decided on San Francisco to Grand Junction and return. I was saving the cost of a hotel in Denver by turning around there (I'm travelling by Coach). Now after seeing your section of what is between GJ and Denver, I'm now going to spend the night in Denver. It will be well worth the cost to see such a fantastic part of the whole trip from Chicago. Thanks again!!!!! If you think the Amtrak cars need refurbishing try the ones in Egypt and Thailand that were built in the 1950s. In 2019 we travelled from Cairo to Aswan and when it pulled into the station I wondered if it was up to the journey. That is what you get for an overnight roomette that costs $100.
It's very interesting and the most beautiful journey through this railway line. It will always be my dream to experience it in a future. Thanks for sharing the video.
I live in Burlington Iowa, the Amtrak depot has been like that for years. The yard does some switching at night but it's mostly railcar storage. Ever sense we had the major flood years ago and the entire yard was flooded up too the station itself it's kinda just been unmaintained on the outside.
Merci pour le partage. Nous avons la chance en Suisse de pouvoir traverser le pays en 6 heures. Avec de très beaux paysages. J’ai passé un très beaux moment. Longue vie.🇨🇭
This is a great video! Since we lost almost all of our passenger trains in Mexico, I’m seriously thinking about doing a rail trip within the US :) Thanks for sharing this 🙏🏻
Thank you so much for your wonderful description of the entire amazing trip. Being an indian i never been to USA but you showed the wild west which is really breathtaking views.
It’s worth noting that proper dining has only returned on the western long distance routes (plus maybe the auto train?) and only for sleeper passengers. Coach passengers will be able to purchase proper meals at some point in the future, but Amtrak hasn’t confirmed how long it will take for them to work that out.
I took this train from Chicago to Denver in 1979. It was disappointing, mostly due to aging equipment (no A/C in sleeper). Our attendant, called a porter at the time, was awesome. Thanks Robert!
Best trip and video you have done mate. Absolutely brilliant. More like a documentary.. Also.. if there’s a British couple about you’ll always have some new friends.. we’re quite a friendly bunch
Loved seeing the scenery I missed when our train was 12 hours late arriving at Denver. Massive flooding of the Mississippi and other rivers caused slow detours around impassable tracks. The climb of the Rockies was in darkness, but at least the Great Salt Lake was seen in daylight. The sleeper attendant and dining car staff were wonderful, considering the extra work and meals.
Thank you for posting this. I accidentally chose this as my first Amtrak trip 21 years ago, but I did it in the wrong direction AND I sat at the wrong end of the car so I never heard the volunteers describing the Rockies 😐
I also slept the whole way in an economy seat, then even further to Boston, but I was totally young enough to get away with it and ruin my sleep. Once I got a full time job, I tried it on the Brisbane-Sydney XPT and promised myself “never again”.
7:20 Well, Amtrak has announced upgrades for the superliner fleet and the upgrades are well underway. Also Amtrak revived the traditional Dining for sleeper passengers on Western Long Distance trains after your visit.
I have only just discovered your channel, and it is quite good. I just did this journey in June 2021. Partial dining room service was restored, but not yet back to the full service pre-COVID. Nevertheless, if you only get one long haul Amtrak train, this is the one to do. You have captured the beauty of this route.
Greetings from Russia! Thanks for your review, it was soo fascinating seeing all these picturesque landscapes. For a moment it was even such a pity for me that i'm not an american xd How about visiting Russia someday and taking a 7-day-long ride over a Trans-Siberian Railway?
I took this trip in the summer and it was absolutely breathtaking for beauty! but also sad seeing old Siberian towns in disarray after the fall of the ussr :(
Wow, I did that trip back in Feb '18, and although I had a bit more snow in the Rockies, I remember so many pieces seen in this video.. Thanks for sharing this, and reminding me that I so need to go back again, and maybe try the longest trip, Chicago to LA..!? 🤔🤩😍 And of course we recognise that Freight is King on the Northern American continent, had to wait for several freights to pass while on Amtrak and Via Rail metals.. Nicely done editing, and nice to see the whole train, not just the good bits...!!👍🏼
Very cool that they cleaned the outside of the windows!! I was on the Trans SIberian Express three days and the windows were so grimy, like bad glasses.
