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The Man in Seat 61

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You'll see nothing of America at 35,000 feet, come down to Earth and see world class scenery from an Amtrak train across the United States.  You can travel cross-country from as little as $236 (£188 or €220) if you book well in advance, one of the world's great travel bargains.  The USA has an excellent rail network for visitors, it may only be a skeleton network by European standards but it'll take you to almost all the towns & cities a visitor wants to see, in comfort at affordable prices.  It'll take you to many of the U.S. national parks, too.  Long-distance trains in the USA are operated by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, better known as Amtrak, www.amtrak.com .  This page explains what you need to know to plan and book a memorable cross-country trip by train.

Train service in the USA, at a glance    See detailed map

This route map shows where Amtrak trains run.  Each of the very long-distance transcontinental routes shown in blue has one daily train, except for New York to Florida with 2 trains a day and the Sunset Limited (New Orleans-San Antonio-Los Angeles) which runs 3 times a week.  Important short distance routes (for example, Washington-New York-Boston or Los Angeles-San Diego) have regular intercity services and are shown in red.  It's easy to check Amtrak train times at www.amtrak.com , just use their online booking system.  Click here for the official large-scale Amtrak route map .

Useful country information

Cross-country by train.

The 3,000 mile journey across the United States by train is one of the world's greatest travel experiences.  It's easy, comfortable, safe, and an affordable alternative to flying.  Free route guides are available on board each train, telling you what to look out for from the window, and the scenery on many routes is world class. 

In a nutshell

The 3,000 mile coast-to-coast train ride takes 3 nights, without stopovers.

Choose from 4 or 5 different cross-country routes, each with their own character.  I explain the most scenic routes below with train times & description.  You can stop off on the way, but remember that a separate ticket/reservation is needed for each stage.

It takes one night from New York, Boston or Washington DC to Chicago where you change trains, then two nights from Chicago to Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle on a superb double-deck Superliner train .  You can also travel coast to coast via New Orleans , this takes an extra night as you need to spend a night in New Orleans.  Most of the trains run daily all year round, although the New Orleans-LA train only operates three times a week.

Check out the cross-country train packages at www.amtrakvacations.com , they can sort packages with tickets, private sleeping accommodations on the train, stopovers & hotels included.

If you book regular tickets online at www.amtrak.com , cross-country fares from New York to Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle start at just $236 in a spacious reclining seat, surely one of the world's greatest travel bargains.  A private sleeper for 1 or 2 people can be added to your booking, the extra cost is often quite hefty but the sleeper room charge includes all meals as well as tea, coffee & fruit juice throughout the trip. Amtrak's spacious trains also have cafe & lounge cars, open to both seat and sleeper passengers.  See descriptions of the trains here .

On-time performance .  Bear in mind that these trains run for over 2,000 miles, although they often arrive on time or perhaps half an hour late, they can sometimes arrive an hour or two late or more, so don't book any tight connections.  You can see how your chosen trains have performed the last few weeks using www.amtrak.com/historical-on-time-performance and you can also see real-time train positions & performance at www.asm.transitdocs.com .

Which is the best cross-country train route?

I've crossed the United States multiple times by train, using every major cross-country train except the Texas Eagle.  Each transcontinental route has its own distinctive character even if the trains themselves are the same, but one stands out as the most spectacular for both scenery & historical significance:  I recommend the California Zephyr between Chicago and San Francisco, which you can take in connection with the Lake Shore Limited between New York or Boston and Chicago, or the Capitol Limited between Washington DC and Chicago.

The California Zephyr is one of world's greatest train journeys, in around 48 hours you will leave Chicago, roll over the vast farmlands of Nebraska, cross the Mississippi, scale the Rockies out of Denver over breakfast in the diner, snake through lovely Colorado canyons, and pass through the Sierra Nevada mountains to reach Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay area.  The route covers much of the very first historic trans-continental railroad route, and there's a commentary for the most significant section.  To give you an idea of what a cross-country train ride is like on this route, see the California Zephyr page . 

However, all Amtrak's cross-country train routes are scenic, and the Southwest Chief is another favourite.  It'll take you from Chicago to Los Angeles over the Santa Fe railroad (which used to operate the famous Super Chief) , alongside the equally famous Route 66, through Navajo Indian country.  This is another amazing trip, with a chance to stop off at the Grand Canyon .

Cross-country westbound 2024

* The California Zephyr terminates in Emeryville and an Amtrak Thruway bus transfers passengers across the Bay Bridge to the Temporary Transbay Terminal in downtown San Francisco.  Tickets can be booked through to (and luggage checked through to) San Francisco Transbay Terminal as if it was a rail station.

** The Chicago-Los Angles portion only runs 3 times a week, departing Chicago on Tuesdays, Fridays & Sundays. Daily Chicago-San Antonio.

Use these times as a guide, always check current times & fares at www.amtrak.com as they change from time to time.

Cross-country eastbound 2024

* The California Zephyr starts in Emeryville.  An Amtrak Thruway bus links the Transbay Terminal in downtown San Francisco with Emeryville across the Bay Bridge.  Tickets can be booked through from (and luggage checked in at) the Amtrak station at San Francisco Transbay Terminal as if it was a rail station.

*** The Los Angles to Chicago portion only runs 3 times a week, leaving LA on Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays.  Daily San Antonio-Chicago.

Facilities on each train

What are the trains like.

Click here to see what the trains are actually like inside & out, and to understand the sleeping-car, lounge & dining facilities.

How much does it cost?

3,000 miles coast-to-coast overland for as little at $236 has to be one of the world's greatest travel bargains!  Railpass options .

Amtrak fares are dynamic, so you'll see various prices on various dates, book ahead for the cheapest prices - these are the cheapest examples I have found.

Round trip fares are twice the one-way fare.  Children 2-12 (inclusive) travel at reduced fare, children under 2 travel free (limit one child under 2 per adult).

There's a 10% discount for seniors over 65 on some fares.  The discount applies to the base fare but not to saver fares, flexible fares, roomette/bedroom charges.

If you choose to travel in a sleeper, the premium fare column on the Amtrak website will show the total cost for all passengers travelling in a roomette or bedroom.  This is calculated as a basic fare for each passenger plus one charge covering the whole roomette or bedroom.  The roomette or bedroom cost is the same whether it's occupied by one person or two.  So a sleeper is a lot better value if there are two of you!  The two people price in the table above is the total you pay for two people sharing a roomette or bedroom.

Tip :  You can save 10% on the basic travel fare (but not on accommodation supplements) by becoming a member of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, which at the time of writing costs $35 for an individual or $50 for a family.  It can pay for itself on one coast to coast trip.  See www.narprail.org for full details and online sign-up.

Can I stop off on the way?

Yes of course, but if you want to stop off you'll need to buy separate tickets for each leg.  To book a cross-country trip with stopovers at any cities you want, simply look for the 'Multi-City' link at top right of the booking form on www.amtrak.com .  This allows you to book a trip with up to 4 segments, and of course you can book additional segments as separate bookings.  However, if you buy a through ticket at the cheapest price between an East Coast city such as New York and a West Coast city such as Los Angeles, then no, you cannot stop off, you must travel direct on your assigned trains.  Although the several hours between trains in Chicago is often time enough to climb the Sears Tower (now owned by the Willis corporation, see theskydeck.com ) and get great views over the city, it's only 5 minutes walk from Chicago Union Station!  As you can see from the fares table above, separate tickets New York to Chicago and Chicago-Los Angeles (so you can stop off in Chicago) work out about $35 more expensive than a New York to Los Angeles through ticket.

Want to stop off at the Grand Canyon?  See the Grand Canyon section

All the trains shown here offer checked baggage.  All passengers (both coach & sleeper) are entitled to check in up to 2 large items of luggage free of charge, plus an additional 2 large items for $20 each.  Maximum 50lbs (23Kg) per item, maximum total linear dimension (length + height + width) = 75".  Oversize bags (up to a total linear dimension of 100") $20 per bag.  A name and address label must be attached to each item.  Hand luggage is limited to two items per passenger, maximum 50lbs (23Kg) per item, dimensions 28" x 22" x 14".  See www.amtrak.com/baggage-policy .

You can check bags through to your final destination, so for example if you have a New York to San Francisco ticket you can check your bags in at New York all the way to San Francisco Transbay Terminal.  They will be transferred for you from train to train in Chicago and from train to bus at Emeryville, leaving you free of it until you arrive.

How to buy tickets

Option 1, buy at www.amtrak.com

Anyone from any country can buy tickets at Amtrak's own website www.amtrak.com , which sells all types of accommodation, seat & sleeper.

