Amtrak's BRAND NEW Interiors: Overnight on the California Zephyr!
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- čas přidán 18. 06. 2024
- Hello and welcome to Chicago Union Station! Today we’re riding on Amtrak’s California Zephyr while taking a look at Amtrak’s newly refurbished superliner sleepers.
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Trip Information
Train Number: Amtrak California Zephyr 5
Locomotives: GE P42DC 30 and 23
Consist: 1 Viewliner 2 Baggage,
Accommodation: Superliner 1 Roomete (Room 5)
Departure Time: 2:00pm
Arrival Time: 7:10am +1 day (5 Minutes Early)
Journey Time: 18hr 51min
Price: $445.00
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First Class:
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Music - Epidemic Sound:
Borrowed Matches - Tape Machines
Evergreen Fields - Tape Machines
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From The Cliffside - Tape Machines
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Chapters:
0:00 Hello and Welcome to Chicago's Union Station!
0:13 Our Route to Denver
0:51 Chicago Union Station
1:43 Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge
2:30 Today's Sponsor: NordVPN
3:28 Boarding and Departure
4:49 Our Phenomenal Car Attendant
5:24 A Truncated Journey
6:02 Flybys Courtesy of Miles Jajich
6:57 Amtrak's NEW Interiors and Roomette Tour
11:40 Better Bathrooms
12:22 Dinner Reservations
13:03 Farmland Views
13:29 Galesburg, IL
14:03 Military Cargo on BNSF
14:28 Sun and Haze
14:42 Subscribe! And THANK YOU to my Patrons and Members!
15:05 Refurbished Bedroom Tour
17:31 Lounging in the Sightseer Lounge
18:15 Amtrak Cafe
18:45 Crossing the Mississippi
19:33 Burlington, IA
19:48 Rear Views through Iowa
20:38 Ottumwa Smoke Stop
21:03 LEFT BEHIND?! (Not quite...)
22:26 Dinner Time!
23:59 Roomette Sleeping Setup
24:25 Omaha, NE Fresh Air Break
25:49 Back to Bed
26:00 A Winter Morning in Mid-Spring
26:30 An Early Breakfast
27:32 Backing into Denver
28:46 Disembarking into the Snow
28:59 Denver Union Station
29:32 Subscribe! And Check Out the Patreon!
29:54 Thanks for Watching!
#Amtrak #CaliforniaZephyr #SleeperTrain
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Ha! We were on the Zephyr that left two days before you. When we rolled through eastern Utah, on day two, heavy clouds were building up on the mountains behind us. The next day there was light snow falling on the Donner Pass, but the tracks cut through huge piles of the white stuff. In California we transferred to the Coast Starlight, and when our journey was completed we found out that our train was the only “on time” Zephyr all week. We were very lucky.
I too have had the pleasure of travelling in Car 532, in summer last year with Mary as my attendant. You didn't overdo the praise, she really is fantastic at her job and I'm so glad to see someone letting everyone know. At the time I was on my first long Amtrak sleeper and I thought I had the best ever attendant, but now I know for sure! Big fan of you work, too.
I have high anticipation to experiencing Amtrak’s new interiors. The dining cars in my opinion are especially attractive with this new upholstery. I also am excited to seeing further advancements to pre-Covid service from last year. Amtrak is restoring dining cars on the Crescent in July and restoring Sightseer Lounges on the Texas Eagle in October (but not the Capitol Limited sadly). Amtrak management has hinted about making coach passenger access to the dining car systemwide again. There will also be more cars available to allow Amtrak operate a number of long haul trains with longer consists this summer than last!!
As always an entertaining and thorough report. I’ll be ready for the next one!!
Amtrak sleeper cars still need:
* an electric outlet for each passenger in the roomette
* a door that passengers can lock from the outside as well as the inside
* a PA speaker inside the room, so passengers don't have to scramble to hear train-wide announcements
there is actually a PA speaker in the room - not sure what you're talking about
@@sgt.eclair I'm talking about PA speakers in the passageways, but not in the room. Maybe the speakers in my roomettes just weren't working. But they've pretty cosistently not worked.
@@greggross8856 I mean, every roomette I've been in has had working PA speakers. Make sure the volume isn't set to 0 on the dial.
Wow. My wife and I experienced the great Mary on our ride eastbound two weeks ago. We concur!!
Took the zephyr about 12 years ago Chicago to Sacramento. One of the best trips I’ve ever taken and I need to do it again with the refurbished cars
I love Union Station in Chicago, it’s legendary and famous!
