As a major Amtrak fan, I'm excited to mark Amtrak's 50th birthday today, when all US passenger rail service was consolidated in this one company.
I have been stirred by a certain charm and magic that only train travel can conjure up, which I've felt more acutely in the past 8 years, during which I've done many trips by train. It was something that started early in my life, with one particularly long train trip. And playing the Amtrak version of the computer game Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego got me even more enthusiastic about Amtrak travel.
To celebrate Amtrak's major milestone occasion, I share here 50 memories to celebrate a half century of Amtrak.
In the spring of 1999, during spring break week of my 2nd grade school year, we traveled to Washington, D.C., riding there from Chicago and back onboard the Capitol Limited (9). This trip would be the first of many rides I would take on this route. One fond memory was making friends with a boy about a year younger than me who was riding the train with his mom on their way to Florida (10). Also on that trip, an entertainer was on the train who made shaped balloons for kids (11).
We went to the Illinois State Fair in August 2002, and rode from Chicago to Springfield onboard the Texas Eagle (12).
Our 2004 summer trip was to Pagosa Springs, CO. After consulting a road map, I suggested to my parents that we ride the train to New Meixco and drive up from Santa Fe. They decided on that option, and so we rode the Southwest Chief (13) to Lamy (14). From there, I experienced the fabulous city of Santa Fe before we continued north to Colorado.
Several years passed before I boarded another Amtrak train for a trip out of Chicagoland. In the meantime, I enjoyed the festivities of National Train Day (15) starting in 2008 and for several years thereafter, which came to include an excursion train ride (16) in the rail yards by Chicago Union Station (17).
On March 15, 2012, during Spring Break of my 3rd year of college, I rode the Hiawatha Service (18) to the Milwaukee area (19) to visit my friend Matthew, who grew up there. It was a nice, short ride, and reacquainted me with the beginning part of our family's Great Western Train Trip many years prior, which included a ride through Forest Glen, the Chicago neighborhood where my grandparents once lived. I also got some good views of inner-city Milwaukee.
My next long-distance train trip was onboard the Texas Eagle (14). I rode almost its whole length from Chicago to Austin (15), where I attended the 2013 AMS Annual Meeting in early January of that year. This trip was my first time in Texas, and riding the Texas Eagle was a great way to get introduced to the land that is Texas, including the big cities of Dallas and Forth Worth, and the wide swaths of open land. I took my first step onto Texas ground at the Amtrak station in Longview (16). It was also my first time going through Arkansas: I stepped off into Arkansas for the first time at the Texarkana station (17) on my way back. The state capitol in Little Rock was so splendidly lit up at night when we stopped there (18). I rode next to someone who also attended the same conference, and it was interesting to get his perspective on why he chooses train travel and why it's workable.
Later that year, in October 2013, I went by train to the NWA Annual Conference in North Charleston, SC (19). I rode the Capitol Limited to Washington, DC, where I had a layover for a few hours. This trip would be the first of many times I would have layovers in Washington, D.C. (21) Although the US government was in shutdown mode at the time of this trip, I still enjoyed my layovers there, going and returning. From there, I rode the Silver Meteor train south (20). I set foot in South Carolina for the first time in the early morning hours when we had a fresh air stop at Florence (21).
After finishing graduate school, in June 2016, I attended the SLA Conference in Philadelphia. After riding the Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C., I rode a Northeast Corridor train (23) for about two hours to reach Philadelphia (24). It was really a thrill to travel at nearly 125 mph, the fastest I had ever traveled before on land, and I could feel the difference in speed.
My second trip that summer was to gather with extended family in Colorado, where we spent a weekend in Cripple Creek to celebrate my Great Aunt Carmen's 83-year birthday. I rode the California Zephyr train to Denver, where I had good company with some people sitting behind me on the ride. It was memorable to see Ottumwa once again (25), and then to watch the sunrise over the High Plains leading from Nebraska into Colorado. After boarding the train back east, I had stunning views of an amazing sunset over the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains (26).
