Taking the TRAIN from Miami to Alaska!

[Music] i'm attempting to travel across america by rail from the most southern train station to the most northern and along the way riding america's most unique historical and interesting trains this country has to offer now there's only one way to know for sure if we're starting at the most southern train station and so we're going to start right here because it's the southernmost point in the continental usa and because i drove six hours to get here so let's head north and go find the most southern train so if we use google maps to search train the nearest one is just 600 meters away and it should be right there that's not a train that's not going to get us to alaska all right let's keep going north now the most southern station and the most southern train in america are right here this old car was part of a florida east coast railway which was destroyed in a hurricane in 1935. they found it on its side right at it put it at this little old station it's now a museum which means it's not going to take us anywhere so we got to keep going north and so a three and a half hour drive brings us to miami for the most southern actually functioning train that you can ride in america well sort of the dadeland south metro rail station this is our first train of many on this trip alaska here we come this is downey live travels by train america well there's our train now this should be the only metro that we take on this trip the rest of them are full-size trains but you got to start somewhere as expected it's quite hot in miami i'm kind of curious to know what the temperature is in alaska right now now along this journey to the most northern train station in the usa we will be riding on 10 of america's most unique trains and each episode will have us unlocking one of them along the way because it's not about just getting to alaska quickly but seeing what america is all about and how trains made this country what it is so i'm sure you're wondering why am i taking this trip well because as we've seen recently the world can change a lot really quickly so i'm not waiting around anymore i'm gonna check some items off my bucket list and for me alaska is at the top of my bucket list which i guess in this very specific sense would mean miami is at the bottom because we're going north forget it now most would think to get further north to take amtrak but actually the most southern train station like a proper train is brightline that's a real rooster right wow now brightline is a relatively new private rail company that is improving train travel for commuters here in florida with these new bright and airy stations and regular frequent service i mean these tickets from miami to fort lauderdale cost me just ten dollars and the trip will only take 30 minutes but the most important change is regular service with 15 trains a day while amtrak only runs a train once a day it's modern clean and stylish with well thought out features like a flip out for your phone and so we've just unlocked america's most southern train taking us north to fort lauderdale all right we're off alaska welcome to brightline here we come please take a moment now the big struggle for this trip will be to ensure that we stay on schedule and don't fall behind because to get to alaska we're taking a ferry from bellingham washington to whittier alaska which only runs once every two weeks and so if we miss that ferry well we won't be making it to alaska but luckily brightline owns their own tracks so i'm not worried about delays here i'm worried about delays on amtrak coming up just listen to how quiet this is this is the nicest train i've ever been on i think now the irony in this is that this is america's newest train but next week's episode is the oldest railroad in america oh thank you got uh prosciutto wrapped mozzarella cheese you don't get food like this on amtrak or an airplane now to see how smooth this train is we're gonna use my coffee to do the jurassic park test i mean that's pretty good [Music] 79 miles an hour it's a little fast okay we're about to get off let's do a quick bathroom tour huge bathroom love it clean modern this looks great wash your hands i'm gonna move on to the next train well that was a quick ride on brightline next we have a long ride on amtrak oh my gosh how cool is this brightline has free tesla shuttles to get you to and from their station thank you wow car service but uh we're taking it to their competition can you take me to alaska yeah yeah [Music] you too see you again the station's a little different here isn't it and so i arrived at the amtrak station but the door is locked we'll be waiting outside for the next 45 minutes until someone from amtrak comes to let us in i mean this is so different from brightline which has stations open all day from 6am to midnight luckily it's a perfect florida day that's like the smallest little train station clock i've ever seen if you've watched my amtrak adventures before we'll see if this train arrives on time because we need to make our connection in washington dc wow now i'd like to take a minute to thank the sponsor of today's video true earth now i've often talked about their great laundry eco strips but what do you do with your laundry before you put them in the laundry you know when you come back from a trip and you have to unpack and put your laundry somewhere well they now have a solution for that the true earth laundry hamper what i like most is that the hamper comes in a large laundry bag which i use while i'm out on the road traveling it's 100 cotton has rope handles and uses wooden dowels to support itself it has zero plastic folds flat for easy shipping so it has a smaller carbon footprint and then you just quickly put it together when you get it you slide the four dowels down the four sleeves and just like that your hamper's ready to go and there you go and if it ever does get a little bit stinky you can always use your true earth ecostrips and hand wash it in cold water and it's good to go again and so if you want to get one for yourself you can use my discount click the link in the description under the video and use discount code downy for 10 off and enjoy your new hamper it's not us it's the tri-rail i think we're next and here comes our ride the amtrak silver star taking us from fort lauderdale to washington dc here we go leaving the sun of miami headed to alaska am i the only passenger boarding our car at the stop all right so this is my first time on a view liner room i've been on the super liner room that's before but look at this the natural light in here is amazing two levels of windows bunk bed up here is going to slide down i believe seat for me seat for our guest lights vent get your own toilet just remember to close the curtains and your own sink ah it's a folding sink so when you use it there's no drain at the bottom the drain is back there so when you tilt it all the water goes down the back pretty clever [Music] oh perfect storage spot there bunk looks thin but cozy all right here we go now if all goes to plan we should arrive in washington dc in about 27 hours to catch our next train this train trip will take about 27 hours if it's on time and it cost me about 600 for a round normally i like to go explore a little bit around the train go to the observation car there isn't one on this trip normally i would eat in the dining car but also this is our third trip of the day our third train of the day will just get settled for a bit and there we have it now we ordered the enchiladas they're known as amtrak's vegan and healthy option let's give them a try it's made with plant-based protein beans