Auto Train

Just got back from the United East Tiger convention in Maryland, and besides the meet (which you'll read about in the next issue), the trip was memorable because it was my first time on Amtrak's Auto Train.

Besides already having the cool-factor of being a train, the Auto Train adds a very civilized veneer to what is, in reality, a redeye for you and your car to travel from the Mid-Atlantic to Florida (or vice-versa, or--as we did--both). You board in the afternoon, and if you get a sleeper, you enjoy a wine tasting and some cheese and crackers, read a bit in your little compartment, then go have a nice dinner with tablecloth and china before retiring for the evening. Wake up the next morning, have some cereal and pastries, then walk off and climb into your car.

The cost varies seasonally (Tim and I spent about $1200 round-trip with a roomette, the tiniest sleeper) so the trip North in October was considerably cheaper than the trip back South. While it's not going to save you money on flying to a destination, it's a very cost-effective way to ship both you and your car. I'd even consider doing it again with the Tiger or another classic, but just do a one-legged trip to extend the range of our travels without necessarily piling all those miles onto the car.

If you shopped rates and planned carefully, this could be a very practical add-on to a vacation with your classic, especially if you did only the one-way thing. There's even a Tiger on the poster, so how wrong could it be?

Anyone else ever done this, or thought about it?

Margie

Didn't know about it at all. Wonder what routes it's available on, and if it's at all a sane possibility for getting to the $20XX Challenge someday...

No kidding. I used to ride Amtrak when I lived in DC and never heard of this service.

That's the rub. There's only one route: Lorton, VA (basically, DC area) to Sanford, FL (40 minutes from Orlando). Because it's an Auto Train, it requires specialized stations to load and unload the vehicles at either end. The autos also make it impractical for this to be anything but an express, since they have to unhook the train cars and drive them over to ramps to get the cars out.

That said, the thing was absolutely full going south. It seems that while folks our age are in the dark about it, senior-citizen snowbirds are well aware--and use the hell out of it. They're hauling 250-300 cars and their gray-haired owners down here every single day. I shudder to think of the effect on our roads...

Margie

This is my backup plan for challenge/challenge car transport. Currently just under $600 roundtrip for me + car w/ a AAA diacount. I just wish you could drop just the car and then fly. It's $180 each way for the vehicle which is about a wash with gas costs to drive.

I have taken it several times on family vacations in my youth. Overall pretty good memories and a pleasant change from being cramped in the back seat wondering if we will ever get there.

One time I recall a beautiful sunset near the Cape Fear area, a couple of guys with guitars in the upstairs lounge car and card games until the wee hours. IIRC the food was above expectations and the entire experience was novel and relaxing.

My Father and I looked into it briefly as an option to getting to the Challenge this year but a quick analysis showed even one way basic costs would double our entire fuel budget for the drive.

Bugger.

That's a shame. I know train travel probably isn't all it's cracked up to be, but for me it's memories of the Silver Spike special in the dining car on the way to visit family in Oregon for summer vacation when I was a kid, and also the travel option that was too rich for my blood when I wound up on a 30-hour Greyhound trip home after aborting my move to Durnago, CO when I was 19...

It would have been neat to bookend an auto vacation with that sort of thing.

We used the Autotrain back in 2007 to get to the start of a 7 day MINI run from Florida to Maine. Fortunately a friend of ours works for Amtrak and was able to work a discount group-rate for us at the time. All of the got the "mini-rooms" which are two face-to-face seats that convert into a bed with a second drop down bed.

It's definitely a great way to get from VA to FL. Eating dinner and breakfast in a comfortable dining car as the scenery goes by is a nice way to travel. Not to mention the nice lounge area. It's not cheap, but it beats the heck out of driving if you have the means.

We did it with our boys and my MIL/FIL for a trip to Disney. Used it to get down to FL with our Sienna with a roof box and everything for 7 people. Great way to travel and we would do it again.

There are deals to be had. AAA, how far in advance, and time of year do play into it. I think for Me, SWMBO, and the 3 little ones plus the van, we were looking at like ~600 one way. The plan was to road trip back for the second part.

Lame-Ass Amtrak. The rest of the country is SOL

I'm not sure why they dont do DC-Chicago- seattle. And seattle-LA.