Booking opens 11 months in advance.  An e-ticket will be emailed to you, you can print it out or show it on your phone.

Or call Amtrak 24 hours a day on 1-800-USA RAIL.  From outside of the USA, Amtrak's international desk is + 1-215-856-7952.  Open Mon-Fri 08:30-16:00 Eastern Time.

Option 2, buy at Omio.com

Omio.com sells tickets for Amtrak seated accommodation quickly & simply, in multiple languages & currencies.  However, it can't sell sleeper accommodation.  You print out your ticket or can show it on your phone.

Let Amtrak Vacations arrange your trip

Amtrak Vacations is Amtrak's official partner for vacations, tours & packages.

Amtrak Vacations can put a package together from anywhere to anywhere to your specification, with private sleeping accommodations on the train, stopovers at cities or national parks, hotels & transfers.

They'll also do ticket-only bookings for cross-country Amtrak journeys, and you may get more help and advice if you book through them as they specialise in Amtrak's long-haul routes.  

Click here for Amtrak Vacations' cross-country packages

Lines are open 09:00-22:00 Monday-Friday & 09:00-17:30 Saturday, Eastern Time (5 hours behind the UK).

Let Railbookers arrange your trip

Railbookers are train travel specialists with offices in the UK, Australia & United States.  They can arrange coast to coast tours by train to your own specification, with trains, stopovers, hotels, transfers and (if necessary) flights all sorted.

Escorted tours with Great Rail Journeys

Using a usa railpass.

A USA Railpass is available covering the whole Amtrak network or just parts of it, see advice on USA Railpasses here .

See it in pictures: Cross-country by train

See an illustrated journey from New York to San Francisco on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited and California Zephyr.

Back to top

Cross-country via New Orleans

This is the Southern cross-country route, a whole different flavour from the routes via Chicago.  Coast to coast via New Orleans takes 4 nights, making it slower than the more usual transcontinental route via Chicago, as you need to spend a night in New Orleans - but a stopover down south is hardly a burden!  For a taste of the deep south, this is the way to go.

Amtrak fares vary dynamically, so you'll see various fares on various dates, book ahead for the cheapest prices - these are just typical examples, assuming you book ahead.

Luggage arrangements .  Railpass options .   Can I stop off?

New York to Florida

Introducing Amtrak's Silver Service from New York & Washington DC to Orlando, Tampa & Miami.

Facilities on board

Silver Meteor:   Amfleet reclining seats ,  Viewliner sleeping-car , Amfleet cafe car .

Silver Star:   Amfleet reclining seats ,  Viewliner sleeping-car , Amfleet cafe car.

Luggage arrangements .

Anyone from any country can buy tickets at Amtrak's own website www.amtrak.com .  This sells all types of accommodation, seat & sleeper.

Omio.com sells tickets for Amtrak seated accommodation quickly & simply, in multiple languages & currencies.  However, it can't sell sleeper accommodation.  You just print out your ticket or show it on your phone.

Boston - New York - Washington

A fast and frequent inter-city service links Boston, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC.  There are two types of train: Acela Express 150mph high-speed trains with 1st class & business class (premium fares apply) and regular trains with coach class and (in most cases) business class.  There are also services from Boston to Portland (Maine) and from Philadelphia to Harrisburg. See www.amtrak.com for times, fares and online booking, or try Omio.com .

How long does it take?

New York to Washington takes as little as 2h48 by Acela Express.

New York to Boston takes 3h30 by Acela Express.

Fares vary like air fares, with cheaper prices available the further ahead you book.  Round trip fares are twice the one-way fare.  Children 2-12 (inclusive) travel at reduced fare (except on Acela Express where there is no discount for children on weekdays), children under 2 travel free (limit one child under 2 per adult).

Luggage on Washington-New York-Boston trains:   These trains don't have checked baggage, you simply take your luggage with you onto the train and put it on the racks just as you would on any European train.  You can take 2 items up to 23Kg each, plus two smaller personal bags each up to 11Kg - pretty generous, see www.amtrak.com/baggage-policy .

Omio.com sells Amtrak tickets quickly & simply, in multiple languages & currencies.  You just print your ticket or show it on your phone.

Acela Express

Acela Express is Amtrak's very own high-speed train, reaching 150 mph on certain sections of upgraded line.  It has first class & business class, there's no economy coach class.  Premium fares apply, with no discounts for children on weekdays.

Northeast Regional trains

Cheaper but slower than Acela Express, with coach class & business class between Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington DC.

Other Amtrak routes

New york - niagara falls.

Three daily trains link New York via Albany with Niagara Falls.  Journey time is a leisurely 8 hours 30 minutes, a relaxing journey along the Hudson River Valley out of New York, past Storm King Mountain and West Point Military Academy, a very scenic route, highly recommended.  See either Omio.com or www.amtrak.com for times, fares and online booking.

New York - Toronto, Montreal (Canada)

A daily train called the Maple Leaf links New York with Toronto via Niagara Falls, and another daily train called the Adirondack links New York with Montreal via the scenic Adirondack mountains.  Both trains travel along the Hudson River Valley out of New York, past Storm King Mountain and West Point Military Academy, a very scenic route, highly recommended.  See the Train travel in Canada page for train times .

Chicago - Memphis - New Orleans

Amtrak's daily City of New Orleans links these cities, with Superliner seats, sleeping-cars, sightseer lounge and dining-car .  For times, fares and online booking, see www.amtrak.com .

Intercity trains in California

Regular trains link Los Angeles, Anaheim (for Disneyland), and San Diego.  Regular trains link San Francisco (Oakland) with Sacramento, Bakersfield and San Jose.  A daily train links Los Angeles with San Francisco (Oakland).  See either Omio.com , www.amtrak.com or www.amtrakcalifornia.com for times, fares and online booking.

Seattle - Portland - Oakland (San Francisco) - Los Angeles

Amtrak's daily Coast Starlight links these cities, with Superliner seats, sleeping-cars, sightseer lounge and dining-car .  For times, fares and online booking, see www.amtrak.com .

Portland - Seattle - Vancouver

Amtrak runs an inter-city service between these cities, see www.amtrakcascades.com - Some of these services use European-design Talgo trains.

Luggage on trains without checked baggage:   Some of these trains don't have checked baggage, you simply take your luggage with you onto the train and put it on the racks just as you would on any European train.  Generous limits apply - 2 items each up to 23Kg, plus two smaller personal bags each up to 11Kg, see www.amtrak.com/baggage-policy .

What are Amtrak trains like ?

Short distance trains come in various types, all with comfortable air-conditioned seating and often with a café car.  On the Boston-New York-Washington DC route, there is now the premium fare, 150mph Acela Express high speed train, based on French TGV technology, but running on conventional tracks.

(1)  Long distance trains in the east

Long-distance trains east of Chicago (such as the New York-Chicago Lake Shore Limited , the New York to Florida Silver Star & Silver Meteor or the New York to New Orleans Crescent , but not the Washington to Chicago Capitol Limited ) have Viewliner sleeping-cars , Amfleet reclining seat cars and an Amfleet cafe/lounge car serving snacks and drinks.  If you have paid for a sleeper, meals are included in the fare.

Amfleet reclining seats

These distinctive stainless-steel coaches have comfortable reclining seats with loads of legroom, drop-down tables & 120v power sockets for laptops & mobiles.  Drinking water is available in each coach.  Unlike in Europe, your reservation does not secure a specific seat in a specific coach, you can sit where you like once on board.  An attendant looks after each seats car, and will place a 'seat ticket' above your seat to indicate that the seat is taken.

Dining cars, cafe cars & flexible dining

Most long-distance trains have a cafe/lounge car serving hot & cold drinks and snacks, with an area with seats & tables for socialising.  The cafe/lounge car can be used by both sleeper and seats passengers.

Traditional dining-cars on all the 1-night long-distance trains east of Chicago were discontinued in 2018-2019.

Amtrak now offers sleeper passengers what it calls Flexible Dining on these trains.  Sleeper passengers are served pre-packed reheated or microwaved meals delivered to their sleeper compartments, or meals can be served in the table area of the cafe/lounge car.   The New York-Florida Silver Star and Silver Meteor retain dining-cars of the new Viewliner II type with an impressive double row of windows, but only to serve the pre-packaged Flexible Dining meals to sleeper passengers.

Latest update:   In March 2023 full dining has been reinstated on the Silver Star between New York and Florida.

