Three nights, 66 hours! Chicago – Texas – Los Angeles

[Music] welcome aboard the texas eagle amtrak's longest trip over the last couple of years i've fallen in love with the romance of amtrak and it's time to put it to the ultimate test will amtrak still have lustre after four days three nights seven states nearly three thousand miles and seven meals keep watching to find out whether you need to add this to your bucket list hello jet setters and rail fans i'm jeb brooks from greenergrass.com right now i'm in chicago about to embark on another amtrak adventure if everything goes according to plan i'll leave here and sleep for three nights on amtrak before arriving in los angeles this is the texas eagle amtrak's longest route all in this trip will cover more than 2 700 miles over 66 hours on board the first half will be from chicago to san antonio where while i sleep they'll connect my car with the sunset limited train from new orleans to continue onward to los angeles it's time to start this four day three night seven state marathon and i'm not sure there's a better place than chicago to begin any long-haul amtrak journey there's just something in the air here it's where so many of amtrak's most epic trains begin the empire builder the california zephyr the southwest chief and this the texas eagle tell you one thing i'm looking forward to the warmer climates promised by this route it is really cold here in chicago right now so cold in fact that i made my way with dispatch to chicago's union station [Music] this building first opened in may 1925 back when rail was still the primary part of transportation infrastructure here in the united states this uh is by far the longest train trip i've ever taken and as i'm walking to the station i got to tell you i'm a little bit nervous i mean three nights is a long time to be on a train it'll be interesting to see how i feel at the end of this this has to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the entire country it's in the details [Music] the tracks are all located underground which means the entire operation has almost no impact on the traffic above and here at union station unlike most of the other 500 plus stations in the amtrak network every train is either beginning or ending its journey here passengers in need of extra assistance with baggage or even just getting on board can take advantage of amtrak's redcap service these amtrak employees who work for tips can help in any number of ways just ask and if you're like me and booked into a sleeper accommodation that's a bedroom or a room at you'll have access to the metropolitan lounge before your train journey [Music] it's a great place to store your bags grab a snack a cup of coffee and just make yourself generally comfortable this lounge is in far better shape than in my previous visits amtrak is bringing back service rapidly and i was excited to see it like this so i headed upstairs it feels good to be back here and in fact it's my first time upstairs so that's pretty exciting in this lounge you know i couldn't get craig or alan or sean who joined me on the zephyr even suzanne who took me on the empire builder and the southwest chief to join me on this trip so this is solo and even though they didn't want to join i decided to go because i really want to travel on every one of amtrak's long-haul routes while i'm sorry not to have them with me i'm glad you're coming along and we'll make the most of it when you check into the lounge you're going to get a card which allows you to come and go as you please the first meal on the texas eagle is dinner it was not quite 11 in the morning and i was hungry for more than a bag of potato chips so i decided to head out for lunch there are plenty of options to grab a bite to eat before my train departs in union station but i thought i'd head out i really want some roughage uh before i embark on three nights on amtrak so i'm gonna grab a salad somewhere let's just take a walk and find a spot elephant and castle would do the trick and with a quick check of the menu that salmon salad looked pretty good it turned out that the food in this trip would be much much better than previous journeys but not until we reached san antonio so visions of this salad floated through my head for a while by the time i got back to the lounge they'd opened the bar so i grabbed my suitcase ordered a beer took a chicago flag cookie and waited for boarding this is getting exciting this is the thing really exciting i said that the first time we were boarding an amtrak train that was the empire builder with suzanne and she uh loves to to make fun of me for saying how excited i was but i am and even now this is this is a really exciting uh a really exciting moment anytime you get to board a train especially a long-haul amtrak train i've typically struggled to find my car but uh there have been so many attendants standing outside along the way here to help me uh help me figure out where i'm going this is uh like a whole new amtrak optimistic about a good trip here on the texas eagle let's go i was booked into room b it's upstairs on this super liner so i made my way up there to check it out i've been so fortunate to travel in a bedroom like this a couple of times before and we'll have plenty of time to see all it has to offer it's more space than a single traveler really needs but i was glad to have the extra space for such a long trip i quickly settled in it's great to be back on board now if you've watched any of my other amtrak videos you know there's one thing that makes the whole experience so much better so let me get it ready yeah that's right i brought my own pillow although amtrak's new bedding is much much nicer than the old stuff more about that later we were already departing right on time welcome aboard the texas eagle train you can always count on real world practical advice from above when you're on amtrak if you need to use the restrooms ladies and gentlemen please make sure you lock the doors otherwise