Trains are Cool: Amtrak Silver Star Roomette to Florida
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- Опубликовано: 20 дек 2020
- I took two trains to get from Boston to Florida. In the latter - the Silver Star - I was in a Viewliner II Roomette. It is perhaps the best and safest way to travel in a pandemic. And also trains are really fun and a worthwhile experience no matter where you're sitting and you should do it.
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Shot and Edited (on the train) by Tucker
195 Northeast Regional from Boston to DC
91 Silver Star from DC to Sebring, FL
Filmed the 19th and 20th of December 2020
My husband has blood clotting issues that will manifest themselves at high altitudes so unfortunately we can't fly. So we're taking our first train ride together next year. I'm excited!
How was your first train ride?
The best part of traveling by train is that you get to see how people truly live.
When driving, you see people's front yards. You see the manicured lawns and picket fences and all the other aspects of the public face that they consciously present to the world.
But from the train you see their back yards. You see the ramshackle sheds, two-foot-high weeds, broken-down fences and inoperable vehicles and all of the other elements of how they REALLY live when they think that nobody is looking.
You ever want to feel a heckuva lot better about your own life? Take a train trip. It's better than a shot of Prozac.
I really hope you don't IV Prozac....
Sad. You need a better hobby than minding other people's business in a negative way.
Or ya know, visit any low income area around dying towns like the ones these tracks run through. No trains needed.
"Just took a shower at 60 mph." Subscribed.
How was it, cold or warm, did you fall at all.
I've taken trains often, the best aren't in the US, and we should DEFINITELY fund AMTRAK much much better, especially in crowded areas. If you're going fro downtown to downtown cities rails is the way--almost always you start/end in a downtown. Especially if you have no need to rent a car. Less hassle, people are much more civil and nice. No one is throwing a tantrum they're late or strangers around them are a bother. Food's good, you can walk around, staff are helpful, informative, and nice. And all the other reasons you mentioned. Thanks for opening some eyes to rail travel.
I’ve taken many Amtrak trains over the years, and for the same reasons that you stated. Because it’s very relaxing and enjoyable, and you get to see America.
I’ve never travelled by train, but I’m enjoying these train videos.
Train travel: THE View!
Air travel: NO View
If you leave your Roomette to check out the train, are you able to lock the door? 🤔
No you can not but sleeping attendent controls those cars so unlikely someone will stuff in the sleeping car. You could also pack your valuables in a small bag and take it with you everywhere you go. Also when leaving you can draw the curtain closed and Velcro it.
Amtrak travel tip - time your shower to when the train makes an extended stop at a (major) station, that way there's less back and forth bouncing around/swaying while showering.
Fingers crossed that Amtrak switches back to it’s classic dining option sometime later this year. Nothing beats that fresh cooked steak while rolling along at 70+ mph.
A SOY burger was over 5$ chips near 3$ coke near 3$ so "Soy dinner" over 11.00!😡. Cold muffin in a box delicious breakfast!. Amtrak never again!!!!!!.
@@packingten That is normal for the cafe car. I'm talking about the real deal in the dining car.
Looks like your prayers are answered. Traditional Dining is returning later this month on Western Long Distance trains. The Eastern ones are still Flex Dining though, with the exception of the Auto Train.
@@dynasty0019The Traditional Menu PDF is up on Amtrak's Website although The Dinner Menu for Traditional Dining looks appealing but the selection of the Lunch Menu for Traditional Menu is somewhat disappointing, Flex Menu has more choices that the lunch menu
Thanks for showing off the interior of the new Viewliner sleepers. Shockingly hard to come by visuals!
and he missed the comode under the sink that is a feature of the viewliner
@@sivulaa Those are now not installed on Viewliner II's and the I's will be retrofitted to have them taken out.
@@sivulaa Not in the new viewliners. They've removed them in the new design.
