Amtrak or Greyhound?

[John Kasaian]

I'll be travelling with the 'dorff.

The 1994 ex-forestry pick up truck is getting a new lease on life (it should hold up for another two years anyway) since I found replacements for the crystalized metal that held the door on, but mileage is a killer on long trips and I'd prefer not paying for the extra baggage or dealing with x-rays on commercial flights.
So,
does anyone here have any preference for rail over bus (or bus over rail) when travelling with something as bulky as an 8x10 kit? The whole enchilada will fit in a Super Trekker AW except for the tripod. Either way will get me within rental car distance of my goal and the fares are very close. I'm leaning towards Amtrak at present.
Thoughts? Suggestions?

[katie cooke]

Trains over the bus, any day. You can walk around on a train. Being jammed into a Greyhound seat on long journeys loses its charm fast.

[Turner Reich]

Oh yea it's the train, If you can drag it on it's no problem. If you can afford it get a cabin room. Otherwise you will just have to haul your goodies with you to the dining car. There are no lockers. Walker Evans "From the Train", a series of photographs he took from the windows of trains. Excellent, see the book "The Hungry Eye".

[Renato Tonelli]

The train is much more comfortable.

[Jim Noel]

On most trains you can ask the attendants to lock up large, valuable items. I prefer the train to everything other than my car.

[Ben Chase]

A year or so my brother told me a story of how his mother thought it would be very economical for him to take a Greyhound from the Seattle area out to see her in Wyoming.

One of the highlights from his trip was sitting next to a blind man who played the harmonica for 18 hours and was constantly stealing his soda. Perhaps more exciting was the fistfight between 2-3 riders somewhere between day 2 and day 3 of the trip. He concluded that a Greyhound trip amounted to one of the darkest moments of his life.

I have never taken a Greyhound, but I have taken a train from Fairbanks Alaska to Denali National Park, and it was a lot of fun. I would most certainly do it again.

Your mileage may vary, but I think that I would rather be waterboarded than take a Greyhound anywhere.

[Terence McDonagh]

You've obviously never taken a bus in the last 20 years.

Take the train. It's easily one of the most civilized ways to travel. And I almost always meet nice interesting people. And unlike a bus, if one lavatory is broken, there's (almost) always another functioning one. The train is worth it just for that.

Pack a few beers and a sandwich and watch the world go by outside the window in comfort and style.

[Ron Marshall]

I've done a three day trip by train, and the same trip by bus. The train ride was pleasant, the bus trip was an endurance contest.

[wfwhitaker]

...Either way will get me within rental car distance of my goal and the fares are very close. I'm leaning towards Amtrak at present.

You're renting a car anyway? I don't know how far you plan to travel, but what would be the possibility of renting a car with unlimited mileage and just driving? Probably most any rental car is going to beat the mileage of your truck. How does the additional cost of gas/rental weigh against the cost/hassle of a train or bus trip?

I can't think of any sane reason to recommend the bus.

[Robert Brummitt]

Trains for me thanks.
Except that they have their own idea of time. I took a trip from Oregon to Northern california and it was to be a 24 hour trip. Well, 36 hours is what it's really is. The train stopped and sat t all sorts of odd areas.
The stories I got from the attendants was first freight trains have priority. Then the train crews have to be replaced and a new crew has to be driven to where the train has stopped. Even out in no mans land.
I would suggest getting books, books on tape, even a portable dvd player and some movies. Oh and extra cash for eating.
But otherwise, Train is far better then bus. I'm hoping the next administration will support our nation rail system. The current one and some in the past have pretty much gutted it in favor of the roads and air flight travel.