you may get unexpected company and always give a courtesy flush before you leave it'll be nicer for your conscious and more pleasant for the person coming in behind you her announcement reminded me how fortunate i am to be in a bedroom this much space is not absolutely necessary but it sure is nice to have the private bathroom this room includes this seems like a good time to explore it a bit so let's take a look around the room but first i want to answer a question i've gotten a lot in the comments do the rooms lock and the answer is yes they lock from the inside but you can't lock them from the outside so i've never had a problem with that but maybe some people have over by the sink you'll find soap and some tissues there's also a us socket for power here there's even a spot for a hand towel which like all of the linens are provided by amtrak below the sink there's a trash can and those cabinets have extra towels in them as well if you need more you just ask [Music] there's a small closet by the door here's a call button for your attendant and lighting controls for the whole space there's a temperature control switch for the room over on the other side it works pretty well and here's where i plan to spend a fair amount of time on this trip above the chair there's a spot for a u.s sized carry-on bag and this table was sturdy and made working or eating in this room really easy the couch folds into a bed and the upper bunk can also fold down there's a coat hook here which was perfect for my backpack it really helped keep the room tidy and of course here's the shower and the toilet but it was time to get out of this room and explore the train our sleeper car the only one on this half of the trip was just behind the engines at the front of the train in the middle of the car between the bedrooms and roomettes you'll find coffee or at least you're supposed to it was kind of hit or miss whether it was there for us but there was always plenty of water available just behind the sleeper car was a cafe car meals are included for sleeper passengers and this is where they'd be served until we reached san antonio there was also a cafe with hot and cold food and drinks that were available to anybody on board for purchase i headed all the way to the back of the train before returning to my room all in the texas eagle between chicago and san antonio had three coach cars a cafe car and one sleeper ordinarily there would have also been a sightseer lounge now this is sometimes called an observation car but we'd have to wait until the second half of the trip to see that get added amtrak blamed shortages of equipment and people back in the cafe car i checked out the menu there's plenty and if you're hungry you'll probably find something to fill you up made my way back to the room just in time to wait we're stopped here waiting for a signal uh so dispatch which is kind of like air traffic control for airlines controls uh trains moving up and down rails as you can imagine you gotta have somebody watching out for you so right now we've got a red or a stop sign and we're hoping that we can move along here shortly and we did it only took about five minutes i just asked our sleeping car attendant whether she was going all the way to uh to la and she she said lord no she's stopping in san antonio so who is crazy enough to do this mostly me but soon we were pulling into our first stop joliet illinois home of grammy award-winning singer lionel richie unlike endless love these stops are short we'd have to wait four hours until st louis before we could get out to stretch our legs one of the highlights of having a bedroom is opening the door and taking advantage of sweeping views from both sides of the train it's prophylactic prunes like pillows are important elements to maximize your comfort on board for more check out our video from the southwest chief i'll link it below not my favorite for the rest of the afternoon we made our way through much of illinois [Music] we passed pleasant looking farms [Music] and we made stops in places like pontiac normal lincoln and springfield this first half of the texas eagle to part two san antonio still offers the flexible dining menu i've come to know over the last couple of years and the menus were in our rooms thankfully the good stuff the really good stuff that's amtrak's traditional dining that's gonna be available after we leave san antonio and it's absolutely worth the wait but for tonight i'm going back to an old favorite would not be the start of an amtrak journey without some meatballs when i got to dinner i appreciated the kind note from our crew [Music] i added a gin and tonic because sleeping car passengers get one free alcoholic drink at dinner there was a bread roll and in that box a small salad and as much fun as i like to poke at them the meatballs were actually pretty good [Music] i mean i did clean the plate after all i'll miss them when they're gone but not that much the traditional dining is really good we made a couple of more stops before the sun set we crossed the mississippi river near st louis this was also a fresh air break which meant i could get out and stretch my legs which felt great amtrak crew members were hard at work fueling the train [Music] our sleeping car attendant turned down my room while we waited all you have to do is ask and they're happy to help i hop back on board found my room transformed and following the instructions i'd gotten at dinner to have the best day i possibly could i slipped into this comfortable bed good night while i slept for seven hours we slowly made our way through missouri and into arkansas good morning from malvern arkansas uh just near hot springs looks like um it's about 5 30. that was a pretty good night's sleep i mean it was fit full um the door to the bathroom kept opening and i finally realized i needed to use my backpack to block it that was a good move a little quieter in here but uh you know a good first night on the texas eagle it's time for some coffee