Amtrak River Runner: A Scenic Journey Along the Missouri River
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- Hi everyone, welcome to this trip report onboard the Missouri River Runner service bound to St Louis. First trip report out of Europe. Enjoy 🙃
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TRIP INFORMATION -
Railway company: Amtrak
Train type : Siemens Charger SC 44 + Horizon coaches
From : Kansas City Union Station to Saint Louis Gateway station
N° of train: 314
Duration : 5h41
Price : 36$
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I'm glad you had a good trip on Amtrak. I'm an Amtrak Conductor, used to be stationed out of the St. Louis station. 314 gets delayed often there due to the train tracks only being single main on that subdivision. Under normal circumstances, Amtrak is the only Eastbound train on that subdivision as the Eastbound freight traffic is north on a different sub. After Jefferson city, it goes to double main track, so much easier for 2 way rail traffic. Also, trains over 1km is a gross understatement. Union Pacific is routinely putting longer and longer trains on their tracks, longest I've seen was almost 5km long. I hope to see you in the future on more of our trains!
Thanks for the info dude. Indeed the Eastbound was delayed, we had to stop many times for freight trains. Westbound however was perfect.
@@SimplyRailway Yeah, the westbound 311/313 go in the same direction as the freight trains, so fewer delays. It is still possible to get delayed from either catching up to a slower freight train or if a freight breaks down or breaks a knuckle.
at what point do string forces come into play for trains that long, like the harpers ferry derailment
@@jackjohnson7804 The freight railroads put locomotives into the long consists to avoid string forces... Not exactly sure exactly where though...
Ron Clark Usually about the halfway point of the train, though if it’s really long, they’ll put a locomotive or two on the rear of the train too
As an Aussie, I had my first ride on Amtrak back in 2018 when I took the California Zephyr from Emeryville (San Francisco) to Chicago. You’ve gotta make this trip. The scenery was sensational, as was the train and the Amtrak staff. Hats off to my sleeper car attendant Anthony who had a great sense of humour and made an already great trip better. It was the most enjoyable train trip I’ve ever taken, and I’ve done a few. You’ll love it.
here is his freshly minted trip in the opposite direction: ruclips.net/video/ZONY0pBwrsA/видео.html
California Here I Come!
I was 14 and headed to California for the first time in 1959. My train trip started in Orlando, Florida and I changed trains at Kansas City Union Station where I boarded Santa Fe's Hi-Level "El Capitan" to LA. I'll never forget that fabulous train and station. When I passed through Kansas City 45 years later in 2004 at 60 most of the colorful trains had gone with the wind and the station had been resurrected as a museum. I missed the hustle and bustle of the busy train station but I'm thankful the grand old building has survived. Thanks for sharing.
Finally someone recorded one of these SC44s idiling. Thank you, thank you! Great video as well.
I've ridden Amtrak many times since I was a kid (around when they were first founded!). Many of their trains are actually really crowded, and not just in the NEC... their long haul trains sell their sleepers out months in advance, for example. It's these regional state-run trains that are lightly traveled like this. Amtrak trains technically do have priority over freight - this was one of the conditions of Amtrak taking control of the now freight-only companies' passenger trains in 1971. But it's really hard to enforce that, especially because congress (who oversees Amtrak) doesn't seem interested in punishing the freight railroads given the role they play in the economy. I recommend trying out Amtrak's long haul trains as well as their Acela Express service, because both are pretty unique experiences. You seem as interested in legroom as I am (as a 6'4" guy) - the legroom in a long-haul Amtrak coach is massive, and of course even better than that in a sleeper!
Oh, as for the windows - you're riding in a Horizon coach here. These are converted from 1970's commuter trains, where window size wasn't really a big issue. If you look at Amtrak's newer train designs, like the Acela Express and Viewliners, they have much bigger windows :)
Best waste of tax money ever! 🤭🤭🤭
Their car trains (P052 and P053) that run from Lorton, VA to Sanford (Orlando), FL is really popular too. They sell out pretty quick also.
By law, passenger trains *DO* have priority over freight trains in the US. However, that law is nearly impossible to enforce, and the freight railroads know it. They flaunt the law as a matter of routine protocol.
@phillyslasher I need to correct you. The name of the game being played is "ownership of the rails". If your hotshot UPS train was held up for Metrolink and Amtrak, here in SoCal, it is because the first class railroads serving the LA region sold their private rights of way in this area to a governmental consortium for commuter services when Metrolink was formed. It was a sweetheart deal, and it got them out from under exorbitant urban property taxes, while keeping their trackage rights for freight. Yes, you were held up during the daytime, but very little passenger traffic moves at night any more.
