Thomas ConnorMay 6, 2022
Do people on here want #train content? Because, boy-oh do I have some good ones after the past week! #Amtrak #Railroads
Show threadThomas ConnorMay 6, 2022

So a week ago I decided to check off a bucket list item and took the #CoastStarlight all the way from Los Angeles to Seattle.

For those of you with better things to do than to keep track of #Amtrak routes, the Coast Starlight is the West Coast's only long N-S route; starting in LA, it steps north to Burbank before cutting to the coast at Oxnard. It then hugs the coast to San Luis Obispo, cuts inland into the Salinas Valley, and heads north before joining the Santa Clara Valley near Gilroy. Then the East Bay through Oakland, over the Carquinez Strait to Sacramento, north past Mt. Shasta and into Oregon, over the Cascade Range to Eugene, and then up the Willamette Valley to Portland. Finally, the train shadows I-5 toward Olympia, then to Tacoma and Seattle.

In short: it's a grand tour of the Pacific Coast of the US! And this full ride takes about 36 hours, so there's plenty of time to appreciate the sights.

Show threadThomas ConnorMay 6, 2022
The Coast Starlight is, to my reckoning at least, one of the Big Five Amtrak routes for long distance travel, along with the #SouthwestChief (Chicago -- Albuquerque -- LA), #CaliforniaZephyr (Chicago -- Denver -- Oakland), #EmpireBuilder (Chicago -- Spokane -- Portland | Seattle), and #SunsetLimited (New Orleans -- Houston -- Los Angeles). The Starlight also covers some of the same ground as the #PacificSurfliner (San Diego -- LA -- San Luis Obispo), the #CapitolCorridor (Auburn -- Sacramento -- Oakland -- San Jose) and the Amtrak Cascades (Vancouver Canada -- Seattle -- Portland -- Eugene).
Show threadThomas ConnorMay 6, 2022
The train consists of several sleeper cars (~$1k per room, at least when I bought tickets), a business class car (~$170/ticket for the whole line), several coach class cars (~$100/ticket), a dining car, and a lounge / viewing car. These are all two-level cars, with most of the excitement on the second level. Second level is where you transit between carriages, where seats are, and where the dining room is. Bottom levels have bathrooms, a limited number of accessible seats, luggage holds, the cafe, and the dining room kitchen. I, being rich enough to afford things but far too poor to afford a house, opted for the business class seat. A little more room, a free bottle of water, and -- most importantly -- fewer people to interact with.
Show threadThomas ConnorMay 6, 2022
The LA stretch really isn't that exciting. Highlights include passing near the new Taylor Yard bridge over the river (pedestrian infrastructure!), past the Burbank airport (#RIPFrys), up into the hills right next to Stoney Point (no climbers were out when I went through), and down into the unexciting plains leading to Oxnard, Ventura, and the sea.
Show threadThomas ConnorMay 6, 2022
But then you get several hours of just running along the coast. It's the #PacificSurfliner experience; bluffs, views, a little bit of speed, and the California coast just zipping by. #RailJourney
Show threadThomas ConnorMay 6, 2022
A few more photos from the coastal section. All of these are south of San Luis Obispo, so, if you're in LA, you can get this view on the Pacific Surfliner as well -- which should have more times available than the 9:50 AM departure of the Coast Starlight. I was doing a little work during this time, which the spacious Amtrak seats gave me ample room for.
Show threadThomas ConnorMay 7, 2022
After SLO, the route cuts over the hills and into the Salinas Valley (John Steinbeck land). Things aren't as pretty here, but, being done with work, I headed to the viewing car. With floor-into-ceiling (ish) windows, and the ability to quickly look in both directions, these are a great way to see what's going on on the journey. Or, in my case, to read. The cafe is below, with snacks, drinks, and food.
Show threadchrista
@thomasconnor I did the California Zephyr last year from Emeryville to Chicago right in between vaccination and Delta and it was so dreamy. I want to do all the routes! and when they have better food (when I rode it was still microwave pandemic meal fare, but also roomette was cheaper and there were mandatory masks, so worth tradeoff)
May 7, 2022 at 2:06amWeb
Show threadchristaMay 7, 2022
@thomasconnor we did lose the observation car on day two through end of trip though! which was a bummer. one of the coach cars lost ac so they moved all those folks to the obs car. so many things went wrong by time we rolled into chicago, including the fridges breaking 😅 would 100% do again tho
Show threadThomas ConnorMay 7, 2022
@christa Ooof! That's rough. Hopefully you at least got through the most interesting scenery by then...
Show threadchristaMay 7, 2022
@thomasconnor I had a roommette to myself so it didn't bother me! though it was cool to have the open top during sunset in the desert
Show threadThomas ConnorMay 7, 2022
@christa The dining car is open again, but only to sleeper / business passengers. Coach class needs to settle for the microwave fare still. But, yeah, masks are rare now.