but unfortunately there was none out in the hallway is this a common problem or was it just unique to this train well that was a swing and a miss so i waited for breakfast which would be available at 6 30 less than an hour away and i couldn't complain too much as i watched the sun rise over the arkansas countryside and that hour passed quickly so i headed to breakfast where i ordered an old favorite from the zephyr the omelet which my friend craig had given an unfortunate label craig's prison breakfast [Music] in addition to hot options like my omelet or french toast there were also several items like kind bars yogurts laid out for the taking i was the first to arrive and it was nice to have the car to myself it was comfortable and a perfectly pleasant place to eat this is certainly not as scenic as the zephyr the empire building the southwest chief but somehow even more relaxed on this trip i think it's maybe knowing that i have so much ahead of me but it's it's just a really relaxing relaxing day so far hope arkansas home of former president bill clinton we even passed his childhood home that's it right there we are currently running about an hour 40 minutes behind schedule this train operates over the uni pacific railroad lasers yeah but from time to time we do encounter delays through the freight train traffic we have had a heavy volume of freight train traffic northbound freight trains this morning as we travel southbound now we may be able to make up some of that lost time as the day progresses it's hopefully going to depend on the amount of freight trains we encounter throughout the day we will keep you informed as the day goes by but again as of now our next stop is texas can in about 30 minutes and run about an hour and 40 minutes behind schedule and wouldn't you know it just as he finished his announcement we met another freight train but it was still a relaxing warning there was plenty of time to make up the delay and a buffer in san antonio to connect the sunset limited of four hours i wasn't worried at all we encountered another freight train but it didn't slow us down as we approached our first fresh air break of the day which meant we could check out texarkana [Music] welcome to texarkana half of texarkana is in texas and the other half is in arkansas so this was a critical moment on our texas eagle journey we'd arrived in texas a place davy crockett once called the garden spot of the universe what do you think of texas leave a comment below but if you don't have any thoughts yet stand by we'll be in this massive state for the next 31 hours [Music] this was as good a time as any to check out what's downstairs in a super liner car there's an accessible bedroom a family bedroom and more roomettes i made a video highlighting the room categories in amtrak and i'll link in the description below but down this hallway you'll also find three bathrooms which are much larger than the private ones and bedrooms they're generally pretty clean [Music] there's also a shower that's stocked with plenty of towels it's also bigger than one of the bedrooms in addition there's room for large bags that won't fit in your sleeping accommodations but don't forget depending on where your trip starts and ends you may be able to check your bags too for more on that check the amtrak website it was back upstairs for me [Music] that's jefferson texas i seem to have the smallest mcdonald's sign i've ever seen [Music] we pulled into marshall texas which besides having a really good looking station has a lot going for it okay i really want to come back here for the fire ant festival also uh both george foreman and lady bird johnson one's called marshall texas home i didn't know they had anything in common but i guess they have that in common at least my first but hopefully not my last visit to marshall texas was over before i even knew it we were on our way to further points south you know i'm not sure why but i find this this route to be even more relaxing than say the empire builder or the southwest chief even the zephyr i don't know if it's because the scenery is less dramatic so i feel less pressure to like see it all or whatever but this is just as relaxed as i've been in a really long time this is this is a super chill route longview texas is our next stop now it's uh important for a couple reasons first of all matthew mcconaughey graduated from high school here forest whitaker was from here but it's also a connection so passengers can get off here and take a bus service to shreveport or houston it sounds like a lot of passengers are doing that today going to houston shreveport or bossier city this will be your station stop neither houston nor shreveport nor bossier city were on my itinerary so after a fresh air break i hopped back onto the train to continue the journey through texas i'm not sure i've ever seen a state with more of their flags flying than in texas they flew proudly at every stop stationed and setting for our entire time in the state [Music] back on board it was time for my daily dose mid-morning prune up there are two texas eagles on this train amtrak train number 421 and number 21. 