UP especially resents having to share their own tracks (formerly SP) with Amtrak, and does their best to quash any efforts to expand Amtrak services on their properties. There would be plenty of passengers if daily service LA to SF on the coast route would be agreed to, and the same would be the case for expanding the meager three a week Sunset Route going to Texas. Why do you suppose that so much of Amtrak California services, especially if late night or early morning, are done with busses?
Also, freight trains here are so long that they often can't "pull over" onto a siding to let a passenger train pass. So the passenger train is forced to go onto the siding to wait for clearance.
@phillyslasher I think it depends on the freight company. Amtrak traffic grinds to a halt between Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia. Not really sure why. Amtrak zips along between New Orleans and Birmingham. Both tracks are owned by Norfolk Southern. As the old song goes, "'Tis a puzzlement."
The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 relieved private rail carriers of their obligation to provide passenger rail service. Passenger service was consolidated into a quasi-federal entity called Amtrak, and the process of deregulating the freight rail business began. Big carriers like BNSF, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are required under a 1973 law to make way for Amtrak trains. Yet dispatchers habitually make passenger trains wait for the “hotshot” trains carrying coal or liquid crude, even though the federal law says clearly: “Amtrak has preference over freight transportation in using a rail line, junction, or crossing.” It's the job of the Surface Transportation Board to enforce the law- but it has no staff or incentive to crack down on Fortune 500 companies with political clout.
phillyslasher cause the problem was solved decades ago. Hence Amtrak’s increasingly crowded trains
Jeeeej the first American trip report. Nice!
It's funny to see how different trains are in different places across the world.
Here’s an answer to wonder that may have come to mind: “what was with all those extra cars if the train is only meant to be 3 coaches?” It’s a simple reason, they are old, worn out baggage cars (ones built in the 40s-50s) that are used to add extra length to the train because on Union Pacific tracks (for some reason) crossings require a minimum number of axels in order to activate.
Thank you Nigel :)
Actually, it's not crossings but the new Positive Train Control system that the UP has acquired that requires the minimum axles on trains to activate sensors. Their are also other railroads that have the same issue on some of their routes and require extra cars.
Actually, neither of those are correct. For some reason the UP runs a different current on their tracks & the extra cars are needed in order to shunt properly.
@@edwardhammer5427 I wonder if they'll ever do anything to resolve that, or is it not worth the effort?
@@BobNewbie Not really as to do anything to fix the road crossing signals would cost much more than adding another coach or two to a small passenger train... Keep in mind the freight trains on the main lines Amtrak uses are more than a mile or maybe two kilometers long... A hundred cars of four axels each, a few cars you can count with the fingers of one hand...
It used to be quite popular with children and teens to throw rocks at passing trains. Amtrak started making the windows on a smaller scale to help make it harder for the launched rocks to land blows to the windows. That's one reason for smaller windows.
A few years ago before they reduced it to only the 314 in the morning and the 313 in the evening our family rode to KC on the 311 in the morning ate lunch at the station and returned on the 316 in the evening at Christmas time. The decorations and displays at the station were fabulous and seeing the Christmas lights in the early evening along the route back, was a joy to see.
My favorite time to visit Kansas Union Station, is December. I take the Southwest Chief to KC, then transfer to the Missouri River Runner. The station is decked out for the holidays, it is great!
This Amtrak's train is so good, good for social distancing.
@Tristan Hudson haha,it's not
@Tristan Hudson tell that to the over 100k dead
@@iZipTiedMyPenisToABrick Source for your statistics?
Gilded Liberty the Johns Hopkins Researchers.and CDC.
@@iZipTiedMyPenisToABrick Nearly two million die every year in the USA... Most of those killed by this disease where not all that well to begin with, many senior citizens who would most likely have died in a few years anyway... On average nearly 150K die from the annual flu every year...
Welcome to the USA and our joke of a train system!
Just a few things to note from your video:
Even though the NEC can be crowded, it usually isn’t a problem finding a seat. Longest it’s taken me to find a seat is 5 minutes, and that was two years ago during Thanksgiving.
Second, the seats are in such good shape because they’re only a few months old at most. Amtrak is refurbishing all their cars, so these seats are now the new norm for Amtrak seats (old ones were good, but not great)
Another thing: Amtrak trains are supposed to get priority over freight trains. It is stated in Amtrak’s charter that they must get priority, however freight railroads are not incentivized to follow this, so they don’t
The shallow windows are in order for them to be used in an emergency for people to get out, and because it could be to support structural supports for the car
Enjoy your time in the US, and looking forward to your other US reports!