Viewliner sleeping-cars

Long-distance trains in the East have Viewliner sleeping cars.  The distinctive double row of windows on these cars makes them light & airy during the day, and gives both upper & lower berths a window for star-gazing at night.  Travelling by Amtrak sleeper is a real treat.  All sleeper passengers get complimentary meals in the dining car,  and a 'coffee station' provides complimentary tea/coffee & fruit juice in the morning.  You return from dinner in the diner to find you bed made up for the night by the sleeper attendant.  A hot shower is available at the end of the corridor if you're travelling in a roomette, or en suite if you are travelling in a bedroom.  All necessary bedding, soap and towels are provided.  However, sleeper travel isn't cheap.  In Europe you can pay a small supplement for a berth in a shared couchette or sleeper compartment.  In the US, you have to pay for the whole room whether there are two of you or just one.  To give you a rough idea, some sample sleeper supplements are shown in the fares section above.   Viewliner sleeping-cars have:

(2)  Long distance trains in the west

Long-distance trains between Chicago & Los Angeles/San Francisco/Seattle/Portland, also the New Orleans-Los Angeles Sunset Limited , Seattle-Los Angeles Coast Starlight and Washington DC-Chicago Capitol Limited use impressive double-deck Superliner cars.  Superliner trains have coach class reclining seats , sleeping-cars , a dining car & an observation-lounge car .  A route guide is available free on these trains, telling you want to look out for along the way.  Watch a video guide to Amtrak Superliner trains .

Superliner reclining seats

Coach class reclining seats are spacious with lots of legroom, comparable with business class on an airliner.  Don't worry if you can't afford a sleeper, these seats recline to about 40 degrees, and are quite easy to sleep in, in fact if there is any train in the world where I wouldn't much mind not having a sleeper, Amtrak trains are the ones I'd choose.  There are 120v power sockets for laptops & mobiles at each seat, and drinking water is available in each coach.  Unlike in Europe, your reservation does not secure a specific seat in a specific coach, you can sit where you like once on board.  An attendant looks after each seats car, and will place a 'seat ticket' above your seat to indicate that the seat is taken.  You can either bring a blanket or buy an Amtrak blanket from the lounge car.  Panorama photo of Superliner coach class .

Superliner Sightseer Lounge car

On the upper deck is an observation lounge with armchairs & tables and huge windows for sightseeing.  On the lower deck is a cafe selling drinks & snacks.  All passengers can use the lounge car, whether they are travelling in coach class or in the sleepers.  You end up spending most of your day here, watching America unfold in front of you!   Seats are available on a first-come, first served basis, but it's not usually too difficult to find a seat or two free.  However, they do fill up for the most scenic sections of the journey!  See panorama of a Superliner lounge car .

Superliner dining car

Trains west of Chicago retain a proper dining-car with freshly-cooked food.  During the pandemic, the dining-car was only open to sleeper passengers, but in 2023 coach seat passengers were allowed to use the diner again on most routes.  The dining-car serves breakfast, lunch & dinner.  All the tables in a Superliner dining-car are on the top deck for great views while you eat - the kitchens are downstairs.

Meals are included in the fare if you have a sleeper, although drinks are extra.  In the sleepers, the dining-car manager comes down the train asking each passenger which sitting for lunch or dinner they'd like, and issuing table reservations.  An announcement is made at the start of each sitting. 

Note that couples and singles don't get a whole 4-seater restaurant table to themselves, you'll normally be seated with other passengers. This is a great chance to meet people, even if you're travelling solo.  Panorama photo of Superliner dining-car .

What's the food like?   The food is surprisingly good:  The Angus Steak Burger is great for lunch, for dinner the herb-roast chicken & rice is good and the garlic butter marinated New York Strip Steak is excellent.  A beer costs around $6, a half bottle of very good Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot costs around $15.  For breakfast next morning a freshly-cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon & potatoes hits the spot.  There is also a children's menu.  Credit cards are accepted.  You can find sample menus on the Amtrak website www.amtrak.com , click 'plan' then look for 'meal & dining options'.

Since 2018, sleeper passengers on the Lake Shore Limited  (NYC-Chicago) & Capitol Limited (Washington-Chicago) get a pre-packed meal either served in their compartment or eaten in a lounge area.

Superliner sleeping-car s

Travelling by Amtrak sleeper is a real treat.  All sleeper passengers get complimentary breakfast, lunch & dinner in the dining car,  and each sleeping-car has a 'coffee station' with complimentary tea/coffee and fruit juice available in the morning.  You return from dinner in the diner to find you bed made up for the night by the sleeper attendant.  All necessary bedding, soap and towels are provided.  Superliner sleeping-cars are double-deck, with 10 very compact 2-berth roomettes and 4 larger 2-berth bedrooms on the upper deck, whilst the lower deck has another 4 roomettes, 1 family bedroom & 1 special accessible bedroom.  The bedrooms have a private shower & toilet, for roomette passengers there are toilets on both upper and lower decks, and a hot shower on the lower deck.  The gangways to the adjacent cars are on the upper deck.  However, sleeper travel isn't cheap.  In Europe you can pay a small supplement for a berth in a shared couchette or sleeper compartment.  In the US, you have to pay for the whole room whether there are two of you or just one.  To give you a rough idea, some sample sleeper supplements are shown in the fares section above.   Superliner sleeping-cars offer:

Video guide: Riding a Superliner train

The grand canyon connection.

There are two main ways to reach the Grand Canyon as part of a cross-country train trip, after you get off Amtrak's Chief at Flagstaff Arizona.  The first is to use a bus between Flagstaff and the South Rim of the Canyon, journey time 1 hour 45 minutes each way.  The other is to take a connecting Amtrak Thruway bus to the nearby town of Williams and use the historic Grand Canyon Railway to the Canyon, journey time 2 hours Williams to the South Rim.

Option 1, Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon by bus

Scheduled buses link Flagstaff's Amtrak station (which also incorporates the excellent local Visitor Centre) with the Grand Canyon's South Rim, with an 8am bus departure from Flagstaff conveniently connecting out of Amtrak's Chief from Los Angeles arriving at the Grand canyon around 1 hour 45 minutes later.  A bus returns from the Grand Canyon at 6.15pm (also at 4.15pm from March to October), arriving back in Flagstaff 1 hour 45 minutes or so later.  It can easily be done as a day trip, returning to Flagstaff in time for the evening Chief to Los Angeles, although you can of course choose to stay overnight at the hotels at the Grand Canyon.  For bus times see groometransportation.com/grand-canyon .  The bus fare is around $34 each way.

Grand Canyon Tours from Flagstaff:   Alternatively, take a tour.  A company called The Grand Canyon Store http://grandcanyoncustomtours.com   offers 1-day tours from both Flagstaff & Williams to the Grand Canyon, including a tour to the Grand Canyon Village & South Rim, and the more extensive Inner Canyon Tour that actually takes you to the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon, not merely to the South Rim as with other tours and the scheduled bus - not surprisingly the Inner Canyon Tour is their most popular!  They also do a tour from Flagstaff to the South Rim using the Grand Canyon Railway, see the section below.

www.amtrakvacations.com can put together an Amtrak coast-to-coast package for you with a stopover at the Grand Canyon, or a tour from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon and back, customised you your specification.  See Grand Canyon packages .

Option 2, Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon on the Grand Canyon Railway

The more interesting way to reach the Canyon is on the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to the Canyon's South Rim.  This is the original Santa Fe railroad branch line, Williams Junction just outside Williams town is where the line diverges from the Chicago-LA main line.  However, Amtrak's Southwest Chief no longer calls at Williams Junction (it called there at uncivilised times in any case), you now use Flagstaff as the stop for the Grand Canyon with Amtrak bus connection to Williams.

To reach the Grand Canyon by train, get off the Amtrak's Chief at Flagstaff and take the connecting Amtrak Thruway bus to Williams.  The buses are timed to connect with train's arrival & departure to and from both Chicago and Los Angeles.  Williams is a pleasant town with plenty of motels, shops & diners.  The Grand Canyon Railway runs a daily morning train some 65 miles over the Santa Fe's historic railway from Williams station to Grand Canyon South Rim station in the Grand Canyon Village, right on the edge of the Canyon's South Rim.  The train returns in the afternoon, arriving in time to have dinner then catch the shuttle bus to Flagstaff for Amtrak's Chief onwards to Los Angeles.

The Amtrak reservation system at www.amtrak.com will actually let you buy through tickets between Los Angeles and Grand Canyon in either direction, although if you want to book through tickets between New York or Chicago and Grand Canyon this involves an overnight stay in Williams so you'll need to use the multi-city booking feature.  But you can book your Amtrak trains at www.amtrak.com then book the Grand Canyon train at the GCR official website, www.thetrain.com .