As a Amtrak employee. Thanks for taking everybody along for a ride through your lens. Its one of the safest way to see America. Is by rails and I’m bless and grateful to be employed by one. Once again thanks
Are you really an Amtrak employee?
@@natalialabun4066 Yes, I am a mechanical personnel. I enjoy and love what I do here.
@@rrcarman0266 they treat you right correct?
After two major cargo rail derailments this year. 😂
currently trying had an interview last yr for a CT at rensselear NY hiring event (Conductor trainee) applied in boston , albany and DC, from NYs capital region but wouldnt mind heading a lil south , enjoyed NS but didnt feel comfortable marking up after their shotty training and OJT period , for right now i just watch from the lumber yard til i get the email of doom or move to the next step in hiring
From Romania I won't get on this train easily, but now I'm much closer to the beauty of America and this fabulous train. Thank you!
Thanks for the 'no talk' descriptions. I can watch and read, or I can sleep to the rolling train sounds.
I have taken this train! Roomette like yours. Love this trip. Denver used to be a through station for north/south trains. Cheyenne, WY to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. But when the Rock Island passenger service died in the early '60s, that stopped. Now only freight/coal trains do the run from WY south to NM and TX. Although, since Union Pacific refurbished its steam engines, the 844 and the Big Boy 4014, they will run an occasional special excursion train down through Colorado Springs to Pueblo. Quite a sight to see those engines working! Thanks for this video. ❤🎉
No sleeping through Nebraska, it's one of the most exciting parts of the trip. >>>. 10 :45 .... here comes Tiny !!
>>>. 20:35 : Con trails. Great video.
Don’t know how I missed your video. I’ve been watching as many videos on the Zephyr as possible to get ready for a Yellowstone trip next year. Have ridden Empire to Glacier and loved it! Safe travels and thanks for taking us along.
You just took me on the ride of a lifetime, right from home. I love the way you blend the scenery, human interaction, information, and food/beverages in a natural way. And thanks for the reminder to tip the car attendant - we Japanese are not used to tipping!
👏👏💘☕☕💘✌
Congrats, bud! Glad you enjoyed the trip!!!
I took my then 6 year old on this trip to Davis 3 years ago. We are so itching to do it again. Thanks for helping relive my memories!!
Good film! Thank you for letting the ride speak for itself and not mugging the camera for self-satisfied selfies.
I love the screeching sound the wheels make when going around a long curve.
All, in all, 'Simply Railway' you did a very good job on this video of showing scenery, thanks much! JMS
That's not a vídeo. That's whole documentary. Good job!!
indeed!
Yes, a documentary that talks by himself
@@CeZiciBaUaie :
Very well done video. Excellent camera work and highlighting trip features.
I've watched several UA-cam videos documenting a Zephyr journey, and yours is among the best -- excellent photography! I grew up in Grand Junction and still go up to Winter Park every summer for a week, so the scenery is familiar, but still spectacular. I even rode the Zephyr back in '56 when I was a kid and the train was run by the D&RGW. Thanks for posting.
Well, Yes, but it was a collaboration between the CB&Q (Chicago-Denver), The D&RG (Denver-Salt Lake City), and the WP (Salt Lake City-Oakland).
I grew up in Chicago and for three years lived in salida Colorado, a town built and operated by the Denver and rio Grande for decades before becoming a normal incorporated town. Small world after all.
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Throughly enjoyed this trip with you and you mate. Being a coffee hound knowing coffe is always available charms my heart. Thank you again.
I know the excitement @2:30 when you get down to the train and heard the engine idling. I made the trip in 1960, Pullman car with Vistadome observation cars. So long ago.
This is superb! I am 82 so would find the trip too exhausting but, thanks to you, I can enjoy it from my armchair. MANY THANKS!I
Train travel isn't tiring. You're just a passenger on a smooth moving carpet. I often see people nap intermittently from lack of activity, not exhaustion.
