Phoenix, AZ: We are planning a train trip of 2 days, 1 night on the Rocky Mountaineer for Aug, 2007. The train would be leaving from Vancouver to Banff or in reverse. Is there any thing that you can tell me about the Redleaf Service? Do you have any opinions or advise about this trip? Thank you for your time.

Fred W. Frailey:
Everybody is asking about Canada today! Red Leaf is the Rocky Mountaineer's first class service. I highly recommend it over coach class, which is pretty Spartan. The view from the bi-level, glass-topped Red Leaf (first class) cars is not to be believed. Either way between Vancouver and Calgary is good, but I prefer westbound -- you start the trip with a big bang, entering the mountains.

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Miami, FL: What's the best route to get from Miami to California?

Fred W. Frailey: Do you really want to know? The most direct way is to take the Silver Meteor overnight to Washington DC, sightsee in the nation's capital from daybreak until mid afternoon, then take the Capitol Limited overnight to Chicago and then your choice of the Southwest Chief (Los Angeles) or San Francisco Zephyr (San Francisco). You would begin the trip on, day, a Sunday morning, and get to the other end on either Thursday morning (LA) or evening (SF). The Zephyr route is much preferred for scenery west of Denver, but if you are a control freak who can't abide a late train, go to LA on the Chief! The Zephyr is due in Oakland just before 5 p.m., some 50 hours after leaving Chicago, but has been arriving closer to 8 p.m. because of poor track on host railroad Union Pacific in Utah and Nevada.
Before Hurricane Katrina, there was direct service from Orlando to Los Angeles three days a week on the Sunset Limited, another habitually late train. But Amtrak has never resumed service between New Orleans and Florida and unless some heavy political pressure is exerted, I doubt that it ever will.

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Kennesaw, GA: What is the best train trip you've ever been on?

Fred W. Frailey: Probably the Rocky Mountaineer, from Calgary to Vancouver. It's hard to beat. . , and be sure to buy Red Leaf (first class) tickets. Close behind that would be from Oakland to Chicago in 1969 aboard the ORIGINAL
California Zephyr, before Amtrak. Third would be the Canadian Pacific Canadian, from Winnipeg to Vancouver, in 1971. You can ride the same train, same equipment day, the only difference being that the train is now run by VIA Rail Canada and the track used is that of Canadian National Railway rather than CP -- a pity, because CP's route is far more scenic. But you can see the best of the CP scenery on the Rocky Mountaineer.

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Yreka, CA: Due to health, unable to fly. The family is planning a get together in Birmingham, Alabama for Thanksgiving. Is it possible to take the train from Dunsmuir, California to Alabama without a big problem?Thank you, Bob

Fred W. Frailey: Wow. Bob, the answer is yes, but you gotta love trains. Get on the Coast Starlight early on a Tuesday morning (by way of example). It takes you to LA late that evening. Then leave LA at 230 p.m. on Wednesday on the Sunset Limited (it departs LA on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday only). It gets to New Orleans at 4 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday morning take the Crescent to Birmingham, arriving mid afternoon. The equipment on the Starlight and Sunset is delightful, and a bedroom on the Sunset is highly recommended.

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