Amtrak: Sacramento to Chicago

Crazy train? (obligatory link)

Amtrak - Cost of One-way Sacramento to Iowa Trip

Two, one-way coach tickets for Friday, May 20, between Sacramento, CA and Osceola, IA, currently costs $258 ($232.20 with AAA discount).

Adding a two-bed Roomette adds $457, bringing the cost to $715 ($689.20 with AAA discount). With the purchase of a Roomette, Amtrak includes three meals per day.

http://amtrak.com

Amtrak - My Solo Trip Experiences In 2003

In 2003, I traveled solo from Sacramento, California, to Osceola, Iowa. From there I took a Greyhound bus north to the Lake Superior region.

The good:

• The trip took 42.5 hours, a decent pace.
  
  
• I loved the views and spent most of my time in the observation car.
  
  
• During the corridor between Sacramento and Truckee, docents from the Sacramento Railroad Museum narrate points of interest. While wandering around the snack car, I had an opportunity to spend some time talking with two of them in-person, which was fun and overwhelming at the same time.
  
  
• Food is decent
  
  
• The "Big 10 curve" descent at dusk into Denver, Colorado still remains as one of the most beautiful sites I have seen; city lights in the hills against a sunset to die for.
  
  
• Views, views, views
  
  
• No Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints

The bad:

• Coach seating, with reclining 40-degree seats, felt cramped, and I slept poorly.
  
  
• Going solo was lonely
  
  
• Coach means open seating; you may or may not have a companion next to you. My first night, empty seat. The second night, a woman returning from visiting her husband who had recently taken a job in Colorado.
  
  
• Limited dining space means you share a table; hit or miss. Met an interesting gentleman who chose rail because of a fear of flying.

The ugly:

• A failed latch on a sliding door between railcars meant the door slid back and forth all night long

Amtrak - Other Sites

http://seat61.com/california-zephyr.htm - This was the site which re-kindled my interest this evening

http://wikitravel.org/en/Amtrak - Details some of the politics and history behind Amtrak