THE CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR: America’s Greatest Train! Chicago - San Francisco

if you only ever take one amtrak trip it's gonna be this one the california zephyr runs from chicago to emeryville near san francisco every day it's a very special train and my favorite of all amtrak's routes i'm taking a sleeper rounet for the three day two night trip on this amtrak's longest daily train service and you're coming along too this journey tells a very american story from traversing rich farmland to a stop in the mile high city through the rocky mountains and paralleling the perilous pioneer trails railways made the american nation and this journey through under and over the old frontier is america's finest railway journey welcome to the california zephyr our journey starts in chicago illinois the zephyr leaves at 2 p.m on this crisp november afternoon and i'm at the glorious union station which has graced south canal street since 1925. [Music] who doesn't love a wonderful railway station building well you haven't seen inside yet let's go check it out hey the main hall is one of the world's most impressive railway station buildings union station is only the fourth busiest amtrak station by passenger volume but is the most strategically important being the central midwest hub and where most ultra long distance trains start and finish [Music] lovely as this roaring 20s grandeur is downstairs is a less glorious 90s renovation the guts of the station remain pretty utilitarian and not much to write home about but seeing the wonderful names of these timeless trains is a massive source of excitement [Music] train travel in america is nothing like it is in the uk or europe in fact there's checked baggage at many stations sleeper passengers get two bags weighing up to 50 pounds each that's about 22 kilos [Music] this map illustrates our journey on day one we head straight east through iowa and nebraska over rich farmland and arrive in denver colorado the next morning then through the wonderful rockies into utah and then arriving in reno on the morning of day three over the sigera nevadas and finally dropping down into the bay area sleeper passengers can use the lounge in chicago this metropolitan lounge was opened five years ago and replaced a very tired old lounge this is a massive improvement it's not quite as nice as most airline lounges but it's important to remember this amtrak is not a luxury experience it's a public train and you should bear that in mind whenever you're setting your own expectations about what to expect on a journey like this to get in and out you will be issued a blue chip you can wave instead of fishing for your ticket and you can spend your time looking at some american railway memorabilia you will be escorted from the lounge and to the platform when it's time to board here we go thank you that looks like 5 31. can you give me oh boy [Music] we bought only 10 minutes prior to departure so there's not long to get settled and suddenly we're off it's mile 1 of 2438 [Music] it's not long before we get a glimpse of our first freight train and let me tell you something about taking amtrak long distance trains are susceptible to big delays from time to time you see amtrak does not actually own the tracks we travel on oh no the freight companies do and that means if there are problems amtrak just doesn't get priority that's me all good thank you however we are not taking amtrak to get somewhere fast there are no fewer than 34 stops on our route the first of which is naperville in the chicago suburbs our first evening is spent whistling through illinois and into iowa there are a lot of farms here the scenery is unspectacular but that's sort of what i like about this journey it contains the most stunning of all amtrak scenery but being able to pass the inner cities the suburbs the farms the planes and lots more stuff which just isn't photogenic really puts the whole journey into context doing the full journey like i am is like reading a whole book and not just the two chapters you like best [Music] okay so let's do a little round tour let's see what you get for your money this is the lowest and most basic standard of sleeper room that amtrak offers this is the amtrak superliner roomette so here are the features there are a couple of really nice wide seats here later on these will convert into a bed you can do this yourself if you like by stepping on this button and pulling each seat out we've got light switch here that's a reading lamp which can be adjusted can be adjusted this is your thermostat let's turn that off this is your thermostat here so you can choose between hot and cold and your air conditioning comes out of this vent to the top and if you don't want any more air conditioning you can just turn this little valve to closed or open and that's how that works this here is a reading light for someone on the top bunk which of course folds down so if you've got someone on the top bunk they will be able to read at night how do they get up there you wonder well you see where my bag is here this is actually a small pair of steps you can walk up if this isn't here let's get about the way you can walk up this and get yourself up onto the bunk finally on this seat we