As a final addition to my blog before heading out on my journey, I cannot forget the one train I have actually traveled on before, the Coast Starlight. The Coast Starlight was actually originally run only from Los Angeles to San Francisco on the Coast Daylight ran by Southern Pacific and then the Cascade which ran from Oakland to Portland. The closet one to the full Starlight was Southern Pacific's West Coast which ran from Los Angeles to Portland with through cars to Seattle. The train itself is unique due to the fact it has a special lounge car specifically meant for the sleeping car passengers, this car is called the Pacific Parlour Car. The car itself is one of the few remaining Hi-Level cars that are dated back to the beginning of Amtrak. There are five different named Pacific Parlour Cars, the first being Columbia Valley number 39970, second being Napa Valley number 39972, third being Santa Lucia Highlands number 39973, fourth being Sonoma Valley number 39974, and the fifth and final car being Willamette Valley number 39975. The Coast Starlight is a train that travels through the vast mountainous area around Klamath Falls and goes near Crater Lake, while on-board you will be graced by the many fields of agriculture through the Central Valley of California, by night you are rolling through the Bay area and while traveling through the night you pass through Sacramento, Chico, and Dunsmuir. The next morning you are traveling through Oregon and heading through the fields that grace the state, by noon you are in Portland and will be awestruck by the beauty of the old Union Station, then after the stop in Portland you are back on your way to Seattle, you head towards Seattle by going inland somewhat and on the way to Seattle you take the water route and are blessed to see the great Puget Sound of the great Pacific Northwest.Another interesting fact about the route is that the train offers wi-fi but it is rather slow and is not reliable but hopefully soon it will be fixed to handle many devices. I have taken the train myself and I would have to say that it is one of the many trains that you should take if you ever decide to take a trip across the United States. I will be ending my journey on the train and joining it in Portland, the great Union Station in Portland is near the city center and gives you great access to the city and its surroundings, so if you do have some time in between your own journey, I would recommend going into town for a short walk and to enjoy the surroundings of the water and the people. Now when traveling on the Coast Starlight I do recommend that during the summer months if you are traveling in the coach section, that you bring a warm blanket since in the evening the train is a tad cold due to the fact they are getting ready to head into areas where it is warmer and want the passengers to feel comfortable. Now I hope you all have enjoyed some of the information I've shared on the routes, my next few blog post will be centered around what to expect while you are on-board and what you should bring. As the time dwindles to my trip, I hope you all will join me and reading the blog while I am traveling through the United States! Thank you and please comment any of your thoughts.
3 Comments
6/1/2018 05:29:25 pm
Would you know what the highest elevation would be on Amtrak between LA and Portland? Is it ever higher than 2,000 feet?
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5/31/2021 12:15:30 am
I seen that there is Pacific Parlour Cars (similar to Sightseer Lounge) used on the Texas Eagle in Dallas, TX - between Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA via St. Louis, MO; Little Rock, AR; Fort Worth, TX; Austin, TX; San Antonio, TX; El Paso, TX; Tucson, AZ; and Palm Springs, CA so far...
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5/31/2021 12:41:45 am
I know that Pacific Parlour Cars and Sightseer Lounge Cars are together next to Dinner Cars that used on both Coast Starlight and Texas Eagle when applicable if Amtrak train is running more than 30 hours per long distances...
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