BWI Aviation I had experienced something like that before. On November 30, 2019, I was taking train #353 from Jackson, MI to Chicago. The train was sold out I couldn’t even find a seat! We boarded at the front of the train and the only open seats were in the last car of the train before the cafe. We weren’t even assigned seats!
Blame the airlines and their death trap flying metal tubes .
@@Jay-vr9ir NO!!! Blame progress. Blame Henry Ford for inventing the car. Blame the Wright Brothers for the first flight. The world moves ahead. Rail fans want to go back to the past. Ain't gonna work. Why would I spend 5+ hours on a train when I can make the trip faster by airplane and maybe by car?
Cats01 you can have more TIME to get your work done on the train!
@@cats0182 Funny thing is, in my country (Philippines), due to road congestion in our metropolitan cities and suburban highways, trains are becoming an attractive new solution and in fact a few new lines are already under construction, with many more in the pipeline. "Back to the past" my ass.
Yes, cars and planes have advantages but trains are still needed to alleviate congestion.
The reason why many first-world countries, including Singapore, South Korea, and Japan still have trains is not because of railfans, but because without trains, the roads of Tokyo, Seoul, and Singapore would be congested, and the airports of Gimpo, Incheon, Haneda, Narita, and Changi would be crowded as well. In fact, trains make it better for car users and frequent flyers.
Cars, planes and trains aren't meant to replace one another. They supplement one another. That way, neither airports, roads, nor railways get congested.
Maybe you should travel internationally more. I recommend starting with Singapore. Nicest people you'll ever meet.
Thank You for sharing I love train since I was a little girl and I must say I've had nothing but great service with Amtrak
We've been to this building a few times while in that part of KC because of the adjacent parks, museums, and shopping. It's indeed an Art Deco wonder!
I live in Kansas City and love our train station! My friends and I (when coronavirus isn't around) always go there and just stand on the window balconies with an overview of the halls and watch the people move around. I've rode the river runner before and I have to agree that the staff is mostly amazing! Except for that one employee haha!
I live in downtown KC, I hope you enjoyed your visit. I have taken the amtrak to chicago from Union Station in KC.
Love the trip. I have a house in warrensburg
During the winter months, bald eagles gather along the river and are easy to spot on this route.
Sweet! The Missouri River Runner is one of the most scenic Midwest routes!
Thank you for stopping in my city and you're correct train services like this are very under used but its definitely a great way to travel I personally think.
roses are red, violets are blue,
trains, trams and buses come in all sorts of hue ;)
my playlist #2 is about transportaion
Horizon fleet cars are aluminum bodied, not stainless steel.
The train's total consist would be the Siemens Charger unit, however many coaches, cafe car, plus several empty cars to bring the total axle count to at least 30 axles. Couple host railroads require this of Amtrak. Minimum consist would be the locomotive and at least 7 cars.
Per glimpse of St Louis' regional light rail, Kansas City also has a much smaller version, a downtown streetcar line. KC is also noted for recently making its entire transit system fare free.
I live in Jefferson, Mo when that tornado happened, it did not damage the capital building, it was just being repaired like it is once every 20 years. I love the Mo, river runner though.
I agree. I too live in Jefferson City. The Capitol building was wrapped up for cleaning and repairs well before the tornado. Actually the tornado went through about a mile east of the Capitol (Close to the old prison and new federal court house) but the winds did ripped some of the plastic off the scaffolding. Love the video!
Like you, I'm French and I live in Lee's Summit since 1988. I take this train to Sedalia regularly every two weeks. I get to walk to the station. Amtrak, vastly underfunded does a fantastic job maintaining these aging cars and refurbishing them. I remember the River Cities Amtrak train, KC to New Orleans with sleepers and the Flexliner from Denmark on trial on this line. I hope we can talk "ferroviaire" soon! Great videos. Excellent travail !!! 😄
Ahah, je serais ravie de discuter de tout ca. N'hésite pas m'envoyer un mail.
Les trains talgo de la amtrak cascades serais parfait aussi pour les trains de banlieue au états-unis comme à salt lake city 🙂
Just watched this one again. Very well done! We like how you cover the stations as well, some of them are beautiful. You’d like the Cincinnati station!
thank you for the video. the river runner goes thru the town i grew up in, Sedalia, MO.
I agree those seats look quite comfortable, and I must say "luxurious".........I agree the price is a great bargain, you are relaxed when traveling just sit back, take nap, read, and you save gas and the stress from driving!