I rode the Zephyr last week (early May) SF/Oakland (okay, Emeryville) - Chicago, roomette. Much nicer with no snow. Glenwood Canyon and Donner Pass are pretty, but Nevada is interesting too. The Superliner cars may have been refurbished, but they are generally still old and getting rough around the edges. Downstairs bathrooms, chipped and scratched. To stop rattles in the roomette, I put the hangers on the floor and stuffed tissues in between the door and door pocket.
When making sleeper car reservations check the floorplan of the cars. Middle rooms are always better than end rooms. You'd rather not ride over the wheels.
After riding the Southwest Chief, the Sunset Limited and then the Zephyr (in 3 years), I'd say the food was best on the Chief. But VIA Rail's Canadian offers food that's a step up from Amtrak.
Overall, I love riding that rail no matter what.
You may have been disappointed, but writing from Australia I was not. Having travelled on the Zephyr previously it was interesting to see the scenery different to what it is in September, not to mention snowy Denver when I normally visit the US. Viewers probably won't have noticed, however the complete, 100% absence of the abomination of advertising hoardings, so familiar to travellers along interstates' was a joy to experience.
On the edge of my seat to see that 2nd part of the journey! The trip from Denver to Emeryville is truly the most breathtaking part of the California Zephyr.
The Lounge Car was made for the California Zephyr.😊
Mary for Amtrak President!
It is good to see the Ottumwa station platform being rebuilt. The station platform had platform sheds with open roofs more than likely removed decades ago. Glad to see work on the station.
A great video, that new upholstery looks really good, and I must say seeing the great hall at Union Station never gets old. I live near Vancouver BC Canada and am planning to travel to Dallas Texas on Amtrak. Do you have any suggestions about which routes would make the most sense? I know I have to take the Cascades to Seattle, but beyond that I am pretty flexible.
I’ll be riding this in July from Chicago to Davis, CA.
Can.
Not.
Wait.
It has been a while since I traveled on a Superliner sleeper. It was nice to see what the redo looked like. I guess this will have to do till they get the new cars planned in the next few years. It would be nice if the new cars feature multiple outlets but charging ports may not be the best idea since the technology keeps changing. It is best just to carry your 110 volt charging system for your electronic item and plug that in.
Can’t wait for your part two of this trip! Love your voice it soothing
This is one of my favorite amtrak passenger train you ridden on . I have friends that work that train that change crews in Ottumwa
Hi this is Isaiah wiley from myrtle Beach south Carolina saying hello and great amtrak video and I am glad and very proud of people like you making amtrak travel videos for CZcams right now because they are the only thing that can make me feel extremely happy of how I miss traveling on amtrak with my dad because I was born in August 2002 and I rode amtrak from 2003-2019 and I have been stuck in the house right when covid 19 hit the united states and in that time I have been angry 😠 and upset 😡 but anyways keep up the great amtrak video making your the best and good luck 👍 😊.
Is it just me, or do those chairs in the roomettes look larger (or at least wider) than the older style? Either way, I'm all for it! I do wish they added an extra outlet though, but since it was just a refurbishing, not sure how possible that was. Also... "No hair dryers or curling iron". Very interesting thing to specify! (I can't remember if that was on any old ones, but regardless).
With the PA volume controls removed, does that mean you have to hear the announcements in the rooms now no matter what at a set volume? I can imagine that being annoying for people that like to turn that off in their rooms. Though if they replaced those knobs with room for a second outlet, at least that space wouldn't have gone to waste!
Great video as always! I'm not sure what your next trip report will be but I always enjoy them.
If I ever did the Zephyr again I would fly into Denver and take the train west from there.
My wife and I took the Zephyr two years ago from Chicago to Emeryville. Instead of snow, however, there was massive rain that washed out a portion of the tracks between Denver and Grand Junction. Amtrak put all of us on buses to Grand Junction. We boarded the train that had been traveling eastbound, missing the most scenic part of the trip. So, I am with you. My wife and I will fly into Denver and take the Zephyr from Denver to Emeryville to see by train the portion of the trip we missed the first time. Traveling long distance Amtrak is always an adventure, but this wasn't the kind of adventure I had wanted.
Looks nice! I usually take Amtrak from Salt Lake City to Northern Nevada, no pretty parts and usually overnight.
Howdy, boy ! Have taken this trip many times. Your report is sweet, funny and accurate. LOVED IT !
I'm taking the zephyr next month again. The steak and mashed potatoes are so good, looking forward to it.
