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| Volume 11, No. 19 |
February 3-9, 2010 |
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| | Traveling Texas by Train | | Story Meagan O’Toole-Pitts | | 
In the electronic age of GPS navigation systems and online flight check-in, travel options have gone hi-tech, getting you to your destination in record time. But when considering vacation transportation, I discovered it’s best to take it slow.
Like many people, I had thought that trains were a dying form of transportation, used only by busy workingmen and women of the east coast and tourists of European countrysides.
But as a conductor shouted “All aboard!” and I joined several other passengers in their race to board the two-story, seven-car Amtrak superliner from El Paso to Houston, I realized the railway was alive and running.
I pushed my luggage into the overhead bin and sat down at the window to wave goodbye from my second-story view.
Everything looks as you’d expect — plush blue seats with white cloth overlain the headrests, children running up and down the aisles, and a man in a black conductor’s hat checking passenger destinations and accepting cash for ticket purchases — the movie’s don’t lie.
I had little expectations for comfort on the 21-hour, four-stop ride. Being a veteran of 17-hour bus rides and having driven 20 hours straight before, I was prepared for backaches, headaches, sleep deprivation, boredom and hunger for hot food.
But spending 21 hours on a passenger train, which includes a sightseeing lounge, a dining car, walking room and stretching room, is not much different than spending the day indoors. I even found privacy to write in my journal downstairs in the empty café lounge on the bottom floor.
The difference between a bus seat and a superliner seat in reclining capabilities is worlds apart, the train seat nearly reclining to a flat bed. This is instantly detectable by the plentiful space separating the rows of seats. Adopting airline luxuries, overhead each seat are personal air conditioners, lights, a “call attendant” button, and in front are foldout tray tables.
And that’s just coach.
At booths in the sightseeing lounge, passengers play dominoes and cards, eat snacks from the café downstairs and chat, read or simply sit in swivel chairs sipping coffee soaking in the panoramic views.
Entering the dining car at sunset is like stepping into a romance novel. The roof curves into blue curtains that line orange-glistening windows, fresh carnations and shining silverware sit atop the white linen tables, and the clinking of plates and chattering fills the car as I slide into a blue booth that sits four.
Breathtaking views aside, the service is not terribly friendly and the food is expectedly average, otherwise not worth the price (the cheapest plate is $12.50, plus tax and tip).
Drinking of alcohol is allowed. The train offers beer at about $5.50 and cocktails, champagne and mixed drinks for about $6. You can bring your own alcohol as long as you bought a ticket to a sleeping car and drink it there (and definitely not in public), according to the Amtrak website.
But recycle bins for aluminum, glass, paper and plastic in every car — an unbelievable convenience for “green” travelers — more than makes up for expensive dining.
However, one minor concern a train traveler must consider is California Proposition 65, which warns that diesel engine exhaust and some of its constituents are known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm. This warning is placed on every door of every car.
And, though comfortable and luxurious, an unpleasant part of traveling on a train is the jumping from one car to another. The connections between cars are shaky, loud and scary. Rather than step on the rattling floor I began to just jump and catch on the red-and-white-striped grip bar.
During our three-hour stop in San Antonio, I got the chance to walk down St. Paul Square and the bustling Riverwalk.
After sightseeing, photographing, talking, napping, writing and savoring a Bloody Mary, my trip was nearing its end and I realized “the journey is half the fun” is true — when riding across Texas on a train.
In addition to having the amenities of home (including a shower), train travelers get to see Texas in a way not available to others. Out there in the desert, grasslands, plains and prairie, there are no traffic jams, stretches of cars, honking horns or smoking exhausts in front of you. It’s just wheels running along a track to the backdrop of green farmlands and skyscraping mountains, and over the Pecos River.
When Robert Frost advised the road less traveled I suspect he was talking about the railroad — it makes all the difference.
And the best part is the train was also the cheapest, at $91.
With five day’s notice, the train was cheaper than taking a bus, airplane, or driving. However, had I reserved a roomette, deluxe sleeper, or family room (which include the use of showers) it would have cost me an additional $116 to $670, depending on availability. But when traveling alone, sitting coach is perfect for the price, and sleeps comfortably.
Comments or questions about this story? E-mail Secret@whatsuppub.com
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