I rode the train across the country when I was 27. I thought it was exhausting. It’s not a smooth ride: the train rocks up and back.
We had scrambled eggs for breakfast and steak for dinner.
No. You wouldn't. Nothing to do but eat, sleep, and look out of the window. Do. Not. Ride. Coach. You must get a roomette. You'll be well rested and happy to have experienced it. Nothing tiring involved. Just. Do. It. 😊
My wife and I took the Zephyr from Omaha to Chicago and back. Was my first time on a train, I’ll never forget it! Was the most enjoyable trip of my life!
One hour of real time for every minute of video time. You've sped up the trip by a factor of 60.
You know he doesn't get on the train at exactly 0:23, right?
@@olasola1013 Ha! True. :) But the idea holds.
I'm westbound on the CA Zephyr next month, and this video made me even more excited. Thank you for filming this. I especially appreciate your lack of voice over narration so that I could absorb the ambient noises of the train.
Bells and horns of amtrak trains are simply the best 😀 🔔
Yay thank you for doin the California Zephyr
This is by far the best train video review I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot) Thank you so much for it
Marvelous video of a marvelous ride! So glad, Thibault, that you were able to fulfill your dream ride in America.
I too, love the history of the TransCon. The Railroad That Built America! Glad you got to make the Trip. So Cool the Route still Runs!
Taking the Zephyr when I was just out of college to go to California for the first time will forever be one of my favorite memories. I did coach the whole way, and it was still awesome. A random guy went through my stuff in Chicago because he thought I was sketchy, then he wound up my seat mate! Pulled out of Chicago in one of its worst blizzards to date and our pilot got bent so bad they had to weld part of it off in the middle of nowhere! Magic experience on the whole and got me addicted to the long haul ride...roomettes still preferred when I can afford it.
I have watched hundreds of American train journeys, especially the South West Chief and Zephyr routes and your videos are definitely the BEST!! I could never decide between the SWC and the Z but now after watching this, it is definitely the Zephyr. Thank you so much for the fabulous info and now to save for this journey! Also I love that you keep your script onscreen long enough to read!👍
I'm glad to see so many young people taking the train. It's a great way to see our beautiful country. I traveled by train with my grand ma and we both loved the trips. That was back in the early '60's. Sweet memories. Thanks grand ma, you were a kick!
My late partner and i did this in sept 2013 eastbound unfortunately due to the storms &flooding our party had to alight at grand junction and take a road coach to denver! so me being a railfan missed the best part!... i absolutely adored your video which showed me what we missed having said that denver to Chicago was great having rejoined the zephyr which because of the track damage was running between denver&Chicago your video i might add was a pleasure to watch thank you for posting regards from England
Thank you for that. You were smart to do this in June, when the long daylight makes the most of the great scenery. (The trip would be less impressive in, say, September.) We'll all be glad once real dining-car service has returned. If you go back to Sacramento, the California Railway Museum is adjacent to the station and is fabulous.
I planned a circle trip (Empire Bldr to Portland, Starlight to Sacramento and the Zephyr back to Chicago) for last year in June specifically for the extra daylight. Reserved before Covid and debated whether to go or not...Sure glad I did, roomette makes for great isolation. Third time on the Zephyr thru the Rockies but first time over Donner. Clearly the best of Amtrak if not in all of North America.
I rode the Zepher to Chicago. I thought the gently rolling hills in Iowa were beautiful.
Loved sharing your journey Thanks for letting me be your guest.
Back in the day (1960’s:70’s) passengers were able to retire to their compartment, turn on the exhaust fan, and some weed! My three favorite trips were on the Super Chief, from Chicago to LA, the California Zephyr, and the Hiawatha between Chicago and Seattle. The Montrealer between DC and Montreal via New Haven and Burlington was pretty special too.
My wife and I will making this trip in November for our anniversary. This will be our first time on Amtrak. I hoped to get a lot of tips. I’m so happy and relieved that I found this video. Thank you for making it!
It’s safe to say that this is your best video yet…which is really saying something, considering how addicted to watching these videos I’ve become.