Welcome to the USA! I hope you like your time here. I have enjoyed your European rail videos for some time. If you have the time and money Amtrak's western routes are very scenic (California Zepher, Empire Builder and Southwest Chief). All these originate in Chicago and go west. A roomete or bedroom is a very comfortable way to see the western USA and all meals (a sit down dining car) are included with the ticket. Welcome and sorry for the crabby Amtrak conductor. Jim.
I want to go direct from New York City to San Francisco, by train , I can't wait .
@@Jay-vr9ir You will see a good chunk of America. The colonial east, the corn belt and then the wheat belt of the Midwest, the ranch belt of the Great Plains, the Rockies, the western desert, the Sierra Nevadas, and the big valley of California...
I recommend the Hiawatha. It is a 1 hour route in between Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL. I have rode it 3 times in my life and it is a 10/10
Another great video that Amtrak locomotive looks awesome train cars look really clean I will definitely choose this over a plane any day😉
I have been waiting for the day that you review an American Amtrak train!!!!!!! Thank you so much for making my dream come true!
I like yours ralwei station in Kansas City, your train is good and confortable. Nice video
Love watching your videos! With regard to why the windows on Horizon and Amfleet cars are so small, I believe it's in response to young people using the trains for target practice with rocks and other objects. The smaller the windows, the less there is to shatter. If you look at photos of Amtrak locomotives that operated in the east around the time these cars were built, they had metal mesh across the front windscreens to prevent them from being smashed.
Glad you've made it stateside! I highly recommend taking a look at Amtrak California's Pacific Surfliner route, with spectacular coastal views and feature double-decker cars!
Me too love traveling by trains than flights.love the comfort of the modern railway system.
The Missouri River Runner should be extended to Omaha, NE to open up a new connection with the California Zephyr.
Welcome to the USA. I've first came across to your channel when you rode Metra's BNSF Line to Chicago Union Station and I subscribed.. We have several Amtrak lines at Union Station and some Amtrak trains can stop at other Metra stations, like LaGrange Rd, Naperville, Summit, Joliet, Homewood, and Glenview. Also, check out the South Shore Line operated by NICTD, it's a commuter train that travels to/from Chicago and the state of Indiana to South Bend International Airport in South Bend, Indiana. You'll find the South Shore Line very interesting when it operates in the middle of a street in Michigan City, Indiana.
I have rode this train many times as I have friend living in Lee's Summit near KC, and I love the run.
The Lees Summit downtown is really nice. Small town charm with restaurants & bars.
Nice well-padded seats. Much better than a Scotrail Class 385, although I would prefer "bays of four" round a table to airline-style seats for a 5 hour journey.
The buffet looks nice, though.
I took this trip by train on the old National Limited (NYC to KC) in 1979. I boarded In Indianapolis.
Hello, merci pour ta vidéo américaine !!! Grâce à toi, on découvre tous les trains du monde entier, et je suis passionné de trains, donc c'est fantastique ce que tu nous fais visiter !!! Bravo à toi !!! Bien sûr, j'adore le style des gares, remarque c'est très rare que je n'aime pas une gare, j'adore tous les trains, les vieux comme les récents. L'architecture des gares me fascine. J'aime en effet beaucoup les années 1920/1930. On dirait aussi les images qu'il y a à Disneyland Paris que je connais par cœur bien évidemment mais là c'est fin XIX° siècle début XX° siècle ou même plus tôt dans les affiches dans Main Street USA. C'est sûr que c'est différent qu'en Europe, mais heureusement c'est ce qui en fait la richesse, on n'est pas des clones !!! L'uniformisation du monde n'a pas lieu, mais sa modernisation. Tu habites aux USA maintenant. J'espère que tu travailles dans le milieu du rail héhé Hâte de voir la suite de tes trips américains. Bon séjour !!! Hélas, je n'ai pas Instagram, donc je ne peux pas en savoir plus. J'ai remarqué également de nouveaux produits Donc Simply Railway pour les Européens et Make Trains Great Again pour les Américains. Puisse ta boutique marcher !!! Pour ceux qui se posent des questions, il habite à Lee's Summit (il le dit lui-même dans la vidéo, j'ai mal vu comme beaucoup les premières fois que j'ai regardé sa vidéo), c'est dans le Missouri. Regardez sur Wikipédia pour voir où cela se situe. Maintenant, tu as plein d'expériences dans ta tête.
Welcome to America! ✌I hope you enjoy your time there. Greetings from Slovakia!