A few months later, I had a memorable start to 2017 when I traveled to Florida for a marriage celebration for Naomi and Eric. It started with another trip on the Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C. From there, I rode the Silver Star (27) to Okeechobee (28), my first time on that route. It would be the first time I would travel to Florida since I was a toddler, and traveled on the train helped me soak in the scenery of the land of Florida while onboard, including the big cities like Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa, along with the large swaths of orange groves on the approach to Okeechobee. I rode the Silver Meteor back from DeLand to Washington, D.C., and then returned to Chicago via the Cardinal (29), my first time on that route. It had scenic views going into the Appalachian region of Virginia and then into West Virginia (30). I had just gotten a computer as a gift, and it was great to use it while connected to the train's Wifi (31) for most legs of that trip.
I headed to the southeast again later that year, in May 2017, when I gathered with family in North Myrtle Beach to celebrate my Abuela's 80-year birthday (32). I went to Washington, D.C., on the Capitol Limited, and then rode the Silver Meteor south to North Charleston. I rode the Silver Meteor back to Washington, D.C., and then rode the Cardinal back to Chicago, which gave me the chance to see the great views along the New River Gorge, this time with later hours of daylight.
Two days after returning home from that trip, I set out again for the Pacific Northwest to visit my great friend Roy. I rode the Empire Builder to Seattle and then back from Portland, my longest continuous train trips ever (33). It was a great chance to reconnect with the Great Western Train Trip 20 years prior, which included some of the same amazing views of the Mississippi River between Wisconsin and Minnesota, then the Missouri River, the vast plains of the Dakotas and Montana, Glacier National Park. The ride westward included stunning scenery in central Washington and Puget Sound on the approach to Seattle (34) and the elegant King Street Station (35). I got to know some fine people with whom I shared the long ride to Washington. After a couple of nights' stay in Seattle, I rode south from Seattle to Portland, OR, onboard the Cascades train (36). I enjoyed the scenery outside, the swanky interiors of the train, and the Wifi, too. On my return trip, I started at Portland, and through the remainder of the daylight hours, I had amazing views of the Columbia River corridor (37).
I did a couple of shorter trips in the latter part of 2018 by train. I had gotten a coupon, and decided to take a short day trip to Galesburg (38). I rode the California Zephyr there. After looking around for a couple of hours, including the Lincoln-Douglas debate site at Knox College, I rode the short-distance train back, riding in Business Class, which was at the back of the train right by the snack service area (39). It had roomier seating, and it was quiet, without many other business class passengers.
The weekend before New Year's Eve 2018, I took a trip to Springfield for sightseeing, riding the Lincoln Service between Summit and Springfield (40). Going back was my opportunity to travel in daylight, and to take in the views of the Route 66 corridor (41).
Mom and I went on a weekend excursion to Washington, D.C. in the middle of May 2019. We rode there in style, with our first time in a sleeper car accommodations (42). The trip started very stylishly in the swanky Metropolitan Lounge (43) in Chicago Union Station.
The current ongoing pandemic couldn't hold me back from traveling, and so I was excited to be on my way to visit Roy again in late September 2020, this time traveling to southern California. I rode the Southwest Chief to Arizona (44), my first time in that state. I reconnected with the 2004 summer family trip, while extending it beyond Lamy. I stopped in Flagstaff (45) on my way west to see the Grand Canyon. After my day trip there, I made a friend while on the way west to San Bernardino (46). There's something stunning about the landscapes of the Southwest with its deserts and mountains, not to mention the historic structures like the Casa del Desierto in Barstow, and the San Bernadino station (47). We also rode along portions of the Route 66 corridor from New Mexico to California. I enjoyed the extended layovers both ways in Albuquerque, and the wonderful Silver Street Market two blocks from the train station there (48). And what fun it was to dance around on the platform in Kansas City, because everything is up to date there (49)!