Yes! I was about to ask if that was the new View liner sleeper lol. Awesome video
Summer 2016 we took our family to Florida via the Auto Train. It was one of the highlights of our trip. The service was friendly, the view was interesting and always changing and the food was much better than we expected. I definitely recommend it.
Congrats dude... I’ve never commented on a video in my life. You just earned my first after a solid decade. But I feel what you are putting down. I can’t wait to book a vacation on the rails. That being the vacation!
you have a natural ease in front of the camera. I hope your channel continues to grow.
I really enjoy train travel. I took the California Zephyr from San Francisco to Chicago and plan to so again this fall. One day I would like to take the Cardinal.
I'm looking into a train trip from Boston to Miami for my 50th birthday. This was great information!
You've convinced me. Trains are cool.
Lauren,I got injured on Amtrak,We rode from Chicago to Tampa Fl. We paid for dining car,There was none,We got Soy burger,w chips 8.75,coke 2.75,breakfast cold muffin &apple. I was thrown out of bed trying to get in,We later awoke to train going @ least 90 to probably over 100 mph!. My Wife pretty brave usually but she was scared.We had roommate the cars with seats smelled of body odor, obvious foreigners lay sleeping in seats shoes off,(what I saw),Just third world&disgusting,Tried getting some of money back,They only take not give, NEVER AGAIN!.
I'd prefer to travel by train, but VIA's management of it's services makes Amtrak look good!
Amtrak and CAF did a awesome job with the Viewliners II looks great inside the Roommette , hopefully soon I'll be able to purchase a Sleeper car Ticket. Nice Footage
I first got on a train due to a family medical emergency. Now that I can relax and enjoy the train I am hooked on running the rails. Thank you for helping us newbies to see the full picture. Happy and safe travels!
I'm 42 and I've spent the last two years designing my life so I can travel and work while I do it. I've never ridden a long distance train but I've always wanted to. I'm leaving the States by the end of this year but you've convinced me to take a train trip before I leave. Thank you
You need to, if for no other reason than to compare Amtrak to rail travel in the civilized world!
Thanks for a really fun video! As you and some of the others who commented say, aside from the experience on the trains and in the stations (a quirky sort of thing the first time, until you get into the rhythm of it), there's the optics of train travel. I find it fascinating not only to see the often stunning and usually at least interesting scenery, but also the more mundane views of small town streets, with the front or rear sides of their business districts, brightly and dimly lit factories and warehouses on the outskirts of cities in the wee hours where you can see inside and wonder if there's anyone still on the job, skylines at night in the rain, quick glimpses of moonlight gleaming on a small river as you cross, and the people. All sorts of people walking, working, sitting, driving, railroad personnel on platforms and in railyards engaged in their own esoteric tasks, people totally oblivious to me watching them as I go and they remain, unless of course, they're watching the train and wondering about people like me watching them. And as you say, train travel is relaxing and virtually stress-free, you have privacy if you want it (yes, the roomette or even bedroom is worth the cost if you can afford it and/or manage to snag a good deal) but you can get up and move around at any time. I know the on-board dining has declined in quality, due to cutbacks as well as COVID restrictions, but hopefully, that will be reversed soon. Some folks complain about the noise but it never bothered me, and I slept pretty well in both bedroom and roomette, although there was one rough stretch of track that woke me up, but I had just fallen asleep, so maybe that doesn't count. I agree that one of the best things about an overnight trip is being able to lie in your rack with the lights out and the curtains open, seeing whatever there is to see. So yeah, trains are cool and everyone ought to give it a try, just once!
You usually discover what industry or business grew the town or city by the railroad tracks no matter their size...
Wow...riding in the newest roomette......Cool
We holidayed in the US in 1976, taking the sleeper from DC to Orlando. The compartment was great, the stewards polite and breakfast in the dining car while drifting through the orange groves was perfect.
Thank you for this great video of the Viewliner II! BTW the attendant will make up the beds for you, you don't have to do it yourself if you don't want to. (You may have wanted to, but for anybody reading the comments, it's not required!)