In reply to nocones:

Probably due to the required upgrade costs in infrastructure and rail leasing costs. IIRC, the auto-train doesn't run on Amtrak rail lines, but on commercial cargo lines.

From what I remember from talking to our friend who works at Amtrak (a fairly high level facilities engineer - not just a ticket clerk), they'd love to expand the system, but it's a hard business case to make. He hinted the current train barely breaks even moneywise.

Loved it, and so did the kids. Trip could be shorter (time)... seems we spent a LOT of time waiting on sidings for other freight traffic to clear. One tip... get accomodations in the middle of the car... away from the wheel noise at each end. I wish they could expand further north, but was told that many of the northeast's older bridges & tunnels lack suffficient clearance.

Good for you Margie!

We had Autotrain to Sanford for a few years in Louisville Ky. They wanted to make it from Chicago to Sanford but as 200mph talked about, the roadbed through Southern Indiana wouldn't have held up. So they hoped people from Chicago and the rest of the midwest would drive to Louisville and train from there. Didn't work out.

Autotrain shut down from Louisville before I could take it.

Never been on a train.

In reply to Rupert:

That's a shame. I think we would've done the Louisville run.

Margie

I wish they would go east/west.

The Auto Train has been around for 15+ years now and I'm glad to hear that it still seems to maintain ridership even though AMTRAK seems to barely make any money. (There are ways, but that's another thread for another time )

I would love to have an Auto Train that left out of Chicago and went to either coasts.

Margie - Where did that poster art come from? It's really neat.

We have long been aware of the Auto Train and have gone so far as to research fares. The cost of the tickets and the inconvenience of having to drive to Lorton is a liability, even for us relatively nearby in the Richmond area. Even so, we will probably consider it when next we venture to Florida.

As a way to get into D.C. however, Amtrak is unequalled! We took the kids on a little mini-vacation to the nation's capitol a couple years ago. It's so nice to be able to kick back and enjoy the ride and not have to spend time sitting in No. VA traffic. The area right around Union Station was under considerable construction, but even so, our hotel was within walking distance or a short cab ride.

Union Station itself is a grand reminder of the glorious history of railroading in this country.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: The Auto Train has been around for 15+ years now and I'm glad to hear that it still seems to maintain ridership even though AMTRAK seems to barely make any money. (There are ways, but that's another thread for another time ) I would love to have an Auto Train that left out of Chicago and went to either coasts. Margie - Where did that poster art come from? It's really neat.

The Auto Train has been around for 30+ years. The train was conceived originally to facilitate snowbirds from the northeast getting to FL without driving all the way. That's why it's popular with seniors. Lorton was chosen for a variety of reasons. Any farther north would mean reconstructing a lot of bridges and infrastructure in urban areas while the route south from Lorton is considerably more rural than points north.

Also, the average snowbird can reach Lorton in one day from any point in New England. Sleeping "on the go" shortens the trip time as opposed to finding a motel room that does not move. So lodging costs should be factored into the decision to travel via Auto Train.

Why do New England and the Middle Atlantic states get Auto Train? Because they support rail travel to a far greater degree than the rest of the nation combined. The Boston-Washington corridor along with its various feeder lines could survive on its own autonomously.

Trains are fun as long as your travel plans are somewhat flexible. The stations are all in or near the center of towns and cities so ground transportation costs are nil compared to outlying airports. The French toast is good too.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Margie - Where did that poster art come from? It's really neat.

Ah, glad you should ask. We were curious enough that we tracked down the artist. His name is Michael Schwab, and he sells one version as posters on his website

Long story short, the artist wanted a classic car that would look good with the strong deco lines he was using, yet be not so iconic itself that everyone would recognize it. He had a friend with a Tiger, shot that car in its driveway, did a little generic-ing of the front bumper, and voila! It's on all the Auto Train materials--brochures, website, even huge banners hanging in the terminals. (Would kill for one of those banners, and I think Tim's getting a poster for Christmas… shhhhhh.)

Margie

I was wondering about the poster too. Especially since you said you were going to a Tiger meet...

Marjorie Suddard wrote: (Would kill for one of those banners, and I think Tim's getting a poster for Christmas… shhhhhh.) Margie

Our lips are sealed.

In reply to Jerry From LA:

30 years? Hmm, the first I had heard about it was the mid-90's and they were acting like it was a brand new service then.