have the plug socket there's no usb charger there's just this 120 volt us style charger there's only one in each room so bear that in mind if there are more than one of you sharing this you can get two people in here there is only one charging outlet which is probably the uh biggest letdown of the room there's only one charging outlet a quick look at the facing seat here which has ever so slightly different controls there's no uh thermostat temperature control here here you've got your reading light this is the attendant call button and this here is your main light switch this turns it off and this also puts the night light on here nice and squeaky get back and something that a lot of people often miss is the closet and that is where your fresh hand towels will be so yeah you could probably get a couple of jackets in there if you wanted if not and you're like me you can just put your rain jacket on this rather handy coat hook finally we'll look at the table which we've not pulled out yet folds out like so and out like this now i've been on several amtrak roulettes and the sturdiness of these tables can be a little bit sketchy but this one looks totally fine yeah there's no bounce on there that's all good isn't it so yeah all in all a nice serviceable room not a lot of real estate in here there's very little square footage in the room but it's nicely laid out personally i thoroughly recommend this if there's just one of you if there's more than one of you you might want to upgrade into one of amtrak's bigger rooms but the room perfectly fine for one person this is how i always travel on amtrak in the roomette let's talk food sleeper passengers get all their meals included breakfast a two course lunch and three course dinner are included as are free coffees all day in your sleeper car all soft and hot drinks at meal times and one alcoholic drink with dinner but before dinner a smoke stop all right galesburg quick smoke stop here out for some fresh air i think it is a smokestar all right thank you i really recommend if you take amtrak and you stop somewhere that is designated as a smoke stop even if it's just for a few minutes come outside feel the elements put your feet on the ground it is a long journey 51 hours is a long time to be on a train and yeah here we are traveling through the midwest this is galesburg illinois the first smoke stop of several on our trip 51 hours all the way down to the west coast smoke stops are stops which passengers can step off at for a short time the train often takes on or unloads checked bags at these stops and sometimes there's a water or refueling stop too it is actually a really nice evening it was pretty cold in chicago earlier come 100 miles south to galesburg and i can walk around at dusk with no jacket on nice that was a evening one huh thank you one of the best things about the zephyr is that it's worthwhile to do at any time of year i've done it in spring and summer in the past but in late autumn when i'm traveling in this video even with the limited daylight you will still see all of the best bits the only thing you miss is crossing the state line into iowa at burlington amtrak has enforced communal dining which is actually the best thing about their service you will meet all sorts of people on board and if you're british you can take it as an opportunity not to be completely introverted just for a while it's fun trust me the food on amtrak is okay the best dish is their steak and you have to remember this is not a luxury train you'll be well fed but the food probably isn't going to do the numbers on instagram [Music] to let us know how much you're loving amtrak that's kind of like my chinese wife she has to take a picture of her food before she can eat it [Music] it's soon dark and this is the last stop in iowa our sleeper car attendant tony has made up my bed and i'm all ready to turn in and try out amtrak's new and improved bedding all right that's me all tucked up in bed it is just about nine o'clock and we're heading towards nebraska tomorrow morning we're going to be heading into denver hopefully for about 7am if the train remains on time throughout its journey i'm pretty cozy i've got my water here for the evening this new bedding is absolutely fantastic by the way it's much better than what it replaced and yeah nice early night tonight uh even though there is an extra hour in bed tonight because of the change to mountain time by the time we arrive in denver tomorrow morning there's a good reason why i want to be up early tomorrow more about that when i wake up good night [Music] oh magic there is one shared shower suite in each sleeper car which is kept clean and stocked by the attendant getting a shower is so important on these long trips and the pressure is pretty good and i've never had an issue with one in over a dozen trips okay so it is 5 55 a.m it's still dark outside and it still will be for about another hour but the reason i'm up quite so early is because we're doing to denver at 7am and that's important because breakfast starts at six and runs until nine and denver is a really popular jumping on point for people who are taking a day trip through the rocky mountains we're about to go through the most spectacular scenery on the entire route