You can also book Chicago-LA packages with Amtrak travel and a trip to the Grand Canyon on the Grand Canyon Railway at www.amtrakvacations.com , Amtrak's official partner for tours and packages involving Amtrak travel.  See Grand Canyon packages .

The fare includes entry to the Wild West show at Williams station in the hour before departure, and some Wild West entertainment on board!

USA rail passes

One of the best ways to see America is with an Amtrak USA rail pass, but be aware of its limitations before you invest in one.

A 30-day 10-segment rail pass costs around $499.

That's 10 train rides, enough to travel coast to coast 5 times, at €49.90 per train ride!  Children aged 2-12 get passes for half price, under 2's travel free.

Segments:   Sadly, since 2008 Amtrak's USA railpass no longer gives unlimited travel, it only covers a maximum of 10 'segments'.  This is the maximum number of individual train rides you can take during your 30 day pass duration.

A segment is one train ride on one train:  So a 2-day 2,200-mile trip from Chicago to Los Angeles on the Southwest Chief counts as one segment, and a 30-minute ride on a Northeast Regional train is also one segment.  Go figure!  A journey involving a change of train (for example, New York to Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited then Chicago to San Francisco on the California Zephyr ) counts as two segments.

Will a railpass save you money?   Very probably, if you intend making 8, 9 or 10 long-distance train rides.  10 rides for $499 is €49.90 per train ride, if (say) you only used 7 segments it'd work out at $71 per train ride.  Now use the journey planner at www.amtrak.com to see what normal fares would be, to compare.  But read the bit about passholder quotas below!

Reservations, upgrades & quotas

Railpasses are valid for any Amtrak train in the USA except Acela Express high-speed services and the Auto-Train car-carrying service.

Reservations are required!   The railpass is not a ticket, you must make a (free) reservation before boarding any train.  You can make reservations online at www.amtrak.com after buying your pass.  Alternatively, you can make them at stations as you travel around or by calling Amtrak's 24 hour freephone number, 1-800-USA RAIL (from outside the States call Amtrak on (001) 215-856-7953, not free).

Upgrading to a sleeper is no longer possible:   It used to be possible to upgrade to a private sleeper when using a pass, simply by paying the appropriate room charge.  For an idea of sleeper room charges, see the fares section above .  However, in 2021 this has changed, though it's not clear if this is permanent or temporary.  At present you cannot upgrade to a sleeper (or to business class) with a pass.  So only buy a pass if you're happy using a seat, even overnight.

Warning about passholder quotas:   After buying your pass, you can make reservations online, or at stations as you go, or by calling Amtrak.  However, with a pass you can only book trains on which a Value or Saver fare is available.  If only the most expensive Flexible fare is showing, you cannot use your pass on that train, even if there are seats still available for customers paying cash.  Many trains have Value or Saver fares available even on the day before departure, and sometimes even on the day of travel itself, but not always.  Trains get busy in summer, Value and Saver fares have limited-availability and often sell out.  When they sell out, you can't use your pass on that train.  So don't buy a pass only to find you can't travel on the trains you need.  Before buying the pass, use the journey planner at www.amtrak.com to get a feel for how fares work, and to see if your chosen trains have Value or Saver fares left.

How to buy an Amtrak Railpass

Check prices in pounds & buy a USA railpass (UK-based company, but passes sent to addresses worldwide)

Check prices in Australian dollars & buy a USA railpass (Australia & NZ residents)

Tours by train across America

Amtrak vacations, www.amtrakvacations.com.

Amtrak Vacations is Amtrak's official partner.  They can put a package together to your own specification, from anywhere to anywhere, with private sleeping accommodations on the train, stopovers at cities or national parks, hotels & transfers.  They'll also do ticket-only bookings for cross-country Amtrak journeys, and you may get more help and advice if you book through them as they specialise in Amtrak's long-haul routes.

Railbookers

Train travel specialist Railbookers have offices in the UK, USA & Australia.  They can arrange a tour by train across the United States on Amtrak, starting any date you like, to your own specification with hotels and train reservations all made for you, hassle-free.  They know what they're doing, and take good care of their clients, and I have no hesitation in recommending them.

Escorted coast-to-coast tour with www.greatrail.com , 01904 527 120

G uidebooks, click the images to buy at amazon.co.uk or amazon.com.

Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website , from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

Hotels in the USA

New York:  The Algonquin is New York's oldest operating hotel, opened in 1902, and a designated New York City Historic Landmark.  Perfectly located in mid-town Manhattan, a block or two from Times Square one way and Grand Central the other, with a lovely wood-panelled lobby and even its own hotel cat, which you may find wandering the corridors or sitting on the reception desk.  To check prices & book, click here .  For the Algonquin's history see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algonquin_Hotel .

Washington DC:   Phoenix Park Hotel .  A great choice, directly across the road from Union Station so handy for arrivals and departures by train, with an excellent Irish Pub doing great food & Irish beer on the premises, and just 2 minutes walk from the capitol.  From around $154 for a double.

Los Angeles:   Hotel Queen Mary (closed for refurbishment in mid-2022, but reopened in April 2023).  This has got to be of the most fascinating places to stay, anywhere.  If you go to Los Angeles, consider making the Hotel Queen Mary your base to explore the Los Angeles - Hollywood - Disneyland area.  The original Queen Mary of 1936 has been permanently moored at Long Beach in California since the late 1960s, some 25 miles from Los Angeles Union Station (about a $90 taxi ride), and it's undoubtedly the most wonderful place to stay in LA.  The hotel consists of most of the original first class cabins on board the Queen Mary, and there are plenty of restaurants and bars available on board, too.  Hotel guests can more or less wander the ship at will, and even sign up for ghost hunts at night on board (and yes, from my own experience there is something going on aboard that beautiful ship!).  Wood panelled art deco interiors have been preserved, although a few modern items have been installed such as televisions, and (as we worked out from a historic deck plan) in some cases two of the Queen Mary's original cabins have been knocked into one hotel suite by turning one of the en suite bathrooms into a connecting corridor.  She is one of the most atmospheric places I have ever stayed.

Backpacker hostels in the USA: www.hostelworld.com

www.hostelworld.com :  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in many places across the States at rock-bottom prices.

Flights to the USA

1)  check flight prices at opodo, www.opodo.com, 2)  use skyscanner to compare flight prices & routes worldwide across 600 airlines....

3)  Lounge passes

Make the airport experience a little more bearable with a VIP lounge pass, it's not as expensive as you think, see www.loungepass.com .  I have found that having lounge access with complimentary tea, coffee, food and wine makes all the difference to an economy flight.

Travel insurance & other tips

Always take out travel insurance.

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data .

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:   1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android .  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card , they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  W hy you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained .  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com .

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15 Best Books Set on Trains

This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a commission at no additional cost to you.

What is it about trains that make us imagine stories?

Certainly, there is something about the experience of traveling by train or seeing them arrive and leave the station that lends itself to the creation of romantic, tragic, comic, or nostalgic stories.

A touch of hands, a man with a mysterious briefcase in his hands, a rainy day, tears running down a face, all details that can unleash a great story if we pay a little attention.

There’s definitely something exciting about stories set on trains where the carriages are so narrow and the world outside is so wide, though it’s only glimpsed as it speeds by.

If you love to travel by train, you won’t want to miss these train thrillers, mysteries, and train novels. I hope this list of books set on trains will transport you, and inspire you to choose some novels for your reading pile!

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Novels and Fiction set on Trains

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

Strangers on a train was the debut novel of Patricia Highsmith and part of its success is due to the fact that it was adapted to the cinema by Alfred Hitchcock a year after its publication.

The novel begins with a chance meeting between two young men on a train. This fleeting encounter sets in motion a terrible chain of events, their drunken conversation leads to a macabre bargain:

You kill for me, I for you, no one relates the crimes, and then each one on his own silently celebrates the perfect crime.

The way the writer tells her stories, her style, and the characterizations of her characters that are psychologically believable allow the reader to fully immerse in the book.

Buy on Amazon | View in Goodreads | More Info

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

This is a classic book written by Agatha Christie who was known as “The Queen of Crime”. It was written and is set in the 1930s so some of the language and expressions are old-fashioned.

A train. A murder. Multiple suspects. Nearly an alibi for everyone. But wait, there’s a motive for everyone.

How did this seemingly impossible murder occur? Hercule Poirot knows.

Buy on Amazon | View in Goodreads

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

It’s that sort of book you want to devour at the speed of light but also slowly sip, tasting every page, every paragraph, every word… All at the same time.

Rachel rides the same train every day. Every day she watches “Jess and Jason”, that is how she has named the couple who lives a perfect life, in a dream house.