21 just stops in san antonio but i was booked onto 421 so when we reach san antonio in the middle of the night tonight my car will be attached to amtrak's sunset limited which also travels through san antonio on its way to la so because of that connection i don't have to change trains tonight in fact i'll just be able to stay in my room sleeping soundly i hope while that change is made and wake up continuing my journey to la this is why amtrak train number 421 the texas eagle is the longest route in the amtrak network but right now we'd reached dallas our train looked right at home among the other rail traffic here at eddie bernice johnson union station [Music] before long though we were on our way to fort worth and i figured it was time for lunch [Music] another nice note and the beef short rib this time it tasted about like the meatballs if i'm honest [Music] let's all just take a moment to express gratitude to all the professionals who keep amtrak running both the ones we see like those in onboard rolls and those we don't it takes the entire team to make this system operate here in fort worth we spent about an hour and a half because the team had to change a locomotive and service the train but no problem there's plenty to see here the time seemed to pass quickly as the team finished their work i decided to hop back on board i made my way to my room i got there just in time to see the heartland flyer from oklahoma city arrive the heartland flyer is a state-supported train timed to allow passengers to make connections on the texas eagle it serves as amtrak's only link within the sooner state [Music] welcome to temple texas ever since 1876 it's been an important railroad town which is why these old cars are still here but things might get weird at the next stop austin texas but first dinner i was still having visions of that salmon salad danced through my head when i decided to order the salmon and frankly it was the best meal i had on this half of the trip at one point we passed what appeared to be a set from the movie forest gump the sun was soon gone and we arrived in the city of austin and after another great day on the texas eagle it was time for me to call it a night [Music] good night our train and the sunset limited converged and linked up in san antonio while i slept for eight hours good morning it's the start of um the second full day on the texas eagle it's 5 30 in the morning i've just gotten up we're outside of del rio texas another really good night of sleep slept through whatever the changeover was in san antonio right through it let's get started and about that changeover in san antonio for the first part of this trip my car was at the front of the train but now we were at the back so i turned around and headed forward overnight my sleeper car and one of the coach cars from 421 texas eagle joined up with the rest of the sunset limited that included a couple of coaches and sleepers as well this was an entirely different train than the one i'd fallen asleep on but i didn't have to do anything but stay in my room but best of all the sightseer lounge had been added [Music] i took a seat and waited for breakfast just as we passed by laughlin air force base near del rio texas along the border with mexico and when i went to the dining car everything in there had changed too we even had a new menu i chose the omelet again but this was certainly not a prison breakfast this was world class i even had bacon that breakfast was really good so much better than what they have been serving so it's nice to finally try real amtrak food and that was richly rewarding coming up in just a couple of minutes is the highest railroad trestle in the country it's called the pecos river high bridge coming up in just a couple of minutes it's to me a magnificent sight it reminds me of the grand canyon and the way it looks it's 25 stories above the pecos river down there [Music] the pecos river gorge was also a sign that we were getting closer to langtree texas which is literally on the border with mexico i've been to almost 70 countries but i've never been to mexico so here in langtree it's as close as i'm i've ever been [Music] as the sun came up and dappled through the clouds everything else melted away i couldn't help but be depressed that golden color and the rays shining down that was just incredible this is the reason to travel by train [Music] no doubt about it west texas enjoys its own rugged beauty [Music] we pulled into sanderson texas sanderson was the site of the last train robbery in 1912 and hopefully nothing like that happens today [Music] i've put it off long enough but i'm afraid it's uh it's time for the shower by the way amtrak does not provide shampoo so if you'd like some you better pack some [Music] much better you know having the shower right here in the room is a real luxury there's one downstairs of course but having it right here it's just uh nice to be self-contained really i decided to take advantage of our convenient spot at the back of the train for some incredible views of the west texas landscape like many of amtrak's roots this one has a rich history it dates back to 1948 when two companies the missouri pacific railroad and the texas and pacific railways joined together to create the texas eagle to be fair that routing was a bit different but the idea was similar to create rail links through what was at the time the largest state in the union since then it's had a number of different iterations with various routings and cities served the most recent edition came in 2016 when amtrak added a stop in arcadia valley missouri which brought it to its current level of service if i were to identify a single reason i love traveling onboard amtrak it would be the opportunity to see albeit briefly corners of our country i otherwise might not i mean without amtrak i'm not sure i'd know about marathon texas home to 455 residents and the gage hotel and it's only thanks to amtrak that i'm aware of sol ross university and its beautiful campus set in alpine texas our next stop welcome to alpine texas for a long time this was the largest city inside the largest county inside the largest state in the country but then alaska came along and that was that about three and a half or four hours to el paso and the time changed or will change by the time we get there they took reservations for lunch from the first sleeping car back so by the time they got here there was nothing at a reasonable hour to eat so i'm gonna have the food delivered here which should be perfectly nice and i get to enjoy more of the views of west texas and this really was where it got truly beautiful this landscape was so reminiscent of our time on the southwest chief but also different in a way it was very much what i envisioned when i think of west texas and i'll just let it speak for itself [Music] [Music] [Music] they