Amtrak Southwest Chief - Chicago to Los Angeles

For most of us, in Northern Ireland, a long train trip is the Enterprise from Belfast to Dublin. Long distance train travel is not really in our sights. However in the USA, Amtrak runs huge coast to coast trains, big double deckers with sleeping cars, dining cars and sight-seeing lounges. As part of this trip I decided to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles on the Southwest Chief, which takes in part of Route 66 and the Santa Fe trail. 

The 40 hour trip takes in 8 states and travels nearly 2300 miles. There are a number of stops along the way, some allow time to stretch your legs, others give you the chance to go into nearby shops while the train is serviced. 

I spent most of my time in the lounge car in order to take in the scenery on the route

Taking a train journey allows you to see just how vast the USA actually is. An experience you would never get on a plane. We passed herds of buffalo, wild deer, huge ranches and even ghost towns. I saw houses literally in the middle of nowhere, many many miles from their nearest neighbour. 

I saw houses were people had their fridges, and half their possessions, outside. This, it transpired, is because the area last saw rain about 8 months ago.

On board, the sightseeing lounge is the central point of the train, the cafe downstairs is open from early morning to late at night offering snacks, drinks and hot food. The dining room next door offers table service and amtraks policy is to fill the tables one at a time, so if you are a single travel, or a couple, you will meet different fellow travellers at each sitting. 

I had breakfast in the dining car, and for $7 was not bad at all. Scrambled egg, fried potatoes, fresh fruit, a croissants well as orange juice & coffee. 

My dining friends were two seasoned train travellers from New Mexico and New York who competed with each other to tell the best journey horror story (such as 8 hour delays etc!) 

In the lounge car you cannot help but overhear conversations. I was amazed to hear one middle-aged lady explain how this was her first time ever outside the state of Kansas, and also her first ever time seeing "a real life mountain". Having travelled through Kansas, which is predominately a huge expanse of nothingness for 8 hours, I can understand why she was so excited.