Until one day she witnesses something disturbing and decides to get involved. This is her opportunity to be part of those lives that she has only seen from the train.

The Last Train To Key West by Chanel Cleeton

This book is a must-read historical fiction novel featuring inspiring, strong women with different stories. It is a novel based on good historical research but with a little romance included.

The Last Train to Key West begins just days before the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The country is still feeling the impact of the Great Depression.

The three main characters’ paths first cross in Key West at Ruby’s Diner where we meet the young women whose lives will be changed by the horrific disaster about to occur.

When you finish reading this book, you will surely want to share it with your friends!

Be sure to check out more of our favorite novels set in Florida.

Orphan train by Christina Baker Kline

This is the story of two very different women who discover that they have much more in common than they could have imagined.

Vivian, an orphaned Irish immigrant in New York, boarded a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose fates would be determined by chance. Seventeen-year-old Molly knows that a community service position will keep her out of juvenile detention.

Orphan Train is a powerful story of unexpected friendship, second chances, and survival that explores the depth of emotions children experience and the devastating consequences of abandonment.

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

A classic book to enjoy at Christmas!

Tom Langdon is a retired, disillusioned war correspondent and is now back in the US writing articles for domestic magazines and covering teen beauty pageants.

But now Tom has a mission, to get from New York to LA in time to spend the holidays and Christmas with his girlfriend. His multi-day journey puts many interesting and unique characters in his path, as well as moments of adventure and others of mystery.

This is an extraordinary portrait of the lives of people who work and travel on long-distance trains, of second chances and reunions.

4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie

What would you do if you witness a murder that no one seems to believe about?

Mrs. Elspeth McGillicuddy is on her way from a shopping expedition to visit her old friend Jane Marple for Christmas. Her train passes another train running parallel and in the same direction as her train.

Then, she sees a man with his back to her strangling a woman. She reports it for investigation but realizes that no one is taking her word seriously.

When arriving at Miss Marple’s cottage, she tells all to her. Miss Marple believes her story and sets out to determine where the body is because there is no police report on the case on the next day’s news.

If you like suspense stories, murders, and mysteries, you will love this Christie classic. You can even read the other books that include Mrs. Marple.

Orient Express by Graham Greene

The book was originally published under the name “Stambul Train” but was renamed “Orient Express” when it was published in the United States.

The story takes place aboard the majestic Orient Express as it crosses Europe from Ostend to Istanbul (though Greene uses the city’s old name, Constantinople).

All the characters travel for different purposes, but their lives will intertwine over the course of the journey as they confess or cheat on each other, leaving a trail of lust, murder, revolution, and intrigue on the endless train tracks.

More books set in Instanbul can be found on our  best books set in & about Turkey.

Claudius Bombarnac by Jules Verne

In this extraordinary adventure, Claudius Barbanac is traveling on the railroad going from Turkestan to Peking. He is a reporter for the French newspaper the Twentieth Century and hopes to find a great story to cover.

He meets quite a few interesting travelers and they do have some challenging adventures, but he continues to search for the hero of his story.  Will he find it?

Snowpiercer by Jacques Lob

The graphic novel was adapted into a movie by director Bong Joon-ho, so you might be familiar with it from somewhere. Without a doubt, reading the book is a completely different experience.

After “the great white”—a planet-killing climate event that has covered the world in ice and likely was set off intentionally due to war; the last remnants of humanity are traversing the globe on a massive train with 1001 cars.

The rich enjoy the front of the train with their wealth and comforts, while the 3rd class passengers are oppressed in the rear of the train. However, things are about to change aboard the train…

Non-fiction books about Trains

 Epic Train Journeys by Monisha Rajesh

The book contains incredible photographs illustrating stories and useful information from 50 train journeys around the world, from short trips to multi-day transcontinental or from those in economy class to trips on luxury ocean liners.

Without a doubt, it is an exceptional book for those who enjoy traveling by train or are admirers of these incredible machines.

Children’s Books About Trains

Trains Coming Through!: My First Book of Trains by Stephanie Morgan

An unmissable book for little train enthusiasts!

The book is amazing. It is organized by train categories, from the oldest to modern times, passing through the subway, steam engines, or freight trains. It includes fabulous and colorful illustrations along with interesting facts to learn about them.

Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker

A relaxing book that brings together animals on a train.

When the train of dreams arrives at the station, each car is loaded: polar bears in the refrigerated car with ice cream, elephants fill tank cars with paints, tortoises fill it with race cars, and kangaroos with balls.

Recommended for reading aloud to children before going to sleep or for those little ones who are starting their first readings.

Young adult books set on Trains

Love and other train wrecks by Leah Konen

If what you are looking for is a novel with humor and romance, this book is for you! This romance plays out over the course of twenty-four hours during their madcap journey to upstate New York.

Ammy doesn’t believe in true love, but she’s riding a train to attend her dad’s second wedding. Noah is a total romantic. So much so that he’s taking a train back home to try and win back his first love.

The train stops for unknown reasons and nobody is sure how long it will take to get them back on the journey, but Ammy and Noah are anxious to reach their destinations. They hatch a crazy plan to get off the train that will lead them down a road full of misadventures.

Along the way, the pair will learn what it means to be a friend and that romance can blossom even in the midst of a blizzard.

Find even more  New York City books  on this reading list.

The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit

A book worth reading, whether you are an adult or a child. It is a hopeful and full-of-learning story.

Roberta, Phyllis, and Peter are living idyllic lives with their parents. The children are well-loved, and their parents make time to play with them.

One day, two men come to visit their father and he leaves with them.

Shortly after the father leaves, the mother and children have to move out of suburbia into the country because their social and financial status has radically changed. The three children no longer go to school, and while their time away, they spend a lot of time exploring the countryside and especially the railway line and station.

They make friends with the porter, Albert Perks, and the ‘Old Gentleman’ who is regularly on the 9.15 train. There’s fun and they have adventures, but they still wonder if their father is ever going to come home.

What Do You Think Of These Books Set On Trains?

Have you read any of these books set on trains? Do you know some great books that I’ve missed? What is your favorite book set on a train? I’d love to hear your thoughts on books set on trains in the comments below!

More Great Travel Books

Are you looking for even more travel books to inspire your sense of adventure and transport you to faraway places without having to leave the comfort of home?

Here are some more recommendations for great travel books to pick up next:

• Brilliant Travel Memoirs by Women
• Best Travel Adventure Books
• Beautiful Travel Coffee Table Books

Other titles: Denis Johnson, Train Dreams; Mathias Énard, Zone; Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad.

Thank you, I’m looking forward to checking these out!

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19 Books on Trains all Train Lovers will Love

By: Author Tracy Collins

Posted on Last updated: September 29, 2021

This post may contain compensated links meaning if you buy through them we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please read our  disclosure  for additional information. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

D o you have a train lover in your family? Or are you a fan of the railways? Having married a railway man and come to love traveling the world by train I understand just how important it is to buy them the right gift!

This gift guide focuses on the top 19 books on trains that I know all train lovers will love (try saying that 5 times rapidly!) including the history of train books, best railroad books, steam train books and other great books about trains.

There is also a selection of books about traveling by train including some which focus on great train journeys in Europe such as the Flam Railway or across Switzerland or for the more adventurous some of those amazing bucket list rail journeys across the world . Definitely a lot of inspiration for those of us who dream of doing most of those trips!

This particular selection focuses on books about trains for adults. If you are looking for children’s books about trains I have two separate posts one where you can find great train books for kids (and train-themed gifts ) including best train books for toddlers and great train storybooks.

Books all train lovers with love!

A selection of fantastic train themed books for train lovers - some gift ideas for yourself or a train lover in your life.

Amazing Train Journeys (Amazing Journeys)

Love trains? Love train travel? This book will inspire any train loving traveler to start planning that next iconic trip.

Detailing 60 of the world's most memorable train journeys including maps, photographs, timetables and most importantly the various ticket options this book will determine travel plans for years!

Time Out Great Train Journeys of the World (Time Out Guides)

Covering 40 of the greatest train journeys in the world this will provide hours of inspiration for your next rail adventure. A perfect gift for the train travel lover!

Around the World in 80 Trains: A 45,000-Mile Adventure

This is my dream trip and sure to inspire any train travel lover - how about circumnavigating the globe by train!

Around India in 80 Trains

In 1991, Monisha Rajesh's family uprooted from Sheffield to Madras in the hope of making India their home. Two years later, fed up with soap-eating rats, severed human heads and the creepy colonel across the road, they returned to England with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Two decades on, she turns to a map of the Indian Railways and takes a page out of Jules Verne's classic tale, embarking on an adventure around India in 80 trains, covering 40,000 km - the circumference of the Earth. She hopes that 80 train journeys up, down and across India will lift the veil on a country that has become a stranger to her.

