My next cross country trip (Dec. 04) will either be on the Zephyr or the Chief (I've already done the Sunset Limited and Empire builder). The Chief is more direct for me, Zepher will mean taking a bus + train (Chicago to Los Angeles) Which train should I take and why? Thanks for the input! Alison
I've ridden both The Chief and The Zephyr from Chicago to California on more than one occasion and if you are looking for more of an "on time" trip take " The Chief " but if you're looking for a longer ride with GREAT scenery then ride "The Zephyr". They both leave Chicago within an hour of each other. I understand you're final destination is LA which means The Zephyr is not very convient. If you can swing it, stay overnite in Oakland and ride The Coast Starlight out of Oakland in the am, it will get you to LA about 900pm that same night and #11 is probably Amtraks most popular train. Good Luck !
Very TRUE but to be fair, the Zephyr is also poor at keeping to a schedule around Denver; mainly since the Coal Trains have priority.
Hey all, I have travelled on both trains and would agree when it comes to on-time running the Chief is the way to go also if you want to spen time looking at orange blurs and moving container walls then when the chief is on the transcon you will get to see a lot of traffic (abit to close to photograph though). Scenery on the Zephyr rocks (literally ) We got held up in the canyons west of Denver due to trackwk but a good trip none the less. In fact I liked them so much I'm flying over on the 27th Jul and taking the chief to Chicago the the Zephyr back to San Fran. Can't wait Alex
You might wish to check out this topic from another members recent travels on the Zephyr. California Zephyr trip report!
If you have the time, take the Zephyr and relish any delays enroute! You can then connect to the Coast Starlight to get down to LA. I suggest changing at Sacramento because you could then have the opportunity to visit the California State Railroad Museum, which is almost right next to the station. Also, consider a stopover in Denver and bop on out to GOlden to visit the Colorado State museum, time permitting...
Two things to consider..... Check the schedules and see what part of the routes are in darkness!!! I noticed the eastbound "Chief" hits Cajon pass about dark, and is through the most scenic part of Arizona - Flagstaff - about 6AM. Raton pass is about 6PM backlit on the west side, not too bad.... Westbound isn't a whole lot better. Just in general, look at the online timetables and see what's there. I know I was very dissapointed in the schedule of the Empire Builder crossing the Cascades in darkness. The Pioneer crossing the Blue Mountains in daylight was one of the best trips ever. I noticed that Denver-west is almost guaranteed daylight going westbound, and eastbound you're coming down the Front Range at dusk, which is a very memorable view. Even as an ATSF fan, it looks to me like the better run is the Zephyr with the current schedules. Also consider doing BOTH of them, with the Daylight in the middle. I did that in '72 and it was great.
To add a little more adventure to your trip, consider taking the San Joaquin from Sack-a-tomatoes to Bakersfield. Great view of historic Central Valley lines plus some stops at the valley's wineries (Lodi, etc.). I am assuming that you could catch the Chief for the run into LA from Bakersfield. BTW, the CSRM is opening a new exhibit of a huge "toy train" layout soon.