and because denver is such a popular jumping on point it means that the restaurant is going to get really busy so i really recommend being in the diner at 6 00 a.m finished by seven we arrive in denver just about then we can then go out and stretch our legs for about an hour there's an extended smoke refueling and water tanking stop at denver and we'll have a look at union station which is fantastic we're truly in the midwest now it's just you can't see it mountains today [Music] [Music] [Music] do [Music] [Music] there's a sightseeing lounge on this train which is where you'll probably spend much of the day when heading through the rockies it's shared between sleeper and coach passengers everyone gets to hang out here there's a fresh water tap on the top level and below you'll find a little more seating plus the cafe shop which is also open to everyone [Music] it's a good idea to bring lots of small dollar bills on board for tipping and if you need more you just go to the cafe car and break into a 10 or a 20. no i'm good thank you thank you about tipping by the way you should tip it is long-standing custom to do so on amtrak on a journey like this only two types of staff really expect tips your food server should be tipped i would usually leave two dollars after breakfast three after lunch and maybe five after dinner and your sleeper car attendant should also be tipped if they've been great and helpful and your sleeper car is as well stocked and cared for as mine was twenty dollars when you're light after a two night journey is a pretty standard way to say thank you for their careful attention denver union station is a terminus which means we get to do something fun by reversing into it unfortunately we have picked up about 40 minutes of delay this morning due to being behind a freight train so our stay in denver will be relatively short first we trail ourselves through the yard and pass the station and we will reverse through a railway triangle here the conductor uses the back of the train with the open door equipped with a radio and whistle and guides the driver safely into the platform impact five all lined up down the middle still got the restriction at the end of the back fifteen cars one five all right here we are denver union station we're running quite late this morning so unfortunately we've only got about 20 25 minutes here while they uh refill the fuel tanks give us some water and we take on uh some more supplies i've got to be back on the train pretty sharp otherwise i get left behind and my bag's still on board as well so thanks to the delay today only a whistle-stop tour of union station which was built in 1881 jointly for four railway companies in the area if you do get the full hour here do wander outside and grab a coffee and some fresh air but don't go far the train will not wait for you [Music] in case you wonder where the checked bags go there is a separate baggage car at the front of the train and you check and reclaim bags in the stations a bit like you would when you are flying [Music] so our departure from denver sees us climb slowly up the front range of the rocky mountains the views are spectacular and the colors intriguing i've done this journey in bright sunshine and bright green foliage but never in the autumn the colors are subtler and in a way more beautiful than the bold greens and sharp blues of summer this is harsh country the railway has bolted these wagons to the rails and planted trees to stop freight trains from blowing over it seems like quite the achievement to even have a railway running through the rockies in the first place [Music] we are soon completely engulfed in the mountains lightly dusted with snow and that cloud well we will soon be above it there are 31 tunnels between denver and winter park all of which were blasted by dynamite and here we are several thousand feet up above the clouds and boy is it a nice day up here our route is taking us up to winter park and then on to granby before continuing on to glenwood springs and grand junction but first we must traverse the moffat tunnel park for that break here we go mafia tunnel okay so this is the more foot tunnel it'll take us about 10 minutes to get through here it's just over six miles long and just under 100 years old but this is probably the most important engineering feature on the entire route because when it opened this made a 176 mile shortcut between denver and the west it really is a fantastic piece of engineering built in 1928 it's just over six miles long and we're not allowed to move between the cars while we go through the tunnel for health and safety reasons while we're stuck here with nothing to look at let me tell you about the toilets on board there's one upstairs and three downstairs in each sleeper car and they should be kept stocked and cleaned by the sleeper car attendant i've never had any issues with showers or toilets on board amtrak and these ones were clean the whole journey to emeryville [Music] [Music] [Music] slippery rogers i got it thank whoa you is lethal right i have just enough time i think to take a picture of the locomotives and get back on board in that five minutes i just uh i can see the loco drivers here getting their coffee so we're not going just yet on the