HANDS DOWN my favorite "traveling in a roomette" video after YEARS of watching them! I've done Amtrak roomettes nearly a dozen times and you nailed all the highlights and foibles exquisitely! Instant Subscriber.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video for your viewers. We will be riding the Silver Star for the first time in May. We have never taken a trip before on a train and we are so excited. We will be in coach seats to Raleigh, then we transfer over to the Silver Star. We will take it to Orlando. We have paid for a bedroom roundtrip, however, I now think we might have to try a roomette on our next trip.
I just watched the Darjeeling limited and now I’m obsessed with the thought of travelling by train
It's infectious!
One of the most important things for trains over planes. The environmental impact.
And you don’t have to walk through a radiation scanner
Good show. I am taking Amtrak soon, LA to Seattle. Roommette also. Good tips,. No dining car? Food did look good.❤️🌮🍔🥙🍀🦴💺,,,🚂🚃🚋
Hey, there. I'm Jeff Osman from Chicago and yes, trains have been my passion since my first ride on the Santa Fe Chief back in the day. Cheers to a shared name and to the trains!
The new viewliner sleepers seem to be way better than the old ones. And the DAMN toilet is out of the roomette! Yes!!!!!!!
Train travel is the best sauce. Even a trumped up lean cuisine takes on brio on the train. Bring back dining car, Amtrak!
Nice and funny review! Glad you got one of the new sleepers and I'm so glad you enjoyed the trip, train travel is awesome and Amtrak tries its best to make the most of it (they're always underfunded). Hope you can experience the better food in the real dining car in the future. Also, subscribed because even though this is your only train video I hope to see more in the future! You're a good videographer and funny too. Enjoy your time in Florida and stay safe!
Thank you. I’ve always wanted to ride a long-haul train, so I took my stimulus money and my use-it-or-lose-it vacation time and booked a trip on the Empire Builder, from Chicago to Seattle. I’m in Texas. My plane tickets to Chicago and from Seattle together still came out to less than my Roomette ticket 😩. Your review, and those of others, makes me feel much happier about my upcoming trip.
Update: I loved my train trip, even the “flexible dining” meals were good (braised beef was the best), except for one thing: the beds. I have slept on more comfortable floors than that top bunk! The lower bunk was slightly better because of the padding of the seat cushions, but I still woke up with back pain that I’m still too young for. Anyway, the views were amazing, if occasionally very sad (abandoned buildings left to fall in on themselves), Glacier National Park is spectacular, and I would 100% do it again.
For a single in a roomette this is most likely true. But if there are two in that one roomette, with the included food and consider every night on the train is one less night in a hotel room and dining in restaurants, that roomette isn't that much more expensive... Flying usually involves daylight traveling, overnight trains saves hotel expenses. Frankly, many of us use credit card reward points to pay for much of our airline, cruise, and train fares, so the fare price isn't all that important. Furthermore, Amtrak offers sales and discounts at times as do the airlines and cruise lines, and fares vary depending when you travel. It is kinda hard to find a cheaper fare for any than during the second week of December, after the Thanksgiving holiday and before the Christmas holiday. Very few take vacations that week...
The Empire Builder is such a gorgeous route. When I took it a few years ago, they partnered with the Park Service to have a local spokesperson tell regional tales about the area in the observation car, and later an acoustic country trio played soft lovely music for a while. That was my first Amtrak trip, and I was hooked.
This whole vlog made my heart so happy. I’m glad you had a lovely time.
Great video - new subbie. As a fellow introvert it’s cool that you do t have to sit next to another person
Trains! Rolling hotels!
Exactly! When people say it's expensive, they seem to forget that bit. If things go well, I might take a trip this summer. I like to be on the ground and take my time
Some folks have a fear of planes. That alone is a reason why some prefer train travel.