Well done! Magnifique!
Thanks for such an amazing video. Many of us who claim to be Americans have never seen the beauty of our country this way.
I last travelled on the CZ in 1999, it’s 50th Anniversary. The dining service was great, linen table cloths and silverware, and meals cooked on board. The scenery, well what can you say, stunning. This coming Spring we will ride the Empire Builder to Glacier Park, then on to Seattle. Thanks for your videos.
Nice to see it back. I did the Desert Wind from Denver to Salt Lake City in 1995. Still in love with this amazing trip.
I'm looking at your logo and I love it. I love how you incorporate colors of the different flags of the countries around the world. Railway travel really is universal on this planet.
I think this was the best because other you tubers would just ramble on about random facts about trains buts this video straight to the point and it is not that long so I am focused on the video. Not only that this was really interesting traveling across the world. I am planning on doing this from new haven to Chicago and Washington
I did the westbound Zephyr 6 days before you did! I was also on the same train since I had P42DC #7 and #19. I also had the same sleeper as you and I was in room 4. My friend and I booked the trip 9 months in advance and it was just as exiting as we thought. Getting to Chicago, we took the Capitol Limited from Washington DC.
28:47 as a fun fact, the oldest rock found on Earth was found in Canada, aged at around 3.8 billion years old. The oldest rock from Earth was found.... on the Moon! Apollo 14 found a sample inside a meteorite that was 4 billion years old.
The oldest mountain range on Earth is in South Africa, the Barberton Greenstone Belt, at 3.8 billion years old.
And Barberton is a lovely area to visit. It is near the Kruger National Park. And with the excellent exchange rate folks from Europe and North America can get fantastic holidays in South Africa cheaply.
dang you must know alot about rocks
That's if you believe in evolution !
@@Charles53412 Those that don't just blind themselves to reality and instead believe in myths and fairytales.
@@johnhead1643 ?????
Thanks for posting such a great video - tons of detail, and up to date for COVID conditions. The diagram of the train's consist showing what car you were in was extra cool!
Just simply a stunning chronicle of a journey. And the music at times was eclectic. Superb video!!!!
Rode the Zephyr to Chicago from Sacramento in 1953, had a stateroom, $250.00. Changed to NYC, Twentieth Century Limited for New York City, all in same fair. Family member who had traveling experience says “Tip the porter $20.00 when you get on you won’t regret it.” How true, how true. One Of life’s fondest memories.
What was it like then
@@monkeybusinessasusuall5467 A number of perks, shoes were shined and waiting every morning, never had to wait to be seated for dinner might have been my imagination but it looked like my steak was thicker and had more sides than others, going thru dry state the bar was closed but a porter let me in, that’s where I met a very nice school teacher from Connecticut. Breakfast was always special, scenery was enjoyable. Last night out I put another twenty in my shoe, there was a note of thanks singed by the crew.
Amazing, just breathtakingly beautiful footage of the Rockies!! Kudos to our English friends who filmed all this!
Very beautiful trip report! It gives a splendid impression of your journey. Well done! Many greetings from Belgium!
This my first time watching the video. It was truly amazing and beautiful. I especially enjoyed having the closed caption . You are definitely the best !!
We took the California Zepher from Sacramento to Provo Utah , then another train a couple of days later to Flagstall Arizona . From there we took a bus trip to the Grand Canyon.
Coming from a small town in Illinois , it was hard to believe what I was actually seeing in person .
Thank you so much for this wonderful video of your journey on The California Zephyr.
Great video. Brings back a lot of good memories from the ride I made with my father in 1997 (totally we traveled 11500 Km in 1 month by train through the USA : from NewYork to San Fransisco to LA to Texas back to New York with various stops in between)
Watching was so much fun. A transcontinental rail trip is definitely on my bucket list. Thank you for this preview.
No tablecloth? Oh no, Thibault is loosing his Frenchness, he's fully American now.
lmao i agree
I noticed that too.😅
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...
This is an amazing video. I am so impressed by Amtrak now and all the care and details for the accommodations. Thank you for posting.
