An Adventure on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight Train

What is it like to travel Amtrak on an overnight trip?

That was this writer’s question, cast with a twinge of concern, as he boarded the Coast Starlight in Oakland for a 24-hour trip up to Seattle.

The twinge of concern arose because the last serious American train trip this writer endured was in the 70’s when trains sought to discourage passengers, a task they accomplished with skill.

Had the modern Amtrak reversed the remarks of the great railroad-builder, James J. Hill, who said, “Passengers, compared to freight, for a railroad, are as useless as the teats on a boar”?

Had modern food service on Amtrak erased this writer’s sorry rail memories of a particular trip in the seventies aboard the California Zephyr when his spoon, in the dining car, stood upright in the cream pitcher because the cream was so historic? That vertical spoon in a pitcher of curdled cream remained a symbol for the decline of rail passenger service in the U.S. The natural bias of this writer was to champion Amtrak, based on favorable European train experiences, especially in the Netherlands. But fear that the truth, which the travel writer must report, might fall short of the ideal had caused the postponement of this test trip.

Now the time had come.

At 8:50 p.m. the Amtrak Coast Starlight pulled out of Oakland with this writer aboard, bound for Seattle.

The first pleasant surprise on board was the sleeping compartment. They are compact, even by cruise ship standards, but they are clean and private, with an attendant to make and unmake the bed. The upper bunk requires some athletic prowess to enter, which may exceed the abilities of some passengers. The upper bunk person, moreover, should be strapped in. All of this was explained by the courteous attendant, Richard Gocha.

This writer could not recall that the word attendant, and the verb “to attend,” had been a part of 1970s train travel, so this was a pleasant initial encounter.

The standard Amtrak economy sleepers come in 2 or 4 bed configurations. The 4 bed compartments are good for families. All can be reserved to insure privacy. Reserve far in advance because the demand exceeds the supply. Some deluxe rooms also have their own toilet and shower, as opposed to a toilet down the hall (which wasn’t bad, incidentally, and was relatively clean.) Tip: The closets in sleeping cars are so thin that slim airplane carry-on luggage is the most efficient way to pack.

A welcoming voice over the public address system then invited all the new arrivals from Oakland for a get-together in the Lounge Car. The voice was that of Barlow, the Lounge Car manager. This writer was to learn, in the next 24 hours, that Barlow in the Lounge Car and Scotty Watson, the waiter in the dining room, were providing both service and a constant comedy routine, doing double duty on a single salary. They are the kind of characters that make a trip memorable. As airlines restrict off- the-wall comments by flight attendants, and as a uniformed, businesslike mien characterizes travel, it is a pleasure to report that Amtrak still sees the value of characters. This writer went to sample the camaraderie and a beer in the Lounge Car. While nursing a beer, a certain pang of loss registered because, inevitably, some of the American countryside that one would like to see from the train was going by in the dark. On any long-distance train trip, large parts of the country will pass in the night, so check actual daylight travel times carefully.

Aboard an AMTRAK train from Philadelphia

This writer then spent a so-so night sleeping. The bed was comfortable, but the experience of the slight constant rocking motion of the train takes some getting used to. The click click of the rails and intermittent nostalgic wail of the train whistle would have probably become familiar and restful by the second night.

About 7:30 a.m. this writer repaired, with high hopes, to the dining room. The pleasant surprise here was the menu and the quality of the food. Amtrak has wisely chosen a limited menu with a checkoff system. The passenger either has a voucher for the meal or pays on a per-item basis. Service was prompt. The Railroad French Toast and Ham for breakfast, Regional Sandwich (a turkey breast) for lunch, and Baked Half of Chicken for dinner, topped off with Pecan Pie, proved to be competent and pleasant fare. The Amtrak dining people proceed confidently to establish certain standards, good dependable food served on throwaway plastic plates. This is not gourmet cuisine or cruise ship embellishment, but the prices are moderate.