I took a Silver Star from Richmond, Va to West Palm Beach and sat in coach. Lesson learned…the upgrade to a bedroom for the return trip made a huge difference. I was disappointed it wasn’t renovated like the roomettes but still worth the $$ for the convenience of having a restroom and personal space.
I haven't thought about this, but is now on my bucket list.
What a GREAT job! Better than most reviewers of anything on the web.
You're probably the first to post an Amtrak Viewliner II roomette review. Awesome!
I took the Silver Meteor from Philadelphia 30th Street Station down to Savannah, GA for a trip with my girlfriend and it was an absolute BLAST. I got one of the refurbished Viewliner II roomettes like you're in and it was so comfortable and relaxing. I put some chill music on, got a beer from the cafe car, and read my book while the country rolled past. I wouldn't have traded it for any other mode of travel. I was cozy, happy, and despite taking 13 hours to get down the east coast, I loved every minute of it. Highly recommend train travel, and highly recommend getting a sleeper car on Amtrak if you can afford it.
This was great. Good showing of the food. Do more trains, yay.
Sheldon Cooper needs to see this video ;) Well done mate, great content!
I've booked a roomette for my preschooler and myself for a winter holiday vacation this year (hopefully Delta doesn't completely ruin it...) but I am SO glad to see this video. I'll be showing it to her - she's going to love your goofy sense of humor and feel very at ease with the whole experience after having watched your video as a preview. Thanks for posting!
Covid has definitely given me some wanderlust and thanks to your video a train ride should help fix it!
Stuck at home with foot pain...incredibly relaxing to watch!!!! "Beats a metal tube in the sky"
Got sent here by the algorithm, but seriously, very well done. A great take on classic travel, and you're a very personable host. Keep it up! Subscribing to see what you become!
Wonderful videography and your personality is the best! Before Covid, I travelled Amtrak's Palmetto and Silver Meteor from New York, City to Florence, SC at least 5 times a year. Looking forward to it again. I never travel for business but Business Class is spectacular and Coach works fine because Business Class is not available on the 11:37pm Silver Meteor from Florence to New York. The Roomettes are the best -- even before Amtrak's renovations. I once had a room across from a player of the Charlotte Bobcats who was riding Amtrak for the first time.
I love when the train changes engines in Washington, DC from electric to diesel. Amazing to see how the engineers and track men disconnect, reassemble, etc.
I always refer to my very handy "Where Am I" App when I pass through various towns. To be sitting in your seat, looking at the app and seeing the exact surroundings is fantastic.
During my travel experiences, the train has stopped and cleared cows and horses on the track.
Oh and when your hands are full coming from the cafe, you don't have to bother with your opening the door exit with your hand, use the toe/foot door exit.
This video popped up in my "recommended" and I loved it. I've always wanted to do an overnight train trip and you really did a great job of showing the room and doing a review of what its like to travel by train. Hope you get to take more trips soon.
It is perfectly legitimate to say it’s an experience. I live in Canada. Hubby and I have taken Amtrak four times. Each time it was the Coast Starlight from Seattle to LA. We usually like road trips but my husband gets tired of driving and not getting to relax and enjoy the view. We always get a roomette. It suits us just fine.
Last spring we were on our way to LA and the train stopped south of Sacramento. We were told there were washouts ahead. We all had to get off. We could go back to Sacramento on that train or further south to Emeryville on a commuter train. We spoke to one of the car attendants and asked his advice. He said to go back to Sacramento because it’s a safer area and the station is bigger. So, we did that. Stood in line forever and asked the lady at the wicket if there was ANY way to get to LA (we had family waiting there and we were going on a cruise). She gave us tickets to go BACK to Emeryville where we could catch a bus overnight to LA. The wait in Emeryville was 10 hours so I rented a room nearby to have a shower and rest. We caught the bus that night and ended up in LA exactly 24 hours late of our intended arrival. Amtrak refunded the entire (one way) cost of our trip and still got us to LA so all was well in the end. The ride home was plagued with trees across tracks, a car crash on the tracks, down time waiting for cargo trains to clear the tracks etc. (none of it the fault of Amtrak) but at least we got back without having to get off the train.