and corn and cheese and it's good so green i have to say i'm impressed amtrak is whipping along just as fast as brightline here 78 miles an hour farm orchards of some sort oranges oranges hey nothing to see here just taking a nap oh come on like you've never napped fine i'll get up we're arriving in our next city anyways this is a grumpy car we're just arriving in tampa called a smoke break i call it a fresh air break thank you tampa bay florida one thing i like about riding by trains is you get to see parts of the country well that i've never seen before bonuses you don't have to worry about parking when you get here you're in the vlog and this is an unexpected turn of events a little florida afternoon rain to wake us up after that now there's something so peaceful about getting on a train in the rain hey that rhymed thanks tampa see you another time and that means it's dinner time dining car and this is three cars up from our room today oh this this is nice so i ordered in my room they gave me a little ticket with my room number and stuff brought it here he had my order ready handed it to me sat down on the table just kidding comes with a heated roll raised beef short rib green beans carrots mashed potatoes brownie for dessert i think that brownie is the best dessert i've had on any amtrak trip this is delicious we have about 15 minutes in orlando wow i like just peeking into the stations some of them are so historic it's my station stretch my legs that's it i think it's time to start getting ready for bed [Music] what i've opted to do is the little mattress that's supposed to go down on top of the chairs for the bottom bunk i'm gonna keep it on top so i get double comfort all right get into bed early because the time zone change but i'm really excited about this adventure so i think with that we'll see in the morning and day two of our trip is off to a good start one good night's sleep later and we're just crossing into north carolina i've never been to the carolinas before and i feel bad that i slept through south carolina trust me i needed it i was jet lag let's get today started we have about six hours left on this train or as you call it while you're on the train two meals left the reason i say that is there's nothing to do on the train except for wait and eat three egg omelet with sausages and potatoes with a greek yogurt now i think we just kick back and relax one of my favorite things about riding the train is the different scenery i'm from the pacific northwest with big dark green trees and this is like more lush forests that's actually one of the things i'm really looking forward to on this trip across america is the vastly differing landscapes that i'll see as we make our way across got some rail fans up there now there's not much else to do but spend the morning right here watching the changing scenery pass by from well the comfort of this reclined seat we've arrived in petersburg virginia and i'll be honest i've brought the blanket down reclined both chairs got the pillow out and i am loving it people always talk about first class on airplanes and like the lay flat pods you've got that here and so virginia makes this our fourth state and i am in a state of comfort [Music] whoa this is a big bridge it's a big river that was the james river as we're entering richmond virginia now there's a farmer's market i'm just lying back oh that's cool wow the whole thing out here this is typical virginia isn't it brick buildings and perfectly manicured lawns all from the comfort of my amtrak room what's next wow look at that lunch time all right so today i ordered the last item on our list the chicken a la rosa it looks like this i have to say most of the food on amtrak well the other roots are okay but this one was kind of like airplane food but this brownie if you're ever coming on the train i recommend this brownie as my dad would say this is so good there's no way it's good for you which i think is obvious because it's brownie what can i say downies like brownies we're getting close time to start packing up now i haven't checked my phone since yesterday but i'm very curious to know if our trade is still on time or if we're delayed looks like our trip is delayed by an hour and 45 minutes let's see if i make my next train this could be a theme for this trip which is difficult because the way we're getting to alaska only runs once every two weeks don't worry i haven't forgotten you thanks guys thank you see ya let's see if we can catch our next train [Music] we missed it next one to philadelphia it's tomorrow morning let's get a hotel wow this is an amazing station looks like we'll be back tomorrow morning wow even even the outside is amazing i already know this is a sign of things to come things aren't going to go as planned on this trip but that's kind of what it's about it's seeing places not being on time so subscribe because well for one it's free and also let's face it you can always unsubscribe later so there's no risk and three because i'm excited to see ten of the most iconic trains in america so while i catch some shut eye i'll leave you to watch the trailer for season two of downey live travels by train this series will bring us across the country riding on some of the most historic iconic and just straight-up interesting trains this country has to offer as i head to alaska these 10 trains will have us seeing corners of the country we would never otherwise see and lucky for you and i i won't be alone i'm helping my friend will to check off some trains from his bucket list as well as taking the train with my mom to go off-roading in utah it's incredible what something as simple as a train can do for a person or even a whole country subscribe now so you don't miss an episode of downey live travels by train america oh that looks like a good season all right let's head on to the fastest train in america to keep this trip moving now i know we're heading on this big adventure to alaska this is probably the least adventurous train we could take it's an urban commuter train and we're in business class it kind of felt like one of those things we had to try it feels a lot like an airplane all right we're on our way to america's oldest train on america's fastest this is the last time i will be alone on this trip it's a big trip across america so call in my good friends from all over the country ladies and gentlemen bobby now my friend bobby here is a professional tv and radio commentator and host now with his own youtube channel too so he might help a little with some of the voice over on this series all right off now bobby will you leave us with a voice over tell us where we're headed no i don't do voiceovers are you kidding my job is to talk so here's what you need to know folks our friend harvey is catching a train to meet us here and the three of us are going on a road trip that mike has planned i don't really know where we're going but what i do know is that we're going to ride on the oldest railroad in america except he's booked us in a caboose for the night and at some point we end up in an amish buggy i'm starting to wonder how i let mike convince me to come on this trip in the first place i guess we'll find out if it's worth it next week on downey live travels by train you

Channel: DownieLive

Views: 3,940,785

Keywords: downielive, downie live, Alaska, florida, train to Alaska, train in Florida, Florida train, brightline, amtrak, travels by train, Alaska railroad, trains across America, train in America, America train, american train, florida trains, trains florida

Id: 8--9veN7EUk

Length: 16min 9sec (969 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 13 2022