Amtrackin' It

The entry below are excerpts from my journal entries from 10/30 - 10/31/2010, regarding what was my second experience with passenger rail travel.   I'll be writing much more in the coming months regarding this mode of transportation (among others), as well as the destinations.  

On with the motley...

October 30, 2010

10:12am. Amtrak train 702, en route to Bakersfield.

It’s been said in different ways, that the important thing is not so much the destination, as is the journey to get there.

Traversing the country by rail exemplifies this adage perfectly.  Sure, it takes longer than an airplane - much longer in some cases. So if you’re considering rails as opposed to wings, then the journey becomes as much a part of the vacation experience as the destination.

But some trips, like this jaunt to Bakersfield, are actually quite practical. It’s a two-hour trip from my hometown, with the same trip by car taking only ½ hour less. It’s the ultimate “backroads” experience, as you go through places that the freeways don’t - and you actually get to see these places in your picture window beside you. Also, unless a wayward auto stalls on a crossing, you don’t deal with the traffic jams associated with car travel. And if you’re a rail fan as I am - it’s the closest thing to Nirvana outside of getting into a locomotive and placing hands on the throttle - as I'm proud to say I did when I was five years old and under the guidance of my uncle.   

You do have the stops, however - every station on the way. But again, that’s part of the experience.

In America, the closest thing we have to a “high-speed” train as in Europe and Japan is the Acela, which runs in the Northeast Corridor. Riders of the European and Asian bullets-on-rails (or maglev) probably think of the Acela as a punch line to a bad joke, because if memory serves me correctly, that train maybe kisses 100 mph in places along its route.

Another motivation for this trip, and what I’m hoping are succeeding train trips, is the fact that Amtrak has always been in a precarious position as far as government funding is concerned. The system is funded through 2013, but beyond that is anybody’s guess, especially if those who gained power in this election cycle stay in power through 2012.  If they’re thinking of jettisoning Social Security, then a full privatization of Amtrak would be nothing for them.

Amtrak was always on shaky ground, from the time it was created in 1971. The original plan, in fact, was that Amtrak would fold within two years of its creation. That it didn’t dissolve speaks to its popularity through the years. Its ridership has been increasing steadily, especially through the last decade, in part because of the increase in the price of gasoline. With freeway congestion getting worse and worse, it makes sense that Amtrak continues to function. I would expand it, in fact, and create closer partnerships with companies like Greyhound and Peter Pan bus lines, and even the airlines to create a better, more seamless transportation system that would provide a more feasible alternative to the private automobile.

Now, more about the experience itself. It can be a bit shaky, perhaps more so than flying on a turbulent day.
Depending on the conditions of the rails, it can be quite the challenge to remain upright. I found myself doing quite the “dance” on the aisle at times, as my body reacted to the undulations of the rails under me.

(Stimulus money for railroad tracks, anyone? Some people can use employment right about now…)

The constant motion of the scenery is never out of my peripheral vision, whether seated or moving around within the train cars.    Be warned if you have an issue with motion sickness.   

I took in the passing scenery:  as far as the eye can see, some of the most fertile and extensive farm land in the world.  Cotton fields.  Nut trees.  Striped water tanks that look like fat, stubby candy canes in the distance. Dirt roads. Power lines. Pump jacks ever so slowly drawing up the last of the California oil reserves.  The mountain ranges on either side drawing closer and closer to their eventual merging into the San Gabriels.   

Then there were the sounds:  The constant cadence of the approach horn. The station announcements. The rumble underneath.

There is a snack car aboard, surprisingly an attended one where I bought my morning coffee and cinnamon roll. The seats are much wider than on an airplane, with considerably more leg room. I can actually stretch my legs out and have my laptop in a normal position as I’m typing this, which is much more than can be said flying economy class. You need to pay a premium to an air carrier to have anything approaching this type of leg room. I’m plugged in to a wall socket as I’m typing this, as well - can you get that flying coach or economy class?   Perhaps on a larger aircraft flying across the country, but on a prop-hopper or regional jet?  I don't think so. 

This was how long-distance travel was done "back in the day", before air travel became accessible to Joe Sixpack.   The libraries, bookstores, and railroad museums are filled with books and memorabilia recollecting the days of the original steam-powered trains, the iconic silver Burlington Route Zephyrs, as well as the original passenger trains that became part of the Amtrak system in 1971 - some of which still run today.  

Travel by train isn't perfect - the sounds and station stops can require some getting used to, as well as the shakiness at times.    But to me, what may be perceived as imperfections by more casual riders and non-rail fans are, indeed, part of the entire experience.   I definitely foresee an Amtrak-related vacation in my future,  complete with sleeper car.     I'll detail it here, as well.