The point of this very long story is not to bore anyone with details. It’s to say that in spite of that, we still love Amtrak and are taking the train from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale in a few months. Then we will cruise back to Vancouver,BC. If we aren’t willing to accept that any kind of trip can have hiccups we will just have to stay home (where annoying crap can still happen).
Try Amtrak if you are thinking about it. Just build a little extra time in to the trip to allow for delays. It’s a unique and pleasant way to travel. Oh, and the food is really good! Haven’t had a bad meal yet.
What was your favorite meal on Amtrak?
@@chrisdobrowolski2783 The flat iron steak for dinner and the burger for lunch. I usually just get the continental breakfast. All the desserts are wonderful.
I love train travel, and could not agree with you more. You see so much of the country, it's comfortable, relaxing, and the food is far better than anything I've ever eaten on a plane. I've met a lot of amazing people traveling by train. It's fantastic.
Forgot some key points of doing the roomette as compared to flying.
It is extremely quiet. Planes are noisy.
Loads of leg room.
Electrical outlets are easy to access vs plane
You don’t have to stand up when the person next to you wants to go to rest room
You can take your own liquor. No more $5 beers.
Your larger bags are accessible during the trip. Where I store my wine.
Pre-COVID :
The dining cars with shared tables are a great experience as you get to meet other travelers.
You can get up and walk around ANYTIME.
Coffee and bottled water available in each car at all times.
Roomette purchase allows you free access to the club lounges in the larger stations during you wait between trains. Also gets you priority boarding.
Yes trains are not for business travel or if on a tight schedule, but actually that is a GOOD thing.
HAVING traveled on HSR High Speed Rail in Japan, China and Taiwan the US trains are slow. 200+ MPH vs 60MPH and must share tracks with freight trains that are given priority. If we ever get HSR in the US, airplanes will become a relic, except for long distance business travelers.
The Business Car is great.
Bruh. Guess where we are right now?! Viewliner roomette baby!! Thank you for inspiring us... It's Heavenly!!! Cheers 😍
We’re on the viewliner 1 or Viewliner 2.
@@chrisdobrowolski2783 ooh so jealous!! Have a wonderful trip 🤗
The end of the video. Priceless! I want to be brave enough to travel a little by myself.
I'm back! Took Amtrak in December 2022 from VA to FL and back in a roomette and it was fun! The funny thing is, I called ahead of time to see if my reservation was going to be in the old viewliner I or II and she said the old viewliner I both ways. I was surprised when I got on and saw it was the newer viewliner II going and again coming back! It was great!
Headed on my first Amtrak in 10 years. Very excited. You're channel among others are helping immensely.
Thank you for this. We are taking the train for the 1st time this weekend from fl to ny. We did the math and with the flights being cancelled left and right I didnt want to fly. I was going to drive, we did the math though and the roomette with my 2 littles was going to be the same but less stress. So excited and my 5yr old is so excited after watching this.
The Chicago to Portland run is epic... it runs thru Glacier National Park .
And makes 3 stops. I highly recommend the middle stop at the Isaac Walton Inn at Essex. It’s a private owned stop. The hotel picks you up and puts you back on the train when ready.
Fun video, I am sold. I don't have time restraint (retired) and I do enjoy travel. Thanks for the review!
Really enjoyed this.
I’m so glad you showed to top bunk! Saw a different video about this train but they never showed it. I was wondering how anyone fit in such a tight space but, it pulls down lol
Awesome video Tucker! Thanks for sharing the experience!
First time seeing a train travel video like this. Great job! The food actually looks pretty good.
I already like train travel. I use it more than flying because you can get it more last minute and its comfy... but the room thing, I've never seen that before... that's sooooo cool!
