TRIP REPORT - Amtrak California Zephyr, Chicago to San Francisco

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] alright guys I've done a few long-distance Amtrak trips on this channel before they've all been very popular and very well received so today I'm trying the craziest one yet we're taking the California Zephyr all the way from here in Chicago Illinois to Emeryville California just outside of San Francisco this is a crazy two-day journey that's gonna take us to the Midwest Denver to mountain ranges all the way to the west coast I'm going to be going out there in a romance this is about a five hundred dollar train trip here people always ask how much these things cost and it's really not cheap traveling this way but it's quite an experience so let's check out what the California Zephyr experience is like I really hope you enjoy [Music] we need [Music] alright everybody started getting settled in it looks like this train is a full house and Wow it is long but real quick before I start like unpacking I wanted to show you what this room is like in the condition that you know I got it you can see this is a super ladder and romantic unlike the view line where it was on a couple of years ago this one does not feature a sink or toilet in the world the upside of that of course is that the seats are much bigger and there's a little more room to get around in here though obviously a top of the camera up here in the corner you can see me too it's not a huge space but it's still very and so far seems pretty nice now Amtrak hasn't done a whole lot to these coaches since like the 1980s so but the arts is a little dated a little bit worn but this is still pretty cool so you can see right here in front we have a little closet just enough room that maybe hang a couple shirts in there got some towels up on the top got your air control up here with the lever that you open and close to control the air conditioning so you do have individual climate control looks like this reading light is probably for the upper bunk lighting controls are all down here so you've got more lights you could turn on to the reading you have music controls you have a ceiling light two of them up here you through the trophy which you can turn off there's also a knife which is just like a very faint blue you could turn out which is actually pretty cool the switch lights up to ten minutes from departure now I'll show you what it looks like when the man's folded down tonight you can see a little storage space here which also functions as a set of steps to get to the upper bunk when it's pulled down got your control for the heat if it will winter over here you have a power outlet of one it is wise to bring like little USB hub or a little power strip if you plan on plugging a lot of things in [Music] the station that conductor will be coming through to scan your ticket we just got mine [Laughter] [Music] anyway a conductor does came by and got my ticket that's really about it this is actually a pretty simple little world we got your trash coming down here your fold-out table and then give you a couple bottles of water start so yeah I think for now that's about it [Music] [Music] all right so as you can see we are now outside of Chicago sleepy car tend to came by she's very very nice so far the service has been great the car like the common facilities are actually very very nice and clean I'm curious to see how they hold up over two days but so far this is actually looking a little better than the Texas eagle did during my first impression one thing I forgot to demonstrate here is the door latch you can see when you close the door you basically just put this thing down and stick this on top of it and lock from the inside it's a known issue with these trains but there is no way to lock the door when you leave the room but I've never heard of a case of anybody having their belongings stolen on you teamlack generally have a very nice crowd on you sleeping trains one other pro tip that I've picked up and doing this so many times if you bring a small carry-on size bag like I do like the kind you could fit on a plane you can actually stick it on the upper bunk and then fold it back up so space is kind of at a premium in here and that helps out a lot so I definitely recommend doing that and utilize the closet to even veer it's doing what I do right it's like to throw my toiletries in at the bottom to me it makes it feel a lot less claustrophobic if you don't have clutter anyway that's it for Jacobs trade tips for now I guess we'll continue to watch as the scenery here just gets more worried the itinerary of the drain really it doesn't look at me much to see tonight and turn the scenery of it I'm just going out to the Great Plains they're really beautiful stuff starts tomorrow after Denver and we start crossing the mountains [Music] [Music] you better watch your back since here yeah thank you Laney's is ever bound your attention please this is your vice president at this time I have canvassed an entire train taken to the road our girlfriend the renovation so you wait for the announcement before making a went to the diner and at all times we execute please when at the door to defeated by the like our staff thank you excuse me we heard many people getting on hey Josh I got to 405 shot better plan [Music] [Music] that's Josh along through Wow [Music] well big contrast from my experience on the Eagle as you too saw this train is packed so definitely glad I went sleeper out times ladies jump on the coaches next up coming up here in Burlington brilliant since our founders nation calligraphers [Music] okay so we're here in Ottawa Iowa I have no idea how you actually pronounce the name of this town a little hard to see with a dirt on the window on the way the Sun is setting but yeah dinner was actually very nice I met some nice folks that were traveling coach that came out to have a meal they always seat you together in the diner car it's one of the fun things or interesting things about being on the train so anyway I wanted to note I did try out the shower downstairs I figured I would try to beat the rush tomorrow morning it actually it was quite nice very spacious