Main goals: travel by train, not cost an insane amount, see some Western scenery (US or Canadian), stop at several cities to experience different environments (sort of the European tourist approach).

My early probings indicate that perhaps Amtrak's US/Canada 15 or 30-day pass is the best economically. It requires travel in both countries. I thought we might fly to SF, train to Vancouver, across Southern Canada, through NY to DC. Visit Seattle, Vancouver, Banff(?), Toronto, Montreal.

First, any advice on general route? Is there another approach that gets me more bang for the buck?

Second, are there any difficulties with the multi-leg approach? Will we run into problems getting around cities from the stations, booking the legs, etc.? We're not averse to renting a car if there's a stunning attraction nearby.

Thanks for ANY comments or suggestions.

How about Chicago-Washington on the "Capitol Limited; Chicago-Sacramento on the "California Zephyr" (or Chicago-Los Angeles on the "Southwest Chief"); L.A.-Seattle (or Sacramento-Seattle) on the Coast Starlight"; Seattle-Vancouver on the "Cascades"; Vancouver-Toronto on the "Canadian"; Toronto-New York City on the "Maple Leaf; and New York-Washington on the "Acela Express".

Some possible highlights: Sears Tower and the Loop in Chicago; California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento; Space Needle in Seattle; the Canadian Rockies on the "Canadian" route; CN
Tower in Toronto; Niagara Falls (on the "Maple Leaf" route).

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Main goals: travel by train, not cost an insane amount, see some Western scenery (US or Canadian), stop at several cities to experience different environments (sort of the European tourist approach).

(unquote)

Sounds like a great idea! There is one big way to avoid paying "insane amounts" and that is to travel in coach. Booking a trip that long with sleeping cars will probably cost lots of money, especially considering that you are flying to SF in the first place, a pretty big expenditure. I found out when trying to get our family to DC and back from Chicago that we had to go coach because sleeping cars would cost so much, and that is a much shorter journey than what you're attempting!
You also might investigate traveling by "berth" on the trans-Canada route; this might be inexpensive enough but also a comfortable place to sleep. See www.viarail.ca, VIA Canada's web site. Coach seats are very comfy too but still, it's sleeping in a chair. Another way to save money (on the U.S. part of the trip) is to travel in the spring or fall when Amtrak gives HUGE discounts on coach.
As for stopping in cities, sounds like a good idea; when my family drives faraway for vacations I always want to stop in the cities we pass through and check them out.

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My early probings indicate that perhaps Amtrak's US/Canada 15 or 30-day pass is the best economically. It requires travel in both countries. I thought we might fly to SF, train to Vancouver, across Southern Canada, through NY to DC. Visit Seattle, Vancouver, Banff(?), Toronto, Montreal.

(unquote)

Sounds like a great itinerary, it should be lots of fun. I agree with mccannt that you could go to SF by train if you wished so. However, my personal opinion is not to take the Maple Leaf directly to NYC as suggested by mccannt but to go with your original idea of going via Montreal. This way you see Montreal, which is a really cool place, but also you get to go from Montreal to Albany through the Adirondack Mountains, which is considered one of the tip-top scenic train journeys in North America. I have never traveled this route, but I've heard rave reviews everywhere.

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First, any advice on general route? Is there another approach that gets me more bang for the buck?

(unquote)

The route you are talking about gets you a LOT of bang for your buck already because you are on Canadian rails most of the time (all except for SF-Vancouver and Montreal-DC.) Canadian train travel is cheaper than Amtrak in general but has better scenery and friendlier service, from what I have heard.

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Second, are there any difficulties with the multi-leg approach? Will we run into problems getting around cities from the stations, booking the legs, etc.? We're not averse to renting a car if there's a stunning attraction nearby.

(unquote)

Booking legs and getting around should go fine. The only major problem with multi leg trips I can think of is missed connections. Don't schedule any connection between two trains with less than four hours of leeway!! This is especially true if the first of the two is a long distance run. If the first train is delayed longer than the connection time, which often happens, you will miss your connection and it is not pleasant, believe me.

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Thanks for ANY comments or suggestions.

(unquote)

You're welcome! Hope all this helps.

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Peace,

Some passengers are very good about controlling their children and bring things to keep them amused. There is very little for children to do on the trains and they get bored very fast.

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Originally posted by mikemeg:
Pardon the vagueness. I'm in the very early stages of planning a trip next year for my family (me, wife, 4-year-old daughter). Our home is outside DC.

Main goals: travel by train, not cost an insane amount, see some Western scenery (US or Canadian), stop at several cities to experience different environments (sort of the European tourist approach).

My early probings indicate that perhaps Amtrak's US/Canada 15 or 30-day pass is the best economically. It requires travel in both countries. I thought we might fly to SF, train to Vancouver, across Southern Canada, through NY to DC. Visit Seattle, Vancouver, Banff(?), Toronto, Montreal.

First, any advice on general route? Is there another approach that gets me more bang for the buck?

Second, are there any difficulties with the multi-leg approach? Will we run into problems getting around cities from the stations, booking the legs, etc.? We're not averse to renting a car if there's a stunning attraction nearby.

Thanks for ANY comments or suggestions.

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It seems an incredibly daunting task, and is looking less and less likely now. The 4-year-old aspect isn't the catch (she's an excellent traveller)... it's the logistics.

Every few months I have a new idea for a train trip, and they have invariably not panned out. The reasons are the tradeoffs one is forced to make:

1) You're either paying a ton of money for sleeping accomodations or you're sleeping in seats. You could sleep in hotels, but...
2) visiting at cities along the way is complicated by the lack of regularity in the schedule and the lack of services at the stations.
3) The infrequency of trains makes for awkward arrival times and makes planning very difficult.
4) And if it doesn't make sense to stop off at intermediate cities, you're looking at an awful lot of the same thing (granted, with changing scenery).
5) Triple the stress of the above when you're talking about a family of 3.

Every time, I've ended up having huge difficulty planning a workable trip. When I can figure out a way to fit the pieces together, I find that I am comparing an expensive, exceptionally awkward train itinerary with almost no chance to actually experience the environs, to a cheap, fast airplane ride, comfortable hotels, and unlimited time at destinations experiencing the local areas.

It's intensely frustrating-- of all my acquaintances, I am the most amenable to train travel. I do have a decent travel budget, I adore railroads, and I'm not terribly "type A". If I can't make it work, I'm amazed that Amtrak can project profitability in our lifetimes.