I agree with you. Travelling by train makes good experience.
I already wanted to do this. Now I am GOING to do this! I've been obsessed with trains since I was a child
Love this video and you personality! Thanks for sharing!
Back in 1992 I won a trip for two on Amtrak from Chicago to Flagstaff, AZ. I took my mom with me. We had a great time! On the way out there, we had the “family” car that slept 4-5, had windows on both sides of the cabin and we had a bathroom with a shower just steps from our cabin. It was a really fun trip. The food and service were great. What we ran across was a majority of the passengers were taking the train one way and flying the other way. I am going to take another long train trip as soon as this COVID crap is over. I would really like to do a trip from Chicago to San Francisco then a trip from San Francisco to San Diego then back to Chicago. Definitely will get a roomette.
The vibes I get from this video are immaculate. Subbed.
Perfectly described
I've taken two overnight trips on trains with friends in sleeper cars and it was a lot of fun. By comparison traveling with friends by plane kind of sucks. It's so much more stressful an on half the fights I've taken I couldn't even gets seated next to the folks I was traveling with. Not that talking is easy on a plane anyway. So yeah thumbs up for trains man!
Thank you for filming the new viewliners! They look amazing! So glad they got rid of that awkward toilet in the room and added restrooms! Also, you’re one of the only video reviewers who has not complained about the food situation! Thank you for that!
I REALLY hope I get an older train with a toilet in the room! I can't see schlepping to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
@@lesleynyborg2093 Yes. I will have to rent a bedroom in the future just to get my own toilet. I think that's Amtrak's plan. They make more money.
If you do not get a roommate with a toilet you can ask the attendent if any one in the other sleeper car will change with you, that will only work sometimes and it works better at the begging of the route you are on.
I truly enjoyed this video (and I’ve watched a ton of them about Amtrak’s roomette).
Your delight is delightful.
My first long haul train trip was the California Zephyr in 2019! Can’t wait for more 🐻❤️
I took the Chief from Chicago to California in coach! LOVED IT! I love trains!
@@burningisis I tell everyone I can get to listen about my trip. Luckily I’m a bartender, so I get to tell lots of people :)
Wow I've been thinking about doing this for a while and I think this just pushed me over the edge of "Why not just do it". Thanks for this video man!
Great video. Informative and images helped a lot. Thank you. I'll be in a roomette from Philly to Tampa in June.
Silver Star Roomettes are real definition of railway comfort.🔥🔥
I love this so much. I am a certified Amtrak Geek, but up to this point I have only taken coach because of cost. Next month I'm taking my first roomette trip from Chicago to New Orleans, and I am just as excited about the train as I am about NOLA. TRAIN TRAVEL FOREVER!
loved this. my family,minus me, has done extensive train travel. I am hard core airline but with covid and all the craziness on airplanes, this just might be the way to go. seems way safer than air travel no matter how many swedish studies they trot out. thank you so much for this.
Thank you for highlighting the new Viewliner sleeper cars. Yours is the first comprehensive review of these cars I’ve seen. I’ve always enjoyed traveling in Amtrak sleepers. Looking forward to seeing more reviews from you in the future.
I did the Silver Star that year right before Thanksgiving. Got a roomette from NYC to Kissimmee, Florida. I enjoyed the entire ride.
Thank you so much for this! I'm going to be on one of the Silver trains at the end of this month and I was really concerned about the mask while in a roomette situation. Thankfully everyone I've seen is unmasked while in the room so for me, its worth it because, while necessary, I'm not a fan of wearing my mask. It triggers my suffocation fear. So I'm fine masking up while in the public areas of the train and unmasking while in my room.
If course walking to the shower you have to wear a facial covering if no shower in your room but inside the shower you can take off the facial covering unless it is a disposable one and you brought and extra one with you to the shower room.
Thanks for the great video. I did alot of train travel in the 60's and 70's across the Midwest. I adore it. So relaxing.
