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.

[Curt Palm]

I'd also go by train, as long as you are not worried about getting there on time. Amtrak doesn't own the rails it rides on and is at the mercy of the Freight train company's for being put on sidings for the freight trains to pass. Amtrak's Coast Starlight goes through the town I live in, and i've seen it pass at almost all times of day

[Michael Graves]

I did a train trip two years ago, and had a blast. I had the attendant lock my camera gear into secure storage and all was safe. When I got off the train in New York City, they retrieved it and brought it right to me. I loved it, and where trains go, I will never take a bus.

[CG]

Amtrak whenever I can.

C

[Navy Moose]

I'm going to the Blue Ridge Mountains this Fall for a foliage workshop. I'm taking Amtrak to Charlotte, NC to meet my friend down there. It beats flying by a mile and I can bring my gear with me without as many restrictions. My LF gear will have to go by FedEx :-(

I did a bus trip from Boston to NYC on Fung Wah bus lines, which has a checkered past. It was only five hours each way, but I couldn't stand being packed in like a sardine. Next time, it will be Amtrak.

[Ernest Purdum]

In the United States, I would always take the train over a bus. My last Greyhound ride was from Los Angeles to Mobile in summer. The air conditioning failed in Indio. In Houston I was told my reservation on that express bus was no good beyond that point. I rode standing up on a puddle jumper and arrived late.

This was sixty years ago. Maybe they have improved since, but I doubt it.

[Henry Ambrose]

I'd rent a high gas mileage car with unlimited miles. Being able to see things and stop whenever I want to make a picture would be a very, very high priority for me.

[Richard M. Coda]

Agree with Will... do the math and see what works best.

I took the train from NJ to FL twice back in the very late 70s to visit a HS friend who moved after graduation (and to be his best man). It was great... being 18-19, on my own for the first time, stopping at every major city on the Eastern Seaboard, and watching the country go by. (It was also all I could afford back then!) The only downside was I had a very "large" woman next to me on the aisle (I had the window). She turned when she slept and pinned me to the window all night.

[redrockcoulee]

In 2002 my wife and I took the bus from Medicine Hat to the last stop before LA. It was a 44 hour bus trip including breaks at stops and except for the last two or three hours it was a surprisingly enjoyable trip. First choice would have been the train but the train was more than three times the cost for that particular trip. Have taken a couple of bus and train trips Christmas time that was not enjoyable at all. We drove home in a car we went down to get and although that was nicer it was also longer as it took us a week as we made a holiday out of it.

We used to have ESL students staying at our place and several before returning to Korea or Japan took the Greyhound to eastern Canada and northeast USA and all thought the bus was a great trip.

[Eric James]

With Amtrak you will see the country; with Greyhound, you will smell the country. Greyhound humanity is a little much for me - AmTrak travel is more civil and will provide more room for the Super Trekker. I believe that LowePro sells a lockable wire security bag - or you could use tiny pad locks on the zipper pulls and tether the pack to a luggage rail.

[Darren H]

Of the two I'd say train for all the reasons the others have said. And if you are going someplace like Glacier NP, the train stops in the park.

But if it was me, I'd see about a rental car for the whole trip and then have the freedom to go when and where I want. The wife and I were going to Florida and it is about a 900 mile drive each way. We rented a Hyundai Sonata (drives really nice and has XM to boot)that got about 35mpg. Rental for a week with all the tax and fees was about $200. I spent $190 on gas. So $400 for transportation for a week and I covered just over 2000 miles. Pretty cheap. Probably cannot buy any plane or train ticket and get a rental on location for any cheaper.

Check for rental car deals with unlimited miles and ask for a specific high mileage model. Then you can when and where you want.

Good luck and have a great trip!

[jnantz]

hi john

i am just another voice in the choir, suggesting the train ..
but there is something nice about taking a bus too.
last time i bus'ed, i sat next to someone who was in one of the karate kid
films ... the last time i train'ed, to switch engines in new haven for 2 hours ...
with a screaming kicking kid behind me ...

either way, have fun, and don't forget to use the hobo ( or 5x7 speeder ) out the window ;)

john

[Brian Vuillemenot]

But if it was me, I'd see about a rental car for the whole trip and then have the freedom to go when and where I want. The wife and I were going to Florida and it is about a 900 mile drive each way. We rented a Hyundai Sonata (drives really nice and has XM to boot)that got about 35mpg. Rental for a week with all the tax and fees was about $200. I spent $190 on gas. So $400 for transportation for a week and I covered just over 2000 miles. Pretty cheap. Probably cannot buy any plane or train ticket and get a rental on location for any cheaper.



I second the recommendation to just rent a car and drive from home- it will be the fastest, least expensive, and most convenient way to do a photo trip. You just will have to do some driving, which is easier if you have several drivers. One thing to watch out for is that some rental car companies don't let you take the rented car out of state or contiguous states. For example, I rented a car once in New Mexico, and was only allowed to drive it in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, but not California. It's possible now that rental car compnies are installing GPS's in their cars now to track the locations and make sure people don't break the rules. Some will also charge outrageous fees if the car goes over the speed limit! And, or course, beware of all the expensive and unnecessary add-on insurance policies they will try to sell you as well.

[Turner Reich]

$228 for a 2000 mile trip at 35mpg, that's not bad it's cheap these days.

[Jim Rice]

I love Amtrak. Two words: club car.

[David A. Goldfarb]

The train is more comfortable than the bus, as long as it's going where you want to go. the bus goes more places.

It's been a while since I've done long bus trips--maybe 10-15 years, but I did quite a few as a student and never had any problems with it. I think my last was New York-Toronto in grad school, or maybe New York-New Haven, which is pretty civilized by Peter Pan bus, which goes to a lot of college towns in the Northeast.

Train is a good way to get from New York to Philadelphia, Boston, and DC, so I've done those routes over the past several years a number of times.

[eddie]

i took a bus trip from NY to SLC a few years back. it sucked. bus stations are scary in some places. many people ridingthe bus are equally scary.

i have only taken long distance trains while living in thailand. i started out in 3rd class seating (wood bench for two. no head rest.) then moved to fan seating. both pretty much sucked. the thai buses are WAY nicer than those options and the US buses! then i tried fan sleeper car on the train! i was hooked. great stuff. then a few years after that i tried AC sleeper! oh baby! all and all the train is better cause you can walk around, drink at the bar and bring your own food! no driving either way.

eddie

[mclaurin]

I just traveled on the train and rented a car at my destination.

I checked the tripod inside of my baggage. You are allowed more than one bag, this time I wrapped my tripod in a sleeping bag and carried it in a duffel bag. I was going to a cabin, so needed the bag. My tripod would never have fit in my suitcase...wrong proportion.

The train was fine for one night without a sleeping car. The sleeping car is expensive. I couldn't go for more than one night though. Some of the seats don't recline properly, so check that when you choose.

I think it's a great way to reduce cost and carbon.

[Scott Davis]

IF Amtrak will get you where you're going, or at least pretty darned close, it's Amtrak hands down. We here on the Northeast corridor are spoiled with the Acela trains - they really ought to be running on every long distance passenger route in this country, given how big the country is. But even back in the day when they had unreserved coach trains from DC to New York, and the Metroliner was the premium, express train, the train was the best deal. With the bus, you can easily get stuck in traffic, and stuck next to absolute whackjobs. On the train, you can always switch cars, or move to the cafe and hang out there.