the water got hot right away each time you press that button you get about a minute of water I mean the whole thing worked kind of nicely I think that maybe laughs is it the drain it's just a hole in the floor basically with the grate on it the drains on the tracks so you can actually see like the gravel and the railroad ties going by while you're in there so it's about 7:30 right now no I'm sorry it's actually bout 7 o'clock right now and I figured I get a little cozy for tonight so I'm actually in the process of converting the bottom two chairs into a bunk so you can see I just hit the pedal underneath with my foot and slid both seats flat but still leaves you with just a little bit of space here on the front where you can get up and then the mattress is actually sitting up on top here and there's no way for me to film this it's just too tight of a space so give me a second I don't get this pulled down and I'll show you what the end result looks like okay and then you can see there's just like this thin mattress topper that you put on top of those two seats when they're folded down and it actually makes a pretty nice little bit and I have the two blankets down here you get one for the top and one for the bottom so the top bunk up here sorry this is really tight if you can't tell by looking at me somebody's not very patient I guess that's what that chime means so anyway I'm just using this to store my suitcase up here but you can see there is a second bunk in the top which is just ever so slightly more narrow than the one down below so you could comfortably or you could get a second person in here if you really wanted to if two people will fit it's just a little bit tight but you could see with me just being by myself only one person can really stand up at a time in here oh yeah the second bunk the only thing I don't like about the Superliner design is the person on top really doesn't get a view so you're sort of sleeping in a little cave up here but yeah that's what the top bunk looks like these two things hook in here so you won't roll out you get a little net up here to store your things and does a little thing in the back there so these can sleep two people if you're determined enough so yeah actually a decent amount of space I'm 6 foot 2 and my toes just barely like I still can't quite touch the wall my head back here so it's really about perfect there's your view up so yeah my plan for tonight is pretty much just to lay here and watch some stuff I pre downloaded on Netflix and enjoy the view out the window once the Sun isn't like just right in my eyes I'll see if I get you a couple more scenery shops and I hear as the Sun sets [Music] [Music] do this morning ladies Joe feel slow down for a trucker Johnson in front of us we just did start moving again so it's pairing up looking about 8:30 to 10:00 merchants morning once can't 830 into Denver this morning [Music] then I think about we're talking about Thanks [Music] all right turn so we're going to take our train in just a few minutes and bring it over to the adjacent track those two cars you see over to the web side of us we're going to be playing for those cars they'll be attached to the rear of our train so myself and my conductor do a little switch again so we'll not be backing back into my union station to pick up those cars in just a few minutes once you get the cars connected you do our air just for air brakes alright so they just hooked up the two private rail cars I guess cuz the power came back on now train is scheduled to leave out of Denver at 8:05 a.m. it is currently 9:40 - so we're running a little behind not that it makes a huge difference I mean if you're in a hurry this is not the way to travel but hopefully it doesn't mess up our views of the scenery since it's gonna get dark a little sooner than it was originally intended to so I'm assuming we'll be pulling out of Denver here momentarily with two additional cars on the back I'll try to get a shot of those next time we have a chance to step off the train so yeah I'll get you some shots of leaving Denver and then heading into the beautiful Rocky Mountains next stop is freeze your Winter Park Colorado at 10:07 I'll be later than that obviously but it's about two hours from now then after that Granby which is Rocky Mountain National Park and then Glenwood Springs which apparently is near Aspen so this should get really beautiful here in a couple hours I'm really looking forward to this a lot their seats that small attack that was given to you out on the station platform a destination on it so make sure you shoot the up above your seats at this time folks things about safety first I want to go over with you that is our number one concern make sure you take the moment to review the passenger safety inspection card familiarize yourselves with the location of all the person c86 the car you're traveling at this morning [Music] ok ladies and gentlemen time here we go we're out the air put those two the Colorado Rocky Mountains taking on way up was called Big Ten term the double left-hand turn we're going to go up a little over its descent green here into something along the foothills cars parked up here they'll be off to our right side they kind of the tan brown color might have noticed up just before we've done for this location is sitting up on the other side up there well basically folks those two cone cars of it up there for around 140 years they put up there by the different Rio Grande Western Nova prompting dirt next to a section of rail and these widened with their folks basically is it's create a wind barrier to protect trains going up and around this curve there have been speeds we put it up there in excess of over a hundred miles an hour in the past it's very common to get high with to this area here they sweep down off the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies bounced out to the valley here so those cars will put their detect range going up and around the Big Ten they have an incident 3540 years don't just prior to those cars being put there they have a great rate flown off the side of the berm here believe it or not from that high win so the arm right side is due