move next is gravity 25 minutes we'll take a station stop to pick up passengers and drop along that is not at first sure stop so guess what the moose is loose we never did see the moose by the way there's something incredibly relaxing about taking these long distance trains there's no wi-fi on board and some parts of the trip are so remote there's not even any phone signal it's a real turn off tune out and drop in kind of vibe in the sightseeing lounge and here we'll track the fraser river all the way to granby our next stop [Music] [Music] i really hope you're enjoying watching this video as much as i'm enjoying making it over these three days that i'm taking to travel to san francisco if this is the sort of thing you like give me a like drop me a comment in the comment section below and definitely definitely please subscribe to the channel to be notified of all of my newest videos as and when i drop them here on youtube [Music] it's lunchtime and regular viewers will know i've said it before but there is no more civilized way to travel than talking over lunch on a train stunning scenery and no rush to get anywhere as we head deeper into the colorado rockies we pass the eastbound zephyr here too [Music] while we're here this is what coach looks like coach class passengers do not have access to a shower and at the time of filming anyway didn't have access to the diner because of covered restrictions i really don't recommend coach for a three-day trip but if you want to know more about all the different types of sleeper and seats that amtrak has my friend jeb brooks has a comprehensive video on amtrak accommodations the link for which is in the description text below the video [Music] this is glenwood springs and the historic bath house and the famous hotel colorado can be seen from the train the teddy bear is said to have been invented in 1905 at the hotel when president theodore roosevelt stayed one summer if slightly less reputable celebrities are what you're after the gunslingers butch cassidy and kid curry are both buried here in glenwood springs so [Music] the arrival of the railways meant remote places like this were linked with washington and other major american cities providing vital trade links and essentially signaled the end of butch cassidy's old west the railways basically provided the glue for what we now recognize as the modern american nation last stop in colorado is grand junction which is not named for the railway but actually the confluence of two rivers the gunnison and colorado rivers this is another extended smoke stop and a chance to poke around the station here this building is now the amtrak station and doesn't feel like a station because it did in fact used to be a restaurant until 1992. i've heard of stations closing and becoming restaurants but not the other way around finally a big shout out to the amtrak staff who despite running a cafe car on board made an announcement letting passengers know of this convenience store which sells all sorts of great stuff you can't get on the train and boy was it popular so why is amtrak using an old restaurant here for the station well sadly the original 1906 station was closed in 1992 and it sure does look sorry for itself another surprise it hasn't been turned into a restaurant [Music] leaving grand junction we can see the jail which was opened in the same year the old station closed a coincidence i'm sure and as the sun gently passes below the horizon the train's speed increases and so does the hum of activity on board the train it's meal time in the diner again i head off to the dining car and it's time for my last dinner on board the zephyr already [Music] so [Music] [Music] night time is so atmospheric on these trains we stop at all sorts of small places who's getting on and off here what's it like living in these remote places how do these people miles from airports think of the california's effort perhaps i don't think of it as romantically as i would it's another early night i've dropped down the second bunk here so you can see that it's not too cramped if there are two of you in here [Music] all right so that's breakfast out of the way and you join me just a few minutes outside of reno nevada reno is the next stop for this train and from there we proceed through the sierra nevada mountains it's going to be another lovely day of scenery ah reno everyone knows reno the little vegas the biggest little city in the world all those casinos and neon signs i can't wait to see it all from the train ah while reno station has been around since the 1920s it is now in a huge trench which was sunk in 2005 to eliminate the street running through the city centre a double whammy as we don't get to ride through the downtown area like he used to be able to and we don't get to see any of reno all right about to go through the sierra nevada mountains so we're going to go and have a look at the observation car last night let's go over a few pieces of advice i have for you about this trip first this is not an express the average speed of a zephyr accounting for all the stops is just 47 miles per hour it's not fast and you can easily be delayed so don't make evening plans for san francisco just in case second i advise you to check your bags if you