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Bon Voyage! I did this last year and found the thrill of railroading not what it had been in my youth. (In part, I suppose, because the rolling stock on which the autos are carried dates back to my youth -- and the passenger cars shown in your picture aren't that much younger!)

Good luck with the unloading lottery -- cars come off in random order anywhere from a few minutes to a l-o-n-g time after the train gets in.

Better than I-95? Barely.

I took amtrak to DC from Miami about 20 years ago. It was about 22 hours. Never again.

I'd love to ride the train across the US from coast to coast :) I don't like taking the train somewhere when I'm in a hurry, but I'd quite like to kick back and enjoy the countryside roll by!

Michale, why are you taking the auto train, instead of driving to VA?

How much does it cost to take your train by car?

I don't especially like to drive. The southern half of the journey is especially featureless and dull highway. I am tall, and one of my sons is taller, so it gets cramped. If it's a vacation, we're going to stop along the way, maybe twice, which adds to the expense when you figure two rooms each time for the four of us, even in a motel. Car train rates vary, but they are competitive with flying, plus they take the car and more luggage. Plus, it's not just the drive to VA -- we had quite a bit of driving after that to get our current location. That was enough, thank you.

It's true that the majority of the people on board the train were elderly. But then, we'll be in that demographic eventually.

The car train is fairly nice. You can read instead of concentrating on bad drivers. Lots of leg room. Nice views. Bad dinner, OK breakfast. Only problem is that the seats don't recline quite far enough to really let you sleep well.

Thanks for sharing your (working) vacation with us!

There is something classic about your train picture.

You mean, like how I used the same picture last time?

I've always had a keen interest in the railroad, but, with the exception of commuting on the underground in England, it's been years since I took a trip anywhere. I'm more into steam than electric, although I must admit that some modern trains are seriously impressive.

This is definitely something I'd be keen on when I get the chance to visit the US.