I did a trip from NYC to FL few years ago on Silver Star too and I can agree all you say: it was so much fun! Nice experience and it was also nice to see your video. Thanks. 👍🏼😀
I've never ridden on a real train. I really want to go. I'll bet there's a lot less crazies than on airplanes. Nobody's in a hurry.
I took this same route end of 2019 and it was awesome!!!! I didn't travel in a room, but economy. I would totally do it again. Wayyyy less stress and restrictions than an airplane.
Great video! My son and I have taken that line from Raleigh up to DC several times. Great memories. Always a cool experience. Love train travel!
So I booked my first train ride for March 4th from Palm Springs, Ca. - Cinci., Oh. a 72 hr trip, before watching any RUclips videos, and I am now kinda stoked to try it out, thanks to videos like yours. There are still restrictions for Covid so the rider count in coach is halved which, I hope, will make the cheapy seat tolerable.
Great video. Glad you enjoyed your ride. My favorite way to travel. Have fun, stay safe and stay healthy,
You are funny 😂 You made me smile 😁 Thank you!
Brings me back when I took an overnight ride from Raleigh, NC to Boca Raton with my dad almost 43 years ago. I didn't know this at the time, but the reason we went by train was that my dad was afraid of flying during that time.
You are the funniest cameraman, you cracked me up great video
Ok, I need to take a ride in that thing!!! convinced
An excellent trip report. I thoroughly enjoyed this video.
OMG ... I love that sink!!! Great video ... really enjoyed it. Your personality really shines through.
Im taking a train from boston to Savannah and out if all the countless videos I've watched , no one has mentioned sitting on the left side. Great tip.
Thank you so much for this video. Looking to take my first train ride with the wife and this answered almost all my questions. Great job.
Loved the experience of watching this video, very relaxing and entertaining. you really have the potential to be one of the greats in the travel review sphere. keep doing this it was very fun!
I was wondering why this channel only had 367 subscribers and then I saw you in the shower. Ahhh! Makes sense now. :-)
As for time to travel, I think it's important to note real times between locations on trains and airplanes. Airplanes definitely win on long journeys but for short ones they may not. What I mean is if the flight takes 1 hour to get between two cities it will take you three to go between those cities because they don't put airports inside cities, you need to get to it, then you need to check-in, go through security, wait at your gate, board, fly, deboard, exit the airport and transport back to the city. For instance Seattle Washington and Portland Oregon. You can go from downtown Seattle to downtown Portland in 3.5 hrs on the train. Flying takes you the same amount of time (time in the air is 45 minutes) but costs three times as much. If time were the only unit of measurement trains would lose on journeys over 3 hours however time isn't.
I've ridden Amtrak about 20,000 miles. I've also ridden trains in 15 other countries and the worst train experience is roughly on par with the best plane experience (discounting time). My favorite thing to do on Amtrak when there isn't a pandemic is to go to the observation car, turn my seat sideways and stair out the giant windows with a book in my hands. Inevitably other travelers will show up and we'll have great conversations. I've sat on Amtrak for 16 hours and didn't get anything read because I was busy watching the Rocky Mountains go by or conversing with someone. Unlike airplanes people on trains are willing to talk because at any moment you can leave, you're not stuck next to the same person. For breakfast, lunch and dinner I eat in the dining car and again meet interesting people.
I am to the point where I will take a train no matter how long it takes over a plane. The ONLY time I'll get in a plane is if an ocean is involved or a train just doesn't exist. There IS something special about a train, something that can't be explained to the jetset bunch. The journey is often more interesting than the destination on a train. You can never say this about a plane, planes are just necessary evils to get where you want to go.
I could do this. That shed some light on something I wasn’t aware of existed (roomette). I took the train a lot when I was a kid along the CA coast and always enjoyed it. You’ve sparked some inspiration for my next travel “adventure” thanks dude!