This trip will be nice for you never been to Kansas City on Amtrak I've been to Springfield Illinois to St Louis Missouri on Amtrak and it's pretty awesome great video keep up the great content
Good video, thank you. Good info. Safe travels to you~😎
So surreal to see my hometown of Lee’s Summit on your channel! I wish more people would utilize the trains here, but people are often scared off by the price and difficulty of public transport once you get to your destination. Thankfully Kansas City has invested in and is supposed to extend our one light rail line. It’s still not much. Maybe someday we’ll have a proper network! I have always wanted to take the train from Kansas City to Chicago, as I think that’s one of the more popular routes, but takes far longer than driving. The fact that Amtrak doesn’t own much of the tracks they use is so frustrating!
Ahah cheers from Lee's Summit then. I plan to travel to Chicago from KC when this virus will be over. I'm agree on Amtrak situation
Its sad that most people in Lees Summit only take this train to go to Hermann for the wine trail. Its fun but it should use for fast transportation between KC-STL-CHI. But as you mentioned driving is faster.
@@SimplyRailway I didn't know that you live in Lees Summit!!!
I do love the amtrak passenger seats. They are quite comfy. Another busy service is the downeaster on game days in boston or fox borough
Hi.
I really enjoyed your video showing this route.
The seats look really plush and comfortable.
Your footage of Union Station brought back some memories to me.
I joined the Navy on Sept. 9, 1970, and the induction center was right across the street from Union Station.
And, it is a really beautiful place.
I would enjoy seeing more Amtrak routes.
Thanks so much!!
Awesome! Great quality video of the river runner in it's full glory! I live in Independence so I've experienced a fair amount of the River Runner too
Thanks for a great review ! The Horizon cars which formed your train, were based on a commuter car design, hence the narrow windows. From the appearance of your train, the interior refurbishment has been done to a very high standard.
Very cool!! thank you for sharing this.
I'm glad you enjoyed the trip! I've done the Crescent several times (Clemson to Washington D.C., and Greensboro to Washington D.C.), the Capitol Limited (Washington D.C. to Cleveland, Chicago to Cleveland, and Cleveland to Washington D.C.), the Lakeshore Limited (Cleveland to Chicago), Pennsylvanian (Cleveland to Pittsburgh) and the Northeast Regional (Washington D.C. to Philadelphia). I've also done some of the state lines, like the Piedmont in North Carolina (which features rebuilt WWII Era Pullman Cars, beautifully painted in blue, red, gold, and silver livery). Train travel is slowly improving in this country, but it will take more time and effort. We now have private development in Florida with Virgin, Virgin's development out west, the private Texas Rail in Texas, and the public California high speed project. The problem is that certain states, like Texas, have outlawed public funding for passenger rail specifically, some even in their state constitutions, but as private funding grows in popularity, those same states and the people who advocate against publicly funding rail projects are trying to use the law in other ways to keep them from being built, including stirring up fear about eminent domain (as if passenger rail would be the only entity to use the practice). It's become very political. A lot of progressives advocate for passenger rail, many conservatives do not. Both have people who make good arguments, but in our present climate the division has widened to the point where if progressives, or city people, or northerners like it/want it, then "I" as a conservative must stand against it and buy political points. It's frustrating. We had that issue in Ohio. Our previous governor was offered money to set up a passenger line between Cleveland and Cincinnati, with Columbus linking in them in the middle. It would have been called the Triple-C, and he demanded the right to use the money for highways instead of rail, but the money was earmarked only for rail, so he returned it to the Federal government and it ended up going to Florida.
Out of curiosity, where are you from? I take it you're from Europe.
He is from France, near Lille...
I smiled when you said that the Siemens were replacing the P42s on the California Zephyr. Ours caught fire and broke down In Nebraska about 8 years ago. We had to be bussed into Chicago. 24 hours late and we got a full refund!
The small windows are due to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rules at the time of development that demanded small windows to stop riders from being thrown out in a crash. They made many overly restrictive rules such as crush strength of the coaches which made American trains much heavier.
Quel super voyage ! Quelle super video ! Merci ! Merci !
Thanks for a great video. In the next couple of years I really want to visit the USA and chalk up some serious Amtrak miles.
Amtrak on its long distance sleeper trains are losing their daily service and going to three trains per week in each direction starting with the FY in October... Except for the Auto Train which will remain daily... Regional and commuter trains remain daily as well...
There are departure boards in the USA - but you have to know where to find them. Almost all stations on Amtrak owned track have them. That means the northeast corridor and the Pennsylvanian through Harrisburg all have departure boards. Most don't have automated notification when trains come in but a few like Penn Station in NY do have it for some notifications. That was a renovated coach car, they work very nicely.