north I didn't am so long that actually vegetation is growing on the tops of them because when they were originally been pulled up here by the dented Rio Grande Leslie there was nothing really up here at all but those trees have grown quite large over the span of 35 40 years that sitting behind them then once you get past those cars you can actually do up to the left side up there get the little bit of smoke today the air again I don't you practice for less getting a lot of bars fire smoke coming dumps room in the state of Colorado we've got forest fires going on around the state as well as the ones in California so that's with all that heat that you see out left they're out for peace to the plains normally on a clear day you can see quite far out here today you guys plan to the a stake thankfully see the downtown there in dentistry down to the left the tone down sound taper and the treating outlook what those they're off to the left well that's the city of Golden Colorado you looking out there then we're going to get up alongside the mountains here along the foothills then the best views are primarily gonna jump to the right-hand side of the Train but about the next 1 hour and I want to try to be off to the right that's where you can hit your best views now we'll go on through what is called the tunnel district we're gonna enter into talks number one in about ten minutes from now it's the first about twenty eight tunnels the traffic turn into the air and the longest tunnel Moffat tunnel which is 6.2 miles long that's where we're gonna cross the Continental Divide at our highest point on this rail line today at nine thousand two hundred and thirty nine feet inside that tunnel we'll talk more about Thompson let me get up there quite a ways to go still before we get to bomb the tunnel but anyway 20-ish internals as we make our way up through the tunnel this strange they claim that you can see on a clear day about one of the state of Colorado out to the eastern plains from Wayne Newton times now when we serve close to the dining car when we do serve lunch the dining park is very busy folks keep the I love the dining car clear you have to make your way through the dining car during one of the meal periods please excuse yourselves as you come through we have service attendants working in an apparent trays of hot food there's the tracks we were just done [Music] okay right this is a great deal here you get to see the Flatiron rocks one of the more interesting rock formations Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Range [Music] forty percent of minutes bull drinking water supply to the city of Denver T per month Eric gross reservoir not sure what it is presently dad do we go past the dam hair off to the right you'll see the backside of the reservoir and a few minutes just to see how big it is and then we'll head over to South Boulder Canyon and follow the South bone the creek I got a good buzz electronics repair now you see over to the right towards the profit train that large mountain way up front that's James peak that's where we'll be traveling up there by the way about the tunnel at about five minutes from now the two mountain just is right looking straight out to the right there buddy appears to be a rope going on the side those pounds that's actually the own railroad ride away on this Robbins pass looks like if they're Road nowadays that's exactly what it is Ron's best used to be the weight range to get up and over the Continental Divide prior to the tongue being completed and built these two gain elevation on a switchback operation time for Jacob's Ladder track configuration in those times a little over 11,000 deep we take anywhere from four to five hours on a good day to get over the pass they could take several days if there was blizzard or snow conditions now folks coming up the bunker tunnel plane they said just not found out almost five minutes just under five minutes we'll be there as an Amtrak policy we need to keep our in doors closed between the passenger cars on the upper level no one from car to car Lowry the market due to the amount of diesel exhaust fumes that our engines build up in the tunnel and there's a lot of residual coal dust inside pocket the trains all the coal trains so internet evolved in all these years so we need to keep those doors closed don't want to the Train be kind of found literally three minutes to get to a static dome and at that point we keep do the trains opening doors between the cars on the upper level until we get out of the tone it's a ten page right turn the Moffitt is Tong number twenty nine six point two miles long and it will also be a highest elevation at nine thousand two hundred and thirty nine please Moffett dome was built from 1923 to 1927 the first train travel through the Boston in February 1928 Jim crews worked on the tunnel one from East and the west side of it at the center of the tunnel they were only off by three inches which we can think about it that was pretty amazing for back in the early nineteen hundred's a very little of no technology that they had [Music] alright looks like we're here in Frasier what a beautiful ride like so Springs over here Oh hit over the easier you'll see where folks start easily their white water rafting journeys on the Colorado River because it's much easier to access access the river from the roadside here because there is a small road that he can access you run the vehicle over to the river there put your party opportunity tables ready in party of one your tables ready he'll project through your tables ready [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Roza as the travel cheese bluntly hang in here just a little information not regarding interstate through their ice enemy was already constructed back in the late 1980s and completed in early 1997 major highways for Glenwood Canyon and when I was reconstructed a lot of folks concerned about the environmental impact it might have on level Canyon at the time and we concerned that it would bring identification of when we counted by putting a major highway through here because before I was built as you see it today it was only a two-lane road through what we