Great job 👍👍
Always fascinating and informative, thanks for another exciting and well-designed video. I noted your view on freight trains, saying they were otherwise unremarkable if they weren’t carrying something interesting. Now here’s my opinion on freight trains to even the ledger: I find them just as stimulating as passenger trains. In fact, I enjoy seeing both. Good morning and have a fantastic day, whatever you’re doing. Anthony (from Sydney, Australia).
Ha, I too enjoy seeing freight trains, I just prefer passenger over freight. Plus with Precision Scheduled Railroading here in the US creating monster trains, it’s always a fun sight. Hope you’re enjoying your evening in Australia! (Btw I loved Sydney and AUS in general when I visited a couple years back. Absolutely phenomenal country.)
@@LonestarTrips Thanks for your thoughtful reply.
I guess I was expecting too much after watching so many wonderful experiences that if
I had a pair of your rose colored glasses I would have enjoyed my trip on the Zephyr much more! But even with your rose colored glasses the strong odor and dirt and lack of service could not be over looked. My entire trip was no where near your claimed experience! The best I can say is the scenery was amazing and we arrived ahead of schedule.
That irks me that business class passengers are no longer allowed in the lounge as part of their ticket. Business class tickets have skyrocketed in price for the state level services and you get less for it.
Yeah not going to lie for a class as simple as business class, Amtrak could do the courtesy. It doesn’t make sense because you’re paying out the ass already.
Maybe Amtrak saw what Delta did with additional restrictions for Sky Club access and got inspired.
@@jonathankleinow2073 considering Amtrak has had former airline execs running it for years now, it makes sense. I miss the days of having actual railroaders run a railroad.
Firing David L Gunn in 2005 was the dumbest thing that has happened at Amtrak in the last 2 decades.
I was riding the zephyr around 2 weeks earlier, and trunkated our train to end in slc... didnt affect us since we were traveling from provo to slc lol
Nice video 😊
I was going to take a western loop this winter and 5 of 7 trains got cancelled. Will be trying again in Sept.
As a regular commuter train user, Union Staion Chicago is less appealing after you’ve breathed in those thick blue diesel fumes every work day, especially in the summer.
They still only have one a/c outlet. We always carry an extension cord with multiple outlets.
Actually, Superliner IIs were built in the 1990s and the Superliner Is were built in the 1970s. The reason Superliner I sleepers look nicer despite being older is because they underwent a full overhaul with reconfiguration of the whole interior between 2003 and 2006, but the Superliner II cars did not receive a full overhaul
Welcome to Denver.
14:00 For those interested, the front Bradley appears to be an M7 B-FiST, which is a version specifically designed as an artillery direction vehicle. I am pretty sure that the 5th vehicle is also the same variant, while the rest are probably M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles, which is the reconnisance variant. Going by this, the Bradleys are likely being delivered to one of the Armoured Cavalry Regiment's, with the vehicles on the train representing a full Squadrons worth of vehicles.
Good eye! I can’t believe you saw they were the M3s and not M2s. What gave it away? And I still can’t see the differences between the M7 vs M3.
@@Jeragon186 The main difference between the M3 and the M7 is that the M7 replaces the TOW launcher on the near side of the turret with a targeting module for it's artillery direction. The difference between the M2 and the M3 is that the M2 has firing ports for the infantry, while the M3 deletes them as it doesn't carry infantry. There are also internal differences, but those are not apparent from the footage.
Normally, I think video sponsors are tacky, but Nord is something everyone should have.
I used Nord anytime I wanted any of my banking sites to NOT allow me to log in. If you have to disable you VPN application to see your balances, that's pretty dumb.
Speaking of tacky, that would be shilling for Nord in BOTH the video description AND a pinned “comment” by the author on their own video.
They look like viewliners now
Seeing is believing I’m on the Auto train in November, hopefully their there’s has been upgraded. I’ve been riding it now for the last two years and it’s an old dumpy train.
I of course do not get tired of you showing Chicago Union Station yet again! The room refresh looks good but too bad they didn't add a 2nd electrical outlet.
Glad the hall shots don’t go amiss! As for the refresh, they’re only cosmetic and a stop gap measure while Amtrak looks for suitable replacements for its superliner fleet.
Outrageous that in this day of age that these "refreshed rooms" still only have a singular plug socket. They could have at bare minimum add a few USBs
While they are refreshing the interiors, getting more outlets would require a complete overhaul of the car, from the ground up, to upgrade the electrical system to allow more outlets.
@@utahrailfan1946 I'm guessing that these will be in service for at least 10 more years. We are highly dependent on devices that need a nightly charge as it is so 1 outlet for 2 people is already outdated. I believe this should have been rectified 10 years ago.