can but take on board with you a small rack sack with your clothes and toiletries you don't want to clog up your rounet too much because it's pretty small thirdly you may decide to travel during spring and summer which are both really popular sightseer lounge places are first come first served and can be hard to come by so be considerate and try not to hog them too much and finally if you're on your own don't be afraid to talk to people there are lots of enthusiastic travelers on trains like these and no doubt you'll find others with the same motivation for taking it as you [Music] this is truckee which is named for a native paiutic greeting if you look to the right here you'll see the distinctive veterans hall and the rocking stone tower which houses a 17-ton rocking stone a geological erratic which is sacred to the washoe tribe this is donna lake and we travel via the donna pass on our trip down through the mountains towards the west coast on route i noticed a telegraph pole which had been dislodged by the snow right by the snow shelters there are lots of these by the way on our route across the sierra nevada donna is the place where the infamous donna party got snowed in for an entire winter in 1846 having tried to reach the west on the pioneer trail from missouri 35 of the 87 members died and rumors persist to this day about the cannibalism alleged to have happened amongst the survivors we can be grateful for engineering marvels like tunnel 41 helping us sweep westward two miles long and opened in 1925 it cuts out some hazardous curves and the remnants of the old route can still be seen as it was only fully abandoned in 1993 the original railway through the mountains was built mostly by chinese migrants in the late 1800s about 1200 chinese died building the transcontinental railroad and they are memorialized here on the old now abandoned route [Music] this is emigrant gap a gap in the ridgeline so called because emigrants from the midwest apparently had to lower their oxen horses and carts by rope during their treacherous journey these stories are sobering the railway exists alongside these lethal pioneer trails and was built with tremendous loss of life the old west was unforgiving and cutting through the area by train doesn't really convey its sheer harshness the american self-image of the old west has endured to this day though and a ride on the zephyr is an instant teaching to foreigners about what it means to be american the idea of westward expansion the numerous touch points with native tribes and nations the sheer vastness and scale of this country are only really appreciable if you take this effort it is america's most culturally important and most interesting railway trip unlike any other colfax named after an american vice president and another station whose building has been lost to other purposes oh by the way if you ever want to see what happens to a train when it gets hit by falling rocks take a look this is the home straight we now head through sacramento and on to emeryville [Music] [Music] you will not believe this we are stuck like 500 yards outside of emeryville because the toyota prius has tried to go over the crossing in front of us and has got grounded uh 2438 miles we were literally due to be on time in emeryville and we are 500 yards short absolutely typical we're still sitting here waiting for this car to be removed from the tracks maybe it's something more than that they just tell me folks there's a car stuck on the tracks they have to remove it before we can continue on it must be a humongous huge huge car apparently until then folks we're going to sit here and wait to apologize here we are thanks a lot tony very much appreciate it take care man that's alright it's not your fault thanks a lot thanks a lot thanks thank you appreciate it all right here we are emeryville 2438 miles three days two nights and one hour of delay just outside emeryville here in california that was america's greatest train let me know how much you enjoyed the video whether you're inspired to take this trip at some point in the future but for now thanks for watching and i'll see you next time and so we're here at last and onto the bus to take the short hop over the water to san francisco i traveled alone and paid 881 dollars one way for this trip but bear in mind if there are two of you sharing there's a relatively modest uplift on the roumet fee when i booked it was 1098. for two to share my roumette and that works out at about 550 each thank you so much for watching and i hope you'll take the california zephyr sometime soon see you aboard bye for now [Music] you

Channel: Wingin’ It! Paul Lucas

Views: 730,944

Keywords: california zephyr, amtrak roomette, amtrak train, amtrak empire builder, amtrak review, amtrak trains, amtrak sleeper car, california zephyr amtrak, amtrak vacations, amtrak sleeper, superliner roomette, california zephyr chicago to san francisco, american trains, amtrak superliner roomette, rocky mountains, california zephyr train, amtrak bedroom, train travel vlog, amtrak sleeper bedroom, amtrak tips and tricks, paul lucas, amtrak, paul lucas amtrak, amtrak bedroom suite

Id: nE253fS3oTs

Length: 45min 29sec (2729 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 26 2021