say everything's bigger in texas that really is the case it's hard to believe just how long we've been in texas i mean we got here uh yesterday morning and we're still here it's a big state and you know what else is big the amtrak burger that our sleeping car attendant dropped off and just like breakfast it was so good and it turns out it was a good thing not to have gotten a lunch reservation because we were the last car to get the chance to make reservations for lunch we'd be the first to select a time for dinner and dinner would be even better after lunch we arrived in el paso another fresh air break and the final city we'd see in texas before leaving the lone star state behind and entering the land of enchantment new mexico el paso's union depot was built between 1905 and 1906 making it even older than chicago's union station as for us though no time to rest last time we'll see that flag it's time to head to deming new mexico i was surprised to see just how close the train gets to the border with mexico that's it right there [Music] [Music] with my right of first choice i went with 6 p.m right about sunset for my final dinner on the texas eagle we stopped in deming new mexico another quick break just long enough for some people to get off and others to hop on [Music] as we cross the continental divide i couldn't help but notice just how far apart these houses were i wondered are these people even neighbors we reached lordsburg new mexico and i decided to head up to the sightseer lounge in order to be ready for my reservation and have a pre-dinner drink [Music] for most of the day the lounge had been full of people but thankfully it finally emptied out a bit when i arrived so i headed downstairs to the cafe ordered a beer and grabbed a seat i avoided the one that had three sets and a cigarette in front of it maybe that was a signal it was saved i don't know and this section western new mexico was some of the most beautiful scenery of the entire journey [Music] do [Music] and with the strike of six o'clock i headed to the dining car for the main event i've read so many descriptions of amtrak's traditional dining experience both from viewers of these videos who leave comments and rail fans who produce their own trip reports my expectations were really high and i wasn't so sure whether it would live up to the hype the settings certainly did not disappoint though it was beautiful and after reading through the menu it seemed there was only one choice the steak medium the cheddar polenta as i took in the sunset i started reflecting on this journey i've said in the past amtrak is equal parts national treasure amusement park ride and public transportation and this trip nailed each part i ordered a gin and tonic as a way to toast my last meal here on the texas eagle now this trip may not be as scenic in the same way as the zephyr or empire builder is but it still reveals a part of this country that's so important to our national heritage the midwest texas and the southwest but more on that later my first course arrived it was a simple green salad it was refreshing and very delicious a lot of people think of amtrak merely as a means of transportation and it certainly is but my experiences on board have shown it to be so much more i'd say everyone who can should make an attempt to find their way on board at least once it provides a perspective on the united states that's otherwise very difficult to obtain the main course arrived the stake would it live up to my expectations [Music] yes yes and yes it was beyond what should be serving a train it was truly first class now it was cooked a bit more than i would have liked but the flavor was excellent i'm not sure i'd take the texas eagle again unlike the zephyr or the empire builder once is probably enough but as with all of my amtrak experiences i'm so glad i decided to do it ah the dessert came the cheesecake it was rich and decadent as the sun set we reached tucson the final fresh air break i'd see on this trip i briefly lived in arizona and it was nice to see it this evening but i was ready for bed after such a long day when i wake up tomorrow we'll be nearing the end of this marathon trip good night six hours later we were in california good morning after yet another really nice night of sleep um we're uh just about to riverside california just completed amtrak's longest journey well i guess i've almost completed amtrak's longest journey what can i say i mean really comfortable room nice food for half of it beautiful scenery great crew and uh all in this was a really nice experience ready to start start the day the city came fast and before i even knew it we pulled into los angeles exactly on time that was another incredible and on time amtrak experience thanks for watching and between now and the next time see on the rails there it is let's go it's time to get on the board this not not baby pigeons there alan those are not babies one one thing that is no doubt not translating is just how cold it is here today it is freezing um malvern by the way is the brick capital of the united states bricklaying capital of the world no it's the brick capital of the world feels so good stairs to the train comes way full and complete stop into the station welcome to alpine texas at one point this was in terms of lance size the welcome to alpine texas at for a long time this was the largest city and uh

Channel: Jeb Brooks

Views: 3,138,135

Keywords: Amtrak, Longest Train Trip, Amtrak Longest Train Trip, Longest train, longest train trip in usa, longest train trip in america, amtrak sleeper, Texas Eagle, Texas Eagle amtrak train, 66 hours on a train, amtrak superliner, Texas Eagle Bedroom, Texas Eagle roomette, Texas, Texas Eagle Chicago to Los Angeles, train travel, amtrak sleeper train, long-haul train, amtrak sleeper car, traveling on amtrak, amtrak review, train travel in usa, texas eagle

Id: 4-RcNp1uhKE

Length: 37min 18sec (2238 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 19 2022