Nice review on one of the routes I used to take a lot when the loyalty program had different earnings rules - St. Louis to Kirkwood and back saw a lot me back then. If not for the virus related schedule reductions, I’d at least try to stop by KWD to say hi to the conductors that remember me, but the timing doesn’t work well. Heh.
Loved the station and I love Amtrak! You make great videos! 😊👍
Makes me feel like going for a ride, good one
I want to add that Amtrak crews are very good at making sure people get off at their stops (I mean this in a helpful way). I had to take a train from Philly to New Haven last thanksgiving after American Airlines ditched me in Philly. Because it was an overnight train, the crew was going up and down the train waking people up when it was approaching their stops.
Also might add, on NEC night trains, there’s a 2 hour layover in NY
I took the river runner for the first time last May. The new venture cars got put into service on the train literally the next day.
Welcome to the United States. I'll be looking forward to an NEC review from you once the pandemic has abated.
Too bad they didn't have any departure boards out in KC Union Station. Unfortunately, Amtrak has gotten rid of most, if not all, of the old Solari boards in the system, but there are plenty of departure boards (mostly the newer, digital ones) in this part of the country, especially in areas where there are multiple services that use one station. Washington Union Station, Philadelphia 30th Street, New York Penn Station and GCT all come to mind, along with right here in Baltimore.
This was a good review. I was there at the station last year and on the day I was there, a wedding was taking place. Also, I walked up to the other side of the building and took a ride on the KC Streetcar. Very enjoyable.
2:33 Well as far as station size, departure boards, and train noise, that all really depends on where in America you're taking trains. You'll find that train travel can be very different depending on where you are, and who's running the service.
Also some Amtrak trains (even long distance ones) do get quite crowded along certain stretches. The Northeast corridor is by far the most used, but several routes on the West Coast and Midwest do get crowded, though you probably won't seen any crowds for a while since the virus has taken away over 90% of Amtrak's ridership. Actually, this was probably what happened on your train, since the virus was already decently underway in Mid-March.
Amtrak staff are typically very helpful and friendly, shame some of the staff on your train weren't up to par.
Oh also, we have the new Siemens Charger engines on the Amtrak service where I live in Illinois as well. They are just beautiful pieces of machinery!!
This route is much prettier in the fall when the leaves change. They sometimes put a dome car on when that happens
Union Station is fabulous in Kansas City, Missouri. Its one of the great public buildings in the US.
Glad you're trying out American intercity rail!! Yeah, other than the Hiawatha, most of these in the Midwest are not very profitable and often overlooked and empty (hence why the state of Indiana stopped funding the Hoosier State service). Definitely check out the Northeast Corridor, Keystone Corridor, Empire Corridor, and intercity rail in California as well. These are very well used services and are really a contribution to why Amtrak is still around today. Also, the Auto Train is another surprisingly popular option for vacationers between the Northeast and Florida. The US has some progress to make when it comes to intercity rail as well as commuter rail/rapid transit in many large cities due to the fact that development is incentivized and quicker by privatization and often, government subsidized projects are frowned upon with their accompanied local tax hikes. However, I am still hopeful in the completion of the many projects planned and under construction to connect this country better (Texas Central Railway, Cali High Speed Rail, Florida's Brightline, high speed rail proposals in the Carolinas, the midwest and Chicago area, Las Vegas by Xpresswest, and Amtrak's major planned improvements in the Northeast, namely the Gateway Project and redevelopment of Washington Union and New York Penn Station). If you're interested, check these out! This is what I hope to expect from American transportation in the future.
I was gonna go to Kansas city in Feb but would still like to and see this
Looooove your video, I have a HO Scale Amtrak Midwest Charger it's beautiful. 😊👍👍
Terrific catches! Amazing trip you had to Saint Louis!
There are big stations here with big boards here in the US, usually in the bigger cities like NYC, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Baltimore, and Seattle.
Good video. I live in lees summit too. Looking to take the train from here to chicago. Thanks for showing the seat options etc.
We took this trip (STL-KC) many years ago for a quick vacation, and it does have beautiful scenery. We embarked/returned in Kirkwood, which is a much nicer and traditional looking station than "Amshack" downtown at the time (it finally got torn down and redone awhile back).
I don't think Amtrak has any ugly routes, some are more beautiful than others though, but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder... Some like pines, others firs, me I like to see the different cactus through the American Southwest... Land of Enchantment...
I've been to grand central many times and never seen it that quiet!
That’s the dreaded catering that I had on the Lake Shore limited a few months ago - looks like the exact same car. But two years ago the dining car was running and the food was excellent. Sad that the new CEO Richard Anderson (formerly of Delta Airlines) made the change and other drastic changes.