Over breakfast, this writer had an opportunity to meet some fellow passengers, part of the pleasure of train travel. In an automobile you meet no one. On a plane you meet people briefly. On a train the encounter is more leisurely. This writer shared breakfast with Tony and Fae Anton of Sequim, Washington. Where else but on an Amtrak train would this writer meet the man who had carved the left eye of Lincoln on Mount Rushmore? That man was Tony Anton, now 74, who had spent his 18th year hanging over a cliff, with a jackhammer in hand, drilling into the rock the prescribed inches, such as 4, 6, or 8, then filling the holes at end of day with blasting powder, then letting off the charge that blew away the rock and showed just how much progress had been accomplished in that shift on the left eye of Abe Lincoln.

More to the point, Tony and Fae Anton were returning to Seattle after spending 33 days and nights aboard Amtrak. This was their first trip, also, but they had plunged in. Were they happy with the trip? Yes. Would they do it again? Yes. They had traveled all over the U.S. and stayed a few days at hotels in various stops, such as Chicago, New Orleans, and the Grand Canyon, all on an Amtrak booking. Their only complaint was that late trains had caused them to miss a couple of connections.

What had it cost them, this writer asked indiscretely, in the interest of his readers? $1600 total, for the two of them. This was for transportation, food, and lodging, either on the train or in hotels, all pre-paid, for 32 days. Where else, this writer pondered, could a traveling couple experience so much for merely $1600. Amtrak was not a cruise ship, but neither was the price. Amtrak had delivered value for the Antons.

This writer then returned to ponder these weighty revelations in his sleeping compartment, only to find that the attendant (again, as in the verb “to attend”) was waiting with a bottle of complimentary screw-cap red wine and a cheese platter. Was this Amtrak?

Soon this writer made his way to the dome car, called the Sightseer Car, the glory of train travel. Under an alternately sunny and cloudy day the forests of southern Oregon, then the fertile farmlands of the river valleys draining toward the Columbia, and finally the seacoast and sea-commerce in lumber and trade south of Seattle presented memorable vistas. For the half-hour stop in Portland, one could get out and admire the old brick and red-tile-roofed Union Station, surrounded by rhododendrons and roses, now protected as an historically-preserved structure.

(Passengers not interested in watching the landscape joined in bingo games or watched videos. The video capability also became a children’s cartoon hour at one point.)

This writer compared these meditative moments over the landscape with the same trips he had made by car, from California to Seattle, barreling up Interstate 5 in a chancy Volkswagen Camper, pushing it flat-out at 60 mph, occasionally glancing at the scenery, as a lump of muscle in his left shoulder tightened into a knot, due to the strain of the drive. No knot developed this day. Of course, this writer was unable to tell the train to stop and let him get off to make a photo or to savor a particularly compelling view. You can’t have everything.

This writer then ventured back to the coach seats, where he hoped to meet another real-life passenger. The upright seat is fine for short trips. They are comfortable, padded, airline-type seats, comparable in comfort to “business class.” Some passengers take them for overnight also, with Amtrak providing a pillow, but that was more rigorous than this writer wished to attempt. However, the person he most wanted to meet was someone with children.

How often had this writer spent long drives through the West in his automobile with his wife and children? After a certain number of hours, the potential for sibling rivalry would become exacerbated. What was it like to travel Amtrak with children?

Marcia Gamble Guthrie had some answers. She was traveling with her son, Donald, age 3, back from Corvallis, Oregon, to home in Seattle. The trip to Corvallis had been a visit to grandparents. She had made the trip by car and now by train at six hours each mode.

“I won’t be going by car again,” she said. “Donald can see the landscape close-up from the train; landscape is so far away from the car on the highway. He finds so much to get interested in on the train that he doesn’t get bored. I get stressed out in the car, but I can relax on the train. Donald can draw and read on the train, but he becomes carsick from these activities in the car, so be becomes whiny. In the car or, worse yet, in a plane, I have to strap him down, but in the train he roams around and feels free. There are a lot of practical aspects that make the train trip more fun than the car. On a train you can always get snacks and something to drink. You have a toilet. All these little things make Amtrak a better choice for me when I travel with Donald.”

This writer vowed that his own children would soon share the drama of this new- found pleasure, train travel.

Amtrak today? Is it for you? It’s better than you might suspect.

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AMTRAK: IF YOU GO

For information on Amtrak, call 800/USA-RAIL. Unlike some travel 800 numbers this writer could mention, Amtrak actually has informed human beings at the other end of the line waiting to take your call and dispense information. A travel agent can set up all Amtrak arrangements for you.