Hello from Zephyr Cove, Nevada on Lake Tahoe. Yes the old tunnels on Donner Pass are interesting to hike through. If you're really old like me then you remember going over the top in the snow and sometimes waiting for the plows to clear the tracks.
Enjoyed your comments on Amtrak service, as it seems the people in Washington want to kill off rail service in the West.
The California Zephyr used to leave Chicago with the Pioneer and Desert Wind Trains attached to them. The Pioneer would separate from the Zephyr in Denver and the Desert Wind would separate from the Zephyr in Salt Lake City. The Pioneer went to Portland, Oregon, via Ogden, Utah, and the Desert Wind went to Los Angeles via Las Vegas. Also, the Texas Eagle used to have a Houston section that separated from the Eagle in Dallas.
The train I missed the most if the former Burlington Texas Zephyr that ran from Denver to Houston through Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Raton, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Fort Worth, Dallas, to Houston... I recall the days when Burlington ran a SKI TRAIN from Houston and Dallas to Denver during for the Christmas/New Year's holiday... I also recall the Burlington T-bone steak with a loaded baked potato for dinner...
6:00 Pro tip: bring a power strip. Life safer
16:05 according to the RPA and many reports from OBS traditional dining is coming back within a year to all trains. What’s delaying them is the rehiring and training off staff. The menu is expected to be smaller than the current western one
36:39 As per usual, Amtrak staff wanting to set their own rules
Great video
Amtrak has brought back traditional dining
@@ae86hatch14 Only to Western trains minus the Texas Eagle.
Sadly the Cafe food is better than the dining car
@@jeffdur1330 Not anymore.
@@Cal90208 what's changed?
Starting again at my favorite Amtrak station (so far), Union Station in Chicago! I always look to see what's on the snack buffet; my first ever train trip, I sat at the table right by the entrance to the main lounge area, looking at the TV and the buffet, and I got to watch the changes in selection, from small pastries to fresh fruit and yogurt to cheese and veggies. I hope they still do that and don't offer only packaged snacks...although they certainly would be handy to take along! Also happy to hear that old-school dining is back on these westbound routes. The Zephyr is also one of my bucket list trips; I had it scheduled a couple of years ago but had to cancel for a combination of reasons, and then, of course, last year was the pandemic. Interesting to see places I've visited (Omaha, Denver, Fraser/Winter Park, etc.) from a different perspective, and NOT in the middle of winter! Thanks fir another great video!
3:52 gives you a good scale of how MASSIVE those trains are
Благодарю Вас, за волшебный, изумительный видео ролик!!! Всем, добра, счастья, мира!!! Пусть у всех будет все хорошо и замечательно!!!
What an amazing surprise to see this today! It’s your best video yet and definitely the best I have seen of this route. Great job!
Amazing video, man! My whole life i was in love with train trips and this is just what i needed to watch on a chilly February Saturday night. It's so relaxing and i feel like i was there😁. 👏👏👏👏👏
This was the perfect breakfest video for this morning. And even it is ther longest video on your channel, in my opinion, it is the most relaxing video that you guys ever made :). Such a stunning and beautiful route on the roots on the transcontinental Railway-Connection of the US. Greetings from Germany and keep it up ;)
I LOVED this! Thank you, so much! I have never been on a long train trip; it's one of my "bucket list" desires.
So many things... first of all THANK YOU for your "travelogue" of the CZ, it is an amazing route!
This is the closest Amtrak route to where I live, and it has always been on my "bucket list" too!
The D&RGW portion is some of the most amazing scenery you will see anywhere. I have been to so many of those places in CO over the years, still have several relatives there...
Between 2001 and 2013 I rode all the AMTRAK routes west of St. louis to see the West. It was done in 5 weekend to weekend trips. Your video is excellent. The Zephyr and Coast Starlight between L.A. and Seattle were my AMTRAK favorites. This route through Colorado and the Sierras in California are great to experience by rail. Thanks for placing on UA-cam. i also recommend The Canadian between Vancouver and Jasper back and forth as part of an AMTRAK trip that was great. Very informative desriptions. Well done! I felt I was with you on the trip.