And then there was my most recent trip to the Miami area (50), once again riding on the Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C. I rode south on the Silver Star, reconnecting with my 2017 Florida trip, and rode north on the Silver Meteor. Once again, I got to see the orange groves of central Florida and the big cities, and enjoy the warmth of Ever-Summer Land.
I have opted for train trips for travels within the conterminous United States: I'm a firm believer in the adage that the journey is as much a part of the experience as being there. Certainly, road trips offer great opportunities to make the journey part of the experience of travel. But it's nice to leave the car behind and take in the magical charm of riding the rails. I can really soak in the scenes of the places I pass through. I can embrace each step of the journey as we stop at each station and mark my progress toward the destination. Getting off at fresh air stops is a way to step foot in states as I pass through them, and I always seek to get off at fresh air stops. I've passed through so many interesting cities, big and small, while on my journeys. I see interesting sites, and I can also feel a sense of history with some of these places, and even with the tracks themselves, which once carried trains on storied routes.
There are also some nice amenities onboard, and I get really relaxed in a nice seat with lots of legroom. And I can connect with fellow passengers, especially those who are riding longer distances themselves, and build relationships with them in such a way that can only happen as we share the experience of passing the miles together. I find that the vast majority of people ride Amtrak for a specific reason, and that provides a unique perspective specifically on the train as a mode of travel. Like with any experience, the human element strongly enhances train travel.
I even enjoy getting to know the Amtrak crew. They're pretty good people, and exhibit a good sense of professional decorum, especially in helping passengers navigate some of the less than savory aspects of train travel, like delays that are beyond the control of anyone onboard.
I think especially of how well I've come to know the crew on the one route I've ridden the most, the Capitol Limited, even recognizing names and faces. Indeed, there's much I've become very familiar with regarding the Capitol Limited. It's personally meaningful to travel through Northwest Indiana and think back upon my time as a student at Valparaiso University, and the friends who have connections there. Then there are the wide swaths of farmland, which is also part of the scenery of other routes, too. It's scenic to look out the window at the Appalachian Highlands in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia, especially at Harpers Ferry, which is a geographically significant spot. And there's a sense of excitement as we pass through the suburbs on the approach to the District of Columbia. It's awe-inspiring to see the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception just minutes from pulling into Union Station, which is one of many elegant stations in the Amtrak system.
But the amazing views go beyond the more fixed elements of the land as I look to the skies above. I've seen so many amazing sunsets and sunrises onboard the train from the comfort of my seat, down to the last faintest glimmers of residual light to the very first rays that emerge long before the sun itself starts to appear. And it's incredible to take in the vast skies above, particularly in the wide open expanses of land.
All of this has started for me, with one exception, at Chicago Union Station, which is a hub for Amtrak service. That place has come to represent my gateway into the incredible experience of riding the rails, and the setting for my welcome back home at the end of many trips.
It's quite a feeling of excitement when I walk into Union Station when I'm about to start another trip and look at the departure board to see my train number on display. Then, after getting settled in my seat, it's so exciting to feel that lurch of the train's first movement as I settle in for all the journey has in store. And throughout the ride, when I hear the train crew announce, "Thank you for choosing Amtrak," I feel glad to patronize a service that truly gives me an experience.
There is indeed something about riding on trains that stirs my soul, because I can truly discover the heart of America, the Beautiful. I'm able to connect with what's best about the United States of America, and riding the train truly makes me proud to be a citizen of the USA. I'm grateful for what Amtrak has done for half a century now to not only transport people across the country, but to also give them an experience. That's what keeps me coming back for more.
Above is the elegant Union Station in Washington, D.C., where I've been a frequent passenger, and where Amtrak has offices. I took this photo right before boardin the Capitol Limited back to Chicago at the end of my recent Florida trip.
Below is Chicago Union Station, where many of my great experiences riding the rails have started, and ended. I took this photo right before boarding the Capitol Limited to start my recent trip to Florida.
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