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 threadstux⚡️May 6, 2022
@thomasconnor Wow, thank you for this! 😻 most interesting! So much prettier than anything over here.. One day... 💭
Show threadThomas Connor
@stux Are you not in the Netherlands? While you might not have as pretty of routes, you have more -- and Switzerland isn't that far by train!
May 7, 2022 at 4:36amWeb