You did miss great food in the dining room that I had on my trips. All but one of my trips were in Coach class to save money. I had roomettes just like you for one of the trips.
This looked absolutely incredible! I enjoyed every minute, I cannot wait to ride this train myself, one day. Great video as always :)
I. Love ridding on a train but I miss it so much when I was at Terre Haute Indiana in 1982-89 during my 5 yrs studying at Indiana St. University... I used to go shopping at Chicago then.. N I have been to many cities such as San Francisco, LA, Cincinati, Dallas, St. Louis, Hawaii, Kentucky n others smaller cities... I M NOW BACK TO MALAYSIA.... N MISS THE BEAUTIFUL US..
i was in winter park a few weeks ago. its an amazing experience, especially the biking tournament and the gondola, which I got a perfect view of the California zephyr going towards Chicago!
Only been on a Amtrak train twice . Once a short ride on the Zephyr from Truckee to Martinez, but then on the same ride here but the opposite way....Love the experience if your not in a hurry...Its still faster than driving the same from Emeryville to Chicago....I drive back to Indiana in our motorhome, takes me approx 5-7 days depending on how i feel and weather...Train takes 2 1/2 days...
9:53 GF is like: Your YT career is blocking my access to my dinner.
Thank you for the exemplary sharing of this trip. So well shot and edited!
I've never done this trip myself but it looks great, maybe next time. I always fly from Amsterdam to New York and after a short stay with friends there I take the train to Miami. Did that six times now and I love it. Amtrak is great, I book a ticket here in the Netherlands by phone and when I arrive in the beautiful Central station in NY my adventure starts again. Can't wait to get back into America, that stupid covid19 virus, miss my friends in NY and Miami. Thanks for your video.
What is the cost of a trip like this?
@@blessingjohnchelliah4317 About $1300 in a roomette if you book early.
Thanks to you and Jed Brooks for doing a video about this train and through my state of Colorado. Thanks for showing our Union Station. In Glenwood, you might have mentioned the world’s largest hot springs. Junction is more than just a pass through, though. Very cool.
I also took part of this trip from Denver to Junction in early June. My train was packed and they enforced a limit in the viewing car. That crew also didn’t give out near as much information. That’s how I know it wasn’t the same day. I wonder how much we missed each other by.
I did this trip in June from Emeryville to Omaha. Some of the most gorgeous scenery.
I agree, your video is the best of this cross-continent trip!! My wife and I are travelling on the Canadian next month travelling First Class (Prestige) from Toronto to Vancouver. (we live just outside Vancouver) As it has been 50 years since I did that journey I know I will want to hit the rails again. With the April trip draining 95% of our travel budget I wanted to find what would get me the most for the least amount of money on Amtrak. After much searching, I decided on San Francisco to Grand Junction and return. I was saving the cost of a hotel in Denver by turning around there (I'm travelling by Coach). Now after seeing your section of what is between GJ and Denver, I'm now going to spend the night in Denver. It will be well worth the cost to see such a fantastic part of the whole trip from Chicago. Thanks again!!!!! If you think the Amtrak cars need refurbishing try the ones in Egypt and Thailand that were built in the 1950s. In 2019 we travelled from Cairo to Aswan and when it pulled into the station I wondered if it was up to the journey. That is what you get for an overnight roomette that costs $100.
We’re going to need to ship you a whole crate of blondies in France for this, thank you!
It's very interesting and the most beautiful journey through this railway line. It will always be my dream to experience it in a future. Thanks for sharing the video.
(38:40) The sudden appearance of the girl reminds me movie "Shining". - Have a good night, Heinz
hi! took this train twice in 1992 and 2012 in coach was great loved it ty for taking me down memory lane!!
I live in Burlington Iowa, the Amtrak depot has been like that for years. The yard does some switching at night but it's mostly railcar storage. Ever sense we had the major flood years ago and the entire yard was flooded up too the station itself it's kinda just been unmaintained on the outside.