If you are in a roomette or bedroom car, can you lock your door from the hallway to leave your stuff in the room while going to dinner or the viewing cars or public restroom/shower?
Those may be refreshed interiors but they still look plenty beat up and grungy. New upholstery can't hide everything.
No, of course not. The new interiors are a stop-gap measure while Amtrak figures out the next generation of long distance sleepers.
I was trying to find that other channel you said to look for that new friend on your channel. I have not found the link.
Apologies! I updated the description to include his link.
Sad that Omaha's original station is not used by Amtrak. I love the historical stations that are still used in Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, DC, LA and many others. Cincinnati is always listed on best RR stations, but I've never seen it. On the Zephyr, the tracks now bypass Salt Lake's classic Rio Grande station. The train just stops under an overpass. And of course, the Bay Area didn't bother to preserve any of it's classic stations, sadly.
I'm disappointed that the updated sleepers don't offer single sleepers for those of us traveling alone and not wanting to pay for a second bed.. I remember some hosts talking about the possibility. However, I guess it didn't come to pass.
I did the same trip in car 531 last week. I thought the ride from Fort Morgan to Lincoln was rough, but from Lincoln to Fort Morgan (return trip) there wasn't much sleeping going on. It felt like riding in a flatbed truck bouncing down a dirt road at 80 MPH. Awful!
Attumwa Ia is where Radar on Mash was from!
Is the flatiron steak tender?
I have been thinking about this trip for over a year... I would prefer to get on at Denver and would want a sleeper, does Amtrak allow that. I would prefer to travel in the last week of December... Should I take this train in December???? I so want to take a train ride.
Looks like the refurb was done on the cheap as most of the room was still original equipment, especially all the hard surfaces and floor, which seemed dingy and dirty. I took the Zephyr over 30 years ago and aside from the hallway carpeting, lighting, switches and seats, it looks like it's mostly the same. Pity, but Amtrak has been severely and intentionally underfunded for decades and even with the recent boost in its budget only has so much to work with, plus this refurb was likely planned well before the boost.
I'd eventually like to see a whole new generation of Amtrak sleepers with a new design and layout to truly refresh them, perhaps taking its cue from Austria's new Nightjet sleepers. And maybe more than one long haul train a day, as is the case in the rest of the world. We really do have a lot of catching up to do. At least the scenery hasn't changed. The sights on the Denver to Emertville portion are among the finest in the world. And Amtrak's traditional dining car service is really quite good. And few countries have a sightseer car.
I was expecting a full ride between Chicago and Emeryville (San Francisco Bay Area), what was your point in finishing at Denver? Exploring the city and its metro systems would be interesting.
Did you not watch the video? I was supposed to be traveling to SF, but the train was canceled between Denver and Grand Junction due to weather. I explained everything in the video.
@@LonestarTrips okay, that's reasonable, I do still appreciate your videos, I hope the next video you can finish the rest of the trip.
I plan on passing through the pretty part not once, not twice, but three times. First will be on the Rocky Mountaineer’s Rockies to the Red Rocks, second will be eastbound on the CZ from SLC to DEN, and third will be on the westbound out to SF.
@@LonestarTrips interesting, I think that Colorado has to be the most scenic state because of the Rocky mountains surrounding the state.
I did a selfie in the Great Hall
So did you have to wait for a train to return? Or did you have to find a room until could return to Chicago? That would be bad
I ended up flying out of Denver to San Francisco. I wasn’t able to find a way to get to Grand Junction, and with the weather getting worse by the minute, I wasn’t taking any risks.
Which site is best to get info to schedule a trip from Texas area to Georgia area?
Amtrak’s own website works great for travel planning! (Amtrak.com)
hello when was this video taken im suprised they still have h eavy snow in may
This was filmed on March 13th, 2024.
And yes, Denver still can get heavy snow in May.
13:27 Just to clarify, it was not a passing town he saw, HE is the one who was passing. Generally speaking, most towns are stationary.
Idk man, those towns are spry when you’re not looking…
@@LonestarTrips Perhaps a village of mobile homes??
@@HighHolyOne or perhaps the whole town’s on wheels?
Are you required to sit with someone at dinner? Also can you have your dinner wrapped to go?
If the dining car has a full sitting then yes, parties of less than 4 can expect to share a table. It's usually a nice way to meet fellow travelers. You can also have your room attendant deliver meals to your room if you prefer solo dining.
Who'll build the next generation of superliner cars ?
Cen you make video ebavt santa fe 3751
Can Coach passengers buy dinner in the dining car yet? They took that feature away during covid.