Amtrak is like the Smithsonian - for the people and shouldn’t change much. The chair of Amtrak is the US Vice President (Mike Pence).
Thank you for the report. Good you had the text up long enough to read. BTW on the long haul trains west of Chicago they still have “dining cars” The food quality is excellent and at a fair price. Happy trails!
Yep, but this pandemic has hit them as well... Microwave pre prepared food is the new wave of Amtrak diner food... Amtrak gets rid of another crew member in the diner...
the windows are so shallow because rock throwing was a big problem for amtrak at the time the coaches were build.
The Horizon Fleet cars were originally designed as commuter train equipment and used the same window size as the earlier Metroliners and later Amfleet. Smaller windows are I guess less expensive to replace and a smaller target for rock throwers. Only around 100 Horizon Fleet cars were ordered and they allowed service to be expanded in the Midwest and West Coast. They were light weight, cheap, and could be produced quickly, they were something of a stopgap until something better came along which it never really did. So they are still plugging along well past the service life Amtrak expected of them.
I also recall reading that the Amfleets/Metroliners were designed with the smaller windows to give them an "aircraft feel", which makes sense combined with their tubular bodies. The long-distance Amfleet II coaches have larger windows that are much nicer then the Amfleet Is. I remember years ago we took my father on his first Amtrak ride and the train had Amfleet I equipment and that was his biggest complaint: the windows were much too small! Other then that the cars rode pretty nice and it was a business class car that had been recently refurbished so it was comfortable and attractive.
they are based off of the comet cars used in the northeast. mbta, montreal, metro north and septa all use something similar. NJ transit had the cars they are based off of the comet 2. they have since been rebuilt into the comet 2m.
Oddly enough, I've been through KC a couple of times on the Interstate, but not on the train; on the other hand, I've been through STL on the Interstate AND on the train! I saw the KC Union Station previously on one of your other videos, and it definitely is on the list of stations I must visit; it has that timeless, classic vibe that lets you picture movie stars and other celebrities strolling through the hall and standing on the boarding platform!
Surprising and a little disappointing that you had a less-than-friendly interaction with an Amtrak train staff member, but I guess there's always somebody with a burr under his saddle about something. My experience with Amtrak staff was excellent all around.
I agree that it would be great if there could be a rebirth of regional passenger rail service; here in Memphis, Central Station serves only the City of New Orleans, which connects to NOLA and CHI. There's talk of some type of rail service being introduced (make that REintroduced) between Memphis and Nashville, which would be great. Back when I was little kid, we had two stations (Union and Grand Central, which is now just Central) and you could catch all kinds of passenger trains in Memphis, connecting to just about anywhere. Of course, that was at the end of the Golden Age of passenger rail travel; I don't think we'll ever see anything quite like that again, but at least maybe at a limited level.
Thanks for another fun, informative video!
9:02
Actually, the railroad arrived in this town during the _middle_ of the 19th century: *Missouri Pacific Railroad* completed this line from St. Louis to Kansas City in the year 1850. Warrensburg was founded by settlers fifteen years earlier in 1835.
Hello from Sacramento County, California!
That SC-44 Charger you saw, along with all the ACS-64 locos in Amtrak and SEPTA service were all assembled near the South Sac area. It's about a half-hour drive from where I live, and I pass right by it whenever I take the San Joaquins from or to Sacramento.
Of course, that assumes I take the direct trains to/from Sacramento (otherwise, they originate out of Oakland).
Oh yeah, that light rail vehicle (LRV), the one you said was running faster than your train, that one was likely also built at the Siemens plant.
i live in Montana about 20 miles from the headwaters of the missouri river and 2300 river miles upstream from saint louis....we havent had amtrak service , but used to be a part of the empire builder line for almost 40 years
Near Marias Pass?
The reason the windows are so small on the railroad cars is because kids like to throw rocks at trains. So smaller windows are harder to hit. Great video!!
Thank you for an informative and entertaining Video.
The freight trains with all the containers are also known as Intermodal Trains. Because not only by train are the containers hauled. But they go on trucks. And even the huge Container Ships on the Oceans.
KC Union Station is my local station, and there are usually quite a few people there even on a normal day. I'm surprised it's so empty now! I can sometimes hear the announcements via platform loudspeakers from the observation bridge, but not very clearly.
About a week ago, a P42 was pulling this train, and I got to film it!