Merci pour le partage. Nous avons la chance en Suisse de pouvoir traverser le pays en 6 heures. Avec de très beaux paysages. J’ai passé un très beaux moment. Longue vie.🇨🇭
This is a great video! Since we lost almost all of our passenger trains in Mexico, I’m seriously thinking about doing a rail trip within the US :) Thanks for sharing this 🙏🏻
I do hope you reported the rude train attendants!
Thank you so much for your wonderful description of the entire amazing trip. Being an indian i never been to USA but you showed the wild west which is really breathtaking views.
It’s worth noting that proper dining has only returned on the western long distance routes (plus maybe the auto train?) and only for sleeper passengers. Coach passengers will be able to purchase proper meals at some point in the future, but Amtrak hasn’t confirmed how long it will take for them to work that out.
I took this train from Chicago to Denver in 1979. It was disappointing, mostly due to aging equipment (no A/C in sleeper). Our attendant, called a porter at the time, was awesome. Thanks Robert!
Best trip and video you have done mate. Absolutely brilliant. More like a documentary.. Also.. if there’s a British couple about you’ll always have some new friends.. we’re quite a friendly bunch
Just wait until you meet some Aussies on Amtrak. Lol!
Loved seeing the scenery I missed when our train was 12 hours late arriving at Denver. Massive flooding of the Mississippi and other rivers caused slow detours around impassable tracks. The climb of the Rockies was in darkness, but at least the Great Salt Lake was seen in daylight. The sleeper attendant and dining car staff were wonderful, considering the extra work and meals.
Thank you for posting this. I accidentally chose this as my first Amtrak trip 21 years ago, but I did it in the wrong direction AND I sat at the wrong end of the car so I never heard the volunteers describing the Rockies 😐
I also slept the whole way in an economy seat, then even further to Boston, but I was totally young enough to get away with it and ruin my sleep. Once I got a full time job, I tried it on the Brisbane-Sydney XPT and promised myself “never again”.
Lovely views.. thank you So much for taking us along.
7:20 Well, Amtrak has announced upgrades for the superliner fleet and the upgrades are well underway. Also Amtrak revived the traditional Dining for sleeper passengers on Western Long Distance trains after your visit.
Real close, timewise like a week or so right. On real food!
Thank you for letting me join you on this wonderful adventure. 🤩
I bet this video is going to be entertaining and will be filled with picturesque sceneries.
I have only just discovered your channel, and it is quite good. I just did this journey in June 2021. Partial dining room service was restored, but not yet back to the full service pre-COVID. Nevertheless, if you only get one long haul Amtrak train, this is the one to do. You have captured the beauty of this route.
Fun fact: this train brought the very first ALC-42 back to Chicago and it used the same locos pulling the train
Amigo, me hiciste viajar a mi también con este video, muchas gracias, es maravilloso, saludos desde Argentina
You'll have to try the Canadian cross country train someday. It's scenery is amazing.
Thank you Thibault for sharing your dream trip. Awesome report 👍👍😄😄💚💚
Greetings from Russia! Thanks for your review, it was soo fascinating seeing all these picturesque landscapes. For a moment it was even such a pity for me that i'm not an american xd
How about visiting Russia someday and taking a 7-day-long ride over a Trans-Siberian Railway?
I took this trip in the summer and it was absolutely breathtaking for beauty! but also sad seeing old Siberian towns in disarray after the fall of the ussr :(
Won't be visiting Russia ever. Slava Ukraine. You people should be ashamed of yourselves.
Wow, I did that trip back in Feb '18, and although I had a bit more snow in the Rockies, I remember so many pieces seen in this video..
Thanks for sharing this, and reminding me that I so need to go back again, and maybe try the longest trip, Chicago to LA..!?
🤔🤩😍
And of course we recognise that Freight is King on the Northern American continent, had to wait for several freights to pass while on Amtrak and Via Rail metals..
Nicely done editing, and nice to see the whole train, not just the good bits...!!👍🏼
I see that my blue backpack made it into the video while I was still sleeping.
Very cool that they cleaned the outside of the windows!! I was on the Trans SIberian Express three days and the windows were so grimy, like bad glasses.