Page 76 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

CA.RAILWAY JOURNEYS
You Can Hear
That Whistle Blow
Climb aboard for panoramic views and historic adventure
AMTRAK
Founded in 1971 to provide inter-
city passenger train service
across the country, Amtrak
serves 46 of the 50 states and
three Canadian provinces on
21,000 miles (34,000 km) of track.
Passengers wait to board at
Union Station, Los Angeles,
above; Union Station interior,
above right.
What’s your pleasure? Uncorking vin-
tage wines in the dining car of the Coast
Starlight—or blasting the undead with
laser rifles from the platform of the
Zombie Train? California offers railway
experiences for every taste, and all of them
come with unforgettable scenery.
The Golden State’s railway history has
been part of American legend for 140 years.
On June 4, 1876, the first express train con-
necting the east and west coasts reached the
city of Oakland—after a seemingly miracu-
lous journey of less than four days.
Before that milestone, a New York to
San Francisco trip had taken months—and
might include births, deaths and attacks by
bandits or Indians.
74 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
BY JEFF GREENWALD
Californians love their trains, and not just
for nostalgic reasons. They’re a great way to
take in some of North America’s most iconic
landscapes: from towering mountains to
coastal cliffs. Some of the routes are short,
scenic excursions. Others are more practical,
ferrying commuters between the capitals of
California commerce.
Amtrak Adventures
The gold standard of California rail trips is
arguably Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. Before it
crosses the border into Oregon, north-
bound passengers experience the full
spectrum of California’s greatest hits.
Whether you board at Los Angeles’ Union
Station or Oakland’s Jack London Square,
you’ll pass snow-capped peaks, gorgeous
forests and shimmering shorelines. The
full trip, from Los Angeles to Seattle (or
reverse), takes 35 hours.
But accolades for the “most beautiful
train trip in North America” are lavished on
Amtrak’s California Zephyr, a 51-hour adven-
ture linking the Bay Area with Chicago. The
daily departure boards in Emeryville (right
across the bay from San Francisco), and
crosses two mountain ranges—the Sierra
Nevada to Reno, and the Rockies to Denver
(you can get off at Truckee, and explore Lake
Tahoe). If you’re drawn to a desert crossing,
Amtrak’s Southwest Chief connects LA with
Chicago via the Mojave. The Sunset Lim-
ited—Amtrak’s most southern route—joins
LA with New Orleans via Tucson, San
Antonio and Houston.
JORG HACKEMANN/SHUTTERSTOCK; FILEDIMAGE/SHUTTERSTOCK