Rails Around the World: Two Centuries of Trains and Locomotives

In this visually glorious chronological history, prolific railroad historian and photographer Brian Solomon curates a selection of the world’s most significant trains and locomotives over the last two centuries.

Hop aboard to see trains and locomotives at work in scenic locations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. 

Trains: The World's Most Scenic Routes 

• A book about the  world's most scenic train routes  featuring  in-depth descriptions  and  hi-def photography .
• From Asia to Australia to North America,  Trains  features some of the most iconic routes the world has known.
• Learn about historic and modern train routes that travel through large tracks of untamed land.

The Journey: The Fine Art of Traveling by Train 

A lovely coffee table book which will take you on a journey on some of the most beautiful train journeys around the world.

All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide

A comprehensive guide to planning train travel in North America including scenery guides, tips and more.

This is an essential for anyone planning to travel North America by railroad!

The 50 Greatest Train Journeys of the World

The definitive bucket list for the train traveler is contained in this book which looks at the 50 greatest train journeys across the world.

Some are well known such as the Orient Express but there are also some lesser known rail routes included!

Adventures of a Railway Nomad: How Our Journeys Guide Us Home

A great read for those of us who would love to hop on a train and travel as long as we want!

The author does just that visiting 13 countries in Europe by train and documenting her adventures along the way!

Lost Railway Journeys from Around the World

For the armchair traveler or those nostalgic for the romance and drama of travel in a world before cars and airplanes took over this book is a celebration of train lines that can no longer exist.

A History of the World in 500 Railway Journeys

Travel by train to some of the world's most remote and remarkable destinations and let this book be your guide to their history.

Ticket to ride - around the world in 49 unusual train journeys

Already completed some of the 20 most beautiful train journeys in the world? This book will give you some inspiration for future travel by taking us on some of the most unusual train journeys around the world!

Trains: A Complete History 

Trains: A Complete History  provides an excellent overview of the train models that were groundbreaking in their respective eras.

Complete with a detachable collection of press-out model train pieces,  Trains: A Complete History  is the two-in-one book that will have train enthusiasts young and old tooting their horns and hollering, “All aboard!”

100 Years of Classic Steam

Steam train enthusiast? This book illustrates a century of the locomotive with 200 photographs taken on 4 continents. A beautiful book any steam enthusiast will treasure forever.

Railroads Across North America: An Illustrated History

In this lavish celebration of the glory and grandeur that are the great North American railroads, author Claude Wiatrowski examines the development of the industry with nearly 90 features covering more than three dozen railroads past and present, as well as dozens more subjects, including railroads in film and music, specialty railroads, life and travel on the rails, and much more.

An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Locomotives:: A Guide to the Golden Age of Train Engines from 1830 to 2000

From the early years of steam power to today’s awe inspiring high-speed passenger trains, this book spans nearly two centuries of locomotive history.

With 700 photographs, the book is a wonderful guide that will appeal to all.

A Bridge Even Further: From the UK to Singapore by train

This is our next big trip by train and believe me if you read this book it may well be yours too!

Woodward’s intricate details of his journey will fire your imagination, whether you’re an armchair explorer or thinking of embarking on your very own rail adventure.

Great Continental Railway Journeys

For fans of Michael Portillo's train journeys on TV now comes the book!

Travel with Michael From London, to Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Copenhagen, Oslo, Lisbon, Madrid, Berlin , Monte Carlo, Prague , Munich, Zurich, Rome, Budapest, St Petersburg; all the way down to Constantinople, Haifa and Jerusalem and discover the great feats of engineering that built the various railway lines connecting Europe and further afield and the men and women who made these journeys famous through their deeds and words. 

Tourist Trains Guidebook

Tourist Trains Guidebook, Seventh Edition describes 500 of the most popular train attractions, museums, and railroad vacation destinations in the U.S. and Canada.

A unique travel guide that appeals to train enthusiasts, individuals interested in historic trains and sites, and families looking for kid-friendly vacations.

Do you prefer to read books on your Kindle or listen to audiobooks?

Kindle unlimited.

Why not join Kindle Unlimited which includes some great benefits:

• Unlimited reading from over 1 million ebooks
• Unlimited listening to thousands of audiobooks
• Read on any device
• Membership plans are also giftable

Why not consider an audible membership? it also makes a fantastic gift and comes with loads of fab features including:

• An unmatched selection of audiobooks performed by world-class talent
• 3 titles for each month of their gift membership: 1 audiobook + 2 Audible Originals.
• 30% off any additional audiobooks.
• Anywhere, anytime listening with the free Audible app.
• Free and easy audiobook exchanges.
• An Audible book library they’ll own forever.

Books on trains and train travel

I am sure you will have found some fantastic books on trains for yourself or as a gift for someone who loves trains and train travel.

I have lots of tips about train travel too which may be of interest including how to catch the Eurostar from London to Paris , tips for traveling by overnight sleeper train as well as a comprehensive guide to traveling the UK by train.

For more train-related or book-related gift ideas take a look at these posts:

• Best books from around the world
• Best gifts for Anglophiles
• Gift ideas for people who love France
• Scottish themed gifts
• Best travel themed subscription boxes

• Engineering & Transportation
• Transportation

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All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide Paperback – February 1, 2011

There is a newer edition of this item:.

It's about the journey, not the destination.

All Aboard --first published in 1995, and here completely revised and updated--is much more than just a mile-by-mile scenery guide for train travelers. Written both for veteran train travelers and those considering their first rail journey, it will make any trip smoother and more enjoyable with its insightful travel trips and information about how railroads operate. With trains attracting new riders in record numbers because of the economy, the price of gasoline, and the delays and crowding that are now the norm when traveling by air, the time is perfect for a new edition of All Aboard . Here you can learn how and why the first railroads came about, the building of America's trans-continental railroad, and how individual trains are operated. The author also offers advice that can only come from a veteran traveler: booking trips, finding the lowest fares, avoiding pitfalls, packing for an overnight trip, what to do on board, whom to tip and how much. All Aboard is the ultimate guide to American train travel and its unique history and culture.

• Print length 368 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Chicago Review Press
• Publication date February 1, 2011
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
• ISBN-10 1569763097
• ISBN-13 978-1569763094
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

“Crammed with excellent ideas for booking, preparing for and enjoying your next rail journey.”  — Railfan & Railroad

“This comprehensive guide will assist the traveler in planning an excursion and executing it with minimum effort and maximum pleasure.”   —Library Journal , on a previous edition

About the Author

Excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., the complete north american train travel guide, chicago review press incorporated.

WHY TAKE A TRAIN?

Sophie Tucker once said, "I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, rich is better." Well, in my many travels I've been comfortable and I've been uncomfortable. Believe me, comfortable is better. A lot better. And that's why I take the train.

There are a lot of societal and environmental reasons for being pro-rail, and we'll talk about those in another chapter. But for long-distance travel, the train is the only civilized option left for us. You think not? Just consider the other choices.

See America Through a Windshield?

Forget it. Droning great distances across the country by car or — I shudder at the very thought — by bus is, for the most part, a waste of time. If you're the driver, it's tiring. If you're a passenger, it's boring. Either way, it's confining and uncomfortable.

In Charles Kuralt's delightful book, On the Road with Charles Kuralt, he said, "Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country coast-to-coast without seeing anything." Kuralt's exaggeration can be forgiven, but you won't come close to seeing much of the real America until you leave the interstate. When we build superhighways in this country, we level everything, carving swaths hundreds of yards wide across the land from horizon to horizon. When we're through, there's nothing much left to see. The only conceivable reason for traveling long distances by car is to save money; that, I'll argue, is only possible when costs are divided among a number of passengers.

Flying Really Is for the Birds

Perhaps it's because of deregulation. Maybe it's just the shifting economic conditions that have caused the airlines to cram more people into fewer flights. And all the increased security is certainly a hassle. Whatever the reason, flying is no longer a pleasurable experience for the ordinary traveler.

Unless you have the money or enough frequent-flier miles to fly first-class, you're forced to spend hours crammed into a narrow seat with virtually no legroom. Once, on a flight to Los Angeles, I sat next to a rather large woman. She was only moderately overweight, but the seats were so narrow I was forced to eat my meal left-handed. Add jet lag into the mix, and a cross-country trip is exhausting. A longer flight — Honolulu to Paris, for instance — often involves back-to-back red-eye flights, an ordeal from which it takes two or three days to recover. Everyone has horror stories about the routine discomforts and inconveniences of flying; yet we have come to tolerate these conditions as an acceptable trade-off for getting somewhere quickly.

