Simanaitis Says
On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff
RIDIN’ THE RAILS—ASEA AND OTHERWISE
WHILE LIVING ON ST. THOMAS, we occasionally had the pleasure of dining aboard fancy cruise ships (when enough of their passengers chose STT cuisine that evening). Otherwise, I’ve never been on a cruise ship except for the R&T comparison test of the QE2 and Concorde. I have from time to time had train adventures.
On the Train Asea. Andrew Liszewski reports an interesting variation in The Verge, July 16, 2024, “You Can Escape this Royal Caribbean Cruise Aboard a Virtual Train Ride.” Liszewski describes “a unique experience called Royal Railway Utopia Station, where passengers dine on a virtual train ride while staring at simulated scenery zipping by on giant screens.”
“Train dining without the bumps and spilled drinks.” Image from Royal Caribbean via The Verge.
“The restaurant,” Liszewski says, “is built to look like two full-size rail cars with a lavish interior featuring four-person booths lining the sides, each with its own giant display serving as a virtual window. What diners see out those virtual windows will rotate throughout the year. The first experience is Western-themed, with views of mountains, canyons, and gold mines.”
A neat YouTube shares the experience.
“Subwoofers in the seats simulate vibrations as the virtual train rumbles down nonexistent tracks. (Again, this is inside a cruise ship.),” Liszewski recounts. “And in addition to a meal and moving scenery, there will be a live show with themed characters interacting with each other and guests.”
Gee, I wonder if there are any hobos ridin’ the rails beneath. Gulp.
My Rails on Land. On my “From Sea to Shining Sea” adventure, I had an overnight stay in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And what better accommodations than the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
A charming stay. Rather more elegant than a Mini Moke. Image from Hotel Chalet.
The stay in a vintage railway car was charming and elegant. To be honest, I don’t recall it being quite as grand as today’s Hotel Chalet. On the other hand, back in 1990 prior to arrival I had just been beating across the Appalachians for some hours in a car sans windows nor doors.
I surely had a restful night.
Our Coastal Drive-and-Rides. Wife Dottie and I, together with pals Jon and Beverly Thompson, devised the perfect way to day-trip San Diego: We’d flip a coin to decide the order of the drive-and-rides. Then one couple would drive the 405 and 5 south to San Diego whilst the other couple would run parallel on the Pacific Surfliner. We’d meet at the San Diego train station and have the car for local shopping, used bookstores, and other attractions. Then we’ve swap car keys for train tickets—and the lucky pair would get to sip cocktails while watching the sun dip into the Pacific. What a fine day!
Check current schedules as coastal landslides along the route have complicated matters.
Wife Dottie’s Orient Express. The fabled Orient Express still exists. As luxurytrainclub.com writes, “The modern day Venice Simplon-Orient-Express currently runs: London – Paris – Verona – Venice on the southerly Simplon route and Venice – Verona – Paris – London via Innsbruck, where it joins the Arlberg route.”
Awhile back, Wife Dottie enjoyed the Orient-Express as a press junket (hosted by Pirelli as I recall). She, pal T.C. Browne, el al. had an elegant and luxurious trip—entirely on terra firma but for the English Channel and an occasional bridge. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024
Simanaitis Says 
Looks like fun to me .
I’ve never been on an Ocean Cruise, I’d like to give one a try but convincing S.W.M.B.O. to go has been daunting .
-Nate
Watching the flying fish flee across a royal blue sea would have been much more pleasurable, if I’d been given a deck chair and a beer instead of a swab and a seabag.
I’ve enjoyed the privilege of traveling by train in many different countries. But as much as I loved a similar route in a sporty car, I miss the scenic rides I had on Amtrak’s (now defunct) Desert Wind between LA and Denver. Having a reference guide really enhanced the trip.
Brightline West recently broke ground on a high-speed line from Rancho Cucamonga (Metrolink station) to Las Vegas. So by 2028 you should be able to do the southern part of the old Desert Wind again. Unfortunately for the scenic aspects of the train, it’ll be mostly in the median of the 15…so you can wave at the parked traffic and truckers…
I’m a relatively frequent user of (though not really a commuter on) the more prosaic Amtrak trains in California: San Joaquins and Capitol Corridor. Short trips. The Cap Corridor does part of its run through the marshes in Solano County and between Fremont and Santa Clara (birds!!), and along the Bay shore between Martinez and Richmond. San Joaquins have no significant scenic value south of Stockton, of course (same route as Cap Corridor along the Bay from Oakland to Martinez, then across the Delta to Stockton), and if you’re going to/from LA (for SF-LA it’s an hour or 2 quicker than the Coast Starlight, and more reliable) you will have a bus ride over Tejon Pass.
Love the story about ride-n-drive with the Surfliner! With weekend drive times on the 5 approaching 5 hours (LA-SD), spending only 3 hours on the train (landslides permitting) is not only more comfortable but quicker!
Note that Amtrak California trains (Cap Corridor, San Joaquins, Surfliner) are state-sponsored, mostly state-funded, and the state (Caltrans) owns most of the equipment. An often misunderstood and IMO useful application of public money. After the NE Corridor the Surfliner is the 2nd most-used (by ridership) service Amtrak operates, and all 3 California Amtrak services are usually in the top 5.
Peak US trackage was 217,000 miles, and that was back in 1917. What we’ve lost. Thanks Mike B. for reminding us various trips still available here in California. We took Amtrak from Martinez to Old Town/Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum. Triple-paned windows apparently, uber quiet, large, luxurious seats.
It seems Amtrak has improved since Mad Magazine offered a derailing Amtrak train set “just like the real ones.”
Meanwhile, this is downright hypnotic for some of us rail fans. The Diesel is only along to provide electricity to the coaches and supply dynamic braking to keep the lawyers happy; #3751 is doing all the work. Note the absence of smoke. Her fireman and engineer are pros:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp-b4Ce4Mf4&t=207s