I'm surprised this train was still running now that many places and counties are closed
I last rode this train from Lee's Summit to KC in 2007 when I was only 6 years old. I hope someday to ride this train again all the way to St Louis, maybe when it gets new coaches
13:51 those cars seem to be in a new livery! They were white with red and blue stripes for the longest time! I rode it back in 2009, and I like the combination of underground and above ground stations
8:00 "In Europe passenger trains always have priority" Just an exception when you did recently your Flixtrain trip, you also had to let the pass to a freight train 😏 :) ;)
i guess trains in Europe are operated same as the company so that would be a thing for higher priority to them and Flextrain is paying as Amtrak so they have lower priority or flextrain paid DB less so they have lower priority
Yes. But I researched shipping freight by train in Europe , I was informed that shipping by freight in Europe is nightmare .
@Hfk dm,ds As mentioned in the video, Amtrak has the opposite issue from Flextrain. In the US, the freight companies own the tracks in most locations and control the dispatch as a result. They give priority to their own trains unless Amtrak pays money they don't have.
I think flixtrain specifically let's other trains pass, because they don't own the tracks and by letting them pass, they can give you cheaper fares.
SebastianD334 Maybe that’s why Amtrak does that. Maybe we should give Amtrak to the rail companies that own the tracks, save the Northeast Corridor and other “regional” services that wouldn’t exist otherwise.
There are departure boards in stations in the Northeast and in California.
Perfect for an European in holiday that wants space and time to see.
Old America is also part of a plan.
For those who visit this video in the future. This line, as with most of Amtrak's state supported routes in the Midwest (state supported routes are routes that Amtrak receives money from a state or multiple states as a subsidy for running), now has Siemens Venture cars, instead of the old Amfleets, so it now uses proper European rolling stock.
I love trains ... prefer over air travel when available.
The UTA FrontRunner in Utah is one of the few commuter railroads in the US that has priority, but it also owns the tracks that it runs on, so of course it would have priority.
Your review of the train was generous; the entry floors of steel plate made the train look dirty and un-cared-for (also very dangerous when wet) along with a broom in the corner. The panel construction to partition the toilet is a real throw-back to the 1970's. The lack of real food service on trains is so disappointing. Many years ago, I took a morning train from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington. The train had a fully staffed dining car -- it was a real treat to sit at a proper table, set with linens and (diner style) china and to be served a very nice breakfast.
I'm taking my two children on this train soon. Thanks for the video so we know what to expect! I'm surprised there's no viewing car. We had one on the train to Chicago back in '06. That's a little disappointing.
If that was a double-decker train, then that was a Superliner Sightseer Lounge; they're standard on most of the long distance trains, but not medium distance trains like this one. There used to be some old observation cars on single-level trains (especially around '06 and that era), but Amtrak has since retired their heritage fleet so now those are gone.
about the windows...when the Pennsylvania Railroad introduced the Metroliner train sets between New York and Washington D.C. they decided on small windows so that there would less likelihood of damage to them, and when Amfleet was introduced in the 1970s that window size was maintained and also employed on Horizon cars. Apparently, people throwing rocks at trains was a concern in the Northeast Corridor, where this started. Other American trains (Superliners, Viewliners, Acela) all have bigger windows. Thank goodness for that! Google "Pennsylvania Railroad Metroliner" for a pic of the original..
The Horizon design is based on a commuter coach design by Pullman Standard, dating back to 1970 for commuter lines out of Hoboken, NJ. Several northeastern commuter agencies use the car design.
One reason I heard was that when Metroliners were designed, they were supposed to compete againts airlines. Planes having small windows, train designers fit small windows to look "modern".
This what I was going to say.
Amfleets I windows were so small they increased them later on the Amfleets II
@@chefchaudard3580 Another valid reason as well
I used to drive from No FL to Ft Lauderdale to go on a cruise, I would rent a car and stay overnight in the area of Lake Okeechobee. Because the cruise lasted many days, it was cheaper to rent each way - instead of also paying for parking the whole time. Then I found out I could take the Silver Star [w/bus connection] for the same price as renting [including a roomette] - didn't have to buy gas, didn't have to drive - still had to stay overnight though [either option] - though not returning home. I've never regretted changing my mode of getting to the cruise ships and take Amtrak whenever I can - I really hate long-haul driving.
Very good, I like it
Thanks for sharing. The girl friend and I are planning a trip from OKC to Ft. Worth...just a day trip excursion and we planning on taking the heartland flier for the trip after this Virus crap settles down.
The Heatland Flyer uses Superliner coaches and maybe one Superliner Lounge car. Hope you enjoy the ride...
Great trip report. About time so good ones covering the US. The toilet looks how imagine a prison toilet to be.