Flying isn't all bad, of course. It's quite true that occasionally — if you are flying during daylight hours, if you can arrange a window seat, and if there is no cloud cover — you can see some pretty spectacular things from a jetliner. Once on a flight out of Fort Myers, Florida, I had a ringside seat for a space shuttle launch. No doubt about it: that really was something to see from 25,000 feet.

But how exciting is it when the captain says, "That city off to the left of us is Wichita, Kansas"? Assuming you have a window seat on the left side, Wichita looks a lot like Topeka ... or Boise, Duluth, or Portland (Oregon or Maine, take your pick). The fact is, you really can't see much of America from a plane.

Finally, the technology of modern aviation is incomprehensible to most people. Instead of entering through that long Jetway, have you ever boarded a Boeing 747 from ground level? It's an unnerving experience. You stand there on the tarmac, looking up at that monstrous machine. You just know it will not — cannot possibly — fly! Only blind faith gets you aboard. I know just one thing for certain about a plane trip: the sooner we land, the better I like it.

A Simple Attitude Adjustment

Long-distance train travel isn't the best choice for everyone on every occasion. If you have to get somewhere fast, an airplane is admittedly the only practical answer. And some people just can't gear down sufficiently to enjoy the train, whether they're really in a hurry or not.

For most people, though, all it takes to enjoy a long-distance train trip is a simple attitude adjustment before starting out. Just remember that the train is part of your whole vacation experience; the plane is nothing more than the fastest way to get there.

On the Coast Starlight, en route from Los Angeles to Seattle, you roll almost silently through the Cascade Mountains of Oregon on a single track cut through the wilderness. (You'll notice that long-distance trains are traditionally given names as well as numbers.) Heading east out of Seattle on the Empire Builder, you fall asleep in the Cascades and wake up the next morning in the Rockies as the train skirts Glacier National Park. The east-bound Lake Shore Limited takes you along the banks of Lake Erie on your left and the original Erie Canal on your right; and the Adirondack follows the Hudson River into New York City. If you want to gaze on some of the prettiest country views anywhere, ride the Cardinal across the Blue Ridge Mountains from Virginia into Kentucky.

Just out of El Paso on the Sunset Limited, you pass a teenage boy sitting bareback on his horse and wonder if he's as curious about you as you are about him. From the California Zephyr, just west of Burlington, Iowa, you see a man and a woman sitting with their arms around each other on a tractor in a field of corn that stretches to the horizon. On the City of New Orleans, you pass a man putting tar paper on the roof of a shed and, as he straightens and stares, you can tell that his back hurts. As you roll slowly through Palatka, Florida, on the Silver Meteor, you see an elderly woman tending a small vegetable garden in her backyard. Her tomatoes are ripe. Twenty-four hours on a train will yield not only a thousand mental snapshots of America and its people but also the time to savor them.

More than anything, your train ride should be relaxing. That doesn't come automatically to everyone, so you may have to work a bit at making that mental adjustment. Some people just can't manage it. My sister once talked her husband into taking the train from Denver to San Francisco. He enjoyed the spectacular scenery as they wound their way through the Rockies west of Denver; but somewhere in Nevada the next morning, as they were rolling along beside a highway, he suddenly sat straight up in his seat. "Good God! Those cars are moving faster than we are! They'll get there before we do!" Not true, of course, and he never could explain why that should matter anyway, but he was agitated and impatient for the rest of the trip.

Why travel by train? Because compared to the alternatives, it's comfortable, relaxing, and civilized. Most of all, it will broaden and elevate your appreciation and understanding of our country and its people. That's the United States of America out there, passing by right outside your living room window.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Railroads have been around for a long time. As far back as the 16th century, they were used to haul coal out of mines in England and Wales. Really, those were hardly what we would call railroads — just horses and mules pulling wagons along crude tracks — but they had the same fundamental advantage that modern railroads offer. By reducing friction, more weight could be moved with less energy. The people who ran those coal mines understood the concept in even simpler terms: the easier it was for a horse to pull one of their carts, the more coal they could put into it.

The potential of steam power had been understood for a long time; in fact, steam engines had been used for years to pump water out of those same coal mines. The big breakthrough came about 1803 when Richard Trevithick, an English mining engineer, figured out how to mount a steam engine on a movable platform. Within a few years, the very first steam locomotives were being used to haul coal from mines to seaports, where it was shipped all over the world. In 1825, the first passenger rail service began, and word of this new means of transportation started spreading beyond England's shores. It found fertile ground in America.

A Mobile Society Is Created

America's first railroad was the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O), which started service in 1830 and immediately captured the imagination of the country. That's hardly surprising. Up to that time, no American had ever traveled faster than a horse could run. Almost overnight, ordinary people were traveling for greater distances at higher speeds than had ever been possible. Other railroads followed on the heels of the B&O.

For the average American in the early 19th century, it all took some getting used to. Individual families and entire communities had always been pretty much self-sufficient. The railroads changed all that in a matter of a few years, first by linking towns, then states, and finally the entire continent. Suddenly Americans had mobility; almost anyone could go almost anywhere. It's an interesting paradox that while railroads were bringing Americans together as one people, they also made it possible for the country itself to expand.

By the mid-19th century, people were heading west by the thousands, chasing after the gold that was discovered in California in 1848 or just looking for some land of their own. But however efficiently the railroads may have linked the North, South, and East, they could only take people halfway into the great American West — just as far as Omaha, Nebraska.

The Biggest Construction Project Ever

There had been talk about extending the railroad to the West Coast for some time, but the men who proposed it were largely written off as fools. It was indeed a huge, daunting project, arguably one of the largest and most ambitious engineering projects ever attempted. Furthermore, not everyone thought California was the promised land, even if the transcontinental railroad did prove feasible. Probably the best-known naysayer of the time was Daniel Webster, who described the West as a "region of savages and wild beasts, of deserts of shifting sands and whirlwinds of dust, of cactus and prairie dogs."

Nevertheless, President Abraham Lincoln decided to move ahead with the transcontinental railroad and signed the Pacific Railway Act in 1862. Although foresight and vision were no doubt involved, the main reason for the decision was a very real concern that California, which had become our 31st state in 1850, would use the Civil War as an excuse to leave the Union and become a separate nation. Then, too, with the Gold Rush in full swing, there was always the threat of attack by a foreign power. Without a transcontinental railroad, the United States could never get troops or supplies to California in time to deal with that potential problem.

When the work finally started, it was certainly in earnest — in spite of the fact that the Civil War had begun. The Union Pacific Railroad headed west from Omaha, Nebraska, while the Central Pacific (CP) Railroad began in Sacramento, California, and went east. The CP had problems from the outset. Most of the able-bodied workers were busily mining gold, and those who were recruited proved to be largely unreliable. Finally, as a desperate last resort, the railroad hired Chinese laborers. As it turned out, they were much better workers. During the six or more years of construction, the Central Pacific used a total of 10,000 workers, of which 90 percent were Chinese.

It was tough, dangerous work over terribly difficult terrain. In some areas, laborers were suspended from cliffs by ropes in order to hack the roadbed out of the mountainside. While digging the Summit Tunnel in the Sierras, work crews had to blast through 1,600 feet of granite so hard that in spots they were able to progress just one foot a day. A new explosive, nitroglycerin, speeded the work, but in its early form it was extremely unstable, which meant it was always dangerous and frequently fatal. Nevertheless, work on the tunnel went on from both ends and, when the crews finally met, the two holes were only a few inches off. Still, after five years of prodigious effort, the Central Pacific crews had laid only 100 miles of track.

Meanwhile, the Union Pacific didn't have the awful terrain to deal with and was making much faster progress heading west across the Great Plains. There were still problems aplenty, however, such as finding wood from which to fashion cross ties, since there were no trees on the Nebraska prairie. To fill this obvious need, the railroad contracted with men called tie hacks to cut ties from trees in the western mountains and haul them eastward to meet the railroad.

The Union Pacific paid its railroad workers $1 per day, and all of them lived in railcars that followed them as track was laid. Many were immigrants of Irish and German descent, and many had served in the Civil War. As the railroad moved farther west, it entered Sioux territory. The Indians had largely ignored the occasional wagon train, but this development was clearly a serious threat to their way of life. Attacks became more frequent and progress slowed as the ex-soldiers were diverted into armed units assigned to protect the remaining work crews. Through it all, fueled by relatively high wages and visions of huge profits, the work went on at a feverish pace. In fact, one Union Pacific crew laid just a little more than 10 miles of track in one day — an astonishing feat considering the backbreaking nature of the work and the lack of any kind of power equipment.