Nice report as always. I’m not sure of how much of a “railfan” you are. So I will add a couple of things to look for if you travel that route again. First off you traveled west on the “speedway” on main track 1. That’s unusual because of Metra trains stopping. Perhaps this was a weekend day?
Just west of Ottumwa the BNSF crosses at grade the CPKC and their yard can be seen to the north. This line is seeing increased traffic since the merger of the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.
Minor clarification on the Burlington Depot in Omaha. The other railroad’s passenger trains (Union Pacific, Milwaukee, Rock Island, Illinois Central) used Union Station, not the Burlington Depot. The two stations used to be connected by an overhead pedestrian bridge.
Metropolitan Lounge = *Chill Refuge* (for the socially paranoid!)
Does this mean the roomettes with the toilets in them are no more? cause thank goodness.
Superliner roomettes have never had in-room toilets. But the newer Viewliner IIs out east have done away with them too, yes.
@@crazoatmeal1854 thank you, its so confusing remembering all of them lol
A lot of hyperbole in this video, to say the least. The refurbished Superliners look better but they haven't had any mechanical improvements, so don't be surprised that the AC works poorly. Food is average. Constant train announcements (while I was eating we got an announcement warning us not to throw papers in the toilets) are a real pain. At least they stop the announcements at night. Train routinely runs hours late. Customer service depends on the good will of the employee, very inconsistent. Fares are super high. If the sleeping-car fares weren't so high these shortcomings might be somewhat overlooked because the scenery is fantastic but as the fares are ridiculous, passengers deserve more.
8:05 How can 2 adults sit in front of each other without hitting each others' knees ? Asking seriously.
They genuinely can’t. I’ve traveled with 2 adults in a roomette, and we ended up sitting diagonally so that our legs weren’t tangled.
I don't know about 'interiors' but the real issue for me was beds, not good. And face it, older folks can't do the upper bunk. After that, the horn blaring all night didn't help things. My railroad experience dates back to sleeping car porters and good food in the diner, no more, bad airline food, had better on the train I took across Thailand, breakfast was especially to be forgotten. Well, the auto train was actually early (didn't help any since the unloading crew wasn't there yet). Airlines are terrible by it's only three hours of it, not 17.
I agree that the Zepher is a fantastic route. You simply can't depend on the timetable due to their renting track time from the Union Pacific. The tracks in Nebraska are so bad, you can be thrown out of bed. Most attendants are great. We love Rita, Karen, an angry African American woman is a nightmare. Each dining car staff is different. Some are very rigid, others more relaxed. If you need to make a transfer to another train, play it safe and make an overnight stay in your transfer city.
"The room's singular outlet"
MAJOR disappointment for a newly refurbished product in a more premium class of service that normally costs significantly more than coach!
Ive stayed in hotels that cost 300 a night and only had one working outlet
Refurbishments are typically cosmetic only. Getting more outlets would require a full overhaul ov the car from the ground up to upgrade the cars' electrical system.
Brand-new interiors? This is like putting lipstick on a pig. What Amtrak needs are modern high speed trains to ride on smooth high speed rails. Riding Amtrak after riding European or Chinese trains is like catching a stage coach!
The Superliner II sleepers seem only to have been reupholstered, not fully renovated like the Superliner I sleepers were. I still hold out hope they will get that renovation one day!
All I can say is vote blue, else it’ll never happen. 💙
Who’s gonna ride a high speed train across the US that will still be slower and more expensive than a plane? Did you see many riders on the train? Everyone uses cars, unless you’re too cheap for one.
@@Adumzzinthehouse Lots of people do! I've taken the California Zephyr - the bedrooms were sold out and coach was at least 2/3 full. You should try it and see for yourself.
@@jacksons1010 The nearest route to me is the Sunset Limited, and it doesn’t have enough demand to pull in daily riders so it runs weekly. It’s also expensive, and doesn’t hit any major towns until LA or larger cities in Texas. Us people south by Mexico don’t know what it’s like to experience trains, aside from the San Diegans.
Still no high speed rail while China has built 40,000km HSR in 16 years. Why?
Congress won’t fund it, that’s why.
And yet anyone watching this on a TV can see it's still just as filthy as ever. Because I always ask myself "How can I pay 3 times as much as a plane ticket and clean the room myself?".
Feck, US trains are beyond shite. @19:06 That slight orange be the pollution.
americans be thinking they make a breakthrough with their trains.
It’s hardly a breakthrough lol, it’s just a step forward compared to what we had for the past two decades.
Americans who support rail travel are painfully aware how pitiful it is here.
Seats are vinyl not leather, correct? Thanks for very interesting trip report!
Nice…but Nasty floors