Ten Things to Remember About Train Travel

1) Unless you are on a commuter route, plan on being late. Because Amtrak rents rails from freighter companies, freight trains get the right of way. Delays also happen on account of engine trouble (for your train or another on the tracks), objects on the rails (animals, water, another train), maintenance of track or signaling system, etc., etc. We had some early arrivals and some on time arrivals, but every time we had someone waiting for us, we were late.

2) Bring ear plugs, especially if you are riding in coach. Trains don't provide quite as much white noise as airplanes, so you may get stuck sitting in front of the woman who figures now is the best time to call all of her friends to retell (and retell) the same gruesome, juicy story she heard last night.  Or you may end up two seats up and across the aisle from two passengers who start the 10 hour journey as strangers and DO NOT STOP TALKING until they have exhausted everyone's ears but their own.  Sleeping also may be aided with the use of ear plugs.

3) Choose a fast shutter speed. You may be just lucky enough to have the train stop at all of the scenic spots along your journey, but then you would never arrive. Sure, there are a handful of stretches along Amtrak routes that are not scenic, but they are all in Southern California and West Texas.

4) Bring your own food and drinks.  Unless you don't mind paying $2.00 for a can of soda or eating $10.00 hamburgers, bring plenty of options. We ate 25 meals on the train and all but four of those meals were made from our supply of canned tuna/chicken/salmon, fruit, granola, jerky, crackers, etc. And yes, we are forever indebted to our foodie brother who met us at the train station in Oakland with the most amazing breakfast ever. 

5) Bring a blanket. If you are spending the night in coach, you will get cold. Amtrak provides the standard "airplane" pillow, but not blankets. It is much easier to sleep sitting up with the light shining in your eyes, a door opening and shutting five feet in front of you, and a baby draped across your chest if you are properly warmed.

6) Travel in pairs (baby optional). While the average Amtrak Coach seat provides a great deal more room than the average airline coach seat, it is still a lot more fun to sit next to someone you love for hours on end than someone you might wish to stay a stranger. Traveling with a baby adds more to love and gives you a (relatively) safe realm of topics to chat with strangers about.

7) Consider it camping, only with better bathrooms. Granted, they are small bathrooms (I overheard two size zero preteens complaining about not having any elbow room in them), but you shouldn't have to worry about bugs or finding your way in the dark. If you A) don't have high expectations about how fresh you will feel after any length of time, and B) think about possible food options as if you were camping without access to flame, and C) don't expect to have immediate news from the outside world, you will do well.

8) Trains west of the Mississippi are different than east of the Mississippi.  This mainly makes a difference if you have trouble climbing narrow flights of stairs (ask for lower level seating in the West), are looking for a baby changing station (tough luck in the East), or have a feverish baby who is so uncomfortable that you really need to find an isolated spot away from sleeping passengers so as to not make any enemies. Other differences you may notice include the level of "in your business" your train attendant may be (out of Chicago ours chased the little boy in front of us back from the bathroom to scold him about not flushing or washing his hands), who the average clientele are, and how interested your conductor may be about telling you the sights as you travel.

9) You aren't the only newbie. Some forms of public transportation (Ahem, city buses) can be intimidating to ride for the first time because the majority of passengers could get on the bus, pay their fare, and find a seat (or place to stand) in their sleep because they do it so frequently. The uninitiated can feel like they have the glares of 53 people as they ask the driver whether they are on the right bus, fumble for exact change, or realize they needed to buy a fare card before boarding. With the exception of the commuter trains, all of our routes were populated mostly by people who were riding the rails for the first or second time.

10) We'd do it again. After spending more than 160 hours on trains over three weeks, we would do it again. We do, however, recommend not getting sick. Fevers and gunky coughs tend to make things not quite as fun. You may also be subjected to people's subtle (and not so subtle) avoidance of you. Also, if at all possible, arrange to get off the train every other day or so.  On our longest haul (due to our desired route being cancelled on account of flooding), we spent nearly all of four days on the train. That was a little much. But really, how else are you going to see America, The Beautiful, from sea to shining sea?