The transcontinental linkup finally occurred on May 10, 1869, when the two railroads met at Promontory Summit, Utah. Several hundred people gathered at the site for the event, which included prayers and lots of speeches by many dignitaries. Several ceremonial "last spikes" were used in the official dedication, including a gold one, but the actual last spike was an ordinary iron one. It was driven into place by one of the railroad workers whose name, as far as I can tell, has long since been lost to history.

One other item of interest to those of us who are trivia buffs: America's transcontinental railroad and another monumental feat of engineering, the Suez Canal, were both completed in 1869, a coincidence that gave Jules Verne the idea for Around the World in 80 Days.

The Stream Becomes a Flood

It's hard for us to imagine the impact on the country when the transcontinental railroad was finally opened. It had taken a full six months to reach California or Oregon by wagon train from one of the several jump-off points in the Midwest, and one out of every ten pioneers died during the crossing. Then, almost literally overnight, you could travel in relative safety and comfort all the way from New York City to Sacramento in just under a week. And people started to do so by the thousands.

If the western movement of people was a stream, then the mail they sent and received soon became a flood. Before the transcontinental link, mail was either carried by stagecoach or around South America by sailing ship, which took several months. Suddenly trains had the capacity to carry large quantities of mail at low cost and at unheard of speed: from the Atlantic to the Pacific in less than a week. Letters and packages were sorted en route in mail cars. Speed was everything. Bags of mail were thrown from trains or snatched from trackside poles as trains sped through small towns all across America. There was glamour attached to speedy mail service, and the railroads gave it top priority. Trains brought news for the masses, too — more of it and faster than ever before. Newspapers printed in major cities were being delivered by train to subscribers in small town America within hours.

America Starts Moving by Rail

By 1865, when the Civil War ended, there were some 30,000 miles of track in the country. During the next 25 years, steel rails spread out all over America until, by 1890, there were well over 200,000 miles of track running from sea to shining sea.

The federal government encouraged the spread of the railroads by giving them land — not just rights-of-way on which to lay their tracks but land adjacent to the tracks too, which totaled millions upon millions of acres. The railroads sold this land at very low prices, actually giving it away in some cases. Men called colonization agents were hired by the railroads to recruit families from the industrial East Coast. Many railroads actually operated what were called immigrant trains — which carried entire families, including their personal belongings and even their livestock — from the eastern United States into the newly opened areas. Thousands of people took advantage of this new opportunity, and as word spread across the Atlantic, European immigrants joined the flood of new settlers.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chicago Review Press; 3rd edition (February 1, 2011)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1569763097
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1569763094
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
• #1,127 in Railroad Travel Reference
• #1,152 in General Canada Travel Books
• #1,785 in Railroads (Books)

About the author

Jim Loomis relocated to Honolulu from Connecticut in 1962. He ran the city’s complaint department for ten years, was general manager of Hawaii’s professional baseball team, and helped create a successful advertising agency that specialized in political campaigns. In 2001, he sold the agency and retired to Maui.

As a long-time member of the Rail Passengers Association, Jim served two terms on the organization’s Board of Directors. He has traveled extensively for both business and pleasure, with the train always his preferred choice for transportation. Best estimate: he has logged more than 350,000 miles in train travel throughout the world.

Jim is the author of Travel Tales, the popular All Aboard! The Complete North American Train Travel Guide, now in its 4th edition, and co-author of Fascinating Facts About Hawaii.

Learn more about Jim, his books and travels at www.trainsandtravel.com

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My family tried traveling by train instead of car, and I get the hype. Here are 6 ways rail travel is better.

Posted: May 12, 2023 | Last updated: July 12, 2023

• After taking road trips throughout the US, I tried traveling by Amtrak train instead. 
• My experiences on the rails have been comfortable and hassle-free, albeit not the most efficient.
• Trains aren't the answer for every trip, but I've begun to incorporate them into more of my travels.

Ahead of my family vacation to California, I dreamed of cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway . There was just one problem: My son suffered from terrible car sickness. 

To avoid scrubbing vomit out of a rental car's upholstery, I booked tickets on the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Oakland to Santa Barbara.

The smooth, nine-hour journey offered all of the magnificent ocean views I would've wanted to see on the road trip, with none of the upset stomachs.

Since that trip, my son has found ways to manage his car sickness, and we've successfully traveled to 44 states by car. But there's a host of reasons my family is still choosing to return to rail travel .

Many Amtrak trains offer scenic views of some of the country's most beautiful locales.

When it comes to spectacular views , there's a lot to see from train windows. 

Though not all of Amtrak's routes pass idyllic settings, some journey through the US' most beautiful landscapes. I've enjoyed gazing at vineyards, mountains, harbor seals, and more on my rail travels. 

Many Amtrak trains, including the Coast Starlight, have observation cars with giant picture windows designed with sightseeing in mind.

As someone who's generally the designated driver on road trips , I savor the ability to sit back and take in the stunning scenery without the fear of taking my eyes off the road for too long.

Some trains also stop in underrated destinations I wouldn't have otherwise visited.

Amtrak offers picturesque long-haul journeys through the Rockies , the American Southwest, and beyond.

The prospect of gazing at snowcapped mountains and soaring red-rock formations is exciting, but these journeys also offer a compelling opportunity to stop and explore less-touted areas along the way — ones that I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit otherwise.

Though some of the highlights from my road trips have been stumbling upon hidden gems in locales often labeled as flyover states (like spots in the US' heartland), driving through the Midwest's flatlands can feel like a bit of a slog.

However, I find stretches of farmland infinitely more charming when I view them out of a train window instead of a car dashboard.

Depending on the itinerary and season, traveling by train can be more affordable than driving.

Between gas prices and rental-car charges, road trips can be expensive ventures.

When it comes to Amtrak trains, you can expect to pay a premium for a private room in a sleeping car or a coveted last-minute ticket. However, you can usually find reasonably priced tickets with some advance planning.

On a trip my family recently took from New York to Pennsylvania, all three of our tickets for the Amtrak Keystone Service cost me a total of $47.50 — an absolute steal considering our trip fell during a peak travel period.

In many major cities, I probably would've paid the same amount for a few hours of parking. 

I feel safer traveling by train than by car, especially in poor weather conditions.

It gives me peace of mind to know that taking a train is statistically safer than driving a car . Plus, Amtrak has a lot of safety standards in place .

Though I feel confident in my driving abilities, I prefer not to be behind the wheel in certain situations, like when I have to navigate Manhattan streets or battle icy road conditions.

Trains are usually less impacted by weather, making them a solid transportation option in less-than-ideal conditions.

Amtrak's seats feel wider and more comfortable than the ones in most cars.

It's no surprise that traveling can make you feel a bit cramped, especially if you're constricted to a car seat for a long drive.

Regardless of how I travel, I'm always very eager to reach my destination and stretch my legs. In my experience, I've found that even the most bare-bones Amtrak trains offer wider seats than I've seen in most cars and a reasonable amount of legroom.

The trains' observation and dining cars are a real treat for my family since they allow us to enjoy peaceful moments, play a rousing game, or simply take advance of the freedom that comes with not being strapped in one place.

Rail journeys give me time and space to work, spend time with family, and rest.

Train travel isn't always the fastest way to reach my destination, but I've found that it's the mode of transportation that gives me the most time to be productive .

As someone who works remotely, trains are the perfect place to multitask and catch up on my to-do list, something I can't accomplish as easily in cars.

I obviously can't use my computer while driving, and attempting to do so in the passenger seat makes me queasy. However, traveling by train gives me an easy way to knock out work, help my son with his homework, read a book, or take a nap.

Trains aren't the right option for every trip, but I look forward to incorporating more of them in my future travels.

Amtrak trains have provided a lot of benefits for my family, but like any mode of transportation, they come with their own set of downsides. Trains, especially long-haul ones, are known to be plagued with delays. So you do have to pack some patience and be flexible. 

The routes Amtrak offers can also be limiting and inconvenient, with the journey between some destinations requiring multiple train changes that take you hundreds of miles and many hours out of the way.

I've decided that they're a great way for my family to travel in addition to road trips, but not in place of them.

I adore the spontaneity and impulsiveness that comes with traveling by car  and wouldn't trade the experience of pulling off the road to explore a quirky roadside attraction or stop for fresh baked goods at a local vendor's stand. 

I'm already plotting future trips and can't wait to see what's ahead on the rails and on the road.

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