can you if you can believe that so it was that we constructed that built into a two-tier highway to reduce the amount of space that we take tup get the cat you here No do we need to start moseying I'm gonna wear something downstairs yeah [Music] [Music] alright guys so it is about 340 in the afternoon here in Glenwood Springs see we are this is supposed to be 153 that we get out of here so we're still running a bit behind schedule but man this scenery is just something else I mean I just been glued to the window taking photos and videos pretty much all day I haven't done anything besides eating the diner and stare out the window it's just it's that fascinating this train I mean it's prettier than the promotional photos when you're actually on it it's it's that nice I just can't get over the scenery and we still have a day and a half to go it's crazy so definitely very satisfied with the trip so far so I'll keep you posted as we continue here honestly if I had one complaint they could really use some Windex and a lot of these windows in here it's a shame that a lot of times these beautiful views are mucked up because the windows are a little bit dirty minor thing but so far that's like the biggest criticism I would have there goes Glenwood Springs all right so we're just outside of Grand Junction Colorado and you can see the cedar is starting to build up a little bit again I've heard that between Grand Junction and the next stop in I believe helper Utah we go through another really beautiful Canyon so but looks at things I might be in the dining car when that happens why probably won't get as much footage but I mean there's so much beautiful scenery on this route but at a certain point how many pictures and video clips can you take you know this really is incredible but I'll get you what I can you oh wow I'm just looking at that formation behind unit 4 that is awesome it almost looks are somebody stacked the rocks on top of each other at the top of that one over there yeah that is gorgeous the scenery on this route it just never ends it almost looks at the edge of a steep would you cut into it you see all right we are starting to approach the end of daylight here on day number two it is 651 p.m. we're in Utah now kind of going through and a desert sort of landscape here definitely a lot more flat than the last eight or so hours it's still beautiful in its own right though with nice sunsets art the forum over there absolutely fascinating day I actually just finishing up dinner again couldn't help but get the steak again and now I'm stuffed you definitely eat well on these trains that's one thing like so many people I see online complain about the food night I just don't understand why either I keep getting amazing cruise or people criticize the food too much it's one or the other but yeah I took my second Amtrak shower but pretty well again the common shower downstairs is definitely a nicer experience than the private ones in the bedroom as strange as that sounds so yeah I'm gonna start sort of getting settled in here there's any more cool scenery tonight I will definitely shoot some clips [Music] all right well greetings from Winnemucca Nevada just outside of Reno now had a pretty good sleep again last night I just woke up and got myself situated put the bed back up and now I'm gonna brush my teeth and grab some breakfast [Music] [Music] next go back skull backs two hours and ten minutes all right just left Truckee California we're getting ready to go through the beautiful Donner Pass [Music] you'll see the unholy these ships are taking a mockery is it all evasion position this is your look date back to World War two miss Jenna McCarty direct subsidies Martinez Martinez as a station even even is here organic Sabrina seeds because we're belonging temperament Martinez station immigrant at Martinez [Music] it's pretty with a sun shining across it there's fair yeah that's it [Music] as we look through the leaves and the highway overpass that's a beautiful scenic first look at San Francisco right here so that's a Golden Gate in the small [Music] are you on the bus going in San Francisco - yeah I don't know if we're supposed to come out here or waiting there [Music] and alright guys so I got dropped off at my hotel now in true San Francisco fashion my friend is splitting a one-bedroom apartment with two other guy is not really any room for me so I just snagged a cheap hot wire deal here in the chinatown area of San Francisco and yeah I take that all in at once though I mean it's hilarious how tiny the room is but at the same time actually it's basically everything you needed I mean a pretty nice-looking bed a TV at a private bathroom all the comforts of home right actually pretty nice-looking one of that really in a city like San Francisco that leaves at a glance this is kind of exactly what a budget hotel should really be I mean I won't be spending much time in there anyway it's basically just a place to crash and shower so it looks like gonna get the job done anyway I just wanted to close out the video it's something more than some footage out the window of an Amtrak bus what an adventure I'll tell you two days when you look at the itinerary and you see you know 51 hours on a train you think wow that's a long time and the you do is a pretty long time to spend on a train I was ready to get off but I wasn't dying to get off at a time I got here the scenery was beautiful the food was good the service was nice it's a fun experience I definitely recommend doing it at least once in your life go on a long-distance train and if you want a people a beautiful scenery pick the California Zephyr anyway I really hope you enjoyed this video by far the most ambitious travel project I've ever taken on for the sake of YouTube thanks so much as always for watching and for supporting me for all these years really hope you enjoyed it and that is it you

Channel: The Elevator Channel

Views: 1,378,086

Keywords: amtrak, california zephyr, chicago, emeryville, san fransisco, train, long distance, sleeper, overnight, trip report, review

Id: YxR9JbxTau4

Length: 73min 11sec (4391 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 20 2018